May 21, 2004
OVITZ'S PARACHUTE WAS $109M: FILING
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amMichael Ovitz was the victim of some bad financial advice. Ovitz walked away from Disney in 1996 with $109.3 million when he was fired as Michael Eisner's top deputy, according...
CON ED OK TO SELL 4 SITES
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amThe New York State Public Service Commission has voted to approve Con Edison's planned sale of four large East Side properties to East River Realty Co. The sale price for...
GAP NEEDS NEW GROWTH PLAN
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amGap Inc. yesterday reported a 54 percent increase in first quarter earnings, cementing its turnaround and raising questions about future growth strategies. Gap will need to either develop new retail...
NICOLE MILLER TAKES HER FASHIONS TO SESAME ST.
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amThe little black dress is meeting the Cookie Monster. Uber-sophisticated designer Nicole Miller is launching her first children's line with Sesame Workshop. Miller, the New York-based designer for Upper East...
PUNDITS IN WAR OF WORDS - NYT'S KRUGMAN IS 'ANTI-GROWTH': BUSINESSWEEK WRITER
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA little feud is brewing between BusinessWeek chief economist Michael Mandel, author of the new book "Rational Exuberance," and Princeton economist and regular New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. Mandel's...
STRONG'S BIG HIT - TRADING SCANDAL FALLOUT COST FUND CHIEF $793M
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amRichard Strong thought he was making a quick buck on the side - instead, he lost his shirt. Several years of greedy finagling by the mutual fund chief netted him...
SEC BACKS ETHICS REFORMS AT NYSE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amFearing that the New York Stock Exchange's ethics could break down again with another bloated-pay scandal or worse, Bill Donaldson and the Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing tougher new...
OVITZ PARACHUTE WAS $109M: FILING
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amMichael Ovitz was the victim of some bad financial advice. Ovitz walked away from Disney in 1996 with $109.3 million when he was fired as Michael Eisner's top deputy, according...
STARR REPORT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amBreaking his silence Fox News Channel's Rita Cosby has snared the first interview with Thomas Hamill, who was held host age in Iraq for three weeks - and then escaped...
'FRIENDS' STILL TOPPING CHARTS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHE "Friends" finale turned out to be the gift that just keeps on giving. For NBC, about 12.5 million viewers turned up a few hours after the finale to watch...
INDIE MUSIC PICK
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHREE FOR THE BOOKS: Live From Home, Housing Works Used Book Café's wonderful monthly acoustic series, presents three singer/songwriters tonight at 7:30 - Leona Naess (a New Yorker by way...
HOW I GOT IN TOUCH WITH ALANIS' SPIRITUAL SIDE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amWHAT would you say if you were told that Alanis Morissette wanted to read your Tarot cards? If you were me, you'd say, "Hell, yes! And then I'll read her...
'MOTHER' WILL HAVE YOU CRYING UNCLE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amMY MOTHER LIKES WOMEN [] (two stars) Three daughters, their mom and her lesbian lover. In Spanish, with English subtitles. Running time: 93 minutes. Not rated (sex and mature themes)....
UNLIKELY LOVE STORY
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amSTATESIDE [] (One star) Nonsensical romance. Running time: 96 minutes. Rated R (language, some sexuality/nudity and underage drinking). At the Empire, the Sutton and the Loews Village Theatre. THE course...
FILM PICK
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amSCENES FROM A CAREER: A few years ago, Ingmar Bergman gave a rare interview, in which he said he would rather kill himself than "become a vegetable and a burden...
JAZEERA CLOSE-UP
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amCONTROL ROOM[] (three stars) Engrossing doc. In Arabic and English. Running time: 84 minutes. Not rated (violence, language, disturbing images of war). At the Film Forum, Houston Street, west of...
'LOVE ME' IS FAR MORE TRYING THAN DARING
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amLOVE ME IF YOU DARE (JEUX D'ENFANTS)[ 1/2] (One and one-half stars) Slick but empty. In French, with English subtitles. Running time: 94 minutes. Not rated (language, sexuality) At the...
