COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Relax, Ohio motorists. Gas prices are moving back down.

After hovering around $4 a gallon for a couple weeks because of refinery problems in the Great Lakes region, prices at the pump have fallen.

The state average for a gallon of regular gas was $3.74 in Monday's survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. That's down 18 cents less than at the same time last week.

The Ohio price is still 13 cents higher than the national average. And it's 2 cents higher than at the same time last month.

Refinery problems in Indiana and Illinois were blamed for pushing gas prices in the region to the highest in the continental United States in recent weeks.

Two days?

Not a lot to go on there, either, as Tebow spent much of Wednesday's session watching Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett run drills while he tried to absorb the new system he was thrust into when he signed with New England this week.

"We're not going to get into a minute-by-minute evaluation of a player," Belichick said. "I don't think that's the way to go, especially at this time of year."

Robert Kraft wasn't as reluctant to size up Tebow's much maligned throwing motion after the second day of the three-day minicamp.

"He's a lot better than I am," the Patriots' 72-year-old owner said, his grin growing as he spoke.

And, at least in Kraft's mind, probably better than he's given credit for.

Kraft had strolled onto the field late in Tebow's first practice with the Patriots on Tuesday. The high-profile player discarded by the Denver Broncos and New York Jets had rolled out to throw short passes while on the run and dropped back to heave long passes into the end zone.

"I was just out there for a short period, but to me, he looked pretty good," Kraft said. "It's fun having him here. I think that Tom Brady throws pretty well and I also think Ryan Mallett does the same. So it's nice to have three quarterbacks who can throw very well."

After Tebow practiced for the second time, Brady wasn't as eager to judge him.

"To get to this point, you obviously have to be talented," Brady said. "So I have a lot of respect for everyone that plays and, certainly, (for) what I've seen him do in the past."

For the second straight day, Tebow mostly watched as Brady and Mallett took turns running 7-on-7 drills. Late in the session, Tebow played in 11-on-11 situations and was hit-or-miss while running plays from his new playbook. After each one, he'd consult with assistant coach Brian Daboll, who referred to paper in his hand and instructed Tebow on what to do.

Tebow threw an accurate, low pass that wide receiver Chaz Schilens, in for a tryout, caught while hitting the ground. Schilens ran back toward the huddle and slapped hands with Tebow, who at least had something familiar in his new situation. He and Schilens were roommates last summer at the Jets training camp.

But a few plays later, Tebow threw an inaccurate pass that landed at the feet of a defender, who booted it back toward the line of scrimmage.

He'll get another chance at Thursday's final day of the three-day minicamp. Training camp won't start until late July.

"I think everybody out there is pretty much in the same boat, just trying to get better day by day," Belichick said. "Some guys are starting at different points. He's obviously starting at a point different than where other players were.

"They're all moving along."

Kraft praised Tebow for his competitiveness, hard work and spirituality. He called him a "winner" with a great attitude.

That, however, may not be enough as he tries to secure a regular-season roster spot.

"Having him as part of our franchise is great, but he has to compete just like anyone else," Kraft said. "He's just one of 90 people (in camp) right now, so I wonder if we haven't talked enough about him. But if you want to keep talking about him, we can do that."

And he did.

He said he was in on the discussions to sign Tebow.

"Look," Kraft said, "life is about collecting good people around you, who you like to have with you and who want to win. I think he like many of our other players fall in that category."

Tebow worked out only at quarterback during the two practices.

Brady thought for a moment when asked how he would feel if he had to come off the field if Belichick wanted to use a play designed for Tebow, a good runner.

"I have no idea," he said. "That's a very hypothetical question. So, maybe we'll deal with it if it happens."

Replacing one of the NFL's best quarterbacks with one who couldn't take playing time away from a struggling Mark Sanchez with the Jets last year is highly unlikely.

"In my mind, we have the greatest quarterback of all time on our team," Kraft said. "Every time he has the ball in his hand, we have a chance to do something great."

Tebow, of course, has accomplished much less than Brady. But he also brings a dimension that Kraft likes.

