A Good Month?

I’m pissed.

It is going to take me a long, Long, LONG time to get over this one...















I hate this chart.

1)It makes no sense.
2)Somebody made a lot of Freaking Money.
3)It wasn’t me.

It probably has something to do with day traders or some sort of program that kicked off or somebody sneezed and hit their nose on the “OMG it’s Armageddon - sell everything button”...

Did I mention that this makes no sense?

It’s crazy.

First, let me just say that POZN was on my watch list and was due to report (and did) on the 29th. It was also expecting a FDA report on one of it’s products on the 30th of April. Now I had done my research and found no readily published reason why the FDA would not approve this product for use. In fact many people had mentioned pretty much the same thing. The only thing I was not 100% sure about was the quarterly report.
As it turned out, they beat estimates, but missed on revenue. But the stock market seemed to still like the company because it made more than they expected, and were due to hear, by all anticipated accounts, a favorable approval report from the FDA the following day.
After previously hitting high price points earlier this month, the stock had pulled back about 10 – 15% as I had expected it would. So at the beginning of the week, I bought POZN. And for the rest of the week everything looked good. The stock was slowly going back up (about 10%) in anticipation of the quarterly report and FDA findings.

Secondly, let me just say that up until this point, it had been a pretty good month for my investments.

I gained about 40% off of GENT
I lost about 15% off of EMAN
I gained a few more points (5%) with Apple’s quarterly report
And I was up over another 10% with POZN.

So, then Friday April 30th started...

At first all was going well up until about 12:37 pm. Then all hell broke loose.

Now, you may have noticed that I lost 15% on EMAN. This was because I had a “stop loss” set to sell if the price fell beyond a certain point.

Now, stop loss orders are great. They have saved my butt and my money many times. But not this time...

As Friday came , started , progressed and went on past 11:00 AM with no news I was considering that maybe “no news is good news” was not such a good motto after all. You see, most of POZN’s announcements tend to happen either before market opens (as their quarterly report) or in the mornings. Of course we are dealing with the FDA and the government is notorious for hurry up and wait, and wait and wait..

Still, I was looking at a good month so far and started second guessing. And third guessing...

I know hype can work both ways (up and down). I had a big client meeting to go to and wanted to cash in on the (as I saw it a favorable FDA report) but did not want to lose what I had gained during the other 29 days of the month. So I entered a “stop loss” , not at 15% below my buy price but a couple tics above it.

Why? Because if paranoid hype hit the stock, and drove the price down, I still wanted to be able to cash in on the anticipated favorable FDA report next week. You see, if one sells a stock for a loss, you can not reinvest in it for about 30 days or so. But if you sell and make a profit, you can buy back in anytime you wish.
So shortly after 12 noon I entered my “safe” stop loss.

Hopped into my car and went to the big client meeting.

Then somebody sneezed.

Who could possibly know that 23 minutes later all hell would break loose and not only would I lose out on my weekly 10% gain, but the Freaking sell off would be so quick that my by the time my “sell” went into effect, it was actually at a loss.

Not a gain.

In a matter of minutes (or less) this stock went from over $12 a share to $5.50 a share. That is almost a 60% loss!

Then within about 20 minutes bounce back up from somewhere around $8 to over $11.00. Nearly a 40% gain!

And now, due to the anticipated FDA report (after closing), is back up over 20% from it’s Friday close in after hours trading.

For me, that is a 30% boot. Not only did I lose my 10 – 12% gain, but because of my fail stop loss (I can not reinvest) and am out the 20% gain.

It’s been a good month, really. Over all I am up about 15 – 20% (TBD) with my final review later this weekend.

It’s been a good month; I just have to keep telling myself that…

In less than 15 minutes, I lost out on nearly 50% gain for the month, instead of (15 – 20%).

It’s, been a good month; really?

It’s been a good month; I just have to keep telling myself that.

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Redskin Acres

Ever since coming to town, Shanahan and Allen have said they have a plan.

Well, today, we announce "The Plan".

The Washington Redskins plan on opening a fully functional and feature rich retirement and mainstream acclimation facility called Redskin Acres.

