Car Smart: Infiniti coupe puts you in loop of luxury

A coupe always catches my eye and is refreshing to spot among the more practical autos that clog the roads these days. It's the well-proportioned wheel base and the balance of only one door per side along with muscular lines that combine to give the two-door car a fast and fun-to-drive character.

The 2014 Infiniti Q60 embodies these attributes and with all-wheel drive, the Q60 provides an interesting option for the New England driver uninterested in practicality and not willing to compromise on appearance, luxury or performance. The low-to-the-ground Q60 may not be not be the best choice for an unplowed route during a nor'easter, but the Q60's snow-driving mode gives a driver the ability to confidently travel on snow-covered roads.

In addition to all-wheel-drive, our $52,055 tester included a sport package comprised of a sport-tuned suspension and steering. The Q60's suspension was smoother and more forgiving than its cousin, the Nissan 370Z. Handling was swift and athletic on windy secondary roads. However, the Q60's steering was excessively heavy.

Our tester's 330-hp 3.7-liter V-6 engine hustled the coupe off the line and provided a smooth flow of power as it shifted through a seven-speed automatic transmission. Magnesium paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel were also part of the sport package. Rear wheel drive is available on both the $42,000 base model and the more powerful, top shelf, Q60 IPL (Infiniti Performance Line), which is also available with a 6-speed manual transmission. Fuel economy for our AWD tester was 18 city, 25 highway and does improve slightly with the rear-wheel drive models.

Blue ambient lighting set the mood for the Q60's dark cockpit. High gloss maple accents around the center console, dash and doors, along with Infiniti's signature analog clock provided an upscale feel.

A 7-inch infotainment screen was well proportioned within the recess of the dashboard and was easy to use. A Bose sound system with a speed sensitive volume control virtually eliminated any road noise when I was cranking the tunes.

Leather front seats were large and comfortable with ample adjustability. Cramped rear seats had my four-year-old complaining about the lack of space. Ditto for the trunk, you must follow a diagram under the lid in order to cram two golf bags inside.

Our tester also included a $1,250 technology package highlighted by intelligent cruise control with brake assist and rain-sensing windshield wipers. The laser-based intelligent cruise control manages the Q60's speed and maintains a safe distance from the car in front. The brake assist also uses the laser to help the vehicle brake faster if an emergency arises.

While not the most practical with regard to traveling with more than one passenger, a coupe in my book is what a car should be and once you start adding doors, it's a compromise. Similar coupes to consider are the Audi A5, the BMW 428i or Mercedes Benz C-Class. The Infiniti Q60 is also available as a convertible.

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US law prods states to revisit health care rules

CONCORD, N.H. — Prompted by the health care overhaul law, several states are updating their rules for insurance networks to better reflect who is covered and how people shop for and use their benefits.

Washington state just implemented new regulations, and discussions are underway in several others, including Arkansas, Minnesota, California and New Hampshire. Although complaints about one insurer's network prompted New Hampshire's decision to reconsider its rules, insurance officials say the old standards haven't kept up with changes in how and where people get health care.

Washington's rules took effect last week and were designed to balance access with affordability while giving consumers more information about the networks. Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler says the health overhaul law increased benefits but also requires consumers to play a bigger role in shopping for insurance.

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Mass. Gov. Patrick heading to United Arab Emirates

BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is setting off on the second leg of his latest trade mission, heading from Israel to the United Arab Emirates.

On Monday, Patrick is scheduled to meet with the Mubadala Development Company, an investment and development firm in Abu Dhabi, to discuss increased economic opportunities between Massachusetts and the emirate.

Patrick is also set to meet with representatives of the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy and visit the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a university which studies issues related to sustainability.

Patrick will also meet with U.S. Ambassador to the UAE Michael Corbin on Monday.

Patrick has said the goal of the nine-day trip is to expand opportunities for economic development and job creation in the innovation economy.

Since taking office, Patrick has led trade missions to 13 countries.

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Yesterday’s mews: Ex-stable charms

This unique Bedford house was built in 1836 as a racehorse stable for a nearby track, but has been expanded into a four-bedroom home with sensitively added rear additions.

