January 28, 1999

G-MEN PROBING HANDWRITING EXPERTS ON EBAY

"The crooked sellers on eBay are working hand-in-glove with the document examiners."AN INDUSTRY SOURCE Federal investigators have kicked off a probe of the sports memorabilia game. The FBI is probing...

BIONDI LANDS ON HIS FEET AT KING WORLD

It looks like Frank Biondi has a new gig. The recently ousted Universal studio chief is on the verge of signing on to help "Oprah" syndicators Roger and Michael King...

SILICON ALLEY RANKS NO. 1 IN IPOS

Silicon Alley is at the top of the IPO heap. New York City is the leading location for Internet-related IPOs, according to a review by the Securities Data Company. Gotham...

HONCHOS ON THE LAM ; LIVENT DUO ARE NO-SHOWS

"Mr. Drabinsky has concluded...that it will be very difficult to get a fair trial in the United States."EDWARD L. GREENSPAN, Drabinsky's lawyer Indicted theater impresario Garth Drabinsky is about to...

ZAGAT SERVES BIG APPLE BECOMES CHAIR OF NY & CO.

The man responsible for helping New Yorkers figure out where to eat is now charged with making the Big Apple more appetizing for overseas businesses. Tim Zagat, co-founder of the...

ST. MARTIN'S IS GOING FOR GOLDEN - EXCLUSIVE

St. Martin's Press is close to a deal to acquire the adult trade books division of Richard Snyder's troubled Golden Books Family Entertainment, The Post has learned. Snyder did not...

EXCITING EIFMAN SIMPLY TOO GOOD TO BE MISSED

Dance Review THERE now need be no doubt that choreographer Boris Eifman - theatrical magician extraordinary - is here to stay. Perhaps the only doubt is whether he is the...

'HIGH' PRAISE FOR 'LIFE'

Theater Review O K, so there's these four morphine addicts, three of them ex-cons, and they're all shooting up in the foot or the leg in a dingy room full...

TV TICKER

Oliver's army MSNBC is expected to announce today that Contragate figure Oliver North will co-host a weeknight talk show airing 8-8:30 p.m. North's co-host will be a female federal prosecutor....

ROSES AND A MESSAGE FOR ABC: DON'T PLAY STUPID WITH 'CUPID'

FANS of "Cupid" everywhere were mobilizing grassroots support yesterday for a stay of execution for their favorite show. One veteran of grassroots TV campaigns spent $51.98 to send a half-dozen...

SUPER BOWL BLOWOUT ; WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN $1.6M ADS

WITHOUT the Jets or the Giants in the Super Bowl this year, some of the best moments during Sunday's big game could be the overpriced commercials. "Not only is it...

COURT TV PROMOS GUILTY OF BAD TASTE

V IOLENT and bizarre network promos ought to carry a warning. TV programs have warnings so you know whats ahead. But whats to protect you or your kids from witnessing...

SEX SELLS,EVEN AT SUNDANCE

DOCUMENTARIES have been the hot ticket at this year's Sundance Festival, and no tickets are hotter to come by than those for "Sex: The Annabel Chong Story" and "American Pimp."...

BIG GAME HUNTING:CHER NEEDS DRESS FOR SUPER BOWL

Cher: Oh say, can you help me get dressed? Cher wants you to help her get dressed. The sexy siren yesterday begged the public to assist her in getting an...

SHOPPING IN THE TRASH

Colorful framed prints. Large pieces of expensive fabric. Office supplies. A lovely modern desk chair. These are just a few of the things Joanne O'Connor, a special events planner, has...

CORNER THE FUNERAL BIZ? OVER RUDY'S DEAD BODY - EXCLUSIVE

The Giuliani administration is going to the state attorney general's office with "scathing" results of their probe of funeral-industry practices, The Post has learned. The city investigation began after reports...

FEDS START A PROBE OF OLYMPIC PROPORTION

Federal authorities may charge both bribers and bribe-takers in the Salt Lake City Olympic scandal, officials in Washington said yesterday. The Justice Department probe, still in an early stage, could...

TAKE A GANDER - THE GEESE ARE GONE!

The Sheep Meadow geese are almost history. Credit the city's own Goosebusters. The Parks Department had considered air guns, a sonar-operated scarecrow, border collies and even Boomer, Parks Commissioner Henry...

PATAKI BARES LEAN AND MEAN SPENDING PLAN

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki moved to re-establish his conservative credentials yesterday with a bare-bones, $72.66 billion state budget plan that slashes money for Medicaid, schools and college tuition. Pataki's austere,...

JORDAN'S KING SUFFERS CANCER RELAPSE

JERUSALEM - King Hussein's American doctors sent shock waves through the Mideast yesterday by saying the man who guided Jordan through 47 years of war and peace is suffering a...

THOROUGH MOUSE-CLEANING AT DUNKIN'

The Midtown Dunkin' Donuts where mice were caught on camera frolicking and snacking will close for a top-to-bottom renovation, The Post has learned. The Dunkin' Donuts chain will drop its...

MEDICAID CUTS A DEATH BL0W: H0SPS

At least one city hospital could go belly-up if Gov. Pataki's proposed Medicaid cuts are enacted, experts say. The $266 million in Medicaid cuts in the governor's proposed budget -...

NO-CASH VENDING MACHINES IN METROCARDS' FUTURE

Call it the junior MetroCard vending machine. Transit officials plan to buy a more limited version of their new MetroCard vending machine that riders would use to add value to...

POPE ENDS VISIT WITH PLEA FOR A HIGHER MORALITY

ST. LOUIS - A frail Pope John Paul II yesterday called on Americans to end the death penalty, abortion and the "destructive evil" of racism. The 78-year-old pontiff's message drew...

SAILOR: I BEHEADED HOMESICK N.J. LOVE

A jealous Greek sailor has confessed to strangling, burning and beheading a ravishing New Jersey swimsuit model because she wanted to ditch him and go home, authorities said yesterday. Sailor...

EVEL KNIEVEL GETS LIVER TRANSPLANT

Death-defying daredevil Evel Knievel is recuperating after receiving a long-awaited liver transplant. The motorcycle stuntman was in stable condition last night at Tampa General Hospital in Florida. Knievel's liver was...

N.H. VOTERS TAKING A FANCY TO LIDDY DOLE

PLYMOUTH, N.H. THANKS to Sexgate, there seems to be an Elizabeth Dole boomlet building in New Hampshire, the state with the 2000 campaigns first presidential primary. Its time for a...

MAY IT RAIN RATS ON CONCERT FOR COP KILLER

I HAVE nothing but good will for the fine people of New Jersey. But tonight around the Meadowlands I pray that the Supreme Being visits a plague on that small...

SLAIN BOYS' MOM SLAPPED WITH EVICTION NOTICE

The grieving mother of two murdered Queens boys faces eviction from the family's apartment and can't even afford to pay for her sons' funeral, her lawyer said yesterday. "She's in...

FORTUNATE FEW FOUND ALIVE

ARMENIA, Colombia - Small miracles emerged from the rubble yesterday as rescue workers unearthed a lucky few who cheated death. There was 16-year-old David Acevedo, found alive after spending 44...

HIGHLIGHT$ OF BUDGET

Gov. Pataki's $72.66 billion budget proposal includes: *Increasing state aid to local school districts by $154 million, to a total of $11.9 billion. That is far less than the $900...

EXPERTS TELL PREZ: KEEP IT SHORT & YOUVE WON

Quit while youre ahead. That was the advice many lawyers and other experts had yesterday for President Clinton. His best strategy, they said, is wrap things up quickly rather than...

RUDY RIPS 'BIAS' IN PROBE OF SCHOOLS

The school wars between Mayor Giuliani and Gov. Pataki got hotter yesterday as the mayor called the governor's Board of Education probe "destructive" and biased against the Big Apple. In...

BILL'S LONE DEFECTOR MIGHT VOTE TO CONVICT

WASHINGTON - Sen. Russ Feingold, the lone Democrat to vote for calling witnesses in President Clinton's impeachment trial, said yesterday he could still vote to convict and oust the president....

BILL BACKS OFF AS SENATORS VOTE TO HEAR 3 WITNESSES

WASHINGTON - The Senate voted yesterday to question Monica Lewinsky and two other witnesses as the White House backed away from threats to drag out President Clintons impeachment trial. Senators...

SECOND LEVIN-SLAY TRIAL OPENS

Prosecutors have little more than a drunken confession and a flimsy eyewitness, the lawyer for the second man accused of murdering teacher Jonathan Levin claimed as that trial began yesterday....

DEMS NOW FACE MORAL DILEMMA

Now comes the real Sexgate test for the Democratic senators who are billed as leaders of conscience. Like Sens. Daniel P. Moynihan (N.Y.), Joe Lieberman (Conn.) and Bob Kerrey (Neb.)...

PIT-BULL BILL IS ACTIVISTS' PET PEEVE

Keeping a pit bull in New York City would put a bite in the wallet if the City Council approves an aggressive plan to require $100,000 in liability insurance on...

PEOPLE WERE SHOUTING, 'IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!'

ARMENIA, Colombia. MARIO TRUJILLO didn't have a chance to run when the earth started moving. A piece of ceiling from the grocery store he was hanging out in came crashing...

CENTRAL PK. ZOO PARROT-PINCHER MAY BE JAILBIRD

Police nabbed the mastermind behind a bird-brained animal-napping yesterday when they arrested a Brooklyn man for snatching a rare parrot from the Central Park Zoo, authorities said. John Davila, 24,...

COPS TAIL TIGER IN JERSEY

A dangerous Siberian tiger was on the loose in a wooded part of central New Jersey last night, and area residents were warned to stay indoors. Police shot the tiger...

RUDY WANTS MORE COPS FOR DRUG FIGHT

The Police Department, already at a historic peak with a force of 40,000, needs 1,000 more cops to continue its massive crackdown on drugs, Mayor Giuliani will tell New Yorkers...

TIGER SHOT DEAD AFTER A TERRIFYING HUNT IN N.J. WOODS

A Siberian tiger on the loose in a wooded area of New Jersey was shot dead by cops last night, ending eight hours of terror for area residents who were...

BODY ID'D AS YONKERS BOY, 12

The body of a child found half-buried in an abandoned Dobbs Ferry building has been identified as a 12-year-old Yonkers boy who vanished in November, authorities said yesterday. Orlandito Rosario-Maldonado...

QUAKE PITCHES COLOMBIA INTO CHAOS; NO FOOD FOR LIVING OR COFFINS FOR DEAD

Quake-stricken Colombia was plunged into chaos yesterday - with looting, torrential rains, a confused relief effort and coffin shortages compounding the nation's misery. International aid poured in, but residents of...

RUDY BLASTS G0V 0VER 'BIASED' SCH00LS PR0BE

Money isn't the answer / Editorial: Page 28"If principals in New York City are [padding attendance], there are going to be some principals someplace else who are doing it."MAYOR GIULIANIThe...

11-YEAR-OLD DIES IN POOL TRAGEDY

An 11-year-old Brooklyn boy on a Yeshiva field trip died yesterday at a Canarsie swimming pool, police said. Dovid Moskowitz was playing with 23 other kids in the pool at...

HOOP STAR, 14, KILLED AFTER SCHOOL GAME

A 14-year-old Brooklyn youth paid with his life last night in a battle over his scoring at a junior-high-school basketball game, police said. Soon after Michael Bennett made his last...

MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE, REEVES DESERVES AMERICA'S CHEERS ON SUPER SUNDAY: ALIVE AND KICKIN'

ABSTRACT Continued from pg. 48... But this current surge by the Falcons has put him on a higher cloud. He is coaching in his home state with full control of...

OVERLOOKED CHANDLER STARRING IN SUPER BOWL XXXIII AS ... THE OTHER QB

Chandler's the one who isn't getting all the attention over whether or not this will be his last professional game. He's the one that isn't going to the Hall of...

STORM BUBBLE COULD BURST

SYRACUSE - Good thing St. John's played in the Carrier Dome last night. The cavernous bubble might be the only home court in the Big East that could accommodate the...

IT'S SCOTT TO BE A WINNING COMBO

BOSTON - For three games, it has been the Devils' idea of a solution to their latest, greatest problem, and for three games, nothing but victory has resulted. Scott &...

NO FEAR IN MIGHTY-MITE DWIGHT

MIAMI - Tim Dwight wouldn't even let the questioner finish. "If the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl goes six yards deep," the man began. "It's coming out," Dwight said....

SHELL ASKS: WHAT MORE MUST I DO?

MIAMI - Art Shell has three Super Bowl rings, one as an assistant coach and two as a player. He's a member of the NFL Hall of Fame and he...

ELAM IS BRONCS' OL' RELIABLE

MIAMI - In his racing mind, he's gone through every possible scenario. He's thought about wind, rain, clouds, sun, long kicks, short kicks and - above all - game-winning kicks....

ATLANTA'S GREAT DANE; FALCS GET KICK OUT OF ANDERSEN

MIAMI - When he goes home to Denmark, heads to a local field and practices by kicking footballs over the soccer goal, the kids in town form an immediate impression...

CASE WINS DRIVING HONOR

Walter Case Jr., who rewrote the harness racing record books in 1998, is being honored for his hard work and accomplishments with the Driver of the Year award from Harness...

AQUEDUCT MISHAPS CLAIM TWO HORSES

Two horses died on the track at Aqueduct yesterday, euthanized by the track vet after suffering catastrophic leg fractures in separate races. In the first race, jockey Filiberto Leon narrowly...

PATAKI: UP TAKEOUT ON EXOTIC BETS

Hide your wallets, horseplayers. The government is out to pick your pockets once again. Gov. George Pataki, in his 1998-99 budget released yesterday, proposed a 2 percent increase, from 25...

TUGGLE RISES FROM RUBBLE ; FALCON LB A REFUGEE FROM BAD, OLD DAYS

MIAMI - This is for William Andrews and Gerald Riggs and Buddy Curry, players he admired while growing up a loyal fan of the beleaguered Falcons. This is for the...

'CHARM': OUTSIDE CHANCE OF LOSING

Silver Charm, embarking on his quest for Horse of the Year along with up to $5 million in bonus money offered by the inaugural "NTRA Champions on Fox" series, drew...

ATWATER WONDERS IF THIS IS IT

MIAMI - Parting with a second consecutive Super Bowl championship could be a sweet sorrow for another wise and weather-beaten Bronco besides John Elway. Is it going to be all...

BERARD LOVIN' LEAF AS FELIX SITS ON ISLE

While goalie Felix Potvin wastes away on the Islanders' bench, Bryan Berard thrives in Toronto. With terrific Tommy Salo temporarily displacing Potvin as the Isles' No. 1 goalie and Berard...

THEY'RE CRAZY ; ... AND IN TENTS ; WHAT MAKES 'EM TIX IN DUKE'S KRZYZEWSKIVILLE

"[My dad] used to camp out for Mets tickets, so he would be mad if I didn't experience this. This is what being at Duke is all about."TODD SCHWARTZ, Long...

SUPER SET OF SUBPLOTS; REEVES' WARS WITH ELWAY, SHANAHAN ADD SPICE TO XXXIII

MIAMI - John Elway stood at the podium before the mass media yesterday and surveyed the room. He was relaxed, smiling, enjoying the moment. But his eyes were wide. In...

SIZE DOESN'T REALLY MATTER BRONCOS' SMALL OL FILLED WITH BIG HEARTS

"Personnel people are convinced that it's a computer draft. They don't measure the heart muscle. I have guys that I've always wondered why they weren't picked higher."ALEX GIBBS, Broncos' offensive...

STRAW TOPS YANKEE LIST FOR TAMPA

YANKEE NOTES Providing he is physically fit after battling cancer, Darryl Strawberry has a shot to be part of the Yankees' plans this coming season. The same can't be said...

MANNY GETS MARC-ED UP

GREENSBORO - You know there's a problem within an organization when the stiffest competition for jobs on the NHL level are for the roles of fourth-line, penalty-killing forward and sixth...

CALIPARI, NETS TAKE HIGH ROAD, FOR NOW

"When we draft and when we trade, I'm bringing in guys that I know have character ... They can look in the mirror and know that they're doing the right...

AILING RONY MAY BE LOST FOR A MONTH

And now you know why the Nets loaded up on big men. One of the biggest pieces to their overall puzzle, 6-11 backup center Rony Seikaly, has an injury that's...

JAYSON WOULD RATHER BE ...

There's nothing Jayson Williams wanted to do more than play the pre-season game against the Knicks at the Garden last night. Well, almost nothing. "Do you believe it? Of all...

8TH GRADER MOVIN' ON UP

It was time to join the varsity. So what that she's an eighth grader? Julia Loonin, 13, so dominated her Berkeley Carroll middle school team last year, she was invited...

JOE STILL FEELS SUPER SUPER MEMORIES LAST FOREVER

MIAMI - The last Truly Important Super Bowl - in fact, probably the only Truly Important Super Bowl - took place here 30 years ago this month. That is before...

SOMETHING'S FISHY WITH SOME REFS

LONDON - The corrupt referee is the yeti of world soccer, a mysterious,scary creature that many claim to have encountered but few have produced evidence of. This mythical monster must...

STORM SURVIVES ORANGE AMBUSH

St. John's 75 Syracuse 70 SYRACUSE - If the slightest of doubts remained about the resiliency, the tenacity, and the heart of this St. John's team, they were vanquished last...

CLASSY BUCK SAYS GOODBYE

A good father, a good man and one great rebounder walked away from the NBA yesterday. Buck Williams called it a career on his own terms. He will be missed...

POSTELL DELIVERS IN BIG WAY

SYRACUSE - While many of his teammates were turning in a heroic effort against Duke last Sunday, Lavor Postell, the Red Storm's super sixth man, was struggling to find his...

NETS' CHARACTER FLAW ; CAL NEEDS TO ADJUST HIS RIGHTEOUS STANCE

MAYBE there is still too much of that idealistic, college-coach thinking lingering in John Calipari's brain. Or maybe, he's just a little naive, this being only his third season as...

LOVE AT 1ST SIGHT ; SPREE SCORES 27, CAPTIVATES FANS IN KNICKS DEBUT

Knicks 88 Nets 87 Spree-tacular! The Garden gave Latrell Sprewell the warmest of welcomes back to the NBA last night and then Sprewell rewarded the fans with a thunderous performance...

KERRY MAY KNEED SURGERY

The bad news set in earlier in the week for the Nets, Rony Seikaly had suffered ligament damage in his right ankle, an injury worse than originally suspected, an injury...

EWING LOOKS 'RUSTY'

KNICK-NET NOTES Patrick Ewing was Comeback Kid II last night and things didn't go quite as well for the big man as they did for Latrell Sprewell. But Ewing, as...

QUEASY BOYKINS NEARLY STEALS THE SHOW

Earl Boykins felt absolutely lousy. His stomach was doing its finest Mount Vesuvius impression yesterday morning. But the Nets' 5-5 free agent hopeful knew what last night meant. It meant...

BLUE DEVILS GUT OUT VICTORY OVER HEELS ; BLUE DEVILS PUT THE TORCH TO TAR HEELS

Duke 89 UNC 77 DURHAM, N.C. - Andemola Okulaja's eyes appeared to droop to his sneakers in the end, the hot box of Cameron Indoor Arena and the Devils who...

MCCAFFREY A GIANT MISTAKE BY REEVES

ABSTRACT: MIAMI - Years ago, Bill Parcells made what he later called the worst personnel mistake of his coaching career when he chose Scott Brunner as his starting quarterback over...

NO DEFENSE FOR SHARPE TONGUE

ABSTRACT: MIAMI - Shannon Sharpe can hurt you even before he runs a pattern, catches a pass or scores a touchdown. Never mind that Sharpe, the Broncos' Pro Bowl tight...