Redskins Acres: Will be a state of the art NFL Retirement Facility whose main goal will be to successfully transition aging and retiring NFL stars back into mainstream society.

Coach Shanahan and GM Allen stated that this facility and will have specialized training programs to not only aid aging stars back into society (avoiding the ever too popular drug induced rap sheet syndrome so often experienced by other previously retired NFL players) While, at the same time, players in the transition program will have the opportunity to provide an invaluable mentoring service to the teams younger players.

This is a "win-win" situation and the Redskin Organization is proud to be leading the way for future retired NFL Stars.

And there will be additional programs starting up in the near future.

Dan Snyder added that the team is working closely with the NFL and the newly formed government health care program to provide even greater benefits to facility patients players.

Such benefits include but are not limited to:

The HTC Enrichment Program - Head Trauma and Concussion.
The DADDI Syndrome - Delusional Attitude and Diva Dynamics Integration.

NFL players are said to be enthusiastic about the new facility and program. In fact many have signed up with the Reskins for early treatment and program participation:

Clinton Portis
Larry Johnson
Willie Parker
Donavan McNabb
Alber Haynesworth
Rex Grossman
and recently signed Joey Galloway.

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The New Universal Choking Symbol

Apparently defense does win championships...

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Bad Shot

This has got to be one of the worst/best misleading headlines of all time.



33-Year Old Ex-Marine Gets Shot in NFL Rookie Camp


It has absolutely nothing to do with guns or bullets but is a rather "feel good" story of the "good guy" getting his big chance at a dream.

A worthy story with a less than deserving and worthy title.

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Shanahans new nickname

Just call him Ol' Cornhole...

According to the DC Sports Bog:

In his dealings with the D.C. media thus far, Mike Shanahan has been a pretty non-quirky guy. Call him the anti-Zorn. So I was glad to get this note from Reader Eric, who just ran across the box his brother's "tailgate toss" set came in. Turns out Shanahan was on the cover, extolling the virtues of a game commonly known as "cornhole."

"Next to football, Tailgate Toss is the most fun and addictive game I've ever played," reads the quote.

"If you get a Q&A with the coach could you ask him what the next most addictive and fun game is other than football?" Eric suggests. "If he says anything other than tailgate toss he's a liar."

True enough.

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Two is better than one...

That must be the Raiders new theme.

I'll admit it. I've always liked the Raiders logo, team colors, costumes and uniforms.



I just never realized that they have a new philosophy.

To do everything in two.

They now have two McFaddens.
Darren McFadden
Walter McFadden

Walter hails from Auburn.
Jason Campbell hails from...
Auburn.

Not only did they just draft their second McFadden,
They drafted their second Campbell.

Bruce Campbell

Bruce hails from Maryland.

Last years surprise draft pick for the Raiders was Darrius Heyward-Bey,
from...
You guessed it, Maryland.

Darrius Heyward-Bey is a speedster
He ran a 60 meter indoor time of 6.82-seconds his senior year of College and in 2006, he ran a 4.23-second 40-yard dash. (That is Darrell Green speed).

But move over Darrius, because the Raiders have just drafted their second speedster,
Jacoby Ford.
He set the ACC record in the 60 meter with a time of 6.52-seconds and reportedly he ran a 4.126-second 40-yard dash.

Jacoby Ford Hails from Clemson.
They Raiders do not have anybody else from Clemson...

Yet...

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First, Post Impressions...

Seattle:
Did not address their RB needs in the draft, so they go raiding. Obtaining two veterans (Leon Washington , LenDale White). Good acquisitions for the Seahawks!

Raiders:
Speaking of Raiding, the Raiders get 2 for 1. As in two Campbell's. Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins who is far better than any QB Oakland currently has and …. Campbell from the University of Maryland who has a lot of talent and ability (with any luck) will develop into a fine NFL starter. Actually the Raiders picked up a couple good offensive linemen, so I think Jason will do just fine.

