Page

Six ®

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2022 / Colder, 40°/ Weather: P. 14 H H LATE CITY FINAL nypost.com • • • • $2.00

n Putin declares
war on Ukraine
at 5:50 a.m.
n Explosions
rock Kyiv
n Warns NATO
to stay out

WAR IN
EUROPE
Russian President
Vladimir Putin declared
war on Ukraine early this
morning in what he called a
“special military operation”
to demilitarize the nation.
Shortly after his
declaration, explosions
were heard in several
major Ukrainian cities,
including the capital Kyiv.
President Biden blasted
Putin for “an unprovoked
and unjustified attack.”

SEE PAGES 2-5

2
nypost.com
Vlad seeing old
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
Joe as weakling
KYLE SMITH
AST June, ahead of a Russia–
L US meeting, Time magazine
conjured up a piece of em-
barrassing cover-art propaganda
featuring Joe Biden’s aviator
glasses reflecting Vladimir Putin.
At last, a US president had Putin
in his sights! Finally we’d get back
to putting Russia in its place.
“How Biden Plans to Get
Tough on Putin During Their Ge-
neva Summit,” promised a
breathless story by Brian Ben-
nett. A senior administration offi-
cial suggested Biden, despite the
“chaos” that President Donald
Trump had supposedly un-
leashed in the world, would use a
combination of unity talk — ev-
eryone in Europe was on the
same page about Russia, suppos-
edly — and thinly veiled threats
about retaliatory cyberattacks to
show Putin who’s boss.
“The whole goal is to have [Pu-
tin] come away saying, ‘The
Americans are onto us and have
us encircled,’ ” the official told
Bennett. The writer editorialized
that “Biden is qualified to lead
the approach. He’s spent decades
in debates on US-Russian rela-
tions as a member of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee.”
Whew, then.
So how’d everything work out?
Well, according to Bennett him-
self, in a follow-up piece that
sounded a bit less like a fangirl
transcribing a press release and
more like someone who had ac-
tually observed Biden up close,
noted that Putin seemed some-
how to have been the one who
came out on top.
“The stagecraft,” Bennett noted
glumly, “played to Putin’s per-
sonal vanity and his long-stand-
ing desire for Russia to be taken
seriously as a major rival to the
US . . . Putin seemed to relish the
platform in Geneva” because it
placed the two countries on an
equal footing.
Oh, and the “White House said
it did not expect any deliverables
to come out of the meeting,” de-
spite Biden doing a very Joe
R
Biden version of
laying down the
law: He handed Pu-
tin a list of 16 kinds
of cyberattacks that
he considered to be
off-limits. Did that
mean all other
kinds were OK?
Putin may have
been forgiven if he
went back to his
dacha and spent
the following 24
hours giggling.
“What ever [sic] happens in
Ukraine we shouldn’t underesti-
mate the fact the United States
has retaken the adult chair in the
world,” claimed former Bill Clin-
ton White House spokesman Joe
Lockhart on Twitter. “Biden has
restored American leadership so
damaged by Trump. The world
needs us and we have a President
who can and does lead.”
Woke administration
The grown-ups are back in
charge? Granted that Trump be-
haved, and behaves, like a tod-
dler. But is a woke undergraduate
a grown-up?
Biden and whoever is giving
him orders about what he’s al-
lowed to do are running the ad-
ministration like a woke blog.
After gathering half a century of
experience, supposedly master-
ing the intricacies of Washington
DC and using that expertise to be
wrong on more or less every big
foreign-policy question over that
period, Biden’s focus is primarily
on issuing dumb young-adult
taunts to his detractors by, for in-
stance, appointing Merrick Gar-
land attorney general (then
watching Garland treat angry
parents at school-board meetings
like al Qaeda), nominating for
comptroller of the currency a
woman who expressly argued for
driving fossil-fuel companies out
of business, and nominating to
the Fed another woman who said
much the same thing.
Biden tried to use executive ac-
tion to hamstring fossil fuels by
imposing a “social cost” calcula-
tion on their actions, then, when
invasion
a court struck this
down, froze (again)
new drilling on fed-
eral lands.
Imagine what all
of this self-sabotag-
ing looks like to Pu-
tin. Here we have a
man whose contin-
ued relevance, hence
his worldview, is de-
pendent on under-
standing that fossil
fuel is king. The idea
of Putin weakening his own hand
on the geopolitical stage is ab-
surd. But then again, Putin, unlike
the average Swarthmore climate-
justice obsessive or senior White
House official, lives in a world in
which hard power determines
outcomes. Putin has gas and oil,
and these become more valuable
every day Biden schemes to
handicap US gas and oil. Putin is
like the playground bully man-
handling a little kid who keeps
asking, “Why do you keep hitting
yourself?” Except Biden’s Amer-
ica keeps hitting itself even when
Putin is far away.
Putin has an image of Biden’s
capabilities that goes back a long
way. In 2011, Biden was the leader
of Barack Obama’s Great Reset,
polishing Putin’s boots with his
tongue in order to troll Republi-
cans in a summit during which
the then–vice president “got
punk’d,” says a White House ste-
nographer, when Putin turned the
sound and lights off when Biden
was in the middle of a sentence.
Time’s Bennett painted this pa-
thetic picture after the Geneva
summit last June, noting that
when Biden spoke, “holding a
note card in his hands,” he de-
scribed Russia and the United
States as “two great powers.”
Weak, inept, confused, tired,
clutching a note card like an un-
prepared student: That’s how
Biden is, and that’s certainly how
Putin sees him. Long before our
president invited a Ukrainian in-
vasion by suggesting a “minor in-
cursion” would be fine, Vladimir
Putin had his number. If anything
stops him, it won’t be fear of the
wrath of Joe Biden.
From National Review
By SaM ChaMBerLain,
CaLLie PatteSon
and Mark LungarieLLo
Russian President Vladimir
Putin declared war on Ukraine
early Thursday, ending weeks of
diplomatic stalemate and plung-
ing Eastern Europe into a night-
mare of violence and bloodshed
not seen since the darkest days
of World War II.
The Russian leader delivered
a televised speech before 6 a.m.
local time Thursday and
claimed Russia was undertaking
a “special military operation” to
demilitarize Ukraine.
Immediately following the ad-
dress, sounds of explosions were
heard in Kramatorsk, followed
by reports of sounds of explo-
sions or artillery firing in
Kharkiv, Odessa, Mariupol and
the capital city
Kyiv.
Ukrainian
airspace
was closed
to civilian
aircraft as
the region
was con-
sidered an
active con-
flict zone.
The Euro-
pean Union
Aviation Safety Agency issued an
alert saying there is a risk of “both
intentional targeting and misi-
dentification” of civilian craft.
Ukraine also imposed martial
law Wednesday night. Citizens
sheltered in basements and the
underground transit system as
air raid sirens rang.
Footage showed Russian tanks
crossing into Ukraine from Bela-
rus early Thursday amid the aer-
ial assault. The Ukraine military
said five Russian planes and one
helicopter were shot down in the
city of Luhansk.
Putin said the Kremlin has no
intention of occupying the coun-
try, placing blame for any poten-
tial bloodshed on the Ukrainian
“regime.”
He threatened that countries
who attempt to interfere would
suffer “consequences they have
never seen.”
Putin also addressed Ukraine
forces in his remarks, urging
them to lay down their armsarms.
President Biden released a
statement shortly after military
action began, calling the aggres-
sion “an unprovoked and unjus-
tified attack” by Russia.
“Putin has chosen a premedi-
tated war that will bring a cata-
strophic loss of life and human
suffering,” he said in a statement
late Wednesday.
“Russia alone is responsible for
the death and destruction this at-
tack will bring, and the United
States and its allies and part-
 3

invasion

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Hammered: Explosions (left) rock Mariupol, Ukraine, early Thurs-
day. Others shook the capital of Kyiv. Earlier, Russian tanks
arrived at the border. Vladimir Putin (bottom) used the pretext of defend-
ing the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk for his war.

nypost.com
Cities Under Attack

RUSSIA
BELARUS

Kyiv
Kharkiv

UKRAINE Kramatorsk

Dnipro

Odessa

ROMANIA

ners will respond in a united and
decisive way. The world will hold
Russia accountable.”
Biden was briefed on the Rus-
sian attack in a secure call late
Wednesday, White House press
secretary Jen Psaki said.
The president planned to meet
with G-7 counterparts Thursday
morning to announce further
sanctions for “this needless act of
aggression.”
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s min-
ister of foreign affairs, said in a
statement that Putin had
launched “a full-scale war.”
“Strikes continue on peaceful
Ukrainian cities,” Kuleba said.
“This is a war of aggression.
Ukraine will defend and win. The
world can and must stop Putin.
It’s time to act — just now.”
The invasion follows frantic
diplomatic efforts by the US and
its Western allies to find a middle
ground with Moscow after reject-
ing the Kremlin’s insistence that
Ukraine be kept out of NATO, as
well as that the alliance draw back
its forces from Eastern Europe
and not deploy missile systems in-
side Ukraine.
On Wednesday, a US defense of-
ficial told reporters that Russian
forces “could go at any hour now”
and added that Putin has “near
100 percent of all the forces [in
place] that we anticipated that he
would move in.”
Pentagon press secretary John
Kirby backed that assessment,
telling reporters that “we believe
that they are, they are, they are
ready. I’ll just put it — just leave it
at that. They’re ready.”
US officials estimated that Rus-
sia had massed between 150,000
and 190,000 troops along
Ukraine’s border in recent months,
which one diplomat described last
week as “the most significant mili-
tary mobilization in Europe since
the Second World War.”
‘Part of Russia’
The situation began deteriorat-
ing on Monday after Putin deliv-
ered an astonishing speech in
which he ranted and raved that
Ukraine was not a stand-alone na-
tion but rather “an integral part”
of Russia.
Delivering a distorted history
lesson, he insisted that “modern
Ukraine was entirely created by
Russia — more pre-
cisely, Bolshevik,
Communist Russia”
and lamented that
Soviet leaders going
back to Lenin had
erred by “giving in
to nationalists.”
“Why did we have
to be so generous, and then give
these republics the right to leave?”
Putin asked at one point, making a
clear reference to the breakup of
the Soviet Union in 1991. “Mad-
ness.”
On Tuesday, Biden denounced
Putin’s actions as the “beginning”
of an invasion of Ukraine and an-
nounced new economic sanctions
targeting Russia.
The sanctions, which Biden
called the “first tranche” of pun-
Black Sea
TURKEY
ishments, would affect two Krem-
lin-backed banks and restrict the
trading of Russian government
debt on Western finance markets.
Biden also announced that the
US would shift an additional 1,000
military personnel to Poland and
the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania from elsewhere in
Europe. That move follows an
earlier deployment of 5,000
troops to Poland and Germany
from the US.
R
4

INVASION
nypost.com
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

VLADISLAV
DAVIDZON
Brooklyn-born Vladislav David-
zon (above), author of “From Od-
essa with Love,” is in Kyiv and
writes that the residents of
Ukraine’s capital are starting to
worry.

hILE many Ukrainians

W have spent the previous

months preparing for a
possible full-scale Rus-
sian escalation of the war, others
have blissfully ignored the obvi-
ous. The number of times I have
been told that “nothing is going
to happen” and “this war has
been dragging on for eight years
and were have learned to live
with it” beggars belief. Perhaps
this is a self-defense mechanism
and the only really rational way
to live in the face of this sort of
existential danger.
I have on a few occasions not
been able to resist the temptation
to respond and ask why they are
more sure of their judgments
than the generals, intelligence
chiefs, journalists, diplomats and
think-tank professionals who
think about this issue all day
long.
ddp/Ukrinform/Sipa USA

In the last few days, Moscow

has recognized the so-called Rus-
sian proxy republics of Donetsk
and Luhansk and sent in “peace-
keepers” to reinforce the troops
it already had stationed there.
This followed a noxious speech
that Russian President Vladimir
Putin delivered to the world.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian will last for the next month. The night was full of frenetic and un- happened: Vladimir Putin de- phere in the Ukrainian capital as
parliament did what it has Pentagon has signaled that it be- hinged programming about the clared war on Ukraine. Large- the evening fell was one of sinis-
avoided doing over the previous lieves that ever more Russian “impending Ukrainian attack on scale targeting of Ukrainian cit- ter foreboding.
months of Western warnings military forces are moving into the LNR and DNR.” Anchors ies, which had not felt possible The high-end bars and restau-
about a potential Russian mili- the Donetsk and Luhansk re- claim Ukrainian saboteur teams before, was suddenly real. rants in Kyiv have seen only a
tary incursion and voted to im- gions. are operating in Crimea. While Wednesday had begun very small drop-off in business
pose a State of Emergency. This Russian television Wednesday Then Thursday morning, it ordinarily enough, the atmos- over the last few weeks. Some
 5

invasion

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Chris McGrath/Getty Images
Living in
terror War
torn:
“Alexei,”
“Natalia”

nypost.com
and their
two
daughters
are living
without
electricity
amid the
shelling
in the

News Group Newspapers Ltd.