"He's hard-working. He's very cooperative. I don't think there's any coach that wouldn't like to have a team full of people like he is, sort of like Brady," Kraft said. "They're all business and you can't get enough people like that on your team.

"So, we're honored that he's with us."

The NBC soap opera that began airing in 1965 beat out defending champion "General Hospital" and three-time winner: The Bold and the Beautiful."

The category included the only four remaining soaps still airing on the broadcast networks against "One Life to Live," which has found new life on the Internet after being canceled.

"Days" only other drama series win was in 1978.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer sentiment edged off a six-year high in June while manufacturing output picked up a bit last month after two straight months of declines, suggesting the economy remains on a moderate growth path.

While other data on Friday showed wholesale prices jumped in May as gasoline and food prices rebounded, underlying inflation pressures were muted.

The reports come ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting next week where policymakers will discuss whether and when to start scaling back their $85 billion a month pace of bond buying.

Though the economy is showing resilience in the face of tighter fiscal policy in Washington, the pace of growth is unspectacular and inflation is well below the central bank's 2 percent target.

"The Fed is likely to maintain its current pace of securities purchases until later in the fall. There is no sign of inflation and growth is still moderate," said Gus Faucher, senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary index on consumer sentiment fell to 82.7 in June after touching a near six-year high of 84.5 in May.

June's reading was the second highest in the last eight months, suggesting Americans were far from gloomy about their long-term prospects.

"The proximity of the headline index to cycle highs continues to suggest that consumer attitudes remain positive, a likely positive factor for future consumer spending," said Gennadiy Goldberg, an economist at TD Securities in New York.

DOMESTIC DEMAND HELPING FACTORIES

While households appear to be weathering tighter fiscal policy, helped in part by rising home prices, the factory sector has taken a beating from spending cuts. It has also suffered from a recession in Europe that is weighing on global growth.

In a separate report, the Fed said factory output edged up 0.1 percent last month after two back-to-back declines. Overall industrial production was unchanged, held back by a big drop in utilities output.

"The slight improvement in May suggests improving domestic demand is helping offset the negative impact on exports of recent softening in overseas demand," said Ted Wieseman, an economist at Morgan Stanley in New York.

Separately, the Labor Department said the producer price index, a gauge of prices received by the nation's farms, factories and refineries, rose 0.5 percent in May after declining 0.7 percent in April.

Excluding volatile food and energy costs, however, wholesale ticked up only 0.1 percent for a second straight month.

In the 12 months through May, this so-called core PPI advanced 1.7 percent, the same as in April and March. The overall PPI was also up 1.7 percent after rising 0.6 percent in the period through April.

U.S. financial markets were little moved by the reports, with attention shifting to the Fed's meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Stocks on Wall Street were trading lower, while prices for U.S. government debt rose. The dollar was little changed against a basket of currencies.

Wholesale gasoline prices increased 1.5 percent last after dropping 6.0 percent in April, boosting energy prices. Energy prices accounted for more than 60 percent of the rise in PPI last month.

A record jump in egg prices pushed up food prices by 0.6 percent. The cost of food had dropped 0.8 percent in April. Egg prices accounted for 60 percent of the rise in the wholesale food index last month.

An increase in light truck prices accounted for almost two-thirds of the rise in core PPI in May.

"Producers are complaining that they have been unable to pass any increases in energy or food prices along to consumers," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago. "The result is an inflation rate that falls short of a healthy buffer zone for the overall economy."

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani, Additional reporting by Paige Gance in Washington and Leah Schnurr in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci, Tim Ahmann and Chizu Nomiyama)

"The deep has even more cool stuff than space," said Eric Stackpole, a researcher at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.

For instance, there's a possibility that alien life exists on , but scientists know for sure that hundreds or thousands of undiscovered species lurk beneath the waves, Stackpole said Sunday (May 19) here at the 2013 Maker Faire Bay Area, a two-day celebration of DIY science, technology and engineering. []

And its not just scientists who can do the discovering: Interested amateurs could launch an army of these DIY submarines to reveal the .

