April 22, 2005

MOUNTAIN DEW HITS TIMES SQUARE

Mountain Dew - the caffeine-loaded beverage popular among teens - has a new image to appeal to fickle youth: their own. Through a clever visual trick, adherents of the drink...

CORCORAN'S TOP TECHIE DEFECTS

The Corcoran Group's top technology officer has just been hacked away by a rival real estate firm. Corcoran's Chief Technology Officer, Charles Olson, will move to Prudential Douglas Elliman as...

'HICCUPS' FOR HIP-HOP MAG

In the wake of a messy sexual harassment lawsuit, hip-hop magazine The Source is wrestling with a host of financial, advertising and circulation woes, sources told The Post. In recent...

TRACKS CO-FOUNDER IS ONE ELLE OF A NEW PUBLISHER

JOHN Rollins, co-founder of the suspended music magazine Tracks, is heading to Elle at Hachette Filipacchi to be the new publisher. "It's kind of a bittersweet moment for me to...

COWEN BIG FACES JAIL

An ousted managing director at SG Cowen faces 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to rigging investment-banking deals for clients he was supposed to help with their cash problems....

TOP DOGS EXIT AT BERGDORF

Bergdorf Goodman, the ultra-chic New York retailer, has lost two senior buyers and a divisional merchandise manager for designer men's wear, The Post has learned. Yuki Katsua, the divisional merchandise...

NYSE SEAT HOLDERS WANT FASTER MERGER

Largely happy New York Stock Exchange seat owners yesterday praised John Thain for the history-changing merger with publicly traded Archipelago, saying the move was necessary to preserve the Big Board....

TOP-LEVEL EXIT AT BERGDORF

Bergdorf Goodman, the ultra-chic New York retailer, has lost two senior buyers and a divisional merchandise manager for designer men's wear, The Post has learned. Yuki Katsua, the divisional merchandise...

JOB JITTERS ERUPT OVER NYSE TIE-UP

On the 8 a.m. Staten Island Ferry most mornings, you can find dozens of young New York Stock Exchange floor traders catching a nap before work or chatting with colleagues...

CORCORAN LOSES TOP TECHIE TO RIVAL

The Corcoran Group's top technology officer has just been hacked away by a rival real estate firm. Corcoran's Chief Technology Officer, Charles Olson, will move to Prudential Douglas Elliman as...

TAKE THE MONEY ENRON

THE story of Enron's collapse was always hard to understand. When the rogue energy-trading company was making headlines in 2000 and 2001, we all knew that California's rolling blackouts were...

LITTLE TO 'LIKE' - KUTCHER'S CLICHÉ-RIDDLED CLUNKER

SAY this for "A Lot Like Love": It isn't one of those impossibly witty romantic comedies. The chatter of the leads sounds pretty much what you'd expect the actual conversation...

A MAN'S WORLD FOR HUFFMAN IN GENDER-BENDER

WE'RE not on Wisteria Lane anymore. Sexy "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman donned a plastic penis - and lowered her voice four octaves - to play a male-to-female transsexual in...

STAR STRUCK - 'IDOL' BRACING FOR ABC EXPOSÉ

ABC is preparing a bombshell exposé on "American Idol," reportedly exploring the relationship between the "Idol" judges and the show's contestants. The report will air on "Primetime Live," most likely...

DEAD IN THE WATER

MY baloney has a first name, it's M-A-D-I-S-O-N. This film is a gauzy "true story" (i.e., a heavily fictionalized fable) about Madison, Ind., a small town that joins together to...

'WILL & GRACE' SALARY CUTS

'WILL & Grace" are about to take a pay cut. The aging NBC sitcom's producers are close to signing a deal with the network that would significantly lower the licensing...

U.N.-INSPIRED: POLLACK'S TALE OF INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE GETS LOST IN TRANSLATION

THE INTERPRETER ½ (two and a half stars) Flawed but entertaining. Running time: 128 minutes. Rated PG-13 (violence, sexual content, brief profanity). At State, the Beekman, the 19th St. East,...

'DESPERATE' NEW KID IN NEIGHBORHOOD

MEET Wisteria Lane's newest kid on the block - Mehcad Brooks. Brooks is joining the cast of "Desperate Housewives" playing the sheltered son of Alfre Woodard's character. Woodard will play...

KEYS TO THE CITY - ALICIA'S CARRYING THE TORCH

HAVING won nine Grammys in three years, Alicia Keys is the linchpin of today's hip-hop soul. But Keys isn't satisfied just being a modern diva. At Radio City Music Hall...

