Bear Stearns因其对冲基金和管理动荡的崩溃而震惊，但新任首席执行官Alan Schwartz坚持认为该公司正在篮板上。“I think people realized that we have righted the ship, and our businesses are off to a strong year,” says Schwartz, the 57-year-old longtime banking chief who succeeded Jimmy Cayne last month following the firm’s announcement of an $854 million net loss for the fourth quarter of 2007 — its first-ever quarterly loss. Bear Stearns wrote down $1.9 billion in mortgage inventory in the quarter and closed a third hedge fund last month. But Schwartz says the mood inside the firm remains “very strong,” and the onetime pitcher for the Duke University baseball team sees Bear Stearns “going back to playing offense” to generate business.