Stackpole is the co-founder of OpenROV, an organization that has created an open-source, underwater vehicle that can explore up to 328 feet (100 meters) beneath the ocean's surface.

Theis the size of a shoebox and is made with off-the-shelf, $10 electronics, such as thrusters and motors, and laser-cut acrylic. It wirelessly connects to a remote controller, and can descend at 3.28 feet (1 meter) per second.

So far, these rovers have plumbed the depths of the flooded Hall City Cave in northern California, which is rumored to harbor gold, and spent time at the Aquarius Underwater Laboratory off Key Largo, Fla., where aquanauts spend 10 days underwater. An open remotely operated vehicle (ROV) has even dived beneath the ice in the Ross Sea in Antarctica, where penguins also got cozy with the underwater vehicle.

Citizen science

The proliferation ofcould change how scientists explore the deep. The expense of building underwater robots has typically meant that researchers get grant money to answer existing questions about the ocean. But so much of the deep is unexplored that citizens could reveal many different insights simply by chance, Stackpole said.

"I don't think you have to ask questions to get answers," Stackpole told LiveScience. "I think the kind of things that we've discovered just by chance the transistor, penicillin were because people were just [looking] around and saw something interesting."

ROVs could also help researchers answer much bigger scientific questions than they previously could.

For instance, a marine biologist who wants to know what a specific species of sea creature looks like around the world could rally citizen scientists to deploy their ROVs to answer the question.

"We're in 50 countries, and we've been on every continent," Stackpole said. "Lets start exploring."

Follow Tia Ghose onand .FollowLiveScience , & . Original article on.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To celebrate Father's Day weekend, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy proudly announces the winners of the first annual Devotedly, Dad Letter contest. The foundation asked fathers and grandfathers to write letters to their children and grandchildren about the importance of literacy in their lives.

The foundation received hundreds of letters from across the country and selected two winners from almost every state. The winners will receive an autographed copy of President George H.W. Bush's book All the Best, My Life in Letters and Other Writings and a pair of the president's signature colorful socks.

"Literacy starts at home. We at the foundation encourage parents and grandparents to give the gift of reading and writing to their families," stated Liza McFadden, Executive Director of the Barbara Bush Foundation. "The fathers and grandfathers who submitted letters shared inspirational stories of their love of literacy, which is essential in building stronger families and communities."

Illiteracy is a growing crisis in the United States. Over 33 million adults can not read or write. The foundation is committed to ending illiteracy. Since 1989, the Barbara Bush Foundation has provided funding and support to nearly 1,000 family literacy programs across the country, where parents and their children learn together.

To view the winners by state or for more information, visit

Contact: Mercy Schlapp703-470-4794

SOURCE Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

Rikki Wills, 25, was one of the five drum majors who led Champion's funeral march, escorting his casket during the funeral.

Champion, 26, was a member of the college's famed "Marching 100" band when he collapsed and died Nov. 19, 2011 on a bus parked outside an Orlando, Fla., hotel after a football game.

The death was ruled a homicide and Champion's torso was covered with bruises that were inflicted during a brutal hazing ritual that contributed to his death, according to investigators.

Wills was sentenced to one year of "community control"--a formal name for house arrest--and five years of state probation.

In May, Wills pleaded no contest to felony hazing resulting in death and his attorney said he has "owned up to what his part was."

"He acknowledges that he was on the bus and he basically did a pull-through basically trying to help Robert stay on his feet and continue to the back of the bus as fast as possible so he didn't get struck," Wills' attorney William Hancock told ABCNews.com today after the sentencing.

"He felt he was doing everything he could to protect him," Hancock said.

Over 2,000 pages of evidence from the investigation into Champion's death were released by the Florida District Attorney's Office in May 2012, which delivered a blow-by-blow of the events from the night of Champion's death.

Champion endured a lethal pummeling down the aisle of a pitch-black bus that rocked from the force of the violence inside, according to the documents.