MOBY GETS THE GEEK GROOVE

MOBY gazed out upon a sea of delegates from his nerd nation at Webster Hall Wednesday night and saw that it was good. But now that cool guys lounge about...

RETRO RAVEONETTES

THEY may be the latest thing out of Scandinavia, but Danish dynamos the Raveonettes are from another time. The duo of beat-cool guitarist Sune Rose Wagner and Nico-esque chanteuse Sharin...

PULL THE PLUG - JUKEBOX MUSICALS MAY BE OUT OF JUICE

IS the end in sight for the jukebox musical, that cynically motivated, artistically bank rupt subspecies of musical theater that's threatening to destroy Broadway? For its many detractors, including every...

STARR REPORT

Star trek undecided Reports that Star Jones is out at E! are "unfortunate and misleading," E! president Ted Harbert said yesterday. Despite published reports, no decision has been made on...

TRUMP'S COPYCAT TIRADE

DONALD Trump had a message last night for fellow reality-TV moguls Richard Branson and Mark Cuban: You're fired! The Donald took aim at the two billionaires as he lectured the...

BUGGING OUT - XENA BATTLES 'LOCUSTS' IN THIS PLAGUE

Somebody, quick! Get a shoe! The suits in charge of Sunday nights at CBS are swarming - and they need to be squished like bugs. It was bad enough that...

STILL IN THE RUNNING

MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP At the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn; (718) 636-4100. Season runs through tomorrow. MARK Morris understands what dancing is...

ROCK PICK

The premier all-star jam-band concert in the U.S. - the Jammys - returns to New York for it's fifth anniversary Tuesday. Part concert, part awards show, it honors musicians who...

MARY'S HOT PICK

Dave's True Story, a New York trio, sweetly walks the fine line between jazz and pop. Featuring singer Kelly Flint's enticing Aimee Mann-ish vocals, the group's new CD, "Nature," mixes...

COSBY ACCUSERSAYS SHE'S NOT ALONE

A woman suing Bill Cosby for sexual assault claims that at least 10 other women are prepared to testify about "similar" incidents involving the comedian, according to a new report....

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Scott MacInnes set a new Alaskan record this week, but not one he was looking for: He became the state's first person to survive two bear attacks. MacInnes was 13...

STUPID KILLER GETS 28 YEARS

A bone-headed killer who left his parole papers at a Queens crime scene pleaded guilty yesterday to first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault and was sentenced to 28 years behind bars....

HIGH TIME FOR 'GEN RX' - TODAY'S TEENS INTO PAINKILLERS: STUDY

One in five teenagers has popped Vicodin, OxyContin or some other prescription painkiller to get high, a shocking new study has revealed. And, just as disturbing, today's teens can get...

ELEPHANT PANIC - A SPRING OF GOP DISCONTENT

REPUBLICANS and conservatives are beginning to panic a little. Ever since the Terry Schiavo controversy took its unexpected turn against the Right in polls - I say "unexpected" because major...

FLORAL FED SENSED GASPIPE WAS BLOWING SMOKE ON 'ROGUES'

AS RETIRED cops Lou Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa appeared in court for the first time yesterday, their attorneys were certainly wishing Charlie Rose was alive today. Before Charlie died, he...

FORLORN HOPE - TERROR STILL FAILING IN IRAQ

SUICIDE bombings, assassinations and roadside blasts continue to plague Iraq. Recently, coordinated assaults threatened American compounds. Yesterday, a contractor's helicopter was downed by a missile. It would be easy to...

THOMPSON SEEKS 223G INN-COME FROM HYATT

The Grand Hyatt - the hotel that helped launch Donald Trump - escaped $222,871 in rent payments to the city by understating profits and misclassifying some expenses, Comptroller William Thompson...

'HUSBAND FROM HELL' CRIES SETUP

A man accused of repeatedly stalking and threatening to kill his estranged wife denies he's the "husband from hell" and claims his ex "set him up" for his latest arrest....

1/9 TRAIN A DIRTY JOKE - STRAPHANGERS CAMPAIGN RATES SUBWAYS

Engine, engine No. 9, on the New York Transit line - someone needs to mop that grime. The Straphangers Campaign's seventh "subway shmutz" survey rates the 1/9 line as the...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

QUEENS * Two students were arrested for setting three fires in a high school, authorities said yesterday. On April 5, Steven Thomas, 18, and Antonio Thorne, 17, allegedly ignited newspapers...

