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PHOENIX -- Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie spent a long time Tuesday trying not to say what appears to be the absolute truth in Philadelphia: Chip Kelly wanted then-general manager Howie Roseman out of the way in order to create the team in his vision.
"It wasn't Howie," Lurie said. "I think it was much more Chip's requirement to have sort of a football guy that he was comfortable with in terms of helping him day by day and minute by minute. We all recognize the value of, in organizations today, having someone that can manage the cap well, negotiate well, plan well and at the same time, evaluate well and be tied at the hip with the coach."
So basically, Kelly didn't think Roseman was a "football guy?"
"That may have been the interpretation," Lurie said. "But I don't think any of us really see it that way."
A lot of other people do, of course. But the reality is, Lurie is not making a bad football move here. A coach needs personnel to filter into his system. His system, which was wildly successful at the college level, is unique. He needs to re-tool the scouting department and re-teach all of the team's evaluators on how to interview and select prospects.
The problem is that Lurie isn't really guarding himself from what might happen if it all blows up, or if Kelly seeks more power, money or control in the future.
The owner admitted on Tuesday that he did not place any safeguards into Kelly's deal along with his new decision-making power, which ultimately allows the former college star to return to a place where any program would pay top dollar to have him.
Then, the Eagles would be left with all these unique ingredients with no chef to prepare them. They will have also lost LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Nick Foles in the process.
"You think it through very much," Lurie said. "Chip is bright, he's smart, he's obsessed with football. This man is all about winning and it doesn't matter to him the public perception of a trade or where he's coming from. He's all about football and making us better."
Some other hits from Lurie:
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Eagles owner sheds light on Kelly-Roseman dynamic
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How did the stock market do today ? All major benchmarks erased earlier gains in the last 15 minutes of trading to close in the red. The Dow Jones fell 11 points.
Investors weighed fluctuations in the U.S. dollar and its effect on global commodity prices.
Gold prices rose $3.10 to hit $1,187.70 per ounce. Silver prices climbed one cent to $16.89 an ounce.
Today's Scorecard:
Dow: 18,116.04, -11.61, -0.06%
S&P 500: 2,104.42, -3.68, -0.17%
Nasdaq: 5,010.97, -15.44, -0.31%
What Moved the Stock Market Today : The markets were relatively muted this afternoon as investors are still digesting monetary policy decisions from the U.S. Federal Reserve. Stanley Fischer, who is second-in-command at the Federal Reserve, said this morning that the bank is "widely expected" to raise interest rates later this year and that the decision could come after any FOMC meeting when policy makers feel the time is right.
Brent crude oil prices gained roughly 1.1% on the day, despite increased concerns about global oversupply. Saudi Arabia announced today it is pumping more than 10 million barrels of crude per day, a new record for the region. Domestic oil prices gained 1.5% on a weaker dollar. Investors will be keeping a tight eye on inventory reports due out later this week.
Now, check out the other top market stories - plus get our new profit tip for investors:
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How Did the Stock Market Do Today? Dow Sheds 11 Points
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(CBS) A profile on Jose Abreu published Monday in Chicago Magazine sheds the most extensive light yet on the White Sox sluggers defection from Cuba.
Abreu was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2014 after a debut campaign in which he hit .317 with 36 homers and 117 RBIs. Until now, limited details were known about his harrowing journey from Cuba to Haiti that started late one night in August 2013, but Abreu revealed more in an interview with Chicago Magazine. While the story doesnt cite who may have been helping Abreu and his family defect, its a good read and depicts how difficult it was for Abreu to leave some family behind.
Abreu defected from Cuba with his fiance,parents, sister and brother-in-law, Chicago Magazine reported.
The opening paragraph from the feature story:
They left in the middle of the night, entrusting their fate to a tiny boat, its two motors, and the ink-black sea. For 12 hours, they pressed on. Through darkness, then dawn, then scorching daylight. Through 15-foot waves. And through the paths of trawlers and other ships that could cut their own 20-foot vessel in two.
