March 17, 2006
PHY$ICAL ACTIVITY - BRITISH BUYOUT GIANT EYEING NEW YORK SPORTS CLUBS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTown Sports International, owner of New York Sports Clubs, is in talks to be acquired by British buyout giant BC Partners in a deal that could top $650 million, The...
NYSE, SEC ARE GOING FOR BEAR
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amAs they clobbered Bear Stearns with a $250 million fine for market timing, Wall Street regulators warned they would soon be pursuing "current and former" executives of the glittering New...
ASPREY BAILOUT - BELEAGUERED BRITISH BRAND IN TALKS TO BE SOLD
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amFinancially troubled British luxury retailer Asprey is near a deal to be sold to a group of private investors, according to people familiar with the situation. As part of that...
JUICY LANDS ON MADISON
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJuicy Couture will soon be ruling from a duplex flagship at 860 Madison Ave. opposite the new Tom Ford shop. Juicy, whose girlie, baby and men's lines are available at...
REVOLUTIONARY IRISH WHISKEY
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThis week, Sidney Frank Importing Company is taking off the wraps on Michael Collins Irish Whiskey, the first major new entry in the category in years. The hope is that...
ONLINE TICKETER SAYS WE'D PAY FOR AIRLINE COMFORT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amAirline travelers are eager to shell out an extra $20 or more for their seats if they can avoid noisy kids or get a roomier aisle spot, a new report...
BATTLE OF THE BULGER
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTHREE new books about James "Whitey" Bulger and his Boston-based Irish mobsters have ignited a turf war among publishers. Today, "Rat Bastards" by John "Red" Shea is slated to hit...
SWAMI SIMON PICKS TOP 3
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amSNARKY Simon Cowell made his picks for the three top finalists of this season's "American Idol" yesterday. Chris Daughtry, 26, Taylor Hicks, 29, and Kellie Pickler, 19, will be the...
GIRLS WILL BE BOYS - GENDER-BENDER LEANS TO 'TWEENS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTHE target audience of 'tween girls will probably lap up "She's the Man," even as their elders wince at the over-the-top acting in this clumsy, predictable, overlong update of Shakespeare's...
2 BOYS EATEN BY MOUNTAIN
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amEIGHT hundred children are said to labor in the mines of Bolivia. The sad story of two of them, brothers ages 14 and 12, unfolds in the eye-opening documentary "The...
BIG WASTE OF TIME
March 17, 2006 | 5:00am'THE Big Question" is an annoying documentary by Francesco Cabras and Alberto Molinari, extras in "The Passion of the Christ," who were to be allowed to interview people on the...
THERE'S LOTS TO KNOCK IN SHEPARD'S LATEST
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWIM Wenders and Sam Shepard have made a film together for the first time since "Paris, Texas," but "Don't Come Knocking" is to their earlier collaboration what "The Life Aquatic"...
WOODRUFF BACK IN N.Y.
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWOUNDED "ABC World News Tonight" anchor Bob Woodruff could be home with his wife and four children in a matter of weeks, ABC News president David Westin told staffers today....
THANK YOU FOR JOKING
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amNICK Naylor is brash, sexy and smart. He's also a self-proclaimed merchant of death: head spokesman for the tobacco lobby. Picture a D.C. Jerry Maguire with brown lungs. Aaron Eckhart...
DIESEL SLICK AS MOBSTER
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amVIN Diesel, who had a particularly embarrassing comedy debut in "The Pacifier" last year, mines genuine laughs as a Mafia wiseguy in Sidney Lumet's engaging dramedy "Find Me Guilty." It...
JENNY WE GOT YOUR NUMBER
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amIF you're not at the South by Southwest music fest in Austin, you can rock your own party here - many of the bands arrive in New York when the...
SWEDE DREAMS - 'MAMMA MIA!' MEN SHOOT FOR SECOND HIT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWHEN the Swedes behind a musical that's grossed $1.5 billion worldwide unveil their next project, Broadway's there. Last Friday, a dozen or so theater owners, producers and high-ranking industry insiders...
