SANTA BARBARA, California (AP) -- Tennis great Jimmy Connors was arrested outside the campus arena where UC Santa Barbara and top-ranked North Carolina were playing a basketball game.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion was taken into custody Friday night after refusing to comply with an order to leave an area near the entrance of the Thunderdome following a confrontation, police Sgt. Dan Massey said in a statement.
A police dispatcher said Connors was arrested at the beginning of the game.
A Santa Barbara County jail employee said Connors was booked and released but did not have details.
Connors could not immediately be reached for comment early Saturday.
Connors lives in the Santa Barbara area and attends a handful of the Gauchos' games each season.
Connors was ranked No. 1 for five consecutive years in the 1970s, and had a fiery temperament on the court. Earlier this year, he resigned as Andy Roddick's coach after working together for nearly two years.
Courtesy Associated Press
 (CNN) -- When it comes to vetting potential high-level advisers, is President-elect Barack Obama too cautious for his own good?
As a presidential candidate, the former Illinois senator quickly adopted the nickname "No Drama Obama" for the meticulous level of prudence he applied to nearly every campaign speech, strategy decision and personnel appointment. The result was a nearly two-year-long presidential bid most notable for its seeming lack of a damaging gaffe or embarrassing misstep.
But some political observers say the president-elect's similar caution with respect to recruiting new administration officials and key high-level advisers may be turning away a string of qualified candidates wary of subjecting themselves and their families to the most rigid presidential vetting process on record.
After all, in addition to the already invasive FBI background check, the Obama team is requiring prospective candidates to complete a seven-page questionnaire that requires the disclosure of nearly every last private detail. In addition to the obvious questions involving past criminal history, candidates are asked about personal diaries, past blog posts, and the financial entanglements of extended family members.
"This questionnaire they've been giving to people who are thinking about signing up for a government job is extremely invasive," said David Gergen, a CNN senior political analyst and adviser to four past presidents.
I've never seen anything like this at the presidential level before -- the FBI asks these kind of questions, but to have the presidential transition team asking these questions requires ... great volumes of records that have to be checked out."
The most recent victim of the process appears to be Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, the longtime Obama supporter and major Democratic fundraiser who was said to be the president-elect's top choice for commerce secretary.
Pritzker publicly took herself out of the running on Thursday, issuing a statement saying she had submitted no information to begin the vetting process and citing "obligations here in Chicago that make it difficult for me to serve at this time."
It could also be the case the multibillionaire Pritzker didn't want her corporation's financial ties fully made public or her family, among Chicago's most prominent, painstakingly investigated.
Sources close to the Obama transition say Pritzker's decision is not surprising given the nature of the vetting process, one they themselves have described as stressful.
But political analysts say the Obama team's unprecedented degree of scrutiny could result in several qualified individuals deciding to forgo consideration for a top post. This could especially be true among individuals considered for economic roles in the administration from the private sector who might be more financially entangled than those who have been longtime public servants.
"There is no question about the fact that the burdensome nature and the probing nature and the disclosure required for people coming into the administration is a deal killer for them," said Kenneth Gross, a political law and ethics lawyer in Washington.
"It could in several instances cause people who are qualified who will do a great job in the administration say, 'Look, I'm just not doing it.' "
The meticulous process has also reportedly caused a degree of consternation between the Obama aides and those to Sen. Hillary Clinton, believed to be the president-elect's top choice for secretary of state.
The New York Times reported Thursday that the relationship between the two camps has grown "increasingly sour" as the process dragged on and information steadily leaked to the media about the degree of which former President Bill Clinton's finances were being investigated. Still, aides close to the Obama transition team say the president-elect is on track to nominate his former rival to the secretary of state post next week.
But even if Obama's vetting process appears overly scrupulous, aides to the future commander-in-chief are likely more wary of an early disastrous appointment that would cause a wave of negative media coverage and raise early questions about Obama's leadership skills.
Such was the case in 1992, when the fresh-faced Bill Clinton nominated two separate attorney generals -- Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood -- both of whom had to withdraw themselves from the nomination process over revelations they had previously employed illegal immigrants. The embarrassing debacle came at the worst time for the new president, already facing criticisms over his shaky and seemingly disorganized transition.
