March 12, 2016
Why Final Four is on the table for gritty Seton Hall
Here was sophomore-laden Seton Hall knocking on history’s door, history last made in South Orange, N.J., 23 years ago in the Big East Tournament championship game against Syracuse by P.J....
NFL offseason: Breaking down the winners and losers
Feb. 5, 2017, in Houston is when every NFL team wants to be labeled “champion." On that night, when Super Bowl LI will be decided, no one will care or...
The lesson every year: Don't bet against Tom Izzo
Because you need something to do until the brackets are released ... Michigan State (-4) over Purdue: It’s hard to bet against Spartans star Denzel Valentine, a daily triple-double threat,...
Fantasy baseball: The hot strategy you probably should ignore
A strange thing is happening in the fantasy world. A revolution, of sorts. Things started to get weird in fantasy football this past season, when the “zero RB” strategy —...
Why NHLers can use drug that busted Maria Sharapova (for now)
If Maria Sharapova were in the NHL, she legally could use Meldonium through at least the Stanley Cup playoffs. The drug that was added to WADA’s (and the International Tennis...
Seton Hall defensive specialist had sick weekend -- literally
Ismael Sanogo had trouble sleeping Friday night, and he couldn’t rest between the first and second half, but it had nothing to do with nerves about playing in the Big...
The case Kurt Rambis is making to remain Knicks coach
LOS ANGELES — One day after Phil Jackson gave a strong endorsement for Kurt Rambis to keep the head-coaching job, saying he is “perfectly capable,” the Knicks’ interim leader said...
A bubble-team fan's diary of the hell before Selection Sunday
The chief complaint I get from readers (other than when my predictions go comically wrong) is this: You don’t get us. You can’t get us. Sports is your livelihood. But...
The Mets' unorthodox plan to get David Wright more at-bats
PORT ST. LUCIE — Think of it almost as speed dating. Only with a bat and baseballs. That’s how the Mets hope to get David Wright at-bats against live pitching...
Steelers WR Martavis Bryant faces ban for failed drug test
Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant is facing a year-long suspension from the NFL, his agent confirmed to ESPN. The suspension is related to NFL drug testing, a source told ESPN. According...
Sliding Nets hope home cooking does the trick against Bucks
The Nets ended their record road swing in a most embarrassing fashion, falling to an injury-riddled, cellar-dwelling 76ers team that had lost 13 straight. After coming out flat in that...
Fantasy baseball: Don't give up on this once high-end starter
It wouldn’t be a fantasy baseball season if there weren’t complaints being made about Stephen Strasburg. Fantasy owners constantly are frustrated with him, saying, “He hasn’t lived up to the...
Olivier Vernon on $85M, 6-game chicken wing ban and sacking Brady
New Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon, a former Dolphin who signed a free-agent deal with Big Blue last week, tackles some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: Describe the...
Villanova holes bring fear of NCAA tourney recurring nightmare
As if Villanova’s critics needed more ammunition. Less than a minute from capturing their second straight Big East tournament championship, the top-seeded Wildcats blew an opportunity Saturday night to secure...
Dear John: Citizens pay. Crooks don’t. Next?
Dear John: The reason everyone I know cheats on their taxes is quite simple: They are fed up with the money collected going to lining the pockets of the politicians,...
Wall Street's stressed-out employees flock to shrinks
“There is a tremendous push to bring in new assets,” said Dr. Alden Cass, a New York clinical psychologist who counsels Wall Street employees. “A flat performance is, relatively speaking,...
Marco Rubio wins DC caucuses
WASHINGTON — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio narrowly won the District of Columbia's Republican caucuses on Saturday, seizing his third primary season victory as a critical contest looms in his home...
How Bengals closed their eyes, opened wallet to 'Pacman' Jones
Today’s Profile in Perspectives is submitted by reader J.R. Roberts, who asks us to consider the following: Cleanthony Early has been assigned to the Knicks’ Westchester D-League team after missing...
What's Michael Conforto's plan for a Year 2 Mets encore?
