A protein shows plants the oxygen concentration of their surroundings

ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2011) ? Plants need water to grow, but every hobby gardener knows that you shouldn?t carry this to excess either. During waterlogging or flooding, plants can?t take up enough oxygen that they urgently need for their cellular respiration and energy production. Plants respond to this state of hypoxia with the activation of certain genes that help them cope with the stress. Until now it was unclear how plants are sensing the oxygen concentration. Recent experiments show that under hypoxia a protein that can activate genes, a so-called transcription factor, is released from the cell membrane to accumulate in the nucleus and trigger the expression of stress response genes.

Although plants produce oxygen via photosynthesis, in darkness they rely on external oxygen supply just like humans and animals. If the plants are cut off from oxygen supply, as a result of flooding for example, the energy production in the cells comes to a halt and the plants have to adjust their metabolism to the changed conditions. Hitherto, little was known about the way organisms sense the oxygen concentration of their surroundings. According to new discoveries the key component of this pathway in plants is a protein called RAP2.12, which is capable of binding to certain regions of DNA, thereby triggering the transcription of stress response genes.

Scientists observed that plants with an overexpression of RAP2.12 show an enhanced tolerance to submergence and a better recovery after flooding events.

Of special importance seems to be the N-terminus of a protein, so to say the beginning of the amino acid chain. If this amino acid sequence is altered by adding or removing amino acids the plant's response to low oxygen availability deteriorates. Under normal aerobic conditions RAP2.12 is attached to the cell membrane. When the oxygen level declines, the protein detaches from the membrane and accumulates in the nucleus where it can fulfill its duties as a transcription factor and activate certain genes. As soon as the oxygen availability rises to normal levels RAP2.12 is quickly degraded to stop the transcription of the stress response genes. In plants that express an N-terminally altered RAP2.12 the researchers found the protein to be present in the nucleus even before the oxygen stress started. Under hypoxia the modified protein accumulated in the nucleus but it was not degraded when the oxygen levels rose to normal conditions.

Still, it remained unclear how RAP2.12 sensed the change in oxygen concentration. Scientists of the Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology together with colleagues from Italy and the Netherlands discovered that the so-called N-end rule comes into play. "According to the N-end rule the first amino acid of a protein determines its life span," explains group leader Joost van Dongen, "there are stabilizing and destabilizing amino acids." Cysteine, the first amino acid of RAP2.12 belongs to the group of destabilizers -- but only, if oxygen is present. Under hypoxia the life span of RAP2.12 increases, it detaches from the cell membrane and makes its way into the nucleus where it triggers the expression of stress response genes. When the oxygen level inside the cell goes back to normal RAP2.12 is degraded in less than one hour. "Our discovery of RAP2.12 as a central component of the oxygen sensing mechanism in plants opens up interesting possibilities to increase the flooding tolerance in crops" illustrates van Dongen. After all, about ten percent of the arable land worldwide is subject to temporary flooding each year.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, via AlphaGalileo.

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Journal Reference:

1. Francesco Licausi, Monika Kosmacz, Daan A. Weits, Beatrice Giuntoli, Federico M. Giorgi, Laurentius A. C. J. Voesenek, Pierdomenico Perata, Joost T. van Dongen. Oxygen sensing in plants is mediated by an N-end rule pathway for protein destabilization. Nature, 2011; DOI: 10.1038/nature10536

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/1nu__UqWSfA/111023135604.htm

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Cigna to buy Medicare co HealthSpring for $3.8 billion (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Health insurer Cigna Corp will buy HealthSpring Inc for $3.8 billion to jump-start its business selling Medicare plans as more elderly Americans become eligible for the U.S. government program.

Medicare is an enticing market for U.S. health insurers, even as Congress weighs cuts to the program to rein in the country's debt.

In particular, the entry of the postwar baby boom generation into retirement is expected to swell the ranks of privately run Medicare Advantage plans, which now account for 25 percent of Medicare enrollment, compared with 75 percent for government-run plans. Medicare beneficiaries have the option of receiving their benefits through private health insurance plans.

"The expectation is that that 25 percent rate will increase," said Jefferies & Co analyst David Windley. "There's some increasing view that the political pendulum has swung in favor of Medicare Advantage plans in recognition that they are the one group out there doing something to reduce Medicare costs."

