4 UMS benefits from a diverse revenue base

He also claims that Chone Figgins and Miguel Tejada also interest the Phils, but to a lesser-extent.Tom’s Take: I like Beltre the most out of the available third baseman because he has some pop from the right hand side of the dish, and is the youngest of the group at 30-years-old. I think he would do great in this lineup while playing at a hitter’s friendly Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia Daily News Bill Colin believes that the National League should switch to the designated hitter, and it’s time to for both leagues to get on the same page. He says that it would restore the competitive balance that has been lacking from the MLB since 1973 when the American League went to the DH.Tom’s Take: Personally, I hate the DH, and if it were up to me, the A.L would eliminate it from their game. There’s no strategy with the designated hitter, and that’s why I love watching baseball I like seeing the chess match that N.L managers play throughout a game When to pinch hit, when not to When to pinch run, when not to Should I bunt or let the hitter swing away These are all things that N.L skippers have to make while the A.L. guys don’t. Todd Zolecki reports that Scott Eyre filed for free agency yesterday after successful surgery on Monday. Romero was injured, and suspended.For more Phillies' coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom. NEW YORK(Business Wire)Fitch Ratings affirms the unenhanced 'A' rating on approximately $46.6 millionof outstanding revenue bonds issued by the University of Maine System (UMS, orthe system) The bonds are a general obligation of UMS The Rating Outlook isStable.

The 'A' rating reflects the system's history of positive operations supportedby a diverse and growing revenue base; limited though adequate liquidity;manageable debt burden; and its essentiality to the state's goal of economicdevelopment. Primary credit concerns are Maine's declining high schoolpopulation and low college attainment levels, and the potential for decliningstate support in a slowing economy UMS has a history of positive operations In fiscal 2008, the system's operatingmargin was 0.4 UMS benefits from a diverse revenue base. Although stateoperating appropriations represent the largest revenue source (30.4 in fiscal2008), this proportion has been incrementally reduced by changes in tuitionrevenues (24.0), grants and contracts (20.6), investment income (2.4), andgifts (2.3) While UMS's liquidity is limited, it is uptrending. As of June 30,2008, the system had available funds (cash and investments less permanentlyrestricted funds) of $119.9 million, which represented 18.4 of operatingexpenses and 55.1 of total outstanding debt. As a majority of UMS's investmentsare held in short- to intermediate-term investments, the system's totalinvestment portfolio has not been adversely affected by recent market turmoil.The system's total outstanding debt in fiscal 2008 was $217 million, including$1.3 million in capital leases. UMS has a manageable debt burden as debt servicerepresented 2.6 of total revenues. The system's conservative debt profile ismanaged under state constitutional debt limits and augmented by generalobligation bonds, which do not burden the balance sheet All of the system'soutstanding revenue bonds are fixed-rate.

However,the state remains able to issue general obligation debt on behalf of UMS. Inaddition, the ceiling excludes refunding revenue bonds, bonds issued to refundgeneral obligation debt of the state, and debt issued to fund costs of issuanceand reserves. The University of Maine (UM) in Orono, established in 1865, is the state's onlyland and sea grant university and the system's flagship campus. UMS was formedin 1968 and includes all seven public institutions of higher education in Maine,except for the Maine Maritime Academy and the state's community and technicalcolleges. Fitch's rating definitions and the terms of use of such ratings are available onthe agency's public site, Published ratings, criteria andmethodologies are available from this site, at all times.

Kilcommons, 1-212-908-0740Cindy Stoller, 1-212-908-0526 (Media Relations)Copyright Business Wire 2009. Imagine you were a talented young football player at one of the biggest programs in the country with all the BMOC perks (i.e. Mississippis Jevan Snead is more talented than his Tennessee rival Jonathan Crompton, but Snead is famously erratic and All-World Tennessee safety Eric Berry will be ready to pounce if and when Snead slips up.Crompton, for his part, has looked much better of late after a fairly atrocious start to the season.The Rebels have been a disappointment thus far, and the Vols have been coming strong, but well go with crafty Houston Nutt to get a big win at home over his rookie counterpart Kiffin PICK: MISSISSIPPI 5.5. The 49ers won 10-6 over the Bears last night in a game so ugly it should've been played in Afghanistan.No matter how many times coach Mike Singletary, offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye and fullback Moran Norris (otherwise known as the Axis of Ugh) conspired to hand the game to a Chicago outfit that sure could've used the win, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, generous to a fault, said, "No really, you've been such gracious hosts, I insist you take the W."How many times could the 49ers have lost this game Let us count the ways.They got their only touchdown of the game when Bears receiver Devin Hester slipped while making a cut, and corner Tarell Brown took the gift interception back 51 yards to set up Frank Gore's 11-yard draw to paydirt.In the third quarter, the team went for it on fourth down at midfield when they could've pinned the Bears deep and they didn't pick up an inch on an Alex Smith sneak that was anything but sneaky.Early in the fourth quarter, safety Mark Roman clearly bumped Bears tight end Kellen Davis before snaring Cutler's fourth interception of the evening. A pass interference call there would've set the Bears up inside the San Francisco 30.In San Francisco's subsequent possession, Gore fumbled at the end of a long run and was fortunate that receiver Josh Morgan was in the right place at the right time so the team could milk a field goal out of the drive.Finally, the team chose to punt from Chicago's 34 rather than to kick a field goal that would've pushed their lead to seven. Smith certainly wasn't very good in the first half, but he was moving the ball at times and he deserved a chance to play the full 60 minutes.At least he was checking down or eating the ball when he had to, instead of throwing it up for grabs like Cutler did.We saw plenty of the two back offense with lead blocker Moran Norris in the second half, and by now the entire football watching nation knows that whenever Norris is in the game, a three-and-out is a mortal lock.The Bears rightly put everyone and their mothers at the line of scrimmage and again Gore got stuffed, over and over and over again.