April 23, 2004

TAX DEFAULTS SOAR AS HOMEOWNERS STRUGGLE

New York City homeowners appear to be on the verge of a meltdown. While home sale prices and tax rates increased last year, the tax delinquency rate soared, according to...

ADELPHIA CONSIDERS SALE TO FLEE FROM BANKRUPTCY

Adelphia Communications, the nation's fifth-largest cable operator, may be sold to escape from bankruptcy, the company's board said yesterday. Creditors had complained that Adelphia's current reorganization plan undervalued the company...

AOL, TW TEAM TO LAUNCH MUSIC VIDEOS ON DEMAND

Corporate siblings America Online and Time Warner Cable appear to have buried the hatchet. The two Time Warner divisions, which have long been at odds, announced a wide-ranging partnership yesterday...

SCANDAL CLAIMS ANOTHER USA EDITOR

A second top editor resigned from USA Today yesterday as fallout from the scandal involving former star reporter Jack Kelley continued. Hal Ritter, managing editor of news, submitted his resignation...

REG PLAN IRKS AMEX OWNERS

The American Stock Exchange, which was sold recently by the National Association of Securities Dealers, may find its trading floor monitored by the very organization that so eagerly tried to...

TIME INC. GETS A NEW LIFE - COMPANY PLANS RELAUNCH AS WEEKLY NEWSPAPER INSERT

TIME Inc. has quietly unveiled a major internal shuffling which puts the relaunch of Life - as a weekly magazine insert into daily newspapers - one step closer to reality....

-GRAB LION'S SHARE - TIME WARNER MAY BID FOR MGM WITH THOMAS LEE (M)-DICK'S LION'S SHARE - PARSONS' TIME WARNER & LEE MAY MAKE RUN AT MGM (S, LCF)

Sony isn't the only one circling The Lion. Time Warner is once again talking to billionaire Kirk Kerkorian about buying legendary Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - and this time it may...

AMEX SEAT OWNERS GRUMBLING ABOUT FUTURE NASD REGULATION

The American Stock Exchange, which was recently sold by the NASD, may find its trading floor being monitored by the very organization that so eagerly tried to dump it, The...

STARR REPORT

It's now at 14:59 The clock is ticking on Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth's 15 minutes of fame. As The Post's Page Six first reported, Clairol was thinking of withdrawing its offer to...

'O.C.' FIRST EPISODE TIP-OFF TO THE FINALE

A surprise pregnancy, wedding drama and a 360-degree trip back to the future will wrap up the successful rookie season of Fox's "The O.C." Executive producers Josh Schwartz urged fans...

HAITIAN HERO LED DOWN THE GARDEN PATH

THE AGRONOMIST [] (three stars) Solid doc. Running time: 90 minutes. Rated PG-13 (disturbing images). At the Lincoln Plaza, the Angelika. ---- JONATHAN Demme is best known as the director...

LOSER ON HORNS OF DILEMMA

RHINOCEROS EYES [] (two stars) More interesting than scary. Running time: 91 minutes. Rated R (violence, profanity). At the Empire, the Angelika. ---- THE protagonist of "Rhinoceros Eyes" is a...

PSYCH 'EM OUT

CLOSE YOUR EYES [ 1/2] (two and one-half stars) Quirky horror. Running time: 108 minutes. Rated R (violence and language). At the AMC Empire, the Loews 84th Street, others. ----...

OFF ON THE WRONG SWITCHFOOT

SWITCHFOOT ---- ALTERNA-ROCK band Switchfoot was as exciting as scuffed penny loafers at its Irving Plaza showcase Wednesday. The problem with this San Diego band is that there's nothing special...

BRIT: UP FROM THE TRAILER - A POP TART HAS TO START SOMEWHERE

"Brave New Girl" [] (three stars) Sunday night at 8 p.m. on ABC Family --- THE Britney Spears entertainment machine may have turned the once innocent teen idol into the...

