plus 3, Liverpool Midfielder Lucas Feels Gerrard Is Better Than Kaka - Bleacherreport.com

Liverpool Midfielder Lucas Feels Gerrard Is Better Than Kaka - Bleacherreport.com
George Talbot column: Wes Bush's $40 billion moment - Everything Alabama Blog
Gov. Perry rides wave of anti-Washington ire to win over Sen ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune
His memories are all pleasant - Boston Globe

Liverpool Midfielder Lucas Feels Gerrard Is Better Than Kaka - Bleacherreport.com

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 06:15 AM PST

Liverpool midfielder Luca Leiva clearly wants to prolong his career with the Reds. Lucas' performance has been inconsistent since his move from Gremio in 2007. However, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is adamant that Lucas has got something special in him to succeed at the highest level.

Not too long ago, Large sections of the Anfield faithful were moaning after the departure of Xabi Alonso because a replacement wasn't available then and had to do with an inconsistent player like Lucas. However, his statistics shows that he has been doing a wonderful job since the departure of Alonso. Surprisingly, the young Brazilian is the most successful passer in the Premiership this season.

That means he has been doing a brilliant job. He's no way a creative player. He can tackle and can pass the ball with decent accuracy. Although, he's not a great goal-scorer, he can be a adequate squad player. At least he has managed to silence his critics with some solid play this season.

I am off target. Let me come to the point. Undoubtedly, Lucas wants to please Liverpool fans and team-mates, and he came out with a brilliant idea. He opted to compare his captain Steven Gerrard with Kaka. Having played with both players, Lucas feels that Gerrad is a more complete player than Kaka.

"There are similarities with Kaka and Stevie but Stevie makes more of a contribution all over the pitch. Stevie is more complete in that sense because he can attack but also defend just as well," said the 23-year-old when comparing Gerrard to his compatriot.

Lucas should be aware of the fact that he's babbling about a player who has won both the "FIFA World Player of the Year" as well as the "Ballon d'Or" honours. Gerrard was nominated for these two prestigious awards on a couple of occasions, but up 'til now, he never had the the luck (quality) to win it.

Gerrard is a crucial player for Liverpool, without whom they seems to lack the firepower to dismantle tougher oppositions. He's a team player. The most important player for Liverpool. However, that doesn't mean he's the best player around or better than a player of the caliber of Kaka. Gerrard is an expert from dead ball situations and has got great leadership abilities, but that doesn't mean he's better than the Brazilian midfield maestro.

Kaka is a player blessed with skills and blistering pace. He has unbelievable speed that a winger would be proud of. He was instrumental to AC Milan's success in Europe and successfully played at the tip of the diamond. The formation of AC Milan was tweaked to give Kaka more freedom and license to attack, that says a lot.

A striker would be proud of Kaka's goal tally, which is amazing and unbelievable for a midfielder. He can make that cutting pass, that inch-perfect pass which is his trademark style of play. Alright, he's not the best when it comes to defending, but then you have got defenders for that specific job.

Gerrard has got defending skills and he urges the team to do well even during crisis situations. He's an inspiring leader.

Kaka and Gerrard are miles apart. Kaka is a wizard and Gerrard is a leader. The winner of both the prestigious awards in World football must be better than a player who hasn't won it ever.

Clearly, Lucas's statements are based on Gerrard's defensive abilities, but Gerrard is not a defender by any means. Both prefers attacking football, and if you compare them on the basis of what they are good at, surely the flocks would conclude that comparing Gerrard and Kaka is similar to comparing Steven Ireland to the Liverpool captain. On any day, Kaka is better than Gerrard.

Furthermore, Kaka is not having his best of the time with Real Madrid, but still managed to score seven goals from 20 appearances and is relatively coming good of late. Kaka can score even when he's out of form, that speaks a lot about his potential and conviction.

Whereas Gerrard is not having a good season by any means and more of a struggle than anything else. So, it's baffling that Lucas came out with such a statement when the Liverpool captain is nowhere near his best.

Now for Lucas, he wants to delight the Liverpool captain and feels his club career is far more important than his International success. He may succeed in earning a new long term contract with his latest remarks about a player—who's regarded as a god in Milan. It's disgrace to a player of the quality and high standards as that of Kaka.