Champion struggled, with a female band member holding him back to prolong the punishment, through a gauntlet of band mates who used their fists, feet, straps and sticks to pound him into unconsciousness.

"Rikki felt that he had done everything he possibly could to talk Robert out of doing this and was acutely surprised when Robert participated in the hazing," Hancock said.

He added that he believes FAMU is more to blame than the students who participated in the hazing ritual.

"I really think the blame falls greater on the institution that perpetuated the hazing than the participants, but he certainly owned up to his personal responsibility," Hancock said.

Champion's parents traveled to Orange County, Fla., for the hearing from their home in Georgia. The Champion family's attorney was not immediately available for comment.

Thirteen FAMU band members were charged in relation to Champion's death.

The first defendant sentenced in Champion's death was, 24, who got two years of probation and 200 hours of community service in October 2012.

"The judge had stated that your part in Robert's death was really minimal, but you and I know that's not true," Champion's mother Pamela Champion told Jones in court. "It will always be there haunting you. We both know that."

Keith, who hit Carter during the second period of Tuesday's game with a retaliatory high stick in the face that required 20 stitches, was assessed a four-minute penalty for the play.

The ban will keep Keith, Chicago's top scoring defenseman, out of Thursday's Game Four of the best-of-seven series, which Chicago leads 2-1.

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)

Which means there are rarer things! Let's name the tiers after rarities. Because these days, it seems like the closer you own all year without any hiccups or doubt is a real rare gem.

Tier 1: Elite (4) (AKA: The "Back-to-Back No-Nos" Tier.)

Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta BravesAroldis Chapman, Cincinnati RedsJoe Nathan, Texas RangersMariano Rivera, New York Yankees

Johnny Vander Meer is the only man to ever manage this feat. In 1938. Baseball averages about two per season, and in 1938 one man did it twice. Pretty awesome.

All the guys on this list are pretty awesome, even if Aroldis Chapman did eat 13 Cuban pastries in one setting and then blow a save last week. That was a pretty bizarre game anyway: Delmon Young walked (!), then Cliff Lee ran for him (!), then Cliff Lee was caught stealing (!), then Erik Kratz tied the game with a bomb off Chapman (!), and then Freddy Galvis (!) won the game with a home run (!) and Chapman blew the save (!). Sometimes things happen (!!!).

Tier 2: Rock Steady (6) (AKA: The "Grand Slam on First Major League Pitch" Tier.)

Sergio Romo, San Francisco GiantsRafael Soriano, Washington NationalsTom Wilhelmsen, Seattle MarinersJason Grilli, Pittsburgh PiratesJonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia PhilliesJim Johnson, Baltimore OriolesRafael Betancourt, Colorado Rockies

Kevin Kouzmanoff is the only man to ever do this. But it's not quite as meaningful as the back-to-back no-nos. It requires a lot of luck for a rookie making his debut to get a pitch with the bases loaded -- and then jack it out. Kouzmanoff had a little help from Edinson Volquez that day, too.

Yeah Tom Wilhelmsen blew a save Monday. And yeah it was his fault. But not because of a pitch he threw. He just blew the coverage. After dropping the ball while covering first base and letting the Indians back into the game, he recovered and let Charlie Furbush finish blowing the game for the Mariners. What a tough series they had in Cleveland. At least fantasy managers probably noticed that it's Carter Capps that's now the clear-cut 8th-inning guy and Wilhelmsen handcuff. Not that he really needs one, but that's nice to know.

Jason Grilli almost blew a save. I'm not so worried, he's still got excellent velocity and peripherals. Jim Johnson blew a few saves. I won't drop him in the rankings yet, but it's worth noticing that Darren O'Day is probably next in line -- O'Day was used in the eighth, and that's usually the best sign. But velocity goes to Pedro Strop, who throws about eight miles per hour faster than O'Day. Then again, Strop is walking about two batters every three innings, and that's probably why he's not pitching the eighth inning. Johnson just had a bad couple of days, although that can happen when you allow too many balls into play.