WTC IN 7 HEAVEN - FIRST TOWER TO RISE SINCE 9/11 A MODEL OF SECURITY

Dramatic new images of 7 World Trade Center - the first office tower to rise at Ground Zero since 9/11 - reveal a glass-encased structure that will remake the city's...

JUDGE MUST 'AUNTY UP' $163,000

An embattled Brooklyn judge has lost his bid to get out of repaying his elderly aunt $163,000 he took from her bank accounts. In a unanimous decision, the state Appellate...

B'KLYN TEEN HURT AS SCOOTER HITS COP CAR

A Brooklyn teenager was seriously injured yesterday when the illegal motorized scooter he was cruising the wrong way on collided with a cop car. Antonio Ynoa, 15, was headed north...

NARROW ESCAPE - BIKE MESSENGER WEDGED INTO 8-INCH GAP - & LIVES

A bike messenger whizzing through Midtown traffic narrowly escaped a grisly death yesterday when he was squished between a truck and a city bus. Doucoure Adama, 26, was pinned in...

PREGNANT PAUSE - N.Y. IS FIRST CITY TO OFFER 'MORNING AFTER' PILL TO ALL

New York will become the first city in the nation to make "morning after" contraceptive pills readily available to all women who want them, officials announced yesterday. Doctors in municipal...

FIRST WIFE OF RAGING AMY'S HUBBY: DON'T YOU DARE DISS SON

LUCKY that Amy Fisher wasn't packing heat this time. Amy, the teen gunslinger who struck fear into the hearts of housewives all over Long Island a decade ago when she...

BRAVEST RAISE 10G FOR WOUNDED GIS

New York's Bravest presented a $10,000 check yesterday to the Wounded Warrior Project, which assists severely injured soldiers from Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. The Fire Department's boxing team...

RIVERSIDE PK. SEX ATTACK

Two upstate teenage girls told city cops they were attacked in Riverside Park early yesterday by a man they met up with in hopes of scoring marijuana, police sources said....

PAL BUSTED IN 'PHOTO SHOOT'

A Brooklyn man has been arrested for shooting his friend in the face after he became enraged that the victim used a flash while taking photos, authorities said yesterday. Francis...

TERROR LYNNE IN SPIN - JUDGE LETS HER 'TOUR'

A federal judge is letting convicted terror lawyer Lynne Stewart jet across the country as part of her campaign to argue that she was unjustly prosecuted and to rally her...

CITY $LAPS 'PLUNGE' LANDLORD - MISSING BARS ON WINDOW

The city Health Department slapped a Bronx landlord with up to $22,000 in fines yesterday for failing to install window guards after a 4-year-old boy plunged 50 feet from his...

MIKE RIPS SEXUAL POLITICS

Mayor Bloomberg defended his media company yesterday from attacks by a political rival, saying it has a "magnificent record" when it comes to dealing with sexual harassment issues. City Council...

FEAST YOUR EYES ON FILM FEST - TRIBECA TURNS INTO REEL DEAL FOR CITY

Lights . . . camera . . . traction! The fourth annual Tribeca Film Festival, born in 2002 as a post-9/11 boost for the struggling lower Manhattan neighborhood, got rolling...

'MOB' COPS ARE COLD 'KILLERS' - WHINE ABOUT BEING IN COOLER

Two former NYPD detectives, accused of leading double lives as Mafia hit men, yesterday made their first appearance in court, where their lawyers complained the hardened street cops are far...

BROTHER BLASTS 'GREEDY' MEGA WINNER

The alleged lottery louse accused of trying to cheat three co-workers out of their share of a $175,000 prize never told his mother and brother about his good fortune, his...

JERSEY 'JACKO' - SEX-ASSAULT RAP FOR STAR'S TEEN PAL

A young New Jersey man who was once a Michael Jackson sleepover pal has been accused of committing a sexual assault - and bragging he learned his lewd tricks from...

MOM GETS JAIL IN TOT CAR DEATH

A Long Island woman was sentenced to a year in prison yesterday for leaving her toddler alone in a car for three hours and causing her death. Yesenia Brito, 22,...

APPLE'S 'INHALE' OF A FIX - EX-JAILBIRD CIG SUIT

A former Rikers inmate can sue the city for not placing him in a no-smoking section while he was in jail, a Manhattan judge has ruled. Legendary numbers kingpin Raymond...

