I consistently read about the MM's on this and other stock boards, like an evil force that can be blamed for anytime we don't get rich. I take this with a grain of salt. Thing is, I've done a fair bit of reading on it, and still don't really understand what an MM does and how. Could someone explain this to me?

If I were the conspiracy type, I would say that the recent price bump was induced just prior to the financials being released, so that the "powers that be" could sell off their positions in hopes of buying low again right after the report....