'TWIST' NOT WORTH A SHOUT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTWIST[] (One star) Twisted "Oliver Twist." Running time: 97 minutes. Not rated (language, sexuality, drugs). At the Quad Cinema, 13th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. 'TWIST" is a slow-moving,...
'LOST' IN TRANSITION - JAPAN CRITICS RIP FLICK
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amCRITICS in the United States simply adored Sofia Coppola's Tokyo-set "Lost in Translation." But it's a different story in Japan, where the satire with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson just...
BOWERY BALLROOM BURNS FOR FEVER
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHE Fever's catchy college hit "Bridge and Tunnel" from last year's hot "Pink on Pink" EP was on the soundtrack to my life last fall. Now this gang of five...
UNEVEN STROKES
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHE STROKES WEIRD as it may sound, what went wrong at the Strokes show can be traced back to high school. The band's Wednesday night concert was the Central Park...
STRONG SHOW OF FAITH FOR MELODRAMATIC 'TRUST'
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTRUSTAt the Kirk Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St.; (212) 239-6200. Through Sunday. OH, the troubles! Northern Ireland has been beset by an endless plague of violence and hatred. And it...
'BACHELOR' IN BLISS - JESSE AND JESSICA TAKE IT 'ONE DAY AT A TIME'
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amNOW that they're "officially" a couple, "The Bachelor" star Jesse Palmer and his "chosen one," law-student Jessica B., are breathing a big sigh of relief. "We finally have a chance...
MURPHY'S FLAW - ABSENCE MAKES TONY UNLIKELY
May 21, 2004 | 4:00am'THAT'S a fine way to lose a man," sings Donna Murphy onstage in the revival of "Wonderful Town." The actress could be singing the same tune off-stage, too, although with...
SHOCK ROCK - MADONNA TO BRING 'ELECTRIFYING' SHOW TO THE GARDEN
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amIF you were shocked by Madonna's lesbian lip-lock with Britney Spears during the MTV awards, don't go within spitting distance of her Madison Square Garden dates next month. Madonna -...
ROCK PICK
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amWHO'S NEXT: The Who, one of the greatest bands in rock history, takes it on the road with a stop at Madison Square Garden tomorrow. While the show has been...
KIDS' PICK
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amPAT BENATAR AND THE HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR: Students from the Lindenhurst High School Choir will perform along with rock singer Pat Benatar, Thursday at 12:30 p.m., to help kick off...
DANCE PICK
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amEVERYBODY LOVES "RAYMONDA": Compared with the enormous library of 19th-century operas, the number of ballets surviving from that same period is scant indeed - hardly more than a handful or...
ONE TO WATCH
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amWong Kar-wai's sci-fi epic "2046" is tipped as winner of the Palme d'Or when Cannes hands out its prizes on Sunday. But just because you can't get to the south...
'IT'S FINALLY OVER' - L.I. NEIGHBOR GUILTY IN '96 CHEERLEADER SLAY
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amEight years, eight days and two trials after 16-year-old cheerleader Kristin Scarabelli was strangled on her front lawn, a jury found her oddball neighbor guilty of the crime. "It's over....
TOYOTA SMASHES RESTAURANT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA car with a mother and her young son smashed into a Chinese restaurant in Queens yesterday after it was rear-ended on busy Jamaica Avenue, police said. The accident took...
PHOTO FINISH: SUBWAY PIX FACE BAN
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amShutter-bugged transit bosses want to ban taking photos or using a camcorder on subways, as they focus on stopping terrorists. The Transit Authority yesterday proposed the measure, which would include...
TEACH HITS KIDS WITH RULER: COPS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA Manhattan schoolteacher was arrested yesterday for hitting her special education students with a yardstick, cops said. Belinda Murrell, who teaches 7- and 8-year-old special education students at PS 57...