REV. AL LOSING HIS FIZZ - MAY FACE PEPSI BOOT

WASHINGTON - PepsiCo said yesterday that it was reviewing the Rev. Al Sharpton's service on a minority advisory board after learning two accused con men claimed on wiretaps that Sharpton...

JUDGE TO NEWS: NOT SO FAST WITH THAT LAME GAME

A judge yesterday barred the Daily News from holding its consolation drawing for Scratch n' Stiff winners who were denied their cash prizes by the paper because of a misprinted...

BRONX 'TERRI' BATTLE - BOY'S KIN VS. HOSP

The family of a 13-year-old Bronx boy charged last night that doctors at Montefiore Hospital insisted on taking their brain-dead son off life support, despite their pleas for more time...

COP 'PANS' LOVER'S PARAMOUR: POLICE

A cop was busted yesterday after he saw his girlfriend with another man - and smashed him on the head with a frying pan, police said. Officer James Kim, who...

TRIBECA TURNS INTO REEL DEAL

Lights . . . camera . . . traction! The fourth annual Tribeca Film Festival, born in 2002 as a post-9/11 boost for the struggling lower Manhattan neighborhood, got rolling...

'HUSBAND FROM HELL' INSISTS IT'S ALL A SETUP

A man accused of repeatedly stalking and threatening to kill his estranged wife denies he's the "husband from hell" and claims his ex "set him up" for his latest arrest....

CITY SEEKS 223G HYATT INN-COME

The Grand Hyatt escaped $222,871 in rent payments to the city by understating profits and misclassifying some expenses, Comptroller William Thompson reported yesterday. The hotel agreed to pay $53,822, claiming...

SLIPPERY POP STAR ESCAPES A JELLY JAM AT TRIAL

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson dodged a lurid legal bullet yesterday when the judge in his child-molestation trial ruled that prosecutors could not present testimony that he once asked...

DA MORGY AND RIVAL IN VERBAL SLUGFEST

The two candidates for Manhattan district attorney could have prosecuted each other for verbal assault last night, when the pair squared off testily - and sometimes personally - in the...

MAN HIT BY VAN WINS $6.5M SUIT

A hero who pushed his sister's two kids out of the path of a city van - only to be badly hurt himself - was awarded $6.54 million by a...

CAUGHT IN THE ACT - CAB CAM SNAPS 'SHOOT' THUGS

These dramatic photos show two thugs during a vicious struggle for a gun that ended with the shooting of a terrified livery driver in his cab in Brooklyn. Police have...

IPOD JOGGER MUGGED IN CENTRAL PK.

A man jogging in Central Park was attacked last night by a gang of teens who beat him up and snatched his iPod, police said. The unidentified victim was on...

'HUBBY FROM HELL' INSISTS IT'S A SETUP

A man accused of repeatedly stalking and threatening to kill his estranged wife denies he's the "husband from hell" and claims his ex "set him up" for his latest arrest....

MOM GETS JAIL FOR TOT'S HEAT DEATH

A Long Island woman was sentenced to a year in prison yesterday for leaving her toddler alone in a car for three hours and causing her death. Yesenia Brito, 22,...

FLASH MADE 'SHOOTER' SNAP

A Brooklyn man has been arrested for shooting his friend in the face after he became enraged that the victim used a flash while taking photos, authorities said yesterday. Francis...

'PASS' AND FAIL - TEACH 'PUSHED ME AWAY' AFTER I KISSED HER: BOY

The 15-year-old Brooklyn boy whose alleged smooch with his teacher led to her sexual-abuse charges jumped to her defense yesterday, claiming he planted a wet one on her and she...

'9/11 EFFECT' WON BUSH VOTES HERE

WASHINGTON - In a dramatic sign of how "the 9/11 effect" impacted the 2004 vote, President Bush made some of his biggest and most surprising gains on Democratic turf near...

MIKE SAYS SCHOOL SEX 'IS BUSINESS AS USUAL'

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday downplayed the ongoing sex scandal rocking city schools, calling recent sex-abuse charges against a string of teachers "business as usual." "Sadly, if you look back in history,...

JUDGE NIXES INSURE BID BY WTC FIRM

A British judge has tossed out a lawsuit that claimed that employees who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11 went on a "business trip" when they made the...

TED KENNEDY'S IN-LAW SPIED ON THE CLINTONS - WIFE'S BROTHER WORE A WIRE FOR THE FBI

Sen. Ted Kennedy's brother-in-law is the mystery witness who raised $100,000 for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and then went undercover and wore a wire to help the feds nab one...