The fieldstone stable with a slate roof retains its original charm, and the current owners undertook a major barnboard-sided addition in 1992, which added a new vaulted-ceiling kitchen with skylights and a large arched window, cherrywood cabinets, black appliances and a center island. Two other wings hold four bedrooms, including a master suite with sliding-glass doors that open onto a rear wood deck.

The two-acre property, filled with large old trees, lots of grass and nicely tended gardens, sits at the end of a private lane lined by stone walls.

The original part of the house holds a family room with beamed and wood-lined walls and ceiling as well as a brick fireplace. There's also a ceramic-tiled dining room, a home office area with a 1992-added half bath, and a large living room with knotty pine floors and a Vermont Castings wood stove. A South-facing greenhouse is attached to the original stable.

Behind a stone wall is a pantry/kitchenette area, a workbench nook and a closet with a Maytag washer and dryer and sink.

The master bedroom in the 1992 wing has knotty-pine walls and carpet, and there's a walk-through closet with built-in wardrobe and a master bathroom with a whirlpool tub. The other three bedrooms are children-sized, and have folding-door closets. A second full bathroom has small ceramic tile floors and a one-piece Fiberglas shower.

The house has five-zoned forced gas heating system, but doesn't have central air conditioning.

A detached two-car garage sits at the end of the private lane and there's an unpaved area that holds two additional vehicles.

Home Showcase

• Address: 278B Old Billerica Road, Bedford
• Bedrooms: Four
• Bathrooms: Two full, one half
• List price: $818,000
• Square feet: 2,844
• Price per square foot: $288
• Annual taxes: $8,962
• Location: Two miles to retail 
and restaurants along Great Road 
in Bedford
• Built in: 1836; major addition and upgrades in 1992
• Broker: Suzanne Koller of Keller Williams at 617-799-5913

Pros:

• Two-acre property with old trees, grass and gardens
• Large living area with wood stove and pine floors
• Master bedroom suite has sliding glass doors to rear deck
• Attached South-facing greenhouse

Cons:

• Kitchen, bathrooms could use some upgrading
• No central air conditioning

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Walsh: Stop clowning with us

Mayor Martin J. Walsh vowed yesterday to crack down on the city's lax collection of rental fees for City Hall Plaza after learning the Big Apple Circus owes $80,000 for its long-running use of the publicly owned venue — part of a more than $200,000 tab the New York-based nonprofit had run up since 2009.

"This rental fee collection for City Hall Plaza has not been working properly. I don't know if it's mismanagement or a lack of follow-up … We can't have that," Walsh told the Herald, adding his new tourism director will adopt more stringent accounting practices so renters do "not go on for years without paying."

Just weeks before the Big Apple Circus rolled into Boston on March 15 and set up its big top in City Hall Plaza, a lawyer for the city threatened to pull its permit, warning in a letter that it was "seriously delinquent" in paying $205,000 in rental and service fees accrued since 2009.

The circus scrambled to cut checks, coughing up three payments totaling $125,000 between Feb. 26 and March 11 — four days before the start of its seven-week run.

That money covered fees, set forth in a 2009 contract, to cover the costs of an on-site event manager and licensed electrician, as well as security and custodial services.

That contract also required the circus to pay $20,000 in rental fees each year, according to the city's Law Department.

The Walsh administration said yesterday those rental fees have gone unpaid for four years, amounting to $80,000.

The Herald reported yesterday that Matthew Cahill, head of the Boston Finance Commission, is urging Walsh to redo contracts cut with the organizers of large ticketed events, saying the city is losing a lot of money by giving away use of the space at bargain rates.

"I'm glad that the new administration is being aggressive with these vendors," Cahill said yesterday.

Lynn Stirrup, executive director of the Big Apple Circus, told the Herald she understood that under its arrangement with the Menino administration, they did not have to pay rent.

Instead, she said, the circus was expected to donate each year $20,000 to the Boston Children's Museum and the Fund for Boston Neighborhoods, give thousands of tickets to the needy and host two free circuses, one for disabled kids and another for which the mayor's office gives away tickets to charities.

"We give away two tents outright … Those two things alone are an $80,000 value," Stirrup said. "That's part of our mission … Our goal is to always give back to the community."