UnitedHealth Group Inc and Humana Inc are the largest private players in Medicare. Large insurers WellPoint Inc and Aetna Inc have also struck deals to expand their presence, but Cigna's purchase of HealthSpring is by far the biggest single bet.

(For a graphic on major health insurance deals, see: http://link.reuters.com/sak64s.)

HealthSpring has about 340,000 Medicare Advantage members in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and more than 800,000 enrollees in stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans.

The deal represents a major diversification for Cigna and marks the most significant move by Chief Executive David Cordani since he took the helm nearly two years ago. Cigna had focused its U.S. health insurance plans on businesses, though Cordani sought more international expansion.

The deal gives Cigna another avenue for growth, said Oppenheimer & Co analyst Michael Wiederhorn. "It gets them exposed to Medicare Advantage with acquiring a company that is extremely well run and well established."

While overall M&A activity has slowed in the last few months, transactions such as the HealthSpring buy are happening as companies look to expand into new businesses or cut costs.

Recent deals include Kinder Morgan's $21 billion deal for El Paso Corp and Google Inc's planned $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.

SEGMENT EXPANSION

Cigna plans to buy HealthSpring for $55 a share, a 37 percent premium over the closing price on Friday, the companies said in a statement on Monday. HealthSpring shares jumped 33.5 percent to $53.61 in morning trading, while Cigna slipped nearly 1 percent to $44.29.

Cigna said it would issue new equity to cover about 20 percent of the purchase price, with the rest funded by additional debt and cash.

Shares of other health insurers that specialize in Medicare rose after the deal was announced. Humana rose 4.1 percent, Universal American Corp gained 3.4 percent, and WellCare Health Plans jumped 5.3 percent.

"There are still a few larger plans in the industry that want to become bigger Medicare players, and the number of plans out there (both public and private) with more than 50,000 lives is relatively small," Citigroup analyst Carl McDonald said in a research note.

Shares of Canadian pharmacy benefit manager SXC Health Solutions Corp, which counts HealthSpring as a major customer, tumbled 24 percent on concerns that business may move to Cigna.

Investors have expected consolidation in the health insurance industry as a U.S. healthcare overhaul enacted last year squeezes smaller companies and creates incentives for larger companies to take advantage of scale.

The lack of major deals to date may stem from concerns that the Obama administration and state insurance regulators could push back against transactions that threaten competition or drive premiums higher.

Asked whether the HealthSpring deal would face regulatory hurdles, Cordani told reporters on a conference call that it was a "segment expansion" into an area where the company is not a large player and therefore should not meet opposition.

"It's not a scale-based consolidation," Cordani said. "We're obviously aware of the environment around scale-based consolidation."

The companies plan to close the transaction in the first half of 2012.

MEDICARE MORE VALUABLE

The deal values HealthSpring at a "relatively rich" $3,200 per member, compared with the current industry average of about $869, Wells Fargo analyst Peter Costa said, "showing that Medicare members appear to be worth more than typical commercial members."

HealthSpring's management, headed by CEO Herb Fritch, will now lead Cigna's Medicare expansion.

Cigna expects the deal to add to its earnings per share in the first full year of operations. Separately, the insurer raised its forecast for 2011 adjusted earnings to a range of $5.05 to $5.30 per share from a previous view of $4.95 to $5.25.

Cigna's financial adviser is Morgan Stanley, and its legal adviser is Davis Polk, while Moelis & Co advised Cigna in connection with financing. Goldman Sachs & Co was the financial adviser to HealthSpring, whose legal advisers were Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Bass, Berry & Sims Plc.

(Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf in New York; additional reporting by Toni Clarke in Boston; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Lisa Von Ahn and John Wallace)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/seniors/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111024/hl_nm/us_cigna_healthspring

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Rare score for Taiwan as local star wins LPGA tournament ? at home

Taiwan's golfer Yani Tseng won the first ever Ladies Professional Golf Association tournament on home turf, a big event for Taiwanese, who see few visits by international stars or international events.

Taiwan seldom raises an international sports hero and even less frequently hosts an internationally recognized sporting event ? not that it hasn't tried.

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Pitcher Wang Chien-ming was scoring his way up the Major League Baseball charts until 2008, when he sat out much of two seasons with injuries. Ultra-marathon runner Kevin Lin of Taipei made a mark crossing the Sahara Desert in 2007 but failed to grab a global following.