Having said that, Gerrard is no way a substandard player. He's a legend, but certainly one step lower than Kaka.

P.S: These are my opinions and Lucas has his notions. Don't feel that I am discrediting Gerrard. He's a great player, but you have to give it for Kaka. Let your opinions be known only as an unbiased football fan.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

George Talbot column: Wes Bush's $40 billion moment - Everything Alabama Blog

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 04:49 AM PST

By George Talbot

March 03, 2010, 6:40AM

This is a defining moment for Wesley G. Bush, the newly minted chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp.

Bush, 48, took the helm of the worlds fourth-largest defense company in January. Two months into the job, he faces a decision that could have far-reaching consequences not only for his company and his career, but for the U.S. defense industry, the economy and American troops.

Northrop is deliberating whether to submit a bid on a potential $40 billion contract to build refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force. The 179-plane order represents one of the richest defense deals in U.S. history, and it's a prize made even more lucrative because it comes at a time when the Pentagon is shifting money away from big-ticket weapons programs.

This is the big leagues of business, and Bush's decision will impact thousands of Northrop shareholders and employees plus some 230 suppliers tied to the tanker program.

The road to this juncture has been a rocky one for Northrop. The company beat rival Boeing Co. for the contract in 2008, shocking observers and handing a bitter loss to one of the industry's most powerful players. The deal unraveled under protest from Boeing, which was granted a rematch by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The Air Force reopened the contract for bidding last week, but Bush has expressed grave concerns about the fairness of the competition. His options include submitting a bid despite his concerns, filing a protest or a lawsuit to challenge the Air Force's criteria, or simply walking away from the contest - a move that could damage relations with one of his best customers.

Bush is under tremendous pressure from the Alabama delegation, the Pentagon and his top business partner - the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. - to move forward and submit a bid. He's under equal strain from investors not to waste resources on a fool's errand.

Press-Register/JD MercerNorthrop Grumman CEO Wes Bush discusses the company's bid for the Air Force tanker contract during a 2008 news conference in Mobile. Northrop and EADS have reportedly sunk more than $200 million in pursuit of the contract thus far, and could be expected to spend half as much or more on a second bid.

A win would mean different things for the two trans-Atlantic partners, and each is motivated by a different goal.

EADS, the parent company of Airbus, would gain a long-sought foothold on U.S. soil and a strategic edge against Boeing, its archrival in the commercial aircraft market.

Airbus is proposing to add production of A330 freighter aircraft in Mobile, a move that would protect the European company against currency swings and expand its global reach.

For those reasons, plus the opportunity to compete for future defense work in the world's biggest military market, EADS may covet the tanker contract moreso than its bidding partner, and thus may be more willing to slash its costs in pursuit of the deal.

Northrop, which competes across a range of defense programs and frequently teams with industry rivals including Boeing, has a different approach. The company's methodical style under former CEO Ron Sugar at times frustrated Alabama political leaders who were eager to trade punches with Boeing.

Like Sugar, his mentor, Bush is an electrical engineer with a sharp analytical mind. But the West Virginia native is also a hard-nosed businessman: On his first day as CEO, Bush announced he was moving the company's headquarters from Los Angeles to the Washington, D.C. area.

If that decision was any indication, then emotion won't dictate Bush's evaluation of the tanker contract. He has shown a willingness to walk away if the terms aren't suitable, but the deal still has powerful allure for a company eager to cement its status as a global aerospace powerhouse.

Northrop was founded as an aircraft manufacturer in 1939 and went on to pioneer some of the nation's most legendary military aircraft, including the B-2 stealth bomber, the F-5 supersonic fighter and the F-6 Hellcat, a Navy fighter that dominated the skies during World War II.

The company today stands as a $34 billion conglomerate best known for ships and satellites, but the tanker contract could help it reclaim its birthright as a jet maker

More importantly, Northrop could use the deal as a springboard toward the top of the corporate ranks, boosting its revenue for years to come while leaving its competitors to grapple with a tightening U.S. defense budget.