Abreu likely had professional help in finding his way to the United States, Chicago Magazine reported.
It was dangerous, Abreu told Chicago Magazine. The waves were high, but the Lord was at our side. God gave us the chance to reach our destination.
When asked for more details Monday at spring training about his journey to the United States, Abreu didnt elaborate much, saying its a sensitive subject.
He signed a six-year, $68-million deal in October 2013 with Chicago. Abreu established residency in Haiti first so that he could become a free agent instead of being thrown in the draft pool.
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Chicago Magazine Sheds New Light On Jose Abreus Defection From Cuba
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How Steve Jobs spent his last days -
March 24, 2015 by
Mr HomeBuilder
The book, in stores Tuesday, is based on in-depth interviews by authors Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli with leaders in the technology and entertainment business and Apple (AAPL, Tech30) executives who worked closely with Jobs.
In one notable passage, current CEO Tim Cook remembers the day when Jobs asked him to take the top spot.
At that time, Jobs was battling cancer and was spending much of his time at home. He called over Cook, who was then Apple's chief operating officer.
Cook recalls that he and Jobs discussed what it would be like for Cook to be CEO while the notoriously controlling Jobs would become chairman of the board.
''I tried to pick something that would incite him. So I said, 'You mean that if I review an ad and I like it, it should just run without your okay?' And he laughed, and said, 'Well, I hope you'd at least ask me!' "
Jobs was so closely identified with Apple that it was hard to imagine the company under any other CEO. But Cook says that Jobs wanted a successor who wouldn't try to replicate what he had done. Jobs referred to it as the "Beatles concept," where each member of the iconic band had talents that complemented each other.
Related: 6 things about 'Becoming Steve Jobs'
Jobs' health took a turn for the worse just eight weeks after this conversation. Cook says in the book that he watched a movie with Jobs the Friday before he passed away.
"We watched Remember the Titans [a sentimental football story about an underdog]. I was so surprised he wanted to watch that movie. I was like, Are you sure? Steve was not interested in sports at all. And we watched and we talked about a number of things and I left thinking that he was pretty happy."
Related: 5 things Steve Jobs said Apple would never do - and Apple is doing
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How Steve Jobs spent his last days
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Rich Colaiano, with Advanced Sewer and Drain, slides a fiber optic camera in to a drain clean out to check the drain system underneath Casey Middle School in Boulder. (Mark Leffingwell / Staff Photographer)
Boulder Valley staff members and outside consultants are rebalancing the air handling system for better air circulation and installing extended vents at Casey Middle School over spring break.
Extending roof vent pipes farther will allow the district to remove carbon filters so the building can "breathe" better, district officials said. The district also is repeating several previous tests, including a pressurized smoke test to check for leaks in pipes and sending video cameras down the septic lines.
There have been complaints about the presence of low levels of hydrogen sulfide gas, signaled by an intermittent stink of rotten eggs, since the school was rebuilt in 2009-10 for $33 million.
"Significant efforts have been made to identify the source," said Superintendent Bruce Messinger.
More recently, parents and teachers have come forward with health concerns they believe are caused by exposure to hydrogen sulfide and demanded that the district do more to address the issue.
If you go
What: Casey Middle School community meeting
When: 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 2
Where: Casey Middle, 1301 High St., Boulder
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Boulder Valley working on sewer gas mitigation at Casey over spring break
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) Its the largest Public Works project in the history of the region.
Its bigger than Heinz Field, PNC Park and Pittsburgh International Airport combined.
The overhaul cost of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Countys antiquated water and sewer systems is estimated at between $2-$3 billion.
However, Mayor Bill Peduto wants to put the brakes on it.
KDKA Investigator Andy Sheehan says the mayor has told the federal government the plan is too grey and he wants to make it green. But, hell need another year-and-a-half to do that.
Every time it rains, our antiquated sewers get over-burdened and dump raw sewage into our rivers and streams.
