A block trade is a permissible, noncompetitive, privately negotiated transaction either at or exceeding an exchange determined minimum threshold quantity of shares, which is executed apart and away from the open outcry or electronic markets.^[1] In the United States and Canada a block trade is usually at least 10,000 shares of a stock or $200,000 of bonds but in practice significantly larger.^[2]

For instance, a hedge fund holds a large position in Company X and would like to sell it completely. If this were put into the market as a large sell order, the price would sharply drop—by definition, the stake was large enough to affect supply and demand. Instead, the fund may arrange for a block trade with another company through an investment bank, benefiting both parties: the selling fund gets a more attractive purchase price, while the purchasing company can negotiate a discount off the market rates. Unlike large public offerings, for which it often takes months to prepare the necessary documentation, block trades are usually carried out at short notice and closed quickly.

Block trading is a useful measure for analysts in order to assess where institutional investors are pricing a stock. Because in a merger or acquisition, a bid needs to "clear the market" (i.e. enough shareholders need to tender), it is most useful to see at what prices large blocks of stock are trading. These prices imply what the largest shareholders are willing to sell their shares for; therefore, in block trading analysis, small trades are ignored to avoid skewing the data.

See also[link]

• Program trading
• Algorithmic trading

References[link]

External links[link]

• The NYSE is the Leader in Block Trading
• The information value of block trades in a limit order book market

Annaleigh Ashford
Born	Annaleigh Swanson (1985-06-25) June 25, 1985 (age 27) Denver, Colorado
Occupation	Stage, film actress
Website
www.annaleighashford.com

Annaleigh Ashford (born June 25, 1985) is an American actress known for her Broadway credits in Wicked, Legally Blonde, and Hair.

Early life[link]

Annaleigh Ashford was born Annaleigh Swanson in Denver, Colorado to Holli Swanson, a gym teacher. She studied at Denver's Kit Andre Performing Arts Center and acted and sang in numerous performances in her hometown until she graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in three years at the age of 16. She then attended Marymount Manhattan College, where she earned a degree in theater in another three years at the age of 19.

Career[link]

Ashford's professional career began at age nine, when she was cast as the lead in Ruthless at Theatre on Broadway. At fourteen, she was profiled as “The Teen to Watch” by the Rocky Mountain News. She performed in Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s Feeling Electric as Natalie, and joined Rent's Anthony Rapp at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

In 2004, while hanging around in NYC's Lower East Side club scene, Ashford met nightlife personality Lady Starlight, a local rock DJ and performance artist. Lady Starlight invited the budding starlet to dance at her 70's glitter rock party "Lady Starlight's English Disco", and christened her Hollywood Starr.

Soon after graduating from college, Ashford got her big break performing in the ensemble and understudying the role of Glinda on the First National Tour of Wicked. She joined the cast in December 2005 and left in September 2006. She then originated the role of Margot in Legally Blonde: The Musical, her Broadway debut. She also understudied the lead role of Elle Woods. She was featured on the original cast recording and appeared in the MTV televised airing. She left the show in September 2007.

She then returned to Wicked, this time playing the lead role of Glinda in the Broadway production. She replaced Kendra Kassebaum on October 9, 2007.^[1] She departed the company on May 11, 2008 when Kassebaum returned to the role, and transferred to the Chicago production, replacing Kate Fahrner as Glinda on June 3, 2008.^[2] She played her final performnance as Glinda on January 25, 2009, when the Chicago production closed.^[3]

She worked on a musical adaptation of Catch Me if You Can as Brenda Strong. She previously did a staged reading for the project this past summer under the Tony Award-winning director of Hairspray, Jack O'Brien. In 2008, she made her film debut with a small part in Sex and the City: The Movie playing a "spoiled label queen." She also appeared in the film, Rachel Getting Married as a counter girl.^[4]

Recently, Ashford played Wednesday Addams in the staged reading for musical adaptation to The Addams Family with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, but she was later replaced by Krysta Rodriguez.^[5] On the Teen.com mini-series "Haute and Bothered" as McKenzie, an aspiring fashion designer.

In 2009 it was announced that Ashford would take place as one of the principal characters and singers in the new vaudeville styled Cirque du Soleil show, 'Banana Shpeel'. However, even following a national television broadcast on America's Got Talent, it was announced that Ashford and her colleague Michael Longoria were no longer in the cast of the show. Publicists announced that the two leading vocalists had fallen victims of a creative decision to remove large portions of dialogue from the show, therefore making their characters non-existent. Ashford was originally slated to stay in the production from its premier in Chicago until sometime in 2010.

