truesee's Blog

Seven costly pro athlete screw-ups

Almost 80 percent of National Football League players are flirting with bankruptcy two years after they retire, according to Sports Illustrated. NBA players aren’t faring much better. 60 percent of former National Basketball Association players end up broke within five years of retirement. Athletes squander millions of dollars due to bad decisions, lavish spending and poor financial planning. Here is a list of athletes that have lost their fortunes through some of the biggest financial blunders of all time.

Evander Holyfield

Four-time boxing champ Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield reportedly made over $250 million in cash during his boxing career, but despite this he reportedly is flat broke. Holyfield lost all his money by making “smart” business decisions look really foolish. You thought buying a house was a smart move? It normally is, but not when you buy a house the size of Rhode Island. Holyfield bought a $20 million house with over 54,000 square feet and 109 rooms. The house has 11 bedrooms, 17 bathrooms, a movie theater, a bowling alley and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Imagine how much it must cost to cut the grass on all 235 acres! You could buy a Range Rover with the electric bill payment alone.

Lenny Dykstra

Former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies star Lenny “Nails” Dykstra was a success on the baseball diamond, but in the business field Dykstra has struck out. Dykstra’s failed businesses include car washes, a magazine company, real estate investing and a stock trading website. According to Dykstra’s July 2009 bankruptcy filing, he owed more than $30 million to creditors, including his $18.5 million purchase of Wayne Gretzky’s home. The amazing part is that after two foreclosed homes and numerous failed businesses Dykstra is offering the investment advice that led him into bankruptcy for a mere $899 a year! In the investment world, it is often said that past history does not dictate future performance. Nevertheless, it’s pretty clear Dykstra isn’t the guy to go to for advice.

Latrell Sprewell

Look up the word “shortsighted” in the dictionary and you will see a picture of Latrell Sprewell. He famously turned down a $21 million contract because he said it wasn’t enough money to feed his family. Sprewell, who made over $96 million during his career, lost his $1.5 million dollar Italian yacht, named “Milwaukee’s Best”, in 2007. According to MSNBC, a U.S. marshal seized the yacht after Sprewell defaulted on his mortgage. His $5.4 million house went into foreclosure in May 2008. Don’t blame Sprewell for turning down the three-year, $21 million contract though. I mean really, who could live off a measly $7 million a year?

John Daly

Two-time PGA major champ John Daly gambled away between $50 and $60 million in career earnings, according to his 2006 autobiography. Daly once lost $1.65 million in five hours playing the slot machines at a casino. If you think that’s impressive, there’s more. Daly blew $1.2 million in a mere two hours and 30 minutes at a casino in Las Vegas. He just had his $1.6 million house foreclosed on. Did Daly quit gambling after blowing so much cash at the casino tables? Not by a long shot. Instead, he decided to downgrade from the $5,000 slot machines to the $100 and $500 machines. It looks in John Daly’s world, that is considered sound financial planning.

Jack Clark

Former professional baseball slugger Jack Clark was driven into bankruptcy in 1992 by his appetite for luxury cars. According to his bankruptcy filing, he owned 18 luxury automobiles, including a $700,000 Ferrari and a Rolls Royce. Clark was trying to pay 17 car notes simultaneously, and whenever he got bored with a car he would get rid of it and just buy another one. He ended up losing million-dollar homes and his drag-racing business because of his extravagant spending habits, but despite one of the most publicized bankruptcies in baseball, Clark reportedly got back on his feet in the late ’90s.

Mike Tyson

The king of them all is boxer Mike Tyson, who squandered a $350 million to $400 million dollar fortune. So what did “Iron” Mike spend his fortune on? Everything. He dropped half a million dollars on a 420-horsepower Bentley Continental SC with lamb’s wool rugs, a phone and a removable glass roof. It is one of only 73 Bentley Continental SCs ever built. The sad part is that’s not even the only Bentley that Tyson owned! He spent over $4.5 million dollars on cars alone. Throw in a $2 million dollar bathtub and $140,000 for two Bengal tigers and you can see why Tyson’s fortune is down for the count. He filed for bankruptcy in 2003.

