October 20, 2006

Corrales Leaves Shaw for Golden Boy

Diego 'Chico' Corrales has left New Jersey-based promoter Gary Shaw for Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. A golden move or a golden stab in the back? By GEORGE...

Goodbye Tiki

I'm seriously considering retiring after writing this blog.By PAUL SCHWARTZ It's my first blog, and first of all, it's such a strange word. Blog. Sounds like caveman talk. "Me blog...

OCTOBER'S BROKEN PROMISE

By KEVIN KERNANWhat’s next, Mets? What’s next, Yankees?I’m sitting here contemplating the combined average of New York third basemen in elimination series this October and is not a pretty sight....

OCTOBER'S BROKEN PROMISE

By KEVIN KERNANWhat’s next, Mets? What’s next, Yankees?I’m sitting here contemplating the combined average of New York third basemen in elimination series this October and is not a pretty sight....

double standard

Hello again. I'm Mark Cannizzaro. I cover the Jets and golf for The Post. I am a Yankees fan but not a Mets hater.Though it might be considered sacrilege among...

FOOD: What up, Norman?

You may remember Norman Van Aken from such decades as the 1990's. He has long been known as the go-to-guy in Miami for serious food. As opposed to insanely silly...

HOOD WATCH: Downtown Miami

How odd, to pick up the Herald real estate section and see shiny new condominiums offered for under $199K. Who can't afford that?It's the new-new-Miami, and the motto could very...

Season Over

Shea Stadium has never been drearier. A little less than two hours after the final out of Game 7 of the NLCS and the rain is pouring down on a...

MARTS ARE GOLDEN WITH 12K DOW CLOSE

Another milestone has been breached. The Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 12,000 level yesterday for the first time ever in a sign that Wall Street has truly rebounded...

HANK TO BANK $8M FROM APT.

Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson has put some cash in his own reserves after selling his sprawling Manhattan apartment. Public records show the ex-Goldman Sachs chief executive, who was sworn in...

HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR DIGITAL ACE COMSTOCK

As the dust settles around NBC's restructuring for the digital age, industry observers are keeping a close eye on Beth Comstock - and not just because she's president of digital...

GOOGLE FLEXES AD MUSCLE YET AGAIN

Google's profit and sales surged in the third quarter as the Internet giant once again demonstrated its dominance in online advertising. The company beat analysts' expectations, sending the shares up...

CROWN PAYS $1M FOR LANSING'S MOVIE MEMOIR

SHERRY Lansing, the former Paramount Pictures chief, has sold a memoir to Crown's Harmony Books for what is believed to be close to $1 million, according to a well-placed industry...

SULZBERGER SLAMMED AS PROFITS DROP 39%

The New York Times Co. reeled yesterday from a 39 percent drop in profits as it came under a surprise attack from liberal politicians for gutting and damaging its sister...

WRIGHT'S NBC PLOT THICKENS - BOARDROOM BLAME GAME STARTING EARLY

The draconian restructuring of NBC Universal was engineered by Chairman Bob Wright in a bid to place responsibility for any future failures on CEO Jeff Zucker, a once-loyal lieutenant who...

TREASURY TROVE: FIRMS INVEST IN EX-SECRETARIES

Washington politicians are not only good at getting votes, they apparently also have a knack for making investments. Yesterday, giant investment firm Cerberus Capital Management tapped 67-year-old former Treasury Secretary...

DIZZYING STYLES, SOARING FEET

GARTH FAGAN DANCEJoyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., at 19th Street; (212) 242-0800. Through Sunday. NOWADAYS, Garth Fagan is perhaps best known as the choreographer of "The Lion King," but his...

SLIGHT OF HAND

THE PRESTIGE (two and a half stars) Out of hocus.Running time: 130 minutes. Rated PG-13 (violence, disturbing images). At the TK theaters. IT'S the season of the double, the uncanny...

JUST VOTE 'NEIGH'

FLICKA (one and a half star) They shoot horses, don't they? Running time: 110 minutes. Rated PG (mild swearing). At the E-Walk, the Kips Bay, others. 'FLICKA" is a new...

