December 26, 2013
Rex should offer to coach Jets in '14 with no contract extension
Rex Ryan should make John Idzik and Woody Johnson an offer they cannot — and should not — refuse. He should march into their respective offices and tell them he...
ObamaCare sank Democrat approval ratings: poll
WASHINGTON — ObamaCare is giving Democrats a heart attack — with the party suffering a dramatic drop in a congressional ballot test since the disastrous rollout of the federal Web...
It’s easy to misjudge matured, team-first Giants captain Rolle
From afar, I judged Giants safety Antrel Rolle before getting to know him, boxed him into a category, stereotyped him. Rolle looked to be one of those players who sought...
Rangers mulling their options with unsteady Del Zotto
WASHINGTON — As the holiday roster freeze lifts hours after the completion of Friday night’s match here against the Capitals, the most immediate pertinent question concerning the Rangers is how...
Father and son on Christmas trip found dead in underwater cave
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A father and son who went diving on Christmas Day with new equipment the boy got for a present have been found dead in an underwater...
Football follies: Truth-y NFL broadcasts can go unchecked
Man, we’re easy. We’ll believe anything. A 6-8 Jets team, at home, beats the 4-10 Browns — both previously eliminated — and we’re told it was an inspirational, win-one-for-the-Gipper number,...
Knicks facing point guards of no return
The Christmas tale of the Knicks two injured point guards continued its mystery ride. Pablo Prigioni said he hopes to return in about a week and could make his return...
‘Game of Thrones’ wins illegal download crown
"Game of Thrones” was the most illegally-downloaded TV show for the second year in a row — with 5.9 million downloads via BitTorrent, according to piracy site TorrentFreak. That means...
Melo in doubt for Raptors' visit to Garden
Carmelo Anthony appears to be saving himself for Canada. It is unlikely Anthony will test his sprained left ankle Friday at the Garden against the first-place Raptors. It appears he...
Hondo's Week 17 picks
Hondo started Week 16 in glorious fashion, finishing Sunday’s 1 o’clock games with an 8-1 record (2-1 in Best Bets) that filled him with anticipation of an early Christmas miracle...
De Blasio eyes change after Lis Smith outed as Spitzer’s gal pal
Lis Smith may need to polish up her resume. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is looking for a new communications director to take to City Hall now that Smith, his current spokeswoman,...
Tiki Barber defends Eli, says the QB’s problems are mental
Tiki Barber famously called out Eli Manning for a lack of leadership six years ago, then had to eat his words just six months later when Manning led the Giants...
Geno: Jay Z's advice key to beating back criticism
Jay Z has not been so busy landing Robinson Cano his mammoth contract he has forgotten about his other clients. Jets quarterback Geno Smith said Thursday his agent gave him...
Blezow's Week 17 picks
Last week in Buffalo, the Dolphins were shut out 19-0, rushed 12 times for 14 yards, and completed 12 of 33 with two picks and seven sacks. And the defense...
Rod Gilmore looking forward to Miami-Louisville clash
ESPN college football analyst Rod Gilmore talks with The Post’s John DeMarzo about appealing bowl matchups and Rutgers’ prognosis in the Big Ten. Q: Of the 22 bowls will be...
Obama signs bipartisan budget deal, defense bill
HONOLULU — Rounding out a tough and frustrating year, President Barack Obama signed a bipartisan budget deal Thursday easing spending cuts and a defense bill cracking down on sexual assault...
Geno likely to suffer if the Jets oust Rex Ryan: Herm Edwards
For the first time since 2003, the Jets and Giants will enter Week 17 each having been eliminated from the playoff race. Both teams have big questions to answer this...
Justin Tuck faces potential final game for Giants
Justin Tuck sounded Thursday like someone about to play his final game as a Giant. Saying he will be “a little teary-eyed when I walk off the field Sunday,” the...
Frustrated Nets in for a brutal stretch ... and at a terrible time
Despite their dreadful 9-19 start to the season, the Nets have managed to stay within shouting distance of a playoff spot thanks to the equally dreadful nature of the entire...
Knicks' Woodson: 'I expect us to win' the division
A still-cocky Knicks coach Mike Woodson does not appear fearful of the Raptors, who lead the Titanic Division with an 11-15 record — the worst clip for a division leader...
Massive piranha attack leaves 70 injured
A huge school of piranhas attacked more than 70 Christmas Day swimmers seeking relief from the oppressive heat in a small town in Argentina. At least 20 children were injured,...
