GET UPDATED WITH NYPOST.COM: THE SOURCE FOR NEWS Good morning, nelayan!
Regional News: http://web1.nypost.com/news/news.htm HISSSTORY TEACH: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36631.htm By DAVID ANDREATTA A music teacher at Franklin K. Lane HS � a married grandfather whose nickname is "The Snake" � has been removed for allegedly carrying on a three-year affair with a female student, education officials said yesterday. SIZING UP NEW MET: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36612.htm By CHRIS WILSON and BILL SANDERSON Pedro Martinez is officially a Met � and The Post gave the star hurler a little welcome yesterday by offering him a new pint-sized mascot to replace the tiny man who brought him good luck in Boston. MTA $LUGS RIDERS - & MORE HIKES LOOM: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36607.htm By CLEMENTE LISI Straphangers will have to dig deeper into their pockets next year to ride the buses and rails after the MTA yesterday approved a second fare hike in two years � and warned of more increases to come. WTC TURNS NEW LEAF: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36617.htm By TOM TOPOUSIS Gov. Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg yesterday rolled out the most detailed vision yet of a World Trade Center memorial, including a "forest in the city" made up of 300 oak trees, and public access to the hallowed ground at bedrock. NYRA MAY FACE A HOR$E WHIPPING: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36606.htm By FREDRIC U. DICKER and ED FOUNTAINE ALBANY � Horse owners and possibly bettors may have a financial claim against the scandal-scarred New York Racing Association if investigators find that fat jockeys were allowed to mount up and ride, a law-enforcement source said yesterday. ROUGH-&-REBBE BRAWLER: I FIGHT FOR SUPERMAN: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36619.htm By DENISE BUFFA One of the Hasidic men arrested in a brawl outside the headquarters of an Orthodox Jewish sect offered a simple explanation of the fight for outsiders who can't tell the warring factions without a scorecard. APPLE 'BIDS' FOR BETTER $HAKE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36620.htm It's city government meets e-Bay. The Bloomberg administration is creating a Web site that will encourage vendors to bid against one other for city contracts. UH, OWE: COULD BE AN ANNUAL EVENT: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36605.htm By CLEMENTE LISI Get ready for more fare and toll hikes down the line as the MTA continues to face billion-dollar deficits over the next few years that will drain the cash-strapped agency's coffers. RUDY'S HIRE MESS: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36592.htm By RICH CALDER Former NYPD top cop Bernard Kerik broke the rules by failing to fill out a mandatory background form before being appointed police commissioner � and Rudy Giuliani's City Hall may have interfered in the process, officials said last night. BRINGING DOWN THE 'HOUSE': http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36608.htm Workers yesterday began ripping down Hoboken's famed Clam Broth House, the 105-year-old eatery where dock workers once mixed with Hollywood stars. N.J. NUN IS FIRED OVER PUNCH LINE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36609.htm A New Jersey nun has been fired for allegedly threatening to discipline a mouthy sixth-grader by knocking out his teeth. PATAKI WINS COURT BATTLE OVER BUDGET: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36601.htm By KENNETH LOVETT Gov. Pataki scored a big victory yesterday when the state's top court severely restricted the Legislature's ability to make changes to a governor's proposed state budget. ELIOT GOV'S AD-VERSARY: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36616.htm By FREDRIC U. DICKER ALBANY � Attorney General Eliot Spitzer fired his first shot at Gov. Pataki yesterday, saying it's wrong for him to appear in publicly funded TV ads � and added that he won't do it if he's elected. JAIL JUDGES RIP GUY AND CITY: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36625.htm The fate of freed bribery felon Guy Velella is in the hands of five appeals court judges who yesterday hammered lawyers for the disgraced state senator and the city about his early jail release. NEW TAX BREAK HAULS IN COP SHOW: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36614.htm By FRANKIE EDOZIEN It didn't take long for the city's new movie company tax credit to generate results � officials announced yesterday that an NBC-TV crime drama was moving production here from Canada. 'BANDIT' CAUGHT AFTER FATAL CRASH: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36628.htm A robber cops were chasing when their cruiser hit another car, killing a woman, was caught shortly after the crash in Queens, cops said yesterday. FINE WINE SCAM: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36641.htm By KATI CORNELL SMITH A Long Island wine seller, who promised his customers the finest Bordeaux money can buy, has been accused of squeezing them out of up to $500,000, the feds say. PELOSI THOUGHT CHARM WOULD GET HIM OFF: DAD: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36603.htm By KIERAN CROWLEY Danny Pelosi's heartbroken father, Bob Pelosi, said he believes his son genuinely thought he would be acquitted because he could charm the nine women on the jury. 