Redskins:
Finally got around to adding depth and talent to their offensive line. I just wish they had been able to do it before the 7th round. They also added a talented LB for the new 3 – 4 scheme , a TE and another WR. The TE was puzzling and I was thinking maybe he is a good blocker and they think he could move in or drop back as a pseudo halfback. Well, sure enough, Shanahan plans on having him compete for Fullback. I still don’t know why they picked the WR (he does not fit Shanahan prototype) but for some reason they liked him.

So:
Why did the Redskins and Raiders trade Jason for a 2012 4th round pick? Not a pick this year (too deep a pool) not 2011, but 2012! Could it be because someone thinks there will be a lockout next year?

Speaking of QB’s.
I think Colt McCoy and Clausen landed very well in the draft with teams and organizations which could do them a world of good. Though Carolina probably feels better than Clausen does at the moment. Carolina really did not have a lot of good depth at QB before the draft, now they do.

And and speaking of having depth at QB?
Once McNabb was off the market, why did the Vikings wait until the 6th round to draft a QB?

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Boring Excitement

That is how I would describe Round 1.

The first half of round one was predictably boring.
The second half was definitely exciting.

The Commish is probably ecstatic too!
What better way to debut in prime time!




First off, the Skins after acquiring a perennial pro bowl caliber QB (Donovan McNabb) in free agency, picked perhaps the best athletic OL player available to help protect him.

Then two division rivals have the nerve to pick defensive players in the 1st round! Sheesh!

Thanks Jerry for picking a WR. We aren't impressed.

Secondly, I was actually impressed with the Broncos trading down and acquiring draft picks. Bravo!
Then they surprised everybody and picked Timmy!
Bravo again! He was not worth the 25th pick, in fact I bet he would have still been there at your 45th 2nd round turn but hey, Kudos for picking him and keeping him out of our division and even conference.
Hey, while you are at it, can you pick up Clausen and McCoy too!
Thanks.

Now I hear the rumors of Haynesworth going to the Vikings... Hey anything is possible. We could certainly us the picks.

I think I am actually liking this new prime time format.

Bravo Roger!

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Gotta Go?

Mel Kiper Jr. doesn't do bathroom breaks.

And, judging by his jerky behavior and speach, he probably does not drink decaf either...

Just look at this short clip, he never stops moving and is constantly looking like he needs to get up and go somewhere.



And here is an interesting little tid bit from the article in the Post...

... even when he sits...his foot will be shaking uncontrollably. It goes a mile a minute, and it won't stop...Joe Theismann, once wondered aloud whether New York City experiences earthquakes...

I don't know about you, but I've seen this almost everyday in my house.

The 4 year old will be dancing in front of the TV watching his favorite show or playing a video game and we will ask...

"William, do you have to go potty?"

"no"

"William, remember, pee pee poopoo in the potty.?

"no"

A little while longer and a little more dancing...

"William,"

"OK, Gotta Go!!!"

And he's off to the races.

Hey Mel, that is why they make commercial breaks.

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Is it Thursday yet?

Just some thoughts running through my tiny little brain...







- How many carrots can the Redskins dangle out for draft picks?
Campbell, Haynesworth, McIntosh, Landry...

- Define Voluntary...
(See Mandatory)
The Mike Shanahan practices have started.

- When asked about Shanahans new rules...
The standard answers from the players are: "I Like it" , "It's like a breath of fresh air" , "Just what the team needs"
I wonder if their answers are Voluntary?

- Everyone says "Defense wins Championships"
Can the Capitals prove them wrong?

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Sean Taylor

Yes, Sean's locker at Redskins Park has been covered and preserved since his death.

Yes, they are moving Sean's Locker from Redskin Park to FedEx Field.

Yes, they are moving it to the club level.

No, Dan Snyder is NOT installing a coin slot for viewing.

I've heard some fans complaining that this is just another pandering to high paying customers, ticket holders.

It's a weak argument.

Moving Sean's Locker to the club level makes a lot of sense.

- It keeps it indoors out of any exposure to any weather related changes in temperature and humidity.
- It mitigates the chance of a riot or at least an ugly scene being broadcasted on national TV. Imagine the reaction to a drunken fan of a competing team doing something stupid. And the ensuing, not that we Redskins Fans every drink, reaction of loyal Fans to whatever this stupid act would be.