STARR REPORT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe James gang Earlier this week, I spoke to "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) about the show's stellar supporting cast. During the course of our conversation, I asked Gandolfini...
DEPOSING KING - GET IN LINE, LARRY'S GOING NOWHERE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amIs Larry King getting too old? Without warning, a series of news reports have popped up this week questioning King's "frail" health, memory and value to CNN. The news network...
'CROSS' TO BARE - TALKING TO DEAD PEOPLE FROM THE ROAD
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amRight off and right up front, let me admit that I am not only a John Edward fan, but also an acquaintance, in that we've had dinner together and we...
BILLY'S HOT PICK
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWHEN Mississippi Delta-born Mose Allison first arrived on the New York music scene the 50 years ago, people weren 't quite sure whether he was a bluesman, jazzman or something...
'SORRY' EXCUSE OVER COP - 'FELT THREATENED' IN WHITE CASTLE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amOne of the men accused of beating an off-duty cop in a Bronx White Castle spoke out for the first time yesterday - saying he felt sorry for the cop,...
L.I. TEENS NABBED IN SCHOOL FIRES
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTwo Long Island teens were arrested for allegedly vandalizing a pair of Plainview schools during a spree that included torching an American flag on the eve of the first day...
HEALTH AIDE IN LUXURY 'RIP-OFF'
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA Long Island home health aide has been charged with using her elderly client's personal information to steal several thousand dollars' worth of luxury items, including a 65-inch television set....
HOSP RIP-OFF OF POOR JUST SICK: REPORT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amALBANY - St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital - recently slammed for its shoddy care of an uninsured man who died awaiting brain surgery - is branded a "burglar" in a new report...
THE GANGS OF BAGHDAD - OPERATION SWARMER & AHMED CAPONE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amAS Operation Swarmer corners terrorists and insurgents north of Baghdad, the bloodshed elsewhere remains far below the civil-war level. Rogue Iraqis are turning on each other. You're seeing gangland violence...
NOW FIDO GETS VITAMIN WATER
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amBottled water that tastes like liver? Clearly, this stuff is for the dogs. As if doggie yoga, massage and psychics aren't enough, a California company is selling a line of...
RUDY AND MCCAIN BEST HILL
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - A new poll of swing state Florida shows Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain each beating Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in a 2008 presidential test run. Both Republicans...
DEMS GIVE PIRRO A ZERO ON GEO-GAFFE-IC TEST
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amALBANY - State Democrats gleefully chided Republican attorney-general hopeful Jeanine Pirro yesterday for claiming New York borders Ohio, and even offered her a state map so the "gaffe-prone" contender wouldn't...
CITY ACCUSED OF CHEATING IN CLA$$
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amAs the Bloomberg administration steps up pressure on Albany for more money to build and operate schools, state Comptroller Alan Hevesi yesterday accused the city of using money for reducing...
MED U. 'SLUR' VS. GAY - E-MAIL 'PROVES' BIAS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA former med student claims a prestigious Bronx university harassed and expelled him in 2004 because he's openly gay - and says he has a memo laced with homophobic comments...
PREZ: IRAN IS OUR TOP CONCERN
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday issued a new national security policy that puts Iran atop the list of challenges facing America and renews his support for pre-emptive war against rogue...
L.I. FAKE-COP 'KILLER' WILL HIDE EVIL PAST
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe man accused of impersonating a cop to kill a Long Island banker nixed testifying in his own defense yesterday - apparently because he feared cross-examination about his criminal past....
ALIEN FIEND 'SISTER PING' GETS 35 YEARS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA federal judge slammed convicted immigrant smuggler "Sister Ping" with a 35-year sentence yesterday for her role in a multimillion-dollar operation that led to the deadly Golden Venture shipwreck in...
APPLE IS LEAN-ING ON TOTS - DAY-CARE DIET PLAN
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe city's campaign for a healthier New York is going after a new target audience - toddlers. Health officials yesterday unveiled a fat-busting edict for 2,000 of the largest city-licensed...