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Drinking past 2 a.m. has shot

Extended bar and restaurant hours in Boston — part of Mayor Martin J. Walsh's push to make the Hub a late-night city — could be piloted as soon as August if things go as planned, according to a co-chairman of the task force leading the effort.

Lobbying is underway for House members to approve a budget amendment — included in the Senate's proposed version at Walsh's request — that would allow cities and towns serviced by the MBTA's late-night routes to sell alcohol after 2 a.m.

"This provision is a great opportunity for the communities serviced by the MBTA's extended late-night service," Walsh said in a statement. "Incorporating this measure into the state's final budget would support Boston's efforts to pilot and foster a vibrant culture."

The proposed legislation requires the eligible communities' governing bodies — in Boston's case, the mayor and city council — to opt in.

"Right now, our intergovernmental team is doing outreach to the House," said task force co-chairman Rory Cuddyer, who is special assistant to the mayor's chief of staff.

If the measure is included in the state's final approved budget, the next step would be a City Council hearing and vote, optimistically in July, he said.

The task force is looking at mostly nonresidential areas, where demand for extended bar and restaurant hours already is present, for the pilot program. Those broached include South Boston's Seaport District, Faneuil Hall, Lansdowne Street and the Bulfinch Triangle near the TD Garden.

Participating restaurants and bars would need city Licensing Board approval for the extended hours.

Task force member Bob Lutz, CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, said the trade group's members are "curious" about the possibility of extended hours.

"They're in a wait-and-see mode," Lutz said. "At the end of the day, there has to be a financial gain for a business to get involved in something like that. Today, there's a lot of people who have 1 or 2 a.m. licenses who don't even stay open that late now. It's really driven by the business need."

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How Obama's power plant emission rules will work

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Monday plans to make public the first rules limiting carbon emissions from the thousands of power plants.

The pollution controls form the cornerstone of President Barack Obama's campaign to combat climate change and a key element of his legacy.

Obama says the rules are essential to curb the heat-trapping greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Critics contend the rules will kill jobs, drive up electricity prices and shutter plants across the country.

Environmentalists and industry advocates alike are eagerly awaiting the specifics, which the Environmental Protection Agency will make public for the first time on Monday and Obama will champion from the White House.

While the details remain murky, the administration says the rules will play a major role in achieving the pledge Obama made in Copenhagen during his first year in office to cut America's carbon emissions by about 17 percent by 2020.

Some questions and answers about the proposal:

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Q: How does the government plan to limit emissions?

A: Unable to persuade Congress to act on climate change, Obama is turning to the Clean Air Act. The 1970s-era law has long been used to regulate pollutants like soot, mercury and lead but has only recently been applied to greenhouse gases.

Unlike with new power plants, the government can't regulate existing plant emissions directly. Instead, the government will issue guidelines for cutting emissions, then each state will develop its own plan to meet those guidelines. If a state refuses, the EPA can create its own plan.

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Q: Why are these rules necessary?

A: Power plants are the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Environmentalists and the White House say without bold action, climate change will intensify and endanger the public's well-being around the world. In its National Climate Assessment this year, the administration said warming and erratic weather will become increasingly disruptive unless curtailed.

"This is not some distant problem of the future. This is a problem that is affecting Americans right now," Obama said in May.

The United States is only one player in the global climate game. These rules won't touch carbon emissions in other nations whose coal plants are even dirtier. But the White House believes that leading by example gives the U.S. more leverage to pressure other countries to reduce their own emissions.

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Q: How steep will the reductions be?

A: We don't know.

The administration hasn't said whether it will set one universal standard or apply different standards in each state. But Obama's senior counselor, John Podesta, said the reductions will be made "in the most cost-effective and most efficient way possible," by giving flexibility to the states.

That could include offsetting emissions by increasing the use of solar and nuclear power, switching to cleaner-burning fuels like natural gas or creating efficiency programs that reduce energy demand. States might also pursue an emissions-trading plan — also known as cap-and-trade — as several northeast states have already done.

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Q: How will they affect my power bill? What about the economy?

A: It depends where you live. Different states have a different mixes of coal versus gas and other fuels, so the rules will affect some states more than others. Dozens of coal-burning plants have already announced they plan to close.

