End-of-the-Year Checklist for Divorcing Women

Most women wait until after the holidays to move forward with their divorces --and that’s completely understandable. Many don’t want to disrupt family traditions for their children. Some welcome the distraction offered by the hustle and bustle of the season. And, of course, others want to avoid the discussions that inevitably seem to arise whenever and wherever relatives gather.
Interestingly, though, January is the month when most divorces are filed. Obviously, turning the page towards a New Year inspires a fresh start –and that’s completely understandable, too. If you’re headed in that direction, it makes sense to spend a little time this month planning ahead. You can do so discreetly, and then know that you’ll truly be ready to start the New Year on the right foot.
To help get you begin, here are a few things you can do now to help make the divorce process smoother in 2012:
1. Start collecting financial documents. Watch the mail for year-end statements from banks, credit card companies, etc.  As we outline in our Divorce Financial Checklist, preparing for divorce requires gathering all the relevant documents related to your bank and brokerage accounts, credit cards, mortgages, etc. Once you have collected them, make copies, and take them to a trusted friend/family member, or use a safe deposit box that your husband can’t access.
2. Check your credit report. While you’re gathering your financial records, keep a careful eye on your credit card statements, and if you haven’t already done so, request a copy of your credit report. Once you have the report, monitor your score carefully so you’ll be the first to know if any unusual activity occurs.  (For example, is your husband using your joint credit cards to buy his girlfriend gifts this holiday season?)  See my post, How To Protect Your Credit Score During Your Divorce, for more tips
3. Research divorce professionals in your area. If you want to ensure the best possible outcome for your divorce, take the time to build a qualified divorce team. I recommend you start with these three players: a matrimonial/family law attorney, a divorce financial planner and a therapist/counselor. Spend some time this month researching divorce professionals and create a short list of candidates for each position. Schedule interviews with each top contender in January, and rest easy knowing that by February 2012, you’ll be benefiting from the expert guidance of a top-notch divorce team.
4. Open new accounts in your name. Moving forward as a single woman in 2012 will require that you have a bank account and credit cards in your name. Lay the groundwork now.  Don’t use the bank where you currently have your joint accounts. Go to a different bank and open both a savings and a checking account in your name. You’ll need your own credit card, too, so you should start that process now, as well. New federal regulations are making it harder than ever for women with little or no income to establish credit on their own. You can do it. But, plan accordingly and know that securing credit is going to be more complicated than just filling out an application or making a single phone call.
5. Remain vigilant. Is your husband using the good cheer of the holidays as cover while he dissipates family assets? Be attentive, and if you are concerned at all about financial shenanigans by your husband, you may want to think twice about filing a joint return with him for 2011.
Some women who are considering divorce let the holidays get them down. Don’t be one of them. Use this opportunity to start planning ahead, and you’ll be able to start the New Year confident that you are on the way to a more stable and secure financial future.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeffrey A. Landers, CDFA™ is a Divorce Financial Strategist™ and the founder of Bedrock Divorce Advisors, LLC (http://www.BedrockDivorce.com), a divorce financial strategy firm that exclusively works with women, who are going through, or might be going through, a financially complicated divorce. He also advises women business owners on what steps they can take now to “divorce-proof” their business in the event of a future divorce. He can be reached at Landers@BedrockDivorce.com.
All articles/blog posts are for informational purposes only, and do not constitute legal advice. If you require legal advice, retain a lawyer licensed in your jurisdiction. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author, who is not an attorney.

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It's Not Too Late: Year-End Tax Moves