MOM TURNS IN SUBWAY 'THUG'
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA teen gunman who carried out a string of brutal Bronx subway-station robberies was busted yesterday - after his mom turned him in, law-enforcement sources said. The mother acted a...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTHE BRONX * An employee at a Mount Eden bank was busted after forging the signatures of two customers to make withdrawals from their bank accounts, police sources said. Ruth...
IRAQ'S OVERLOOKED TRIUMPH
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTHREE years after the beginning of the war in Iraq, what have we accomplished? The honest fact is that we don't yet know the answer to this question - and...
QUINN WON'T MARCH TODAY
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amCity Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced yesterday she is boycotting today's St. Patrick's Day Parade because gay organizations are barred. For the past 16 years, parade organizers have pulled away...
BEARD NEWS FOR TOP CITY RESTAURANTS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amNew York is getting snubbed for the food Oscars. The list of nominees for this year's James Beard Foundation Awards, to be announced May 8, has no Big Apple eatery...
SILVERSTEIN TO GOV: LEAD US TO TABLE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amGround Zero developer Larry Silverstein yesterday urged Gov. Pataki to use his "leadership" to restart the talks on the future of the World Trade Center site. "We are ready and...
SCHOOL FOOL FOR LOVE - GETS 3 YRS. BUT STILL [LOVES] ROSLYN-RAT BEAU
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe domestic partner of a former Long Island schools superintendent was sentenced yesterday to one to three years behind bars for his role in the $11.2 million Roslyn rip-off, but...
KIN HAIL 'POLITE' SHOT KID
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe Bronx teen who survived being shot seven times Wednesday is a "quiet, polite" kid, not a gangbanger, relatives and neighbors said yesterday. José Nieves, 16, was in critical but...
HE'S A BOOK$ WORM - 167G CHARITY 'SCAM'
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amCharity really did begin at home for a Salvation Army accountant who's charged with embezzling $166,914 and spending much of it on himself at discount department stores and chain restaurants....
PARADE VICTIM GETS 125G - GANG-GROPE GAL SETTLES LAWSUIT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA woman who charged that NYPD inaction led her to be sexually assaulted at the Puerto Rican Day Parade settled her suit against the city yesterday for $125,000. Anne Peyton...
RAIDER AID AGAINST ILLEGAL-ALIEN CROOKS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amForeign criminals better watch out. The Big Apple's getting a boost in manpower dedicated to clearing the streets of - and deporting - illegal and resident aliens who have committed...
TENANTS WIN HEIR SUPREMACY - SAVE VILLAGE APTS. & NIX 'MANSION'
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe landlord daughter of a Columbia University dean and her well-to-do husband cannot boot their rent-stabilized East Village tenants and turn the five-story walkup into their own private palace, a...
NEW UNION SLAP - FEDS SUBPOENA MCLAUGHLIN CRONY IN CITY STREET-LIGHTING 'BID-RIG' PROBE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe federal bid-rigging probe of embattled Central Labor Council boss Brian McLaughlin widened yesterday as another union official was slapped with a subpoena, and more could be on the way,...
HE IS THE BIRTH DAD NIXZMARY NEVER KNEW. NOW HE IS SUING IN BID TO BE A . . . BODY $NATCHER
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe first time he ever saw his daughter she was laid out in a coffin. But now the biological father of tragic Nixzmary Brown wants control of her estate -...
COLOMBIAN DRUG LORD FACING LIFE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amAn accused drug kingpin who helped run a Colombian cartel believed to have shipped $10 billion in cocaine to the United States since 1990 was hauled into Manhattan federal court...
ALLIES SWARM TERROR NESTS - U.S., IRAQI TROOPS IN MASSIVE ASSAULT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Elite U.S. and Iraqi commandos stormed terrorist strongholds north of Baghdad yesterday in the largest airborne assault since the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In a major new offensive...
TEACH KNIFE BUST - 'SLASH THREAT' VS. KIDS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA gym teacher at a Queens high school threatened to slash his students with a knife after they refused to take part in a military-style workout session, police said yesterday....
JUDGE-DAUGHTER SINGS BLUES OVER DAD'S WEDDED DISS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amMob rat Burton Kaplan's daughter - a Manhattan Criminal Court judge - lashed out at her dad yesterday for testimony he gave that implied he invited a bunch of mobsters...