Updated Mar 10, 1:58 pm EST

The price you pay for being romantic...

updated 4:23 p.m. ET, Thurs., March. 11, 2010

BERLIN - A German woman, fearful that a burglar was trying to break into her second storey apartment, called police after she heard someone climbing up to her balcony shortly after midnight, police said Thursday.

Police discovered the "burglar" was a man carrying flowers and a bottle of wine who turned out to be the woman's boyfriend, but then arrested him on an outstanding warrant.

"He was trying to surprise her with the flowers and a bottle of wine but it all went wrong," said Korbach police spokesman Volker Koenig. He said the man jumped down from the balcony and tried to escape but was quickly tackled by police.

"He nevertheless gave the police who were taking him to jail the bottle of wine as a gesture of thanks for the friendly treatment after the arrest," Koenig said.

http://www.wesh.com/news/22804449/detail.html

U.S. blacks, Hispanics losing more sleep over worries

NEW YORK

Mon Mar 8, 2010 1:24pm EST   

Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely than whites and Asians to lose sleep over job and money worries, a sleep survey released on Monday found.

The National Sleep Foundation telephone poll of more than 1,000 people from the four ethnic groups also showed that more black Americans are likely to do job related work before bed.

Black Americans have long suffered from higher jobless rates than white Americans, a phenomenon that in recent years spread to Hispanics.

"So many people are suffering because of economic uncertainty," said Martica Hall, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.

"If you find yourself lying awake worrying, write a note to yourself to work on these issues the next day," she said.

Black Americans are also more likely to pray and have sex before going to bed and need the least amount of sleep to function, the survey found.

"The hour before bed is an important time to relax and wind-down before going to sleep," says Thomas Balkin, chairman of the National Sleep Foundation.

"For those who are having problems sleeping, it's a good idea to consider whether your bedtime routines may be too alerting," he said.

Asians report getting the best sleep, having the least amount of sleep problems and the most infrequent use of sleep aids, the poll showed, while whites are more likely to sleep with their pet or partner.

Three quarters of each group associated poor sleep with health problems, while one fifth reported missing events at least one day in the past month because they were too sleepy or had a sleep problem.

One in five from each group said sleepiness had affected their relationships.

Whites and Asians were more likely than blacks and Hispanics to blame a lack of sleep for harming their job performance, hindering their ability to carry out household duties and care for their family.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Patricia Reaney)

Cops: School bus driver drunk while taking kids from school

March 10, 2010

Chicago Tribune

 A Mount Prospect school bus driver was nearly three times over the legal limit for alcohol after she dropped off about 50 children from an elementary school, police say.

Betty Burden, 54, of the 1440 block of Park Drive, was arrested late Tuesday afternoon after police got a call from Vincente Ramirez, the transportation supervisor with Mount Prospect School District 57 around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Another bus driver had smelled alcohol on Burden's breath at 2:30 p.m., before she took off from Lions Elementary School. But school officials said state law prevented either her or Ramirez from confronting Burden.

Instead, Ramirez followed the bus and eventually called police. By the time officers pulled her over around 4 p.m., Burden had dropped off all the children, officials said.
Supt. Elaine Aumiller said state law barred school officials from intervening.

"It's a tough administrative call," Aumiller said. "There were children on the bus during the time she was under the influence. Thank God nothing happened."

Assistant Cook County State's Atty. Mark Javier said in court today that Ramirez followed Burden as she dropped off children and called police when Burden's driving appeared erratic.

But the superintendent disputed that, saying the bus was not weaving.

When police pulled Burden over on River Road, just north of Euclid Avenue, officers "immediately smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage on Burden's breath" and also noticed other physical signs of "alchohol impairment,"  police said.

She failed "all field sobriety tests administered to her," and was taken to the Mount Prospect police station, police said. The woman consented to a breath test, which registered her blood alcohol level at .226. The legal limit is .08, officials said.

Burden admitted to police she had been drinking vodka and orange juice before driving. She's been a driver for the system for 10 years, authorities said.

The superintendent said Ramirez could not smell alcohol on Burden, though officers said they noticed the smell immediately. He did not question or confront her about drinking, but instead followed her.