Taiwan's archrival China, with more economic clout and diplomatic support, sees Taiwan as part of its turf and urges world sports associations, as well as other international bodies, to ignore the place. Taiwanese players abroad often typically play under a ?Chinese Taipei? flag to imply a bond to China.

But, this Sunday something changed for Taiwan and brought it a step closer to international sports legitimacy: It got both its superstar and its event as Yani Tseng won the first-ever Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tournament on her home turf. She came in first in a field of 90 golfers at 16 under par, five strokes ahead of runners-up Azahara Munoz of Spain and Amy Yang of South Korea.

?This is the first time I?ve had this kind of feeling and I?ve got no way to compare it. The meaning is very special, to win in front of so many of Taiwanese fans and media,? said Ms. Tseng, 22, alluding to the more than 40,000 fans who shadowed her down the fairways, so enthusiastic in some cases that their camera clicks threw off her swing.The LPGA chose Taiwan this year in part because Tseng had consistently topped the scorecards in recent play, said association spokesman Mike Scanlan. Tseng is ranked the world No. 1 female golfer and has been named player of the year for 2010 and 2011. Her win in Taiwan was the seventh LPGA victory this season. China, for its part, called off an LPGA event this year in its southern city Guangzhou.

The diplomatic impact wasn?t lost on the winner, who was once known for turning down sponsors from China. She announced on Sunday that she would donate a third of her $300,000 tournament prize to a Taiwanese golf association for training. ?To leave the top prize in Taiwan won?t disappoint me or the people,? she said. ?It?s public diplomacy. It?s letting Taiwan step into the world, which is not easy to do.?

Tseng began playing golf at the age of 5 with her father, an amateur golfer, sometimes for five hours a day after school. Golf experts say she has no professional weaknesses. She speaks modestly about her wins, saying that she aims to improve her normally unbeatable scores and keep studying English to boost her public image.

She already appears to be inspiring others, as 10 other Taiwanese golfers played in the Oct. 20-23 tournament. ?She?s a very good role model,? said Taiwanese player Tsai Pei-ying after trailing Tseng in round one. ?There are a lot of points of hers that I will do my best to study.? Fellow Taiwanese contestant Candie Kung said Tseng had fulfilled her own past goal of bringing LPGA to Taiwan.

The LPGA forecasts more events in Taiwan, following years of effort to organize the one just past. But whether Tseng?s magnetism has staying power depends on how long she tops the leader-board and what sponsors think. Sponsors traditionally favor the men?s PGA and Western athletes, experts believe.

?A stronger Pacific Rim presence would certainly have an appeal to sponsors looking to do business in the region and sponsors in the region looking to expand their local footprint,? says Larry DeGaris, associate professor of marketing with the University of Indianapolis. ?Personally, I think it?s an exciting time for the tour, with some renewed energy and a lot of possibilities ? maybe too many.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/c6-YwKLH68E/Rare-score-for-Taiwan-as-local-star-wins-LPGA-tournament-at-home

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'Miracle' tornado survivor denied workers' comp (AP)

JOPLIN, Mo. ? By all accounts, Mark Lindquist is a hero, an underpaid social worker who nearly gave his life trying to save three developmentally disabled adults from the Joplin tornado. Both houses of the Missouri legislature honored Lindquist, the Senate resolution calling him "a true hero and inspiration to others."

But heroism doesn't pay the bills. The tornado's 200 mph winds tossed Lindquist nearly a block, broke every rib, obliterated his shoulder, knocked out most of his teeth and put him in a coma for about two months.

Lindquist, 51, ran up medical expenses that exceed $2.5 million, and the bills keep coming. He requires 11 daily prescriptions and will need more surgery.

But he has no medical insurance. Lindquist couldn't afford it on a job paying barely above minimum wage. He assumed workers' compensation would cover his bills, but his claim was denied "based on the fact that there was no greater risk than the general public at the time you were involved in the Joplin tornado," according to a letter to Lindquist from Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, his company's workers' comp provider.

That reasoning has angered Lindquist's family, employer, even lawmakers.

"I think they need to take another look at the circumstances and revisit the claim," state Rep. Bill Lant, R-Joplin, said. "What he did went beyond heroics."

Lindquist watched the skies darken on the evening of May 22 while on his way to the group home occupied by Mark Farmer, Rick Fox and Tripp Miller, three middle-aged men with Down syndrome. Soon after he arrived, a tornado siren began to blare.