It also helps bring some closure to the event within the team and at Redskin Park.

A tough situation, handled well by the new management.

RIP Sean.

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Picks and Pans

My stock watch lists had a lot of speculative stocks this month, more than usual. Speculative stocks are riskier investments and their price fluctuations are usually more volatile. My results so far reflect just that.

Here are a couple examples:

EMAN
This company produces diodes and other optic and electronic parts that are necessary for the latest and greatest tech/AV craze – 3D! Its stock was on a rocket ride recently and like many fast flyers ran out of fuel and fell almost as quickly.

GENT
A Biotech/Pharm company that has posted good profits and expects positive cash flow for 2010; which is always a good thing. They are also looking for FDA approval to market products in the US.


















Looking at the patterns, GENT (although more volatile in price fluctuations) is actually the stronger pattern. GENT was in a good pendant (or triangle) pattern with progressively increasing high price points and (higher) low price points.

At the beginning of the month, EMAN, was still performing strong with good momentum, money flow and relative strength. But as you can see, that trend broke. Rather suddenly.

Unfortunately I invested in both.
Fortunately I had a stop loss (sell point) set on EMAN which limited my losses.
Unfortunately, (because I have a real job and am not a day trader and needed to wait for funds to clear) the stop loss did not kick in right away and I was a couple days later than I would have liked.
Fortunately GENT was still in its strong pattern and I was able to recoup most of my losses.

So, the end result is…

My first investment of GENT is up well over 30%.
My attempt at a quick hit on EMAN resulted in about a 17% loss.
My reinvestment added back into GENT recovered most of that 17% back.

End result, about 15% profit for the first 2 weeks of April. Not bad, could have been better, but could have been a lot worse.

It is hard to tell, but it looks as though GENT might be leveling off now in strength and price patterns so, I’m taking my profits and looking for another stock play to round out my 2nd half of April investing.

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Origins

This week we celebrated my oldest daughter’s confirmation. It was a wonderful event filled with excitement, celebration, good food, good friends and good stories.

One of the better stories was told by the bishop who was visiting from Juneau Alaska.

It goes something like this . . .

A little girl asked her father, “Daddy, where did human beings come from?”
Her father said, “Well, a long time ago, God created Adam and Eve. And Adam and Eve had children, and then their children had children, and so on, and so on, and that is how you and I came into being.”

A few days later, the same little girl was helping her mother with chores, and as children often do (play questions and answers off of each parent) asked her mother the same question.

Her mom said, “Well, a long time ago, there were these monkeys, who evolved, into other types of primates, who kept evolving and so on, and so on, until eventually becoming humans as we know them today. And that is how you and I came into being.”

The little girl was truly shocked and amazed by this answer and went running to find her father.

“Daddy! Remember when I asked you the other day where we came from, and you said we came from God?”

“Yes”, said her father.

“Well, I just asked Mommy the same question and she said Monkeys! How can that be?”

“Oh” said the father. “Well, that’s easy to explain.”

“You see, when you asked me where we came from, I naturally thought about my side of the family.”

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Funny, When I get Injured it Hurts...

Apparently there is yet another reason to play the Wii.

Wii Fit Injury Made Her A Sex Addict







A 24-year-old from Manchester, claims that a Wii Fit injury has turned her into a sex addict.

After falling from her Wii Fit board, Flowers reports that even minor vibrations--such as from a food processor, she says-- "turns her on." She was told by a doctor that she had suffered a damaged nerve that has provoked "persistent sexual arousal syndrome." (It is a real condition, I checked...)

"It began as a twinge down below before surging through my body. Sometimes it built up into a trembling orgasm," Flowers says, according to the Daily Star's article "Nintendo Wii Made Me Nympho."

Although Flowers' injury isn't one you see every day, doctors in the UK reported frequently treating patients for Wii-related injuries. According to the Fox News article, "up to ten people a week are being hospitalized with injuries caused by playing Nintendo Wii games."

Hey, this might explain Tigers rehab...

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The Real NHL Season Starts Today!

Yes folks, don't be fooled, the previous 82 games were just the preseason.