A REALITY SHOW ONSTAGE

BETWEEN USAt the Manhattan Theatre Club, 131 W. 55th St. Phone CityTix, (212) 581-1212. --- LIKE the best kind of TV writing, Joe Hortua's new play, "Between Us," gets its...

FLIRTY 'THIRTY' - 'ALIAS' STAR WILL GARNER MUCH PRAISE FOR THIS CHARMING COMEDY DEBUT; GARNER A CHARMER

13 GOING ON 30 [** 1/2] (two and one-half stars) Charming "Big" update. Running time: 98 minutes. Rated PG-13 (adult themes, mild sexual content). At the AMC Empire 25, the...

'ASSASSINS': HIT AND MISS - A SIDESHOW TO HISTORY

ASSASSINS [ 1/2] (two and one-half stars)Roundabout Theater Company at Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St. (212) 239-6200. ----- 'ASSASSINS," which got a spirited revival by the Roundabout Theater at...

PUNK METAL KARAOKE CARRIES ON

ON random Monday nights at Arlene Grocery, Jimmy Fallon has covered the Clash's "I Fought the Law," Ryan Adams has hit "Attitude" by the Misfits and Robbie Williams has tried...

GETTING ALONG HANSONLY - BAND OF BROTHERS ALWAYS INDIE 'UNDERNEATH'

HANSON had star quality from the start. Good looks and catchy melodies helped the three brothers sell 15 million albums since they took the "MMMBop" train out of Tulsa in...

HOW COULD THEY? - 'IDOL' FANS CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO 'DIVAS'

JENNIFER Hudson says she wasn't shocked at getting booted off Wednesday's "American Idol" - but she may have been the only one who wasn't. Viewers were stunned when the hit...

MUSICAL MAYHEM'S THE MAIN EVENT

READY, aim, fire! In the battle for Tony Awards, "Assassins" is poised to murder its rivals. Produced by the Roundabout Theater Company, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's controversial musical about...

Correction Date: 05/01/2004

Correction: A story in the April 23 New York Post incorrectly reported that housing cop and landlord Sam Esposito admitted robbing and illegally evicting a tenant. He pleaded guilty only...

JAILED LOUIMA COP A DAD

A Brooklyn cop jailed in the Abner Louima assault case is now the proud father of a healthy baby boy, The Post has learned. William Charles Schwarz, the first child...

JUDGE STUBS 'CIG' SUIT

Light 'em up! The James Gandolfini flick "Romance and Cigarettes" can resume filming in Queens, despite a homeowner's claim the set infringes on his property without his permission, a judge...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Roses are red, violets are blue, poets will die, sooner than you. A new study reveals that poets die young - younger than novelists, playwrights and other writers, because they're...

DIRTY DOZEN FLEE ARAFAT

JERUSALEM - At least 12 suspected terrorists fled their hiding places in Yasser Arafat's headquarters because of fear that Israel is about to raid the West Bank compound and arrest...

WAVE OF RAVES DESPITE SICKENING SEAS

Passengers aboard the world's most lavish, expensive and biggest luxury liner had a "roller coaster" of a good time on the first trans-Atlantic trip of the Queen Mary 2. Despite...

IRAN AMOK WITH TERROR ON 2 FRONTS

JERUSALEM - There are two theaters of terrorism in the Mideast these days - one featuring Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the other, Muqtada al-Sadr in Iraq. And, according to...

THE UNITED NATIONS NEEDS RUDY GIULIANI

ON Wednesday, the lead editorial in this paper suggested that President Bush name Rudy Giuliani to be this nation's ambassador to the United Nations. The idea is so exciting that...

MOB BOSS STAYS IN STIR FOR TRIAL

The Bonanno crime family's acting boss, Anthony Urso, will stay in jail during his trial, a judge ruled yesterday in denying him bail. Urso, who also served as acting consigliere...