Ashford most recently starred as Jeanie in the Broadway revival of Hair. She succeeded Kacie Sheik in the role from March 9, 2010 through June 27, 2010 when the production closed.^[6]

Ashford is currently playing Maureen Johnson in the Off-Broadway revival of Rent, which began July 14, 2011.^[7]

In February 2012, Ashford will make a cameo in the new NBC TV-show Smash starring Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty.

Readings[link]

In September 2010, Ashford played Veronica Sawyer in a concert in New York City of the new musical Heathers.^[8]

In November 2010, Ashford was part of a reading of the musical Carrie.^[9]

In December 2010, she participated in a "creative workshop" reading of the stage musical version of Diner, as Beth.^[10]

Other readings include, The Addams Family, Catch Me If You Can, Bring It On and Pal Joey.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Annaleigh Ashford

Official website

• Annaleigh Ashford - Approved Fansite
• Annaleigh Ashford at the Internet Broadway Database
• Annaleigh Ashford at the Internet Movie Database

Larry Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald in 2006
No. 11     Arizona Cardinals
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: (1983-08-31) August 31, 1983 (age 28)
Place of birth: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school: Academy of Holy Angels
College: Pittsburgh
NFL Draft: 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
Debuted in 2004 for the Arizona Cardinals
Career history
Arizona Cardinals (2004–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Consensus All-American (2003) Fred Biletnikoff Award (2003) Paul Warfield Trophy (2003) Walter Camp Award (2003) 6× Pro Bowl (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) 4× All-Pro (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011) NFC receiving yards leader (2008) NFC Champion (2008) Pro Bowl MVP (2009)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Receptions 693 Receiving Yards 9,615 Receiving TDs 73 Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com

Larry Sean Fitzgerald, Jr. (born August 31, 1983) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL), and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career (76.0 yds/game), behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison. He agreed to an eight year, $120 million contract extension on August 20, 2011.^[1] Fitzgerald was drafted third overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Cardinals. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh.

College career[link]

Fitzgerald attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he played for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team. He was widely considered one of the best wide receivers in college football. After his sophomore season, Fitzgerald was recognized as the best player in the NCAA with the 2003 Walter Camp Award and the Touchdown Club of Columbus's Chic Harley Award, and as the best wide receiver in college football with the 2003 Biletnikoff Award and the Touchdown Club's Paul Warfield Award. He was also a unanimous 2003 All-America selection and a runner-up for the prestigious Heisman Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in college football; Oklahoma's Jason White won that award by a relatively slim margin.

In just 26 games with the Panthers, Fitzgerald caught 161 passes for 2,677 yards^[2] and set a new Pitt record with 34 receiving touchdowns.^[3] He was the first player in school history with back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons,^[4] and his 14 games with at least 100 yards receiving broke Antonio Bryant's previous all-time Panthers record of 13.^[5]

Fitzgerald also holds an NCAA record with at least one touchdown catch in 18 straight games.^[2]

Professional career[link]

Pre-draft[link]

Although Fitzgerald had played at Pitt for only two years without redshirting, he petitioned the NFL to allow him to enter the 2004 NFL Draft, as he had left his high school, Academy of Holy Angels, during his senior year to attend Valley Forge Military Academy. The NFL granted an exception to allow Fitzgerald to enter the draft, as Fitzgerald had convinced the NFL that the time he spent at the Academy, combined with his time at Pitt, was the minimum three years removed from high school to make him eligible for the draft. Although former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett was suing the NFL at the time to overturn the rule (a case Clarett ultimately won, but was later overturned on appeal), the NFL considered Fitzgerald's case separate from Clarett's.^[6]

Arizona Cardinals[link]

Fitzgerald left the University of Pittsburgh after a tremendous sophomore year in which he caught 92 passes for 1,672 yards and 22 TDs. He was drafted third overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, whose then coach, Dennis Green, knew Fitzgerald from his time as a Vikings ball boy.

In 2004, Fitzgerald had 58 receptions for 780 yards and 8 touchdowns. On December 12, 2004, Fitzgerald became the youngest player at 21 years and 110 days, to record at least 2 touchdown receptions in a single game. In 2005 he led the NFL with 103 receptions for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns and was named to his first Pro Bowl. Fitzgerald teamed with Anquan Boldin to create one of the most dangerous wide receiver tandems in the NFL. In 2005, they became only the third duo from the same team to each catch over 100 passes and also the third pair of teammates to top the 1,400-yard mark.