'TOUCHY' GIFF AIDE: I DIDN'T DO IT: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36622.htm By FRANKIE EDOZIEN The former top aide to City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, at the center of the latest sex scandal storm swirling around the council, yesterday denied ever harassing anyone. LAWYER COPS TO GARSON WINE-DINE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36624.htm A shady lawyer who helped bring down scandal Judge Gerald Garson pleaded guilty yesterday to charges he improperly lavished the fallen jurist with scores of free dinners and drinks. NUPS 'BARRED': http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36638.htm By KIERAN CROWLEY Danny Pelosi wants to wed his fianc�e before he's sentenced next month for killing financier Ted Ammon, but officials said there will be no behind-bars wedding bells for the imprisoned murderer. $2.5M 9/11 FRAUD: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36613.htm By LAURA ITALIANO Nine crooked � and heartless � asbestos-removal contractors took advantage of 9/11 to snooker the Port Authority out of as much as $2.5 million in work at Kennedy Airport, authorities said yesterday. WTC BIG LOSES WORKERS COMP: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36642.htm ALBANY� A court yesterday denied workers-compensation benefits for a World Trade Center official who rushed from home on Sept. 11, 2001, to help rescue victims of the terrorist attack, saying he was ineligible because he hadn't been ordered to the scene. L.I. HEROIN TEEN 'HIGH' TECH: COPS: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36634.htm By SELIM ALGAR and NEIL GRAVES A 2,000-mile drug deal ended in handcuffs for a teenage Nassau County dealer who was arrested on the spot yesterday for receiving a shipment of heroin hidden in computer chips, police said. L.I. TURKEY VICTIM IS ON MEND: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36610.htm By SELIM ALGAR The 44-year-old Long Island woman whose face was crushed in last month's highway "turkey toss" attack is up and walking once again, after making a number of great strides in her struggle to rebuild her life. MIXED 'VERDICT' FOR DEM BOSS NORMAN: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36626.htm There was good and bad news in court yesterday for embattled Brooklyn Democratic boss Clarence Norman. DA WRAPS UP CASE VS. GOTTI: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36629.htm The prosecution in the trial of mob king Peter Gotti made its closing argument yesterday, declaring that Gotti tried to rub out famed rat "Sammy Bull" Gravano as revenge for his back-stabbing ways. TRAGIC 'DWI' KIDS' FOLKS SUE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36593.htm By KATI CORNELL SMITH; The parents of the Queens boy killed by accused drunken driver John Wirta filed a lawsuit against him yesterday, on what would have been their son's 12th birthday. 'HOME ALONE' NANNY: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36632.htm By ERIN CALABRESE and GERSH KUNTZMAN A Westchester nanny left a 16-month-old girl home alone while she did some Christmas shopping in her employer's Mercedes � but her careless plans were uncovered when the toddler's mother returned home unexpectedly. $1 MIL L.I. 'FAMILY BIZ' CRACK RING SMASHED: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36635.htm By KATI CORNELL SMITH The feds have busted a high-volume Long Island crack ring that allegedly peddled $1 million worth of the drug. CASINO VIDIOTS PLAY IT CLOSE TO BREAST: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36633.htm ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. � Ladies, beware: Those "eye in the sky" surveillance cameras used by casinos don't just look for card cheats and crooked dealers. GRADS' TOUGH GRIND: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36621.htm By KENNETH LOVETT ALBANY � Large numbers of city students don't graduate on time because they're not prepared to take the five required Regents exams, alarming new state Education Department statistics show. NO MORE JAIL FOR CROOKED COP: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36630.htm By KATI CORNELL SMITH A rogue cop who played a key role in a violent Brooklyn robbery gang � but later came clean and testified against his cohorts � was sentenced to time served yesterday after spending four years behind bars. FIERY RAGE IN QUEENS: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36637.htm By HASANI GITTENS and JAMIE SCHRAM Two Queens siblings hightailed it out of the country yesterday as neighbors blamed them for accidentally starting a fire that killed a mom and horribly burned her husband and three kids. BRAVEST PULL MAN FROM BRONX BLAZE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36600.htm Firefighters rushed into a burning Bronx building and rescued a man trapped on the second floor early yesterday. HERO COP'S WOUNDS MAY END HIS CAREER: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36636.htm A team of top surgeons at Bellevue Hospital said yesterday it was too early to tell if hero undercover cop Romeo Baloy will regain full use of his right hand, which was shattered by a would-be-killer's bullet. WHEELCHAIR HIT-RUN HORROR: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36640.htm A heartless hit-and-run driver ran into a man in a wheelchair and fled, leaving the victim lying in the street on Long Island yesterday, cops said. National News: http://web1.nypost.com/news/news.htm KELLY KO'S COMPETITION: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/36590.htm By DON KAPLAN Kelly Perdew, you�re hired!Donald Trump hired Perdew as his second apprentice last night after a 15-week job interview that culminated in a grueling, three-hour, mostly live telecast. CLINT TRAGEDY: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/36611.htm By BILL HOFFMANN The rocker boyfriend of Clint Eastwood's stunning blond daughter collapsed and died of a seizure as he snowboarded down the slopes in Vail, authorities in Colorado said yesterday. GOP VOTERS STILL WANT GIULIANI FOR PREZ: POLL: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/36615.htm By IAN BISHOP WASHINGTON � The stink of Bernard Kerik's rotten bid to become homeland security czar hasn't stuck to his chief cheerleader, Rudy Giuliani, who is a top pick for the presidency among Republicans, a new