The NHL playoffs are where championship teams are born. It is not only a test of the most talented, best scoring, best defensive, and yes sometimes even luckiest teams, players and coaches out there; but it is a test for survival.

This year the odds on favorites by many, from bookies to sports experts, pick the Washington Capitals to win the cup. They have, perhaps the most talented group of offensive scorers assembled and finish as top record and point holders for the previous 82 games.

They even won the Presidents Award.

So the bookies have the Caps as favorites to win.
The Caps finish the 82 game season with the best record and the most points.

They are a gimme for the cup right?

WRONG!

First of all, anybody who knows me, I never bet on the favorite person, team or horse to win a race. And the playoffs are just that, a race.

Secondly, if you believe the stats, only 7 of the last 23 President Award winners have gone on to win the cup.

So, in a way, the Caps are the underdogs, so that means I can bet on them to win. Except I rarely bet and most likely will not for the playoffs.

But I can route for them to win it all!










Lets Go Caps!

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Good Guys Don't Finish Last!

Hooray for Phil Mickelson.

Hooray for winning another Championship.

Enough said....

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BYE BYE

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Stop Counting

The idea for this post actually started months ago with the release of the movie Avatar and folks making a big stink about it being racist.

By now you all probably know all the arguments both for and against that topic so I will not go into it here. But it did spur a conversation between my wife and I where we both came to the conclusion that we all just need to stop counting. Only then will racism and prejudice end.

So what does this have to do with my blog? Well, life is funny sometimes. Ever since then there have been numerous incidences when I have yet again been reminded of "just stop counting".

Fortunately, or unfortunately, this week has seemed to culminate in a torrent of examples of not only "counting" but also wearing ethnic categories as badges. Not only that, but many of these "examples" have been sports and indirectly finance related.

So, here goes my post.

In perhaps the first example this week, Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post wrote an article titled "Washington Redskins' trade for Donovan McNabb is a perfect fit". It took him all of 3 sentences to bring up the race card. In fact, he does it more than once.

The quarterback fraternity is small, and the black quarterback fraternity is even smaller...

McNabb is not only accustomed to the insanity of being a quarterback in the NFL, and the extra weight of being a black quarterback in the NFL...

Why is this an issue? Is racism that prevalent in sports now-a-days?

Am I just a dumb out of touch white guy?

Yes, he is black, I get it. Duh, but why does he feel compelled to categorize the point he is trying to make in such a way? Does it legitimize his argument? Bring more weight to the point he is trying to make?

Imagine if someone had written "the fraternity of white quarterbacks" in the NFL. "the extra weight or burden of being white"?

I think, unfortunately, that the reaction(s) would have been quite different. In fact, that probably would not have been printed at all.

This reminds me of an article, (Second example this week) in the Huffingtonpost about the need to integrate the race beat in journalism.

Since that is not really sports or finance related, I will just include the link for your review. But the summary is that perhaps we need to use the same measuring stick for all "racial" topics.

My third example of the week, the US Census, is finance and money related.

The census asks a multitude of ethnic questions trying to classify various origins of Hispanics in our society while largely ignoring middle eastern origins and classifying them largely as "white" or "Caucasian".

Now, this is probably the only instance where I actually agree with the counting and categorization so that public governing entities, funds, and programs can adequately accommodate the ever increasing and changing diversity in our society. In fact, I could see the argument that the census does not go nearly far enough with their questions and categories. But that is getting a bit off track to my original discussion to treat fairly here.

But I will say that I heard one group, those of Mideastern decent, complaining that they were lumped into the white/Caucasian category. It's ironic that what many seem to not realize is that previous generations, back in the 50's and 60's, when the equal rights movement was picking up steam; Mideastern representatives lobbied congress to categorize them as white/Caucasian, because they did not want the label and stigma that went along with being a minority.

And of course, even the president is not immune to this topic. People were asking what he put down for race and residency.

The point I am trying to make in all of this is, as the title of my post indicates, "when can we stop counting?"

Counting and the natural subsequent desire to classify or categorize all this is in my mind serving as a constant reminder of racism in our society and does nothing except help keep us divided.