In 2006, Fitzgerald was injured and missed part of the season but still produced 69 receptions for 946 yards and 6 touchdowns. As part of his 2007 Pro Bowl season, he caught 100 receptions for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns. Following the 2007 season Fitzgerald signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension with Arizona. While still under contract at the time, performance bonuses forced the team's hand into a massive extension.^[7] Fitzgerald's numbers earned him the nickname "Sticky Fingers" and "The Best Hands in the NFL" in local media.^[8]

During the NFC Championship for the 2008 NFL season, Fitzgerald tied an NFL record with three touchdown receptions in a playoff game. His three touchdown catches occurred in the first half; he became the first player in NFL history to accomplish that feat in a conference championship game.^[9] Fitzgerald also set a single postseason record with 546 receiving yards, 30 receptions, and 7 touchdown receptions, surpassing Jerry Rice's records of the 1988–89 NFL playoffs. He and the Cardinals represented the NFC in Super Bowl XLIII.^[10][11] During Super Bowl XLIII, Fitzgerald caught two touchdown passes in the Cardinals 27–23 loss to the Steelers.^[12] Fitzgerald followed up this performance by catching two more touchdown passes in the 2009 Pro Bowl, earning him MVP honors.^[13] After the Pro Bowl was over it was revealed that Fitzgerald had been playing at least the whole postseason with a broken left thumb as well as torn cartilage in the same hand. It is speculated that Fitzgerald has had this injury since November 5, 2008, when he showed up on the injury report with an injured thumb.^[14] After his record-breaking postseason, capped by his Pro Bowl MVP award, many analysts, including NFL Network's Jamie Dukes, regarded Fitzgerald as one of the best receivers in the NFL.^[15][16]

Despite having about 300 yards less than the year before, he set a personal record with 13 touchdowns in 2009. He added two more touchdown catches in the Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers in a 51–45 win. However, the Cardinals were eliminated the next week, beaten 45–14 by the New Orleans Saints.

The 2010 season for the Cardinals was a major let down from the previous two years, as the retiring of Kurt Warner greatly affected their offense. Despite this, Fitzgerald was still able to catch 90 passes for 1,137 yards, and 6 touchdowns. After the season he was named to his 5th Pro Bowl, and his 4th in a row.

Larry Fitzgerald signed an 8-year $120 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals on August 20, 2011 that makes him tied with Richard Seymour as the 5th highest paid player in the NFL. That season he would catch 80 passes for 1,411 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Statistics[link]

Personal[link]

Fitzgerald's father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., is a sportswriter for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. When he covered Super Bowl XLIII, he was believed to be the first reporter to cover his own son in a Super Bowl.^[17]

Fitzgerald also has a younger brother, Marcus R. Fitzgerald. Marcus is an American football wide receiver for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.

Fitzgerald's mother, Carol, died of a brain hemorrhage while being treated for breast cancer in 2003.^[18]

In December 2008, Angela Nazario, a former Oakland Raiders cheerleader and the mother of Fitzgerald's child, filed for and won an order of protection against Fitzgerald, alleging that he had shoved her during a domestic disturbance. No charges were filed.^[19] Fitzgerald's father claimed that Nazario made the accusations in an attempt "to get a lot of money," and his lawyers have said that they cannot discuss the case because a judge had it sealed.^[18] In January 2010, Fitzgerald appeared in a television commercial saying that he was completing his college degree at the University of Phoenix while also playing football many weekends at the Arizona Cardinals' University of Phoenix Stadium.

In the media[link]

Fitzgerald was featured on the cover of the EA Sports video game NCAAF 2005. He was also one of two players (with Troy Polamalu) who are on the cover of Madden 2010.^[20] This makes him one of two people (along with Shaun Alexander) in the history of the EA Sports American Football games to appear on two different covers.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Larry Fitzgerald

• Official website
• Larry Fitzgerald on Twitter
• Larry Fitzgerald on Facebook
• Arizona Cardinals bio
• Larry Fitzgerald on ESPN.com
• Larry Fitzgerald Heisman promotional video on YouTube
• WQED OnQ feature on Larry Fitzerald's Pittsburgh legacy
• Larry Fitzgerald featured in the Music Business Journal

Ben Wallace

Ben Wallace in 2009.
No. 6 – Detroit Pistons
Center / Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1974-09-10) September 10, 1974 (age 37) White Hall, Alabama
Nationality	American
High school	Central HS (Hayneville, Alabama)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
College	Cuyahoga CC (1992–1994) Virginia Union (1994–1996)
Pro career	1996–present
Career history
1996–1999	Washington Bullets / Wizards
1999–2000	Orlando Magic
2000–2006	Detroit Pistons
2006–2008	Chicago Bulls
2008–2009	Cleveland Cavaliers
2009–present	Detroit Pistons
Career highlights and awards
NBA Champion (2004) 4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2002–2003, 2005–2006) 4× NBA All-Star (2003–2006) 3× All-NBA Second Team (2003–2004, 2006) 2× All-NBA Third Team (2002, 2005) 2× NBA Rebounding Champion (2002, 2003) NBA blocks leader (2002) 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2002–2006) NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2007)