Why 'diet booze' leaves a bad taste in our mouths
Worried about your expanding waistline amid all the holiday cheer? Fear not! Through the miracles of science, artificial sweeteners and unicorns, it’s now possible to enjoy your favorite alcoholic drinks...
Playoffs or not, Cardinals fight to end
FRIDAY Brigham Young (+3¹/₂) over Washington (Fight Hunger Bowl): BYU lost at Virginia, to Utah, at Wisconsin and got jobbed by referees in South Bend. Now it catches Washington with...
Hot picks: Hot tunes and freezing-cold water
Polar energy "I always tell newcomers, you’re welcome to scream," says Dennis Thomas, president of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, “and wear something on your feet — old sneakers...
The 5 best movie star comebacks of 2013
The five best big screen comebacks of the past year.
Steelers will bash Browns as usual
STEELERS (-7) over Browns: What could possibly keep a team motivated that has for all intents and purposes been eliminated from the playoffs? First, is that this proud Steelers franchise...
O/U Rico -- Week 17
Rico had another solid week last week on the Over/Unders, going 9-7 (2-1 Best Bets). The season record is now 120-112-8 (26-21-1). The selections for Week 17 are: OVER: Dolphins...
Americans hopeful for a better year in 2014
Ready to ring in the new year, Americans look ahead with optimism, according to a new AP-Times Square New Year's Eve poll. Their ratings of the year gone by? Less...
De Blasio inauguration tickets sell out quick -- then get scalped
He’s the hottest ticket in town. It took just two hours for the 1,000 public tickets to Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio’s Jan. 1 inauguration to get snatched up and only...
Police file on Newtown massacre to be released
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Several thousand pages of police documents from the investigation into last year's school massacre in Newtown will be released Friday, Connecticut authorities said. State police said...
A quick guide to UFC's Weidman-Silva II
At UFC 162 in July, Chris Weidman did what fifteen other UFC fighters before him could not -- beat the legendary middleweight champion Anderson Silva. On Dec. 28, three days...
$5K can spare you the awkward parts of online dating
Money can’t buy you love, but if you want to try, you can drop $5,000 for eHarmony’s newest perk: a personal dating counselor. The Web site for the company’s new...
10 worst fashion fails of 2013
We named our 10 best fashion moments of 2013, but there were just as many fashion fails. Here’s a look at the bad, the worse and the downright ugly. Anne Hathaway...
5 screen actors who bombed on Broadway in 2013
Five TV and movie stars who didn't fare well on the New York stage in 2013.
Can you spot your missing package?
Couriers are back out in the streets of New York City — and across the rest of the country — today after outages and overloads made a large number of packages late for...
NBA Power Rankings: Showcase teams have no gifts to bring
The NBA has carved out Christmas Day as a showcase each year, the first day it has games on broadcast television and a chance to show off its star players...
Arafat's death not caused by radiation, Russia says
MOSCOW — A Russian probe into the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has found that his death wasn't caused by radiation — a finding that comes after a French...
McDonald's shuts 'advice' website after criticism
McDonald’s is done with giving advice. The fast-food behemoth has pulled the plug on its internal employee Web site after it was outed for urging workers to avoid the very...
Pileup blocks turnpike, interstate in eastern Pa.
READING, Pa. — Portions of both the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 78 are shut down in snowy eastern Pennsylvania after chain-reaction pileups involved dozens of vehicles on slippery highways. Turnpike...
Man accused in LAX rampage pleads not guilty
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — The man authorities say killed a Transportation Security Administration screener and wounded three other people during a rampage at Los Angeles International Airport last month pleaded...
NYCHA 'didn't investigate director who abused kids': suit
Two Brooklyn moms have slapped the city Housing Authority with a $35 million lawsuit for failing to investigate longstanding child sex abuse claims against a recreation center director who was...
Anthony Weiner: 2013 'didn't go as I had hoped'
Anthony Weiner can’t get enough of the limelight! While love gov Eliot Spitzer hogs the attention with news of his latest mistress, the randy pol posted a “What’s next” blurb...
Packers' Aaron Rodgers will return for Week 17 showdown
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return to start Sunday's game for the NFC North title against the Chicago Bears. Coach Mike McCarthy announced Thursday that Rodgers...
Professor admits faking AIDS vaccine to get $19M in grants
An Iowa State University professor resigned after admitting he falsely claimed rabbit blood could be turned into a vaccine for the AIDS virus. Dr. Dong-Pyou Han spiked a clinical test...