Now before you jump all over me about doing away with ethnic awareness and appreciation, I am not saying that at all. In fact we all, every one of us, should be made aware of all ethnic histories and diversities and realize that this diversity is not a weakness but rather a strength and should be viewed as such.

In fact , my fourth example of the week...

Core Values on WTOP News

Talks about his idea of doing away with Black History Month and Confederate History Month.

Again stop counting, do away with the "badge" mentality, and use the same yard stick for everybody and every topic.

But back to sports and racism.

In my fifth and final example, my cousin who writes, produces and directs for a living (his portfolio includes "The Daily Show", and various skits from Leno's short lived prime time show) sent me this short that he directed.

In this video, topics of race, sports and ethnic diversity are, in a way, treated equally.

Got No Game - Race in Sports

Like I said, this week I was seemingly inundated with examples....

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No QB Left Behind

It seems that the NFL, along with all their other negotiations, are exploring options regarding kids, recruiting, and future professional players.

It makes sense. Imagine having a program, a farm system of sorts, which identifies potential future football stars, provides training and education, bringing them up to be well rounded, and well known professional football stars.

Each professional team could have its own program. Guiding kids and athletes, molding them to one day fit in with the future of the NFL.

I think this is a great idea. Probably would be cost effective (cost less than some of these modern day multi gazillion dollar contracts) And it wouldn't cost anybody any draft picks either.

So congratulations to the Vikings, the NFL and most importantly Brett Favre and his family for kick starting this wonderful program.

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Something New

OK, so I've been tossing around different ideas in my head for a while mostly about this blog.

At times I was concerned about the duality of my theme. Sports and Stocks. And thought about splitting it out into two different blogs.

At other times I wanted to see if I could try different formats and ideas I had but could not quite figure out a good way of doing it with blogger.

Eventually I decided to try another type of blog or website format to see what was possible.

I started looking at other formats such as Drupal, and WordPress. Yes, there are plenty of apps out there but these are the two which I ended up liking the most. Eventually I settled on WordPress, mostly because of its ease of use.

Eventually I decided to keep the duality, and this blog basically they way it is now.

Note: If anybody else has any ideas, comments or even criticisms, please let me know and I will take it under consideration.

I have decided to keep the investment tracking and watch lists basically the same but have started up a new site which is geared more towards setting goals, both for finance and investments, but for any and all other aspects of life as well.

I call it Charting Success.

Feel free to check it out.

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In with the old...

So, just in case you have been living under a rock and just discovered the Internet (and my blog), the Washington Redskins have a new Franchise QB.

Donovan McNabb brings a lot of good quality leadership and command of the field that seemed to be lacking in recent years. I am not 100% sure that it is/was entirely Jason Campbell's fault, but that does not matter now.

The fact is the change has been made.

Jason and his agent have been allowed to seek trade offers, and Jason is no longer required to participate in off season workouts at Redskins park.

OK, guys, hug as you pass through the door.














Thanks

Here is a link with today's press conference.

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Holy QB Pass Batman...

Wow, with opening day for MLB and the Nationals, the NCAA championship game tonight, even Tiger Woods playing at the Masters, and the Pope involved with one of the biggest conspiracies; one would have thought these would be the top stories.

But noooooo! The Redskins, ever the media making hounds, trumped all of them. Even Tiger and the Pope!

I just can’t figure out why?

My first thought ... No not Philly and McNabb! What were they thinking ...

My second thought ... If you can’t beat them, steal their starting QB… AKA Sonny Jurgensen ...

My third thought ... Is McNabb really value added? Could they have done better with a 2nd and 3rd round pick in the draft?

My fourth thought… It’s all about the system, personnel and coaching staff.

And, it was probably worth a shot. But only time will tell.

First the stats.

Campbell:
Career: 61.2% completion rate, 6.63 yards per attempt, 82.3 QB Rating, pass attempt/TD ratio 18/1.

McNabb:
Career: 59.0% completion rate, 6.93 yards per attempt, 86.5% QB rating, pass attempt/TD ratio 12/1.

Don’t get me wrong, I think McNabb is a proven winner and leader.
Though he does appear to be a bit rusty with some of the NFL rules… ;-)

So what is the difference?