What do we do about ranking Rafael Betancourt? His peripherals suggested he could be hurt, but now it's "just" a sore groin. He's undergoing an MRI today, and the results will either mean he misses a couple days, and should stay in this tier probably, or he's out for two weeks, and should drop. Rex Brothers has the velocity and strikeout rate, and the usage pattern favors him, too. He's next in line.

Tier 3: OK options (6) (AKA: The "Perfect Game" Tier.)

Casey Janssen, Toronto Blue JaysEdward Mujica, St. Louis CardinalsGrant Balfour, Oakland AthleticsAddison Reed, Chicago White SoxChris Perez, Cleveland IndiansGlen Perkins, Minnesota Twins

23 perfect games. And Phillip Humber has one. Seriously.

Look at the low-velocity leaders of the tier! They both have excellent control overall, but I'm still a little nervous about moving them up further in the rankings. Neither has an above-average strikeout rate among closers, for one. And Casey Janssen doesn't crack 90 on the gun, while Edward Mujica is throwing the split finger a whopping 64% of the time. That pitch doesn't have a great strike percentage -- if batters decide to look fastball and not swing at the split-finger let's just say there's some danger there, as awesome as everything looks right now. Three hits in his last ten outings! No walks! Maybe I'm crazy to be worried at all.

Glen Perkins blew a save yesterday, but it doesn't seem like a big deal. It was a game-tying solo job to Evan Gattis. Just a lousy home run in a tight spot. He had two strikeouts and no walks otherwise. But he does move down a bit in the tier because his low-scoring team doesn't look like they're going to provide him a ton of save opportunities.

Chris Perez deserves a dirty look. He would have blown two games in the Seattle series if his teammates hadn't picked him up. It's worth noticing that his whiff rate is back down to worse than his career rate, his control is wonky once again, and now he's giving up more than two home runs per nine innings. His ERA and WHIP looking fine, but there's some nastiness under the hood. Career-low fastball velocity probably doesn't help. Vinnie Pestano's numbers aren't quite what they used to be when we started touting him over Perez (man it's been a long time), but he's probably next in line still.

Read about the more volatile closer situations on the next page.

Tier 4: Question marks (7) (AKA: The "Cycle and the No-Hitter" Tier.)

Greg Holland, Kansas City RoyalsJim Henderson, Milwaukee BrewersBobby Parnell, New York MetsErnesto Frieri, Los Angeles AngelsAndrew Bailey, Boston Red SoxHeath Bell, Arizona DiamondbacksHuston Street, San Diego Padres

Hey, they've both happened about 300 times. Not quite a yawn, but in the context of this list congratulations to Mike Trout, that was a great feat.

Jim Henderson's story is great too, but very different than the wunderkind's. The 30-year-old found control late in his career and had a great (old) rookie season last year. Now he's refined that control even further, and his fastball is still leaving his hand at close to 95 miles per hour. John Axford has been pitching better recently, but with Hendo pitching the way he is, there's no reason to make a change.

On strikeouts and talent, Ernesto Frieri could be a tier ahead. He's got a double-digit strikeout rate, his team should give him saves, and he's not old or broken or old and broken like the trio behind him in the tier. That said, he's walking more than two for every three innings he pitches, and Ryan Madson is going to report to rehab this week. You have to think his old-school manager is a little nervous with all the walks.

Andrew Bailey is back, but his manager won't use him on back-to-backs right away, so maybe we can Junichi Tazawa that first save he deserves. How useful it was to call that Tazawa would be closer! He got one opportunity and blew it. He's still next in line -- the Koji Uehra save came after Tazawa threw a lot of pitches in a back-to-back -- and he might still get enough opportunities to make him useful in deep leagues. Bailey jumps a tier for his re-introduction because he has more leash than your average 'new' closer.

I can't hold my suspicions against Heath Bell much longer. His strikeout and walk rates are once again Heath-Bell-ian, and though his swinging strike rate is not quite vintage, and his velocity is at a career-low, it's not like David Hernandez is beating down the door. I'm not sure how much farther up the list Bell will go -- see the flaws above -- but his resurgence is another notch in Kevin Tower's notchful belt of reliever reclamation projects.