EXORCISM TALE POSSESSES RIGHT TOUCH

REQUIEM (three stars) Hell of a time.In German, with English subtitles. Running time: 89 minutes. Not rated (mature themes). At the Lincoln Plaza and the IFC Center. YOU won't find...

CUTS TO THE QUICK; SHARP, WITTY & DARK

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS (three stars) Unbelievable, but fun.Running time: 121 minutes. Rated R (profanity, pedophilia, violence, drugs). At the Lincoln Square, the Sunshine and the Chelsea. WITH horrific events rendered...

MAKE ROOM FOR TWYLA

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRECity Center, 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues; (212) 581-1212. Season runs through Nov. 3. TWYLA Tharp's new Bob Dylan dancical, "The Times They Are A-Changin' "...

ANCHOR BACK IN SPRING

ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, severely injured in Iraq last January, is planning an on-air return this spring. Woodruff will start with a prime-time report on what happened to him...

HEAD OF THE CLASS

MARIE ANTOINETTE (three and a half stars) Kirsten Dunst (right) as the doomed Queen of France in a Sofia Coppola movie that wraps the historical facts in 818 dialogue and...

STAY. SIT. SPEAK?

SLEEPING DOGS LIE (two and a half stars) Woman's best friend.Running time: 89 minutes. Rated R (bestiality, drugs, profanity). At the Sunshine, Houston Street and Second Avenue. 'SLEEPING Dogs Lie,"...

PUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN

BECK POP chameleon Beck twisted the minimalist mantra "less is more" into little is large with a rocking puppet show at Madison Square Garden's Theater Wednesday. Musically, it was a...

BACKDROP: BIG EASY

NEW Orleans is the hot spot to set a TV show right now. In the last month, the networks have commissioned at least two new series set in the flood-ravaged...

KING OF THE HILL - CLINT'S LATEST A COMPLEX, GRAND OLD FLAG

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (four stars) Shot seen 'round the world. Running time: 131 minutes. Rated R (graphic war violence and carnage, profanity). At the Ziegfeld, the Empire, the Union...

QUENCHES THIRST FOR '60S

PLAYLIST has probably said this before: Mojave 3, which started off as Slowdive's Neil Halstead's acoustic side project, has one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded in their "Bluebird...

BOBBING FOR B'WAY ; MILLER DRAMA MAY LURE REDFORD

ROBERT Redford hasn't appeared on a Broadway stage since he starred in Neil Simon's early hit "Barefoot in the Park" in 1967. But now comes word that he's been offered...

STARR REPORT

Piece of the 'Rock' NBC can spin this thing five ways from Sunday, but there's no getting around the fact that Wednesday's episode of "30 Rock" (Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin,...

STUMBLING 'STUDIO' SKIPS A BEAT - 'FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS' TAKES ITS PLACE

NBC told "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" not to show up for work next week. The network yesterday quietly gave the ailing show's Monday night timeslot to "Friday Night...

'WANTED PEOPLE TO HATE ME' - JEFFREY

'PROJECT Runway" winner Jeffrey Sebelia purposely cultivated his bad-boy image on the show, even though he's really a big softie at heart. "I'm a very grateful person. I'm very compassionate....

SHOW YOU WEREN'T MEANT TO SEE - LIZA AND DAVID'S DOOMED TV DEBUT POPS UP ON WEB

MEET the Lazarus of TV shows. Like the biblical figure who was raised from the dead in the book of John, VH1's ill-fated reality series starring Liza Minnelli and her...

KID FOLEY'S NUDE REV. ROMPS - PRIEST TELLS OF RUBS AND SKINNY DIPS

WASHINGTON - Disgraced ex-Congressman Mark Foley's childhood priest has come forward and admitted cavorting nude with the boy and giving him massages. Father Anthony Mercieca, who is now living on...

CHINA WOOS NUKE KOOK

WASHINGTON - China yesterday launched a dramatic diplomatic initiative - including a secret message and gift - to get North Korea's defiant dictator, Kim Jong Il, to blink in the...