PORT ST. LUCIE — As a hopeful 22-year-old last year, Michael Conforto came to Mets spring training dreaming of, but not expecting, a spot with the major league team. Conforto...
Here's some tips on keeping your ID safe
Fraudsters riding a rising tide of consumer identity theft and cyber-crime will steal a shocking $26 billion from 2015 tax refunds this year — the equivalent of about $25 in...
Yankees' top prospect still seeking first hit of spring training
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — This isn’t necessarily the start to the spring Gary Sanchez and the Yankees had in mind. Finally in line to win a spot on the roster...
Rick Nash details struggles in first game back with Rangers
DETROIT — Rick Nash wasn’t exactly enamored or entirely displeased with his return to the Rangers lineup after a 20-game absence because of a severe bone bruise in his left...
New documentary shows 'biggest parenting problem of our time'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQx2X0BXgZg Staff at Pixar and Lucasfilm have been treated to a movie screening of a different kind. The Hollywood film factories requested a viewing of Dr. Delaney Ruston’s movie about...
Why new powers Mets and Cubs still are chasing the class of NL
When Jhonny Peralta was lost for half a season to a torn ligament in his thumb last week, my first thoughts were that Jedd Gyorko would be an All-Star or...
Everyone now wants to use this mobile protection app
Apple’s tiff with the FBI has stoked a frenzied interest in encryption, execs on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley say — specifically, in encrypting the heck out of their...
Yanks hype Luis Severino with startling Hall of Fame comparison
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — There’s no disputing Carlos Beltran’s former New York team has the market cornered on premier young pitchers, but there’s one arm he has his eye on...
Will Trump and Megyn Kelly bump shoulders at fundraiser?
Celeb and political watchers are waiting to see if there is a Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly encounter at the annual Kelly Gang charity fundraiser, slated for Wednesday evening at...
NFL mock draft 3.0: Giants grab star RB, Jets land QB
Free agency has changed the landscape dramatically, and the Serby 3.0 Mock Draft now gives an impact running back to the Giants and a Joe Flacco-esque project quarterback to the...
Who's in, who's out? Behind scenes of NCAA Tournament selection
The NCAA Tournament field is like a gourmet dish at an upscale restaurant — we wait for its presentation, we eat up its content, we savor each season’s unique flavor....
The Fitzpatrick solution: Jets, QB must stop being so stubborn
Remember a week ago when everyone still thought the negotiation between the Jets and free-agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick would be a simple one? So much for that. A week later,...
She's warm, he's crazy: The media's tale of two front-runners
Charles Dickens was a piker. He settled for “A Tale of Two Cities,” but when it comes to an age of foolishness, America thinks big. Through seasons of light and...
Ted Cruz wins most delegates at stake in Wyoming
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz took the Wyoming GOP caucuses by a wide margin Saturday night as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio won in Washington, DC. Cruz won 66 percent of the...
If you think socialism works, take a look at Europe
Americans, you just got a peek at what socialist monetary policy looks like, and it’s not pretty. For all you kids looking for a free college education should Bernie Sanders...
Seton Hall stuns Villanova for Big East title in Whitehead masterpiece
Isaiah Whitehead’s goal was to turn the program around, picking Seton Hall when nobody of his All-American stature would. He wanted to change everything in South Orange, to make the...
Wall Street's high rollers think new ways to bring bigger profits
Wall Street brokers are dropping like flies. As their Midtown captains slash costs and crack the whip for higher profits, many of Wall Street’s top go-getting brokers are near physical...
New York City is the capital of millionaires
New York is the globe’s millionaire mecca. While the US minted an additional 300,000 new millionaires last year — raising the total to a record 10.4 million nationwide, according to...
Critics question Cuomo's expensive transportation ideas
Gov. Cuomo wants the New York State Thruway Authority to get $700 million for various capital projects — possibly including a new Tappan Zee Bridge — but the appropriation’s language...