Teen gunned down in Newark violence had college dreams
A seventh-grade girl who was killed when a gunman sprayed bullets down her Newark street had just unwrapped a Kindle for Christmas and was thrilled about reading books so she...
Top 5 movies of 2013 that didn’t live up to their trailers
You expect movie trailers to be as misleading as a Match.com profile, but even so, some of them are masterpieces of misdirection. (Cheers, “Flight,” for getting us to sit through...
NFL says horrible knee injuries are actually down
ACL injuries are down, the NFL has told its Health and Safety Advisory Committee. In a memo to the committee sent earlier this week and obtained by The Associated Press,...
Knicks rewind: Melo-less dud shows how badly he's needed
The Knicks may have to play another game without Carmelo Anthony, who is officially being listed as questionable for Friday’s game against first-place Toronto while he nurses a sprained left...
Tearful funeral for boy thrown from highrise
The mom of a 3-year-old boy tossed to his death from a Manhattan high-rise by her suicidal husband bade a heartbreaking farewell Thursday. Tears streaming down her face, she leaned...
After merry dunking Xmas, LeBron wins AP's Athlete of the Year
MIAMI — The only thing that keeps LeBron James up worrying at night is basketball, which simultaneously makes perfect sense and no sense. On one hand, he’s the game’s best...
TV's top 10 WTF moments of 2013
OK, so it’s true that we often make fun of TV shows, and often deservedly so. But we also take great delight in talking about those shows that genuinely surprise...
Miley’s 5-minute-long selfie for 'Adore You'
http://youtu.be/W1tzURKYFNs Miley Cyrus had a late Christmas present in store for her legion of fans, a video for her latest single “Adore You.” The mildly NSFW clip is the third...
Top 10 college sports stories of 2013
Alabama opened 2013 with its third national championship in four seasons, marking a dynasty that hadn’t been seen in nearly two decades, but most of the year was about college...
Son confesses to 'brutally killing mom on Christmas Eve'
A high school baseball star confessed to the horrific Christmas Eve murder of his mother, who he beat with a baseball bat and left in the family’s home with a...
Sizing up the Yankees' 8 biggest Tanaka challengers
Let’s assume the Yankees have removed their financial shackles. That $189 million thresholds are now like the idea of building around Kevin Maas – a concept that came and went...
Shoppers snag deals at post-holiday sales
Shoppers jumped out of bed the day after Christmas to hit post-holiday sales — to treat themselves. Saks Fifth Avenue opened its doors at 8 a.m. so luxury shoppers could...
Nets rewind: Signs of trouble in locker room
Here are my three thoughts on the Nets’ 95-78 loss to the Bulls on Wednesday afternoon in Brooklyn: 1. Up until this latest debacle, the Nets had done a fairly...
They did what? TV's best 'WTF?' moments from 2013
OK, so it’s true that we often make fun of TV shows, and often deservedly so.But we also take great delight in talking about those shows that genuinely surprise us...
338K laid off before Christmas: Labor Dept.
The number of new weekly jobless claims dropped by the most in more than a year in the latest week, according the US Labor Department. The number of initial claims...
Amazon giving gift cards for late holiday deliveries
Amazon.com is refunding shipping charges and giving shoppers $20 gift cards if their holiday packages didn’t arrive by Christmas as promised. An Amazon spokeswoman declined to say how many customers...
Jon Kitna donating $55K Cowboys check to high school
A math instructor who was pulled out of NFL retirement to play for the Dallas Cowboys is donating his $53,000 salary to the high school where he teaches. Jon Kitna,...
Snowden cites Orwell in Christmas message
http://youtu.be/8iuLLkWefxs LONDON — National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden invoked George Orwell and warned of the dangers of unchecked government surveillance Wednesday in a televised Christmas message to the British...
US drone strike in Pakistan kills 3 militants
ISLAMABAD — A suspected American drone fired two missiles at a home in a northwestern tribal region of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, killing at least three foreign militants, Pakistani intelligence officials...
Cops fatally shoot 'armed thief' in ATM heist
Police shot and killed an armed robber after he held up a man who had taken refuge from the cold inside a Bronx ATM vestibule, cops said. A 24-year-old man...
UPS, FedEx late in delivering many Christmas packages
UPS was the Grinch that stole Christmas — failing to deliver many packages in time for the holiday despite retailers’ guarantees that they would arrive by Dec. 25. “UPS apologizes...