Donetsk
region of
Ukraine that
has been
invaded by
Russia.

on guard:
Media-relations
specialist Alisa
poses with her
One family’s nightmare
shotgun in Kyiv By Lee Brown at times even that does not seem
(anti-war protest, safe enough.
opposite page), A terrified family in eastern “When the shelling gets heavy,
as Ukrainian Ukraine is in a “living nightmare” we run to our neighbor’s base-
President and forced to cower from gunfire ment,” Natalia told The Sun, say-
Volodymr and shellings in their “dream ing that “at night it’s very loud.”
Zelensky’s home” as Russian troops flood “The children have somehow
government has their rebel-held region of the learned to sleep through the
moved to expand country. noise . . . but I stay awake because
gun sales (far left) The family of four, including I’m afraid for them. It’s so scary,”
in the country. girls ages 13 and 8, told The Sun she said. “We want to live like
they have no electricity and are normal people. We have done
forced to sleep in a blacked-out, nothing to deserve being used as
windowless corridor of the home human shields.”

Poll scores Joe low on Ukraine in Donetsk that they started

Barely one-third of Ameri-
cans approve of the way Presi-
dent Biden is handling the
Ukraine crisis, according to a
poll released Wednesday.
The Gallup survey found that
only 36% of Americans support
the president’s response to
the “situation with Russia”
Ukrainians continued to go out as
if it was a patriotic duty. Now
they’re all nervously looking
around wondering if we should
leave.
As I sat at dinner with a source,
an American expat banker who
while 55% disapproved.
Just under two-thirds of Dem-
ocrats (64%) support Biden’s
handling of the matter, as do
35% of independents. Only 11%
of Republicans offered the same
support.
The survey found that 86% of
Republican respondents disap-
has returned to Kyiv for work, I
began receiving phone calls from
well-placed friends urging me to
consider leaving the city. A well-
known television journalist at
one of the biggest networks
wrote me, “Be careful tonight.”
building in 2011.
“We thought we’d found our
dream home, but now it’s a living
prove of Biden’s actions, while nightmare,” said coal miner “Al-
53% of independents and 31% of exei,” 38, whose real name was
Democrats felt similarly. withheld by the UK paper to pro-
The survey of 1,008 adults was tect him and his family.
conducted from Feb. 1 to 17, be- “Much of Donetsk now has no
fore Russia invaded Ukraine, electricity or water,” he said of
and has a margin of error of 4 the region, one of two that Russia
percentage points. has declared independent from
Callie Patteson Ukraine to justify sending in so-
called “peacekeeping” troops.
“We have now gone two days
It is hard to say if the alarmism without electricity and can only
of the American intelligence stay in touch with the outside
agencies of the last several weeks world by charging the phone in
has finally burst through the dam our car.”
of Ukrainian stoicism, bravery His wife, “Natalia,” 36, said they
and sheer capacity for sleep in the corridor because
disassociation. they do not have a basement. But
Natalia said they regularly see
uniformed troops in the street,
but do not know if they are sepa-
ratists or Russians. Her husband
also fears being enlisted by Don-
etsk’s rebel leaders to fight on
behalf of the Kremlin.
They have so far shunned the
offer to evacuate to Russia. “Why
would we go there? There is
nothing for us there and we are
Ukrainian, not Russian,” Alexei
said.
They now “dread” the inevita-
ble escalation of terror in the re-
gion if Ukraine decides to fight
back, Natalia said.
“I’m very afraid this will turn
into a big war,” she said.
“This is not our war. We did not
start it and we do not want to
participate in it.”
6
Police big
‘Malevolent $arge’ running for
nypost.com

By Tina Moore,
GOP lt. gov
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Ben Feuerherd Presumptive GOP gubernatorial

and Craig McCarThy front-runner Rep. Lee Zeldin se-
lected an NYPD inspector as his
The ex-head of the NYPD Ser- running mate for lieutenant gov-
geants Benevolent Association ernor — elevating public safety as
allegedly embezzled hundreds of a campaign issue.
thousands of dollars from the un- Zeldin tapped Alison Esposito,
ion to fund his “lavish lifestyle,” deputy inspec-
officials said Wednesday. tor at Brooklyn’s
Ed Mullins, 60, is accused of 70th Precinct, as
charging hundreds of personal he seeks the
high-end meals to the union nomination to
since 2017 and using members’ take on Demo-
dues to pay for jewelry, clothing cratic Gov. Ho-
and home appliances, according chul.
to federal officials. Esposito (in-
Mullins even used the funds to set) is retiring
pay for a relative’s college, the from the NYPD to make the run.
feds allege. She joined the force in 1997, and
“As alleged, Edward Mullins, last year considered running for
the former president of the SBA, mayor.
abused his position of trust and “Time and again we’ve heard
authority to fund a lavish life- politicians talk about what they’re
style that was paid for by the CHARGED: Ex-NYPD Sergeants going to do to fight crime. Well,
monthly dues of the thousands of I’ve actually done it,” Esposito

hardworking sergeants of the
NYPD,” Manhattan US Attorney
Damian Williams said.
In total since 2017, Mullins sub-
mitted more than $1 million in
expense reports, with the bulk of
money illegally obtained, the
feds claim.
Mullins turned himself in
Wednesday morning to FBI offi-
cials, nearly five months after
agents raided his home and
union offices.
He pleaded not guilty in Man-
hattan federal court in the after-
noon and was silent as he left the
courthouse on $250,000 bond in
a blue-gray suit, his travel limited
by the court to the lower New
York state area.
Federal authorities allege Mul-
lins submitted phony expense re-
ports — often without receipts
— to get reimbursements from
union members’ dues through
the SBA’s expense account.
In late 2019, he dropped more
than $3,000 on two e dinners at
an unnamed “high-end” restau-
rant in Greenwich Village with
family and friends, according to
the indictment.
He also bought a pair of $300
gift cards to the same eatery, ex-
pensed the purchases to the SBA,
and gave them to family and
friends, who used them for din-
ner in November 2019, the indict-
Benevolent Association boss Ed
Mullins leaves court Wednesday.
ment says, citing text messages.
In addition to making the
union foot the bill for his per-
sonal meals, he also inflated the
cost of bills and pocketed the re-
mainder, the feds allege.
In one case, he changed a
$152.42 charge at a Long Island
deli to $352.42 in August 2020,
according to the indictment.
Examples of the expense sheets
provided in court papers and
submitted to the union show the
lower figure typed in one column
and the higher amount handwrit-
ten beside it.
The former sergeant would
Alec Tabak
also allegedly change the vendor
on his expense reports to appear
business-related, the indictment
reads.
In April 2021, Mullins submit-
ted an expense reimbursement
from a $658.88 bill at an Italian
restaurant in Manhattan, when in
actuality he was charged $185.88
at a supermarket, according to
the indictment.
Mullins resigned from his un-
ion post and filed for retirement
in the days following the raids
last October. The SBA then hired
an independent accounting firm
to review its finances.
said Wednesday at a press confer-
ence at 1 Police Plaza.
“My job was to protect the inno-
cent, and keep the people in the
city of New York safe. My job now
is to keep the people of the state
safe.”
Zeldin, who represents Long Is-
land, said “[Esposito] has instilled
fear in the hearts of criminals ev-
erywhere.”
The record of Esposito, the
daughter of a former NYPD chief,
is not without blemish. She was
docked 20 vacation days in 2017
when she was a captain for failing
to safeguard her firearm, badge
and ID, according to police
records.
Carl Campanile, Maggie Hicks
and Craig McCarthy

Heat on Republican AG candidate for repping a killer

A Republican candidate
for state attorney general is
under fire for serving as at-
torney for a brutal killer.
Lawyer John Sarcone rep-
resented Robert Sepe, who
beat his girlfriend Janette
Carlucci to death with a
baseball bat at their Croton-
on-Hudson home in 2008.
Sarcone’s appeal got
Sepe’s murder charge and
25-years-to-life sentence
reduced to a lesser man-
slaughter charge with a 5-
to-25-year sentence.
After the win, Sarcone
told lohud.com that his cli-
ent was not “some member
of a street gang, or a mur-
der-for-hire guy, or a mass
murderer or a serial killer.”
He said Sepe had “snapped,
for which he is paying,”
adding that “justice was
served.”
But Jennifer Harrison,
founder of Victims Rights
NY, said Sarcone’s repre- opening. It’s a big red flag,”
sentation of Sepe makes Harrison said.
him unfit to be AG. “Sar- Sarcone, through a cam-
cone tried to justify this paign rep, defended his rep-
horrific murder. It’s OK to resentation of Sepe, saying
beat a woman to death with he did it for a family
a baseball bat?! This is eye- friend. Carl Campanile

INSIDE TODAY LOTTERY POST CONTACTS

News Columns
Kyle Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Gossip
Dr. Joel Zinberg . . . . . . . . 8
Miranda Devine . . . . . . . 15
Maureen Callahan . . . . 27
Weird But True . . . . . . . . 27
Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Page Six . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Cindy Adams . . . . . . . . . 18
Jalen Rose . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Post Opinion p. 29-31
NEW YORK
Midday Nos. Wed.: 427
Midday Win-4 Wed.: 5928
Evening Nos. Wed.: 766
 Evening Win-4 Wed.: 2096
 Pick-10 Wed.: 1, 2, 7, 8, 9,
13, 14, 18, 22, 24, 25, 37, 40,
41, 42, 47, 53, 57, 67, 80
46, 53, 57; Bonus: 58
 Take-5 Wed. (Midday):
9, 14, 21, 29, 35
 Take-5 Wed. (Evening):
1, 14, 15, 21, 32
NEW JERsEY
Pick-3 Wed.: 221; Fireball: 6
Pick-4 Wed.: 0851; Fireball: 6
Editorial
Main Office . . . . . . . . . (212) 930-8000
News Tips . . . . . . . . . . (212) 930-8500
Sports Desk . . . . . . . . (212) 930-8700
Circulation and Home Delivery
Customer Service . . . . (800) 552-7678
Mail subscription & back issues:
Postmaster: Send address changes
to The New York Post, 1211 Ave. of
the Americas, NY, NY 10036-8790.
Vol. 221, No. 101. Copyright © 2022,
NYP Holdings Inc. (USPS-383200).
Published daily by NYP Holdings
Inc., 1211 Ave. of the Americas,
New York, NY
10036-8790.

Weather p. 14  Cash-4-Life Wed.: 27, Cash-5 Xtra Wed.: 6, 8, 13, All orders, changes of address and
Business p. 33-35 36, 40, 46, 53; Cash Ball: 3 42, 45; Xtra: 2 inquiries, contact New York Post,
 Powerball Wed.: 6, 17, P.O. Box 1407, Bellmawr, NJ, 08099
Fun and Games Home p. 37-40 CONNECtiCut or phone 1-888-208-4157. Foreign Periodicals postage paid
21, 35, 64; Powerball: 18; Play-3 Wed.: 689; Wild: 9
Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Classifieds p. 41 Power Play: x2 Play-4 Wed.: 7349; Wild: 1
and domestic mail subscription
rates available upon request to the
at New York, NY, and
additional offices. The
Su Doku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Sports p. 42-57  Lotto Wed.: 13, 15, 36, Cash-5 Wed.: 2, 8, 12, 15, 31 Publishers Information Center, Inc. Post uses recycled paper.
 Life &
7

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

deatH
Big-screen Catwoman Zoë
Kravitz takes a style cue
from the caped crusader at
Wednesday’s London pre-
miere of “The Batman,” as
the actress, 33,
fLasH

nypost.com
rocks a gown with
bat-signal-
shaped cut-
outs. As for
Brain-study twist
the Dark By andrew court examine what happened to
Knight, Rob- the organ in the moments
ert Pattinson, A groundbreaking study before and after his death.
35, swapped suggests that a person’s life “We measured 900 sec-
out his bat- may indeed flash before onds of brain activity
suit for a tur- them just before death. around the time of death,”
tleneck (left). Brain activity similar to Zemmar said. “We set a spe-
meditation, dreaming or cific focus to investigate
memory recall passes over what happened in the 30
the brain in its final mo- seconds before and after the
ments, the study found, sug- heart stopped beating.”