10,000 COPS TO GUARD GARDEN FOR GOP GALA

Nearly 10,000 of New York's Finest will be working to keep this summer's Republican convention safe - the largest force ever assigned to a national political gathering, NYPD sources told...

U.N. BIG STILL DENIES OIL RIG: ANNAN

WASHINGTON - The head of the scandal-scarred U.N. oil-for-food program was back at his Manhattan office after more than a month in hiding yesterday and is continuing to deny he...

GOOD NEWS ON ACNE? IS ZIT EVER!

Attention, acne sufferers - it may soon be quits for your zits. A scientist says he's working on a gel that will help wipe out pimples without side effects. Tests...

MORE JACKO RAPS READY

LOS ANGELES - Prosecutors want to slap accused child molester Michael Jackson with new charges, sources told The Post yesterday. Jackson is scheduled to appear next Friday in a Santa...

VICIOUS CRACK CREW CRUSHED IN BROOKLYN

The feds yesterday toppled the leadership of a bloodthirsty gang that ran the crack trade in a Brooklyn housing project, authorities said. Six members of the "F - - -...

FOTOG AXED FOR PIX OF GI COFFINS

WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials ordered the firing yesterday of a U.S. contractor who took pictures of 20 flag-draped coffins bearing the bodies of soldiers from Iraq. Tami Silicio, an employee...

LANDLORD COP IN EVICT PLEA DEAL

A Queens cop who moonlights as a landlord was spared jail time after admitting he stole property from a tenant and illegally evicted her because she withheld a month's rent,...

THREE-TIME LOSERS - NIMBY CROWD IN A TAILSPIN

THE local "Not In My Backyard" anti-development crowd is on an embarrassing legal losing streak. Three - count 'em, three - high-profile, anti-development nuisance suits were just thrown out of...

QNS. MAN GETS ASH FLICKED

Light 'em up! The upcoming John Turturro flick "Romance and Cigarettes" can resume filming in Queens despite a homeowner's claim the set infringes on his property without his permission, a...

GOPERS: GRILL 9/11 PROBER

WASHINGTON - Eleven Senate Republicans yesterday demanded that 9/11 commission member Jamie Gorelick, a high-ranking Clinton administration official, be put on the hot seat. The senators want Gorelick to testify...

SLAIN GAL TOLD PAL OF 'TROUBLE'

The woman shot dead along with her boyfriend at their Queens home by a mystery gunman tearfully told a friend in the days before the slayings that she "was in...

NEW TEACH-PAY FORMULA URGED

The city should have the authority to pay star teachers more if they accept jobs in low-performing schools, the plaintiffs in the landmark school- funding case recommended yesterday. The "incentive"...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

STATEN ISLAND * A 23-year-old man was busted for shooting a man and woman on a Saint George street last night, cops said. A police K-9 dog was slightly injured...

BLOOMY WINS ONE FOR CITY SNAPPLE

Snapple and Mayor Bloomberg won round one yesterday in a court battle over the drink's exclusive city franchise. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Richard Braun rejected a plea from City Comptroller...

STABBED GAL PAL'S TEARFUL TESTIMONY

A 24-year-old woman testified in tears yesterday about how her boyfriend allegedly tried to savagely stab her to death - and snap her neck - shortly after she tried to...

SLAIN L.I. MOM'S THROAT WAS SLASHED: AUTOPSY

The young Hamptons woman whose body was discovered in the woods weeks after she disappeared had her throat slashed, an autopsy revealed yesterday. The remains of Vinessa Hoera, 23, were...

STERN WARNING TO FERRY HANDS

Staten Island Ferry workers can either accept the city's overhaul of the system or walk the plank, Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall said yesterday. "These individuals will fit into the system...

STONER EX-COP'S BAD TRIP - TO JAIL

An ex-cop was convicted yesterday for accepting "magic mushrooms" mailed to his Brooklyn apartment, where cops later found a forest of marijuana plants. A jury found Mark McCurdy, 56, guilty...