Once you’ve reached the last month of the tax year, your options are limited to minimize your income taxes. But there are a few things that could still be done, so don’t give up hope.
For example, you could double up your real estate taxes by prepaying next year’s tax during December. Doing this with, for example, a $3,000 per year real estate tax bill could result in a reduction of tax for the year of $750 if you’re in the 25% bracket. Keep in mind though, that you’ll have forked out this money long before it is actually due in most cases, and for the next year you won’t have this deduction available if you used it in this year.
The same could be done with your charitable contributions - there’s no reason that you can’t make additional contributions to your favorite charities at the end of this year instead of waiting until next year.
You could also send your final estimated state income tax payment due in January of next year during December and claim that payment on this year’s itemized deductions as well.
Prepaying your January mortgage payment will credit that mortgage interest to this year as well, further increasing your itemized deductions.
Other itemized deductions could be “stacked” in one year, such as medical expenses (subject to the 7.5% floor) and miscellaneous deductions (subject to the 2% floor).
It’s important to keep in mind that the moves that you make this year might reduce your tax now - but you might have an adverse impact on next year’s income tax by doing so. It will pay to run the calculations based on what you know about this year’s tax and next year’s tax to make sure that it is in your best interest to do this.
Here’s how it might play out: if you prepaid your next year’s real estate tax during this year, it might reduce your deductions below the Standard Deduction - which could be a good thing. In doing this, you would get to use the Standard Deduction to increase your tax deductions on next year’s return when you specifically reduced your deductions for that year by prepaying the deductible real estate tax in during this year. In this fashion you might be making the most of the standard deduction and your itemized deductions year after year - one year using the “stacked” deductions, the next using the standard deduction.
These prepayment options could have a negative affect if you are subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). Prepaying your state tax, mortgage interest and some medical expenses might trigger or cause an increase in AMT. One tactic that you might consider is selling a taxable investment that has an inherent loss; this is especially useful if you’ve sold another investment at some point in the tax year that has resulted in a taxable gain. Losses can be used to offset those capital gains dollar for dollar, and an additional $3,000 in capital losses can be used to reduce your ordinary income as well.
You can also make up for underpayment of estimated tax by taking a withdrawal from an IRA (especially if you’re over age 59½) and having tax withheld from the withdrawal. This can also be accomplished by having more tax withheld from your paycheck if you’re still working, by filing a new W4. Another significant move you can make includes the Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA, 401(k) or 403(b) - allowing you to bypass recognizing that income, including your RMD. This can only be done if you’re at least age 70½ and subject to Required Minimum Distributions. The charity receives a contribution, and you get to lower your year-end balance in your account, therefore reducing your RMD for next year.  For more details on this, you should check out the IRA Owner's Manual.
You can also delay your first RMD (if you reached age 70½ this year) until as late as April 1 of next year, although that will mean you have to take two RMDs next year. But in some circumstances that may be the better option.
You can also make a deductible contribution to your IRA, if you qualify - but you don’t have to do that before the end of the year, you have until April 15 to do that.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of year-end tax moves, just several of the more prominent ones. Hopefully you’ll find what you need here to help with your year-end tax plans.

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Autotask Opens Office in Munich, Germany

Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced the opening of new corporate offices in Munich, Germany. The new home of Autotask GmbH underscores the company’s strong presence in the European marketplace and strategic business decision to localize its product for key geographies throughout the world.

Munich, Germany (PRWEB) December 17, 2012
Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced the opening of new corporate offices in Munich, Germany. The new home of Autotask GmbH underscores the company’s strong presence in the European marketplace and strategic business decision to localize its product for key geographies throughout the world. (Autotask Corporation Announces Major Global Expansion. (press release) September 20, 2011.)
“Since the introduction of Autotask Pro software in German earlier this year, the demand from the IT services sector has been quite remarkable,” said Mark Banfield, Managing Director, International, Autotask. “Establishing an office in Munich not only demonstrates our ongoing commitment to serving the needs of our growing clientele, it enables us to do so quickly and with acute attention to detail.”  
The company’s Munich office will host a variety of professionals including implementation and client support, sales, and sales engineering. Autotask plans to hire additional personnel in the first quarter of 2013 to ensure the success of its rapidly expanding user base.
Autotask Pro is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business management platform designed and optimized for Value Added Resellers (VARs), Managed Services Providers (MSPs), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and other technology solutions providers. Autotask integrates a broad range of critical systems including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, technician scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help business owners understand the factors that affect their operations and their profitability.
Fanni Szabo, Autotask Regional Sales Manager – Team Leader, Germany stated, “The increasing demand from IT solution providers for comprehensive business applications that provide clear insight into their business and real-time analytics is driving the adoption of Autotask across Europe. Our presence in Germany allows us to more fully engage with our clients, better understand their requirements, and makes it easier for them to service the thousands of businesses they support.”
Autotask GmbH is located at Elisabethstrasse 91, Munich, Germany 80797. Those interested in learning more about Autotask products and services are encouraged to visit http://www.autotask.com/de or call +49 (0) 89 5908 2376.
About Autotask

Autotask Corporation provides the world's leading hosted IT business management software to streamline and optimize business processes for technology solution providers. The software integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that drive their business and their profitability.
Autotask is accessible from virtually any computing or mobile device connected to the Internet and features a world-class API that seamlessly integrates with the other systems and tools that providers rely on to run their businesses.

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Social Marketing Software Leader Offerpop Raises $5.7 Million In Series B Funding

Funding Enables Offerpop To Accelerate Growth And Further Develop Its Platform To Meet Strong Marketplace Demand.