Lindquist's employer, Community Support Services, had recently put workers through a tornado drill, so Lindquist and co-worker Ryan Tackett knew what to do. Because there was no basement or shelter and the residents moved too slowly to relocate, Lindquist and Tackett placed mattresses over the men for protection, then climbed atop the mattresses for added weight.

It seemed like little more than a precaution until Lindquist heard the unmistakable roar of the twister. "I told Ryan, `If you've ever prayed before, now is the time to do it,'" he said.

The EF-5 tornado was among the nation's worst ever. It destroyed more than 7,000 homes, including the group home, and killed 162 people.

Among the dead were Farmer, Fox and Miller, a fact that still haunts Lindquist.

"I loved them almost as much as I love my own kid," he said.

Lindquist's survival defies logic. After the storm, rescuers found Lindquist buried in rubble, impaled by a piece of metal. Large chunks of flesh were torn off. Bones from his shoulder crumbled as they placed him on a door used as a makeshift stretcher. He was later delivered to Freeman Hospital.

Meanwhile, Lindquist's sister, Linda Lindquist Baldwin, his son, 12-year-old Creed, and other relatives contacted every hospital within 100 miles of Joplin searching for him. None of the unidentified matched Lindquist's description.

His injuries were so severe that his slender, athletic body had become swollen and unrecognizable. He was in a coma. Finally, after three days, he was identified by tiny brown flecks in his hazel eyes.

Doctors told Baldwin that if Lindquist survived, it likely would be in a vegetative state. Even in a best-case scenario, he likely would be blind in one eye, never regain use of his right arm, and never speak or think normally, she was told.

Things got worse. Debris that got into the open sores caused a fungal infection, one that killed five other Joplin tornado victims. Lindquist overcame the fungus but remained at Freeman until June 16. Still in a coma, he was flown to a hospital in Columbia for a little over a month before being sent to a rehab center in Mount Vernon where he awakened.

Lindquist's recovery amazed doctors. His right arm remains in a sling, but he has use of the hand. The eye that was temporarily blinded has full sight. He moves slowly and has short-term memory loss, but speaks well.

Baldwin said the insurance company's decision is unfathomable because if her brother hadn't been at work, he wouldn't have been hurt. He also could have jumped in his van and driven away from the group home as the tornado approached.

Lindquist said that thought never crossed his mind.

"I could have abandoned them to save myself, but I would never do that," he said.

Jahn Hurn, CEO of Community Support Services, said the agency has asked Accident Fund Insurance to reconsider Lindquist's case. Insurance company spokeswoman Stepheni Schlinker said she could not discuss an individual claim or whether the company would reconsider.

Lindquist also could seek relief through the Missouri Division of Workers Compensation but has not yet done so because he is weighing legal options and still dealing with health issues, Baldwin said.

Amy Susan, a spokeswoman for the division, said the state could help facilitate settlement talks with the insurance company, or Lindquist could ask an administrative law judge to hear the case. That judge would decide if the company should pay the claim.

Susan said that 132 workers' compensation claims were filed after the tornado. Only eight were denied by insurance companies.

Since word of Lindquist's plight spread, people around Joplin have pitched in, donating a few hundred dollars. Baldwin said her brother is touched by the kindness, even if it barely pays for the prescriptions, much less the medical costs.

Despite lingering pain, financial strain and uncertainty about whether he'll work again, Lindquist sees good things happening in his life.

Earlier this year, he was contacted by Carolyn Stephenson Mckinlay. They met 31 years ago in her Montana hometown, where he was helping to build a water tower. He was 21, she was 16. After a brief courtship they parted ways. Both married others, then divorced.

Mckinlay found Lindquist on Facebook earlier this year, and the two decided to meet in Joplin. The tornado hit first, but Mckinlay still came. He proposed in August, and they plan to wed.

All things considered, Lindquist said he's a lucky man.

