My youngest plays softball, which I believe I’ve mentioned before. In any case, I was pitching Wiffle balls to her last night in the backyard before it got dark -- just for practice. As a joke, I tossed one almost as hard as I could throw it. And the kid nailed it! The ball took off like a rocket. So either I’m getting old, or she’s darn good. Probably a combination of both -- but I'm still thinking sports scholarship.

That was a pretty ugly session yesterday, huh? Let’s hope that was a one-time aberration.

Asian stocks were lower overnight. The Hang Seng was off 2.89% and the Nikkei was down 2.82%. However European stocks were showing me some green earlier this morning. And here in the US, we're currently trading higher.

Here's what I’m focused on this morning:

Oracle (ORCL):
 The California-based company is due out with its numbers after the close today. But would I dip a toe in the water now, or wait for the numbers?

Those that follow this column know I’m a “show me” guy, and as such, I’d wait. That being said, there are some reasons to like this stock:

1. Looking back, it's actually done a fairly nifty job knocking out quarterly estimates in this last year. I’m hoping this time it will do the same.

2. I think the Sun (JAVA) pick-up could turn out to be a real positive, and I’m excited to hear what (if anything) management has to say about it. (See my previous article.)

3. The insider-buying that popped up earlier in the year has left a good taste in my mouth.

4. At about 14.1 times this year’s estimate -- and given that there could be some upside to the 2010 estimate -- I don’t think it's all that unreasonable.

Stay tuned.

Apple (AAPL):
 Was Steve Jobs back at work? Did he have a liver transplant recently?

These are some of the questions being tossed around water coolers and major financial news channels. But I say give it a rest, for the love of Pete. Doesn’t the media (and don't people in general) have any respect for a man’s privacy?

I do understand the camp that says certain things might be fair game when one is associated with a publicly traded company. But enough is enough.

And Apple has actually been doing pretty well over the last few months, though Jobs has been out. Think about what’s been happening

1. Look at what the stock has done recently.

2. Don’t forget about all of those iPhone 3G S phones that were reportedly sold.

3. And in its most recent second quarter, it went past estimates like water through a sieve.

I think one can be a bull with or without Steve Jobs sitting in the captain’s chair. So far, the place hasn't burned down in his absence. With the company trading at more than 24 times the current-year estimate, it’s a bit pricey. But hey, that’s an entirely different argument. (Remember that these guys have regularly made fools of the critics in recent years.)