J-Law’s a gesting there may be a final

feeling of serenity as hu-
mans pass away.
“Something we may learn
A study of the EEG re-
cording reveals that there
was an increase in gamma
oscillations, which involve

Hollywood
from this research is: Al-
though our loved ones have
their eyes closed and are
ready to leave us . . . their
dreaming and information
processing involving ex-
treme concentration, in the
final seconds before death.

mommy
brains may be replaying
some of the nicest moments
they experienced in their
lives,” said study co-author
Jennifer Lawrence is a new mom! Dr. Ajmal Zemmar.
The Oscar-winning actress wel- The study, published Tues-
comed her first child in Los Angeles day in the journal Frontiers in
County, according to public records Aging Neuroscience, is based
obtained by TMZ on Wednesday. on one of the first recordings
The exact date she gave birth — and of a dying brain, which oc-
the sex of the baby — are unknown. curred accidentally at a hos-
Page Six has reached out to Law- pital in Vancouver, Canada.
rence’s rep for confirmation. An 87-year-old man, who
This is Lawrence’s first child with had been admitted following
her husband, art-gallery owner a fall, was hooked up to elec-
Cooke Maroney, whom she married troencephalography tech-
at the famed Belcourt of Newport nology to detect seizures.
mansion in Rhode Island in October EEG involves the place-
2019. Page Six broke the news of Law- ment of electrodes along a
rence and Maroney’s relationship in patient’s scalp in a bid to
June 2018; a source explained that the measure activity in differ-
“Hunger Games” star’s BFF, Laura ent parts of the brain.
Simpson, had introduced them. While the man’s brain
Lawrence, 31 has referred to her was being recorded, he suf-
hubby as “the greatest person I’ve fered a heart attack and
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
The oscillations are also
associated with memory re-
trieval and flashbacks, sup-
porting the idea that “your
life flashes before your eyes”
in the moments before death.
“Through generating os-
cillations involved in mem-
ory retrieval, the brain may
be playing a last recall of im-
portant life events just be-
fore we die, similar to the
ones reported in near-death
experiences,” Zemmar said.
The recording suggests
that our brains remain ac-
tive for a short period after
our hearts have stopped
beating.
“These findings challenge
our understanding of when
exactly life ends, and gener-
ate important subsequent
questions, such as . . . the
timing of organ donation,”

ever met,” saying on the “Naked with died, allowing scientists to Zemmar posited.
Catt Sadler” podcast in June 2019, “I
feel very honored to become a Ma-
roney.” The couple confirmed in Sep-
tember 2021 they were expecting.
Busiest airport’s travel taking off
During a December 2021 visit to The world’s busiest airport for international travel, with
“The Late Show,” a pregnant Law- around 29 million passengers last year, was . . . Dubai’s.
rence joked that she spent much of The 2021 passenger figures for Dubai International Air-
her three-year hiatus from acting be- port, or DXB, in the United Arab Emirates, were up 12%
tween the sheets. That same month, over 2020, which had recorded nearly 26 million travelers
she returned to the public eye, walk- — but nowhere near the pre-pandemic milestone of 86.4
ing the red carpet for the “Don’t million in annual traffic logged by the airport, a critical link
Look Up” premiere. Jessica Bennett between East and West, in 2019. AP
8
nypost.com
MTA tests
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
anti-shove
barriers
Trial at 3 subway stops
By DaviD Meyer
Subway platform barriers will
be tested at three stations in Man-
hattan and Queens, MTA Chair
Janno Lieber said on Wednesday.
The new shove-stopping barri-
ers will be installed at Times
Square on the 7 line, Third Ave-
nue on the L line and Sutphin
Boulevard/JFK Airport at the
end of the E line, Lieber said
during an appearance on NY1.
Lieber and his team previously
studied and ruled out platform
doors as part of the MTA’s cur-
rent capital improvement plan.
That changed after the Jan. 15
murder of Michelle Go, who was
pushed onto the tracks in the
Times Square station by a men-
tally ill homeless man.
In addition to the trial plat-
form doors, MTA officials are
exploring using thermal and la-
ser technology to detect track
intrusions, Lieber told NY1.
“It’s going to take awhile.
We’re going to put the money to-
gether, which is a little compli-
cated,” he said. “But our goal is
to try out these technologies, at
different places in the system,
including three stations, trying
out platform doors.”
Lieber told NY1 the MTA
would also collaborate with
NYU Medical Center to deter
suicide leaps onto the tracks.
Transit officials have consid-
ered, then ruled out platform
SI couple attacked, robbed in driveway School
A Staten Island couple were
mugged in their own driveway in
a startling attack caught on
video, police said Wednesday.
The couple — a 37-year-old
man and his 34-year-old wife —
had just parked a car at their
house in Midland Beach just
after 4:30 a.m. Saturday, when
city in crisis
door upgrades on several occa-
sions in the past.
A 2017 study found the cost for
all 472 subway stations would
exceed $7 billion.
Potential drawbacks
Kara Gurl of the MTA’s Perma-
nent Citizens Advisory Commit-
tee welcomed the three-station
trial but questioned the rationale
of installing barriers everywhere.
“While we’re glad platform
doors are being tested, we don’t
believe this is the answer sys-
tem-wide, as it would mean plat-
form reconstruction, likely tem-
porary closing of stations and
other issues including rolling
stock alignment,” Gurl said.
Go’s murder occurred during a
month that saw a slight bump in
felonies on the subways in Janu-
ary compared with December,
despite significantly lower rider-
ship because of the Omicron
variant, according to the NYPD.
Mayor Adams has pledged to
send teams of outreach workers
and NYPD to identify mentally
ill and homeless people who
should be removed from the
subway system. On Monday, the
first night of the new initiative,
outreach teams engaged just 100
individuals in the subway sys-
Steven Hirsch
tem. City Hall has not said how
many people actually made it
into shelters or were connected
to services.
three strangers approached, cops purse as the husband is attacked
The troubling surge in student weap-
ons busts is an “indictment” of the
state of crime in the Big Apple,
Mayor Adams said Wednesday in
said.
Two of them threw the hus-
band to the ground and repeat-
edly punched him before grab-
behind a white SUV.
The muggers then ran off and
hopped in a car down the street
with the man’s wallet and the
guns irk response to an exclusive Post re-
port.
Weapons seizures in schools
are up by 80 percent this year,
bing his wallet, police said.
Surveillance video released by
cops shows the third person
wrestling with the wife for her
woman’s purse with $2,000 in-
side, according to cops.
The husband suffered minor
injuries. Craig McCarthy
Adams compared with pre-pandemic levels
— including a marked rise in gun,
knife and Taser confiscations, accord-
ing to NYPD data.
 9

city in crisis

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

nypost.com
Flip-Flop: Weeks after denying bail to
Hunter Robinson (far left), 16, who’s been

Dan Brinzac
behind bars since, Justice Stephen Antig-
nani granted it Wednesday, set at $75,000.

Judge reverses self on jailed teen

By HannaH Ferrera
and Tamar Lapin
The Manhattan judge who
kept an alleged teen robber be-
hind bars — telling him New
York City was “sick” and tired
of violent youths — had a
change of heart Wednesday and
granted him $75,000 bail.
Acting Supreme Court Justice
Stephen Antignani told Hunter
Robinson, 16, that it wasn’t
“fair” that he’d become the
“poster child” for the city’s
crime crisis.
“This case has become the
poster child for all the ills that
have come to our city, and that’s
not fair to you,” Antignani told
the teen during the bail hearing
in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“None of us should be judged
on the worst moment of our
life,” he said.
Robinson, who has been
locked up for nearly two weeks
on charges he took part in a
gunpoint robbery of a 15-year-
old boy, was also assaulted in ju-
vie, the judge said.
“It didn’t feel good, right?” the
judge asked him.
Antignani made headlines for
his tough stance on Robinson
and other youngsters allegedly
involved in gun crimes. Last
week, he refused to spring the
teen from lockup, while lectur-
ing him.
Jail’s is ‘not nice’
“We’re tired. New York City is
tired” he said at the time in an
apparent reference to the trend
in teen violence.
“You want to allegedly partici-
pate in incidents like this that
dehumanize another human be-
ing? For what? If you did it, for
what?” Antignani railed.
The tirade came after Robin-
son’s defense attorney had
asked Antignani to reconsider
another judge’s decision to send
the teen to a juvenile detention
center at his Feb. 12 arraign-
ment.
But the no-nonsense jurist
had said there was no new in-
formation at the time that
would make him walk back his
colleague’s ruling.
“There’s nothing good about
jail. It’s not nice in there,” An-
tignani had warned Robinson,
while noting the teen’s lack of
freedom at the Crossroads Juve-
nile Center.
At a hearing about Robinson’s
indictment the next day, the
judge again rebuffed requests to
set bail from both defense attor-
neys and prosecutors.
“I make the determination,”
he had told Assistant District
Attorney Edward Smith. “Not
you. Not the DA’s office. I do.”
Antignani, however, struck a
different tune Wednesday after
reviewing letters from Robin-
son’s principal and teachers at
Success Academy showing his
“tremendous recovery in terms
of his academic success.”
‘An act so cruel’
One of the teen’s teachers de-
scribed him as a “charismatic
leader” with a “big heart and a
lot of compassion for other
peers who are struggling.”
Another teacher said Robin-
son was an “academic super-
star.”
Defense attorneys submitted
the letters while requesting bail
in the case.
They and prosecutors have
previously noted Robinson’s
lack of criminal history, good
school record and that he isn’t
accused of actually brandishing
one of the firearms used in the
Jan. 6 robbery.
Still, Antignani told the 10th-
grader: “It bothers me to my
core, from someone who is as
good as you, based on these pa-
pers . . . could’ve participated in
an act so cruel.”
Prosecutors allege that Robin-
son was part of a violent group
who lured a fellow student into
a stairwell to rob him of his wal-
let, phone, coat and shoes.
One of them pointed a gun in
the victim’s face, and another
brandished a gun and struck
him in the face with it.
His co-defendants include a
pair of brothers also accused of
firing gunshots that hit an
NYPD cop.
If Robinson makes the $75,000
cash bail, $75,000 insurance
company bond or $75,000 par-
tially secured bond with 6 per-
cent, he will have a 6 p.m. cur-
few. The teen has his arraign-
ment on the indictment set for
March 11.
tamar.lapin@nypost.com

“It’s an indictment on our city when a
child must carry a Taser, a stun gun or a
gun,” Adams said at an unrelated press
conference.
“That is not acceptable.”
On Tuesday, The Post reported that
NYPD data shows Taser seizures are up
600 percent and knife busts have increased
by 25 percent this year, when compared
with the 2019-2020 school year.
In addition, 14 guns — many of them
loaded — have been recovered inside De-
partment of Education buildings so far this
academic year.
That compares with just one gun recov-
ery over that same stretch prior to the pan-
demic.
Adams rejected the notion that students
are theoretically justified in carrying
weapons due to rising citywide crime
rates.
“I’m not accepting anyone stating they’re
going to carry a weapon because they
don’t feel safe,” he said. “That’s a slippery
slope.” Adams also again referenced the
imminent use of a new “device” that would
help find weapons in schools in a “hu-
mane” fashion but didn’t give further de-
tails.
Hizzoner added that he is open to re-
plenishing the thinned ranks of city school
safety agents. Greg Floyd, president of
Teamsters Local 237, said their numbers
are down by 25 percent over the course of
the pandemic.
That erosion — coupled with rising
weapons busts — is a “recipe for disaster,”
Floyd said. In its preliminary budget, City
Hall proposed the elimination of 500 cur-
rently vacant safety-agent positions.
Adams said he could re-examine that
move if conditions deteriorate in the na-
tion’s largest school system.
“Remember that was a preliminary bud-
get,” the mayor said, “and if we see the
need to make modifications, we’re open to
doing that.”
Bernadette Hogan and Selim Algar
10

Eric eyes
nypost.com

vax rules
Mayor Adams said
Wednesday he supports
rolling back the city’s COV-
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

ID-19 vaccine-passport re-

quirements, but not until
his public-health team ad-
vises him that it is safe to do
so.
“Yes. I can’t wait to get it
done,” he said during a
press conference at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard.
But Adams insisted the
Big Apple won’t be chang-
ing its policies requiring
customers to show proof
of vaccination upon entry
to businesses such as bars,
restaurants and gyms un-
til the science and data
add up.
A convoy of truckers opposed to COVID-19 mandates “I always stated I’m going
set off on a planned cross-country drive from Southern to follow the science. I’m
California to the Washington, DC, area Wednesday, as the not going to get ahead of
Pentagon approved a request to deploy approximately the science because I’m
700 unarmed National Guard troops ahead of the group’s ready to get ahead of all of
expected arrival on or about March 5. this and get back to a level
About two dozen trucks and a number of other vehicles of normalcy — but they’ve
hit the road from the Mojave Desert town of Adelanto as given us . . . benchmarks,
part of a self-proclaimed “People’s Convoy.” we’re to follow those
Callie Patteson, with Wires benchmarks,” he said.