PORT CAPTAIN TO COP PLEA IN FERRY-CRASH LIE

The Staten Island Ferry port captain charged with lying to investigators probing the crash that took 11 passengers' lives in October of 2003 is expected to plead guilty today. John...

GOV'T JOBS PROVIDING SURPRISE WAGE BOOST

Notice to job hunters: Don't turn your nose up at that government position - it might pay a lot better than the private sector. In a surprising finding, a new...

BLOOMY GLOOMY ON GAMES

Without a green light for the West Side stadium, the city could have to drop its bid for the 2012 Olympics, Mayor Bloomberg warned yesterday. Frustrated that Assembly Speaker Sheldon...

LEAGUE OK WITH CELTS' BENCHINGS

League officials had no problem with Celtics coach Doc Rivers using his starters sparingly against both the Cavs and the Nets in the final two games. "It is not an...

WHAT A RELIEF! - BULLPEN COMES THROUGH FOR YANKS

Yankees 4 - Blue Jays 3 TORONTO - The win went to Mike Mussina; Mariano Rivera copped a save. But without the efforts of Buddy Groom, Felix Rodriguez, Mike Stanton...

PEDRO SHOW-STOPPER ON ROAD

MIAMI - In the manager's office after Pedro Martinez's latest gem, Willie Randolph was asked whether his ace's dominance was now becoming expected every time he takes the mound. "As...

WILLIAMS NOT ONE TO HURT TEAM

YANKEE NOTES TORONTO - Bernie Williams knows the difference between being a liability to the Yankees and fighting through a bothersome left knee. "I want to play. If you start...

A GOOD TIME TO FLOUNDER

THE weather was a big factor this week, especially if you were flounder fishing. Stripers are starting to provide some nice action and the codfish are still making some noise...

SHOWDOWN SIGN-UPS START

Sign-ups begin tomorrow for Belmont spring SHOWdown contest. The object is to pick one horse per day to finish in top three. The last man standing collects 60 percent of...

ELI GETS BACK ON JEREMY'S GOOD SIDE

Apparently, Jeremy Shockey did not take kindly to Eli Manning's seemingly-innocent suggestion that the missing tight end make his way to Giants Stadium to participate in off-season passing drills. Manning...

MIKE MAD OVER YES 'NO'

YOU'VE really got to give them credit. For pure, unmitigated gall, no team can finish a close second to Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, hosts of the "Know-It-All and the...

WARE'S PAYDAY COMES TOMORROW

Demarcus Ware's biggest high school payday was $32.50. That's how much he earned for hawking soda one Saturday at an Auburn home football game. Ware wasn't a very enthusiastic vendor....

HOME FIRES NEED STOKIN'

It's their last chance for their first victory on this longest homestand of the season. So soon, results matter for the MetroStars and their Youri Djorkaeff experiment. "We had a...

RJ WANTS TO PLAY - BUT HE'S WILLING TO WAIT HIS TURN

NET NOTES Richard Jefferson wants to earn his way. Jefferson, who last played Jan. 8 before undergoing left wrist surgery, will practice with the Nets today and expects to be...

USC'S PRIZE CATCH

Finally, the NFL welcomes Mike Williams with open arms tomorrow. "I'm tough as nails," Williams was saying yesterday at the Rainbow Room. "I feel like in my life I've been...

ISIAH MUST NOW BEGIN TO REPAIR KNICK MESS

Now that the Knicks' fourth straight losing season came to a merciful end - their worst stretch since 1984-89 - the club will start the dirty job of cleaning up...

COMPLETE PACKAGE - JETS' JOLLEY: MORE THAN JUST A GOOD PAIR OF MITTS

"We're set at tight end." When, in your existence as a Jets fan or follower, did you ever think you'd hear those words from the team's brass? Those, though, were...

COTTO EYES REVENGE

Muhammad Abdullaev defeated Miguel Cotto en route to winning the gold medal in the 139-pound division at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, yet it was Cotto that Top Rank, Inc.,...

SANCHEZ SECOND FOR NIGHT

YANKEE NOTES TORONTO - With the Rangers starting three right-handers this weekend at Yankee Stadium, Joe Torre didn't want the rust on Rey Sanchez to get too thick. So Torre...

PRESSURE BUILDING FOR PEDRO - MARTINEZ ONLY RELIABLE MET STARTER

MIAMI - On Opening Day, when Pedro Martinez pitched, Carlos Beltran had three hits and a homer. In Martinez' next start, Beltran hit a clutch two-run homer off John Smoltz....