New York, NY (PRWEB) December 17, 2012
Offerpop, the largest independent social marketing software company, today announced the close of its Series B funding round of $5.7 million, bringing the total raised to date to $10 million. This funding will enable Offerpop to accelerate its growth, and further develop its platform to meet strong marketplace demand.
Windcrest Partners, an existing investor, led the financing along with new investor, Bulger Capital Partners. Other existing investors, including CommonAngels and Mesco Ltd., also participated in the round.
Offerpop will leverage the new investment to drive innovation and adoption of its social marketing software platform – helping companies market to the 1.4 billion global consumers who use social networks. Over 40,000 customers including American Express, Etsy, Time Inc., and American Eagle Outfitters use Offerpop to run powerful engagement campaigns, optimize their social content, and capture rich, actionable data that converts fans into customers.
“Today’s consumers spend over 4 hours online every day – and the largest share of that time is spent on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram,” said Wendell Lansford, CEO and co-founder of Offerpop. “This investment will help us empower marketers to reach and engage consumers like never before.”
“We were impressed with Offerpop for building an easy-to-use, self-service platform that’s used by marketers around the world,” said Robert Belau, Managing Director at Bulger Capital Partners, and new member of Offerpop’s Board of Directors. “We’re excited to contribute to Offerpop’s growth as they scale their business and help brands achieve true social marketing ROI.”
“Offerpop is clearly the leading next generation social marketing software company,” said James Gellert, Partner at Windcrest Partners. “The company has performed well beyond our initial expectations, and we are thrilled to have an opportunity to increase our investment. We believe their vision for the future of social marketing will make the company enormously successful.”
About Offerpop
Offerpop is a super easy-to-use social marketing platform for Facebook and Twitter. Marketers across the globe use Offerpop to build active fan bases, optimize their social content, and unlock rich, actionable data that converts fans into customers. From small businesses to top brands like Amazon, Pepsi, and MTV, companies use Offerpop to drive success across their key marketing channels – engaging and converting fans like never before. Offerpop is a Facebook® Preferred Marketing Developer, qualified by the PMD program in Apps.

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Treadmill-Running-Machine-Review.co.uk Appoints Fitness Expert Charlie Rawes

Treadmill-Running-Machine-Review.co.uk, the UK’s most comprehensive and unbiased review site for treadmills has appointed fitness guru Charlie Rawes as expert reviewer. Rawes has over 18 years’ experience in the fitness marketplace over which time his fitness pedigree was built through setting up and managing numerous successful gyms followed by a period as an in-demand Personal Trainer and Fitness Presenter.

London, UK (PRWEB UK) 17 December 2012
Treadmill-Running-Machine-Review.co.uk, the UK’s most comprehensive and unbiased review site for treadmills has appointed fitness guru Charlie Rawes as expert reviewer. Rawes has over 18 years’ experience in the fitness marketplace over which time his fitness pedigree was built through setting up and managing numerous successful gyms followed by a period as an in-demand Personal Trainer and Fitness Presenter.
Charlie’s appointment takes effect immediately. Charlie says: “The reputation of Treadmill-Running-Machine-Review.co.uk is unrivalled and the sheer range and genuine impartiality of its reviews make it a top destination for people planning a treadmill purchase. With Christmas imminent and the New Year surge in online searches for best in breed treadmills I am joining the site at a very exciting time.”
Maz Darvish, CEO, adds: “Charlie’s vast knowledge and experience in the industry make him probably the best qualified online expert for treadmill reviews today, which is why we’re delighted to have him heading our reviews team. His input will without doubt generate more interest in treadmills as a home exercise option and create greater consumer confidence, encouraging even more people to proceed to purchase. ”
Treadmill-Running-Machine-Review.co.uk has been reviewing treadmills online since 2008 and its popularity with site visitors has grown in tandem with the marketplace.
The site has helped over 100,000 people to undertake pre-purchase research on through 2012. Customer feedback suggests that people who use the treadmill review website get greater use of their personal treadmills than those who have bought directly from retailers without first researching the functions, warranties, dimensions and price of home treadmills.
The need for informative and objective review sites is more important now than ever: Improvements in design have brought down costs, advanced performance, reduced the size and improved storage options for home treadmills. This, in turn, has created a more crowded marketplace and an even more confused consumer.
Charlie explains: “Because the market is big and growing, the sheer range of choices has created a degree of confusion in the marketplace. Often people favour known brands and retailers without realising the incredible kit on offer from more specialised manufacturers and sellers who pass on the cost savings of not having brand advertising to consumers coupled with some fantastic warranties. We are here to assure those people that the security of a brand purchase may not always be the way to go. After all, an unused treadmill makes for a very expensive garment rail!”
Charlie’s role will be to review all new-to-market treadmills for domestic and commercial settings and to improve the delivery of review information by blending his expert written reviews with consumer feedback and informative video clips. Collectively this will enable those planning a purchase to identify the best make and model for their own needs within their budget constraints.
Charlie’s appointment heralds an exciting new phase in Treadmill-Running-Machine-Review.co.uk’s development. A bumper year of home treadmill purchases is predicted in 2013 and Charlie is committed to ensuring that Treadmill-Running-Machine-Review.co.uk is the front-of-mind destination for home exercisers keen to make an informed investment.