GEM DEALER AND FATHER GOT STUNG IN DRUG-$$ RING
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amThe diamond dealer executed on Sixth Avenue last night was arrested by the feds last year for allegedly laundering Colombian drug money. Eduard Nektalov, 44, and his father, Roman Nektalov,...
NEW ABU GHRAIB PIX REVEAL WORST ABUSE YET
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amNew photos, videos and prisoner statements describe abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq that goes far beyond what has been made public - including a boy being raped by...
A CRIME AGAINST FASHION - VID CATCHES THIEF IN DRAG
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA burly man wearing women's clothes was caught on videotape burglarizing a Long Island beauty salon, and the owner says the hulking drag queen should also be busted by the...
CITRUS CHOLESTEROL KILLERS ONLY SKIN DEEP
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amFruit may have quite an a-peel when it comes to lowering cholesterol. Scientists say compounds in the peels of tangerines and oranges can significantly lower "bad" LDL cholesterol. The compounds...
JUSTICE FOR KRISTIN - WACKO GUILTY IN MURDER RETRIAL
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amEight years, eight days and two trials after 16-year-old cheerleader Kristin Scarabelli was strangled on her front lawn, a jury found her oddball neighbor guilty of the crime. "It's over....
LOW-CAL COKE CUTS CARB-ONATION
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amNew New Coke? No, it's just the latest in the low-carb craze. Coca-Cola is set to launch C2, a new low-carb, mid-calorie product it hopes will put extra fizz into...
U.S. RAIDS IRAQ 'ALLY' - CHALABI GROUP EYED AS SPIES FOR IRAN
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - U.S. troops raided the Baghdad home of controversial American ally Ahmed Chalabi yesterday, as part of a probe into whether members of his political group ripped off the...
IRAN-HEZBOLLAH LINK EYED
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amJERUSALEM - The reason for Israel's ongoing offensive at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip lies hundreds of miles to the east - in Iran. It is Tehran's deepening...
MEMORY OF HIT-RUN GRAN 'TRASHED'
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAfter smashing into and killing an 83-year-old grandmother, accused hit-and-run driver Nick Drossos told police he thought he had hit a garbage can. Now Drossos, 22, is the one in...
FERRY VICTIM WALKING TALL - FIRST STEPS ON ARTIFICIAL LEGS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amThe Staten Island Ferry disaster robbed Paul Esposito of his legs, but it couldn't sink his spirit and determi nation to walk again. Seven months after he was nearly killed...
ARAFAT MAY FACE TRIAL: ISRAEL BIG
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amJERUSALEM - An Israeli court yesterday found that Yasser Arafat encouraged terrorist attacks and controlled their timing - and a senior Israeli official said the Palestinian leader may be brought...
SCHOOL JOB HOOK-UPS OVER: KLEIN
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amSchools Chancellor Joel Klein warned educrats to steer clear of using their powers to hire relatives or business partners - just months after a nepotism scandal involving a top deputy....
-GOV WEIGHS IN ON INTERN SCANDAL (S)-GOV RIPS INTERN SCANDAL (LCF)
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday spoke out for the first time on the intern scandal plaguing the state Assembly, calling it "obviously disappointing" and saying it "raises concerns." "Interns can...
PSYCHIA-TRICKS - SHRINK FINED 50G FOR PARKING-TICKET SCAM
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amALBANY - A prominent Brooklyn psychiatrist was fined $50,000 by the state for filing false documents to get out of parking tickets, The Post has learned. Dr. Brian Trappler, director...
NEW JERSEY UP FOR GRABS?
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amPOLLS, polls, polls. All you've been hearing is that President Bush's poll numbers are dropping. Yes, they have been, although far less precipitously than the hysterical discussion would warrant. But...