Reuters
Bernadette Hogan
 Sports / Page 54

Unmasking the truth

W
HeN the final history of the COV-
ID-19 pandemic is written, it will
likely conclude that most of the non-
pharmaceutical public-health meas-
Hands-off Fla. less probably worthless. Higher quality surgical
and N95 masks do have some impact although
likely more as source control than as protec-
tion for wearers. But even these masks are

COV deadly than NY

ures taken to combat the disease — that is,
mask mandates and lockdowns — were
largely ineffective.
The unimportance of public mitigation
measures can be illustrated by comparing out-
comes in states that imposed strict mitigation
measures versus states, such as Florida, that
adopted a minimalist approach.
Florida, New York, California and Illinois
are all large states with multiple urban areas.
But while Florida has been the poster child for
a hands-off approach by government, those
other three states imposed multiple intrusive
measures over long periods of time.
Masks not required
Florida, for example, recommended, but did
not require face coverings. While several large
counties imposed their own mandates, Gov.
Ron DeSantis issued an executive order last
May barring governments and school districts
from imposing them.
New York Gov. Hochul lifted the state’s gen-
eral mask order Feb. 10, but masks are still re-
quired in schools, health-care facilities and on
public transit. California lifted its universal in-
door mask mandate Feb. 16, but the require-
ment remains in effect for the unvaccinated.
Illinois announced it will lift its long-standing
mask mandate, with the exception of schools,
at the end of this month.
Any comparison of the
four states must account
for the different age distri-
butions of their popula-
tions and especially the DR. JOEL
percent of the population
that is 65 and older.
ZINBERG
Far and away the most
important factor in determining the severity
of COVID-19 illness is age. There is an expo-
nential relationship between age and COV-
ID-19’s infection fatality rate. The estimated
IFR is very low for children and younger
adults (0.002% at age 10; 0.01% at age 25), in-
creases to 0.4% by age 55, and then soars with
advanced age (1.4% at age 65; 4.6% at age 75;
and 15% at age 85).
Florida has the second highest percentage
of population 65 and older (21.3%) in the na-
tion. In contrast, New York ranks 25th among
the states in the percentage of population 65
and older (17.4%), Illinois is 35th (16.6%), and
California is 45th (15.2%).
Remarkably, despite its elderly population
and laissez-faire approach,
Florida has only the 33rd
highest age-adjusted
COVID-19 death rate per
100,000 people (251)
among the states. That
puts it in the same ballpark
as mandate-heavy Illinois
(ranked 32nd, with 255 deaths per 100,000)
and California (38th, at 234), and well below
New York (ranked 7th highest, at 334).
This result is not terribly surprising. Multiple
studies have confirmed that lockdowns had lit-
tle to no impact on COVID-19 mortality. In part
this is because people react to the risk of infec-
tious disease — by staying home and avoiding
crowded indoor areas for example — before
and independent of government mandates.
And the effectiveness of masks in curtailing
the spread of COVID-19 has always been sus-
pect. Bandanas and most cloth masks are
subject to limitations of compliance and
proper usage. Masks work best in medical set-
tings where genuine N95 masks are available,
providers are properly fitted for them, and ob-
servance of masking requirements is high.
In elementary schools where a variety of in-
ferior masks are used and children rarely wear
them properly (tightly covering the mouth and
nose) for very long, effectiveness declines.
DeSantis proved to be right
From early in the pandemic the media vili-
fied DeSantis as irresponsible and dangerous.
Some labeled him “DeathSantis.” But his ap-
proach proved to be right. The mitigation
measures imposed in other, largely blue,
states did little to improve health outcomes.
And Florida was better able to preserve its
economic health than most other states. As
COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths
continue to plummet around the country,
hold-out public-health officials and politicians
should strongly consider mimicking the
COVID policies of that “Florida Man.”
Dr. Joel Zinberg, MD, is a senior fellow at the
Competitive Enterprise Institute and director of
public health and wellness at the Paragon
Health Institute.
Pol seeks 11

NBC
hate-vic

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

guards &
free rides
A Queens lawmaker
wants Gov. Hochul to give
groups that are targeted in
hate crimes free taxi rides
and walking buddies
trained in martial arts.
In a letter, Democratic
state Assemblyman Ron
Kim, asks Hochul to issue a
formal declaration of
emergency that would

fund the program in the
wake of the 343% surge in
hate crimes against Asian
Americans last year.
“This is a disaster of une-
quivocal proportions that
must be met with the total
mobilization of law-en-
forcement and social-ser-
vice funds,” Kim wrote.
He proposed the creation
of a series of programs for
which any protected group
would be eligible if hate
crimes against them spike
more than 200% in one
year. The programs in-
clude a voucher system
that would fund 15 round-
trip taxis a month and a
“security companion ser-
vice” that would send
trained peace officers to
accompany protected peo-
ple while they’re out in
public.
Kim specifically wants
the creation of a new
agency called the Security
Companion Service for
Protected Groups. Its offi-
cers would be trained in
“basic martial arts,” “hand-
to-hand combat,” de-esca-
lation techniques and
other tools.
The program would cost
between $30 million to $40
million, he estimated.
A spokesperson for Ho-
chul said the governor will
“review” Kim’s recommen-
dations. Bernadette Hogan
and Gabrielle Fonrouge
baring his anguish:
Matt Hutchins (top) tells NBC’s
“Today” of his anger toward
Alec Baldwin (above), who
was holding the gun that mis-
fired on the set of the movie
“Rust,” killing Hutchins’ cinema-
tographer wife, Halyna (inset).
By Mark LungarieLLo
The husband of the cinema-
tographer fatally shot while
filming the movie “Rust” said
he was “just so angry” over ac-
tor Alec Baldwin’s stance re-
jecting blame for the tragic on-
set accident.
Matt Hutchins said it was “ab-
surd” that Baldwin would take
no responsibility for the Oct. 21
tragedy on the New Mexico set
when a gun the actor was han-
dling fired a single shot that
killed Halyna Hutchins and
wounded director Joel Souza.
The widower opened up
about his feelings in an inter-
view with “Today” show
co-host Hoda Kotb set to air in
its entirety Thursday.
A preview clip of the inter-
view shows Kotb ask the wid-
ower if he thinks Baldwin de-
serves “the majority of the
blame.”
“The idea that the person
holding the gun and causing it
to discharge is not responsible
is absurd to me,” said Hutchins,
who is suing Baldwin and oth-
ers over Halyna’s death.
“But gun safety was not the
only problem on that set,” Hutch-
ins added. “There were a number
of industry standards that were
not practiced and there’s multi-
ple responsible parties.”
Kotb also asked Hutchins
about Baldwin’s comments
during a tearful interview on
ABC last year saying responsi-
bility lay with whoever allowed
a live round on set. Baldwin has
said he didn’t pull the trigger.
“I feel that someone is re-
nypost.com
sponsible for what happened
and I can’t say who that is but I
know it’s not me,” Baldwin said
at the time.
Hutchins had a harsh review
of the interview, claiming it
sounded like Baldwin “was the
victim” in the situation.
“Watching him, I just felt so
angry, just so angry to see him
talk about her death so publicly
in such a detailed way and then
to not accept any responsibility
after having just described kill-
ing her,” Hutchins told Kotb.
Baldwin had been seen hug-
ging Matt Hutchins at a hotel in
the aftermath of the shooting
that derailed the ill-fated West-
ern movie, on which the actor
also was serving as a producer.
Baldwin in a New Year’s mes-
sage on Instagram called the
shooting the “worst situation”
he has ever faced.
The late cinematographer’s
family last month sued the
makers of the movie, with at-
torneys releasing a chilling ani-
mated video to reenact the fatal
shooting.

Too-hot-for-Texas elex flap

Trudeau KOs emergency powers
Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau revoked po-
lice emergency powers au-
thorized last week to clear
truckers protesting COV-
ID-19 restrictions Wednes-
day, after officials dispersed
an occupation in the na-
tion’s capital that had lasted
since January.
The move came two days
after lawmakers extended
measures that gave the gov-
ernment broad powers to
restore order, including
freezing bank accounts of
the protesters and barring
them from entering certain
areas.
With convoys cleared out
of streets surrounding the
Canadian Parliament in Ot-
tawa and traffic flowing to
and from the US on
Wednesday, Trudeau said
the acute emergency had
ended, but warned the
“threat continues,” as future
blockades and occupations
were being planned.
“The situation is no
longer an emergency, there-
fore the federal government
will be ending the use of the
emergencies act,” he said.
On Friday, police arrested
nearly 200 protesters and
towed dozens of trucks in
Ottawa. Jesse O’Neill
With Post Wire Services
This race is off the rails.
A woman running for rail-
road commissioner in Texas
has raised eyebrows over a
racy campaign video in
which she straddles an oil
pump wearing little more
than a cowboy hat and boots.
“They said I needed money.
I have other assets,” GOP
lawyer Sarah Stogner, 37, said
in a tweet sharing the clip.
Stogner told the Houston
Chronicle she released the
clip Feb. 13 because she was
only a few points behind in
the polls against incumbent
Wayne Christian. The elec-
tion is not until Nov. 8.
“I knew it would be contro-
versial. I didn’t realize it
would incite the rage and an-
ger that it did from the press,”
she said. Yaron Steinbuch
12
Man. duo
nypost.com
quits Don
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
probe
Irked with Bragg
By Tamar Lapin
Two prosecutors heading
the Manhattan District At-
torney’s Office’s probe into
the Trump Organization
called it quits on Wednes-
day — throwing the case
into question.
The DA’s Office con-
firmed the resignations of
Mark Pomerantz and Carey
Dunne.
A source told
The Post that
the prosecutors
jointly stepped
down, stressing
that the coordi-
nated nature of
the departures
was a sign of
intense frustra-
tion with the
direction of the case.
“We are grateful for their
service,” DA spokeswoman
Danielle Filson said in a
statement. She declined to
comment further, saying
the probe is ongoing.
The investigation into
former President Donald
Trump (inset) was
launched in 2018 under
then-DA Cyrus Vance, who
charged the Trump Organi-
zation and its longtime
chief financial officer Allen
Weisselberg with tax fraud
last June. Vance convened
another grand jury before
new DA Alvin Bragg took
over in January. Prosecutors
had been questioning wit-
nesses before the grand jury
until about a month ago, es-
sentially stopping the inves-
tigation, according to The
New York Times.
Dunne, who joined the of-
fice in 1984 and served as
Vance’s general counsel,
had overseen the investiga-
tion from the outset, suc-
cessfully arguing before the
US Supreme Court for
Day of reckoning coming
Trump’s tax records.
Pomerantz, a former fed-
eral prosecutor in Manhat-
tan and criminal defense at-
torney, was brought on by
Vance last year to join the
probe. Neither immediately
returned messages.
The Times, which first re-
ported the move, said the
move came after Bragg sug-
gested to the attorneys that
he had doubts
about moving
forward.
Without
Pomerantz and
Dunne there to
steer the probe, mary
its future is un-
certain.
harrington
Criminal de-
fense attorney he scandal of a child molester given a
Ron Fischetti,
who represents Trump and
his company, told The Post
he saw the resignations
coming and was “happy”
T soft sentence by Los Angeles District
Attorney George Gascón may finally
mark the beginning of the end of
America’s disastrous experiment with “pro-
gressive” justice.
with the development, In 2014, at the age of 17, James Tubbs went
while maintaining his cli- into a ladies’ public bathroom, pushed into a
ents’ innocence. stall and forced one hand down the pants of
He said there was “no in- a 10-year-old girl in a violent sexual assault
vestigation” without Pom- that was only halted by someone else com-
erantz and Dunne, adding ing into the bathroom.
that the resignations were a When Tubbs was identified as the attacker
sign that Bragg could soon some years later, following his arrest on an-
close the case. other offense, progressive Gascón insisted
The DA’s Office didn’t on trying the case under juvenile rules — de-
comment on whether the spite Tubbs being well into adulthood.
case was still moving for- Gascón was further induced to soften the
ward. sentence by the fact that Tubbs now identi-
Bragg hasn’t said much fies as a woman and goes by the name “Han-
about the investigation pub- nah.”
licly since taking office. Concerned for Tubbs’ supposed risk of
During a media availability victimization as a transgender woman in an
in late January, he said he sick: Hannah Tubbs, adult prison, Gascón cited a probation re-
was still “getting up to above right when she was port that had recommended home confine-
speed” and “following the booked as James Tubbs ment. Tubbs was eventually sent to a facility
facts,” adding he was con- after a 2014 assault of a for violent juveniles, despite being 26 at the
strained from saying more. 10-year-old girl (security time.
The criminal probe coin- video above) is heard in “The things he did to me and made me do
cides with New York Attor- leaked audio laughing at that day was beyond horrible for a 10-year-
ney General Letitia James’ the light treatment she old girl to have to go through,” Tubbs’ victim
investigation into the received from the LA DA. said in vain. “I want him tried as an adult for
Trump Organization’s busi- the crimes he committed against me.”
ness dealings. Gascón’s choices here reflect progressive
tlapin@nypost.com