The Air Force is proposing to buy about 15 planes a year in the contract's initial phase, which could last nearly two decades. The winner will have a jump on future orders as the Air Force gradually replaces its fleet of more than 500 KC-135 refueling tankers. That could push the full value of the acquisition above $100 billion, plus additional, long-term work to maintain the planes.

Boeing, which built the Air Force's tanker fleet and has held a lock on the refueling business for 50 years, is pursuing the deal with gusto.

"This is the kind of franchise program that comes along only once every several decades, and Boeing is uniquely qualified to win it," Jim Albaugh, the head of the company's commercial division, said in a memo to employees last year.

Bush showed grit as the Air Force worked through a draft version of its criteria last fall. Over the objection of some of his senior advisors, he drew a line in the dirt by informing Gates that he would not bid unless the Pentagon made major changes to the final Request for Proposals.

Analysts speculated that Bush was bluffing, and Gates himself said he fully expected both companies to bid on the contract.

Northrop-EADS KC-30 tankerThe RFP released last week did make some adjustments to reduce risk for the contractors, helping to improve the business case for making a bid. But it appears to ignore many of Northrop's complaints. That could put Bush in a quandary, forcing him to back up his ultimatum or lose credibility.

"Bush has to be concerned about how seriously he would be taken in the future if the company decided to bid in circumstances where it repeatedly warned it would not," said defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va.

In a subtle shift that could loom large in his decision process, Bush is altering the way Northrop measures success: Profit margin, not gross revenue, is now prized. The bottom-line focus means that even if Northrop can identify a clear path to victory, it may not bid on the tanker contract unless it can realize a solid return.

Fortune 500 companies like Northrop lavish a lot of rewards on their CEOs, from the fat salaries, stock options and bonuses to the private jets, chauffered cars and memberships in exclusive clubs.

Bush, who's barely had time to settle into the corner office, might earn them all in the next few days.

Political editor George Talbot's column runs on Wednesdays. He can be reached at 251-219-5623 or gtalbot@press-register.com.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Gov. Perry rides wave of anti-Washington ire to win over Sen ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 04:13 AM PST

"A lot of people did not understand, including myself, the growing resentment, the growing opposition in the state toward Washington, D.C.," said longtime Republican consultant Reggie Bashur, who credited Perry with identifying the anti-Washington sentiment just as the tea party movement was taking off a year ago — and jumping aboard.

Perry spoke to tea party activists on April 15, 2009 — federal income tax filing day — and in response to a question by The Associated Press even flirted with the idea of Texas seceding from the Union as he criticized the federal government.

"I think the governor and his team recognized and became a leader in the anti-Washington movement," Bashur said.

White, in his measured and deliberate style, saluted the two Republicans who challenged Perry for the GOP nomination, saying Tuesday night in Houston that he admires their courage for taking on a "career politician" who knows every "trick in the book."

White easily dispatched with hair care magnate Farouk Shami and five others to win the Democratic nomination with 76 percent of the vote with nearly all precincts reporting. A lawyer and businessman with money to spend on an expensive race, White represents the Democrats' best hope in years at winning the governorship.

Democrats haven't won a statewide office since 1994, when George W. Bush was elected governor and the Republicans started their Texas takeover.

White predicted Perry will try to take credit for good things going on in Texas, including the creation of new jobs, but won't accept responsibility for a record 1 million jobless or the high dropout rate.

"I think we're catching up to Mr. Perry," White said.

Already the state's longest-serving governor, Perry hammered Hutchison for her ties to the nation's capital as he pressed hard for a third, full four-year term. He criticized her votes in favor of bailing out troubled financial institutions when Bush was president; Perry's spokesman called her "Kay Bailout."

Hutchison said she tried to remind voters that she always fought for Texas values in Congress, but admitted during an interview last week that Perry succeeded in sticking her with a Washington label.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

His memories are all pleasant - Boston Globe

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 03:02 AM PST

After tumultuous offseason negotiations with the Yankees, Damon tangoed with the White Sox, whose offer got up as high as $6 million with about half deferred. Damon said he considered that very seriously, but when they couldn't go any higher, he decided, "If all things were relatively equal, I was going to sign with Detroit.''

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.