'GHOULS' FACE MEGASUIT OVER BODY PARTS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA Brooklyn lawyer will file a class-action lawsuit today on behalf of thousands of potential victims and their families affected nationwide by a multimillion-dollar body-parts ring. The lawsuit, a copy...
DOLAN OUT 75G FINE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amALBANY - The state Lobbying Commission said yesterday that the owners of Madison Square Garden - which spent more on lobbying last year than any other business - tentatively agreed...
IMETTE JURY DUE TO INDICT TODAY
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA Brooklyn grand jury will vote on indicting the prime suspect in the savage rape and slaying and Imette St. Guillen by the end of today, sources said. Today's presentation...
THUGS GANG UP ON BUS OF SCHOOLKIDS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA mob of more than a dozen teens terrorized a busload of fifth-graders on their way home from school, cops revealed yesterday. The young thugs threw rocks and sticks at...
DR. DEATH GETS 20 YRS. IN FATAL RX SCHEME
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA former doctor must trade his posh Upper East Side office for a prison cell after a federal judge sentenced him yesterday to 20 years behind bars for peddling illegal...
MA FUMES OVER 1ST-GRADE SLUGGER
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA Bronx mom is furious that her 6-year-old daughter was punched in the face by a first-grade classmate - and the teacher didn't notify her or even the principal. "My...
MEDIATOR PUSHES A BINDING TWU PACT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA state mediator who made a last-ditch effort to resolve the contract dispute between the MTA and the Transport Workers Union is now recommending the disagreement be settled through binding...
'9/11 CANCER' KILLS BX. EMT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA selfless Bronx paramedic has become the third EMT to die from a Ground Zero illness in the last 12 months. Deborah Reeve, 41, who had her right lung removed,...
COPS WORE BADGES OF DISHONOR DURING HIT: TURNCOAT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTwo accused mob cops were so brazen that they wore their badges while carrying out a $70,000 murder contract on a hapless gangster who ran afoul of Mafia bosses, a...
JUDGE RIPS HER MOB-RAT FATHER - SHE'S LIVID HE INVITED WISEGUYS TO HER NUPS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amMob rat Burton Kaplan's daughter - a Manhattan Criminal Court judge - lashed out at her dad yesterday for testimony he gave that implied he invited a bunch of mobsters...
WHITE HOUSE TO HOST GERRY ADAMS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams is headed to the White House today for St. Patrick's Day festivities after being banned last year - but he won't get the...
COP FALLS AFTER SAVING WOMAN
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA cop fell 15 feet to the sidewalk last night rescuing a suicidal woman. The woman climbed onto the fire escape of her third-floor apartment at 203 E. 94th St....
CHURCH, SCHOOL BELLS MAY TOLL
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe Archdiocese of New York is looking to close as many as a dozen schools and another dozen parishes by the summer, under a massive realignment plan outlined yesterday by...
SCHOOL FOOL FOR LOVE JAILED IN ROSLYN RIP-OFF
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe domestic partner of a former Long Island schools superintendent was sentenced yesterday to one to three years behind bars for his role in the $11.2 million Roslyn rip-off, but...
'SISTER PING' TO ROT - 25 YRS. FOR ALIEN FIEND
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA federal judge slammed convicted immigrant smuggler "Sister Ping" with a 35-year sentence yesterday for her role in a multimillion-dollar operation that led to the deadly Golden Venture shipwreck off...
$2M QNS. POT FARM - 400 LBS. SEIZED IN BASEMENT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amCops seized nearly $2 million worth of marijuana last night after raiding a makeshift Queens pot farm where almost 400 pounds of marijuana was growing in a basement apartment, authorities...
FAKE-COP 'KILLER' HIDES EVIL PAST
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThe man accused of impersonating a cop to kill a Long Island banker nixed testifying in his own defense yesterday - apparently because he feared cross-examination about a prior carbon-copy...