"He called police right away," she said. "We didn't catch that smell. .. We couldn't even confront her. This is not a District 57 procedure. It is based on Illinois School Code. It spells out very clearly what you can and can't do. Our person followed it to the letter. When we couldn't verify it on their own, he called police."

Contradicting prosecutors, the superintendent said there was no sign of erratic driving. She said it is possible officials waited "so they (the children) don't become witness to an arrest."

Burden's husband Michael, contacted by phone, said she was not available. He declined comment.

She was charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol for being under the influence while transporting passengers under the age of 18, officials said. She was ordered held today on $10,000 bail by Circuit Court Judge Joseph Urso who ordered her not to drive any school buses while the case is pending.

Her next court date was scheduled for April 1.

 LINK TO PHOTO: 

Police say man broke into Ames church to watch porn

Luke Jennett

The Tribune
Staff Writer

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 10:40 AM CST

Pelosi says House has votes for healthcare if vote were held today

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested Tuesday evening that Democrats would have the votes to pass healthcare legislation if it were taken up today.

Pelosi, in an interview with Bloomberg and PBS host Charlie Rose, hinted that she could pass Democrats' healthcare plans through the House if they were brought up this week.

"Yes," Pelosi said when asked if she believed the House would end up having the votes to approve healthcare.

"If we took it up today, yes," the Speaker quickly added.

Pelosi still cautioned, though, that the timing and actual vote count on the bill couldn't be entirely set in stone until the final legislative language was finalized and until the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) delivers its score of the bill's impact.

Pelosi's words come as Democrats move toward acting on the long-stalled health reform efforts. The White House had set a March 18 deadline by which they had hoped to see the House pass the healthcare bill approved by the Senate in December, setting in motion an endgame on healthcare.

The Speaker said she wouldn't start worrying about timing until the CBO released its estimates of the reform plan's costs.

"My clock doesn't start ticking until the CBO numbers come," she said.

One of Pelosi's key confidants, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.), suggested Wednesday those numbers could come as soon as Wednesday or Thursday.

Kyl: GOP has votes to stop some health fixes in the Senate

Miller also hedged on the question of whether Democrats would have the votes to pass the bill.

"I think we can see the votes from here," Miller said during an appearance Wednesday morning on CNBC. "As the Speaker says, we'll have the votes when we take up the bill."

Pelosi had previously been obstinate in saying she did not have the votes for the Senate's healthcare bill in the House until an agreement could be struck to make changes to the Senate's healthcare bill.

http://www.thefoxnation.com/culture/2010/03/09/limbaugh-vows-leave-country-if-obamacare-passes

Tuesday March 9, 2010

Lawyer in client-beating case arrested after failing to post bond

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Charleston attorney Joshua Robinson, who is charged with beating a client with a baseball bat, had to be arrested after failing to either post bond or report to jail on Monday. 

Earlier in the day, Robinson had been placed on home confinement until his trial next month. Bond was set at $25,000 with a 10 percent cash option and a requirement of home confinement.

But Robinson failed to post bond by 4 p.m. Monday -- and also did not report to jail in lieu of that. There was a warrant issued for his arrest, and police apprehended him at his Lee Street home.

He is now in South Central Regional Jail.

Earlier Monday,Robinson, 38, was arraigned before Judge Duke Bloom. Last week, he asked for a continuance, saying he hadn't had time to hire a lawyer.  On Monday, he again came to court without a lawyer and asked Bloom to postpone his hearing.

The judge refused, and Robinson entered a not guilty plea.

His trial date is set for April 19

Robinson was charged with malicious assault, embezzlement, and obstructing justice after an incident at his East End home.

The incident occurred Dec. 3 when a client, David Lee Gump, came to confront him about cashing a $1,100 check made out to his grandfather. Gump had hired Robinson to help with his grandfather's estate.

Witnesses have testified that Robinson pursued Gump into the street and struck him multiple times in the head with a baseball bat. Gump had to receive medical treatment for his injuries.

Police initially arrested Gump at the scene when Robinson told them Gump had broken into his home, but after hearing testimony, Magistrate Paris Workman found no probable cause for charges and dismissed them.