Still, it's a good bet the rules will drive up electricity prices. The U.S. relies on coal for 40 percent of its electricity, and the Energy Department predicts retail power prices will rise this year because of environmental regulations, economic forces and other factors.

Environmentalists argue that some of those costs are offset by decreased health care costs and other indirect benefits. They also say the transition toward greener fuels could create jobs.

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Q: Doesn't Obama need approval from Congress?

A: Not for this. A 2007 Supreme Court ruling gave the EPA the green light to regulate carbon-dioxide under the Clean Air Act. But that doesn't mean there won't be fierce opposition and drawn-out litigation. The government is expecting legal challenges and is preparing to defend the rules in court if necessary.

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Q: Is this the final step?

A: Not even close. After the draft rule is proposed, there's a full year for public comment and revisions. Then states have another year to submit their implementation plans to the EPA.

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Associated Press writers Jim Kuhnhenn and Dina Cappiello contributed to this report.

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Reach Josh Lederman at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

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Obama's boldest move on carbon comes with perils

WASHINGTON — The new pollution rule the Obama administration announces Monday will be a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's environmental legacy and arguably the most significant U.S. environmental regulation in decades.

But it's not one the White House wanted.

As with other issues, the regulation to limit the pollution blamed for global warming from power plants is a compromise for Obama, who again finds himself caught between his aspirations and what is politically and legally possible.

It will provoke a messy and drawn-out fight with states and companies that produce electricity, and may not be settled until the eve of the next presidential election in 2016, or beyond.

"It's going to be like eating spaghetti with a spoon. It can be done, but it's going to be messy and slow," said Michael Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University.

At the crux of the problem is Obama's use of a 1970 law that was not intended to regulate the gases blamed for global warming. Obama was forced to rely on the Clean Air Act after he tried and failed to get Congress to pass a new law during his first term. When the Republicans took over the House, the goal became impossible.

The new rule, as the president described it in a news conference in 2010, is another way of "skinning the cat" on climate change.

"For anybody who cares about this issue, this is it," Heather Zichal, Obama's former energy and climate adviser, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "This is all the president has in his toolbox."

The rule will tap executive powers to tackle the single largest source of the pollution blamed for heating the planet: carbon dioxide emitted from power plants. They produce about 40 percent of the electricity in the nation and about one-third of the carbon pollution that makes the U.S. the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

"There are no national limits to the amount of carbon pollution that existing plants can pump into the air we breathe. None," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address.

"We limit the amount of toxic chemicals like mercury, sulfur, and arsenic that power plants put in our air and water. But they can dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into the air. It's not smart, it's not safe, and it doesn't make sense," he said.

While Obama has made major reductions in carbon pollution from cars and trucks by increasing fuel efficiency, manufacturers cooperated after an $85 billion government bailout.

His rule requiring new power plants to capture some of their carbon dioxide and bury it underground, while significant, has little real-world impact because few new coal plants are expected to be built due to market conditions.

Both those rules also prescribed technological fixes or equipment to be placed on the automobile or power plant.

The rule released Monday, though, would allow states to require power plants to make changes such as switching from coal to natural gas or enact other programs to reduce demand for electricity and produce more energy from renewable sources.

They also can set up pollution-trading markets as 10 other states already have done to offer more flexibility in how plants cut emissions. Plans from states won't be due until 2016, but the rule will become final a year before.

That hasn't stopped the hoopla over the proposal.

Some Democrats worried about re-elections have asked the White House, along with Republicans, to double the length of the rule-making comment period, until after this November's elections.

The Chamber of Commerce said the rule would cost $50 billion to the economy and kill jobs. Harvard University said the regulation wouldn't just reduce carbon but also would have a beneficial side effect: cleansing the air of other pollutants.

Environmental groups, meanwhile, are taking credit for helping shape it and arguing it would create jobs, not eliminate them.

Rep. Nick Rahall, a Democrat from West Virginia, which gets 96 percent of its power from coal, said Thursday that while he didn't have the details, "from everything we know we can be sure of this: It will be bad for jobs." Rahall faces a difficult re-election in November.

Obama said such pessimistic views are wrong.

"Now, special interests and their allies in Congress will claim that these guidelines will kill jobs and crush the economy," Obama said in his address. "Let's face it, that's what they always say."

