Magic Number

In an age of long commutes, late sports practices, endless workdays and 24/7 television programming, the image of Mom hanging up her dish towel at 7 p.m. and declaring "the kitchen is closed" seems a quaint relic of an earlier era. It also harks back to a thinner America. And that may be no coincidence. A new study, conducted on mice, hints at an unexpected contributor to the nation's epidemic of obesity - and, if later human studies bear it out, a possible way to have our cake and eat it too, with less risk of weight gain and the diseases that come with it. Just eat your cake - or better yet, an apple - earlier.

WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney won't carry the Latino vote this year. No Republican nominee for president ever has. But improving his margins among Latinos is crucial to his chances of defeating President Obama, as new poll numbers out of Florida show. The Quinnipiac University survey, just out Wednesday morning, gives Romney  a six-point statewide lead over Obama, 47% to 41%. Florida has the nation's third-largest Latino population, and Romney drew 40% among Latino voters to Obama's 42%. A previous Quinnipiac poll, conducted three weeks earlier, showed the race a statistical dead heat (Romney 44, Obama 43)

The Kings' roller-coaster campaign was rewarded Thursday night when they reached the playoffs for the third consecutive season. And it came to fruition shortly before the puck was dropped at Staples Center for the Kings-Sharks game, the home finale for Los Angeles. The Kings' magic number, one, transformed into zero when the Predators defeated Dallas, 2-0, in Nashville, officially eliminating the Stars from playoff contention. The news that the Kings clinched a playoff spot was announced at Staples Center in the opening minutes of the Sharks game, getting a loud round of applause from the crowd.

The Kings' roller-coaster campaign was rewarded Thursday night when they reached the playoffs for the third consecutive season. And it came to fruition shortly before the puck was dropped at Staples Center for the Kings-Sharks game, the home finale for Los Angeles. The Kings' magic number, one, transformed into zero when the Predators defeated Dallas, 2-0, in Nashville, officially eliminating the Stars from playoff contention. The news that the Kings clinched a playoff spot was announced at Staples Center in the opening minutes of the Sharks game, getting a loud round of applause from the crowd.

Yorman Bazardo pitched 5 2/3 effective innings against the team that cut him in spring training, and helped the Houston Astros beat the Phillies, 8-2, on Monday night, preventing Philadelphia from reducing its magic number. The Phillies, who had an 8 1/2 -game lead with 13 remaining, are four ahead of Atlanta in the NL East with six left. The Phillies, who have lost five of seven, still have a magic number of three for their third straight division title. Miguel Tejada had four hits, and Jeff Keppinger had three hits and two runs batted in for Houston, which is 5-0 against the Phillies this season.

The Kings would have clinched a playoff spot Sunday if the Ducks had done them the favor of beating the Dallas Stars. The Ducks' loss means the Kings can secure a spot on their own Monday, if they defeat the Sharks at San Jose. The Kings' magic number remains at two: they are in if they get two points or the Stars fail to get two points. The Stars next face Columbus at Dallas on Tuesday. "Definitely our No. 1 goal coming into the season was making the playoffs. Surpassing what we did last year and getting further and deeper and hopefully winning is all we want.

What's in an age? For some folks at 40, dread and depression. For Stanley Brandes, 42, a University of California anthropologist, an idea for a book. With the baby boomers turning 40 in dread-filled droves, Brandes took this American apprehension at turning 40, turned it over in his own mind and decided to find out what it was that was so different about reaching 40 as opposed to, say, 37.

Arizona's magic number to eliminate the Dodgers from National League West contention is 30. It's 42 games before James Loney is officially a goner. Loney's best chance of returning to the Dodgers next season is agreeing to pay the monthly rent on the seven houses Jamie McCourt owns so Frank doesn't have to pay as much to support her. Loney's suggestion the other day the Dodgers could still win a division title is funny now. He's the very last guy to be talking about making a strong run, hitting a combined .210 with five home runs and 30 RBIs after the All-Star break the last two seasons.

To get an NFL labor deal done, you need to be able to count to 24. That's the number of owner votes representing a three-quarters majority, the requirement to move beyond the current lockout and avoid the first NFL game cancellations since the 1987 season. By all indications, the NFL and players are inching closer to a new collective bargaining agreement, and any opposition among the 32 owners might not have the nine votes necessary to derail a deal. "There's an urgency for everybody to get this done," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday at the end of a one-day owners meeting focused on updating clubs on the progress of ongoing talks with the NFL Players Assn., now decertified as a union.