McNabb has had the benefit of a stable system and coach and in recent years good supporting players around him.

Campbell has not.

Shanahan likes the proven veterans . Yes there have been countless blogs and articles about him and Elway and that Elway was an established veteran, etc, etc.

And we all know that the old guys can still play… AKA Favre, Warner, etc, etc ...

But they need good and young personnel around them to help out.
And now the Redskins have two less opportunities to add good young talent.
This is one of the biggest and toughest decisions for any and every NFL organization.
Build around veterans or build with draft picks.

The old guys also need a good system.

Jurgensen was quoted as saying “some people never learn”. I think he was talking about Philly trading their QB.

I’m not so sure it couldn’t be applied to the Redskins organization. The only difference now is that I honestly, truly, believe Snyder is not calling the shots.

So, where does this leave the Redskins, Fans and the rest of us following the team?
Trust in leadership and “their plan”.

Shanahan took a .500 team (Denver) with a veteran QB and turned the organization around to be a .734 Superbowl winner!

During that time, Denver added 4 – 5 wins per year and Elway added 5 – 6 TD’s per season under Shanahan. Shanahan was also pretty good with the running backs too.

The big question is, would these turn around numbers be more likely with Campbell or McNabb?

The world will never know.

I think, as most seem to especially now, that Campbell is going to be traded for draft picks and or needed positions. Hopefully we can pick up a couple extra picks or move up to grab somebody good in a much needed position.

In order for any organization to be successful, you need good leadership, a plan, and personnel to execute the plan.

Over the past few years the Redskins have not had any of this. And they still have a ton of holes to fill. Especially along the front line.

But now, for the moment, they seem to have found a franchise QB.

Perhaps Mcnabb is the better leader and mentor and better at handling controversy and would be an excellent roll model.

I just hope he survives that long.

Only time will tell.

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Recovery and Speculation...

OK, so I've recovered from insanity, sort of...

At least I've restored my blog theme back to the way it was.

So, in that respect, I've recovered.

However, my April watch lists seem to be quite speculative and perhaps investing in some of this is slightly crazy but here we go with the Fumbled Returns April Watch Lists.

Starting Lineup

QDEL - Quidel Corp
This is one from last years pandemic list and has shown some good strengthening in price lately.
ARQL - ArQule Inc
This is a bio tech company which has turned itself around and is showing promise.
ATSG - Air Transport Services Group Inc
An airline company that seems to be bucking the trend and showing profit.
EMAN - eMagin Corp
I hate 3D. But this company produces diodes and other optic and electronic parts that are necessary for the latest and greatest tech/AV craze. And as a result, its stock has been on a real rocket ride. Best of all, if this craze does take off, there is very little institutional money in this stock. Once they discover it, watch out!
GENT - Gentium SpA
Another Biotech/Pharm company that has posted good profits and expects positive cash flow for 2010; which is always a good thing.
IDSA - Industrial Services of America Inc
Recycled metals. Either an industry on the rebound or companies are targets for acquisitions (a competitor NGA was recently bought out). Either way, speculation wise, these are positive influences for a stock.
MFLX - Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc
This is actually one of my few pattern plays in that MFLX looks like it might be setting up for a breakout from a cup and handle pattern.
ZQK - Quiksilver Inc
A retail distributor that has more than profited from the rebound in the retail market and hopes that the economy has/is starting a recovery.
AAPL - Apple
ipad fever. Thats it.
FDO - Family Dollar
Recovery in the retail market along with continued unemployment and reduced wages are both positives for this retailer.