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and other government officials have promoted the proposal's flexibility as way to both cut emissions and ensure affordable electricity. But that flexibility could backfire.

Some states, particularly those heavily reliant on fossil fuels, could resist taking action, leading the federal government to take over the program. That happened in Texas when it initially refused to issue greenhouse gas permits through another air pollution program.

Lawyers for states and industry also are likely to argue that controls far afield of the power plant violate the law's intent.

The rule probably would push utilities to rely more on natural gas because coal emits about twice as much carbon dioxide. The recent oil and gas drilling boom in the U.S. has helped lower natural gas prices and, by extension, electricity prices. But it still generally is cheaper to generate power with coal than with natural gas. Also, natural gas prices are volatile and can lead to fluctuations in power prices.

The rule will push the U.S. closer to the 17 percent reduction by 2020 it promised other countries at the start of Obama's presidency, it will fall far short of the global reductions scientists say are needed to stabilize the planet's temperature. That's because U.S. fossil-fueled power plants account for 6 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.

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Follow Dina Cappiello's environment coverage on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dinacappiello

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New drugs may make a dent in lung, ovarian cancer

CHICAGO — New drugs are making a dent against some hard-to-treat cancers, but some results raise fresh questions about whether the benefit is worth the cost.

For the first time in a decade, an experimental drug has extended the lives of patients with advanced lung cancer who relapsed after standard chemotherapy. But the drug used in the study gave patients just six extra weeks of life on average, and costs $6,000 per infusion as currently sold to treat a different form of cancer.

Eli Lilly and Co.'s drug, Cryamza, was discussed Saturday at a cancer conference in Chicago, where other studies showed:

—The drug Imbruvica, sold by Pharmacyclics Inc. and Janssen Biotech, substantially improved survival and could set a new standard of care for relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, the most common leukemia in adults. Doctors say the pill more precisely targets cancer and is a good option for older people who can't tolerate standard chemotherapy infusions.

—Two experimental pills from AstraZeneca PLC worked much better than one alone against ovarian cancer that resisted or came back after standard chemo. The drugs significantly prolonged the time women lived without their disease worsening.

LUNG CANCER

Cyramza is sold now to treat stomach cancer and fights the formation of blood vessels that feed tumors. French researchers led a study with 1,253 patients who relapsed after initial treatment of advanced lung cancer, a more common disease.

All were given the chemo drug docetaxel and half also received Cyramza infusions every three weeks. Median overall survival was 10.5 months for those on the combo and 9 months for the others; there were significantly more side effects with the combo.

"I don't think a six-week increment is that impressive" for survival, said Dr. Derek Raghavan, an independent expert and president of the Levine Cancer Institute at Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also is on a task force on value in cancer care for the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the group hosting the conference.

The fact it prolonged survival at all suggests it is worth testing earlier in the course of the disease to see whether those patients fare better, he said. But for people whose lung cancer has come back, he said, "I'd try something else that's cheaper" first.

Other doctors were more positive.

"It's exciting to see progress in this disease where the steps are small but cumulative," said Dr. Gregory Masters of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center in Newark, Delaware, and an ASCO spokesman.

LEUKEMIA

The value of another expensive drug seemed clearer, doctors said. Imbruvica won approval earlier this year for treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia based on a small study that found it delayed the time until the disease got worse.

Ohio State University's Dr. John C. Byrd led a more definitive study in nearly 400 patients who did not respond or had a relapse after standard chemo. They were given Imbruvica or Arzerra, a GlaxoSmithKline drug often used in such cases.

One-year survival was 90 percent for those on Imbruvica and 81 percent for those originally assigned to get Arzerra. Imbruvica also reduced the chances of the disease getting worse by 78 percent.

The results were especially impressive because patients on Arzerra were allowed to switch to Imbruvica early in the study once its benefit became apparent. Treatment costs $8,200 a month.

The drug "may transform the treatment of CLL," said Masters, the oncology society spokesman.

OVARIAN CANCER

Ovarian cancer usually is treated with surgery and chemo but about 80 percent of patients relapse, said Dr. Joyce Liu of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

She led a federally funded study of 90 such women to test cediranib, a drug that blocks tumor blood vessel formation, plus olaparib, part of a new class of experimental drugs called PARP inhibitors, which keep cancer cells from repairing damage to their DNA.