The city and 83 municipal sewer authorities are under federal orders to fix that. But, in an eleventh hour appeal, Mayor Peduto is telling the feds not so fast.
Meetings as late as last week at the White House, Peduto said.
In a letter to the president and the Environmental Protection Agency obtained by KDKA, the mayor and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald are asking for an additional year-and-a-half to revamp the plan, which they reject as being too grey meaning too much concrete and steel.
They prefer green solutions like a water retention trench constructed recently in Schenley Park, which traps the water. That water is slowly absorbed into the ground and would slow the rampant runoff that overloads our combined storm and sanitary sewers.
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Peduto, County Officials Seek Green Solution To Water & Sewer Overhaul
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As part of the 10-year update to the Lewis and Clark County growth policy, the discussion of key issues facing new subdivisions includes a pointed observation on wastewater.
We eventually drink what we put down the drain. Thousands of existing homes in Helena Valley and those that will be added dump their treated wastewater into the same aquifer they get drinking water from, according to the Lewis and Clark County growth policy Key Issues Report.
Between 7,000 and 17,000 new residents are anticipated to move here in the next 20 years. The working estimate for county officials is 10,000 new residents and 4,000 new housing units.
If recent surveys are any indication, the majority of these housing units will treat wastewater with individual septic systems, with the rest using some sort of a community wastewater system serving multiple homes, according to the Key Issues Report.
Comment is being sought on the report to help planners better shape regulations for managing future growth. Fundamental to their concern is the density of development the number of homes in a given area.
Density can drain aquifers. It can produce enough wastewater to taint groundwater.
Wastewater disposal is one of five key issues that are the focus of discussion as the county prepares to update its growth policy, which was last updated in 2004. From the Key Issues Report and a companion document will come regulation for county adoption.
The county recently initiated a septic system monitoring and maintenance program aimed at protecting public health. Based on an assessment form, the program defines how often septic tanks need to be pumped.
Jim Wilbur, the Lewis and Clark County Water Quality Protection District coordinator, said he sees this program as a permanent necessity for individual septic systems.
There have been policy discussions on whether to extend Helenas wastewater collection system into the Helena Valley to serve subdivisions there, he said.
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We drink what we flush: Growth plan emphasizes importance of wastewater treatment
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Botched room addition results in criminal investigation
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Botched room addition results in criminal investigation - Video
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The pursuit of Hector Olivera was already surrounded by mystery, but now the plot has thickened. The soon-to-be30-year-old Cuban infielder has agreed to a six-year, $62.5 million deal with the Dodgers, perhaps the team best positioned to absorb the risks he presents. Los Angeles is already poised to set a major league record with a $268 million payroll, albeit one that lacks an immediate opening for Olivera, a pricey player whose health and representation issues scared away potential suitors.
That figure will increase in 2015, as will the teams marginal tax rate, to 40%. The current $268.3 million figure, which comes via Cots Contracts, includes actual '15 salaries, but not that of Olivera, since its unofficial and its structure is yet unknown; based on its AAV, the Associated Press estimated that it would add $4.17 million to the teams tax bill.
In terms of overall size, Olivera's deal ranks behind those of recent Cuban defectors Rusney Castillo (seven years, $72.5 million from the Red Sox), Yasmany Tomas (six years, $68.5 million from the Diamondbacks) and Jose Abreu (six years and $68 million from the White Sox). Its the Dodgers largest to a Cuban defector, eclipsing the seven-year, $42 million to which the team signed the much younger Yasiel Puig in 2012.
As if that weren't enough, Olivera changed representation shortly after being declared a free agent, but Rudy& Santin, his original trainer/negotiation representative (who is not certified by the MLB Players Association), and new agent Greg Genske both continued to field offers from teams. Santin was said to be expecting a deal in excess of $70 million, but reports from several anonymous executives suggested his deal would wind up in the $4550 million range. When I checked in on March 10, the Braves, Padres and Dodgers were the teams most heavily linked to Olivera, with the Athletics, Giants and Marlins having fallen out of the running.