Ben Camey Wallace (born September 10, 1974) is an American basketball center for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA. A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University and signed with the Washington Bullets (later Wizards) as an undrafted free agent in 1996. In his NBA career, Wallace has also played the power forward position and with the Washington Bullets/Wizards, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, and Cleveland Cavaliers teams.

He has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, a record he shares with Dikembe Mutombo. In six seasons with the Pistons (2000–2006), Wallace made two NBA Finals appearances (2004 and 2005) and won a championship with the Pistons in 2004.

Early life[link]

Ben Wallace was born in White Hall, Alabama, a small town in Lowndes County, and is the tenth of eleven children. He later attended Central High School in Hayneville where he received all-state honors in basketball, baseball, and football (as a linebacker). Former basketball player Charles Oakley is Wallace's mentor, having discovered Wallace at a 1991 basketball camp, and later recommended Wallace to his previous college, Virginia Union.

College career[link]

Wallace first played college basketball on the junior college level at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland for two years. There, staples of Wallace's defensive prowess were shown as he averaged 17.0 rebounds and 6.9 blocks per game. He then transferred to Virginia Union, a Division II school, where he studied criminal justice. Wallace averaged 13.4 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game as a member of the Virginia Union Panthers, whom he led to the Division II Final Four and a 28–3 record.^[1] As a senior, Wallace was named to the First-Team All CIAA and was selected as a First Team All-American (Div. II) by the NABC. Wallace was a letterman in football, baseball, basketball and track. He won All-State honors in all but track.

NBA career[link]

Early career[link]

As an undrafted player, he was signed as a rookie free agent by the Washington Bullets on October 2, 1996 after playing in Italy. In 1999, Wallace was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Tim Legler, Terry Davis, and Jeff McInnis for Ike Austin.

Detroit Pistons[link]

On August 3, 2000, he was traded along with Chucky Atkins to the Detroit Pistons for Grant Hill, in what was at the time considered a one-sided trade; Hill had planned to sign with Orlando as an unrestricted free agent, but the sign and trade deal allowed Hill to receive a slightly more lucrative contract while Detroit received at least some compensation for losing its marquee player. Since the trade, Wallace won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, and 2005–06 seasons, and was selected to six All-Defensive teams. In the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons, he led the league in both rebounds and blocked shots, the first to do so since Hakeem Olajuwon. In 2003, he was voted by fans to the first of his four NBA All-Star Game appearances as a center for the Eastern Conference.

Near the end of a November 2004 game against the Indiana Pacers, Wallace responded to a foul by Indiana's Ron Artest by shoving Artest, which eventually led to the Pacers–Pistons brawl, involving both players and spectators. Wallace was suspended for six games, and his brother David Wallace, received a year of probation and community service for punching Indiana players in the stands.^[2]

Wallace during his tenure with the Bulls

The game was a rematch of the heated Eastern Conference finals which the Detroit Pistons won on their way to the 2004 NBA Finals where they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 on the back of Wallace's effective and strong defense against a declining but still dominant Shaquille O'Neal.

The Pistons began a tradition of sounding a deep chime whenever "Big Ben" scored or recorded a block on Detroit's home court, The Palace of Auburn Hills – an allusion to the original Big Ben in London. (The Bulls and Cavaliers continued the gimmick during his respective tenures with Chicago and Cleveland).

Chicago Bulls[link]

On July 3, 2006, Wallace agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal with the Chicago Bulls.^[3] Chicago Bulls coach Scott Skiles had a strict "no-headband" policy, but decided to make an exception for Wallace when his teammates voted in favor of allowing him to keep the signature headband.^[4] During his two-year run in Chicago, Wallace battled with various knee injuries and averaged 5.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.0 blocks per game.