poll shows. BRATTON EYED FOR SECURITY JOB: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/36623.htm LOS ANGELES � Another former New York City top cop, William Bratton, now the police chief in Los Angeles, could be a candidate for Homeland Security boss, says outgoing Secretary Tom Ridge. CHRISTMAS DISCOUNT FRENZY: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/36645.htm By SUZANNE KAPNER and RITA DELFINER 'Tis the last weekend before Christmas and some retailers are decking their halls with door-busters, discounts and longer hours to woo shoppers. CONCERT KILLER GOT AX AS GI: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/36596.htm COLUMBUS, Ohio � The mother of the man who gunned down former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and three others during a concert said her son was discharged from the military because he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. ROCK ON THE BLOCK: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/36627.htm By ALY SUJO What can a poor boy do, 'cept to play in a rock 'n' roll band? Rolling Stone Keith Richards was already a superstar when he played his orange sunburst Gibson electric guitar on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1967. World News: http://web1.nypost.com/news/news.htm SADDAM MEETS HIS LAWYER: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/36594.htm AMMAN, Jordan � Saddam Hussein met yesterday with a defense lawyer for the first time since his capture a year ago, said the chief of the tyrant's legal team. "He was in good health and his morale was high and very strong," Ziad al-Khasawneh said. 'WINDOW' FOR PEACE: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/36604.htm By URI DAN JERUSALEM � Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday 2005 could bring a "historic breakthrough" in the Mideast, and offered to coordinate his Gaza withdrawal with the Palestinians as a step to a broader deal. OSAMA SPEWS NEW TAPE HATE: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/36602.htm By NILES LATHEM WASHINGTON � Osama bin Laden resurfaced on audiotape yesterday, praising the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and calling for the overthrow of the Saudi royal family. IRAQI TELECOM HONCHO ASSASSINATED: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/36599.htm BAGHDAD � Gunmen killed a senior Iraqi official yesterday who had led efforts to restore the country's war-ravaged telephone network after spending nearly two decades in jail under Saddam Hussein. 1ST PORN'S A BE$T SELLER: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/36595.htm LONDON � The world's first known piece of printed pornography, described as the "quintessence of debauchery," has been sold for $89,000, well above expectations, Sotheby's auction house said yesterday. MIRACLE TWINS TO GET TONSILS SNIPPED: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/36639.htm Carl and Clarence Aguirre, the formerly conjoined twins who are rapidly recovering from their surgical separation, are returning to the operating room today � to have their tonsils out. All Horoscopes: http://web1.nypost.com/cgi-bin/horoscope.pl ARIES The sun at odds with Saturn today may have a negative effect on your self-confidence, but nothing bad will come of it as long as you don't let it show. Give others the impression that you are as confident and courageous as ever and they will follow you to the ends of the Earth - well, to the end of the street, at least. 1-900-990-7810* TAURUS Flattery will only take you so far today. If you want to convince others that you are worthy of their support, then you must demonstrate that there is something in it for them. Sadly, with some people the only thing that matters is how much money they can expect to make, so it looks like you will have to share your profits. 1-900-990-7811* GEMINI Today's difficult aspect between the sun in your opposite sign of Sagittarius and Saturn, the great taskmaster of the Zodiac, currently moving through the money angle of your chart, means that you will have to make cutbacks of one kind or another. If you don't make them yourself, someone else will make them for you - is that what you want? 1-900-990-7812* CANCER Saturn in your birth sign is not the easiest of influences to deal with, but it does encourage you to be more self-disciplined and that will come in handy today as certain people push you to the limits of your tolerance. If you can stay cool and not let anything get to you over the next 24 hours, you will be doing very well indeed. 1-900-990-7813* LEO Stop worrying that your world is about to fall apart and start doing things that will keep it in one piece. Today's sun-Saturn aspect will make it easy for you to fear the worst, but experience should have taught you by now that the worst rarely happens, and even when it does, something good usually comes out of it. There, you're feeling better already. 1-900-990-7814* VIRGO Your belief system will come under attack today from someone whose only objective is to make you look bad. Are you going to let him get away with it? Don't let him think for even a moment that you are having doubts because that will only encourage him to be even more hostile. You must defend your position with a passion you don't always feel. 1-900-990-7815* LIBRA You may have total confidence in your own abilities and you may believe that you only have to turn up to win, but the planets warn it won't be as easy as that. Today's sun-Saturn aspects suggests that someone in a position of power has got it in for you, so you need to take the situation more seriously. Your future depends on it. 1-900-990-7816* SCORPIO You seem to be getting rather uptight about things that at most other times would not worry you in the slightest. You will find it easier to relax when the sun changes signs on the 21st, but before then you must find something that takes your mind off your worries and woes, such as they are. Make it something uplifting, something that inspires you. 1-900-990-7817* SAGITTARIUS A bill of some kind will have to be paid today and it may be bigger than you expected. There is no point trying to change your mind or give back what you purchased because a deal is a deal and there can be no backing out. Next time, try not to waste money on things you don't really need. Or is that asking too much? 1-900-990-7818* CAPRICORN Partners and colleagues will be rather unhelpful today, but that's OK because you don't really need their assistance. In fact, you will get a lot more done, and get it done more quickly, if you isolate yourself from other people and focus on the job at hand to the exclusion of everything else. And, of course, you won't have to share the rewards. 