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Jaffe PR Restructures with Management Team to Lead Agency Following CEO’s Death

Jaffe PR (http://www.jaffepr.com), a public reputation agency devoted primarily to service law firms, legal associations and vendors to the legal marketplace, will carry on with a new executive management team as they to continue to provide high quality PR and legal marketing services.

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) December 17, 2012
Jaffe PR announces a restructuring of the legal public reputation agency with the formation of a management committee following the death of the agency’s founder and CEO, Jay M. Jaffe, on November 21.
Vivian Hood, Terry M. Isner and Melinda Wheeler have been designated as the firm's Managing Directors and form the management committee responsible for continuing to lead the daily operations and manage the business of Jaffe PR. All had previously served on Jaffe PR’s executive committee.
Jaffe PR’s new Board of Directors are Joel S. Rothman, Esq., Edwin I. Josephson, Esq., and Jeffrey E. Ganek.
Vivian Hood, managing director, Client Services, oversees the agency’s staff as well as client relationships. She has worked at Jaffe PR for more than 15 years, managing and implementing effective senior-level legal media relations campaigns for law firm clients.
Terry M. Isner, managing director, Creative/Marketing, leads the agency’s marketing and business development. For more than 10 years at Jaffe PR, he has relied on his skills as both a business strategist and artist while using his creative vision to develop distinctive campaigns for our clients.
Melinda Wheeler, managing director, Operations/Controller, has administered the agency’s finances and has managed the business operations for Jaffe PR for more than seven years.
“The transition of Jaffe PR’s executive management is now complete, and we will continue to operate as we have been – providing high quality legal PR and marketing services to our clients,” said Hood. “We each have a long history with Jaffe PR and a deep understanding of the principles that have guided us in the past and will lead us into the future.”
Jaffe died on Nov. 21 of complications following surgery. He was known as a true visionary whose instincts and thought leadership about legal marketing and the business of law firms established him as an industry pioneer and one of the country’s foremost trusted legal advisors. He was honored to have been inducted into the PR News “PR People Hall of Fame” in 2010 and he was named to the “100 Legal Consultants You Need to Know” list by Lawdragon.

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Connecticut Job Shops and Contract Manufacturers Join the MFG.com Manufacturing Marketplace

Connecticut manufacturers prove to be uniquely qualified for entrance into the largest global manufacturing ecosystem.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
MFG.com, the world’s largest online manufacturing marketplace for made-to-order parts, announced that prominent Connecticut-based manufacturers have joined the MFG.com marketplace.
A few of the recent additions include:

Perfection Screw & Rivet Co. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified, family-owned cold heading job shop located in Wolcott, CT. With a foundation of quality customer service, cost reduction and employee education, Perfection Screw & Rivet Co. has an impeccable record of satisfying customers. Capabilities include fasteners and hardware, machining, rapid prototyping, cold forming, cold headed parts, cold head machining, cold form parts, screws, rivets and knurling.
Windmade Products is a turn-key powder coating, sheet metal fabrication and machining service provider. As the exclusive manufacturer of Neumade Products, Windmade Products is a leading provider of high quality projection room equipment for the cinema industry. Windmade Products services a wide variety of industries and customers throughout the Northeast with a simple commitment to provide quality work, at a competitive price, delivered on time and in full. Capabilities and services include in-house powder coating, sheet metal fabrication, machining, assembly, kitting, warehousing and fulfillment.
Nerjan Development Co. is a family-owned, AS 9100, ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 certified precision CNC milling and turning electro mechanical assembly job shop located in Stamford, CT. Established in 1967, Nerjan Development Co. provides manual and CNC milling, turning, and drilling to meet customer specifications. Nerjan machines a wide variety of metals and plastics to sensitive and accurate dimensions.
Shearwater Engineering & Manufacturing LLC (S.E.A.M.) is located in Brooklyn, CT and has been providing manufacturing valves and components for 35 years. Their experience with valve assemblies for the marine and aerospace industries has been extended to power plants, paper mills, railroads, waste management plants and hydraulic manifolds for machines. S.E.A.M. specializes in the manufacturing of complex, controlled geometric parts. By utilizing state-of-the-art programming technology, they have achieved superior results in the processing and machining of strategic materials such as Monel, Inconel, and titanium, as well as the normal alloys of steel and aluminum.
“We are proud to announce the acceptance of these quality suppliers from Connecticut into the MFG.com marketplace. By introducing companies like Perfection Screw & Rivet Co., Windmade Products, Nerjan Development Co. and Shearwater Engineering & Manufacturing into our marketplace, buyers and sourcing professionals are further reassured that they can trust the suppliers in the MFG.com marketplace,” said Mitch Free, Founder and CEO of MFG.com. “MFG.com is excited to work with these suppliers from Connecticut to help them grow their businesses and develop win-win customer relationships with our buyer members.”
About MFG.com

MFG.com is the largest online marketplace for the manufacturing industry, facilitating interaction between buyers and manufacturers. MFG.com enables sourcing professionals and engineers to quickly and easily locate quality suppliers for CNC Machining, Injection Molding, Metal Stamping, Metal Fabrication and many other processes through an easy-to-use online marketplace. With more than $115 billion in RFQs passing through the marketplace, MFG.com has helped thousands of manufacturers - ranging from small machine shops to large conglomerates - increase sales and grow profits. MFG.com is a global business, with offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Mexico.

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The Hidden Costs of Spain's Regional Bullfighting Ban

Today in sports: The lost cows of the Catalonia bullfight ban, the NFL wants an extra game in London, and a new documentary revisits baseball's most memorable case of fan interference.
RELATED: NFL Coaches Behaving Badly; Dodgers Divorce Settlement Reached
The final bullfight in Barcelona's La Monumental arena took place Sunday, in anticipation of a new regional ordinance outlawing the gruesome piece of cultural heritage. No matter how distasteful the practice may seem, The New York Times notes that next summer, once the ban is in effect, there's going to be a surplus of bulls bred for bullfighting out in the fields. "Which in economic terms is a disaster," explains bull farmer Leopoldo de la Maza. He informed The Times that "a four-year-old bull sent to the slaughterhouse earned a breeder about 450 euros, or $605...instead of at least €6,000 if the bull met its death in Madrid or another major bull ring." That's a tough burden for a rural population already struggling through the continent's financial crisis. Then there's the cultural aspect, which a 68-year-old bullfighting fan named Cristobal explained to the AFP: "For a city like Barcelona to close this arena," he said, "is like throwing a Picasso painting into the garbage,"  [The New York Times and AFP via Time]
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, apparently not content with the disruption caused by forcing just two teams to travel 8,000 miles to play each other in London in the middle of a season, is pushing owners to vote to approve a second game in the United Kingdom at their annual meeting in Houston in October. The league has played one game a year at London's Wembley Stadium since 2007, the majority of which have been duds, and resulted in grumbling from players and coaches--like Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints--about terrible field conditions prolonged travel time.  [Sports Business Journal via Fox Sports]
Tonight marks the premiere of Catching Hell on ESPN, the new documentary from Alex Gibney about Steve Bartman, the turtleneck glad, portable-radio toting Chicago Cubs fan who interfered with Cubs left fielder Moises Alou's attempt to catch a pop fly hit by Florida Marlins secncd baseman Luis Castillo in game six of the 2003 National League Championship Series. At the time, Chicago led the series 3-2, and the game 3-0. Florida ended up coming back to win the game and the pennant, denying the Cubs their first World Series visit since 1908. Bartman's since gone into hiding, and while Gibney doesn't track him down, he reconstructs the whole series of events leading up to the play. Cubs fans probably won't want to watch. Red Sox fans, however, will likely want to do nothing, if only to remind themselves that blowing a 9-game playoff lead in September isn't as soul-crushing when you've won the World Series twice in seven seasons. (Full disclosure: Gibney is the brother of The Atlantic's staff editor James Gibney.) [Hit Fix]
Through the first two-thirds of Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski's new interview with Cal Fussman for Esquire's "What I've Learned" series, he manages to avoid sounding like a man who considers himself holier-than-though basketball royalty. This is pleasing, since this quality is what makes Duke (and Krzyzewski) reliably booable. That changes, as it must, when Krzyzewski is asked about LeBron James' departure from Cleveland for Miami last summer to go play with his fellow superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Most people agree the move--and the live television event announcing the decision, which was also called The Decision--was shortsighted, needlessly brutal, and bad for the soul of pro basketball. Not Krzyzewski. "How can going to Miami to play for the Arison family and to be with Dwyane Wade be bad?" he says. "I don't think it was a bad decision. How it was carried out? I wish I could have changed some of that for LeBron. He's a good friend, and one of my guys." This last point in not precisely true, since James didn't go to Duke. He did play for Krzyzewski on the U.S. national team, which is like saying your counselor at sleepaway camp is your big brother.