for treating child molester with kid gloves
outrAge
is lAst
strAw
AgAinst
lefty DAs
beliefs that date back to the dawn of the lib-
eral era, summed up by the 1762 claim of
French philosopher Rousseau, “Man is born
free but everywhere he is in chains.”
That is: People are naturally good, and we
only do bad things because society hurts and
distorts this natural virtue.
Progressives vs. reality
Progressives argue that if only we could
meet crime with compassion, all of us will
become the good person we naturally are
deep down.
We see this belief behind every liberal at-
tack on boundaries, rules or limits. It’s espe-
cially evident, and especially dangerous, in
the push to replace drug prohibition with
“harm reduction,” to defund the police in fa-
vor of “community programs” and to swap
prison for therapy and rehabilitation, as if it
all will magically make crime go away.
Across the country, progressive prosecu-
tors have taken office in San Francisco, Chic-
ago, Philadelphia and Manhattan, promising
to transform society with empathy instead of
just locking up criminals.
And if you believe people only do bad
things because society is broken, of course
you’ll err on the side of the second chance.
And you’ll do so even when the crime is sex-
ual violence perpetrated by a mentally ill re-
peat offender on the cusp of adulthood,
against a defenseless 10-year-old girl.
But faced with a criminal who’s less victim
than manipulative predator, this just looks
like weakness.
In leaked audio from a prison phone call,
Tubbs mocks the DA’s leniency.
“I’m gonna plead out to it, plead guilty,”
Tubbs says. “They’re gonna stick me on pro-
bation. I won’t have to register, won’t have to
do nothing.”
Even Tubbs’ father sounds shocked.
“You won’t have to register?” he asks,
meaning as a sex offender.
“I won’t have to do none of that,” Tubbs re-
plies.
“So what are they going to do to you then?”
“Nothing,” Tubbs answers, then laughs.
It’s not even clear whether the gender
switch was sincere. Tubbs seems to suggest
being transgender will make prison easier.
“So now they’re going to put me with other
trannies that have seen their cases like mine,”
Tubbs says, coaching his dad to use the right
pronouns in front of the judge: “So when you
come to court, make sure you address me as
her.”
The unidentified victim was not impressed.
In an interview with Fox News, she called it
“unfair to try him as a woman as well, seeing
kim foxx
Chicago
alvin braGG
Manhattan
chesa boudin
San Francisco
how he clearly didn’t act like one on January
1st of 2014.”
Gascón reportedly knew of Tubbs’ brag-
ging calls about soft treatment before sen-
tencing took place. But he still opted to han-
dle this violent pervert with kid gloves.
The DA has since said he regrets the leni-
ency, telling the Los Angeles Times, “It’s un-
fortunate that [Tubbs] gamed the system”
and accepting the transgender claim may
have been to secure further concessions.
But in a statement following the Fox report,
he doubled down on his rosy vision of human
nature. He acknowledged the need to make
“exceptions” but insisted, “People change and
evolve — most often, for the better.”
The push to vote them out
Others are not so naive. Opponents are well
on their way to getting enough signatures by
July to force a recall vote of Gascón. Already,
the Association of Deputy District Attorneys
for Los Angeles County voted Tuesday to re-
call Gascón — by 90% of the vote.
Additionally, more than 30 of the county’s
city councils have issued votes of “no confi-
dence” in Gascón.
Similar movements are happening across
the country, as the public recoils from the
policies of progressive DAs. In Chicago, the
13
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
nypost.com
GeorGe Gascón
Los Angeles County
police have gone to federal prosecutors to go
after race-attack faker Jussie Smollett, when
District Attorney Kim Foxx wouldn’t.
They’re also looking to tackle some gun- and
gang cases she’s ignored.
In San Francisco, there’s a recall election of
radical DA Chesa Boudin set for June 7.
In New York, business leaders have com-
plained about Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s
unwillingness to charge armed robbers as fel-
ons. In a new poll, 65% of voters want the “no
bail” law changed to allow judges to lock up
repeat offenders.
Rehabilitating criminals is a noble goal. But
not everyone can be cured of lawlessness. Pro-
gressive DAs are hoping that somewhere along
the way we’ll have made the world perfect
enough that the violent criminals they treat so
softly will no longer be tempted to offend.
They’re chasing this dream over the bodies
of 10-year-old girls. Every time they get it
wrong, they endanger innocent citizens.
The Tubbs case is turning into the last
straw for those who have a more realistic
grasp of human nature than Gascón, Boudin,
Foxx and Bragg.
Their pity seems all for the criminals. Who
will stand up for the 10-year-old girl?
Mary Harrington is a contributing editor at
UnHerd and author of the forthcoming “Femi-
nism Against Progress.”
 Sally Brompton Daily Horoscope
14
nypost.com

 piSceS
(Feb. 20-Mar. 20) DiScOver MOre ABOut yOurSelF AND whAt the Future hOlDS At
things easier for them, and for
yourself, by choosing your words
Neptune, your ruler, is linked to SAllyBrOMptON.cOM carefully and showing you have
love planet Venus today and the some empathy for their situation.
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

most likely outcome is that you Give the straight talk a rest.
will form deeper feelings for
someone you previously saw as  geMiNi
(May 22-June 21)
opportunities don't ignore it. The
planets suggest their motives  ScOrpiO
(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)
 AquAriuS
just a friend. Will the Forget about getting on top of may not be entirely honest and As one of the zodiac's fixed signs (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)
relationship last on this new your chores today and do there is no reason why you need you tend to see the world in black You may have all the facts and
level? It will if you want it to. something that challenges you to take the risk. and white but today's Venus- figures on your side but if
creatively. You are at your best Neptune link will make it easier someone doesn't want to agree
 ArieS
(March 21-April 20)
when your thoughts and feelings
are allowed to flow in a direction  virgO
(Aug. 24-Sept. 23)
for you to see things from the
other person's point of view.
with your conclusions no
amount of evidence will change
Don't worry too much about of their own choosing, so give up Don't sit around with the same What you discover will both their point of view. Is that a big
what you need to do at work a bit on the self-control. old people discussing the same surprise and delight you. enough issue to end your
today because the planets are old things today, get out into the relationship? It doesn't have to
directing you to have a good time
socially. If you enjoy yourself on  cANcer
(June 22-July 23)
world and visit a place you have
never been before. The new  SAgittAriuS
(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)
be.

a personal level it will have a Your feelings for a certain person friends you make when you get You may be regretting a course of BirthDAy thurSDAy
hugely positive knock-on effect are so intense that you won't be there will bring out the action you took just a while ago Something will happen over
on your career. able to hide them over the next adventurous side of your nature. but what's the point of dwelling the next few months that
few days. But why would you on it when you can't go back and expands your awareness of
 tAuruS
(April 21-May 21)
want to hide them when there is
every likelihood that their  liBrA
(Sept. 24-Oct. 23)
change the past? Learn from the
mistake, resolve not to make it
what life is about and your
outlook will never go back to
You may be tempted to back off feelings for you are every bit as The more you try to force your again, then move on mentally what it was before. Will you
from life and spend time with passionate? views on other people today the and emotionally. be a happier person because
your own thoughts today and more likely it is they will back of it? Happy is not a big
that's okay. But the issues you are
struggling with won't disappear  leO
(July 24-Aug. 23)
away from you, so be smart and
respect the fact that they have  cApricOrN
(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)
enough word - you'll be
ecstatic!
just because you ignore them for If your sixth sense tells you to be opinions too. There is plenty of You need to tell a friend
a while - they will still be there wary of someone who offers you space in the world for everyone something they probably don't
when the real world returns. one of those "too good to be true" to have their say. want to hear but you can make

Post Weather Report

Thursday Friday New York Tides TODAY TOMORROW
Peekskill High Tide for 1st 2nd 1st 2nd
CONN. Coney Island 1:13a 1:41p 2:18a 2:52p
33/29
Stamford Bridgeport Fire Island 1:23a 1:37p 2:36a 2:56p
N.Y. White Plains 35/31 Hempstead 4:43a 5:24p 5:53a 6:48p
37/30 Montauk
Today: Mostly Tomorrow: Sussex 35/28 Huntington 4:50a 5:29p 5:56a 6:41p
36/31 Jones Inlet 12:57a 1:25p 2:02a 2:36p
cloudy and much Cloudy with rain 35/27 Riverhead
colder. High 34 tapering off. High Huntington 34/29 Southampton Montauk Point 2:31a 2:59p 3:41a 4:08p
to 40. 35 to 41. Paterson Garden 35/33 33/30 Port Washington 4:41a 5:20p 5:50a 6:50p
36/32 City Sandy Hook 1:17a 1:45p 2:22a 2:56p
Tonight: Ctg-1” Tomorrow 35/33 Forecasts and Regional cities TODAY TOMORROW
Newark graphics provided by
snow, sleet, rain. night: Clear to Albany 31/20/pc 28/10/sn
partly cloudy. Low 38/32 La G JFK
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Danbury 37/25/pc 37/15/i
Low 29 to 35. Deer Park
37/32
19 to 25. 37/3335/34 Sun and Moon Glens Falls 28/13/pc 25/4/sn
Gr Barrington 32/24/c 32/10/sn
Long Beach Sunrise today ......................... 6:37 a.m. Kingston 33/25/pc 35/9/sn
Saturday Sunday 35/34 Sunset tonight ........................ 5:41 p.m. Liberty 31/21/c 33/12/sn
Cold. High Partly Sandy Hook Moonrise today ...................... 1:40 a.m. Monticello 34/20/c 32/11/sn
31 to 37. sunny. High Moonset today ..................... 11:02 a.m. Newburgh 33/27/pc 36/12/i
39 to 45. 35/34 Forecast data is current as of 6
p.m. yesterday. Temperatures are New First Full Last Poughkeepsie 35/25/pc 35/11/sn
Asbury Park today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Saratoga Springs 31/18/pc 27/8/sn
Evening Evening
Clear. Low 25 to 31. Colder. Low 17 to 23. 35/33 Stroudsburg 34/27/c 38/15/i
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, Torrington 34/25/pc 34/13/sn
c-cloudy, sh-showers, r-rain, t-thunder-
Manasquan Syracuse 29/19/c 29/13/sn
Almanac 35/33
storms, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice Mar 2 Mar 10 Mar 18 Mar 25
World cities TODAY TOMORROW
YESTERDAY’S CONDITIONS AT CENTRAL PARK THROUGH 6PM Thursday, February 24, 2022 Athens 56/44/sh 59/44/pc
Temperature Toms River Baghdad 83/63/pc 78/52/pc
Showers
High: 68, Low: 59, Mean: 64 37/33 Beijing 49/16/s 52/30/s
T-storms Berlin 51/34/c 44/33/t
Departure from Normal
Yesterday: +26 degrees N.J. Rain Cairo 65/54/s 63/51/pc
Flurries Dublin 43/36/sh 48/43/pc
Precipitation Geneva 53/36/c 47/31/sh
Snow
Yesterday: 0.00”, Month: 2.49”, Year: 6.78”, Hong Kong 61/54/s 64/59/s
Normal year to date: 6.22” Long Beach Ice
Jerusalem 55/47/pc 48/47/r
Heating Degree days yesterday................1 37/34 Kabul 50/28/s 50/25/s
Total for the month (normal) ......594 (682) London 46/38/pc 50/32/s
Total since July 1 (normal) ......2996 (3248) Madrid 65/45/pc 54/42/sh
Last season to date ..............................3085 Fronts Mexico City 78/52/s 77/51/s
Wind Chill (at noon yest.) ...................... 62 Cold Montreal 15/5/s 13/4/sn
UV index (for Thu.) ........................ 1 (Low) Moscow 34/25/pc 36/27/pc
Humidity (at noon) ............................. 72% Warm
Atlantic City Shown are noon positions of Paris 54/36/r 51/31/sh
weather systems and precipitation.
SNOW 37/32 Temperature bands are highs for
Stationary
Rio de Janeiro 84/75/s 85/74/pc
Yesterday ............................................... 0.0” Ocean City the day. Forecast high/low tempera- Rome 61/41/pc 59/44/pc
tures are given for selected cities.
Month to date (normal) ............. 1.6” (8.6”) Sydney 75/71/sh 75/71/sh
37/34 -10s -0s 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s Tokyo 47/32/pc 51/35/s
AQI rating: (for Thu.).................................Good