VERDUCCI: Six losing teams who could be playoff surprises in 2015
In the abstract, it's no surprise that the Dodgers won out for Olivera's services given their seemingly bottomless reserve of resources, but with Howie Kendrick and Juan Uribe set to open as their starting second and third baseman, respectively, it's not clear where Olivera will play. Via FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers themselves haven't decided:
The 31-year-old Kendrick, who was acquired from the Angels in December to replace the traded Dee Gordon, and the 36-year-old Uribe, who is heading into his fifth season with the Dodgers, are both pending free agents, and relatively affordable ones at that, making $9.5 million and $6.5 million this year, respectively. Both are coming off productive seasons and offer strong defense to go with above-average offense: Kendrick hit .293/.347/.397 for a 115 OPS+ and seven Defensive Runs Saved en route to 5.4 WAR last year, and Uribe hit .311/.337/.440 with an NL-high 17 DRS en route to 4.0 WAR.
Kendrick will almost certainly generate a compensatory draft pick via a qualifying offer next winter. The same probably can't be said for Uribea Ned Colletti signing who has put up two strong seasons in a row after two sub-replacement level onesgiven his age, but he has emerged as a particularly important clubhouse presence, as well as a mentor to players as disparate as Puig and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Reigning NL MVP and Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw thanked Uribe in his acceptance speech for the latter award: "Thank you for making me laugh. You are one of the most important people in our clubhouse."
Guerrero missed seven weeks last year after Albuquerque teammate Miguel Olivo big off part of his left ear in a dugout skirmish, a shocking and untimely blow that came just as Uribe hit the disabled list with a hamstring injury. Now 28 years old, Guerrerowho hit .333/.373/.621 in 308 minor league PA last year, his first statesideis making a strong bid to stick by playing shortstop, his regular position during his seven seasons in Serie Nacional but one that he played in just seven minor league games last year.
Guerreros four-year, $28 million deal includes a provision allowing him to become a free agent at season's end if he's traded, though he could play his way into the teams plans as Kendricks successor. Olivera would then shift to third, with prospect Corey Seager, whos starting his age-21 season at Double A, taking over shortstop from Jimmy Rollins, a December acquisition who will be a free agent after the season. The 25-year-old Arruebarrena, meanwhile, hit a combined .259/.304/.417 in 272 minor league PA and was outrighted off the Dodgers' 40-man roster in January after clearing waivers, meaning that there were no takers for the remainder of his five-year, $25 million deal.
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Dodgers add to infield stockpile with deal for Cuban star Hector Olivera
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"You learn from the mistakes, you learn from the past, and for me it's been a learning process," he said Monday. "Every year you learn something new.
"I believe that I'm getting to a point," he added with a smile, "where it's time to do it instead of just learning about it."
When asked where he can improve, Andrus responded: "Everywhere. I know that so far in my career I haven't had a career year yet. That's why I want to work harder and get after it, and that way I can maximize my qualities and my tools. So far this year, I'm in great shape and I'm feeling really well on the field, physically and mentally."
The rest of the Rangers organization carries legitimate hopes for a better Elvis Andrus. When general manager Jon Daniels is asked whether Andrus' improvements can be defensive or offensive, he replies.
"All of the above."
"We invested in him because we thought he was arrow-up. We've been encouraged this winter and this spring by the feeling that he's kind of recommitted, after last year being below his standards.
"We don't see why he can't be one of the best defensive players and baserunners in the game. He controls the bat, he can get on base, do some different things. I don't expect him to hit for power, but I think he can be an impactful player. He's a winning player."
The Rangers' $120 million investment in Andrus extends through 2022, and illustrates a firm belief in his abilities. This isn't all projection. Andrus has twice been an All-Star and in two seasons has been the shortstop for a pennant-winning team. Over the last six seasons, he is fourth in the Majors in stolen bases. He is an established Major Leaguer, but a higher level beckons.
LAD@TEX: Andrus legs out a triple to right
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With room to grow, Elvis ready to make it happen
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