Phil Jackson's favorite Kobe story: 8:30 naps in his car
LOS ANGELES — Knicks president Phil Jackson will get a chance to witness another momentous event at Staples Center on Sunday — Kobe Bryant’s final game against the Knicks —...
Clock begins to tick on those bad old mortgages
Financial firms that have clogged New York courts with questionable foreclosures may finally feel the effects where it hurts: their profits from troubled mortgage loans. Eight years after the housing...
How the $15 wage is already killing Seattle jobs
Attention, Gov. Cuomo: It’s time to rethink your “fight for $15.” Spiking the minimum wage statewide may appeal to a Democrat eyeing a future run for national office. But it’s...
The haters' new 'shut up' tactics
It’s infinitely easy to avoid a Web page you dislike — but trolls have found a new way to shut down voices they don’t want others to hear. Last weekend,...
What Giants must do to snap doomed history of huge splurges
The Giants usually do not engage in this version of March madness, with good reason. They often do not have the salary-cap opportunity or the football-savvy inclination to command the...
Gregorius is just scratching surface -- and exorcising Jeter's ghost
TAMPA — Didi Gregorius is Neo in “The Matrix.” He slowly is figuring out just what the full extents of his powers and skills are. His journey over the past...
How Democrats abandoned the working class and spurred rise of Donald Trump
Inequality has risen. Jobs are going overseas. The more the stock market rises, the more the working class feels crushed by globalization. And all of this has occurred exactly as...
Breakneck Wings show Rangers what they used to look like
DETROIT — Remember when it was the Rangers whom people ogled over their speed and quickness and talent? Well, the Rangers are no longer that team — which is not...
Woman admits she 'threw away' baby in garbage bag
A 28-year-old woman was taken into police custody Saturday after officers found her newborn child dead in a black garbage bag in front of her Staten Island home, cop sources...
Islanders fall apart, waste John Tavares' milestone
BOSTON — Milestones have been sweeter for John Tavares. The Islanders’ captain notched his 200th goal of his sterling NHL career on Saturday, but in a disappointing, 3-1 loss to...
'Legally Blonde' Chihuahua dead at 18
Moonie, the Chihuahua who famously portrayed Elle Woods' dog, Bruiser, in "Legally Blonde," has passed away, the film's star, Reese Witherspoon, revealed on Friday. "With a sad heart, I have...
Women need more sleep than men
Press the snooze button ladies. Researchers at Loughborough University's Sleep Research Center in Leicestershire, England say woman need more sleep than men because, obviously, their brains are more complex. "Women’s...
Obama is setting us up for another housing crash
We learned nothing from the last financial crisis. The housing market is set to collapse, again, and a key culprit, again, is artificial demand created by government policies. For starters,...
Chipotle's top execs see no cash bonuses amid harsh year
Chipotle slashed pay for its top executives in 2015 after an E. coli outbreak and other food safety scares sent stock and sales plunging. The burrito chain’s executive officers were...
Brandon Marshall sounds afraid of losing Ryan Fitzpatrick
Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall is a big fan of his team’s recent signing of running back Matt Forte, but he is worried about losing quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Marshall heaped...
Stony Brook claws out 1st NCAA berth behind Jameel Warney's 43
The end was near, and hauntingly familiar. After losing four of the past five America East championship games, Stony Brook again appeared overwhelmed by the moment, trailing by 15 in...
Angry leftists are determined to disrupt Trump's campaign
Warning: Graphic language A protester hurdled a barricade and rushed the stage while Donald Trump spoke at an Ohio rally on Saturday in the latest drama to unfold during the...
Infamous botched Jesus painting now a major tourist attraction
It was an unholy mistake — that became one town’s miracle. In 2012, an amateur art restorer in the small village of Borja, Spain, turned her attention to a fresco...
Blood, fights, and guns: The Chicago Trump rally was insane
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump canceled his Friday night event in Illinois at the last minute after violence erupted between protesters and attendees. Following the announcement that the billionaire businessman would postpone the...