PIRRO FLOUNDERING IN POLL VS. CUOMO

ALBANY - Jeanine Pirro's marital problems and claims that a federal investigation into her is purely political have won her little sympathy, as she now trails Democrat Andrew Cuomo by...

GAL-COOKER IN AN 11-DAY 'STEW'POR - CONFESSED IN SUICIDE NOTE

Before he jumped to his death from a New Orleans hotel, Zack Bowen left a ghoulish confession of how he coolly strangled, sexually violated, dismembered and cooked his girlfriend -...

HEVESI IS MIA - REGION'S ONLY NON-DEBATER

ALBANY - Scandal-scarred state Comptroller Alan Hevesi - under criminal investigation for using a state employee to chauffeur his wife for 3 ½ years - has emerged as the only...

CHRISTA KIN TEARFULLY RECALLS FINDING CORPSE

BARNSTABLE, Mass. - A cousin of Christa Worthington fought back tears yesterday as she told a jury how she found the New York fashion writer in a pool of blood...

HILL'S $5M AD-VANTAGE

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton shelled out $4.8 million on political advertising in her walkover re-election bid during a five-week stretch earlier this fall, new federal records reveal. Clinton...

AN AMERICAN BABY BLESSING

'American freedom is glorious - and difficult.' DEAR Shiri, You came hurtling into the world a week ago today, emerging so quickly and so without a fuss that you seemed...

TELFAIR ON SHOOTING: I KNOW ZIP

NBA star Sebastian Telfair insists he knows nothing about the parking-lot shooting that wounded rapper Fabolous, as cops collected information about the Brooklyn hoops legend's cellphone records, his lawyer said...

OUR BITTER PILL - FOES KEEP WAL-MART'S $4 RX OUT OF CITY

Wal-Mart will be selling prescription drugs for just $4 - but not in New York City, where opposition to the world's largest retailer has kept it from opening its first...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

QUEENS * Two bandits stabbed and critically wounded a man in a Rockaway Beach home-invasion robbery, authorities said yesterday. The break-in took place at around 4 a.m. on Sept. 24,...

'SODOMY' DUO'S MOTIVE

Two Long Island teens sadistically sodomized a 21-year-old developmentally disabled man at his bowling-alley job because the victim had told others that one of his attackers had attended the same...

WOMAN FOUND SLAIN IN WOODS

A young woman has been found shot to death in a wooded area on Long Island. Nassau Homicide Detective Sgt. Steve Palmer said the unidentified black woman was found near...

MAYOR GLUM OVER NIX OF TRAIN STATION

The defeat of a $900 million project to convert the Farley Post Office into a rail terminal called Moynihan Station will only make it harder to build a new Madison...

GRIM TALE IN MOM SLAYING

The body of pregnant Lisa Eatmon was still warm when it was pulled from the Hudson last spring, the city coroner testified yesterday at the murder trial of the man...

TAGGED WITH 6-MO. SENTENCE

A notorious graffiti vandal - who scrawled his moniker, Kiko, on trees, buildings and bridges - took a plea deal yesterday in Queens Supreme Court that will put him behind...

MIKE WANTS TO PUFF UP CIG TAX BY 50ó

Another cigarette tax could be on the way, the Bloomberg administration announced yesterday. Sarah Perl, the Health Department's assistant commissioner, said the city would ask state lawmakers for the authority...

NO ETA: FIRM FLUBS $160M SUBWAY TECH

When is the next train coming? Don't ask the MTA. The $160 million digital message boards that transit officials have long promised will take the guesswork out of the platform...

NYU IN ISLAM FUROR - NO VISAS FOR SPEAKERS

Two Egyptian- born Islamic leaders, scheduled to speak yesterday at a New York University Law School forum on the controversial Muslim Brotherhood, were not granted visas, according to the Department...

'SLIP HOP' RAGE - TAPED RAPPER TIRADE

Here are two reasons why a hip-hop star shouldn't call and curse out a reporter over a story: Your angry expletives could be played in court, and your phone number...

