Nomura bought the Lehman operations late last year after thecollapse of the Wall Street bank (LEHMQ.PK). Ahead of the results on Friday, Nomura shares closed up 1.2percent, while the benchmark Nikkei .N225 fell 1.6 percent. (Reporting by Junko Fujita) Stocks Bonds Global Markets Japan. So Lou Piniella is calming down with age, huh?  All the talk that Sweet Lou has turned, well, sweet, seems to have been premature.  Piniella seems to have jumped the gun concerning starting pitcher Rich Hill.  Hill, one of the most consistent performers in last year's Cubs' rotation, is rumored to be out after another subpar performance on Friday resulting in a 5-3 Cub loss.  After the game Piniella said, "Hill can't start like this in the big leagues.  C'mon. Every time he pitches it's an adventure."He's doing his best, but we have no bullpen. I don't know what the solution is, but I can't start him any more until this thing gets taken care of."Okay.  So Hill lasted a feeble two-thirds of an inning on Friday Yes He has 18 walks in 19.2 innings this year Sure. He has contributed to increased innings for an already taxed bullpen.

But to take him out of the starting rotation a month into the season?  This doesn't seem right.Last year, in his first full season, Hill pitched 195 innings in 32 starts.  He accumulated 183 strikeouts and a 3.92 ERA.  He ended up with an 11-8 record despite being one of the pitchers with the worst run support in the league.  As the Cubs' third starter, one would think the team and its manager would be ecstatic with those numbers.  Despite the walks, Hill's overall performance thus far does not support a demotion.Hill started the year on a high note, pitching six innings and allowing only two runs in his first start.  After one bad start, he pitched five innings in each of his next two starts, allowing three total runs. Even after Friday's disaster, his ERA is only 4.12.  Not to mention that Piniella hasn't given Hill a consistent schedule.  Twice this season Sweet Lou has made Hill wait eight days between starts once due to his performance and once because he didn't want Hill to face the Brewers.Does a proven starter with a 4.12 ERA after five spaced-out starts deserve a demotion to the bullpen, or even to the minor leagues?  Of course not.  A right-minded manager should be aggravated with Hill's performance so far, but should continue sending him out every fifth day to give him a chance to regain his consistency. Tampa bay uses a website to get fans ready for Steven Stamkos.Learn more about Steven Stamkos here. Watch what happens when the NHL players go on a road trip.Marian Gaborik has minor surgery.Questions that need to be answered by the Avalanche.Team Canada wins World Championship opener.Will the Price be right tonight for the Canadiens? Habs fans sure hope so.The Calgary Flames sign Mikael Backlund.A little history: Jennifer Conway writes aboutthe professional hockey's first dynasty.Win or lose, businesses in Montreal are ready for the fans.Sharks force a sixth game Is San Jose making a come back?Team U.S.A. wins opener in World Championship.Dany Heatley makes history at the World Championship opener.  . HELSINKI, April 24 (Reuters) - Finnish mining technologyfirm Outotec (OTE1V.HE) said on Friday: * Outotec (OTE1V.HE) Q1 EBIT 16.3 mln euros vs 15 mln avgfcast in Reuters poll * Q1 sales 231.6 mln euros vs 192 mln fcast in poll * Q1 order intake 139.3 mln euros vs 137 mln in poll * Repeats outlook for 2009. This is the second of 11 articles targeting all position situations for the Buffalo Bills entering the 2008 season.

The second entry will deal with the wide receiver position. Speed, agility, power, size. This is what the '08 receiving core will bring to the table for the Buffalo Bills.Lee Evans is an outstanding receiver Everyone already knows this. His game against the Texans in 2006 in which he caught two 83-yard touchdown passes in route to a 24-21 victory, demonstrated his ability to step up and be "The Man" for the Buffalo Bills, whomever the quarterback is. Evans created a small buzz around the city when he implied that he would have rather had Losman throwing him the ball than Edwards.

This is mostly because when Losman is on the field, he is willing to take the risk of looking for Evans beyond 30 yardsdown field, a risk that Edwards wasn't ready to take in his rookie campaign. Evans will once again take up two sets of eyes this year, except this year there'll be another reliable option for the quarterback. Josh Reed had problems in his first two seasons with a Bills jersey on his back He dropped balls that hit him square in the numbers. He also was criticized last season for a questionablecurl-up at the end of a meaningless game, seemingly too scared of getting hit to stay midair. However, all public criticisms aside, Reed made the decision in himself that he was not going to let his career fizzle out so soon. He chose to work doubly hard and come back in '07 with vengeance in his heart. Giving his quarterback a solid target, he also showed the willingness to cross the field. He will perform well in slot, and opposite Evans when needed. Roscoe Parrish has won himself a place in the hearts of Buffalo fans with his outstanding returning ability.