HORSY HUCKSTERS - DERBY JOCKEYS WILL SUE TO WEAR ADS

Horse jockeys want a place in the big-bucks advertising sweepstakes - but gripe that the state of Kentucky is keeping them out of the money. Five top jockeys plan to...

EXPRE$$ LANE IS PA'S TUNNEL VISION

Rush-hour drivers heading into Manhattan could pay a premium toll for an express lane directly to the Lincoln Tunnel, according to a study launched yesterday by the Port Authority. The...

SEX-SLAY SICKO GETS 25 YEARS

Two years ago, a notorious neighborhood thief and loudmouth left an elderly woman stripped, sexually violated and gasping her final breaths in her Chelsea bathtub. Rafael Colon took his victim's...

TERROR SCAREPORTS - FUROR AS TESTS BARE AIR-SECURITY FAILURES

Passenger screening at the nation's airports is like Swiss cheese - full of gaping holes that are endangering travelers' lives, according to two top-secret federal reports. The alarming findings revealed...

REALLY BIG APPLE STIRS FRUITY FUROR

A group of Greenwich Village artists are mad to the core over a gargantuan apple sculpture by Donna Karan's late husband that was given a final blessing last night to...

(PRE)HISTORIC BATTLE - THINGS GET HAIRY AS BOSTON CAVEMAN DUELS YANKS

Any woolly mammoths in The Bronx better beware. The Red Sox are coming to town for a three-game series with the Yankees, and they're bringing their Cro-Magnon center fielder -...

'WILD' LAWYER $TOLE & LIED: FEDS

A prominent attorney has found herself on the other side of the law after the feds say she took thousands from clients the government was already paying her to represent...

COPS UP A TREE CHASING SQUIRRELLY SEX PAIR

Two nearly naked guys climbed 35 feet up a tree near Central Park's Wollman Rink yesterday, and engaged in a sex act as police tried to coax them down. "It's...

CONDO BOARD WOULD 'LOVE' TO SEE HER TO LEAVE

There's no love lost between Courtney Love and the condo board of her stunning SoHo digs: They claim the raunchy blond rocker has stiffed them out of nearly $18,000 in...

MAN BEHIND THE NEW YANKEES HATER HAT HAILS FROM THE BOMBERS' BACK YARD ...

Et tu, Jersey? The man behind the new Yankees Hater hat - most recently seen atop the head of Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling - hails from the Bombers' back...

TESTERS PASS BUCK - SCHOOL SCANDAL EXCU$E

The city's test-maker yesterday defended its practice of repeating questions on its exams from year to year - making the program more susceptible to the type of security breaches that...

PREZ SCOOP FOR REPORTER, 8 - PA KELLY WAS IRAQ CASUALTY

Tom Kelly had an exclusive interview with the president of the United States yesterday - not bad for an 8-year-old. Tom is the oldest son of Michael Kelly, who on...

BRINKS GUARD SLAIN - BODY IN YONKERS CAR

A Bronx dad who serviced bank cash machines was found dead - his body badly beaten - in his car in a Yonkers parking lot yesterday, cops said. Milton Moran...

MOB BIZMEN KIN IN DEADLY BRAWL[[BT]]

A mob associate fingered in the murder of John Gotti's former chauffeur was stabbed to death yesterday by his wiseguy brother-in-law during a fierce fight outside the Bay Ridge eatery...

KERRY IN EARTH DAY GAS-GUZZLER PUZZLER

WASHINGTON - On Earth Day, Democrat John Kerry reluctantly admitted to having a gas-guzzling SUV in the family - but blamed his wife. "The family has it. I don't have...

JUDGE OKS GRILLING OF TYCO LAWYER OVER 'FIBS'

Prosecutors can grill Tyco's former top lawyer about some of his alleged e fibs, the judge in his upcoming grand-larceny trial ruled yesterday. That includes a letter of recommendation he...