MIKE STIFFING 9/11 HEROES, GOV SAYS

In a move that's sparked outrage, Mayor Bloomberg is attempting to cut new death benefits to families of retired cops and firefighters who die from Ground Zero-related work illnesses, Gov....

NIPSEY RUSSELL'S GIRLFRIEND SUED

Nipsey Russell's manager is suing the comic's girlfriend for $5 million, charging that she falsely accused him of stealing from his old friend on his deathbed. Joseph Rapp, 64, says...

TOP ATT'Y VICTIM OF 'NUDE DWI' - S.I. 'GENTLEMAN AND A SCHOLAR'

The man run over by a ranting, wild-eyed woman driving nude was a beloved former Staten Island prosecutor turned defense attorney, heralded for taking on pro bono hard-luck cases, authorities...

NEW QUEENS 'STUY TOWN'

Call it Stuyvesant Town East. The city yesterday agreed to spend $146 million for a 24-acre tract of waterfront property on the Queens side of the East River in order...

DAD'S TOIL AND TROUBLE - DIRT-POOR MADONNA KID'S KIN

The natural father of the little boy Madonna wants to adopt was back to toiling in the sweltering fields of his non-material world in Malawi yesterday while his son began...

MCLAUGHLIN GROUP GIVES HIM AX AS LABOR BOSS

The New York Central Labor Council fired Brian McLaughlin as its leader yesterday - two days after the Queens assemblyman was indicted on corruption and racketeering charges related to his...

A BUNCH OF CLASS ACTS - SPIKE DOES RIGHT THING AS PRINCIPAL

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein took a voluntary demotion yesterday to play principal for a day with the likes of Spike Lee, Lorraine Bracco and other notable New Yorkers. Bracco, the...

'STRIPPER' NO-SHOW & TELL - POL'S AIDE WAS JIGGLE JOINT HIRE: KIN

A married mother of three yesterday angrily denied she had a "personal relationship" and a no-show job with indicted union boss Brian McLaughlin - but a family member says the...

LIBEL SUIT VS. NIPSEY'S LOVE

Nipsey Russell's manager is suing the late comic's girlfriend for $5 million, charging she falsely accused him of stealing from his old friend on his deathbed. Joseph Rapp, 64, says...

MORE BODY PARTS - SURPRISE AT WTC

Con Ed workers have found human remains and identification cards at the World Trade Center site, officials said yesterday. Utility workers were clearing out two manholes at the site Wednesday...

PRINCIPALS' UNION BOSS QUITTING

Unable to ink a contract with the city in more than three years, and under pressure from members, Jill Levy announced yesterday that she'll step down when her term ends...

TOP ATT'Y VICTIM OF 'NUDE DWI' - S.I. WOMAN WAS TIME BOMB: DA

The man fatally run over by a ranting, naked female driver was a Staten Island prosecutor-turned-defense-lawyer, her alded for taking on hard-luck cases pro bono, authorities said yesterday. Larry Simon,...

ANNA'S FINAL FAREWELL - BAHAMAS BURIAL FOR HER SON

Anna Nicole Smith buried her son in a small, private ceremony in the Bahamas yesterday, her representatives said. Daniel Smith, 20, was laid to rest at Lakeview Cemetery in Nassau....

MARCHI SCARE - VETERAN POL COLLAPSES AT SMITH DINNER

Legendary New York pol John Marchi, the longest-serving state legislator in the nation, collapsed at the annual Al Smith charity dinner last night and was rushed to a hospital. His...

GANG SIGN TRIAL ARREST

A spectator at a murder trial in Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday found himself under arrest after a witness on the stand accused him of flashing gang signs. The man, identified...

KAZAKHSTAN: BORAT, COME HOME

Pleaze to come to our kountry! Officials in Kazakhstan have invited faux journalist Borat Sagdiyev, played by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, "home" to see that things have changed - somewhat....

FLOATING POOL WILL BARGE IN

On a hot summer day next year, city kids could be swimming underwater while floating atop it - aboard a barge outfitted with a 25-meter, seven-lane swimming pool. The city's...