1-900-990-7819* AQUARIUS The most important thing now is that you pace yourself sensibly because Saturn, planet of limitation, warns that your health could suffer if you take on too much over the next 24 hours. Be especially wary of friends who encourage you to do things you don't feel entirely comfortable with. What looks easy for them could be dangerous for you. 1-900-990-7808* PISCES A venture you started a few weeks ago will either pay off handsomely or leave you with a rather large bill. However, even if it is the latter, there is no need to be angry with yourself because there was always an element of risk involved. The fact is, you took a chance while so many others were afraid to do so. That's something to be proud of. 1-900-990-7809* Sports News: http://web1.nypost.com/sports/sports.shtml AN AMAZIN' DAY: http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/36634.htm By MARK HALE What you realized very quickly yesterday was that this was not just the celebration of a marquee signing or pristine ace. What you realized was that the new face of the Mets arrived yesterday. The new face of the Mets is Pedro Martinez. "We got a guy that transcends wins and losses," GM Omar Minaya said. "He transcends that for us." Martinez does all kinds of things for the Mets, and his arrival yesterday was as electric as anyone could have imagined. NOW GO GET MANNY!: http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/36636.htm THE King of Queens came in from the cold, where he had just posed on the mound for an army of photographers lining both sides of home plate at Shea Stadium, and obliged me with the first pitch of the Pedro Martinez Era, an underhanded toss from 20 feet away in the corridor that leads to the Mets clubhouse. SANTA PAYS VISIT TO SHEA STADIUM: http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/36635.htm THE PEDRO ERA began yesterday at Shea when the ace slung the Mets jersey with Johnny Franco's old 45 over his back. RANDY'S DANDY FOR OCTOBER: http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/36633.htm FIFTY-EIGHT days ago, theYankees sent Kevin Brown to the mound to try to beat the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS. HIT A MISS FOR ESPN'S SUBCULTURE: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36608.htm FOR all the context-free slam-dunks and shameless cross-promotions that ESPN has provided, it blew a fabulous opportunity Sunday during its Eagles-Skins telecast. N.Y. BOAT SHOW'S ON HORIZON: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36613.htm THE New York NationalBoat Show celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and since the economy is making a bit of a comeback it appears many of you will be shopping for that dream boat you've always wanted. WAITING TO TAKE A SHOT: http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/36607.htm PUT the sniper in. "You have to be perfect," LaMont Jordan is saying. "You have your primary target and if you're in a hostage situation, if you miss your target, then people are gonna die. And that's how I feel when I'm out there on the football field. If I don't do what I have to do, then I feel like that I'm letting my team down and we're gonna lose. LENNY BLEW THIS SHOT: http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/36628.htm THROUGHOUT Lenny Wilkens' 13-year Hall of Fame playmaking career, how many times do you think his coaches entrusted the ball to someone else at the end of a contested game to create a shot? YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36595.htm By ANDREW MARCHAND The setting for this matchup had to be Hollywood. Where else could the fickleness of two young, rich stars be played out so vainly than in L.A.? HUDSON DEALT TO BRAVES: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36625.htm POST WIRE SERVICES Tim Hudson was traded from the Athletics to Atlanta, a blockbuster deal yesterday that further bolstered the Braves' revamped rotation. THREE SHARE PICK 6 JACKPOT: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36617.htm By ED FOUNTAINE More than 483G was bet into Pick 6 pool following two-day carryover of 148G; not a single winner in sequence was favored, four paid double digits, producing just three Pick 6 winners who collected 140G each. XAVERIAN, RICE ON MISSION: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36624.htm By DAN MARTIN Curtis Kelly insists it's not what it sounds like. Although he and his Rice teammates are spending nearly a week in Hawaii in the middle of December, it's not a vacation. 