Miranda Devine
mdevine@nypost.com
HE walls are closing in on Hunter
T Biden.
The US attorney in Delaware inves-
tigating his business affairs has been
busy subpoenaing his bank records and
calling in his ex-girlfriends to testify in
front of a grand jury about his wild spend-
ing sprees.
Devon Archer, his former business part-
ner, best friend and fellow Yale alum, faces
sentencing Monday, four years after being
convicted over a $60 million scheme to de-
fraud one of the poorest Indian tribes in
America.
Prosecutors from the Southern District
of New York have recommended to US
District Court Judge Ronnie Abrams that
Archer serve 30 months in prison, the same
as co-defendant Bevan Cooney.
But Wednesday, Archer’s lawyer, Matt-
hew Schwartz of Boies Schiller Flexner,
asked Judge Abrams for a non-custodial
sentence, arguing he has suffered enough.
He “has been subject to pretrial supervi-
sion for nearly seven years during which
he has a spotless record of compliance, has
lived an otherwise exemplary life, and has
already suffered greatly due to the collat-
eral consequences of his arrest, trial and
conviction.”
No further punishment is warranted, be-
cause Archer, a former Abercrombie & Fitch
model, has “watched his reputation and ca-
reer systemically crumble” and he “and his
family have been affected financially, and
are currently severely cash-negative.”
Prosecutors gave short shrift to Archer
crying poor, arguing that he “is living in a
multimillion-dollar Brooklyn townhouse,
and owns a second residence in the Hamp-
tons, both of which have significant equity.
He and his wife [Krista, a doctor] own in-
vestment assets worth more than several
million dollars . . .
“In short, while Archer may well be liv-
ing beyond his current means, he is none-
theless living an indisputably privileged
lifestyle and nothing about his finances
warrants a reduction in sentence.”
It will be up to Judge Abrams, an Obama
appointee married to Mueller special-
counsel prosecutor Greg Andres, whether
to show mercy to Archer, 48, on Monday.
She has been kind to him before, when
she overturned his original conviction in
November 2019, before her decision was
reversed on appeal.
She also granted him permission while
he was on bail to jet around the world to 24
destinations, from Jamaica and Turks &
Caicos to China, Russia, Ukraine and Ka-
zakhstan, places where he and Hunter had
done business deals leveraging then VP Joe
Biden’s name.
But anything short of a custodial sentence
will be seen as a political scandal, consider-
ing Archer’s close ties to the Bidens.
Hunter promised Archer in a 2019 text
message that he is “part of a great family —
not a side show, not deserted by them even
in your darkest moments. That’s the way
Bidens are different, and you are a Biden.”
But in a voice memo recorded the previ-
ous year and found on his abandoned lap-
top, Hunter was less sanguine about
Archer’s legal troubles.
“My best friend in business, Devon, has
named me as a witness, without telling me,
in a criminal case,” he wails. “I’m talking
about a f*cking criminal case in which
Devon has named me as a witness.”
If Archer does end up facing prison time,
there is always the possibility that he might
cooperate with authorities investigating
Hunter’s business dealings in return for a
reduction in his sentence.
That prospect must be keeping Hunter
awake at night.
SDNY pointed out in its sentencing sub-
mission that Archer currently has a well-pay-
ing job, working for former asbestos attorney
Jeff Cooper, a longtime Joe Biden donor.
Cooper’s relationship with the Biden
family stretches back two decades to when
he ran one of the largest asbestos-litigation
firms in the country, the Illinois-based
SimmonsCooper.
He began filing multimillion-dollar law-
suits in Delaware in 2005 in association
with Joe’s late son Beau Biden’s firm Biffer-
ato, Gentilotti & Biden, when Joe was a US
senator for Delaware and leader of the
powerful Senate Judiciary Committee.
15
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
Cooper found the $30 billion asbestos-
compensation business to be lucrative, in
large part thanks to Joe, who used his
power to block asbestos-litigation reform
when a bill reached the Senate floor, as
Paul Sperry from RealClearInvestigations
has reported.
When Joe became VP, Cooper put
Hunter on the board of his venture capital
firm Eudora Global and gave him shares in
the business, worth around $80,000 a year,
documents on Hunter’s laptop show.
Additionally, Hunter received a “one-
nypost.com
time payment” of $300,000 in 2015 from
Cooper’s firm Eudora, according to an
email on the laptop from Hunter’s then
business partner Eric Schwerin.
SimmonsCooper also put up $1 million in
investment capital for Hunter and his Un-
cle Jim’s abortive attempt in 2009 to ac-
quire a hedge fund.
To add to the incestuous nature of
Archer’s ties with the Biden family, his cur-
rent law firm Boies Schiller Flexner previ-
ously paid Hunter $216,000 a year for the
honorary role “of counsel,” and its chair-
man is longtime Joe Biden donor David
Boies.
Also causing Hunter sleepless nights is Zoe
Kestan (near left, with Hunter), 28, a one-
time Pornhub “model” and “lingerie entre-
preneur” who stayed with Hunter at Holly-
wood’s Chateau Marmont hotel in 2018 dur-
ing one of his extended crack benders.
She testified for five hours on Feb. 15 be-
fore the Delaware grand jury that is inves-
tigating Hunter’s tax affairs, and reportedly
provided details of his lavish spending
sprees. Also testifying last week was
Hunter’s “baby mama,” the former stripper
Lunden Roberts, who sued him for pater-
nity of their now 3-year-old daughter, who
he never has acknowledged.
Zoe’s name appears in a Suspicious Ac-
tivity Report compiled by JPMorgan Chase
bank and obtained by nonprofit research
outfit Marco Polo.
The bank was issued a subpoena in May
2019 by the US attorney in Delaware for
transactions involving Hunter, his uncle
Jim Biden and partners Archer and
Schwerin involving the Bank of China.
Hunter and Zoe’s relationship was rocky,
messages on the laptop show.
“Zoe is livid,” he texted a female friend in
May 2018. “My father is livid. Everyone is
f*cking livid. [I] have been hanging out
with some seriously f*cked up homeless.
I’m a narcissistic altruist, according to
Zoe.”
In another text exchange, with a bellhop
friend from the Chateau Marmont, Hunter
says that Zoe “really angered me” by re-
cording a conversation between him and
the bellhop.
“How the f*ck did she get a tape of the
two of us talking . . . about why I need to
end it with her - the tape begins with me
saying I need her for her contacts . . . She is
so connected I didn’t want to burn bridges.
Because she really is connected.”
Connections mean everything in Biden
world.
16
Charlie’s new entourage
nypost.com
Page
Six®
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
Emily
Smith
esmith@nypost.com
Ian Mohr
imohr@nypost.com
Mara Siegler
msiegler@nypost.com
Carlos Greer
cgreer@nypost.com
Oli Coleman
ocoleman@nypost.com
Tashara Jones
tjones@nypost.com
Hold the pickle
PADEL, which is outpacing pic-
kleball as the trendy sport du
jour, has hit Miami this week with
a high-profile tournament that’s
pulling in wealthy spectators
with $30,000 VIP boxes and per-
formances by A-list entertainers.
The Blockchain.com Miami Padel
Open is organized by billionaire
businessman Wayne Boich and
has mostly sold out we’re told.
Perks include VIP catering by
Major Food Group’s ZZ’s Club.
Vince Vaughn was in the stands
on Tuesday, along with execs
from Related, SL Green and oth-
ers. Rick Ross, Ludacris and
Wyclef Jean are even playing the
padel parties.
Bubbles backer
YET another celeb has partnered
with a booze brand. Naturally, Le-
onardo DiCaprio’s Champagne is
eco-friendly. The environmentally
inclined movie star and interna-
tional party boy is backing organic
bubbly brand Telmont, which the
star says protects “biodiversity on
its land” and uses “100 percent re-
newable electricity.” The company
“upcycles” used bottles into soy
wax candles. DiCaprio (above)
didn’t disclose how much moola
he’s invested. Either way, he can
feel better sipping on a superyacht.
CHARLIE Sheen is doing lines again, Page — and that he wanted to also get Martin
Six has learned. But don’t worry — this time Sheen in the show.
it’s the kind you find in a script. Now we hear that they started shooting an
We’re told the star — who hasn’t appeared untitled pilot in Los Angeles yesterday and
on camera in anything since 2017 other than a they have indeed convinced Sheen Sr. to do a
cameo role — has started shooting a TV pilot cameo. We’re told “Entourage” alums Kevin
written and produced by “Entourage” creator Connolly and Kevin Dillon are also appear-
Doug Ellin. ing in the new project.
Ellin and Sheen apparently became friendly The “Major League” star recently hinted that
when Ellin landed Sheen last year as a guest he was working with Ellin, Connolly and Dil-
on his “Victory the Podcast,” and he then lon when he posted a picture of the four of
teased that he and Sheen were hatching a
project together.
Ellin said at the time that he gave Sheen
them with a group of other actors to Insta-
gram with the caption, “Epic first day with my
new ‘2nd’ family.”
some loose ideas for a TV show to mull over Of course, Sheen famously flamed out of his
Julia
Fox (left) and
Kim Kardashian
seem to have formed
their own biker gang
after breaking it off
with Kanye West:
the Banana
Splits.
Follow us
on Twitter
@Page
Ye says nay to ‘Donda 2’ party
Six
KANyE West was a no-show to an after-party for his new “Donda 2” album per-
formance at LoanDepot Park in Miami. The rapper was supposed to turn up at the
bash and “his team spent money on the party,” said a source. “He was supposed to be
there.” But while West was absent at the event at XXIII Club, plenty of his famous
friends attended. “All these people showed up and were wondering ‘Where is Kanye?’ ” said a source. “It was
a running joke, ‘Is he here yet?’ ” West’s earlier performance reportedly started two hours late and struggled
with tech issues. The show included samples of his ex Kim Kardashian’s “SNL” monologue, and he trolled
her new boyfriend Pete Davidson in his song “Eazy.” With West onstage at the show were Alicia Keys,
Pusha T, DaBaby, Marilyn Manson, Migos and more. A rep for West did not get back to us. Meanwhile,
West’s ex Julia Fox (above) was spotted sitting in the front row at fashion brand Diesel’s Milan fashion
week show in a yellow jumpsuit similar to one Kardashian was also spotted wearing in the Italian city.
phenomenally successful TV career in 2011
when he launched a public assault on Chuck
Lorre, the creator and executive producer of
Sheen’s hit show “Two and a Half Men.” Sheen
— who has long-running and well-docu-
mented substance abuse issues — was fired,
and shortly afterward entered his “tiger blood”
phase, giving a series of bizarre TV interviews
in which he claimed to be a “warlock.”
He returned to a regular gig on TV with FX’s
“Anger Management,” which ran from 2012 to
2014. Meanwhile, Ellin’s blockbuster show
“Entourage” appeared on HBO from 2004 to
2011 and inspired a spinoff feature film that
was released in 2010.
Cashing in or out?
“MY Unorthodox Life” star Julia
Haart is being sued for allegedly
spending unauthorized millions of
company cash by her estranged
husband Silvio Scaglia. Haart, who
was ousted as CEO of Elite World
Group this month, is alleged to have
spent $125,000 on “cosmetic proce-
dures” — including a boob job, as
Page Six reported — according to
court papers. The filing, seen by
Page Six, also claims Haart used the
company setup to run her clothing
line, E1972, as her “personal piggy
bank.” It alleges she spent about
$500,000 at Louis Vuitton, $180,000
at Chanel, $140,000 at Dior and
more than $500,000 on lavish trips,
plus more than $160,000 on makeup
and hair. The suit alleges Haart
overspent on the budget allocated
to her for personal expenses, claim-
ing: “In addition to exceeding
E1972’s budget by millions of dollars
due to her personal spending hab-
its, Haart also freely used two EWG
corporate credit cards to purchase
expensive clothing and handbags,
luxury vacations and other personal
and unnecessary purchases.” The
suit adds: “In total, Haart used her
position as chief executive officer to
spend at least $1 million of EWG’s
PEPA / BACKGRID; Fox: Getty Images
corporate funds on personal and
unnecessary expenses without au-
thorization to do so.” Haart has said
in court papers that she didn’t take a
salary and, therefore, used company
funds, as agreed with by EWG
chiefs. The papers add that “due
primarily to Haart’s mismanage-
ment of EWG and excessive spend-
ing, from 2018 to 2021, EWG’s EB-
ITDA [earnings before interest,
taxes, depreciation and amortiza-
tion] declined from $6 million to
negative $10.4 million.” Page Six has
reached out to Haart’s reps.
Sightings
CARA Delevingne dancing in
the DJ booth at Nebula nightclub
as Diplo spun tunes . . .
AMANDA Lepore at singer Ju-
lian King’s pajama party event in
Flatbush, hosted by Haus Party
. . . LOUDON Wainwright III
playing with Vince Giordano
and the Nighthawks at Bond 45.
 17

- ALPINE & SADDLE RIVER OFFERINGS -

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Alpine, NJ
$14,995,000
A rare opportunity to own this sophisticated
22,000 square foot new construction european
colonial manor, which is sited high on a 2
acre lot located on the exclusive Frick Drive,
the only single family guard gated street in
Bergen County. Designed by Bob Zampolin,
features include steep slate roofs, high ceilings,
walls of glass, banquet sized reception rooms,
multiple staircases to all levels, commercial
grade elevator to all levels, indoor pool,
plunge pool, gym, theater, 8 bedroom suites,

nypost.com
and 14 bathrooms in total. 4 Plus garages.
Only 8 miles to NYC. This spectacular
residence embodies all that luxury has to offer.