PARK SEX DUO GETS COPS UP TREE

A pre-op transsexual and "her" male lover yesterday stripped off their clothes, climbed up a Central Park tree, then spent four hours engaging in sex acts and pelting would-be rescuers...

DOUBLE-FEE LAWYER LIED: FEDS

A prominent attorney has found herself on the other side of the law, accused by the feds of taking thousands of dollars from clients the government was already paying her...

-MOGUL FACING TAP RAP - TAPED WIFE'S CALLS: COPS (M)-'TAP' RAP VS. L.I. MOGUL (S)-MOGUL FACING TAP RAP (LCF)

A wealthy real-estate mogul has been arrested and charged with wiretapping - for allegedly bugging his estranged wife's phone calls at their Long Island mansion. Mark Laffey, 34, was arrested...

SOCCER COACH VOWS TO WIN FOR TRAGIC DWI CRASH KIDS

The injured coach of the Elmont soccer team that lost two teen players to a drunken driver sobbed yesterday in his hospital bed and vowed the surviving boys would continue...

WOMAN STRANGLED

A 42-year-old Brooklyn woman was found dead inside her apartment while her two young children were just feet away, cops said. Elaine Sealy was lying naked in her bed when...

$50M CHECK CASH SHOCK

A major bill-paying and check-cashing service with hundreds of thousands of customers was bounced yesterday after state authorities charged it failed to turn over $50 million collected for banks, utilities...

MOB-IN-LAW KILLER - B'KLYN VICTIM WAS EYED IN SLAY OF GOTTI DRIVER

A mob associate once fingered in the murder of John Gotti's former chauffeur was stabbed to death yesterday by his wiseguy brother-in-law during a fierce fight outside the Bay Ridge...

BERSERK BEAU SHOOTS EX & HER PAL, THEN KILLS SELF

A bloody crime of passion played out to a tragic conclusion last night, when a gun-toting ex-boyfriend stormed into his former lover's Queens apartment and shot her and a male...

OIL PRICES FUEL KERRY-BUSH FIGHT

WASHINGTON - John Kerry yesterday demanded that President Bush do more to get the Saudis to cut gasoline prices - after days of charging Bush improperly sought a secret deal...

VICIOUS DRUG GANG IS CRUSHED

The feds yesterday toppled the leadership of a bloodthirsty gang that ran the crack trade in a Brooklyn housing project, authorities said. Six members of the "F - - -...

KIDD HELPS NETS ENJOY LAST LAUGH

KENYON Martin heard the one Wednesday where the career wimp accused one of the strongest of the NBA strong forwards of being a fake. "It's funny actually, it's hilarious," said...

CHISOX STIFLE BOMBERS' BATS

White Sox 4 - Yankees 3 CHICAGO - Joe Torre insists his high-profile lineup will hit eventually and nobody in the Yankees' clubhouse disagrees with him. Maybe it will be...

ONCE MORE, WITH ... HARD FEELINGS! - YANKEES, BOSOX TAKE HOSTILITIES TO BRONX

Friday, Red Sox at Yankees, 7 p.m., WCBS-2 Where have we seen this before? The Red Sox beat the Yankees in an April series, raising the hopes of New England...

BRADWAY'S BIG DAY - DRAFT PIVOTAL FOR JETS

Listening to Terry Bradway assess the state of the Jets as they enter tomorrow's first round of the NFL Draft, you'd think he was retooling a defending Super Bowl-champion roster....

MARCHAND'S MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: NFL DRAFT VS. NBA DRAFT (WHICH IS A BETTER WATCH?)

The NFL draft's disadvantage is this: When you watched Iowa last year, were you focusing on No. 78? Robert Gallery is the Giants' must-have tackle, but he was hardly must-see...