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Kobe Bryant May Not Go to Italy; Red Sox Braintrust Falling Apart

Today in sports: Another member of the Red Sox braintrust may be leaving town, Kobe Bryant's move to Italy runs into a scheduling snag, and the perilous state lockout talks didn't stop five NBA stars from enjoying a night out in New York this past weekend.
On Friday, the Boston Red Sox announced that manager Terry Francona wouldn't return to manage the team in 2012. Now it looks like general manager Theo Epstein could be on the move as well, possibly to take over as general manager of the Chicago Cubs, who fired Jim Hendry in August. Epstein technically still has a year left on his contract with the Red Sox, but the club pointedly still hasn't picked up his option for 2012. If they don't do so by Saturday, Epstein will be free to take any job he wants, with Chicago seen as the most likely landing spot, since they could also make him team president. One baseball source tells ESPN Red Sox reporter Gordon Edes the odds of Epstein leaving Boston for Chicago right now are about "50/50," but he's reportedly been interested in the job since it opened up back in August.  Along with the Cubs, the Los Angeles Angels are also reportedly interested in bringing in Epstein. [ESPN Boston]
Vritus Bologna team president Claudio Sabatini told reporters to expect an update on the team's pursuit of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant's later Monday night. On Friday, Sabatini told the Associated Press a deal for Bryant to join the Italian team for 35 days was "95% done," but rival clubs Cremona and Varese have complicated the process by refusing to sign off on a proposed schedule change allowing Bologna to play half of its first ten games at home in order to maximize Bryant's presence at the box office. Meanwhile, it emerged over the weekend that the German molecular orthopedist who performed knee injury on Bryant in July also treated actor Nick Nolte and Pope John Paul II for arthritis. [AFP and ESPN the Magazine]
At a meeting in Washington D.C., the presidents and chancellors of the Big East conference's 14 remaining member school (plus representatives from soon-to-be member Texas Christian) gave commissioner John Marinatto the go-ahead to "aggressively pursue" talks with other universities about joining the league. So far, the Big East has been the hunted rather than the hunter when it comes to conference expansion, losing Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the Atlantic Coast Conference last month, but almost all of the remaining member schools have pledged to keep the conference in-tact. together. Navy, East Carolina, Air Force, Houston, Memphis, Central Florida, and former member school Temple top the list of possible targets. One member school that's not on-board with keeping the league together is the University of Connecticut. Last week, Connecticut governor Daniel Malloy said UConn would only consider remaining in the Big East as a "fall back" if it didn't get an invitation to join ACC. [Boston Globe]
NBA commissioner David Stern warned there would be "enormous consequences" if players and ownership failed to reach a breakthrough during negotiations this weekend in New York on a new collective bargaining agreement, but that didn't stop Carmelo Anthony, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade from attending five-year anniversary party of Tenjun, a club in the meatpacking district, on Friday night. A witness said the group appeared to be "in great spirits, most notably Carmelo," who briefly Swizz Beatz for a stint in the club's DJ booth. The weekend's negotiations were less succesful, though players and owners continued to negotiate "in small groups" today after not meeting at all yesterday.