MAKING A SPLASH - FLOATING POOL TO BARGE INTO CITY

On a hot summer day next year, city kids could be swimming underwater while floating atop it - aboard a barge outfitted with a 25-meter, sevenlane swimming pool. The city's...

THREAT BUST SHOCKS TRIAL

A spectator at an already unusual murder trial in Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday found himself under arrest after a witness on the stand accused him of flashing gang signs. The...

'STRIPPER' NO-SHOW & TELL - POL'S AIDE WAS SLEAZY HIRE: KIN

An angry mother yesterday denied she had a "personal relationship" and a no-show job with indicted union boss Brian McLaughlin - but a member of her family says the assemblyman...

SUPPAN SIMPLY SUPER

How well was Jeff Suppan throwing in the middle frames last night during Game 7 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium? Good enough for Tony La Russa to allow the...

UNLIKELY HERO; MOLINA HR MAKES UP FOR PUJOLS' QUIET NIGHT

PRESTON WILSON, Tony La Russa's big lineup move for Game 7 of the NLCS, not only struck out three times, but also almost hurt Jim Edmonds - admittedly not a...

HE 'NOSE' THE DEAL ; GIANTS ROOKIE COFIELD DOING THE JOB, FOR NOW

Barry Cofield is the Giants nose tackle, the first opening-day rookie starter on the defensive line since Bill Neill in 1981. But is Cofield indeed the Giants' nose tackle or...

PLAXICO: LET'S RALLY FOR TIKI

GIANT NOTES Plaxico Burress said he wasn't surprised at all that Tiki Barber is planning on retiring after this season. Just being around him and listening to him, Burress said,...

COACH CLASS OFTEN UNCOMFORTABLE RIDE

This cutthroat business of coaching college football can get awfully nasty. Indiana's Terry Hoeppner has had two brain surgeries - one to remove a tumor and the other to remove...

'OUTSIDER' ISIAH RELATES TO STEPH

Isiah Thomas is Knicks coach and president, and yesterday he became the team psychologist in diagnosing why Stephon Marbury has come across as gruff and sullen in the past. In...

BASS AND BLUES FILL SHORE AREAS

THE beach action from Montauk Point to Breezy Point has been a surfcasters dream with bass and blues blitzing the shore areas. Montauk had an incredible week with bass and...

NETS' WILLIAMS POINTS TO SPEEDY RECOVERY

The Nets would like to differ with the old saying that the best surprise is no surprise. The surprise of seeing Marcus Williams on the practice court yesterday was simply...

'MIGHTY' TUNES UP FOR CUP

Mighty Bernardini, tuning up for his showdown with Lava Man, Invasor, et al. in the Breeders' Cup Classic two weeks from tomorrow at Churchill Downs, turned in his first workout...

GIAMBI HAS WRIST SURGERY

Jason Giambi underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left wrist yesterday and is expected to be ready for the opening of spring training. The surgery was...

SERIES DESIRE; EL DUQUE'S UP FOR GAME 1 START

Three hours before Game 7 of the NLCS yesterday, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez fielded grounders and bunts on the field at a soon-to-be-electric Shea Stadium. He was on the same...

WILLIE SPEAKS WELL OF TIGERS

MET NOTES When asked about the American League champion Tigers, the Cardinals' opponent in the World Series, Willie Randolph's praise highlighted Detroit's manager, its bullpen and several of its players...

ISIAH-GREG FEUD MAY BE PERSONAL

HAD Isiah Thomas limited his harsh opinion of Greg Anthony's critical comments on ESPN about the Knicks' preference of Renaldo Balkman at No. 20 overall (over Marcus Williams, for instance),...

CARDINAL RULER; PUJOLS JUST PRODUCES IN POSTSEASON

THE Astros were one out away from their first World Series last fall when Albert Pujols hit one beyond the left field boxes, 440 feet against the outside glass that...

BROTHERS AT ARMS; LEGREE QB DUEL WILL BE FAMILY AFFAIR

Jeff Jr. and David Legree usually spend a lot of time talking about their respective opponents for their upcoming games. Not this week. Jeff, a junior QB at Fort Hamilton,...

