January 10, 2009
WINTER SNOW 'NIGHTMARE' PUT OFF TILL MIDWEEK
The predicted lion of a winter storm that was to blanket New York in six inches of snow turned into a lamb today, sprinkling no more than half that much...
WHAT NEXT FOR GAZA?
MADELEINE ALBRIGHTAmbassador to the United Nations, 1993-1997, Secretary of State, 1997-2001; speaking at 92nd Street Y "It is untenable for people to be subjected to rocket attacks, [but] people in...
WAITER DISRUPTS JEWISH WEDDING WITH ARABIC CHANT
Long Island waiter rebelling against his pastor father terrorized guests at a Jewish wedding reception, blasting a recording of a pro-Palestinian rally that included Arabic chants through the DJ's microphone,...
Report: Jets interviewed Harbaugh
Nationalfootballpost.com is reporting the Jets interviewed Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh on Thursday. Jets owner Woody Johnson and GM Mike Tannenbaum were in Arizona to interview Russ Grimm, so it is...
Howard gets praise, then another shutout
First U.S. National keeper Tim Howard got gushing praise from Everton manager David Moyes. Then the ex-MetroStar and New Jerseyan went out and posted his sixth straight clean sheet, a...
THE DEMONS OF GAZA
Israel hasn't killed a single civilian in the Gaza Strip. Over a hundred civilians have died, and Israeli bombs or shells may have ended their lives. But Israel didn't kill...
TWO BROTHERS DIE IN DELIBERATELY SET SI FIRE
A Staten Island inferno which ripped through five homes early this morning killed two Staten Island brothers who were sleeping in a bedroom of their parent's home, firefighters said. The...
Oscar Watch: More Bad News for the Weinsteins
Poor Bob and Harvey Weinstein. "The Reader'' is flatlining at the box office as they pray for a Golden Globes miracle, and now Entertainment Weekly adds insult to injury with...
Report: Citeh buying Owen. We ask: Why?
A'ight, serious question y'all. Especially you Newcastle people.The Daily Express is claiming Manchester City has a handshake deal to bring oft-injured Michael Owen to the Abu Dhabi-owned club in the...
Searching for the Jets' Mojo
I've returned to the scene of the disappearing act. I'm in Nasvhille for today's Ravens-Titans game, and I can't help thinking about the last time I was here, less than...
DEALS: $89 at the Trump Las Vegas
This isn't what they had in mind when the Trump Organization opened a hotel behind the Fashion Show Mall, an upscale, casino-free zone that's just steps from the shoe department...
PLAYERS ITCH TO FACE FORMER TEAMS
Vince Carter was greeted by 19,800 raving Toronto lunatics, all who wanted to remove his organs and stomp on his skull. Eduardo Najera got emotional. And he got an ovation....
LITTLE NATE'S POOR SHOOTING A BIG PROBLEM FOR KNICKS
HOUSTON - Three years ago at the Garden, Nate Robinson, all 5-foot-7 ½ of him, leapt behind 7-foor-6 Yao Ming to block his shot. Sometimes, as he did that day,...
DEVILS GOALIE HAS PARROTHEAD PHILOSOPHY
He's not just a casual fan. Scott Clemmensen says the laid-back Jimmy Buffett philosophy keeps his Parrothead on straight. "It's an attitude about life," the Devils' goalie said. "Going from...
VETS HELP YOUNG ISLES COME OF AGE
Josh Bailey recently scored his first NHL goal. Bill Guerin notched his 400th just before that. Kyle Okposo has yet to play in a full NHL season. Mike Sillinger and...
LUNDQVIST FULFILLING NEED TO GIVE BACK TO CITY
Something had changed for Henrik Lundqvist. "This summer, it was different. I felt the need to come back to New York," Lundqvist, the 26-year-old Swedish-born goaltender now in his fourth...
TITANS, RAVENS BRACE FOR PHYSICAL FOOTBALL
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - If you like seeing finesse football, watch something else. When the Ravens and Titans lock up in today's AFC divisional playoff game there will not be much...
STEELERS FRONT FIVE TOE THE LINE TOGETHER
PITTSBURGH - They spend as many as eight hours a day together for at least five months, practicing three to four times a week. They lift weights. Watch film. Break...
VEGAS NOT SOLD ON UPSTART CHARGERS
Here's a look at how the ever changing NFL spreads are faring this week, according to our favorite Vegas insiders.CHARGERS-STEELERS The Roethlisbergers are -61/2. If LaDainian Tomlinson was 100 percent...
TRENDSETTERS
TITANS (-3) VS. RAVENS Tennessee has covered four straight following a loss, seven straight following a non-cover, eight of 10 following a loss of more than 14 points (23) and...