I THOUGHT THEY'D MURDER ME - CANARY FEARED WRATH OF 'KILLER MOB COPS'
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amA gangster-turned-rat yesterday said he feared that accused killer Detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa would eventually turn on him and put a bullet in his head. "Believe me, that...
ROGER FOES VOW PACT DEFEAT IN 2ND VOTE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amRoger Toussaint's call for a revote could incite a revolt instead, his opponents say. Union polling suggests the contract bus and subway workers rejected in January would now pass by...
ORANGE BOWLED - MCNAMARA'S BAND FAILS IN OPENING ACT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTexas A&M 66 - Syracuse 58 JACKSONVILLE - It was less than an hour from St. Patrick's Day, and maybe this would be the worst time to be squaring off...
DUKE'S DEFENSE NO SOUTHERN COMFORT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amDuke 70 - Southern 54 GREENSBORO - Early in the second half of last night's NCAA Tournament opener, outmanned and underdog Southern was giving Duke all it could handle. Then...
HAWKS COACH: WE NEED TO BE PERFECT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amNCAA NOTES PHILADELPHIA - Fresh off its 71-49 pounding of Hampton in the dreaded NCAA Tournament play-in game, the Monmouth Hawks arrived in the City of Brotherly Love and began...
PIPE DOWN, VIVIAN - RU WOMEN'S COACH HAS NO REASON TO COMPLAIN
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWHILE it's hard to ignore athletes' inflated sense of entitlement, it's worth a glance toward their coaches, just to consider what prompts they might provide. Celebrated Rutgers women's head coach...
'HEIGHTS' LAMENTS '5TH' LOSS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amPhyllip Jones thought that senior Tyree Francis and his 31 points per game would help Prospect Heights get to the PSAL B championship game, but it turned out to be...
DAMON'S HEALTH NOT A CONCERN
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amYANKEE NOTES TAMPA - After talking to Dr. Lewis Yochum yesterday, GM Brian Cashman said there was no reason for Johnny Damon to leave Team USA in the World Baseball...
IN ARM'S WAY - PAVANO, SMALL MAY START SEASON ON DL
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTAMPA - The pre-camp plan was to take a dozen pitchers. Now, with Carl Pavano definitely starting the season on the disabled list and Aaron Small a strong candidate to...
HERE COMES KOBE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amLAKERS at NETS - Tonight 7:30 - YES; WFAN (660) An ailing Jason Kidd didn't even bother showing up for yesterday's light workout. A sickly Vince Carter did and wished...
JETS ASKING TOO MUCH FOR DE ABRAHAM
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJACKSONVILLE - It's still relatively early in the offseason game, but the way maneuvers around the league have been transpiring, things have not exactly fallen the right way for the...
GOTHAM DRAWS 11 HOPEFULS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amHefty field of 11 3-year-olds was entered yesterday for tomorrow's Kentucky Derby prep, Gr. 3, 200G Gotham at mile-and-sixteenth. Achilles of Troy, runaway winner of Count Fleet and Whirlaway Stakes,...
THAT'S HALL, FOLKS - SETON'S FINISHED; ORR NEXT?
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWichita St. 86 - Seton Hall 66 GREENSBORO - What started as a first-round NCAA Tournament game ended as a requiem for the Seton Hall careers of Donald Copeland and...
METWORK HAS BUMPY START
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThat SportsNet New York last night debuted to a limited audience may have been the best thing it had going for itself. SNY had some colossal opening night jitters, including...
MARBURY FLIPS FOR SAUNDERS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES It's no secret Stephon Marbury considers Pistons coach Flip Saunders the best he's ever had. Last spring, Marbury seemed to campaign for Saunders for the Knicks' job by...
STARS RETURNING TO AMAZIN'S CAMP
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amPORT ST. LUCIE - As Victor Zambrano walked through the Mets clubhouse yesterday, Billy Wagner enthusiastically shouted, "Hey, we get some more new people!" In other words, the World Baseball...
PEACE TALKS - BROWN TRIES TO SMOOTH RIFT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amPISTONS at KNICKS - Tonight 7:30 - MSG; ESPN (1050) A truce was reached aboard Team Titanic yesterday. Sort of. Before the film session, Larry Brown pulled Stephon Marbury out...