"You'd rather have a smooth transition than a bumpy one," said Paul Begala, a former top aide to President Clinton and an analyst for CNN. "But a bumpy start does not necessarily presage a bad presidency."
President Bush and his aides also were embarrassed after nominating former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik to be the homeland security secretary. Heavily recommended by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the Bush administration appeared to do little significant vetting of New York's top cop, and Kerik withdrew his name shortly after he was nominated.
Kerik said he was resigning because he had inadvertently employed an illegal immigrant, though questions about his stock holdings and an affair with book publisher Judith Regan soon arose -- further reflecting poorly on the Bush administration's judgment in selecting candidates to top leadership posts.
As presidential advisers look to past transition mistakes, it may only be natural that the staff vetting process gets more intense with each new administration. This is especially the case with Obama's transition team, largely constituted of former staff members to President Clinton who witnessed his bumpy first several months in the Oval Office.
"The Clinton transition was the worst in presidential history, so it's not surprising Obama's strict vetting process was designed by Clinton people," said Stephen Hess, a veteran staffer of the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations and the author of the new book "What Do We Do Now?: A Workbook for the President-elect."
"They want to avoid making the same mistakes."
Courtesy Alexander Mooney
 Sam Gallup bolted New York for a new home, a new life and a new job in Montana.
One 10-hour shift later, he was facing the same old problem: Unemployment.
RELATED: FEAR GRIPS MARKETThe 24-year-old upstate mine worker traveled 2,000 miles to find work only to get laid off after one day on the payroll of the Stillwater Mining Co.
"It's kind of a dead-end situation," Gallup said Thursday.
"Job security? There is none. Right now, I'm in the financial situation of losing everything."
RELATED: WHAT ECONOMIC CRISIS? STARS PARTY HARD AT $20M BASHGallup received the bad news Monday night after returning home from his first and last day of work.
Standing on the porch of a friend's house in Billings, he noticed a voice mail on his cell phone.
Seconds later, in disbelief, the recorded voice said he was out of work - again.
"I was a little upset," he said in an even tone. "The fellow that called, he apologized several times, but that was it."
In August, the St. Lawrence Zinc company in upstate New York laid off Gallup.
Stillwater recruited him and some co-workers willing to leave their homes for Montana.
"I packed up everything I owned in my car and drove out here," he said from Montana.
"Took me three days. Then I drove two hours to work, two hours home, with a 10-hour shift between."
And that was it.
Gallup's mother, Maryann, said her son was keeping a brave front.
"He's very devastated," she said from their home in upstate Gouverneur, which is about a snowball's throw from Canada.
"From knowing Sam, I think the world has crumbled underneath his feet."
Stillwater, which mines platinum and palladium at two sites in southern Montana, laid off more than 500 employees this week from a work force of 1,770.
Gallup receives his one-day check on Dec. 1.
It can't come soon enough; the miner acknowledges "my capital funds are exhausted" - he's flat broke.
For now, Gallup is living in a friend's finished basement and hoping to move his fiancée and her son to Montana.
He was back on the job hunt Thursday - and optimistic about the future.
"You've gotta keep your head up," Gallup said. "Life is a garden. You gotta dig it."
Courtesy Larry Mcshane
lmcshane@nydailynews.com
 The Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks have received league approval to complete a trade that will swap disgruntled Warriors forward Al Harrington for Knicks guard Jamal Crawford.
ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher confirmed the league's sign-off after reporting early Friday morning that the teams were nearing completion on a deal featuring Harrington and Crawford.
Although neither team has commented, NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that the deal involves no other players and will be formally announced later Friday.
Harrington went public with a trade demand just before the start of the season after privately urging Golden State to move him for months. New York had immediate interest, seeing the versatile and mobile Harrington as an ideal frontcourt fit in new coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo system.
"Al is a true NBA veteran who possesses multi-positional skills," D'Antoni said in a statement. "He will fit perfectly into our system and will help us win some games immediately."