DEVILS RALLY BUT TAKE LOSS

Predators 4Devils 3 The Devils' Nine O'Clock Lightning wasn't quite enough, but they pulled something from little or nothing again. For the fourth time in their past five games, the...

GONCHAR'S GOAL SINKS ISLES IN OT

Penguins 4Isles 3 Sidney Crosby is going to win a lot of awards before his NHL career is over, but last night, Islanders coach Ted Nolan was ready to nominate...

ROLEN HAS LAST LAUGH

He will be remembered more for hitting the ball Endy Chavez turned into one of the premier postseason catches in baseball history. After that, it will be remembered how his...

NO HAPPY ENDY DESPITE GREAT CATCH

Move over Ron Swoboda and Tommie Agee. Endy Chavez may have just passed you by. The 28-year-old reserve outfielder delivered arguably the biggest defensive play in Mets history, and one...

UNLIKELY HERO; MOLINA DEALS CARDS VICTORY WITH STUNNING HR

PRESTON WILSON, Tony La Russa's big lineup move for Game 7, not only struck out three times, but almost hurt Jim Edmonds - admittedly not a hard thing to do...

SORRY, OLLIE; PEREZ GAVE IT HIS BEST

Oliver Perez walked into Shea Stadium a shade before 5 p.m. yesterday. The 25-year-old showed no signs of nerves as he accepted well wishes from various staff members in the...

EMOTIONS TEAR AT MOOKIE

Mookie Wilson's name will always be linked to October baseball at Shea Stadium, due to Bill Buckner not fielding his grounder 20 years ago. Last night he was on the...

WAIN IN FORECAST ; CARDS' CLOSER SOAKS METS

Adam Wainwright insists he will never again put his teammates hearts in their mouths like he did last night. However, if he does and removes them the way he did,...

OFFENSE UNABLE TO CAPITALIZE IN CLUTCH

Blame Aaron Heilman if you'd like, but the Mets loaded the bases with one out in the sixth - and didn't score. They stranded 11 men in Game 7. They...

FLOYD HOPES TO RETURN WITH METS

MET NOTES Cliff Floyd, who's set to be a free agent, wants to be at Shea next year. "Hopefully I'm a New York Met," he said. Floyd, whose ailing left...

ALL HEIL BREAKS LOOSE IN NINTH

In the ninth inning of a tie game in Game 2, Billy Wagner was on the mound at Shea Stadium. Last night in a similar situation, Aaron Heilman was on...

STANDING JOKE - IMMOBILE BLEDSOE A TARGET FOR GIANTS

Going from Michael Vick to Drew Bledsoe is like going from chasing a butterfly to chasing a statue. When Giant defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora rush from the...

5 QUESTIONS FOR BUD SELIG

This week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Selig, 72, just oversaw baseball's completion of its new TV deals with Fox, TBS and ESPN that,...

MARCHAND'S MEMO OF THE WEEK

To: Gary Bettman From: Andrew Marchand Re: Has The NHL Season Started? CC: Peter Puck Dear Commish: We are not sure if anyone even realizes the NHL season has begun....

ONE AND DONE? - KORNHEISER EYES MNF EXIT

ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said he has "no plans at the moment'' to return to Monday Night Football next season. "At the moment, in my mind, I always thought I signed...

NO MIRACLES, NO MAGIC

THIS time, Rich Gedman got his body in front of the ball, and Bill Buckner got his glove down in time, and when it was one strike away for the...

WAITING WAS HARDEST PART

THIS was a different kind of adventure for Mets fans yesterday afternoon, the daylong struggle to keep themselves from staring the hands right off of the clock, the hours-long marathon...

YADIER'S SHOT WRECKS DREAMS

Yadier Molina added his name to an inglorious roster of enemies for Mets fans last night. Like Terry Pendleton in 1987, like Mike Scoscia in 1988, names that will live...

MOLINA LATE HOMER BREAKS HEARTS AT SHEA

GAME 7 CARDINALS 3 METS 1 Carlos Beltran walked away from the plate following the last pitch. Down by two in the bottom of the ninth in their final game...