RUNYAN HAS DE IN HIS CROSSHAIRS
PHILADELPHIA - Anything for an edge in the battle of the pain thresholds. Much as he may be hurting, Jon Runyan will be telling himself tomorrow that Justin Tuck has...
BIG BLUE BELIEVES UPSET IN THE CARDS
CHARLOTTE - The Cardinals lost all five of their trips east this year, and the Panthers won all eight games at home by an average margin of 15.4 points. Those...
JASPER GUARD RUBS SHOULDERS WITH GREATNESS
CHRIS Smith lives the life most college basketball players only see in video games. Most players drive BMWs only when playing "Grand Theft Auto IV." Most players work out with...
BEARS WILL LEARN FROM LIKELY HALL OF FAMER
HERE'S all you need to know about the competitor that is Tim Raines. In 1991, Raines came over to the American League and the White Sox after a dozen years...
PROSPECTING
YANKEES Some of the Yankees' most prized prospects had disappointing campaigns in fall and winter ball to close 2008. The returns from stud center fielder Austin Jackson in the Arizona...
BOXING'S REVIVAL WILL HINGE ON WELTER DIVISION
IF 2009 is going to be the year boxing enjoys its resurgence, it will begin with the most talented weight class in the sport: the welterweights. Next Saturday, HBO begins...
SPEED NUMBERS DON'T ADD UP
THE single best, fastest performance by a thoroughbred in 2008, according to the Beyer speed figures, was Commentator's runaway win in the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga in July. Visually, it...
MEEKS INTERVIEWS FOR JETS JOB
The Jets interviewed Colts defensive coordinator Ron Meeks yesterday, wrapping up Week 2 of their search to replace Eric Mangini. Meeks, 54, has been with the Colts for seven years....
ED FOUNTAINE'S STAKES SPOT PLAYS
FT. LAUDERDALE Gulfstream Park, 9th race. Purse: $100,000. Mile-and-a-sixteenth, turf, 4-year-olds and up. Post: 5:04 p.m. LOWDOWN: In two starts over the Gulfstream turf course last winter, Pick Six finished...
INAUGURATION TICKETS SCARFED UP
President-elect Barack Obama's transition committee yesterday made 5,000 tickets to his historic Jan. 21 inauguration available for purchase at $25 a pop - and, as might have been expected, all...
NAKED CAME THE BAILOUT?
THE porn industry wants a bail out, too. I can just imagine the newsreels 50 years from now: "Back in 2009, America was reeling. During those tough times, poor Joe...
PERILOUS PANETTA PICK: O'S LACK OF INTELLIGENCE
Ralph Peters gets it right about President-elect Barack Obama's stupefying choice of Leon Panetta to be the next CIA head ("An Awful Pick," Jan. 7). In this dangerous age of...
NEW POOH DUE IN OCT.
LONDON - The world's favorite "silly old bear" is back. Publishers in Britain and the United States said yesterday they will publish a new book of Winnie the Pooh adventures...
JOB LOSSES THE WORST SINCE 1945
The Alfred Hitchcock flick "Spellbound" was the year's most popular movie, the Yankees finished in fourth place and failed to make the playoffs, and President Harry Truman made the decision...
TEARS FOR FALLEN BX. MARINE
Hundreds of mourners gathered at a Bronx church yesterday to say a tearful last goodbye to Marine Lance Cpl. Alberto Francesconi, who was killed in combat in Afghanistan on New...
'O' SO MUCH TO DEAL WITH
President-elect Barack Obama turned an announcement of his latest appointments into a wide-ranging press conference yesterday, in which he offered opinions on everything from the cool reception his economic plan...
THE DONALD'S STOCK HITS THE SKIDS
To understand just how badly the financial meltdown has hurt casino company stocks, look no further than the recent sale of stock by an executive of Trump Entertainment Resorts, the...
THE BURRIS CIRCUS
THE Democrats are folding like an ironing board over this Roland Burris business, and for some reason people are surprised. Just to catch up: The governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich,...
MAYOR'S PENSION-$$ WOE
The pension bill for municipal workers is headed for the stratosphere, but there's no short-term solution, Mayor Bloomberg acknowledged yesterday. "The biggest problem we have is our pension, and health...
ATLANTIC CITY'S BAD BET
Revenue at Atlantic City's 11 casinos took a record-breaking plunge last month - the final insult in a second straight down year in a resort that's still not used to...
'JUNKIE JUSTICE' OUTRAGE
YES, justice fans, with a good lawyer, a small degree of fame, a gullible jury and a generous judge, you can get away with practically anything. Especially in The Bronx....