"I'm a walking miracle," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111024/ap_on_re_us/us_joplin_survivor_s_story

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APNewsBreak: Banks nowhere near deal on Greece

CAPTION CORRECTION, CORRECTS SURNAME FROM JUNCKER TO TRICHET - Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, left, speaks with ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet during a meeting of EU finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011. Eurozone finance ministers said Saturday they have agreed that banks should accept substantially bigger losses on their Greek bonds, with a new report suggesting that writedowns of up to 60 percent may be necessary. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

CAPTION CORRECTION, CORRECTS SURNAME FROM JUNCKER TO TRICHET - Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, left, speaks with ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet during a meeting of EU finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011. Eurozone finance ministers said Saturday they have agreed that banks should accept substantially bigger losses on their Greek bonds, with a new report suggesting that writedowns of up to 60 percent may be necessary. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, left, speaks with ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet during a meeting of EU finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011. Eurozone finance ministers said Saturday they have agreed that banks should accept substantially bigger losses on their Greek bonds, with a new report suggesting that writedowns of up to 60 percent may be necessary. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, left, speaks with ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet during a meeting of EU finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011. Eurozone finance ministers said Saturday they have agreed that banks should accept substantially bigger losses on their Greek bonds, with a new report suggesting that writedowns of up to 60 percent may be necessary. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Spanish Finance Minister Elena Salgado, left, speaks with German counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble during a meeting of EU finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011. Eurozone finance ministers said Saturday they have agreed that banks should accept substantially bigger losses on their Greek bonds, with a new report suggesting that writedowns of up to 60 percent may be necessary. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet looks at his watch during a meeting of EU finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011. Eurozone finance ministers said Saturday they have agreed that banks should accept substantially bigger losses on their Greek bonds, with a new report suggesting that writedowns of up to 60 percent may be necessary. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

BRUSSELS (AP) ? A top bank lobbyist insisted Saturday that banks and the eurozone are far from reaching a deal to cut Greece's debt, despite claims by eurozone finance ministers that they will ask banks to take steeper losses on their Greek bonds.

Although the ministers did not say how much of a cut they are aiming for, a report from Greece's international debt inspectors suggested that the value of Greece's bonds may have to be slashed as much as 60 percent to get the country solvent enough to repay its debt.

The ministers on Saturday sent their chief negotiator, Vittorio Grilli, to re-start discussions with banks and other private investors on a new deal for Greece.

However, Charles Dallara, the managing director of the Institute of International Finance, who has been leading the negotiations for the banks, said in an interview with The Associated Press that an agreement remained elusive.

"We're nowhere near a deal," he said.

Banks in July agreed to accept losses of about 21 percent on their Greek bonds. However, eurozone leaders have since reopened the deal and Greece's international debt inspectors ? the so-called troika of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund ? say Greece's economic situation has deteriorated dramatically since the summer.

In a report Friday, the inspectors said that under the July deal, Greece would need an extra euro252 billion ($347 billion) in loans from the eurozone and the IMF ? on top of the euro110 billion ($152 billion) it has been relying on to pay bills since May 2010.

But Dallara said new plans to slash Greece debt would still leave the country as "a ward of Europe" for years.

He declined to say how much in losses banks would be willing to accept, saying only "we would be open to an approach that involves additional efforts from everyone."

Dallara was in Brussels, where eurozone finance ministers have been meeting for two days of talks.

The eurozone has been working to reach a voluntary agreement with banks, rather than forcing losses onto the lenders, because that could avoid triggering billions of euros on payout for bond insurance and could destabilize markets even further. However, in recent weeks some officials have no longer insisted that the deal remain voluntary.

Earlier Saturday, a European official said the EU was on track to agree on forcing banks to raise just over euro100 billion ($140 billion) to ensure they have enough cushion to weather further losses on their Greek bonds as well as market turmoil.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions the deal was supposed to be unveiled by EU leaders at their summit Sunday.

"We have made real progress and have come to important decisions on strengthening European banks," George Osborne, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer, said as he left Saturday's meeting. Osborne did not say what the decision was.

Strengthening banks and slashing Greece's debts are critical to solving Europe's crisis, which is now threatening to engulf larger economies like Italy and Spain and is blamed for dampening growth across Europe and even the world.

The euro100 billion figure is likely to disappoint some analysts, although it was above recent press reports. A report by the International Monetary Fund has called for up to euro200 billion ($280 billion) to be poured into banks.

The new rules would force systemically important banks to raise their core capital ratios to 9 percent, compared with just 5 percent to 6 percent they needed to pass EU stress tests this summer. The ratio measures the amount of capital banks hold compared to their risky assets.