Cleveland Cavaliers[link]

Wallace during his tenure with the Cavs

On February 21, 2008, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team deal that included the Seattle SuperSonics and the Chicago Bulls.^[5] The deal moved Wallace to the power forward position with Zydrunas Ilgauskas as the starting center. Following the trade, Wallace played in 22 regular season games (all starts). In 26.3 minutes, he averaged 4.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. In 72 total regular season games Wallace averaged 4.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.^[6] Wallace had a Cavalier regular season high of 12 points on February 24, 2008 against the Memphis Grizzlies, and had regular season Cavalier highs of 15 rebounds against the Charlotte Bobcats and four blocks against the Orlando Magic.^[7] In the 2008 playoffs, Wallace played in 13 games (all starts) and averaged 3.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.^[6] He had his playoff high of 12 rebounds in Game 4 win against the Washington Wizards in the first round of the NBA playoffs.^[7] On November 25, 2008, Wallace grabbed his 9,000th career rebound and blocked his 1,900th career shot.

On June 25, 2009, Wallace was traded to the Phoenix Suns with Sasha Pavlović, a second round draft pick and $500k for Shaquille O'Neal.^[8] On July 13, 2009, the Suns bought out Wallace's $14 million contract, saving $8 million in the process. Wallace actually received $10 million but Phoenix was in luxury tax so the savings were effectively doubled.

Return to Pistons[link]

On August 7, 2009, Wallace agreed to re-sign with the Pistons as a free agent to a 1-year deal. He formerly wore #3 with the Pistons, but changed his jersey to #6 upon his return, allowing Rodney Stuckey to keep that number. On July 11, 2010, Wallace agreed to a 2-year deal with the Pistons.^[9]

On August 4, 2010, Wallace was re-signed by the Pistons.^[10] On November 30, 2010, in a 90-79 road loss to the Orlando Magic, Wallace surpassed the 10,000 rebound mark for his career, becoming the 34th player in NBA history to achieve that mark.

On December 22, 2010, in a 115–93 road win over the Raptors, Wallace played his 1,000th game becoming the 95th player in NBA history to achieve this record.

On February 14, 2012, Wallace played his 1055th game, passing the record held by Avery Johnson for most games by an undrafted player.^[11] The same night, Wallace announced his plan to retire at the end of the 2011-12 season.

Player profile[link]

Ben Wallace primarily plays the center position despite being somewhat undersized. Wallace is listed at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), 240 lbs, a frame that is more suited for a forward rather than a true center. He, himself, admits his actual height is 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m).^[12] However, Wallace's long wingspan, brute strength, tenacity, and keen ball awareness make up for his lack of height at the center position. As a result, he is lauded for his prolific rebounding and shot blocking,^[12] having been voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times. Unfortunately, Wallace lacks solid offensive scoring skills, with most of his points coming from offensive put-backs, baskets in transition, or other high-percentage field goals. His most problematic area on offense is his free throw shooting. Wallace's career free throw shooting percentage has never exceeded 50%.^[13] This has often led teams to foul him much like the Hack-a-Shaq defense.^[14]

Personal life[link]

Wallace is married to Chanda and is the father of two sons, Ben Jr. and Bryce, and one daughter, Bailey.^[15] Wallace appeared on the cover of ESPN NBA 2K5. An inflatable basketball training aid of Wallace's likeness, called the Inflatable Defender, is manufactured by PlayAir Systems. His sneaker, the Big Ben was released November 5, 2007 under Stephon Marbury's Starbury label and sold for $14.98 at Steve & Barry's stores.^[16] Fans often arrived at games sporting wigs in honor of his trademark afro hairstyle.^{[citation needed]} However, he usually only had the afro for home games; for away games, he had his hair styled into cornrows.^{[citation needed]} In 2011, Wallace was arrested and charged with DWI and carrying a concealed weapon.^[17] Wallace noted to Arda Ocal of The Score Television Network that he is a fan of professional wrestling, citing some of his favourite wrestlers as Andre the Giant, Big John Studd, Hulk Hogan and John Cena.^[18]

Honors and statistical highs[link]

Wallace is honored with the Pistons at the White House for the team's victory in the 2004 NBA Finals.

• NBA Champion: 2004
• 4× NBA All-Star: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• 4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
• 6× All-NBA Defensive Team:

• First Team: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• Second Team: 2007

• 5× All-NBA:

• Second Team: 2003, 2004, 2006
• Third Team: 2002, 2005

• 2× NBA regular-season leader, rebounds per game: 2002 (13.0), 2003 (15.4)
• NBA regular-season leader, blocks per game: 2002 (3.5)
• 2× NBA regular-season leader, total rebounds: 2001 (1052), 2003 (1026)
• NBA regular-season leader, total defensive rebounds: 2001 (749)
• 2× NBA regular-season leader, total offensive rebounds: 2003 (293), 2006 (301)
• NBA regular-season leader, total blocks: 2002 (278)

NBA career statistics[link]