STOCKMAN CASE FOLDS
Prosecutors dropped fraud charges against former Reagan White House Budget Director David Stockman and three other officials in their roles at bankrupt auto parts maker Collins & Aikman Corp., the...
LENNAR HIT BY FRAUD CLAIM
Lennar Corp., the third-largest US builder by market value, fell as much as 28 percent in New York trading after Barry Minkow's Fraud Discovery Institute alleged that the company operates...
IT'S DEUTSCHE BUNK
THE ruined former Deutsche Bank build ing near Ground Zero will live to see another mournful season in the sun. The state-controlled Lower Manhattan Development Corp. has pushed back the...
LILLO'S LUCKY BRONX TALE
Lillo Brancato spun his own Bronx tale yesterday - and it spared him an extra five years in prison. After telling a judge of his rampant drug addiction and remorse...
IMPEACHED BLAGO CAN RUN BUT CAN'T HIDE
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, setting up an unprecedented trial in the state Senate on whether he should be thrown out...
GMA-C YA! LOSER EZRA OUT
Maladroit money manager J. Ezra Merkin resigned yesterday as the chairman of GMAC - the recently bailed-out auto lender - amid revelations he shoveled nearly $2 billion into Bernard Madoff's...
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Ackman sells William Ackman's Per shing Square Capital Man agement LP sold its entire stake in Barnes & Noble as of Dec. 22, a filing said. The hedge-fund company was...
O'NEAL COPS TO DRUG RAP
Actor Ryan O'Neal agreed to enter an 18-month drug-treatment program yesterday after pleading guilty to possessing methamphetamine. The 67-year-old actor's lawyer has claimed that O'Neal had confiscated the drugs from...
MIKE: DROP IN PETTY CRIME BUSTS IS GOOD
Cops are writing fewer "quality of life" summonses because New Yorkers are simply "behaving better," Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday, pooh-poohing fears the decline could be a turning point back to...
CAROLINE WOULD BEST KING: POLL
ALBANY - Caroline Kennedy would trounce Republican Congressman Peter King by 18 percentage points if the election for Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat were held today, according to a survey...
STARS, HEALTH & LIES
NEVER rely on salacious reports about a celebrity's illness - or on statements from spokesmen. The media sells what shocks, while flacks serve what they see as their clients' interests...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
Manhattan Cops are searching for the thief who shot a man in Harlem and snatched a gold chain and a medallion from around his neck, police said. The thug, in...
LONG LIVE THIS OLD LOBSTER
George, a 140-year-old lobster who was the popular mascot at a Manhattan eatery, is high-tailing it to freedom. PHOTOS: George The Lobster City Crab and Seafood Company, which agreed to...
HEART-BERN HOT SAUCE
What's the only thing harder to swallow than Bernie Madoff's sleazy money schemes? A new hot sauce dedicated to the Ponzi king himself. Dubbed "Bernie in Hell," the food flavoring...
WELL, IT'S A START
"It's our duty to clean up the mess and stop the freak show that's become Illinois government." - State Rep. Jack Franks, yesterday, as the Illinois House voted 114-1 to...
RICHARD JOHN NEUHAUS, 1936-2009
Richard John Neuhaus, one of America's most consequential public intellectuals, passed away this week at age 72. A Catholic priest and an occasional confidant of popes and presidents, Neuhaus is...
LILLO MEETS JUSTICE
Some good news in the Lillo Brancato case - at last. A judge yesterday hit the former "Sopranos" actor with a hefty 10-year prison sentence for his role in the...
GOOD RIDDANCE
Two high-profile culprits in a pair of colossal economic scandals bit the dust yesterday - and not a moment too soon! That is to say: * Robert Rubin, Bill Clinton's...
BLOOMY DUCKS GOP TALK
Asked whether he was trying to snare the Republican line for his third-term re-election bid, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday proved he could still duck a question with the best of them....
TEARS FOR ONION MAN
Alan Geisler, the man behind the tasty red-onion sauce many New Yorkers love on their hot dogs, has died. He was 78. The sauce, a New York culinary delight, is...
BONO DIALS PALM WINNER FOR $84M
U2 front man Bono has scored an $84 million stock windfall in just days following his Christmas-time gamble on sputtering smart phone maker Palm. The entertainer and his investment fund...
RAINBOW ROOM'S EVICT FEAR
The sun may be setting on the Rainbow Room. The beloved restaurant with sweeping views of the city and a revolving dance floor is facing eviction from its prime spot...
TRADER 'INVADER'
Manhattan grocer Gristedes is shamelessly trying to steal Trader Joe's customers with a cheap crosstown "knock-off" dubbed Trader John's, the popular chain charges in a federal lawsuit filed yesterday. Trader...