9/11 RADIO DAZE - POST FINDS PANEL'S 'MISSING' WITNESS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA World Trade Center fire safety officer the 9/11 commission couldn't find - but who could shed light on why a crucial FDNY radio channel appeared to fail - is...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amQUEENS * Police yesterday released this photo (above) of a man who burglarized a check-cashing business in Jamaica last week. The unidentified man broke into the Melrose Credit Union at...
$1M CRACK RING BUSTED IN BROOKLYN
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amInvestigators have dismantled a crack cocaine enterprise at the Ingersoll housing complex in Brooklyn that took in a staggering $1 million-a-year. A probe by the Brooklyn DA's Office and NYPD...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAn enterprising teen computer nerd was making a mint from his new business - hacking into his school's computer and changing kids' grades, cops say. The student from Corona del...
RUFF JUSTICE FOR MAD-DOG LAWYER
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amBad lawyer! An attorney who barked like a dog at witnesses is being ordered to pay $8,500 in fines. Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Charles Ramos said David Fink engaged...
KERRY'S NEW 'FLIP' FLAP OVER ANTI-ABORT COURT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Flip-flop-flip. Democrat John Kerry yesterday did a backward somersault and retreated from his suggestion just one day earlier that he might appoint right-to-life justices to the Supreme Court...
HERE'S THE 411 ON DIRECTORY FOR CELLPHONES
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amGetting someone's cellphone number will soon be possible under an industry plan to create a directory accessible by calling 411. News of the directory, planned by the Cellular Telecommunications and...
ELVIS INC. CELLPHONES WILL SHAKE, RATTLE AND RING
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amElvis is going wireless. For millions of Elvis fans the world over, their hero will soon be as close as their cellphone. The estate of the King of Rock 'n'...
BLOOMY'S VISION: FOCUSED PUPILS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amMayor Bloomberg wants to make sure kids can ace an eye exam in order to pass their math and reading tests. The city's education and health officials plan to hire...
SUBWAY ROBBERS STAB RIDER
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA gang of teens stabbed and ripped off a 64- year-old man on an "A" train subway platform early yesterday in Washington Heights. Francisco Jimenez was in stable condition at...
S.I. DUO: CRASH DEATH NOT OUR FAULT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTwo Staten Island students, charged with assault in a bat attack on a car full of teens that later crashed, said yesterday they had only gone to aid girls the...
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL - NYU 'DRUG' BRAT LIKE A LITTLE GIRL LOST
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amI DIDN'T know if I should give this brat a motherly hug - or put her to bed without supper. Julia Diaco, the teen Pot Princess of NYU, marched into...
TA'S SNAP JUDGMENT COULD NIX SUBWAY PIX
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amShutter-bugged transit bosses want to ban taking photos or using a camcorder on subways, as they focus on stopping terrorists. The Transit Authority yesterday proposed the measure, which would include...
STALKER'S WILD ARIA TO SILLS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amOpera legend Beverly Sills has a love-struck stalker - an unemployed woman truck driver from Detroit who calls herself "Jesus." Victoria Glover, 39, was arrested Tuesday night at the stage...
LIFE IS SAVED IN A ZAP - CENTRAL PK. HERO COPS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amHero cops brought a jogger back from the brink of death in Central Park yesterday - using a defibrillator to revive the man, who was in cardiac arrest and "blue,...
B'KLYN BUILDERS IN PLUNGE TRAGEDY
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA construction worker tried desperately to warn his brother-in-law that the awning on which they were standing at a Brooklyn job site was about to collapse - but his cries...
HOW I SHOT STAB MANIAC - ROOKIE KEPT COOL IN HORROR
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA rookie cop says she feared for her life when she encountered the knife-wielding maniac who stabbed four people in Herald Square - but her training led her to coolly...
ARTIST TO PAY BIG FOR SPLIT WITH PORN GAL
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amPop artist Jeffrey Koons has to pay his lawyers $2 million - including fees for watching his ex-wife's porn, a Manhattan judge has ruled. Koons, whose best-known work is a...