BERNIE PLAYS THROUGH PAIN

TORONTO - Bernie Williams knows the difference between being a liability to the Yankees and playing through a bothersome left knee. "I want to play. If you start babying it...

DOC, TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

THE NBA's regular season ended in infamy Wednesday. Under the guise of integrity, the Celtics dumped games to the Cavaliers and Nets, the two teams battling for the lone remaining...

KURT MAY LOOK TO LEAVE

Kurt Thomas had always said, despite the trade rumors, he wanted to remain a Knick. Now he finally admitted he's not so sure, saying he would talk to his agent...

ZEN CAME JAX? - KNICKS READY TO CHASE PHIL

The push for Phil Jackson is on. Though Isiah Thomas left for a scouting trip to Europe last night, he has begun reaching out to candidates, including the nine-time champion...

BENSON'S ON ROAD TO COMEBACK

MET NOTES MIAMI - Kris Benson's comeback continued yesterday as the injured righty passed another test. Benson, on the DL with a strained right pectoral muscle, threw his first bullpen...

MUSCLED OUT - BICEPS INJURY SENDS SIERRA TO DISABLED LIST

TORONTO - Ruben Sierra often gets lost in the galaxy of stars that is the Yankees' roster, although he has been a productive member of the team. Now, however, he...

ANOTHER CURVE FOR ROTATION

MET NOTES MIAMI - The Mets may have another injury problem in their rotation. Kaz Ishii is expected to miss his next start, scheduled for tomorrow, with an unknown malady....

TELFAIR A MOVIE STAR

Sebastian Telfair just finished an uneven rookie season in Portland, where he went from a benchwarmer to a starter, saw his coach get axed and tried to show that he...

METS THROW A LUMBER PARTY - FLOG AL, FISH AS BATS KEEP SIZZLING

Mets 10 - Marlins 1 MIAMI - Josh Beckett was able to shut it down. But beyond that, the Met offense has been on a roll. Two nights after the...

SANCHEZ GETS NOD FROM JOE

YANKEE NOTES TORONTO - With the Rangers starting three righties this weekend at Yankee Stadium, Joe Torre didn't want the rust on Rey Sanchez to get too thick. So Torre...

MUSCLED OUT: SIERRA ON DL

TORONTO - In the galaxy of stars that is the Yankees' roster, Ruben Sierra often gets lost. Now he could be out of sight for a while. Sierra, 39, was...

ELI'S FLEE FLICKER - MANNING STILL GLAD HE FORCED DEAL TO JINTS

The congratulatory phone call came from Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, who welcomed Eli Manning into the fold as the very first pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. "He said, 'We'll...

5 QUESTIONS FOR DICK EBERSOL

This week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with NBC Universal Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol. Ebersol, 57, brokered the $3.6 billion, six-year deal to bring Sunday Night Football, the playoffs...

NFL DEAL COULD SQUEEZE NHL TROUBLED LEAGUE MAY GET BOOT FROM ESPN

During an interview this week, ESPN Executive VP Mark Shapiro kept humming the Monday Night Football theme music. With ESPN paying $9 billion for eight years, the MNF sounds could...

MARCHAND'S MEMO OF THE WEEK

TO: Deion Sanders FROM: Andrew Marchand Re: 2006 CC: Teri Hatcher Dear Prime Time, Leaving CBS last year because you wanted $2 million, while the network offered a paltry $1.3...

BAD NEWS BEAR - DRAFTING RODGERS NO. 1 WOULD BE REAL CAL-AMITY

NFL draft ESPN Saturday, noon Sunday, 11 a.m. Who would you take with the first pick of Saturday's NFL draft? Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers or Utah QB Alex Smith? ESPN...

SERBY'S MOCK DRAFT

THIS is the worst draft in years, which only justifies the Giants' decision to give up their first-rounder in the Eli Manning trade a year ago. The Giants don't have...

SHAQ-TICAL APPROACH - NETS ENTER HEAT SERIES RED HOT

Someone suggested yesterday to Nets' coach Lawrence Frank that maybe Shaquille O'Neal would miss Game One of the playoffs. Maybe that bruised thigh that kept him from the last two...

LEAGUE OK WITH CELTICS' STRATEGY

League officials had no problem with Celtics coach Doc Rivers using his starters sparingly against both the Cavs and the Nets in the final two games. "It is not an...

RING OF MIRE RING OF MIRE

IT'S funny about championship rings. All athletes do their entire career is wax poetic about how badly they want them, how it's "all about the ring," how "the ring's the...