Huston Street's peripherals still suggest he's broken somehow. I'd be nervous.

Tier 5: Rollercoaster rides (6) (AKA: The "Mutliple Golden Sombreros Tier.)

Fernando Rodney (first chair), Joel Peralta (second chair), Tampa Bay RaysKenley Jansen (first chair), Brandon League (second chair), Los Angeles DodgersJose Valverde (first chair), Joaquin Benoit (second chair), Bruce Rondon (third chair), Detroit TigersSteve Cishek (first chair), A.J. Ramos (second chair), Mike Dunn (third chair), Miami MarlinsKevin Gregg (first chair), Kyuji Fujikawa (second chair), Chicago CubsJose Veras (first chair), Hector Ambriz (second chair), Houston Astros

Once again, we're in the low 300s for players that have struck out more than four times in one nine-inning game twice in their careers. But since it's a bad thing, it makes sense for them to lead this tier. Amazingly, it's not Dave Kingman atop this list. Bo Jackson had 17 such games and wow. Just another way Bo Jackson can make you shake your head.

I was prepared to put Joel Peralta in the first chair this week, but he's gotten two holds since he got his save, and he struggled in one of them. He's still getting his whiffs, and his overall rates, ratios and velocities look normal, and he's the eighth-inning guy most nights, but this team hasn't ever trusted him in the ninth for an extended period of time. Jake McGee has more velocity, but had struggled until a recent stretch of better control, and is a lefty. This is a murky situation, but Peralta is worth a speculative (cheap) add if you're looking for saves and aren't dropping anyone of note. Saves and Steals readers saw this one coming a mile away.

There was some grumbling that Kenley Jansen should have debuted on a higher tier -- and I do love him, so I heard it loud and clear -- but his last week serves as a reminder why I tend to have new closers debut in the bottom tier. Those last two appearances resulted in losses, and one of them even featured two home runs. It looks like Brandon League is back in the role, but we'll see. Because I like Kenley Jansen's stuff more, I'll leave him in the lead spot as we read the tea leaves. But League should be owned in saves leagues.

I still don't trust Jose Valverde. His walk rate is bad, his swinging strike rate is bad, and all of his luck statistics are through-the-roof good. His velocity is down again off his career worst, and his manager has already told him to get lost in a big moment. Is Brian Wilson healthy yet?

The Marlinsand nobody noticed. But the tree in that empty forest, Steve Cishek, is still worth owning. Those of you in deeper dynasty leagues should look at A.J. Ramos. His velocity is only a tick worse than Mike Dunn's, he's being used in the eighth in close games, and he's not a lefty like Dunn. He's got four or five pitches, decent control, and gets whiffs. He's an interesting young reliever, and even those in deeper redrafts should be looking at him right now.

Still don't believe in Kevin Gregg. Despite his nice strikeout and walk rates right now, it's only 11 innings, and the peripherals don't support those numbers. His swinging strike rate, velocity, first-strike rate, and reach rate are all sub-par. I've found these peripherals to be the best correlated with strikeout and walk rates in my research, and none of them support what he's doing right now. It's nice that he's added a splitter, but Kyuji Fujikawa has one too, and his peripherals are better across the board.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Injured

Ryan Madson (elbow), Los Angeles AngelsJason Motte (elbow), St. Louis CardinalsSergio Santos (elbow), Toronto Blue JaysJoel Hanrahan (forearm), Boston Red SoxJ.J. Putz (elbow), Arizona Diamondbacks

Ryan Madson is going to hit rehab this week. Everyone else save J.J. Putz is done for the year. I think J.J. Putz will be done for the year eventually. I am not a doctor. Rafael Betancourt might be here next week.