THREE STOOGES HAVE GOT TO GO
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amGUESS it's safe to say Stephon Marbury no longer is interested in earning any Brownie points. Guess it's safe to say they don't come with any less self-esteem than Larry...
VOLS BARELY ESCAPE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTennessee 63 - Winthrop 61 GREENSBORO - Tennessee seemed destined for overtime, and perhaps a stunning first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament. That's when Chris Lofton turned destiny around with...
NATION FOCUSED ON GERRY, 'CUSE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJACKSONVILLE - For four years, Gerry McNamara has made the winters shorter and warmer in Syracuse, and in his native Scranton, and in places where they worship heroes who are...
THAT'S HALL, FOLKS - PIRATES FINISHED; ORR NEXT?
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amWichita St. 86 - Seton Hall 66 GREENSBORO - What began as a first-round NCAA Tournament game ended as a requiem for the Seton Hall careers of Donald Copeland and...
ROYALS FLUSH ST. DOM'S
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amRob Hampton admitted there was a difference without his teammate of two years, Larry Davis, on the court. "It was kind of a shock," the Christ the King senior said...
SHOWING SOME PRIDE - HOFSTRA DUMPS CORNHUSKERS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amNIT: Hofstra 73 - Nebraska 62 HEMPSTEAD - Four days after getting snubbed by the NCAA selection committee, Hofstra registered a convincing NIT victory to begin making its case that...
RAGGEDY DEVS BACK ON WINNING TRACK
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amDevils 2 - Penguins 1 This was what the Devils do, and hadn't done lately. They finally remembered. Embarrassed by yielding six goals twice in consecutive losses, the Devils ratcheted...
JAGR SNAPS THE SKID
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amRangers 5 - Capitals 4 So it won't hang in an art museum, but at least the Rangers won't be going into tomorrow night's Garden match against the Maple Leafs...
BANGED-UP KNEE HURTING METS' KAZ
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amPORT ST. LUCIE - Kaz Matsui's right leg was in a brace that ranged from mid-thigh to ankle, and his limb was propped up horizontally as he sat in the...
DUDDY: ERIN KO BRAGH!
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJohn Duddy landed a sledgehammer right hook that finished off Shelby Pudwill at 1:31 of the first round in the main event of last night's "Irish Express" boxing card at...
A SEASON NOT EASILY FORGOTTEN AT IONA
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJACKSONVILLE - As Cinderella's clock ticked towards tip-off last night inside Locker Room No. 2, Iona assistant coach Nick Macarchuk went over the scouting report on the LSU players, one...
UW-MILWAUKEE STRIKES AGAIN
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJACKSONVILLE - Oklahoma seemed to be one of those top-tier NCAA Tournament teams immune to the first-round upset. For three consecutive years, the Sooners prevailed in the opener. In yesterday's...
CAN'T HOLD THAT TIGER - DAVIS, LSU PROVE TOO MUCH FOR GAELS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amATLANTA REGION: LSU 80 - Iona 64 JACKSONVILLE - In the nervous quiet that engulfed the Iona locker room moments before the Gaels would take on SEC power LSU in...
MAC'S THE MAN - GERRY HAS NATION TALKING SYRACUSE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJACKSONVILLE - For four years, Gerry McNamara has made the winters shorter and warmer in Syracuse, and in his native Scranton, and in places where they worship heroes who are...
HOPING FOR GAEL FORCE - RULAND'S CREW DUE TO WIN A TOURNEY TILT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJACKSONVILLE - Jeff Ruland, about to coach his alma mater in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in his eight seasons, pondered the possibilities as his team was about...
CONN THEIR WAY - HUSKIES' TITLE QUEST BEGINS WITH ALBANY
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amPHILADELPHIA - Both times UConn won the national championship (1999 and 2004), the Huskies first won the Big East Tournament. This year, with burgeoning expectations and a talent-laden roster, UConn...
LOST WORLD - U.S. OUSTED FROM CLASSIC
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amMexico 2 - USA 1 ANAHEIM - Team USA couldn't make it to its own party, choking on the invitation. Mark this down as one of the darkest days in...