The ovarian cancer study was the first time these two drugs had been tested together. The combo delayed by more than eight months the time it took for the disease to get worse compared to olaparib alone.

It's too soon to know whether the combo will prolong survival; participants are still being tracked.

Cediranib seemed headed for the scrap heap after failing studies on lung and colon cancer, but this is the second study to suggest it works against ovarian cancer. AstraZeneca said it may seek the drug's approval for ovarian cancer later this year.

The price of either drug has not been set.

Study participant Ann Marie McEnelly, 61, of Brockton, Massachusetts, said the combo eliminated several of her tumors and dramatically shrank some others. Her cancer had spread from her ovaries to lymph nodes and her abdominal wall.

"It's amazing. My husband and I are thrilled to be part of the study," she said. "I'm able to work full time. I play golf, do things, watch my grandkids, pretty much do everything I did before."

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Online:

Cancer info: http://www.cancer.net and http://tinyurl.com/o5p6ahb

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Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

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Mickelson says he's cooperating in trading probe

DUBLIN, Ohio — Hall of Fame golfer Phil Mickelson said he is cooperating in an insider trading investigation involving him, activist investor Carl Icahn and Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters. The five-time major champion maintains he has done nothing wrong.

Mickelson's manager confirmed Saturday that the investigation was the same outlined in reports in several newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal.

The newspapers report that federal investigators are looking into the trading patterns of Mickelson and Walters involving two stocks. The reports say the FBI and Securities and Exchange Commissioner are analyzing trades Mickelson and Walters made involving Clorox about the time Icahn was attempting to take over the company.

The newspapers cited unidentified people who had been briefed on the investigation. The Associated Press could not immediately confirm details of the probe. The Justice Department and SEC declined comment.

Mickelson, one of the most popular figures in golf, was playing at the Memorial was not available for comment until after his round Saturday.

"I have done absolutely nothing wrong," Mickelson said in a statement. "I have cooperated with the government in this investigation and will continue to do so. I wish I could fully discuss this matter, but under the current circumstances it's just not possible."

The reports say the investigation is looking at Clorox trading in 2011. Icahn accumulated a 9.1 percent stake in Clorox in early 2011, and that summer made a $10.2 billion offer for the company that caused the stock value to rise. Icahn's bid for Clorox ended in September 2011.

The newspapers say Mickelson and Walters placed their Clorox trades about the same time in 2011. Federal officials are looking into whether Icahn shared information of his Clorox takeover bid with Walters, and whether Walters passed that information on to Mickelson.

The reports say investigators also are examining trades by Mickelson and Walters involving Dean Foods Co. in 2012.

Icahn, 78, is one of Wall Street's most successful corporate raiders, famous for buying stock in underperforming companies, pressuring them to reform and selling out for a fat profit. In recent years, his targets have included Apple Inc., EBay and Dell Inc. His efforts have made him one of America's richest people: Forbes magazine puts his net worth at more than $20 billion, making him the 18th-wealthiest American.

In the 1980s, he pioneered so-called greenmail raids in which financiers threatened companies with hostile takeovers unless they were paid a premium to go away.

Walters is a high-stakes gambler and developer who owns The Walters Group. The company operates several golf courses. He has said he earns $15 million a year gambling on sports.

Mickelson, 43, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. He goes to the U.S. Open next month in North Carolina with a chance to become only the sixth golfer to capture all four major championships.

Mickelson has long had a reputation to gamble, though he has said he scaled back his habit after his son, Evan, was born in 2003 following a troublesome pregnancy. The most publicized payoff was when Mickelson and friends won $560,000 on a preseason bet (28-1 odds) that the Baltimore Ravens would win the 2001 Super Bowl.

On the golf course, he has a long history of playing money games during the practice rounds. He occasionally gets a group of players and caddies together for dinner and small wagering during the NBA and NHL playoffs, and prominent fights.

A year ago, Mickelson was criticized for public comments that tax increases in California kept him from being part of the San Diego Padres' new ownership group and might cause him to leave his native state. He said his federal and state taxes amount to over 60 percent.

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