The Kings have a magic number of 19 for clinching a playoff spot, and it's worth mentioning because in the past few seasons the only number relevant to them in March was tied to their elimination. Any combination of 19 points earned by the Kings or NOT earned by the ninth-place Calgary Flames will assure the Kings their first playoff berth since the 2001-02 season. Calgary, with 13 games left, has a maximum of 103 points; the Kings, who next face Chicago at Staples Center on Thursday, have 85 points.

The Kings are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot -- but there's also a chance they could finish ninth and miss the postseason party. Courtesy of Jeremy Zager, the Kings' stat guru and manager of communications and broadcasting, here are their playoff scenarios as they prepare to finish the season with home-and-away games against the San Jose Sharks. The Kings' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is one. They can clinch a spot Thursday by one of the following ways: -- A Dallas loss (in regulation, overtime or shootout)

Anna Faris is so adorably entertaining that she can say things like — oh, let's see, what can we print here — well, she can say very bad words, which she's often asked to do in films, in fall-down funny and completely forgivable ways. She's got a perpetually sunshiny face that looks as if it's always playing catch-up, there to put the punctuation mark on whatever naughty bit she's just uttered while making the most of that sling-back mouth, those eye-popping baby blues, the nose crinkles (who knew a nose could be played for such comic effect?

Reporting from Toronto — Every B-grade adventure movie has a scene in which the intrepid hero, finding himself in a fix, comes up with an escape plan that has only a slim chance of succeeding. That's where the Angels find themselves now. Despite Tuesday's easy 10-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Angels remain five games back of victorious Texas in the American League West with eight games left to play. In the wild-card race the Angels climbed to within 3½ games of the lead.

Arizona's magic number to eliminate the Dodgers from National League West contention is 30. It's 42 games before James Loney is officially a goner. Loney's best chance of returning to the Dodgers next season is agreeing to pay the monthly rent on the seven houses Jamie McCourt owns so Frank doesn't have to pay as much to support her. Loney's suggestion the other day the Dodgers could still win a division title is funny now. He's the very last guy to be talking about making a strong run, hitting a combined .210 with five home runs and 30 RBIs after the All-Star break the last two seasons.

To get an NFL labor deal done, you need to be able to count to 24. That's the number of owner votes representing a three-quarters majority, the requirement to move beyond the current lockout and avoid the first NFL game cancellations since the 1987 season. By all indications, the NFL and players are inching closer to a new collective bargaining agreement, and any opposition among the 32 owners might not have the nine votes necessary to derail a deal. "There's an urgency for everybody to get this done," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday at the end of a one-day owners meeting focused on updating clubs on the progress of ongoing talks with the NFL Players Assn., now decertified as a union.

The Kings would have clinched a playoff spot Sunday if the Ducks had done them the favor of beating the Dallas Stars. The Ducks' loss means the Kings can secure a spot on their own Monday, if they defeat the Sharks at San Jose. The Kings' magic number remains at two: they are in if they get two points or the Stars fail to get two points. The Stars next face Columbus at Dallas on Tuesday. "Definitely our No. 1 goal coming into the season was making the playoffs. Surpassing what we did last year and getting further and deeper and hopefully winning is all we want.

Peja Stojakovic scored 19 of his 27 points during a decisive third quarter and the Sacramento Kings defeated the Chicago Bulls, 107-92, Saturday night at Chicago for their sixth consecutive victory. The Kings' magic number for winning the Pacific Division dropped to three. Any combination of Sacramento victories and Portland losses totaling three will give Sacramento its second consecutive title.

This season, 16 almost certainly will be sour. The number conjures sweet memories of NCAA tournament victories for UCLA in recent years. But the Bruins probably need at least 17 victories to make the tournament for a 15th consecutive season. And the prospect of reaching that number is getting dimmer by the loss.

If UCLA needed a motto, WD-40 might work just fine. When their defense holds an opponent under 40% shooting, the Bruins are 11-0. And it's been happening a lot lately. UCLA has held five consecutive opponents and eight of its last 10 under that threshold, perhaps the biggest reason the Bruins have won five games in a row and nine of 10 heading into their game against Stanford on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion. "We know that's our foundation and that's what we have to revolve things around, stopping other teams," UCLA guard Lazeric Jones said.

Aries (March 21-April 19): Routine work will be healthy for your creativity. As you follow steps over and over, your mind will roam to where solutions abound. Taurus (April 20-May 20): New business will come because you have a reputation for being practical. You will turn each new lead into a loyal customer. Gemini (May 21-June 21): You will be improvement-oriented and find ways of streamlining your tasks. Others will imitate your style, especially at work. Cancer (June 22-July 22)