BUSH RALLIES JITTERY GOPERS ON HANDOVER
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush went to the Capitol yesterday to assure nervous Republicans that "it's time to take the training wheels off" and hand Iraq's steering wheel to its own...
CAR HEAT KILLS JERSEY INFANT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA 7-month-old baby died from the heat in the back seat of his family car yesterday - apparently after his father forgot he was there, New Jersey police said. Police...
FUEL DUEL DEAL
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA company shut out of a La Guardia Airport jet fueling contract after former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato lobbied on behalf of a rival was declared the winner in a new...
DON'T GET $TRIPPED OFF - DANCERS' ADVICE ON NOT LOSING YOUR SHIRT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA former Scores stripper who raked in tens of thousands of dollars grinding on the laps of over-excited men has a stern warning for patrons of the famed East Side...
MEET THE PARENTS - DITCHED GIRL'S FOLKS FINALLY POP UP - THEN FIGHT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amLittle "Courtney," the adorable abandoned 3 1/2-year-old girl whose plight grabbed headlines around the country, became the center of a tug of love when her estranged parents surfaced yesterday. A...
TEENS ON BEST BEHAVIOR: FEDS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amHigh-school students are getting an A for effort in refraining from sex, smoking and fighting, according to a new government survey. In 2003, 47 percent of students polled nationwide reported...
GOTTI 'BANDIT' - INFAMOUS '87 LIAR JAILED IN DUD HEIST
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amCareer crook Matthew Traynor - who claimed at John Gotti's 1987 trial that prosecutors gave him pizza, beer and drugs to get him to testify against the Dapper Don -...
CAR SMASHES QNS. EATERY
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA car with a mother and her young son smashed into a Chinese restaurant in Queens yesterday after it was rear-ended on busy Jamaica Avenue, police said. The accident took...
TEACHER BUSTED IN GIRL FIGHT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA veteran Brooklyn high-school math teacher was busted yesterday for allegedly provoking a fight between two girls, cops said. Westinghouse HS instructor Steve Murray, 40, was pulled out of the...
CROWBAR THUG IN SEX ATTACKS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA brutal thug wielding a crowbar has broken into the homes of three Bronx women, sexually assaulting two of them and robbing the third, cops said. The suspect has distinctive...
COKE CUTS CARB-ONATION
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amNew New Coke? No, it's just the latest in the low-carb craze. Coca-Cola is set to launch C2, a new low-carb, mid-calorie product it hopes will put extra fizz into...
PSYCHIA-TRICKS: SHRINK FINED IN TICKET SCAM
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amALBANY - A prominent Brooklyn psychiatrist was fined $50,000 by the state for filing false documents to get out of parking tickets, The Post has learned. Dr. Brian Trappler, director...
DOLE TO PAYROLL - WELFARE FOLKS EYED FOR CITY GOV'T JOBS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amCity officials yesterday announced a new jobs program that would put welfare recipients on the government payroll. Under the plan, all city agencies would make their entry-level job openings available...
LOBBY LOSS FOR D'AMATO
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA company shut out of a La Guardia Airport jet fueling contract after former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato lobbied on behalf of a rival was declared the winner in a new...
S.I. CRASH EXCUSE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTwo Staten Island students, charged with assault for a bat attack on a car full of teens who crashed as they fled, said yesterday they were only helping girls whom...
MURDER ON 6TH - GOLD MERCHANT SHOT AT RUSH HOUR; JEWELER SHOT DEAD
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA federally indicted Diamond District jeweler was executed yesterday in a brazen rush-hour shooting on a Midtown street jampacked with commuters and tourists. Eduard Nektalov, 46, had just closed up...
NYPD ON TRUCK-BOMBER ALERT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amCops will begin checking trucks entering the Big Apple and other major cities today after the FBI received information that terrorists may use truck bombs to attack high-profile targets like...