RUBIN FLEES THE CITI
Robert Rubin finally succumbed to unrelenting pressure yesterday and resigned from Citigroup after being heavily criticized for taking giant paychecks while the bank's finances collapsed around him. Rubin, who was...
BIGAMY BRAWL OVER APT. OF DISSED 'MRS.'
That's not very biga-him. A Manhattan personal-injury lawyer is suing to get back the Chelsea apartment he allegedly gave the woman who thought she was his wife. Radiah Givens married...
BAD 'SIGN' FOR BURRIS BID
CHICAGO - Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said yesterday that Roland Burris won't be accepted as President-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the Senate without the Illinois secretary of state's signature -...
SWAYZE HOSPITALIZED
Patrick Swayze checked into a Los Angeles hospital for treatment of pneumonia yesterday, just hours before he was to meet the press to promote his new TV series, "The Beast."...
BROKERING A DEAL
Morgan Stanley is in advanced talks to merge its brokerage platform with Citigroup's, according to people familiar with negotiations. The financial institutions are aiming to combine their global wealth-management platforms,...
LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW
The second major winter storm of the season is set to hit New York today and dump as much as 4 inches of snow on Central Park, according to forecasters...
B'KLYN SEWAGE-PLANT TRAGEDY
A father of two was killed yesterday when a conveyor belt collapsed on him at the Brooklyn sewage-treatment plant where he worked, officials said. Gennaro Montello, 45, a seven-year veteran...
BRIT BANK $LAPPED FOR IRAN LOOT LAUNDERING
The British bank Lloyds has admitted it systematically cooked its books to let billions of dollars from Iran flow undetected through New York banks between 2001 and 2004 in violation...
ANNE WINS! (OOPS!)
And the award for the most gracious acknowledgment of a Golden Globe glitch goes to . . . Anne Hathaway says she's not too excited by news that her name...
BROADCOM 'F-BOMB' E-MAIL ALLOWED
A shocking e-mail about the sex-and-drugs world of Silicon Valley mogul Henry Nicholas - on trial in a $2.2 billion options scam - can be used to put him in...
NEW WAR OVER ASTOR LAWYER
In what the defense decried as an "11th-hour ambush," prosecutors in the Brooke Astor swindle case yesterday demanded that one of the three lawyers for Anthony Marshall, who's accused of...
BIDEN'S SON, BROTHER SETTLE SUIT
DOVER, Del. - A lawsuit that accused Vice President-elect Joe Biden's youngest son and brother of cheating a business partner out of money has been settled, an attorney said. A...
HE MADOFF WITH $49 BILLION
Man, what a terrible return on your investment. Of the $50 billion Bernard Madoff swindled, investigators have been able to uncover only about $1 billion in remaining assets. If the...
SLAY RAP ON NJ 'DISMEMBER' BEAU
A married man accused of killing his mistress and dumping her dismembered body in a Staten Island pond was indicted yesterday in New Jersey on a first-degree murder charge, authorities...
GAS GUY DIES AFTER HOLDUP
A hardworking Queens gas-station attendant died yesterday soon after he was held up, sources said. Noor Khan, 42, a Pakistani immigrant who sent money home to his wife and children,...
METRO-NORTH WORKER KILLED
A Metro-North worker was struck and killed by a New Haven-bound train in Westchester last night, authorities said. The accident occurred at 7:03 p.m. outside Rye when the victim, a...
PIRATES' 'GOLDEN PARACHUTE' DROP
Somali pirates scored a haul of booty yesterday that would have shivered the timbers of Long John Silver, when they were paid a $3 million ransom to release a Saudi...
RJ SENDS NETS BUCK TO FUTURE
MILWAUKEE - This wasn't exactly what Richard Jefferson envisioned when he first saw the NBA schedule. And it certainly wasn't how the Nets, already without Devin Harris, saw it going...
LEGENDARY TURF WRITER HIRSCH DEAD AT 80
Joe Hirsch, the dean of American turf writers who chronicled thoroughbred racing for a half-century in the Morning Telegraph and Daily Racing Form, died early yesterday morning in New York...
PHILLY HAS SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL
THERE are killers on the loose again, cold- blooded killers in blue jerseys who tomorrow become eagle-eyed predators stalking dangerous prey who will not be allowed to ruin their Super-Bowl-or-bust...
REDDING, METS AGREE TO TERMS
Tim Redding isn't the big fish the Mets still are hoping to hook for their rotation, but is certainly capable of gobbling innings and winning games. The veteran right-hander agreed...