SELIG: 'NOTHING NEW' ON BONDS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amANAHEIM - Commissioner Bud Selig attended last night's game between Mexico and the U.S. at Angel Stadium, and 20 minutes before the first pitch he said he has not yet...
DAMON'S NEXT STOP STILL UNDETERMINED
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amYANKEE NOTES TAMPA - Brian Cashman was undecided yesterday what Johnny Damon's immediate future is. Cashman left messages for Dr. Lewis Yocum yesterday, looking for an update on the Yankees'...
HOFSTRA: SNUB THIS!
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amHofstra swore it had put Selection Sunday behind and was now focused on winning the NIT. The Pride said they had replaced the pain of being passed over by the...
THREE TO BLAME FOR KNICKS' MESS
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amGUESS it's safe to say Stephon Marbury no longer is interested in earning any Brownie points. Guess it's safe to say they don't come with any less self-esteem than Larry...
RENNEY WANTS TRUE GRIT
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTom Renney declared his belief in the necessity for the Rangers to re-establish a physical identity yesterday by inserting both Ryan Hollweg and Colton Orr into the lineup while sitting...
A DEVIL DEBUT - WIEMER IS READY TO HELP
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amEast is east and west is west, but there's little difference hockey-wise, the latest Devil says. "Living here is different, but once you get on the ice, it's the same,"...
SIGNS OF SPRING ARE IN AIR
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTHERE are signs of life at marinas and tackle shops throughout New York as preparations begin for the April 1 opening of the winter flounder and freshwater trout seasons. For...
SIGNS OF SPRING ARE IN THE AIR
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTHERE are signs of life at marinas and tackle shops throughout New York as preparations begin for the April 1 opening of the winter flounder and freshwater trout seasons. For...
NO. 6 OU SENT HOME SOONER THAN EXPECTED
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJACKSONVILLE - Oklahoma seemed to be one of those top-tier NCAA Tournament teams immune to the first-round upset. For three consecutive years, the Sooners prevailed in the opener. In yesterday's...
DEION TALKING TO ESPN - COULD WORK ON PREGAME SHOW
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amDeion Sanders met with ESPN executives Tuesday to discuss a role on the network's NFL coverage, his agent confirmed to NYP TV Sports. Sanders, who retired for a second time...
5 QUESTIONS WITH DICK ENBERG
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amThis week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with Dick Enberg. Enberg, 72, will be working the NCAA tournament for CBS. He has been a broadcaster for five decades. Q:...
MARCHAND'S MEMO OF THE WEEK
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTo: TV Execs From: Andrew Marchand Re: Keyshawn Johnson CC: Wayne Chrebet Dear TV Execs: Keyshawn Johnson always has seemed to have a higher opinion of himself than the rest...
BURTT BASKING IN THE GLORY
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amJACKSONVILLE - It can be a debilitating burden, carrying the name of your famous father and trying to be him when everyone can see you cannot be him. So Steve...
ANATOMY OF AN UPSET - VERMONT COACH RECALLS HIS STUNNER - AND TELLS WHO'LL DO IT THIS TIME
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amFriday NCAA Tournament Noon - CBS ESPN analyst Tom Brennan coached Vermont, a 13th seed, over No. 4-seeded Syracuse in last year's NCAA Tournament. Brennan thinks the nature of a...
'NOVA GOES TO SCHOOL ON BIG EAST BEATING
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amPHILADELPHIA - A sense of terrifying disorientationsettled over the Villanova basketball team like a thick, frightening fog after it was traumatically tossed out of the Big East Conference Tournament semifinals...
'AWESOME' FEELING - WIN OR LOSE, TEAM USA EMBRACED WBC
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amANAHEIM - Alex Rodriguez offered two words last night to describe the World Baseball Classic: "It's awesome," he said. That tells you what the players really feel about this tournament....
WEIRD BUT TRUE
March 17, 2006 | 5:00amTwo oafs from Enid, Okla., got busted on arson charges after they burned up phone lines for nearly four hours talking with their plot to torch a car - as...