Knicks president Donnie Walsh, furthermore, might be Harrington's biggest fan in the league; he drafted the 28-year-old in 1998 with Indiana, and brought him back to the Pacers in a deal with Atlanta in the summer of 2006. But Harrington's second stint with the Pacers lasted only a half-season before he was dealt to Golden State in January 2007, along with Stephen Jackson.
Reuniting with Harrington comes at a cost for Walsh: It will require the Knicks to part with Crawford, their leading scorer and another player they had pegged to flourish under D'Antoni. The Warriors, according to NBA front-office sources, see Crawford as a versatile guard who, although not a pure floor leader, can function well in coach Don Nelson's system while Monta Ellis recovers from ankle surgery -- and in tandem with Ellis once he returns.
Yet it's believed that Walsh has multiple motivations for reacquiring one of his favorites. The biggest lure is Harrington's contract, which pays him $9.2 million this season and $10 million next season if Harrington exercises his option. Either way, Harrington's deal would be off New York's payroll by the summer of 2010, which meshes with New York's intent to slice payroll and get as far under the salary cap as possible for the highly anticipated free-agent summer of 2010 and the possibility of joining the bidding for Cleveland's LeBron James, who could be in that class.
Crawford is scoring 19.6 points per game this season after averaging a career-best 20.6 points per game and 5.0 assists last season. Assuming Crawford declines a player option to become a free agent in July 2009, his deal would run through the 2010-11 season, paying $8.6 million this season, $9.4 million in 2009-10 and $10 million in 2010-11. Harrington has played only five games this season, averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds before missing Golden State's past six games with a back injury. Nelson told ESPN.com on the first weekend of the season that the Warriors would "try to accommodate" Harrington, but not when the Knicks were looking to part with center Eddy Curry as opposed to Crawford.
Courtesy Marc Stein
 You can pick up after your pooch and make sure he plays nice, but it's your dog's breed that truly speaks volumes about what kind of owner you are.
Got a Beagle? You are inquisitive and willing to learn new things. The Beagle is constantly questioning. If you own one of these dogs, chances are you are a curious, willful person who is loyal to friends, tough on enemies and pretty stubborn.
Those with Cocker Spaniels are family oriented and nurturing. Gentle, playful and sweet in demeanor, they are the perfect size for smaller children. Owners of these dogs display the same affectionate qualities as their pups.
In Pictures: What Your Dog Says About You
In Pictures: America's Most Popular Pups
It appears affection--and an affinity for a pet--go a long way when times are tough.
"Pets have become more like family than an animal left in the dog house in the backyard," says Daisy Okas, assistant vice president of communications at the American Kennel Club (AKC). "Just as people are not going to skimp on their children, they are not going to cut back on their dog."
Humans are so devoted to their canine counterparts that despite the economic downturn, it seems pet owners aren't willing to cut back on canine-related expenditures.
In fact, spending on pet supplies and over-the-counter medicines is expected to reach $10.5 billion by the end of this year, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers' Association. In 2007, spending reached about $9.9 billion.
Comment On This Story What does this say about us?
"Animals provide a consistency to the ups and downs of our life, whether that's the downturn in the economy or job stress," says Shari Curran, director of Therapet Foundation, a Whitehouse, Texas-based not-for-profit that provides animal-assisted therapy. "They don't care whether you won or lost a bunch of money in the stock market; they provide unconditional love and react the same way every time you come home."
Dogs are such an important part of many families that even President-elect Obama felt his daughters would need a furry friend when they move into the White House. They are likely to choose a hypo-allergenic breed like a poodle or miniature schnauzer, given his daughter Malia's allergies.
But the breed the Obamas choose will also affect how they are perceived by the country. That's because owners typically identify with animals who have similar personality traits, quirks and physical activity levels, Okas says. To identify which breeds bestow which qualities, we asked the AKC and ASPCA for insight. Their answers are based on scientific studies of breed behavior and the buying habits of pet owners.
Canine Characteristics
Owners of Golden Retrievers, for instance, tend to be social butterflies who prefer to be in group settings, while Chihuahua owners are often mischief-makers, taking after their high-energy canine.