'FRIENDS' TO AID N.Y. RACING: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36616.htm By ED FOUNTAINE Proving that politics do make strange bedfellows, Churchill Downs Inc. and Magna Entertainment Corp., two racetrack conglomerates that hope to take over the New York Racing Association's franchise to run thoroughbred racing in the state when it expires in 2007, are among the founding members of a new organization announced yesterday, "Friends of New York Racing." The aim is to rebuild the state's horse-and-gaming industry from the ground up, so that whoever does take over after 2007 won't have to operate under the current, outdated system that's existed since NYRA was formed in 1955. BROWNS, BOLTS CAN UNDER ACHIEVE: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36615.htm THE WILDCAT Over the past nine years, The Wildcat's published pigskin forecasts have made a deep impression on the sporting world. Including the 1997-2003 seasons in The Post, Cat's record in print for the period stands at 259-199 (56.6 percent) against the spread. AND THE WINNERS ARE...: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36593.htm By ANDREW MARCHAND Move over, Oscar and Emmy and Tony. Here come the "Golden Clickers,'' NYP TV Sports' first awards honoring (or dishonoring) some of the best and worst in sportscasting from 2004. 5 QUESTIONS FOR JOE BUCK: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36594.htm This week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with "Golden Clicker'' Sportscaster of the Year winner Joe Buck of Fox. STEELER MAGNOLIAS: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36620.htm YOU could almost hear Dean Wormer from "Animal House" announcing last week's quarterback ratings. "Mr. Manning . . . Zero Point Zero." O/U RICO!: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36611.htm Rico went 8-8 (2-1 on Best Bets) last week on the over/unders, bringing the season record to 101-105-2 (21-23). The selections for Week 14: THE ODD COUPLE: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36610.htm The Reign of Terror continues. Sure, The Odd Couple (Dick Klayman and Peter Tocco) went a mere 9-7 (3-0 on Best Bets) against the spread last week, but it gave them an incredible four-week run of 40-22-2 and moved the former cellar dwellers into a dead heat for second place. MS. CHARLEEN: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36609.htm Determined to reach the .500 mark, Ms. Charleen went one better by going 9-7 against the spread last week to jump one game over the magical barrier. She also leaped over Blezow and caught both Battman and Cannizzaro in the standings. THE FAN'S CORNER: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36612.htm By MIKE FORDE Few can boast of the charmed life Samara Bell has had. A Giants fan from birth, Bell was 9 years old when she went to Tampa to see Big Blue defeat the Bills in Super Bowl XXV. BATTMAN LOOKS FOR RATINGS BOOST: http://www.nypost.com/sports/36614.htm BATTMAN, whose quarterback rating is slipping, too, tries for a better showing with these Week 15 selections: UNIT ABOUT TO LAND IN BRONX: http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/36637.htm By GEORGE KING After two failed efforts, the Yankees have likely secured Randy Johnson. If L.A.'s Shawn Green waives a no-trade clause and agrees to land in Arizona and Johnson gives his OK to work in The Bronx, the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Yankees will have put together a blockbuster trade that establishes the Yankees as the AL favorite � not to mention stealing the excitement caused by the Mets signing Pedro Martinez. WILLIE'S READY FOR PEDRO: http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/36630.htm By MICHAEL MORRISSEY All pranks aside, the Mets have bigger problems than a dwarf. First-year manager Willie Randolph must quickly learn to deal with the second-biggest prima donna in the game, Pedro Martinez, and that's even if he never totes 28-inch pal Nelson de la Rosa into the Mets clubhouse. MARTINEZ: I'LL BE MET RECRUITER: http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/36632.htm By MARK HALE The most important pitches Pedro Martinez makes over the next few months may come off the field. PEDRO, PIAZZA NOW 'FAMILY': http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/36631.htm By MICHAEL MORRISSEY Remember when Mike Piazza bull-rushed Dodgers righty Guillermo Mota after getting plunked in the spring of 2003? Pedro Martinez described Piazza then as a coward. THE SIMPLIFIED LIFE: http://www.nypost.com/sports/giants/36622.htm By BRIAN LEWIS The Giants finally have acknowledged that they are going to have to scale down Eli Manning's offensive responsibilities. Whether it will be whittling down the playbook or lifting some of the line-of-scrimmage responsibilities off his shoulders is unclear, but this much we know � what they have been doing isn't working. MANNING NOT BLUE THAT BEN'S RED HOT: http://www.nypost.com/sports/giants/36623.htm By BRIAN LEWIS With the Steelers coming to town tomorrow, the comparisons are inevitable. The Giants traded a king's ransom to the Chargers for Eli Manning while bypassing Ben Roethlisberger, so naturally the two rookie quarterbacks will be measured against each other. And, to date, Manning has measured up short. HASTY PRODDING: http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/36619.htm By MARK CANNIZZARO There were some times dating back to the offseason when Reggie Tongue wondered, with every fiber of his being, why in the world he wasn't still in Seattle. CHAD GETS MAD: http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/36626.htm By MARK CANNIZZARO As talk of the Jets' struggling offense continued to permeate their locker room yesterday, Chad Pennington bristled at the recently-pounded-on notion that he cannot win big games. BAKER SITS AND WONDERS: http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/36621.htm By MARC BERMAN Angry agent Aaron Goodwin plans to speak to Isiah Thomas regarding the nowhere status of Knick center Vin Baker. ALLAN: DON'T BABY ME: http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/36618.htm By MARC BERMAN PHILADELPHIA � Allan Houston's message to Lenny Wilkens could not be clearer: Stop the babying. SHORT-HANDED NETS MAY SEE MORE KIDD: http://www.nypost.com/sports/nets/36627.htm By EVAN GROSSMAN Travis Best got to play more