PATIENCE PAYING OFF FOR WILLIE

After 11 years as a Yankees coach, Willie Randolph finally got his chance to manage in 2005 for the Mets. In his second season, he has taken his team to...

YOUTH & NAILS - REYES GETS TIPS FROM DYKSTRA

Lenny Dykstra was sitting in front of the television in his California home Wednesday night when Jose Reyes hit a leadoff home run in the first inning of Game 6...

RAMBLING RANDOLPH HAD A 'SPECIAL' FEELING

The lineup had the identical first eight hitters again last night for the Mets. "My winners out there," Willie Randolph said before the game. "Got 'em out there." Randolph's team...

SERIES DESIRE - EL DUQUE'S UP FOR GAME 1 START

Three hours before Game 7 of the NLCS yesterday, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez fielded grounders and bunts on the field at a soon-to-be-electric Shea Stadium. He was on the same...

MET HOPES END - AMAZIN' CATCH ISN'T ENOUGH TO SAVE SEASON

ENDY Chavez made a play for the ages and a play for the Agees. And it was not enough to save the Mets' season. The Mets pretty much shut down...

GREEN'S PLAYOFF DREAM

ST. LOUIS - In the final minute before Shawn Green began stretching for batting practice last night, he was asked why he waived his no-trade clause to come to the...

DANGER PRONE - BILLY COMES CLOSE TO EDGE OF OBLIVION

BILLY Wagner came in with a fourrun lead Wednesday night, so he was not in line for a save. Yet, he saved something anyway - his Met career. At least...

SKIPPER: ROLEN NEEDS TO ADJUST

Tony La Russa can't stay away from talking about Scott Rolen. The two have had very little conversation since Rolen believed he was benched in Game 2. La Russa explained...

CARD SHUFFLIN' - NEAR-OVERHAUL BY LA RUSSA FOR GAME 7

After being unhappy with the way his lifeless team approached John Maine in Game 6 Wednesday night, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa toyed with the idea of making major changes...

RUNNING A DELAY - MARTIN 'HOPEFUL' HE'LL PRACTICE IN TWO WEEKS

Across the Hudson River, Tiki Barber, seemingly in the prime of his career and in great health, cavalierly talks about retiring after this season regardless of his production or how...

COLES DOESN'T CONSIDER HIMSELF ELITE WR

JET NOTES Two of the NFL's best receivers will be on display Sunday at Giants Stadium, where the Jets and Lions will play - Laveranues Coles for the Jets and...

FLYIN' VS LIONS

THE last time Chad Pennington saw the Lions, at Ford Field a few weeks before Thanksgiving in 2002, he carved up their defense with four TD passes in a 31-14...

TRENDSETTERS - THE TOP PLAYS

JETS (-31/2) VS. LIONS, 1 P.M. Gang Green has won four straight against losing teams. The Lions have lost four of five when trying to cover two in a row...

BRODEUR'S GOAL: SOME PROTECTION

Martin Brodeur will now be yet another trivia answer. It's the way Penguins phenom Evgeni Malkin scored his first NHL goal on him that rankles Brodeur and prompted coach Claude...

ISLANDERS PLAYING 'RUSSIAN ROULETTE'

Evgeni Malkin secretly escaped from his Russian team so he could play in the NHL. Only Islanders seem to be taking the opposite route, turning their backs on North America...

FALL'S FOUL BALL - NETWORKS CONDUCTING ABSURD EXPERIMENT

It took years, but we've discovered what baseball's postseason TV networks have been up to. In conjunction with the CIA, FCC and the Federal Bureaucracy Bureau, they've been conducting a...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

It will soon be open seasoning for recreational hunters. A Chaska, Minn., man has developed shotgun shells with seasoned pellets that dissolve on contact and flavor game meat for cooking....

THE 6TH QUESTION W/ BUD SELIG

By ANDREW MARCHANDEvery Friday in NYP TV Sports, our sports television pullout that appears in the middle of the print edition and online, we present "Five Questions for …" This...