"All toy breeds were bred to be companions," says Okas. "So Chihuahuas, along with Pomeranians and Maltese, may have a hard time being home alone all day."
Poodles, America's choice for the next presidential dog according to a survey conducted in August of more than 42,000 Americans by the AKC, tend to have owners who are detail-oriented and appreciate art and culture.
But the type of breed does not always tell the whole story.
Dr. Emily Weiss, Ph.D, certified applied animal behaviorist and senior director of shelter research and development at the ASPCA, advises those seeking a new member of the family "look at the individual dog and their personality and characteristics, not just the generalizations of the breed."
Since each individual dog has its own unique personality, regardless of its breed, it's essential you spend time with the pup in order to evaluate if its energy level, amount of training and disposition are a good fit.
Courtesy Jeanine Poggi
 On Wednesday, "Days of Our Lives" announced that it was firing two of the soap's biggest stars: Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. I was shocked and saddened by the news. Can you imagine the town of Salem without Marlena (aka "Doc") and John?
Thanks to budget cuts "Days" execs reportedly had to let go of the highly-paid actors in order to keep their show on NBC for another 18 months, but with a bloated cast of 31, couldn't they have axed some of the newbies instead of these beloved vets?
When I asked my friend -- who works in the soap industry -- for his initial reaction to the news and what it means for the future of daytime, he responded, "You might as well sound the death knell."
That's what I was afraid of. I used to write for a soap magazine many years ago, so daytime holds a special place in my heart. I'm also fiercely protective of the genre, which people love to knock. "The acting's horrible" and "the storylines are ridiculous" are two common criticisms. Yes, at times they are, but let me remind everyone that Kevin Bacon, James Earl Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Demi Moore, Julianne Moore, Hayden Panettiere, Ryan Phillippe, Meg Ryan, and Marisa Tomei are just a few of the Hollywood stars who got their starts in daytime. And since "Guiding Light," which is the longest-running drama in TV history, hit the radio airwaves in 1937, soaps' silly stories have provided fans with a daily form of escapism. Of course, it's been hard to keep these tales fresh over the years, which is why some writers have resorted to penning the absurd, supernatural plots that have turned many a soap fan off.
With that said, daytime ratings continue to dip, and it's really no surprise. Although there are plenty of male fans out there, soap operas were originally aimed at housewives. As we all know, there aren't as many stay-at-home moms as there used to be, and if someone does happen to be watching TV during the afternoon, they have hundreds of cable channels and programs to choose from. Plus, with everyone's busy schedules, people simply don't have the time to devote to a daytime serial anymore.
I'm not making any great revelations here. Everyone in the soap industry is fully aware of its problems, but they don't seem to know how to solve them. In an attempt to boost ratings, the network suits have decided that what they need to do is attract young, new viewers, which, let's face it, ain't happening.
According to my soap insider friend, instead of firing vets like Hall and Hogestyn, who longtime fans adore, the soaps should work on preserving what they have. “I don't really think you're ever going to get new viewers," he continued. "The days of moms and grandmas turning their kids on to their stories are long gone. The next best hope is to attract lapsed viewers -- fans who left for a reason, who were disappointed in how their stories were being written and how their favorites were being fired."
As much as I hate to say it, I’m not sure if the soaps can be saved, but in staying true to the genre's form, a dramatic death is inevitable.
Courtesy
Rebecca Detken
 WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state, making her the public face around the world for the administration of the man who beat her for the Democratic presidential nomination, two confidants said Friday.
The apparent accord between perhaps the two leading figures in the Democratic Party climaxed a week-long drama that riveted the nation’s capital.
Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation.
Mr. Obama’s office told reporters on Thursday that the nomination is “on track” but this is the first word from the Clinton camp that she has decided.
“She’s ready,” the confidant said, adding that Mrs. Clinton was reassured after talking again with Mr. Obama because their first meeting in Chicago last week “was so general.” The purpose of the follow-up talk, he noted, was not to extract particular concessions but “just getting comfortable” with the idea of working together.