Mass murderer sues Norway claiming human rights abuses
STOCKHOLM — It's a tough pill to swallow for many survivors and families of victims that Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in gun and bomb attacks in 2011,...
Trump rants protesters took away his First Amendment rights
The protesters who shut down Donald Trump’s Chicago rally have rallied the country, the candidate says. “The organized group of people, many of them thugs, who shut down our First...
Woman critically injured in highway crash
A 22-year-old woman was gravely injured early Saturday when she was struck in a chain-reaction crash caused by an off-duty NYPD lieutenant. The scene unfolded at 5 a.m. when Samantha...
Bouncer fatally beaten in Queens restaurant
A bouncer at a Queens bar and restaurant was beaten to death by a band of thugs early Saturday, police sources said. Elsworth Reid, 43, was working the door at...
Man jumps to death from luxury hotel in Midtown
A 25-year-old Maryland man jumped to his death early Saturday from a window of the luxury Four Seasons hotel in Midtown, police sources said. The unidentified man jumped out of...
Updated: Today's NCAA basketball lines
America East final Stony Brook 6 Vermont (ESPN2, 11 a.m.) MEAC final Hampton 3 South Carolina State (ESPN, 1 p.m.) Conference USA final Old Dominion 2 1/2 Middle Tennessee State...
Ghosts saved this building from destruction
You can call it a spiritual intervention. A now-scrapped $11 million land deal in downtown Omaha, Neb., for the proposed expansion of Omaha Performing Arts — a nonprofit group that...
One dead, two missing after tugboat overturns near NYC
A tugboat crewman died and two others were missing after their vessel rammed into a barge and sank in the Hudson River early Saturday under the Tappan Zee Bridge, authorities...
White House narrows search to three for Supreme Court
The White House has narrowed its search for a U.S. Supreme Court nominee to three federal appeals court judges, Sri Srinivasan, Merrick Garland and Paul Watford, a source familiar with...
ISIS reportedly launches chemical attacks in Iraq
BAGHDAD -- The Islamic State group has launched two chemical attacks near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, killing a three-year-old girl, wounding some 600 people and causing hundreds more...
The $26 Big Mac riff New Yorkers are dying to try
In a span of just a few years, the restaurant juggernaut known as Major Food Group has opened multiple sceney hits (Carbone, Dirty French, Santina); colonized the city with its...
Why frat boys are having a gay old time at this piano bar
On a chilly weeknight, Howl at the Moon, a new “dueling piano bar” in the heart of the Theater District, is the hottest place in town. “This is the best...
Marie Antoinette loved cake, big hair and this artist
Before Marie Antoinette lost her head, her favorite portrait painter kept her own by fleeing France. The artist was Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, who saw which way the wind...
Ana Gasteyer is a beer-guzzling bowler on weekends
After six seasons on “Saturday Night Live” with Will Ferrell at her side, Ana Gasteyer came out singing — on Broadway and off, at places like Pace University’s Schimmel Center,...
3 people found dead in Montana home after 911 hang-up: cops
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Authorities are investigating after three people were found dead in a home east of Bozeman. The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office says deputies discovered the bodies when they...
Journalist who helped publish Pentagon Papers dies at 96
BERKELEY, Calif. — Ben H. Bagdikian, a renowned journalist, newspaper executive, media critic and professor who helped publish the Pentagon Papers and for decades was a passionate voice for journalistic...
David Alan Grier has 'no fear' in mining laughs about Cosby on 'Carmichael' episode
NBC’s “The Carmichael Show” has won praise for attempting to make its humor topical, much in the tradition of the iconic Norman Lear comedies of the 1970s (“All in the...
The best designer outlets are right here in NYC
Attention, bargain hunters: You don’t need to trek to Woodbury Common to score some deeply discounted Balenciaga or an off-price Theory jacket. Shopping fans have seen the recent arrival of...
'School of Rock' star gives Jack Black role a 'surfer dude' swagger
It's been more than 12 years since “School of Rock,” the movie starring Jack Black, hit theaters, but the musical comedy is having a sudden comeback. A Broadway production by...