minutes because Jason Kidd started the Nets' season on injured reserve. Now with Best hurting, doctors may give Kidd the green light to play more. MOURNING WON'T MAKE ROAD TRIP: http://www.nypost.com/sports/nets/36629.htm By EVAN GROSSMAN Alonzo Mourning's return to the Nets' lineup remains a mystery. The only certainty surrounding the disgruntled big man is that with every passing day, there's sure to be something else wrong popping up with him. Gossip: http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/gossip.htm : http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/pagesix.htm SIMMONS RIPPED ON DRUG LAW By Richard Johnson THE man who founded the movement to get the Rockefeller Drug Law penalties repealed has blasted rap mogul Russell Simmons as a "nightmare" who "destroyed" the movement. : http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/cindy.htm CELEBRITIES SIT ON SANTA'S LAP By Cindy Adams REN� Russo bought her own Christ mas present. In soon-due "Two for the Money" co-starring Pacino, her bones got outfitted in millions worth of Judith Ripka jewels. Whatever she earned from the movie got spent on buying some of the stuff for herself. : http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/liz.htm BACON IN A BRAVE, NEW LIGHT By Liz Smith 'I DON'T remember not wanting people to look at me when I walked into a room. Even before I knew what an actor was. It's a very classic case of 'It's not enough to have the love of the people that love me . . . I need the entire world to love me.' " These words come from Kevin Bacon in the January issue of GQ. Weather: http://weather.nypost.com NEW YORK , NY Get the extended forcast here from the New York Post.: http://weather.nypost.com Traffic: http://traffic.nypost.com/ metrocommute HeadlineManhattan 2004 Holiday Season - Traffic Adivsory Due to the upcoming 2004 Holiday Season there will be heavy congestion in Midtown Manhattan caused by shopping and festivities that will be taking place. It is advised for people to use mass transit as much as possible therefore helping traffic to move along smoothly. So please plan ahead for early travel and leave at least 20 minutes before schedule. There is also a 10 Day Gridlock Alert Day designated for the Holiday Traffic. These Days are as follows:Friday, November. 19: The Friday before Thanksgiving.Wednesday, November. 24: The day before Thanksgiving. Matinee day at Broadway theaters adds to traffic congestion in the midtown theater district.Tuesday, November. 30: Tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center.Friday, December. 10: A popular shopping day.Wednesday, December. 15: Matinee day at Broadway theaters and a popular shopping day.Thursday, December. 16: A popular shopping day.Friday, December. 17: A popular shopping day.Wednesday, December. 22: Matinee day at Broadway theaters and a popular shopping day.Thursday, December. 23: The day before Christmas Eve. metrocommute DelayNassau County Under 30 mph on SSP-WB: 29 to 28AUnder 30 mph on Southern State Parkway westbound Exit 29 to Exit 28A Rockland TZB TO WSCHT 20 min delaysTappan Zee Bridge to Westchester has 20 min delays metrocommute Special EventManhattan Knicks @ Madison Square Garden thru November & DecemberThe Knicks host at the Madison Square Garden in the months of November & December. Expect some extra traffic on 7th Ave., 8th Ave., and in the west 30s, 2 hours before the game, after the game.*Please arrive early due to new security checks*Opponents, dates and times of games are:Atlanta Hawks, Nov. 23, 7:30 PMToronto Raptors, Nov. 27, 1:00 PMMemphis Grizzlies, Dec. 01, 7:30 PMOrlando Magic, Dec. 03, 7:30 PMDenver Nuggets, Dec. 12, 12:00 PMDetroit Pistons, Dec. 15, 8PMUtah Jazz, Dec. 19, 3PMDallas Mavericks, Dec. 21, 7:30PMCharlotte Bobcats, Dec. 26, 1PM Manhattan Radio City Christmas Spectacular @ Radio City Music Hall; November 23 thru January 2The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the world-famous Rockettes, returns to Radio City Music Hall, November 23, 2004 thru January 2, 2005 Be a part of this American tradition and enjoy such show-stopping scenes as the "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers", and the majestic "Living Nativity." Also, witness Santa's return to the Music Hall through an exciting 3-D sleigh ride. Expect delays on 5th, 6th and 7th Avenue between 48th Street and 51st Street and on Broadway starting around 2 hours before and after the show. Please arrive early due to new security measures and for parking. Visit thegarden.com site for information on showtimes.: http://www.thegarden.com Manhattan All Access Tour @ Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden�s� All Access Tour allows fans to get an insider�s view of the inner-workings of The World�s Most Famous Arena�, providing them with little-known information and rarely seen viewpoints on the legendary showplace. Visitors taking part in the �All Access� one hour tour become a part of one of the busiest and most exciting sports and entertainment facilities in the world and are treated to a host of unique experiences. Visit the Knicks, Rangers and Liberty locker rooms; tour backstage of the Theater at Madison Square Garden; go inside the Star dressing rooms; learn how a basketball court becomes a sheet of ice; witness all the seldom seen build-up to a live event � players practicing, performers in production, casts in rehearsal or crews staging events! You�ll never know what you�ll see on the All Access Tour. Expect some extra traffic on 7th Ave., 8th Ave., and in the west 30s Business News: http://web1.nypost.com/business/business.htm : http://www.nypost.com/business/36575.htm BEER CHASERS By RICHARD WILNER As Americans mingle their way through another year's raft of holiday parties, more and more will be choosing to toast their health with a cocktail over a beer. Distilled spirits continued to chip away at