The Deposed

Carlos Marmol, Chicago CubsJohn Axford, Milwaukee BrewersMitchell Boggs, St. Louis Cardinals

Mitchell Boggs is back in the bigs but his problems remain. John Axford has been pitching well again, but the guy in front of him has been better.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Steals Department

Need steals in a shallow league? How about this dude named Mike Trout? Just kidding. He's a bum anyway. Assuming Brett Gardner is not available -- he does have forty-steal upside, he's proven that -- you might want to look into a platoon guy if you're in a daily league. Leonys Martin only faces righties, but he's percolating a little (.344 batting average over the past two weeks), and more importantly, he's starting to steal bases (five steals over the same time frame). He's a strange player because he's strong and fast, but he may not be really quick and skilled in a baseball fashion. He'll show average power, but once you correct for his platoon play, he might not hit more than ten home runs. He'll steal some bases, but once again, probably not more than 20. Then again, .280/10/20 is a really decent filler guy. Put him on your bench and slot him in when Andre Ethier is facing a lefty, or when your starters aren't playing. He'll help you tread water.

Here's the deep league part of The Steals Department, where we hold our nose and pick up a flawed player for stats we need. It looks like Pedro Florimon has taken the shortstop role in Minnesota for his own, and he has some wheels. He's stolen 10-20 bases every year -- once you combine the levels -- and he's nabbed six this year without a caught stealing. He's even bettered his contact rate, so he could actually hit as high as .260 in the batting average department. He probably won't hit more than five or six home runs on the year, but see the first sentence. He might actually steal 20 bags this year, and he's a warm body. He's even walking a little more than usual, so the runs total could be less than odious.

The Nikkei has been on a rollercoaster ride since last Thursday, when it plummeted more than 7 percent after interest rates on the country's benchmark 10-year bond spiked to above 1 percent for the first time in a year. The swing in Japanese bonds unnerved investors at a time when Japan's already overburdened government finances are vulnerable to rises in interest rates.

Overall, however, the index has soared 37 percent this year, a show of investor support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his aggressive policies aimed at reversing years of economic malaise and deflation.

The Nikkei 225 index rose 1.7 percent to 14,384.67 as the yen slipped against the dollar; the benchmark fell 3 percent on Tuesday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.1 percent to 22,717.86. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.4 percent to 1,986.14. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.3 percent to 4,975.50.

"It seems there is not too much momentum, but maybe some traders are doing some bargain hunting," said Linus Yip, strategist at First Shanghai Securities in Hong Kong.

Investors were also awaiting the release later Tuesday of data on U.S. consumer confidence and home prices. The data will be scrutinized for how it might influence the Fed, which is undertaking its third round of aggressive bond-buying to help the economy. Speculation that the U.S. central bank might scale back the program based on a recent improvement in some economic indicators has sparked jitters in stock markets.

"The next move of the Federal Reserve is still the question for most investors," said Yip.

The consumer confidence data will highlight the ongoing improvement in sentiment driven by both equity and housing wealth gains, said Mitul Kotecha of Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong in a market commentary. "In the debate about early Fed tapering the confidence data will err on the side reducing Fed asset purchases sooner rather than later."

Among individual stocks, Hong Kong-listed Fosun International jumped 3.6 percent, a day after the Shanghai-based investment company announced a proposal to buy out Club Mediterranee. Fosun and Axa Private Equity of France said Monday they would make an offer for the French vacation sort operator in the coming days. The two companies are Club Med's largest shareholders.

Mitsubishi Motors jumped more than 14 percent, a day after the company announced the opening of its first after-sales service shop in Myanmar, Kyodo News reported.

In European trading Monday, both Germany's DAX and France's CAC-40 closed higher. European Central Bank board member Joerg Asmussen pledged in a speech in Berlin that the bank would continue to pursue easy monetary policy "as long as necessary" due to the region's recession. Stocks in the U.S. and Britain were closed Monday for public holidays.

Benchmark oil for July delivery was down 42 cents to $93.73 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 10 cents to close at $94.15 per barrel on the Nymex on Friday.

In currencies, the euro fell to $1.2915 from $1.2934 late Monday in Europe. The dollar rose to 102 yen from 100.99.

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Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson