September 14, 2003
BULL'S EYE
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amCHECKER THIS OUT Who says banks won't give you a free ride? At least two banks here already offer free ATMs for non-customers - but the big global bank HSBC...
TRAVEL AGENTS CAUGHT IN AIRLINE SQUEEZE PLAY
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amThe government hopes to prop up suffering airlines at the expense of another profession - travel agents. The Department of Transportation is considering outlawing "incentive fees" that computer-reservation systems pay...
CLIPPING GRASSO; NYSE CHAIR HANGS ON AS HIS SUPPORT SHRINKS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amIt's got the makings of reality TV. Harsh reality TV, actually. Big Board chief Dick Grasso reveals he's accumulated almost $190 million in compensation and the island which he once...
MISTAKES MAKE NEWS; ARE GAFFES THE RESULT OF BATTLE FATIGUE?
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amTHE TV news business has be come so ferociously competi tive that the news channels and local-station newscasts are showing signs of battle fatigue. That's the only way I can...
POODLE POWER
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amAt first glance, Coco the poodle looks like an extremely pampered dog. She's never less than perfectly groomed: her fluffy coat pure white, her paws manicured just so. The 7-year-old...
WHERE TO EAT AFTER ... 'TRUMBO' AT THE WESTSIDE THEATER
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amNathan Lane is the current lead in "Trumbo," a play based on the letters of blacklisted novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. He'll play the role through next Sunday, at the...
BEDTIME STORY; MADONNA UNVEILS HER LATEST, WEIRDEST PERSONA: CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amMadonna might not be your first choice to read stories to your kids. After all, her last book, 1992's "Sex," featured plenty of sadomasochism, bondage and erotica. And her idea...
A HELLUVA FILM DEBUT
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amWELCOME to purgatory. No, not the one they talk about in church. This one is the product of the fertile mind of a teenage girl. She's Celeste Davis, who at...
AN MBA IN 'MRS.'; HEADS UP, HUSBAND-HUNTERS! EVERY OBJECTIVE NEEDS A POWERPOINT PLAN
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amA book about just how dire it is to find a husband after 35 may be enough to make any single girl want to kill herself. But for women with...
STARR REPORT
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amThe cast and crew of Paul Borghese/William DeMeo's "Searching for Bobby DeNiro" gathered at Brunelli's last Wednesday for a production launch party. Cast members Carmen Electra, Anthony Michael Hall, Vincent...
BARING OUR INNER GODDESSES - BUTTS FIRST
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amOne who used to complain her boobs looked like old slippers and was contemplating surgery has now changed her mind. There are many rules to live by - but the...
HIGH NOTES & LOW NOTES
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amTake it or leave it: The Strokes' high-expectations sophomore disc, "Room on Fire," is due out Oct. 21; in the meantime, the New York-rock saviors have posted an MP3 of...
VIEIRA GIVES 'VIEW' A CHEAP THRILL
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amMeredith Vieira goes low. Again. Vieira, a former TV newswoman who presents herself as an above-the-fray TV sophisticate, last week emulated the Madonna-Britney Spears made-for-TV "shocker" that became news after...
BLAHNIK BABES: STYLISH GALS CELEBRATE THEIR HIGH-HEEL HERO
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amFrom the tops of their John Barrett-coiffed tresses to the tips of their stilettos, the crowd at the party celebrating the opening of the Manolo Blahnik exhibit in Chelsea looked...
THEY'VE GOT THE LOOK
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amNew Yorkers are among the most style-savvy people on the planet - so to rise to the top of the ranks here is quite an accomplishment. From the quietly classic...
WHAT'S WHAT AT FASHION WEEK
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amTonight, Sept. 14: Red Bull and MAO Public Relations host Blue Elements: Elysian Fields, an evening featuring a fusion of fashion, music and art, at Splashlight Studios. Also this evening,...
SHOPAHOLIC: I DARE YOU: CAN DESIGNER DIANE VON FURSTENBERG PUT TOGETHER A GREAT LOOK FOR FASHION WEEK?
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amGOLDEN RULE FOR FRONT ROW FASHION: "You want to be able to know you can take your jacket off, because it can get cold or hot. You also want to...
ANOTHER WEST NILE BITE ON LONG ISLAND
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amA 90-year-old Valley Stream, L.I., woman has become the fifth Nassau County resident this year to contract the West Nile virus, health officials said. The unidentified elderly woman fell ill...
HOLE LOT OF DANGER IN OZONE ZONE
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amThe gaping hole in the ozone layer just keeps growing and growing. The Antarctic ozone hole is bigger than it's ever been at this time of year, reversing what scientists...
POWELL: RIFT WITH EUROPE HEALING
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amThe United States and European powers have narrowed their differences on the future of Iraq, declared Secretary of State Colin Powell, who also announced he intends to visit to the...
HOPEFUL MADONNA ON MOMMY TRACK AGAIN
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amTurns out Madonna wants to have a threesome - but not the kind that starts with wet kisses for Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera. The 45-year-old Queen of Pop wants...
CHIEF BARES SNIPER PAIN
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amHe felt powerless when D.C.-area snipers slaughtered six people in 24 hours, his blood boiled when they demanded a $10 million ransom - and it became "really, really personal" when...
SHOW BUZZ
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amDIRECT APPROACH: Cat walker Fernanda Tavares may be best pals with Gisele Bundchen, but she doesn't share the same fashion taste. Tavares has signed on as the new face of...
ARNIE TRIES TO MUSCLE OUT RIVAL
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - Arnold Schwarzenegger pleaded for GOP unity yesterday, strongly suggesting he's the only Republican running man able to terminate the Democratic political machine in the governor's mansion. Although...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amBrooklyn A man was critically wounded by a gunman early yesterday in Coney Island, police said. The 22-year-old victim was standing at West 28th Street and Mermaid Avenue at 12:56...
UNNEIGHBORLY DRIVER INJURES HORSE
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amAn NYPD mounted officer who was towing his horse in a trailer escaped injury on the Long Island Expressway last night after a thoughtless speeder cut him off, causing both...
SUICIDAL LOVER SLAYS MOM-TO-BE
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amA pregnant woman was stabbed to death and her throat slashed by her unborn child's father, who then tried to kill himself with the same bloody knife in their Rockland...
COMMUTERS' PAINFUL PATH BACK TO GROUND ZERO STATION
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amPATH riders will soon be faced with a grim emotional wrench when trains roll back into the new World Trade Center station at Ground Zero - they'll be deep in...
TAYLOR TAKES SHOW BY STORM ; AQUATIC LOOKS ON TAP
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amTHE rain couldn't dampen Fashion Week showgoers' spirits yesterday. Wearing trench coats, practical shoes (2-inch heels as opposed to 4-inch stilettos) and carrying oversized Marc Jacobs Sofia bags (the official...
FRAT SPAT SPURS SLAY; STOCKBROKER SHOT SPURNING DRUG DEAL
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amAndres Valerio decided to "just say no" - and it cost him his life. The 21-year-old stockbroker was shot dead in a Long Island nightclub parking after he and pals...
9/11 AIR OUTRAGE: WHITMAN: PIT CREWS BLEW OFF HEALTH WARNING
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amChristie Whitman has three words for many of the Ground Zero rescue workers suffering from "tower lung" and other lingering health problems: We warned you. Whitman, who headed the federal...
OH, BABY, FIREFIGHTER RIGHT ON TIME
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amPostal workers aren't the only ones who deliver. Just ask Orianna Tortorella, who was helped into this world yesterday by a hero firefighter in her parents' Brooklyn apartment. The newborn's...
LISA MARIE: JACKO A SACKO WACKO
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amWacko Jacko's sex romps with ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley left Elvis' daughter breathless and wanting more. But the bizarro 45- year-old pop star never went to bed without makeup on...
MATSUI BANGED UP AFTER COLLISION WITH KENNEDY
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES Hideki Matsui barreled down the first-base line, while Devil Ray reliever Joe Kennedy leaned down to pick up Matsui's nubber, causing a collision that looked like a running...
RUNAWAY JEEP KILLS WOMAN, 48
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amA 48-year-old woman walking out of a home for the disabled in Bedford-Stuyvesant died yesterday when a car jumped a curb and slammed into her, authorities said. Cheryl Ingram, 45,...
FERRER DIGS IN FOR LONG RUN; LIKELY '05 RIVAL RIPS BLOOMBERG ON NONPARTISAN PLAN
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amFERNANDO FERRER - who seems sure to challenge Mayor Bloomberg in 2005 - is preparing to send an early warning shot across the mayor's bow. The former Bronx borough president...
A FASHION CATASTROPHE JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amIF yellow isn't your color, maybe you better trade in your frequent-flier miles for magazine subscriptions. Yes, starting next summer, the feds will begin color coding every single passenger on...
MORE KIDS FALL VICTIM TO PERVERT ATTACKS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amCrimes by sexual predators against kids are on the rise in the city, NYPD statistics show. Reports of sodomy in which the assailant was older than 21 and the victim...
NOT-SO-SWEET CHARITY; GROUP SPENDS MORE THAN IT GIVES TO KIN
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amA charity that promised Sept. 11 families endowments - and used the families' stories on the Internet to raise donations - now says it can't meet its commitment to them...
TENNIS UMPS CRY FOUL IN BIAS SUIT
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amTwo veteran tennis umpires have served the sport with a scorching discrimination suit accusing officials of conspiring to keep blacks and women from officiating important matches. Just days after the...
POLS TARGET EXES IN $$ WAR
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amDeadbeat husbands, your time is running out. That's the word from two New York politicians who've teamed up to draft a new federal bill aimed at nailing spouses who bolt...
NEW YORK'S NEW BEGGARS ; CELL-PHONE HOMELESS ON STREETS BY CHOICE
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amTHEY have cell phones. They've got e-mail. They shop free at Old Navy, McDonald's and Virgin record stores. They have free access to acupuncture treatments, yoga classes and massage therapy....
TV JESTER RITTER LEFT WITH ONE LAST LAUGH; FINAL MOMENTS FUNNING WITH 'FONZ' ON SET
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amOn the day he died of heart failure, John Ritter was in a good mood. He joked around with buddy Henry Winkler on the set of their hit TV comedy...
BLACK COPS RIP DEPT. ON RACE ATTACK
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amEric Adams of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care yesterday lashed out at the way police mishandled a Staten Island bias incident. Standing in the same waterfront playground where...
ISRAELI LEFT'S SHOCKER; SOME VOW TO BE 'SHIELDS' FOR ARAFAT
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amJERUSALEM - A coalition of Arab loyalists and leftist Israeli Jews vowed yesterday to serve as "human shields" and protect Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from any Israeli government attack. The...
WHEEL THRILL FOR MATTHEWS FANS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amHundreds of young hipsters yesterday flocked alongside older, more mellow groovers to grab free tickets from Segway-riding ducat distributors for the upcoming gig by the Dave Matthews Band in Central...
NYPD BLUE SAFETY SNAFU
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amA dozen high-tech, blank NYPD security identification cards used to gain access to the nerve center of Police Headquarters have been missing for months, The Post has learned. Four of...
FETUSES' FACES SHOW EMOTIONS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amHey, expectant moms, that baby kicking you in the stomach may be doing it with a sly grin. Or maybe a frown. Your child might even be crying. Amazing new...
CUSTOMS BOTCHES IMAM'S VISIT
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amA respected Canadian imam couldn't deliver a planned Sept. 11 lecture against Islamic extremism because he was detained 16 hours after arriving in Florida and then refused entry to the...
ARNIE'S ARMY AT GOP PARTY
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - Arnie's Army invaded the California state Republican convention yesterday, hoping to pump up Arnold Schwarzenegger's make-or-break bid to sway GOP loyalists more ideologically aligned with his chief...
CITY THIRSTS FOR NEW AD DEALS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amAfter landing the $166 million deal to make Snapple the official drink of the city, Joe Perello is already looking for the next big deal. Perello, the city's new chief...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amA Georgia inmate is suing the prison where she's serving a 10-year sentence for burglary and aggravated assault because she says the place is crawling with spiders. In her lawsuit,...
DALLAS BRASS TAKING POTSHOTS ; CONTRACT BATTLE WITH TURCO GETS NASTY
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amBURLINGTON, Vt. - The Stars have every right to hardball Marty Turco off their recently rejected, if reasonable, three-year, $12 million offer to the unsigned second-team all-star and Vezina runner-up....
YANKS, FISH WIN ROTO PENNANTS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amFOR our Rotisserie Files season finale, we thought it would be interesting to see how major league teams would fare if they played by rotisserie rules. In other words, all...
BIG-GAME BUSTS ; HYPED-UP HUSKIES NO MATCH FOR BC
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amBoston Coll. 24Connecticut 14 EAST HARTFORD - They heard all week at Boston College about the football frenzy at the University of Connecticut. They heard about the first sell-out crowd...
PERRY'S PROGRESS ; MICHIGAN BACK STUDIED FOR TOUGH IRISH TEST
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amANN ARBOR - What it came down to was a conversation between Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and star running back Chris Perry. Lloyd's message was this: Do the math, Chris;...
'VALUE' GOES FOR FUTURITY
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amOn his best day, Unbridled's Song was one of the top American racehorses of the past 20 years. He won the 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile making just his third start,...
'SPIRIT' REBOUNDS IN RUFFIAN 'CAP
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amRebounding from a stunning defeat as the 1-5 favorite in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga, trainer Bobby Frankel's Wild Spirit circled the field on the far turn to win yesterday's...
RUBEN HELPS YANKS WIN POWER BALL ; SIERRA BLAST CAPS BOMBER POWER SURGE VS. LOWLY RAYS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amGAME 1Yankees 6Devil Rays 5 With the playoffs becoming more of a sure thing every day, the question of how the Yankees will advance in the postseason seems to be...
BERNIE'S BIRTHDAY BASH ; WILLIAMS PUTS ICING ON CAKE WITH PAIR OF HRS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amBefore yesterday's baseball marathon, Joe Torre was asked if he had given Bernie Williams a birthday present. "No, I haven't," Torre said. "He has got to get me one first."...
VANDY'S HIGH ROAD ALSO EASY ROAD ; HEY, INTEGRITY'S A SNAP WHEN YOUR TEAMS STINK
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amVANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, "the Harvard of the South," last week took a bold, dramatic and highly praiseworthy step. Well, kinda. Vandy announced the elimination of its athletic department. It will continue...
NO FIGHT IN IRISH ; PERRY'S 4 TDS POWER MICHIGAN'S BLOWOUT
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amMichigan 38Notre Dame 0 ANN ARBOR - The Notre Dame fans stood silent and still in the south end zone, a stagnant sea of green, much like their team's offense....
NOTHING SWEET ABOUT PINIELLA'S PLIGHT
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amTHE smile was gone, the morning optimism a memory. The package of Marlboro Lights was already half-empty, and a backup pack was already sitting on-deck, on the other side of...
METROS SENSE DÉJÀ VU AFTER LOSS TO REVS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amRevolution 2 MetroStars 1 The MetroStars suffered the worst late-season collapse in MLS history last year, the lowpoint a loss their finale at New England that kept them from a...
AMAZIN'S PLAY IT SAFE WITH SEO
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amMET NOTES MONTREAL - Jae Weong Seo will be pushed back a day from his next start in Chicago, proof the Mets will handle their rookie righty cautiously until the...
EIGHT IS ENOUGH ; STEVE ENDS METS' STREAK
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amMets 5Expos 4 MONTREAL - Art Howe doesn't exaggerate often, but he estimated that 90 percent of Steve Trachsel's outings this season have been quality starts. "He's been as consistent...
OSCAR: I WAS ROBBED! WILL LAUNCH PROBE AFTER SUGAR WINS DECISION
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amLAS VEGAS - Oscar De La Hoya lost a unanimous decision to Sugar Shane Mosley here last night - but he isn't giving up the fight. Boxing's Golden Boy vowed...
'0-2 WOULD BE UGLY' ; JETS, DOLPHINS DESPERATE FOR WIN
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amDesperation is often a very telling emotion. For some, it brings out the best. Others crumble in the face of the mounting pressure. True, this NFL season is only a...
BOLLINGER'S READY, IF NEEDED
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amJET NOTES Brooks Bollinger was picked in the sixth round of April's draft because, according to offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, the Jets believed he had potential to be a good...
IT'S TIME TO SEE IF VINNY CAN HACK IT
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amNOW that he has shaken off the cobwebs, it is time to take the handcuffs off Vinny Testaverde. Let Vinny play. Let Vinny play so Curtis Martin is not trapped...
KVASHA CATCHES STIRLING'S EYE
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amWHEELING, W.Va. - As they will do every other day during this training camp, the Islanders held an intra-squad scrimmage yesterday morning. It was intense, physical and was the first...
BROWN GETS REAL SHOT WITH DEVS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amThe Devils didn't sign defenseman Sean Brown based on their first-round playoff impressions. He couldn't crack the Bruin lineup that lost in five to New Jersey. This then, is a...
NOTHING'S FAKE ABOUT SANDERSON
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amAmerica's best freestyle wrestler stands in the Garden tunnel, slapping himself on the head, the neck and inside each thigh. "Thirty seconds, Cael," USA Wrestling coach Bobby Douglas yells into...
METROS VOW NO COLLAPSE DOWN STRETCH
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amLast year, the MetroStars collapsed down the stretch, suffering the most embarrassing late-season collapse in MLS history. They dropped seven of their last nine and their final three straight to...
PATAKI ORANGE CRUSHES A FAULTY BILL
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amGOV. PATAKI vetoed a bill this past week that would have required hunters to wear hunter orange during the big-game season. The bill would have required every person hunting game...
A THIN BLUE LINE ; GIANTS CALL ON 3 ROOKIE FILL-INS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amThe pizza is here. That was the news given to Wayne Lucier, who realized he was already late with his weekly chore. The veterans on the offensive line were sure...
FASSEL'S HAD FILL OF TUNA
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amGIANT NOTES Jim Fassel was hit with a barrage of Bill Parcells-related questions early this week. Then that theme subsided. It picked up again yesterday with a Dallas TV crew...
POLY DELIVERS ONE-TWO PUNCH
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amH.S. FOOTBALLPoly Prep 41St. Anthony's 21 For years, Poly Prep has churned out quality Division I football players, but head coach Craig Jacoby knows this year is different. "We haven't...
TY GOES TO PODSEDNIK ; WIGGY: BREWER DESERVES ROY
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amMONTREAL - If Ty Wigginton were voting for Rookie of the Year, he'd pick Scott Podsednik. And if you have no idea who Podsednik is or what team he plays...
MOORE EYES A BIT MORE
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amBURLINGTON, Vt. -He has arrived at camp with a BA in sociology from Harvard, so rookie center Dominic Moore understands how to interpret the Ranger depth chart that has Eric...
BOXING CAN'T ANSWER BELL ; NEEDS STARS TO BOOST POPULARITY
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amLAS VEGAS - Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, was lamenting the state of boxing this weekend when he centered on one of the factors in its struggle to compete...
NOTHIN' SWEET ABOUT PINIELLA'S PLIGHT
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amTHE smile was gone. The optimism was a memory. The package of Marlboro Lights was already half-empty, and a backup carton was sitting on-deck, on the other side of the...
THE INSIDERS: THE POST TAKES YOU BEHIND THE LOCKER-ROOM DOORS
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amMuscle Bonds Barry's trainer searched by IRS For those questioning just how did Barry Bonds become bigger and better with age - we know no baseball player works harder than...
TWO FOR THE MONEY: YANKS SWEEP TAMPA, GO 5 ½ UP ON SOX
September 14, 2003 | 4:00amGAME 1 Yankees 6 Devil Rays 5 GAME 2 Yankees 6 Devil Rays 3 Even Yogi might say it's over. As the Yankees complete the Kansas State portion of their...