Assistant Prosecutor Fred Giggenbach asked Bloom to place Robinson on home confinement, pointing out that the attorney had other charges and convictions in Kentucky.

"He has had two charges of wanton endangerment," Giggenbach told the judge. "He took a propane tank and threw it into the back window of a car with his wife in it. And there was a child in the car."

Giggenbach said the charges were felonies, but were pleaded down to misdemeanors. He said Robinson also has an aggravated assault conviction in Kentucky and twice failed to appear in court.

"He's taking that out of context," Robinson responded. "I was sentenced to unsupervised probation. I do not plan to fail to appear for court dates. I look forward to clearing my name."

Robinson said media attention surrounding recent charges has caused concern among his clients.

"This is ridiculous," Robinson said. "It seems that I can not get away from these issues. My wife has an ex-husband who has caused us problems, and that's why we moved here."

Giggenbach also requested that Robinson be drug tested, but Bloom did not order the screen.

Robinson told Bloom there were some financial concerns that prevented him from hiring an attorney.

Bloom said an attorney would be appointed to represent him if he files file financial documents showing he cannot afford one.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/09/karl-rove-memoir-the-13-m_n_491412.html

Man Asks Police For Directions While In Stolen Car

 NEW ORLEANS -- Officer Theresa Lubrano said she was in the drive thru line at McDonalds when she gave directions to a man driving what turned out later to be a stolen vehicle.

Friday around 10:30 p.m. a SUV pulled along side Lubrano's vehicle and the driver asked for directions to the interstate. Lubrano gave the driver the directions, but said she had to repeat them several times as the driver was having trouble understanding them.

Officer Lubrano said when the SUV drove off, she ran the license plate and found the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Kenner on March 5.

Lubrano said she notified other officers about the stolen vehicle. A short time later, the vehicle was spotted crossing the Highway 11 overpass.

LINK TO PHOTO:

http://www.wdsu.com/news/22778547/detail.html

Couple arrested at parade after putting daiquiri in baby's bottle

WWL TV

Posted on March 8, 2010 at 7:32 PM

Updated today at 10:56 AM

 CHALMETTE, La. – A St. Bernard Parish couple is in hot water after allegedly filling a 1-year-old's bottle with a chocolate-flavored daiquiri during a parade Sunday.

Deputies arrested the father of the child, 19-year-old Nicholas Lee, and his girlfriend, 19-year-old Jaelin Manuel, who is not the baby’s mother, after a witness saw them pouring the daiquiri into the baby’s bottle at the Irish, Italian and Islenos Community Parade.

According to the witness the baby drank from the bottle, said St. Bernard Parish Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann.

Pohlmann said after the witnesses notified police, a detective went to the couple and found the bottle. It’s not known how much the baby consumed. He said the detective found a brownish liquid in the bottle and noticed a brown stain on the child’s shirt.

Pohlmann said the couple wouldn’t confess to feeding the baby the daiquiri, but he said they did admit to putting some daiquiri into the bottle.

An EMS worker checked out the baby but it was decided he didn’t need to be hospitalized. Police called the baby’s mother to pick her son up.

Manuel was released from prison on a $5,000 bond, while the baby’s father is being held under a probation hold.

Two others were arrested at the parade in unrelated incidents:

- Violet resident Ray Miller Jr., 22, was removed from Float 35 and booked with obscenity and disturbing the peace after “allegedly exposing himself to the crowd,” Pohlmann said.

- Metairie resident Danielle McDevitt, 22, was also removed from her float during the parade and booked with obscenity and disturbing the peace. Pohlmann said according to reports from witnesses, she had been dancing on Float 28 “in exotic fashion” and had pulled out one breast from a bikini top.

Both Miller and McDevitt were released on bond, but the sheriff’s office said the amounts were available.

LINK TO PHOTOS: 

http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Couple-arrested-at-parade-after-putting-daiquri-in-babys-bottle-87019072.html

WARNING

MAY BE OFFENSIVE

BUT IT'S WEIRD

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/09/florida_crash/

http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12083270