FACE TO FACE WITH A KILLER
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHERE was no mistaking the sound: "Boom, boom, boom." Gunshots on Sixth Avenue. I was across the street, dashing back to The Post's office, when I heard the three shots,...
WELFARE FOLKS EYED FOR CITY GOV'T JOBS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amCity officials yesterday announced a new jobs program that would put welfare recipients on the government payroll. Under the plan, all city agencies would make their entry-level job openings available...
BLOODY SCENE A 'HIT' WITH TV STARS ON PATROL
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTony Soprano's shrink came tantalizingly close to his world yesterday, and Murphy Brown was there to catch all the action. Lorraine Bracco and Candice Bergen may not have been prepared...
GUNMAN CUTS DOWN JEWELER - BRAZEN RUSH-HOUR SLAYING IN DIAMOND DISTRICT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amA federally indicted Diamond District jeweler was executed yesterday in a brazen rush-hour shooting on a Midtown street packed with commuters and tourists. Eduard Nektalov, 46, an immigrant from Uzbekistan...
'DOG' LAWYER GETS COLLARED
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amBad lawyer! An attorney who barked "like a dog" at witnesses is getting some ruff justice - a judge has ordered him to pay $8,500 in fines. In a decision...
SEX DOWN AMONG HS KIDS: FEDS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amHigh school students are getting an A for effort in refraining from sex, smoking and fighting - but too many are still engaging in risky behavior, according to a new...
GOV RIPS INTERN SCANDAL
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday spoke out for the first time on the intern scandal plaguing the state Assembly, calling it "obviously disappointing" and saying it "raises concerns." "Interns can...
PHOTO FINISH - TA'S PIX NIX ON SUBWAY; TA SET TO BAN SUBWAY PHOTOS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amShutter-bugged transit bosses want to ban taking photos or using a camcorder on subways, as they focus on stopping terrorists. The Transit Authority yesterday proposed the measure, which would include...
KIDD CAN'T COPE WITH GIMPY KNEE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAUBURN HILLS - There was no sympathy coming from Pistons GM Joe Dumars about Jason Kidd's scoreless Game 7 that underscored how bad the Nets superstar's health is. "I would...
WALLACES FIND WAY TO MAKE THEIR POINTS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAUBURN HILLS - Big Ben Wallace had his Afro back and found a jump shot. Rasheed Wallace had his left foot back and found his bounce. Together, the Wallaces, the...
NETS' REIGN ENDS WITH DRY SPELL - D-TROIT TURNS EAST KINGS INTO COURT JESTERS AT END
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amGAME 7: Pistons 90 - Nets 69 AUBURN HILLS - Officially, the end of the Nets' two-year reign as Conference champions came mercifully with the final buzzer of a 90-69...
PISTONS PAY NO HEED TO KIDD BEHIND CURTAIN
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAUBURN HILLS - The end was a fitting frame for all the untidiness that preceded it, an fitting ribbon for a fairy tale gone all wrong. Time and again Jason...
K-MART WANTS FRANK TO GET CURTAIN CALL
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAUBURN HILLS - Kenyon Martin wouldn't talk about his future. But he certainly gave an opinion about Nets coach Lawrence Frank. Martin wants him back and will be disappointed if...
FLYERS WIN IN OT TO FORCE GAME 7 - GAGNE'S GOAL BEATS BOLTS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amGAME 6 / OT: Flyers 5 - Lightning 4 PHILADELPHIA - Wild horses, direct hits of Lightning, couldn't keep Keith Primeau from Game 7. The Flyers' season was 1:49 from...
JETER'S HR HELPS MOOSE TOP HALOS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amYankees 6 - Angels 2 ANAHEIM - Joe Torre insisted the funk Derek Jeter was in entering last night's action wasn't as serious as the career-high 0-for-32 slide his shortstop...
NOT SORI HE'S GONE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amFROM ACROSS the clubhouse a voice screamed out, "Hey, Sori! You'd better watch this, man!" Alfonso Soriano, fiddling with his blue socks, wrapping them up past his knee, looked up...