A second Clinton associate confirmed that her camp believes they have a done deal. Senior Obama advisers said Friday morning that the offer had not been formally accepted and no announcement would be made until after Thanksgiving. But they said they were convinced that the nascent alliance was ready to be sealed.
Mrs. Clinton’s spokesman, Philippe Reines, issued a statement Friday afternoon cautioning that the nomination was not final. “We’re still in discussions, which are very much on track,” Mr. Reines said. “Any reports beyond that are premature.”
Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton fought the most competitive Democratic nomination battle in modern times, one that polarized their party for months and left bitterness in both camps. But in asking Mrs. Clinton to join his Cabinet, Mr. Obama signaled that he wants to turn a rival into a partner, and she concluded that she could have the most influence by accepting the offer.
The decision followed days of intense vetting and negotiations intended to clear any potential obstacles to her taking the job due to her husband’s global business and philanthropic activities. Lawyers for Mr. Obama and former President Bill Clinton combed through his finances and drew up a set of guidelines for his future activities intended to avoid any appearances of conflict of interest should she take the job.
People close to the vetting said Mr. Clinton turned over the names of 208,000 donors to his foundation and library and agreed to all of the conditions requested by Mr. Obama’s transition team, including restrictions on his future paid speeches and role at his international foundation.
As secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton will have had a powerful platform to travel the world and help repair relations with other countries strained after eight years of President Bush’s policies. But at the same time, she will now have to subordinate her own agenda and ambitions to Mr. Obama’s and sacrifice the independence that comes with a Senate seat and the 18 million votes she collected during their arduous primary battle.
Driving Mrs. Clinton’s deliberations in part, friends said, was a sense of disenchantment with the Senate, where despite her stature she remained low in the ranks of seniority that governs the body. She was particularly upset, they said, at the reception she felt she received when she returned from the campaign trail and sought a more significant leadership role in the expanding Democratic majority.
“Her experience in the Senate with some of her colleagues has not been the easiest time for her," said one longtime friend. “She’s still a very junior senator. She doesn’t have a committee. And she’s had some disappointing times with her colleagues."
In particular, the friend said, Mrs. Clinton was upset when the Senate Democratic leadership rejected the possibility of her heading a special task force with a staff and a mandate to develop legislation expanding health care coverage. The idea of giving her an existing leadership post was also dismissed because the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, did not want to force out any senators currently holding those jobs.
But Mr. Reid wants to come up with some sort of leadership position to recognize Mrs. Clinton’s standing and aides said he was confident he could arrive at something with sufficient muscle to appeal to her. He told a closed-door meeting of the Senate Democratic caucus on Tuesday that he was looking for a way to create a new leadership role for her, two people in the room said.
Mrs. Clinton would bring a distinctive background to the State Department. As first lady, she traveled the world for eight years, visiting more than 80 countries, not only meeting with foreign leaders but also villages, clinics and other remote areas that rarely get on a president’s itinerary. Mr. Obama during the primaries belittled that experience as little more than having tea and pointed to schedules showing many ceremonial events on those trips.
But more than any first lady before her, Mrs. Clinton delved deep into particular policy issues in the international arena, from women’s rights to microlending to alleviate poverty. As a senator for the last eight years, she served on the Armed Services Committee and continued her interest in foreign affairs.
She and Mr. Obama agree on the broad outlines of a new foreign policy for the post-Bush era, but they disagreed sharply in several crucial areas, particularly over how to deal with Iran and Pakistan. She characterized Mr. Obama as naïve in his view of those two countries, while he criticized her judgment for going along with Mr. Bush on the war in Iraq at first.
Courtesy New York Times
 With just 60 days left in his tenure, you might think that W.'s lame duck administration was sitting around relieved that another guy was taking over, counting the minutes until the flight leaves for Crawford.
Not quite.
Based on the flurry of quiet directives coming from the White House as the end of the term nears, it looks like the Bush Goose (or is it turducken?) isn't quite cooked yet.
In what has become a kind of presidential right-of-passage, the president (or really, the federal agencies that answer to him) has been pushing through a series of last-minute regulations that have the force of law. Everything from pollution controls to family-leave standards can be set by these rules.