Saddle River, NJ
$6,650,000
One of the most pristine, renovated,
restored and expanded colonial farmhouse
compounds is now available to the buyer
who wants the quintessential “lifestyle estate”.
Soaring ceilings, and walls of glass overlook
approximately 10 sprawling, rolling acres of
land. A long belgium block-lined courtyard
driveway leads you to a fieldstone and cedar
colonial home wrapped by a porch. Large and
dramatic, yet not cavernous, each bedroom
is a suite, with the main primary suite on the
1st level. Cathedral ceilings in both the chefs
kitchen and great room overlook the east and
west great lawns. Reception rooms include
a study, formal living room, formal dining
room, morning room, and gallery. On the
grounds, a restored antique ice house features
a gymnasium overlooking a pond. Beautiful
gunite pool with separate large hot tub features
a guest house with family room and bath. Low
taxes!! Nothing quite like this anywhere!

Dennis McCormack Prominent Properties Sotherby’s International Realty | Alpine

prominentproperties.com
Broker Associate
Cell: 917.566.9800 Office: 201.768.9300
Dennis.McCormack@sothebysrealty.com Each Office is Independently Owned And Operated.
18

All aboard
nypost.com

We eliminated fees.
for ‘Onassis’
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Not every bank can power, marriages, his is his character. Born 1906

say that.
whole life. Titled ‘Onas-
sis,’ it runs an hour and a
half.” Yeah. But why? “On
the set, working on ‘The
Offer’ miniseries which is
about ‘The Godfather’ and
where I play [Carlo] Gam-
in Asia Minor, how he got
his first million, how he
went forward. We opened
in Greece and reviews
said I shook the theatrical
waters of Athens.”
What about playing

Cindy
bino, someone said ‘You Jackie? “I invite her to my
Rewarding, no-fees Complete Checking. look like Onassis. If he yacht, the Christina. She

Adams
Yes, you read that correctly. Flushing Bank has eliminated overdraft, insufficient
funds, and transfer fees. Our Complete Checking account has always offered
great benefits such as mobile banking, mobile check deposit, and ATM fee A FEW weddings down
rebates, but now you can enjoy no-fees Complete Checking.* Plus, with our the line Aristotle Onassis,
once Earth’s richest Greek
Customer Value Program you can qualify for additional cash bonuses. Visit
shipowner, who married
FlushingBank.com/personal/checking-accounts for more information, to open a new widow Jackie Kennedy, is
Complete Checking account, or to locate a nearby branch. gone eternally but being
resurrected theatrically.
Says British actor An-
Small enough to know you. thony Skordi the resu-
Large enough to help you.® rectee: “This one-man
play covers his rise to
*Extra services such as fees charged for returned deposited items, non-Flushing Bank ATM withdrawals and balance
inquiries, official checks, and wire transfers apply to this account. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for details.
were here today he
could’ve used you as his
vessel.’
“I became curious and
started to read every-
thing. Inspired, I did re-
search. Took me two
weeks to write the idea,
then four months to re-
write. I’m Onassis. Physi-
cally and vocally I play
his grandparent, his un-
cle. No wardrobe change.
Just a walking stick to be-
come his uncle. The story
appears twice. I talk to
her. She and sister Lee
discuss the depression
after Jackie loses her
baby. We talk of Jackie’s
every month $20,000
clothing allowance. She’d
resell the items before
she even wore them. She
then runs off after this
discussion. Opening’s
March 3. The American
Theatre of Actors, 54th
and 8th. We’ll play three
weeks.”

Follow us on
® Flushing Bank is a registered trademark Costner’s bright film horizons
KeviN Costner’s finally making “Horizon,” the period Western that’s been
on his horizon forever.
Kevin: “You can never guarantee popular or critical success. You can only be-
lieve in the quality of scripts you’re doing. I’d never have predicted what hap-
pened with my movies like ‘Field of Dreams’ or ‘Bull Durham.’ I just knew the
scripts had gold dust on them.
“I’m tough about most of my life but a little baby about my art. There’s movies I’ve
mourned forever only nobody wants to listen to me whine. But they’re all important
to me. I won’t fall out of love with
things I know are good.
“ ‘Horizon’ shoots this summer al-
though fund-raising here didn’t work.
The euros came from abroad. My three
Westerns were funded with foreign
money. Very American movie ‘Dances
With Wolves’ no one believed in. I
raised it that same way, plus I put in my
own capital. Now it’s the same damn
story. And I’ll put my own money up.”

Paramount
Meanwhile, Costner, in “Yellow-
stone” (at right), is shooting up big
ratings for Paramount TV.

Florida feels his own iPad, clicking into

BESIDES lurking alliga-
tors, hopping frogs and
creaking wheelchairs,
Florida’s up to its assets
in artistry, jewelry, paint-
ings, antiques, anything.
One night, Bilboquet’s
whole restaurant was an
art show. Minus a 2nd Av-
enue Deli nearby and ev-
eryone’s late 5 p.m. dinner
over, left is only a gallery.
The Mar-a-Lago attitude
seems to be up. Donald’s
personally picking songs
in the dining room. With
Spotify or whatever, the
other evening he played
Elvis during a soup course.
THIS week’s headlines
“Putin Invades” hit one
day after the Olympics
ended. Pay attention. Me
— I — moi — Madam Ad-
ams — her very own self
— told you exactly this
back aways. This very col-
umn reported Putin held
off choking Ukraine until
after the Olympics so as
not to ruffle China’s feel-
ings. And exactly one day
after is when he invaded.
Check back on my report-
ing. Ask not how I knew. I
didn’t guess. I knew.
Also he’s heavy into
classical music. Tchaikov-
sky. Seeing this invasion
like a symphony, thinking
to be his nation’s most fa-
mous conductor, Vlad’s
unafraid to hit sour notes
— except that gas prices
will rise. It’s Russian rou-
lette roadwise.
May Biden contact me
— only in New York,
kids, only in New York
— for intel.
 19

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

nypost.com
mia m h
i b e ac

oceansidehotelmiamibeach.com
southbeachgroup.com
20
nypost.com
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

B E I C O N I C Milli Vanilli’s ‘True’

T H E A L L- E L ECT RIC
20 23 LYR I Q writer revealed
Milli Vanilli, the dancing duo who lit
up the music scene in the late ’80s and
were later revealed to be lip-syncing faux
musicians, had a profound effect on
Kevin Liles and the trajectory of his ca-
reer. Though one could argue the music
executive also had a significant impact
on Milli Vanilli.
How? When Kevin was a Baltimore
teen rapping with his group Numarx, he
wrote a little song called “Girl You Know
It’s True” for his collective. It wasn’t in-
tended for German-French pop stars in
spandex and shoulder pads, but that’s
where the tune landed.
“I wrote this record that sold like
100,000 copies, but somebody stole it
from me and sold 18 million copies,” he
told me.
“I found out that somebody remade my
record because I was home chilling and
this girl said, ‘They’re playing your
record.’ And I’m talking s - - t: ‘Of course
they played my record. They played my
record all the time.’ She said, ‘No, [the]
video’s about to come on.’ I’m like, ‘I
never made a video.’ And damn if I didn’t
see Milli Vanilli doing my song . . . So you
can imagine, I’m 17, 18 . . . I’m trying to
figure out. But that was the moment. I
didn’t want to be in the music business
anymore. I wanted to be in the business
of music.”
At the time, he was opening for people
such as LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa and Will
Smith. Kevin was a “regional star” on the
music scene, and was studying electrical
engineering at Morgan State University.
However, the Milli Vanilli
affair redirected him to-
ward the boardroom in-
stead of the studio.

‘300’ feet high and rising

He worked his way up from intern to president of Def Jam,
where he nurtured the careers of hip-hop’s biggest stars, in-
cluding LL, Jay-Z, DMX and Kanye West, and helped push
hip-hop and rap into the mainstream.
In 2012, he co-founded 300 Entertainment, which signed art-
ists such as Fetty Wap, Young Thug, Mary J. Blige and Megan
Thee Stallion. It was acquired by Warner Music Group in De-
cember for $400 million. And last month, he said that they were
launching a film and content studio and their first project would

Leon Bennett/Getty Images

be “Race: Bubba Wallace,” a six-part Netflix series on the only
African American driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. It dropped
this week on the streaming giant.
“I wanted to tell one of the stories that I think if I didn’t push for
it to be told, it wouldn’t be told. And that’s the journey of Bubba
Wallace,” he said.
That powerful series is just an appetizer. They have over 20 pro-
jects now in production.
V I S I T Y O U R T R I - S TAT E
C A D I L L AC D E A L E R
He’s doing it for the culture
Kevin has been in the industry for three music . . . I don’t have artists, I have human
decades. He’s a walking testament to the beings,” he said. “My job is to stay ahead of
evolution of the industry and art form, where the business is, but always go back
but he doesn’t use the word “reinvention.” to: Is it telling a story? Is it cultural?”
“I don’t really reinvent. The only Kevin is a legend. His impact is immeas-
thing’s been different urable. My next order
CADILLAC.COM/LYRIQ about me is when we of business is pitching
met, I was 320 Scan the a documentary to 300
pounds. That was a code to called “Gotta Blame It
P rep ro d uc tio n vehicle shown. Ac t ual product ion m od e l w i l l v a r y.
reinvention,” said a listen to the on Something: The
Init ial availabilit y first half of 2022.
now-svelte Kevin. Jalen Rose: Untold Story of How
“I wanted to serve Renaissance Milli Vanilli Inadvert-
the artist and serve Man podcast ently Shaped Modern
the culture . . . It’s cul- Rap.” I hope he green-
ture. This ain’t just lights it.
Eric’s bid 21

to quell

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

gay furor
Mayor Adams defended
his decision to hire three
ministers with past histo-
ries of homophobic re-
marks Wednesday, as anger
in the city’s politically
powerful LGBT commu-
nity continued to grow.
Hizzoner’s remarks came
as major gay-rights groups
promised demonstrations
outside of City Hall as
soon as Thursday over
former Bronx Councilman

nypost.com
Fernando Cabrera, Brook-
lyn-based Gilford Monrose
and Erick Salgado joining
the administration.
“This is a different
America when marriage
was first brought to the
floor. If we say ‘everyone
who did not get it then
should be banished perma-
nently,’ that’s the wrong
message,” Adams told re-
porters during a press con-
ference in Brooklyn. He
said the goal is to let peo-
ple evolve and “see the er-
ror of their ways.”
He added for his LGBTQ
“allies” that he’s “fought
with you side by side, even
at my political detriment.”
Monrose was hired to
head the Mayor’s Office of
Faith-Based and Commu-
nity Partnerships, where
Cabrera will be a senior
advisor. Salgado was hired lol: Tom Holland (l-r) Andrew Garfield
as a top official in the and Tobey Maguire recreate the popular
mayor’s Office of Immi- pointing-Spideys meme (inset) as a
grant Affairs. Nolan Hicks teaser for the home-video release of the
and Bernadette Hogan trio’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

No court for shoot to promote the home re-

lease of box-office sensation
“Your new lock screen just
dropped,” the account quipped.