American kidnapped by al Qaeda begs US for help
A 72-year-old American business consultant who was kidnapped in Pakistan by al Qaeda more than two years ago appealed to President Obama in a video released Thursday to negotiate his...
NYPD Daily Crime blotter
Brooklyn A young mom was assaulted as she walked with her 7-year-old daughter in Midwood, cops said. The suspect (right) approached the 33-year-old woman on East 12th Street near Elm...
Former Knick Marbury throws support behind Woodson
Stephon Marbury wasn’t chanting “Fire Woodson’’ on Christmas. Seated in the fourth row behind the Knicks bench Wednesday, the former Knick and Coney Islander gave his support for coach Mike...
Unexpected TV gifts from 2013
Terry Crews (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) as Sgt. Jeffords Out of all the so-so to abysmal comedies launched this season, the Andy Samberg police laugher improbably has managed to hang around Mama’s...
It’s Dern’s turn: Veteran actor gets 'Inside' treatment
Bruce Dern has been out promoting his movie “Nebraska” for months now. The film opened in New York in November — but with awards season upon us, the campaign trail...
Bitter 2014 for tablets & phones
Smartphones and iPads are going out of style. Well, not exactly — but shoppers’ attitudes toward spending on technology overall are less enthusiastic this year, data show. Even as Microsoft’s...
Bernanke's rate ploy robs from middle class
Ben Bernanke said last week that he would keep interest rates low virtually forever. And he got the intended response — the stock market rallied nicely and continues to do...
Water-hungry NYers not sweet on soda
Perhaps the City’s anti-soda and sugary juice campaigns are having an effect. New Yorkers and their suburban neighbors are favoring bottled water and milk — and buying much less juice...
PE firms may pay more than $1B in collusion case
It’s going to cost the world’s largest private-equity firms — including KKR and Blackstone — more than $1 billion to settle the bombshell collusion case slowly winding its way through...
Preet says feds can’t meet immigration records deadline
Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara says the federal government can’t meet a judge’s demands to quickly deliver documents so a civil-liberties group can analyze why thousands of people have been...
ObamaCare deadline is eased
Deadline? What deadline? Uninsured Americans who didn’t sign up for ObamaCare in time can start filing appeals Thursday if they blame the balky government Web site. President Obama’s administration says...
New twist in George Washington Bridge shutdown 'scandal'
Records show that the mayor of Fort Lee, NJ, pleaded for help in easing gridlock at the George Washington Bridge three years before two of the span’s approach lanes were...
FDNY diversity honcho yanked for marijuana
A fire lieutenant who headed the FDNY’s recruiting and diversity program was placed on modified duty this month after testing positive for marijuana, The Post has learned. Daniel Sterling, 39,...
NY residential real estate sales down from 2012 boom
Only in New York’s insane real- estate market could the top 22 sales of 2013 each surpass $20 million and still be part of a down year. After a robust...
SAT tutor spins $500-an-hour fees into film
An SAT tutor for the city’s most privileged kids has made a feature film based on some of his students — and financed the $150,000 flick almost entirely with the...
If Rex is on the outs, why did Woody keep him for 2013?
“I think Rex Ryan is perfect for the New York Jets.” — Jets owner Woody Johnson on Jan. 8, 2013 You might remember this press conference. Woody Johnson and Rex...
Mega-bargains lure post-Christmas shoppers
Retailers desperate to unload end-of-year inventory after sluggish holiday receipts have a post-Christmas present for bargain shoppers — super sales. Even Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue are opening at 8...
De Blasio's child-welfare pick was criticized for inmate 'sex bash'
Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s choice to head up the city’s child-welfare agency allegedly once allowed an X-rated party for juvenile inmates — part of her “therapeutic” approach to rehabilitating violent...
Jameis Winston wants to be the next Deion or Bo
What does the youngest player to ever win the Heisman Trophy do to prepare for the Bowl Championship Series national title game? Devise a plan to get ready for the...
Two teens, 13 and 14, shot dead in Newark
Two young teens were shot to death in Newark and a third was critically wounded Wednesday night. A 13-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy were killed when bullets started flying on...
Thief cuffed for robbing cancer patients, cops say
A heartless thief robbed at least three Manhattan cancer patients during their treatments, law-enforcement sources said. Arthur Johnson, a 43-year-old homeless man, was busted in three robberies and is suspected...