And you thought your high school government teacher said that Congress made all the laws.
These de-facto laws are called "midnight rules" or "midnight regulations" because they happen at the end -- or midnight period -- of an administration. If the rules are published in the Federal Register by Friday, Nov. 21, they'll be very hard for President-elect Obama to reverse when he gets into office.
And that's the point. Sure, the administration had eight years to get a lot of this stuff accomplished. But according senior research fellow at George Mason University Veronique de Rugy, most midnight regulations "cater to special interests," and "that is why they are hurried into effect without the usual checks and balances."
George Bush isn't the first president to push through rules before the next guy can get in. Jimmy Carter gets that award. In fact, the New Yorker's Elizabeth Kolbert says Cater's whirlwind of last-minute activity before Ronald Reagan took office is when the practice got named. "They became known as 'midnight regulations,' after the 'midnight judges' appointed by John Adams in the final hours of his Presidency."
George Bush doesn't get the award for the most rules shoved through after the two-minute warning, either. That goes to Bill Clinton who, according to de Rugy, set the record for number of pages published in the Federal Register at "more than 26,000."
So, what rules are the White House and all its federal agencies trying to get through this season?
The Wall Street Journal reports that the new rules, "open the way for commercial development of oil shale on federal land, allow truckers to drive for longer periods, and add certain restrictions on employee time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act."
Those run the gamut, but the ones getting the most ink are environmentally focused. The Los Angeles Times says environmentalists are angry by a host of loosened safeguards:
In recent days, the Bush administration announced new rules to speed oil shale development across 2 million rocky acres in the West. It scheduled an auction for drilling rights alongside three national parks. It has also set in motion processes to finalize major changes in endangered species protection, allow more mining waste to flow into rivers and streams, and exempt factory farms from air pollution reporting.
The Chicago Tribune did a special report saying the administration undercut a clean-air rule aimed at curbing childhood lead poisoning:
...the EPA had planned to require lead monitors next to any factory emitting at least a half-ton of lead a year. But after the White House intervened, the agency raised the threshold to a ton of lead or more, according to e-mails and other documents exchanged between the EPA and the Office of Management and Budget.
In an Oct. 31 press briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto was asked about environmental groups saying the White House was easing limits on pollution. First Fratto responded that the White House is "constrained" about discussing regulations under review, but then said, "I would be highly doubtful that there's any specific increase in environmental-related regulations."
Navigating the rule-making process can be laborious for the non-wonk type, but the non-profit, investigative journalism group ProPublica has tried to make it easy for people who want to investigate for themselves. ProPublica has a master list of Bush's midnight regulations here and they have posted a guide on "How to Ferret Out Midnight Regs Yourself." If you've got the time and inclination, a lot of this process is public record and online.
Courtesy Yahoo News
 As I may have mentioned before, I tend to always measure and lament my rapidly advancing age against the life progression of Ken Griffey Jr. That sounds a bit weird and maybe pathetic, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to use the career span of a ballplayer as a benchmark. When I was 12, I used all of my earnings to try to pull his rookie from packs of Upper Deck. Now, as he nears the end of his career, I'm worried about things like 401Ks and losing all of my earnings to the state of the economy. The circle of life ain't what it's cracked up to be.
At any rate, to see Griffey named an American Public Diplomacy Envoy by Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday enhanced the contrast even more. Once derided by baseball's old guard for doing things like wearing his hat backward, blowing bubblegum bubbles and endorsing video games, The Kid outgrew all of that to become not only an elder statesman of the sport but of the entire country. (Again, people of my generation — we are getting old.)
As an unofficial ambassador, Rice said Griffey will travel overseas to "talk to young people and to spark their interest in America and in our culture." His first trip is scheduled for Panama in January, where he'll hopefully be able to meet my two favorite Panamaniacs while avoiding the trouble Cal Ripken just found in Nicaragua.
Continuing the discussion here, I'd like to throw out a question to my older readers. Who was the "Griffey" of past generations? Who was there not only for your grammar school graduation, but for your first car, your first beer, your first kid and beyond?
Courtesy Yahoo News
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