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The Cardinals Have Turned on Their 'Lucky Squirrel'

Today in sports: the St. Louis Cardinals do not want to be the team with a ballpark that's overrun with rodents, the Patriots will talk about how they can't talk this week, and Kevin Garnett is the union's enforcer in the NBA lockout talks.
Game three of the NL Division Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies was briefly delayed Tuesday night when a squirrel got loose on the field at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals lost, but a meme was born, and a fake BuschSquirrel Twitter account was active by the end of the night. Then on Wednesday, with the Cardinals facing elimination, a squirrel -- "possibly the same squirrel," per the AP -- ran across home plate after Phillies ace Roy Halladay delivered a pitch. St. Louis went on to win and force an elimination game tonight in Philadelphia. A resident lucky squirrel -- or possibly multiple lucky squirrels -- is the kind of thing superstitious baseball fans dream of, but Busch Stadium officials see it as a nuisance and possible liability risk. Which is why the grounds crew has covered the field with seven traps to kill humanely capture the squirrel so it can be set free at another location. The good news: Cardinals PR director Ron Watermon told the St. Louis Dispatch that if the traps didn't work, the team would not turn to "more drastic measures, such as pellet guns," because manager Tony LaRussa is a staunch animal rights activist. [STLtoday]
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has forbidden his team from saying anything to the media this week that provide the New York Jets with extra motivation when the two teams play Sunday. He reemphasized that point this week, a fact the public learned when an unnamed player -- yes -- talked to a reporter from the New York Post. "You ain't gonna hear nothing from us, that's for damn sure," said the anonymous player. Boss' orders." Which violates the first rule of media gag rules: don't talk about media gag rules. [New York Post]
The Boston Red Sox have until midnight to pick up the 2012 option on general manager Theo Epstein's contract. Red Sox owner Jon Henry didn't make retaining Epstein sound like a high priority Friday morning during an interview on Boston's WEEI. "162 games, it’s a long season and the pressure here is 365 days so," Henry mused. "Theo is not going to be the general manager forever...he's the guy now, he's been the guy, we've had tremendous success." Not a ringing endorsement, or a comment that suggests Epstein will still be the guy come Saturday morning. [The Boston Globe]
The then-unprecedented $126 million contract extension Kevin Garnett signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1998 was held up by owners during the last NBA lockout as the kind of contract teams (and, by association, their fans) simply could not abide. Eleven years later, Garnett's again a key actor in the labor talks, this time as the union's go-to strongman and hardliner. When there were talks of concessions during a closed door meeting earlier this week in New York, a witness says Garnett became"apoplectic" and screamed an appeal about how the union had to hold strong for "the next generation" of players. So far, his message has resonated.

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The St. Louis Cardinals Are Cashing In on Their 'Rally Squirrel'

Today in sports: the St. Louis Cardinals are still trying to evict their new marketing sensation, a look at the toxic chemistry that led to the Red Sox historic collapse, and the future of the Oakland Raiders following the death of owner Al Davis.
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The St. Louis Cardinals are trying to capture and remove the squirrel (or squirrels) that ran across the Busch Stadium playing surface during the National League Division Series, but that hasn't stopped the club from trying to maximize the critters' marketing potential. According to the Associated Press, the Cardinals will hand out  "40,000 rally towels with a squirrel motif" prior to Game 3 of the NL Championship Series tonight, while the team store at Busch Stadium is already selling "Got Squirrel?" shirts and $5 plush "Rally Squirrels." Meanwhile, Cardinals officials say the grounds crew has captured and removed four of the animals from the stadium since last Friday. Major League Baseball has also cut a new playoff ad featuring the rogue squirrels. [Associated Press]
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Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has a deal in place to join the Chicago Cubs in a similar capacity, but an official announcement is still contingent on the two teams working out a compensation agreement. Sources tell ESPN's Buster Olney that Major League Baseball's league office has already voiced "great concern" over the nature of the compensation package "because they do not want this deal to affect how other teams compete in the market for front-office personnel." The deal will likely include a package of cash and minor league prospects, with no Chicago big leaguers being sent to Boston. [ESPN.com]
More than two weeks since the Red Sox completed their stunning imolation, the Boston Globe's Bob Hohler has written the most detailed account so far about the forces that contributed to the team's September collapse. He chalks it up to a lack of clubhouse discipline, but the specifics are startling: according to Hohler, starting pitchers John Lackey, Josh Beckett, and Jon Lester incurred the resentment of their teammates by drinking, eating takeout chicken, and playing video games in the clubhouse while games were going on, but nobody said anything. Anonymous club sources also tell Hohler that manager Terry Francona "appeared distracted" throughout the season, and speculate that the manager's marriage trouble and "use of pain medication" may have negatively impacted his performance. (Francona denied both suggestions, but acknowledged he "consulted the team’s internist, Dr. Larry Ronan, during spring training after one of his children expressed concern about a pill bottle in his hotel room," but was informed he didn't have a drug problem.) The team's front office enabled selfish behavior from the team.In August, after the team shuffled the start times of the team's series against Oakland to avoid a possible rainout due to Hurricane Irene, players "accused management of caring more about making money than winning." Ownership responded to the gripes by giving every player "$300 headphones and inviting them to enjoy a players-only night on principal owner John W. Henry’s yacht after they returned from a road trip Sept. 11," but that didn't stop the deluge of gripes.  [The Boston Globe]
Al Davis caused no small amount of problems for the NFL during his time as owner of the Oakland Raiders, but the 92-year-old's death Saturday seems unlikely to produce a messy court battle for control of the team. USA Today and CBS Sports' Charley Casserly report that Davis' wife Carol will inherit his majority stake, with son Mark taking over as managing partner. Davis only owned 40 percent of the franchise, but the team's limited partners are "specifically barred from combining to mount any challenge for control," notes Yahoo's Jason Cole. That will likely rule out moving the team back to Los Angeles, since both investment groups that are trying to convince teams to relocate also want to buy an ownership stake in any team. As for daily operations, current CEO Amy Trask will continue running the Raiders business affairs and is expected to hire a personnel executive for football decisions. One possible candidates for that post, even if it's just in an advisory capacity, is former Raiders coach John Madden. Back in 2006, Davis suggested Madden would be involved in determining the franchise's future after his death. Former Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf, who was Oakland's head scout during the 1980s, could also rejoin the team in a similar capacity.
The NBA's decision to cancel the first two weeks of the regular season will cost each team six to eight games, which may not be such a bad thing, since it will eliminate some of the grueling back-to-back games teams are forced to play during an 82-game season. Former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy suggests 70 games would be a more realistic number. That might reduce the value of the league's television package and take revenues from five or so home games away from local economies. The upside is that the league's product could end up being crisper and more closely-contested, with fewer player injuries down the stretch.