'I'LL BE THERE SOON' - REYES ALMOST READY TO REJOIN METS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amPORT ST. LUCIE - With the bounce back in his step, and a smile back on his face, Jose Reyes said yesterday he felt 95 percent healthy and expected to...
FLYERS' BACKS AGAINST BOARDS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amPHILADELPHIA - Down two defensemen, the Flyers were down to their last chance in Game 6 last night, arguing they weren't down at all, never mind tangible evidence of their...
ACTION FOR ANGLERS IS HITTING HIGH GEAR
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amSTRIPERS to 40 pounds, blackfish to 17 pounds, weakfish to 12 pounds, fluke to 10 pounds along with loads of bluefish have all found their way to various docks around...
'SMARTY' MUST BEAT BELMONT CURSE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amIn his bid to capture the June 5 Belmont Stakes and become the 12th Triple Crown champion, Smarty Jones faces a task the first 11 did not: He must win...
BECKY'S READY TO GO
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amBecky Hammon now plays with a bulky brace on her right knee, a result of the torn ACL she suffered last season. But that's not the only adjustment she's had...
BOATENG: WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amSome of the city's best football talent will be on display in the Governor's Bowl at West Point on July 10, but one of the best players in the country...
ELI: WARNER MIGHT HELP
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amGIANT NOTES Eli Manning yesterday did not sound overly excited about the prospect of the Giants signing Kurt Warner. "I'm not in control of that; it's not my decision. If...
TOUGH OUTS PLEASE STRUGGLING JETER
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES ANAHEIM - When you are a career .317 hitter, two hard-hit balls that go for outs don't do much for you. However, when you are buried in a...
A BAD DAY GETS WORSE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amThe Mets entered the ninth inning yesterday two runs down, with another comeback victory not out of the question. By the time the top half had ended, the Mets had...
DETROIT'S OKUR IN KNICK SIGHTS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAUBURN HILLS - With all the talk about the Knicks courting Rasheed Wallace, there's another Piston big man who fits what Isiah Thomas is looking for - 7-foot restricted free...
WIFE INSPIRES BIG BEN TO AIR OUT HAIR
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAUBURN HILLS - Fear the 'fro. For the first time in the second-round series last night, Ben Wallace took out the cornrows and unleashed his trademark Afro. The Pistons' rugged...
THREE NEW NAMES SHARE SYBASE LEAD
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amThree players raced out to an early one-stroke lead at the opening round of the Sybase Classic yesterday at the Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle, all looking for their...
LONG METS STREAK ISN'T IN THE CARDS - CAN'T DEAL WITH UGLY NINTH INNING
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amCardinals 11 - Mets 4 Suddenly Cliff Floyd's walk-off single feels as if it happened a month ago. Suddenly Mike Piazza's homer in Houston feels as if it came in...
METS LOOKING AT BOONE TO TAKE OVER AT THIRD
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amMET NOTES The Yankees are not the only New York team pondering Aaron Boone. The Mets are monitoring Boone and have considered pursuing the former Yankee to play third base...
XAVERIAN ESCAPES, TAKES CHSAA TITLE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amXaverian 6 - Molloy 2 Xaverian HS starting pitcher Keith Christensen flirted with disaster for four innings during yesterday's first-place showdown with Archbishop Molloy. But the senior, who is headed...
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHE METS have looked as comfortable with the idea of contention as Mike Piazza has looked at first base. Over the past two games, Piazza has had trouble with these...
BROKEN LEFT HAND LATEST KRSTIC WOE
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amNET NOTES AUBURN HILLS - A big part of the Nets' future suffered another setback. Nenad Krstic, the club's 2002 first-round draft pick, whom the team expects to have playing...
T-MAC SUITORS LINE UP - MARION, FRANCIS COULD GO TO MAGIC
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amFOR obvious reasons, Tracy McGrady has narrowed his choices to play next season - or the following one, at the latest, should the Magic unfathomably fail to arrange a trade...