Despite that significant progress, agreement on arguably the most important measure has remained elusive to eurozone leaders: boosting the firepower of the currency union's euro440 billion ($600 billion) bailout fund to keep the crisis from spreading.

Increasing the effectiveness of the fund ? called the European Financial Stability Facility ? is meant to help prevent larger economies like Italy and Spain from being unable to afford to borrow money from markets. That's exactly what happened to Greece, Portugal and Ireland and why those three EU countries needed bailouts.

Germany and France still disagree over how to do that and failed to make much progress on that front Friday night. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are meeting Saturday evening in the hopes of moving toward a deal.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-10-22-EU-Europe-Financial-Crisis/id-6e23e6f4ba564e4eae4d183e73a1cbc7

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Epstein resigns from Red Sox to join Cubs

FILE- This July 21, 2010, file photo, shows former Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein before a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif. The Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs jointly announced Friday evening, Oct. 21, 2011, that effective immediately, Epstein has resigned from the Red Sox in order to become the new president of baseball operations for the Cubs. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

FILE- This July 21, 2010, file photo, shows former Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein before a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif. The Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs jointly announced Friday evening, Oct. 21, 2011, that effective immediately, Epstein has resigned from the Red Sox in order to become the new president of baseball operations for the Cubs. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2004, file photo, former Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, left, and manager Terry Francona celebrate after the Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees 10-3 in the deciding game of baseball's American League championship series, in New York. The Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs jointly announced Friday evening, Oct. 21, 2011, that effective immediately, Epstein has resigned from the Red Sox in order to become the new president of baseball operations for the Cubs. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Theo Epstein is leaving the Boston Red Sox after a remarkable run that included two World Series championships. He's joining the Chicago Cubs to see if he can bring success to another team steeped in history and starved for a title.

The 37-year-old Epstein became the president of baseball operations for the Cubs on Friday night after resigning with a year left on his contract as general manager of the Red Sox.

With Epstein at the helm, the Red Sox ended an 86-year World Series championship drought in 2004 and won the title again in 2007.

Cubs fans can only hope he will do the same thing on the North Side where the Cubs are looking for their first title since 1908. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts fired GM Jim Hendry in July after another disappointing season, although Hendry stayed on the job for an extra month.

The teams negotiated for more than a week over compensation the Red Sox would receive for letting Epstein out of his contract. In the end, they decided to put off that issue, saying it would be resolved in the near term.

The Red Sox are expected to announce assistant GM Ben Cherington as Epstein's replacement. Boston, which collapsed in September and missed the playoffs for a second straight year, must also find a new manager to replace Terry Francona.

One of the first chores in Chicago is the future of manager Mike Quade, who led the team to a 71-91 record in his first full season. He has another year left on his deal.

Various reports say the Cubs are also interested in hiring San Diego Padres general manager Jed Hoyer for that position where he would be reunited with Epstein. They worked together in Boston.

Epstein will reportedly receive a five-year deal worth about $18.5 million to overhaul the baseball side of the Cubs' front office.

In a joint statement, the teams said they would hold news conferences on Tuesday with the Cubs introducing Epstein and with the Red Sox announcing his successor ? likely Cherington.

Major League Baseball generally prohibits announcements during the World Series, but Friday's late one came on a day off for the Cardinals and Rangers.

The Cubs and Red Sox said they would not comment until Tuesday, another travel day for the World Series if it goes beyond five games.

Epstein brings a sparkling resume with him. He was hired as the youngest GM in major league history in 2002 at the age of 28 and, two years later, was the youngest GM to win it all as the Red Sox broke a long championship drought of their own ? 86 years, not unlike the misery Cubs fans have famously endured.

Under Epstein's guidance, Boston went 839-619 (.575) in the regular season and 34-23 in the playoffs, winning more than 90 games in all but two seasons.

He acquired stars such as David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, Jason Bay and Adrian Gonzalez, though he also will be remembered for bringing in high-priced players who fell short, including Edgar Renteria, Daisuke Matsuzaka, John Lackey. This season it was Carl Crawford who didn't meet expectations after signing a fat contract.

He was also the guy who traded fan favorite Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs in a four-team deal in 2004 ? sending him to Hendry, who watched Chicago blow the wild-card lead in the final week that season.

Epstein himself presided over two of the biggest meltdowns in baseball history, the 2003 ALCS loss to the Yankees and last month's disaster in which the Red Sox blew a nine-game lead in 25 days and failed to make the playoffs. No team had ever done that before.