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A Wet World Series Forecast; NBA Players Plot World Tour

Today in sports: the first game of the World Series will be wet, cold, and windy, NBA players are planning a well-paid, multi-continent exhibition tour, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would like to be England's NFL team.
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The World Series will start tonight in St. Louis, assuming the light rain that's been falling all day doesn't suddenly start to pick back up again. The Weather Channel is optimistic that baseball will be played tonight, but the conditions sound brutal. In addition to the steady drizzle, wind gusts between 20 and 30 miles an hour will be blowing throughout the game, bringing the on-field wind chill down into the high 30s. That's not any player's idea of ideal of playing conditions, and it certainly won't help Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton, who's been limited by a left groin strain for the past five weeks, hit his first home run of the playoffs. Of course tonight he'll be trying to hit off Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, who has an inflamed right pitching elbow and a long history of arm injuries. [The Weather Channel and Fox Sports]
Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Rajon Rondo, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Carlos Boozer, Paul Pierce and Kevin Love are among the NBA players in talks to participate in a barnstorming exhibition tour as the lockout continues to drag on. According to sources, the "two-week, six-game, three-continent" jaunt would begin October 30 with a game in Puerto Rico, followed by two games in London, one in Macau, and two in Australia. Bryant, Bosh, Pierce, Griffin and Wade have already signed contracts with organizer Calvin Darden that will pay them "salaries ranging from six figures up to $1 million," with an unspecified amount going to charity. [ESPN]
The Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing at Wembley Stadium in London this weekend. This is the fifth straight year the NFL has held a regular season game in the United Kingdom, and will be adding a second one soon, even though coaches and players have consistently groused about the length of the trip and the poor field conditions at Wembley Stadium. One team that doesn't seem to mind the trip is Tampa: this will be their second London game and touched down at Heathrow late Monday night, while the Bears aren't departing Chicago until Thursday evening. The Buccaneers have developed a loyal following with English NFL fans and they're owned by Joel Glazer, who also owns Manchester United. NFL International vice president Chris Parsons said last week the league thinks there's a "tremendous benefit for a team to return to the U.K. on an annual basis" and the Buccaneers could certainly use the help. Every single one of the team's home games in Florida has been blacked out locally after failing to sell out, which makes an annual home game thousands of miles from home something to look forward to. Plus, London's newspapers can't get enough shots of Tampa's cheerleaders going to parliament. [Tampa Bay Online]
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick is backing off from his remark last week that Notre Dame Stadium  is "the quietest place we play" -- kind of. What he meant to say, he explained to the South Bend Tribune on Tuesday, is that is that the Notre Dame student section is "as loud and as engaged and effective as any in the country," but that the "other seven-tenths of the stadium could do better and needs to match the students’ enthusiasm and intensity..in that regard we are a quieter place to play.

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