The Daily Dish - April 20, 2012

It continues to startle me the difference between little boys and little girls. I’m no idiot, I knew there’d be differences when I had kids, but at least mine – they’re polar opposites. I’ve got a dainty, measured, cautious, high maintenance, girly-girl soon to be four year old daughter … and an all-boy, petal to the metal at all times, already in love with Selena Gomez, that can rattle the Indians entire batting lineup six and a half year old son.

The stark contrast was on display last Sunday. Its 10 AM, all of us lounging around, clicking between Sportscenter and iCarly all morning. Kids starting to get restless and torment each other. I say, “Who wants to get dressed and go outside while daddy cuts the lawn?”

You woulda thought I told them we’re going to Disneyworld. “Outside? Now? Yes! Let’s go!!!!! Outside! Yes!!! Come on!” Like they were caged animals being set free.

I go outside and start the lawn mower. Son comes down in shorts and his Nike “dry-fit” t-shirt. Kid is already in a full sweat as he gives me the story (for about the 7^th time) about how these shirts don’t let sweat escape and how cool they are. Then just starts running sprints up and down the driveway to exert some of his pent up energy.

Daughter comes down about ten minutes later. In a pink dress with pink tights on underneath it (it was 70 out). Talking about how she needs more clothes. About ten seconds later Nick blasts her in the leg with one of his high pressured water guns. She starts bawling and holding her leg like she’s injured. And storms back inside to remind us that its Chloe’s world and we’re just living in it.

So far so good on the Indians nine game road trip. Last night’s thrilling, come from behind, ninth inning win over The Wedge-bot and the Mariners pushed the Tribe to above .500 for the first time this year at 6-5. A sweep of the Royals in KC. Two of three in Seattle over the Mariners. And now off to Oakland for a weekend set against the A’s.

Two of three this weekend would be immense. The team would be 8-6 before heading back home next week for three more against the Royals and three against Albert Pujols and the Angels.

The baseball season is an emotional roller coaster that takes you up and down with it all season. At 1-4, it felt like the sky was falling. Right now? This seems like a team that can win 90 games and go to the playoffs. Reality is likely somewhere in the middle. But winning streaks are very fun.

Big night for fight fans tomorrow night. Jon “Bones” Jones (15-1) takes on “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1) at UFC 145 Saturday night for the light heavyweight title. It’s the biggest MMA fight in about a long time. Jones stormed on the scene at UFC 126 with an impressive win over Ryan Bader, and has since battered former champions Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson, and Lyoto Machida heading into this one. This win would make him a huge star, even more so than Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre, who along with Jones comprise the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.

Rashad is no chopped liver, and is also considered one of the top fighters in the UFC. Making this one even more interesting? Rashad brought Jones up in the sport. The two were former training partners and very close friends, with Rashad playing the role of Jones’ mentor in his early days in the sport. They always said publicly they were too close of friends to fight. After winning the belt, Jones told a television interviewer he would fight Evans if UFC president Dana White ordered him to do so. Evans felt betrayed and that led to an acrimonious split. The feud between the former friends has gotten uglier as this fight has approached.

Should be a good one.

Quote of the Day …

“I broke a mirror in my house. I’m supposed to get seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.” ~ Steven Wright

Insane Fact of the Day …

The elephant is the only mammal on the planet that cannot jump.

Market …

Another roller coaster week for the markets should come to a pretty quiet end today. There’s no economic news on tap. We continue to get earnings releases, and solid results from McDonalds, GE, and Microsoft have given the stock markets a positive tone in pre-open futures trading this morning.

Stocks went berserk early in the week off of a strong retail sales # for March, perceived stability in Europe after a Spanish debt auction was positively received, and very solid earnings reports on Monday and Tuesday. Then stocks lost many of those early weeks’ gains the last two days amid some not quite as rosy earnings data and another disappointing jobs # yesterday morning. Also yesterday morning, an April gauge of manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region came in worse than expectations, as did existing home sale data for March.

Through all this, bonds, particularly mortgage bonds … did not see the same volatility. This is a good sign for all the people that want to see mortgage rates remain at these historically low levels. What this illustrates is that mortgage bonds (which fuel mortgage rates) are priced correctly right now. Despite 30 year fixed rates being in the high 3’s, there are still ample buyers of the pools of these mortgages at these yields. And that if the economy does stall this spring/summer, we could see 30 year fixed rates in the mid 3’s. You couple that with homes that have never been more affordable, a purchase market that’s really heating up, and a continued relaxation of the restrictions on some of the government refinance programs … and for the first time in close to half a decade, we have a chance of some real recovery to the housing market. A return to normalcy, where people’s homes will once again start appreciating 1-3% a year.

News …

~ Existing Home Sales Fall Nationwide, But Not in Northeast Ohio

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/04/existing-home_sales_fall_natio.html

~ Fears Rise That Economic Recovery May Falter in the Spring

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fears-rise-recovery-may-falter-103404317.html

~ Cleveland Area Banks Say Commercial Borrowing is On the Rise as Confidence Creeps Back

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/04/area_banks_say_commercial_borr.html

~ Dan Gilbert Shares His Vision for Cleveland Casino with State Panel

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/04/gilbert_shares_his_vision_for.html

~ Great Earnings, But So What? Investors Have Other Worries …

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47103141

~ NBC/WSJ Poll: Signs Point to a Very Close Presidential Election

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47107355