While the Red Sox pick up the pieces of a collapse that includes reports of locker room disharmony and the departure of Francona, Epstein will have a long list of things to do in Chicago.

Ricketts wanted to make sure he got the right guy, someone who will build through a farm system and combine scouting with baseball's new formulas and math for statistical analysis.

As they try to build for the future a big question for Ricketts and Epstein: do they also go out and spend another big amount on a marquee free agent such as Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder who could make the Cubs instant contenders to snap the championship drought dating to 1908?

Epstein has a history of smart draft moves (Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz) and he has spent freely.

Matsuzaka cost $103 million, Renteria got $40 million for four years but lasted only one and J.D. Drew got a five-year, $70 million deal most thought was too much. Everyone is waiting to see if Crawford is worth his seven-year, $142 million deal.

When it worked, the Red Sox were the best team money could buy; when it didn't, like this season, they were overpaid malcontents who couldn't hold a clubhouse together.

There are similarities in Chicago.

Hendry went on a $300 million spree before the 2007 season and the Cubs won two straight division titles under manager Lou Piniella before being swept in the first round both seasons.

The past two seasons have bottomed out ? Piniella abruptly retired in August 2010 ? and the Cubs have been stuck with big contracts like the ones for Carlos Zambrano (five years, $91.5 million) and Alfonso Soriano (eight years, $136 million).

Zambrano is likely gone, even with a year left on his contract. Known increasingly for his outbursts, he gave up five homers to Atlanta in August and cleared out his locker, winding up with a 30-day suspension and never pitching another game before the end of the season.

Epstein has a potential ace in Matt Garza, who went 10-10 this season and was especially effective against the Red Sox while pitching for Tampa Bay. Young Andrew Cashner won a spot in the rotation but missed most of last season with an arm problem and veterans Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells are expected to return.

The Cubs have a struggling closer in Carlos Marmol, who after signing a three-year, $20 million contract in spring training, blew 10 saves in 44 chances.

First baseman Carlos Pena, a free agent who hit 28 homers with 80 RBIs and a .225 average, would like to come back. Aramis Ramirez, who hit .306 with 26 homers and 93 RBIs, said he plans to explore the free agent market, though there is a mutual $16 million option on the table. Soriano, who has three years remaining on his deal, batted .244 but did hit 26 homers with 88 RBIs.

Chicago does have plenty of promise up the middle with 21-year-old shortstop Starlin Castro, who had 207 hits in his first full major league season, and second baseman Darwin Barney.

Still, the Cubs finished the year a dismal 71-91 and once Hendry was gone, talked turned to someone ? anyone ? who might be able to bring the team back to the postseason and erase the endless talk of the purported Billy Goat curse of 1945 and the Steve Bartman foul ball debacle in Game 6 of the NLCS in 2003.

A native of Brookline, Mass., who grew up down the street from Fenway Park, Epstein left the team once before, in 2005, fleeing Fenway Park in a gorilla suit on Halloween after a tiff over his contract extension went public. He resigned and stayed away from the team for several months before returning to his old job.

___

AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-10-22-BBN-Cubs-Epstein/id-582cbd0a71de427ebb7ee39cd6b76ac9

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Engadget Distro Issue 9: the Android Invasion is upon us!

They're here! We gave Apple's latest some face time in Distro's first special edition and now it's time for Google's little green robot(s) to get the cover treatment. If Cupertino's strength is in its concentration on a single device, then Android's is in its diversity, and this week we're bringing you our thoughts on not one, not two, not three, but four new smartphones sporting Mountain View's OS. We'll bring you all the dirty details on two hotly anticipated and recently released phones, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Motorola's Droid RAZR, dive deep into Beats in our review of HTC's Sensation XE, and find out if the Amaze 4G can live up to its name. We've also got a review of the first Ultrabook to make it to market, Acer's Aspire S3, and a glimpse at how Tech News Today host, Tom Merritt became the Geek he is today. The Android Invasion is upon us, but don't run for your life. Pick up that iPad or hit the PDF download link below and get your Distro on. (And for those of you diehard Android fans, we are indeed still working on a Honeycomb version -- hang tight!)

Distro Issue 9 PDF
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Engadget Distro Issue 9: the Android Invasion is upon us! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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