5 QUESTIONS FOR MICHAEL IRVIN

This week, The Post's Andrew Marchand spoke with ex-Cowboy Michael Irvin. The 38-year-old Irvin, in his first year with ESPN, will work Saturday's NFL draft.Q: In the days leading up...

PHILLIPS MAY MAKE WAVES - EX-MET GM OFFERED ESPN RADIO GIG

Ex-Met GM Steve Phillips has been offered a weekend talk show at 1050-ESPN Radio, NYP TV Sports has learned. Currently, Phillips freelances for 1050, occasionally guest-hosting and appearing on special...

IT'S TIME TO SPRING INTO ACTION

ALONG the East End of Long Island the forsythia are in full bloom, which means the fishing should start to grow. From reports of the flounder action this past week,...

CAMERON SNAPS BIG SLUMP

After Mike Cameron blasted a two-out double off the left field wall in the seventh inning to give the Mets a 3-1 lead yesterday, he considered keeping the ball. "I...

NETS SHOULD GET LAST LAUGH HERE

KENYON MARTIN heard the one Wednesday where the career wimp accused one of the strongest of the NBA strong forwards of being a fake. He split his sides harder than...

KENYON HITS BACK - CALLS THOMAS' RIPS 'HILARIOUS'

Kenyon Martin insisted he wasn't annoyed. Amused, yes. Angry, no. Injured Knick Tim Thomas, displaying the IQ of an ice cube and the common sense of cole slaw, insisted he...

COLLINS: NO HARM INTENDED ON TIM

Jason Collins still maintains it was a hard, clean foul he leveled on Knick forward Tim Thomas. Yes, the Net center wanted to hit Thomas. But he didn't want to...

KNICKS TRY TO PUT UP A FIGHT - INSTEAD OF REVENGE, WANT WIN VS. NETS

NBA disciplinarian Stu Jackson phoned Tim Thomas yesterday to tell him to stop the threats. "I was told to keep a muzzle on my mouth," Thomas said. "It's going to...

SURGERY FOR JOSEPH AFTER LIFTING INJURY

At a time when all sorts of machinations are in the works with the Giants' first-round pick in tomorrow's opening round of the NFL Draft, word comes that last year's...

NCAA FOCUS ON KEITA LOAN

The NCAA's investigation of former St. John's center Abe Keita's allegation that he received regular monthly payments of $300 from a senior member of the basketball staff has focused on...

AGONY OF VICTORY - METS NEARLY BLOW WIN IN NINTH

Mets 3 - Expos 2 Even in victory, the Mets are uninspiring. After almost giving the game away, the Mets won yesterday, beating the lowly Expos, 3-2, to end an...

ISIAH FEELS SOME GROWING PAINS

IT wasn't a concession speech, not really, but Isiah Thomas did sound like a man who already understands that the best that can come of this Knicks-Nets series is that...

FAINTING SPELL LANDS TY ON DL

MET NOTES After he fainted and experienced dizzy spells, the Mets placed third baseman Ty Wigginton on the disabled list following yesterday's 3-2 win over the Expos. Early Wednesday morning...

WAIT PROBLEM IS HEAVY STUFF

WE recently purchased "HBO on Demand." You know what happens when you switch to HBO on Demand? A graphic appears. It reads, "Please Wait." But perhaps we're too demanding. The...

BRADLEY SORRY TO SEE NETS ON MOVE

KNICK NOTES Former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley was on hand, rooting for the Knicks, still smarting over new Nets owner Bruce Ratner's push to move the team to Brooklyn....

YANKEES YEARN FOR REVENGE - IMPROVEMENT BY A-ROD CRUCIAL FOR STADIUM SUCCESS

CHICAGO - Alex Rodriguez is an important piece of 2004 Baseball Armageddon that opens Chapter Two in The Bronx tonight with the first of three games between the Red Sox...

TNT, ESPN DROP BALL

AS most of us with a pulse know all too well, Charles Barkley rarely says something that isn't stone stupid unless he has impounded somebody else's original thought. And TNT...