Steve Lavin's bizarre confession: Whitehead knew I'd be fired
The Isaiah Whitehead-Steve Lavin dynamic gets stranger by the day. After the Seton Hall sophomore called out the former St. John’s coach and Fox Sports college basketball analyst for picking...
Seton Hall's grit illustrated in one mini wrestling match
Kevin Willard grabbed Isaiah Whitehead around the waist and gently escorted him toward the Seton Hall bench, away from trouble. The talented sophomore from Brooklyn had tumbled into a pile...
Ohio judge rules 17-year-olds can vote in upcoming primaries
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Seventeen-year-olds who will turn 18 before the fall presidential election can vote in Ohio's presidential primary, a judge ruled Friday in a potential boost for Democrat Bernie...
For any superstitious bettor, UConn's cover one for the ages
It seemed like a pointless debate, like a child arguing to stay up an extra 10 minutes. The outcome already was decided. Cincinnati had just broken a tie on a...
The world's oldest man is a 112-year-old Holocaust survivor
JERUSALEM — A 112-year-old Israeli who lived through both World Wars and survived the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz is the world's oldest man, Guinness World Records announced on Friday. Guinness...
Phil Jackson's PG plan: We don't need star, watch for Wroten
LOS ANGELES — Phil Jackson said the Knicks need to add backcourt help in free agency, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to spend most of his cap space on...
Captain who bailed on shot cops may soon face historic charges
The NYPD is looking to make an example of the captain who blew off his duties after a double cop shooting — by bringing the first-ever criminal charges against an...
Despite Porzingis' heroics, Knicks can't upset Clippers
LOS ANGELES — The Knicks gave the Clippers a big scare in the second half Friday night behind a powerful surge from rookie Kristaps Porzingis. For the first time this...
Queens pizza joint accused of illegally selling Starbucks coffee
Starbucks is suing a tiny Queens pizza joint for illegally selling its famed coffee products. In a Brooklyn federal court lawsuit, the company claims Phil & Sons Pizza — a...
Salespeople claim Hermès store cheats them out of commissions
The luxe Hermès store on Madison Avenue keeps its salespeople in the dark about how commissions are calculated, and then stiffs them, a new lawsuit charges. “Hermès is saying take...
Donald Sterling not divorcing 'pig' wife after all
Donald Sterling, the former owner of the LA Clippers, and his wife, Shelly, have decided to kiss and make up. The couple, both 81 years old, have “resolved all their...
What Steven Matz was working on during his wild outing
VIERA, Fla. — Steven Matz said he wanted to work on pitching out of the stretch. Well, he certainly got to do that in the third inning Friday. Matz, in...
Why 'back spasms' didn't fully encompass Marc Staal's injury
DETROIT — What Marc Staal just went through really isn’t described properly as simply “back spasms.” The Rangers defenseman and alternate captain returned to practice Friday and is set to...
'Prophet' harassing NYers with robocalls demanding cash: suit
A New York preacher who struck it rich off of religious donations is harassing people with prerecorded audio calls demanding cash, a federal lawsuit claims. Self-proclaimed “prophet” Yakim Manasseh Jordan,...
Nets' Hollis-Jefferson inches closer to a mystery return date
PHILADELPHIA — With the Nets out of the playoff hunt, but also out of the lottery, fans are desperately searching for any shred of good news. Here’s one: Rookie Rondae...
Lawmaker pushes PIN numbers to combat Con Ed fraudsters
There are so many criminals posing as Con Ed workers in the Big Apple that lawmakers are demanding the utility give each customer a unique PIN code to keep them...
Man cuffed in back of cop car takes cruiser for joyride, crashes into 7 cars
A Brooklyn man was busted on Long Island for stealing a police cruiser and going for a joyride that ended when he crashed into seven parked cars — after he...
Daily Blotter
Brooklyn Cops are looking for the suspect pictured above who allegedly swiped a Williamsburg pub patron’s jacket. The garment, containing credit cards, was taken off a coat hook at The...