beer's commanding alcohol market-share lead, posting an estimated 3.1 percent gain in cases shipped in 2004, while the volume of beer shipped was flat. MIDWAY GAME GOES FOR OFF-FIELD ANTICS: http://www.nypost.com/business/36576.htm By RICHARD WILNER Midway Games Inc., the over-the-top video-game maker controlled by Sumner Redstone, is developing a football game that will include drug use, gambling, groupies and other off-field shenanigans. GOLDMAN PROFIT UP, BUT REVENUE IS DOWN: http://www.nypost.com/business/36574.htm Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the third-largest U.S. securities firm, said quarterly profit rose 23 percent. Its shares had their biggest fall in 19 months as trading revenue tumbled from the prior three months. NEWSDAY'S CAPITAL CUT: http://www.nypost.com/business/kelly.htm By KEITH J. KELLY ONE of the first acts of the new regime at Newsday is to pull their White House correspondent Ken Fireman off the beat. FIDO FIRES 2 FOR TAKING GIFTS: http://www.nypost.com/business/36583.htm By ERICA COPULSKY Fidelity Investments has shown two employees the door and disciplined 14 others for violating company policies regarding gifts from brokers to the mutual fund giant's traders. SONY, EMI IN TUNE ON TELEPHONE TONE DEAL: http://www.nypost.com/business/36567.htm By TIM ARANGO BMG and EMI Music Publishing have inked a wide-ranging licensing deal that that will speed the development of new music offerings for consumers in the United States and Canada. CITY JOINS DOOR PROBE: http://www.nypost.com/business/36573.htm By CHRISTOPHER BYRON The city's Department of Investigations has jumped in on a New York Police Department probe of a $200,000 purchase of four high-security doors when Bernard Kerik was police commissioner. LEVI SAYS IT'S OVER ROUGH PATCH: http://www.nypost.com/business/36579.htm By SUZANNE KAPNER Troubled jeans maker Levi Strauss & Company said yesterday that it expects to report slight improvements in its 2004 financial results, including a halt to a long decline in sales. ROCK 'N' ROLLER COASTER ON WAY WITH $100M ELVIS DEAL: http://www.nypost.com/business/36584.htm By PAUL THARP Elvis Presley is ready to conquer the world again. Bankrolled by the deep pockets of entertainment mogul Bob Sillerman, the estate of the late King is planning a global rollout of Presley-mania � from Elvis theme parks in Germany to lavish casinos in Asia where the singer's hologram will perform around the clock. HERSHEY'S KISS-OFF: PRICES TO RISE 6%: http://www.nypost.com/business/36578.htm By PAUL THARP Kisses are getting more costly. The maker of Hershey's chocolate Kisses and its ubiquitous chocolate bars is hiking prices nearly 6 percent, the latest victims of creeping food inflation. KRISPY ERRORS MAY TRIM NET BY 7.6%: http://www.nypost.com/business/36585.htm Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., the No. 2 U.S. doughnut maker, said a law firm hired by its board found no "intentional misconduct" in the company's accounting for the purchase of its Michigan franchise last year. TAKE-TWO GETS LIFT FROM SEC AGREEMENT: http://www.nypost.com/business/36586.htm By RICHARD WILNER Take-Two Interactive Software, makers of the "Grand Theft Auto" video game series, said yesterday the Securities and Exchange Commission staff will recommend a $7.5 million settlement of its yearlong probe into accounting regularities at the company. Real Estate: http://web1.nypost.com/realestate/index.htm NEW SCHOOL SEES FIFTH AVE. GROWTH: http://www.nypost.com/realestate/36415.htm By STEVE CUOZZO ONE of the year's larg est office building leases was just signed not by a law firm or bank, but by New School University, which took a whopping 194,300 square feet at 79 Fifth Ave. for offices and classrooms. Entertainment: http://web1.nypost.com/entertainment/entertainment.htm OLD PLAY GIVEN NEW LIFE AT LINCOLN CENTER: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/36589.htm By CLIVE BARNES WHY should we be in terested in the 1774 play "The Rivals"? Because this character comedy of ridiculous intrigue and mistaken identities remains very funny � and in the character of Mrs. Malaprop, Richard Brinsley Sheridan has created one of the great figures of the English stage. CLAUS FOR CELEBRATION: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/36565.htm By MARY HUHN AT this time of year, some New Yorkers hang mistletoe and steal kisses; others splash ice lights on their balconies. PIG HEAVEN FOR ART LOVERS: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/36568.htm By JAMES GARDNER IN recent years, the world has be come a snottier, angrier, more sar castic and disrespectful place. LOCKER ROOM 'WIVES' II: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/36571.htm By DON KAPLAN THOSE sassy gals from "Desperate House wives" are back on ABC Sports just a month after whipping up a frenzy on "Monday Night Football." OSCAR BOWS TO OLYMPICS: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/36577.htm OSCAR and the Olympics were headed for a scheduling clash, and Oscar blinked first. SHE'S HIRED: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/36563.htm By DON KAPLAN MEET the real Apprentice: Michelle Scarborough, a brainy babe who'll join Donald Trump in the boardroom to help pass judgement on the candidates of "The Apprentice 3." THE STARR REPORT: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/36644.htm By MICHAEL STARR Voiceover king Billy West still does the best Larry Fine impression I've ever heard � but tonight you'll hear him as the voice of Popeye in Fox's "Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy" (8:30/ Ch. 5). It's a a 3-D, CGI-ani mated update of the famous cartoon character co-written by former "Mad About You" star Paul Reiser. Movie Reviews: http://web1.nypost.com/movies/movies.htm CLOUD PLEASER: http://www.nypost.com/movies/36591.htm By LOU LUMENICK THE AVIATOR'THE Aviator," Martin Scorsese's ambitious, entertaining and largely successful epic biography of Howard Hughes - vividly portrayed by a somewhat miscast Leonardo DiCaprio - often soars until it loses altitude in its third act. 