MOUND EDGE GIVES BOSOX UPPER HAND

IT is early, but so far it is advantage Boston. Now history has shown us over and over (and as many overs as you need to get back to 1918)...

KERRY COOL TO QB - COLLINS KEEPS QUIET, FOR NOW

He won't let his inner feelings surface, not yet. Kerry Collins knows the Giants are hot-and-heavy in their quest to land a new quarterback in Saturday's NFL Draft. He's heard...

CONTRERAS FACING KEY START

CHICAGO - Is it make or break tonight for Jose Contreras? Not quite, but the Yankees want to see their $32 million investment show more confidence and aggressiveness against the...

STORM MAKE PITCH FOR PITT ASSISTANT

It's going to be a long time before St. John's has enough elite players to compete in the Big East. But last night the Red Storm took a big step...

NCAA FOCUSING ON KEITA LOAN

The NCAA's investigation of former St. John's center Abe Keita's allegation that he received regular monthly payments of $300 from a senior member of the basketball staff has focused on...

TV TEAMS DROP BALL IN THE PLAYOFFS

AS most of us with a pulse know all too well, Charles Barkley rarely says something that isn't stone stupid unless he has impounded somebody else's original thought. And TNT...

TELFAIR APPEARS HEADED TO NBA

While he still has not made it official, it appears to be just a matter of time before Sebastian Telfair announces his intention to enter the NBA Draft. The latest...

RAIDERS RIP 'HOMELESS' CURTIS

PRHS 10 - Curtis 3 The Port Richmond Red Raiders were certainly in a charitable mood yesterday. First, they allowed the visiting Curtis Warriors (4-2), who are playing this entire...

KENYON HITS BACK - DOUBLE-DOUBLE ANSWERS CHALLENGE

Kenyon Martin insisted he wasn't annoyed. Amused, yes. Angry, no. Injured Knick Tim Thomas, displaying the IQ of an ice cube and the common sense of cole slaw, insisted he...

A FEW STEPHS SHORT

THE buzzer groaned, long and loud, mournfully meandering around the rapidly evacuating arena, chasing the Knicks off the court, shooing them into summer. Stephon Marbury stood upright for half a...

CHISOX GAG YANK BATS

White Sox 4 - Yankees 3 CHICAGO - Thanks to a lack of support from the Yankee bats, one bad inning cost Mike Mussina last night against the White Sox....

KNICKS IN TOO DEEP

The Nets are too smart, too savvy and too experienced to say it's over. But history says it's over. Never has an NBA team trailed a best-of-seven series 0-3 and...

JEFFERSON FINALLY GETS 'EM TO FALL

The Nets were on a potentially disastrous shooting streak, a real Nets-of-old binge: 0-for-12, a span that eventually would stretch from 11:12 of the fourth quarter until :50.7. And in...

HARRIS: WE HANDLED KNICKS' BEST SHOT

NET NOTES Think Game 4 is tough? Try surviving Game 3, the Nets insist. And they survived - barely - against the Knicks, 81-78, taking probably the best shot New...

KIDD STEPS UP, JUST LIKE ALWAYS

KENYON Martin heard the one Wednesday where the career wimp accused one of the strongest of the NBA power forwards of being a fake. "It's funny actually, it's hilarious," said...

STU WARNS TIM THOMAS TO MUZZLE HIS MOUTH

KNICK NOTES League disciplinarian Stu Jackson phoned Tim Thomas yesterday to tell him to stop the threats. "I was told to keep a muzzle on my mouth," Thomas said. "It's...

KNICKS ABOUT TO BE PUT TO SWEEP - NETS HANG ON IN FOURTH

A frenzied Garden crowd got most of what it wanted: hard fouls, tough defense, a razor-tight game to the wire. The Knicks played like men, as Knicks president Isiah Thomas...