TEXAS BOO-STEP - A-ROD READY FOR ARLINGTON RETURN
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amANAHEIM - Welcome to the latest stop in the "Boo A-Rod Across America Tour." In less than two months as a Yankee, Alex Rodriguez has had his manhood questioned in...
BLAKE, DIPIETRO NAMED TO USA CLUB
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amForward Jason Blake and goalie Rick DiPietro of the Islanders were named to the Team USA World Cup of Hockey roster last night. The tournament, previously held in 1996, when...
ADJUSTING TO 'ONE AND DONE'
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAUBURN HILLS - It was a strange sensation for most of them, the all-or-nothingness of the three-day delay between Games 6 and 7. Basketball players are schooled to respect the...
NETS AIMED FOR GAME 7 REBOUND - WELL-RESTED KIDD CALM AND CONFIDENT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAUBURN HILLS - Jason Kidd seemed remarkably calm, even for Jason Kidd. There was an air of enthusiasm, an aura of confidence that suggested the Eastern Conference semifinals was going...
GIAMBI LINEUP SHUFFLE PUTS LOFTON ON BENCH
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES ANAHEIM - When Jason Giambi's cranky back wasn't up to playing first base, Kenny Lofton's name was deleted from the lineup last night. Giambi went from the field...
AT HOME, MO PITCHES IN
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amANAHEIM - As he closes in on 300 saves, Mariano Rivera is giving back to his native Panama. Rivera, with the support of the Yankees, has opened two Intel Computer...
FLYERS WIN IN OT TO FORCE GAME 7 - PRIMEAU GOAL BEATS BOLTS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amGAME 6 / OT: Flyers 5 - Lightning 4 PHILADELPHIA - Wild horses couldn't keep Keith Primeau from Game 7. Direct hits of Lightning, either. The Flyer season was 1:49...
NETS' REIGN ENDS WITH DRY SPELL - NO KIDDING, DETROIT DEFENSE JUST TOO TOUGH
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amGAME 7: Pistons 90 - Nets 69 AUBURN HILLS - Officially, the end of the Nets' two-year reign as Eastern Conference champions came with the final buzzer of their 90-69...
OKUR MAY BE GOOD FIT FOR KNICKS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAUBURN HILLS - With all the talk about the Knicks courting Rasheed Wallace, there's another Piston big man who fits what Isiah Thomas is looking for - 7-foot restricted free...
GETTING LOST IN THE CROWD - TBS PICTURES AREN'T PERFECT
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amTUESDAY, as viewers of the Cardinals-Mets on MSG were alerted to Randy Johnson pitching a perfect game vs. the Braves, a Mohegan Sun casino ad covered the backstop so it...
BENEDICT A-ROD - EXPECT ALEX TO GET ROUGH 'HOMECOMING'
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amAll winter, Alex Rodriguez desperately sought to escape Texas. He was willing to relinquish millions to play in Boston. When that failed, he sacrificed his legacy as a shortstop, deferring...
MARCHAND'S MATCHUP OF THE WEEK NFL AL MICHAELS VS. NBA AL MICHAELS
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amOn his NBA broadcasts, Al Michaels lacks his usual passion, wealth of knowledge and superior play-by-play. Though he is not embarrassing himself, Michaels comes across as someone parachuting in for...
HE'S A REAL NOWHERE MAN - DEION LOSES ESPN GIG, TOO
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amDeion Sanders has gone from Prime Time to No Time. Not only is Sanders finished on CBS' NFL Today, he will no longer be the host of ESPN's The New...
5 QUESTIONS FOR: BILL RUSSELL
May 21, 2004 | 4:00amThis week, The Post's Andrew Marchand spoke with NBA legend Bill Russell. The 70-year-old Russell was ABC's lead analyst when it had the NBA in the '70s. Q: Did you...