'SEA' SPACEY TRYING TO BE DARIN': http://www.nypost.com/movies/36559.htm By LOU LUMENICK BEYOND THE SEATHE willfully eccentric "Beyond the Sea" seems to be telling us a lot more about its star and director, Kevin Spacey, than its ostensible subject, Bobby Darin, a largely forgotten American pop singer who died in 1973 at the age of 37. 'THE SEA' SWALLOWS THE STORY: http://www.nypost.com/movies/36570.htm By V.A. MUSETTO THE SEA INSIDEJAVIER Bardem gives such a brilliant performance in "The Sea Inside," it's a crime that the film itself drowns in tears. LA VIDA LOCO: http://www.nypost.com/movies/36580.htm By LOU LUMENICK SPANGLISHAS confused as the wealthy manic-depressive played by T�a Leoni who overwhelms this unpleasant comedy-drama, James L. Brooks' "Spanglish" gives short shrift to the Mexican immigrants who are nominally the movie's focus. SUBURB SURVIVAL: http://www.nypost.com/movies/36566.htm By V.A. MUSETTO IMAGINARY HEROES IF you think you've seen "Imaginary Heroes" be fore, you're right � only it was called "The Ice Storm," or maybe "Ordinary People." Lifestyle: http://web1.nypost.com/living/living.htm PERFECT GIFTS: http://www.nypost.com/living/36186.htm By JULIA SZABO When selecting holiday gifts for Fido and Fluffy, try to think of what your pet wants most. Hint: costumes, jingle-bell collars, and reindeer antlers won't cut it. ASK DR. MICHAEL FOX: http://www.nypost.com/living/36217.htm DEAR DR. FOX: I've heard that peanuts can be poisonous to squirrels. However, there are peanuts in the birdseed that I put out in my yard, and squirrels (in addition to my two dogs) sometimes eat them. Please advise. -D.L., Flint, Mich. PUT THROUGH THE 'RING'-ER: http://www.nypost.com/living/36243.htm By MICHAEL KANE "We forgot the taste of bread, the sound of trees, the softness of the wind . . . we even forgot our own name." Lottery Results: http://web1.nypost.com/lottery/lottery.htm NEW YORK Midday Numbers Thu.: 947 Midday Win-4 Thu.: 4812 Evening Numbers Thu.: 322 Evening Win-4 Thu.: 0326 Pick-10 Thu.: 4, 9, 12, 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 24, 29, 36, 40, 43, 45, 47, 50, 52, 60, 62, 65 Take-5 Thu.: 21, 27, 31, 34, 35 NEW JERSEY Pick-3 Thu.: 166; Pick-4 Thu.: 2614 OAS_AD('Middle'); //--> Cash-5 Thu.: 2, 10, 17, 22, 38 Pick-6 Thu.: 4, 9, 14, 27, 30, 45 CONNECTICUT Play-3 Thu.: 733; Play-4 Thu.: 8899 Cash-5 Thu.: 12, 14, 22, 23, 33 Opinion: http://web1.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/opedcolumnists.htm WHAT IRAN IS AFTER IN IRAQ: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/36556.htm By AMIR TAHERI IN Washington this month, King Abdullah II of Jordan pleaded with his American hosts to postpone Iraq's first free election, scheduled for late January. SOMETHING STIRS: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/36558.htm By ERIC FETTMANN THE latest public pro nouncements by interim Palestinian leader � and presumptive future president � Mahmoud Abbas don't signal the advent of permanent and genuine Middle East peace. But don't simply dismiss them as nothing new. Something significant is happening in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict � thanks in large measure to the fact that Yasser Arafat and Saddam Hussein are gone. THE REAL STAKES IN THE JUDGE WARS: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/36557.htm By COLLIN LEVEY BEFORE a single Supreme Court justice has begun muttering about a nice retirement condo in Florida, a preemptive war is underway in the U.S. Senate. Democrats have been abusing their advise-and-consent role by stonewalling President Bush's judicial nominees. Republicans are mad as heck and not going to take it anymore. GUY'S GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD DAY 81: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/36560.htm CONVICTED influence-peddler Guy Velella left Rikers on Sept. 28 � sprung illegally by an obscure panel with ties to Velella's pals in Albany and city politics. The ex-state senator was ordered back to jail three weeks ago, but his lawyers are stalling and each day of freedom actually counts as a day spent behind bars. GOP CORRUPTION & DEM IMPOTENCE: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/36572.htm By JOHN PODHORETZ THE big question for pro fessional Democrats right now is this: Can the party that invented Big Government become an effective critic of Big Government? It's the best, indeed perhaps the only, path to a Democratic renaissance. Celebrity Photos: http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/celebp/index.htm : http://www.nypost.com/gossip/celebp/lastone/photo01.htm December 14th:'Life Aquatic' Premiere...: http://www.nypost.com/gossip/celebp/lastone/photo01.htm Movie News: http://web1.nypost.com/entertainment/movies/news/news.htm News, Dec. 16: Liv Tyler Has Baby Boy, Whitney Houston Rear-Ends City Bus, Anderson Gets Naked for PETA, More... Guylaine Cadorette -- Hollywood.com Staff Liv Tyler has baby boy Lord of the Rings star Liv Tyler and her husband, Royston Langdon of the band Spacehog, welcomed a baby boy Tuesday. The baby, born at New York-Prebysterian Hospital, hasn't yet been named. According to People magazine, the baby was born at 4:11 a.m. and weighed 8 pounds. Style: http://web1.nypost.com/style/style.htm RINGS & WREATHS DON'T MIX: http://www.nypost.com/style/36377.htm Now through Valentine's Day is the most popular time for men to propose. But the relationship experts we talked to said Christmas Day can be a terrible time to pop the question. To modify your account settings go to: http://www.nypost.com/useradmin/useradmin.htm To unsubscribe, go to: http://www.nypost.com/newsletter/unsubscribe.htm