Bench

LINC - Lincoln Educational Services Corp
A stock that has fallen about 10% from recent 52week highs. Worth watching for a possible continuation of a rebound.
AFAM - Almost Family Inc
A left over from last month which has a good balance sheet and continued interest as a result of the Obamacare legislation.
COCO - Corinthian Colleges Inc.
A good well run educational company which stands to profit so long as folks are willing to return to school for added marketability in this troubled economy.
ENDP - Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc
Speculation drove this stock up. A less than stellar quarterly report knocked it back down, but, it has bounced off of the low support level and all those speculators look like they are willing to keep this stock afloat.
IDCC - InterDigital Inc
A digital communications company whose stock has truly leveled off. Good news will drive it up. Bad news will pull it back down. I just can't decide which will happen first. Worth a watch but until definitive news, maybe pick one of my other listed stocks.
POZN - POZEN Inc
Another biotech/pharm company with FDA report due by the end of the month. Speculation and a good report will do wonders for this stock.
SNTA - Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp
Another speculative biotech/pharm company which is actually able to come close to profitability.
SNTS - Santarus Inc
Ditto.
ARO - Aeropostale
Wow! not another biotech/pharm company. Rather a well run retailer, with a recent good quarterly report, and a recovering economy. All positive signs.
GME - Game Stop
Between a good bounce off of record low price, speculations of a possible take over and the prospects of a recovering economy; this stock shot up well over 25% last month. Perhaps the hype, like the economic recovery, is not over.

Last month I hit two good quarterly reports (always a risky proposition during reporting season and a possible recession) and got lucky. FDO 12.5% and then ARO 10% netted me a +20% gain for March.

There are some carry overs from last months list(s) such as FDO, ARO, COCO, GME, AFAM; but lots of new speculative additions. Normally I hesitate to have too many eggs in one basket (biotech/pharm) but then again, I am never one to shy away from opportunity.

We shall see how things pan out for April.

Hope everyone had a great and joyous Easter weekend.

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An Easter Present

Looks like the ACC is the big winner of the Easter Bunny Presents this year.

First:

Maryland Point Guard Greivis Vasquez from the University of Maryland is the winner of the 2010 Bob Cousy Award.
Vasquez, a senior from Caracas, Venezuela, averaged 19.6 points per game for Maryland this season while recording 6.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. He led Maryland to a 24-9 record, a share of the ACC regular-season title and an NCAA tournament berth. Vasquez is a Wooden Award Finalist, was named as the ACC’s Player of the Year, and was named to The Sporting News First-Team All-America.

Second:

Duke played an all around outstanding game to advance to the championship game against Butler. I just wish it was a different ACC team representing us, but hey, I'll take it.

Third:

We have Easter celebrations underway here at the Fumbled Returns blog and household.

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From the team of....

Our team of experienced professionals brings a unique set of skills to combat any defense you might encounter.

Sounds like a law firm doesn't it.

Nope, it is the current backfield of the Washington Redskins.

Either we are going to draft nothing but linemen (which is fine by me) or one of these experts will get the ball and the others will block!

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Waiting Room

We've all been there...

It does not matter why. No matter if it is at the hospital, doctors, auto repair, or a lawyers office; we are always there because something happened, broke, or we put off too long.

It does not matter where. They all have moderately uncomfortable chairs, Muzak or infomercials, and a definite lack of reading material consisting of various entertainment magazines, auto mags (with reviews of cars I will never own)and or (God Forbid) professional trade mags.

Except, the last waiting room I was in.

Mixed in with all the other previously mentioned magazines was the February issue of Military Officer. This caught my eye first because I certainly was not expecting to see it and secondly it had a cover story about General Colin Powell. If you go to their site, you will find lots of interesting information not only about military personnel but also about many of the challenges affecting them and other Americans today, and of course, lots of great stories.

Anyway, stuck towards the back of the February Issue was a short story about Army ABC's.

Instead of hand typing it into my blog, or stepping you through how to find it (found under archives, February, page 84) online, I tried to copy it into a text format but failed, so here is a scanned image of the story. Hope it works...

ARMY ABC's

Enjoy.

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A Good Month

Well, March was actually a good month.

The NCAA March Madness has been absolutely wonderful to watch.

The Capitals have locked up a top spot in the playoffs.

The Redskins have shown some sanity in free agency.

And I did OK with my investments too.

So much so, that I am now beating all of the averages after the first three months.

I will try and update my resolutions page and publish April's watch lists this weekend.

I say try because it is Easter weekend and my daughters birthday monday.

Here is a quick look at my covestor tracker for the 1st quarter of 2010.

I can thank Family Dollar (FDO) and Aeropostale (ARO) for the nice gains this month.

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