SUTTER WON'T LINE DANCE
By the time the Devils return from this six-game road trip that opens tonight in Los Angeles, Brent Sutter's faith in his team either will be repaid or betrayed. The...
ALL-PRO TUCK STILL BANGED UP
Players often say they want to feed off the energy of the home crowd. Justin Tuck is going even further. He thinks he may need some external forces to allow...
WORK CREWS GET SHOVELS READY TO GO
The light dusting of snow that was once expected to simply add some ambiance to the surroundings could be more than that tomorrow. It's supposed to stop well before the...
GIANTS HAVE ICE IN THEIR VEINS
Zero. As in none. Nada. Zilch. It is rare when "nothing" elicits such disgust, but for the players on the Giants who get paid to get after the quarterback, the...
PENNY'S DEAL FINALIZED
The Red Sox have finalized a one-year contract with pitcher Brad Penny, a deal worth about $5 million. The 30-year-old Penny is a two-time All-Star who struggled with injuries to...
RANGERS BACKUP EARNS ACCOLADES, NOT WIN
BUFFALO - The Sabres may have loved Ryan Miller's terrific play in goal, but Miller was more impressed with his Rangers counterpart. Miller and Rangers backup Steve Valiquette waged a...
SPORTS SHORTS
SPORTS SHORTSNBA: Blazers, Miles in legal snafu The NBA players' association plans to file a grievance against the Trail Blazers, who have threatened litigation against any NBA club considering signing...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
Here's a guy who may soon find eternal rest - in the hoosegow. A former employee of a funeral home in Walnut Ridge, Ark., broke in one night and began...
TED TAKES IT HOLM!
In his rookie season of tackling college football spreads, The Post's Ted Holmlund raced to a championship in both the Overall and Best Bet categories of the 2008 version of...
GATORS' TEBOW NOT FLAWLESS, BUT HE'S CLOSE
MIAMI - Tim Tebow is not perfect. There it is. Forget what you saw on the game-clinching, fourth-quarter drive in Florida's 24-14 win over Oklahoma in the BCS Championship Game....
JASPERS TOP MARIST
Devon Austin's floater under the basket with 1:12 remaining lifted Manhattan to a 73-67 victory over Marist in The Bronx last night. Antoine Pearson scored 20 points - including four...
'MEN' TO COME BACK?
'MAD Men" will return for its third season - despite its creator not yet signing a new deal, AMC president Charlie Collier insists. "As long as we get the writers'...
BARKLEY DUI LEAVE
CHARLES Barkley is tak ing a leave of absence from TNT after police said the 45-year-old former NBA star was legally drunk when he was arrested Dec. 31 on suspicion...
BERN NOTICE
WHEN it emerged a few weeks ago that Bernie Madoff made off with $50 billion big ones in an elaborate Ponzi scheme - perpetrated over a number of years -...
GAME SPACE
IN the past five months, America's other 31 pro-football teams have been furiously bidding to strip our New York Giants of the Super Bowl title they claimed last year. Now,...
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
REMEMBER when you'd get the whole family on a plane and fly off somewhere? That's so pre-economic meltdown. Luckily, you're living at the crossroads of the world, where it's easy...
WHAT'S UP?
TODAY SPILL-PROOF: Not every kids' music band has been compared to the Flaming Lips, but the Sippy Cups have. Hear the San Francisco band live when they provide the soundtrack...
HATS OFF TO FOOTBALL!
BRRR! It's cold out there - there must be some football in the atmosphere. Looking to survive the icy temps at the stadium this season? For "Survivor: Exile Island" winner...
Any minor league questions? E-mails welcome
One thing I am hoping to get started in 2009 is more interaction with readers of the Beating the Bushes column, as well as this blog. In order to do...
Response to comments on Bushes All-Stars, Top 10 lists
I was quite happy to see some spirited discussion about several of the recent posts on this blog, most notably yesterday's about Baseball America's Top 10 lists for the Mets...
NBA STAR ON 'KARDASHIANS'
NBA star Rashad McCants will be featured in season two of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" on E! Network. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard has been dating star Khloe Kardashian, 24,...
NO DECISION ON MADOFF BAIL UNTIL MONDAY
Bernard Madoff avoided the dismal prospect of spending the weekend in jail Friday as a judge delayed a decision on whether to revoke his bail amid allegations that the disgraced...
MAJOR WINTER STORM SET TO HIT NYC
The second major winter storm of the season is set to hit New York and dump as much as 4 inches of snow on Central Park, according to forecasters at...
No Devin Again
By FRED KERBERMilwaukee - Make it 3 ½ of four games that Devin Harris has sat.The point guard is a scratch again tonight against the Bucks so Keyon Dooling tries...