SUNY ‘killer’ By BROOKE KATO

Three Spider-Mans walk onto

“Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
“Of course, we got THE
meme,” wrote the official Twit-
The widely circulated meme
depicts three animated Spider-
Mans pointing at each other — a
used on social media as a visual
metaphor for hypocrisy.
It was Garfield, 38, according

The upstate man charged
in the drive-by shooting
death of SUNY Potsdam
student Elizabeth Howell
won’t appear in court later
this week, prosecutors said
Wednesday.
A public defender for
Michael J. Snow, 31, who re-
mains held without bond on
a second-degree murder
charge, waived the prelimi-
nary hearing set for Friday
in Massena’s town court, St.
Lawrence County District
Attorney Gary Pasqua con-
firmed to The Post.
The case will be trans-
ferred to St. Lawrence
County Court for further
proceedings, Pasqua said.
Joshua Rhett Miller
Tom Holland/Instagram
a set . . . and re-create an iconic ter account for the film, the scene from the 1960s “Spider- to an interview with Holland, 25,
Internet meme. highest-grossing release of the Man” cartoon, during an episode for IndieWire, who suggested
Tom Holland, Andrew Gar- pandemic era and sixth-highest that features the real superhero the three live-action Spidey ac-
field and Tobey Maguire posed grossing film ever worldwide, and two imposters. tors pay homage to the gag while
for the ultimate comic photo with $1.8 billion and counting. The image has been widely filming “No Way Home.”
B’klyn ‘evict’ landlords fork over $2M brownstone
A prominent Brooklyn The city filed suit against Crown Heights brownstone. als of out of nine buildings. said in a joint press release.
couple accused of illegally the landlords — so-called They were accused of try- The duo settled both cases “The matter was settled
trying to boot tenants dur- “eco-builder” Gennaro ing to boot their tenants de- in agreeing to turn over the without the need for pro-
ing the pandemic has agreed Brooks-Church and his ex- spite a pandemic-related building at 1214 Dean St. tracted and expensive litiga-
to turn over their $2 million wife and former yoga-stu- state eviction moratorium. worth $2 million so that it tion and without any admis-
property to the city so that dio guru, Loretta Gendville A month later, the city can be converted into af- sion of liability,” the land-
it can be converted into af- — in November 2020 after filed another suit claiming fordable housing, New York lords’ lawyer, Kenneth Fisher,
fordable housing, according they were accused of har- the pair was running Attorney General Letitia said. “It was a good out-
to a settlement Wednesday. assing the tenants of their shoddy, illegal Airbnb rent- James and Mayor Adams come.” Priscilla DeGregory
22
nypost.com
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Prepare for power

outages with a
Generac home
standby generator
REQUEST A FREE QUOTE!

866-497-1132

FREE
7-Year Extended
Warranty*
A $695 Value!
Limited Time Offer - Call for Details

Special Financing Available

Subject to Credit Approval

*To qualify, consumers must request a quote, purchase, install and activate the
generator with a participating dealer. Call for a full list of terms and conditions.

‘Black nationalist’ targeted Jewish pol: cops
By DANA KENNEDY
The mom of Quintez Brown —
the Black Lives Matter rising star
charged last week with firing a
gun at a mayoral candidate in
Louisville — said her son under-
went a change after enrolling at
the University of Kentucky three
years ago.
“It’s all been since he started
college,” Cecilia Brown told The
Post about her son, who was once
honored by President Barack Ob-
ama and appeared on MSNBC to
push gun control. “I haven’t really
heard from him. He’s always busy.
He’s been living with his dad. I
don’t know what was on his mind.
Only God can judge that.”
Despite Brown’s mysterious dis-
appearance from Louisville last
June — that ended with his re-
portedly being found by his dad
on a bench in Brooklyn nearly
two weeks later — and his in-
creasing social media interest in
revolutionary communism and
black nationalism, family and
friends from the local chapter of
Black Lives Matter alluded to only
vague “emotional issues” he
might have had.
Brown’s Twitter account has
since been deleted, but he posted
support for the Lion of Judah
Armed Forces on the Instagram
account he created last December
when announcing a run for the
Louisville metro council. Lion of
Judah is an armed, militant group
with similar beliefs to the Black
Hebrew Israelites who espouse
an ideology that African-Ameri-
cans, not Jews, are the true de-
scendants of the biblical He-
brews.
Lion of Judah has been identi-
fied by the Southern Poverty Law
Center as a hate group.
Motive unclear
Louisville Metro Police Chief
Erika Shields told reporters that
police did not yet have a motive
to explain the shooting, but
pointed out that Craig Greenberg,
the victim, “is Jewish, so there’s
that. We don’t know if it’s tied to
the candidates or is political or if
we are dealing with someone
with mental issues or is venom-
ous,” Shields said. “We are look-
ing at this from all angles.”
On Feb. 14, Brown allegedly
walked into the campaign head-
quarters of Greenberg and fired
multiple shots at him using a
9mm handgun. No one was hurt,
but a bullet grazed Greenberg’s
sweater and shirt.
Police said Brown was found
with a loaded 9mm magazine in
his pocket and a handgun, hand-
gun case and additional maga-
zines inside a bag.
Brown pleaded not guilty to at-
tempted murder and four counts
changed: Quintez
Brown, 21, an honored
activist (right) , was
charged (above) with
shooting at Craig
Greenberg
(below).
of first-degree wanton endanger-
ment.
His lawyer, Rob Eggert, ap-
peared in court Wednesday in
Louisville. Both the prosecutors
and Eggert agreed to waive pre-
liminary hearings and take
the case straight to the
grand jury on March
21.. Brown appeared by
video conference.
Brown is close to
another mayoral can-
didate, Pastor Tim
Findley, who is run-
ning against Green-
berg. A source close to
the mayoral campaign in
Louisville told The Post
that Findley focused
much of his
Getty Images
campaign rhetoric against Green- we wanted to see in our young
berg in his social media posts, people.”
some of which have apparently “He needs to get mental-health
been deleted. support,” Chanelle Helm, the co-
Findley, who has been active in founder of Black Lives Matter in
protests in Louisville, said he be- Louisville who has known Brown
lieves his rivalry with Green- since he joined the group at age
berg had nothing to do 16, told The Post but declined to
with Brown allegedly be more specific about his issues.
shooting at the candi- Brown, a 21-year-old college
date. senior who wrote op-ed columns
“Quintez is a son of for The Courier-Journal, the
the city,” Findley told state’s biggest newspaper, was
The Post. “He’s bril- called a “high-achieving golden
liant, but we know boy” by a college professor.
there were emotional is- Prior to the shooting, Brown
sues. It’s very sad because suffered a “mental breakdown”
what I saw was a bright and had not slept for “days or
shining star. He weeks,” said his lawyer, Eggert.
represented Brown was freed two days later,
what after a local BLM chapter posted
23
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
$100,000 bond. Fitted with a GPS
ankle monitor, he is confined to
his father’s home.
His release prompted a public
outcry, with US Sen. Mitch
McConnell (R-Ky.) calling it “jaw-
dropping.” David James, the Afri-
can American president of the
Louisville Metro Council, said the
Louisville Community Bail Fund
should not have bailed out Brown,
adding: “They are going to be re-
sponsible for what he may or may
not do to anybody.”
“It is nearly impossible to be-
lieve that someone can attempt
murder on Monday and walk out
of jail on Wednesday,” Greenberg
told The Courier-Journal. “If
nypost.com
someone is struggling with a
mental illness and is in custody,
they should be evaluated and
treated in custody.”
Bailed out
Helm, who founded the BLM
chapter that put up the bond
money, told The Post: “You have
to look at where he’s coming
from. He grew up in West Louis-
ville, where people are deprived
of resources for things like mental
health. He’s a brilliant writer and
an excellent organizer. But we
have so many people suffering in
this city from fascism and racism.
Helm continued: “Mental ill-
ness doesn’t come out of the blue.
We’re trying to figure out what
happened to him while everyone
else is vilifying him.”
Brown mysteriously disap-
peared from Louisville last June,
only to be found by his worried
dad, Jacob Daugherty, in Brooklyn
11 days later, according to the fa-
ther’s social media. At the time,
Daugherty and Brown’s step-
mother told local press that their
son might be going through a
mental-health crisis and pleaded
with the public for help to find
him. They said he vanished after a
fight at a local swimming pool.
They were critical of the Louis-
ville Metro Police Department at
the time, saying they were ill-
equipped” to help find him.
Brown gained national recogni-
tion as a social-justice activist in
2018, speaking about gun reform
with Joy Reid on the host’s
MSNBC show.
The Obama Foundation called him
a “rising face,” and Brown broke
bread with the Rev. Al Sharpton and
former Kentucky state lawmaker
Charles Booker, who called him a
“brilliant scholar.”
One month ago, Brown pub-
lished on Medium.com “A Revo-
lutionary Love Letter,” invoking
Huey Newton, co-founder of the
Black Panthers, and Kwame Ture,
né Stokely Carmichael, also a
Black Panther and a leader of the
global Pan-African movement.
dkennedy@nypost.com
24
Migrant Inside Courtney and
nypost.com
border slay
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
Shot fleeing agent
By MArk LungArieLLo
A migrant from Mexico
was shot dead by a border
patrol agent as he tried to
escape arrest in a remote
area of Arizona, authorities
announced Wednesday.
US Customs and Border
Patrol agents confronted a
group of illegal immigrants
at about 9 p.m. Saturday in
Skeleton Canyon, 32 miles
northeast of Douglas, the
agency said.
The agents on horseback
had to dismount because
of the rocky terrain and
took three migrants into
custody — but they spot-
ted a fourth man running
downhill into a canyon to
avoid capture, according to
CBP. One agent followed
and shot the man multiple
times, officials said.
CBP said the agent “dis-
charged his firearm” while
taking the man into cus-
tody but didn’t describe
the circumstances further.
Two other migrants who
were part of the same
group were later found in
the surrounding area and
were also taken into cus-
tody, with all five detain-
ees taken to the Douglas
Key NY pol’s aide
on redraw panel
Democrats on the City
Council appointed the cam-
paign treasurer of one of its
most powerful members to
help oversee the sensitive
task of redrawing the Big
Apple’s 51 council districts
— provoking concerns
about a potential conflict
and favoritism, sources told
The Post.
The Council’s Democratic
Conference selected lawyer
Gregory Kirschenbaum,
who is still listed in election
records as Councilman
Keith Powers’ campaign
treasurer, as one of its five
members to the redistrict-
ing commission.
Border Patrol Station in
Arizona, the statement
said.
The Mexican Consulate
was notified of the deadly
clash and will be working
with authorities to identify
the man and notify his rel-
atives, said the Cochise
County Sheriff ’s Office,
one of the agencies investi-
gating the death.
Sheriff ’s office personnel
had to recover the man’s
remains the day after the
shooting, to “allow for the
safety of detectives, addi-
tional law enforcement
personnel, and air support
from the Arizona Depart-
ment of Public Safety Ran-
ger to access the difficult
terrain to process the
scene” and transport the
man’s body to the medical
examiner, the Cochise of-
fice said in a news release.
An autopsy by the Pima
County Medical Examiner
listed “multiple gunshot
wounds” as the man’s
cause of death, according
to the Cochise Sheriff’s Of-
fice.
The incident will also be
reviewed by the CBP’s Na-
tional Use of Force Review
Board.
Powers, who represents
part of Manhattan’s East
Side, is chairman of the
Rules Committee, which
oversees election matters.
“A councilmember’s cam-
paign treasurer is not an
ideal choice for a commis-
sion that is supposed to
draw district lines to reflect
the public interest first,
without respect to the pref-
erences of incumbency,”
said Susan Lerner of Com-
mon Cause NY.
Election lawyer Arthur
Schwartz chimed in, “Such
an appointment is not ille-
gal — but it should be.”
Carl Campanile
BORN OUT OF
WED-ROCK
By ChuCk ArnoLd
When Nirvana’s “Nevermind” de-
throned Michael Jackson’s “Danger-
ous” from the top of the charts in Janu-
ary 1992, Kurt Cobain was effectively
crowned the new king of rock. And by
the next month, he officially had a
queen upon marrying Courtney Love
— now 30 years ago, on Feb. 24, 1992,
on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu.
But, in true punk-rock fashion, it
wasn’t exactly a royal wedding: The
bride — who became pregnant with
daughter Frances Bean four months
after they began dating — wore a
white satin and lace dress that was pre-
viously owned by tragic actress (and
Cobain muse) Frances Farmer. The
groom wore green and white flannel
pajamas. The eight guests included
Nirvana bandmate Dave Grohl.
“Well, they were both pretty un-
conventional people,” Charles R.
Cross, author of the 2001 book
“Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography
of Kurt Cobain,” told The Post. “I
think the idea of the wedding in a
church . . . I couldn’t imagine that
happening in a billion years.”
Blessed by the grunge gods, it was a
union that would go down in music
history. Sadly, their romance would
end in tragedy when Cobain commit-
ted suicide slightly over two years
later, on April 5, 1994. But despite all of
their troubles — from drug addiction
to allegations of domestic violence —
there was a lot of love along the way.
“Kurt Cobain picked Courtney Love,
and Courtney Love picked Kurt Co-
bain,” said Cross. “No matter how
flawed they were at times as individu-
als, they were two people that loved
each other.”
And when they took those vows,
they meant them — and made no apol-
ogies to the doubters who predicted a
rocky future for the couple.
“I was going, ‘Yeah, I know what’s
going to happen,’ ” Love told Rolling
Stone of their tumultuous life in a 1994
interview after Cobain’s death. “I don’t
give a f - - k. I love this guy. My prince
on a goddamn white horse.”
Alliance of outsiders
Cobain and Love had their fateful the Madonna doc “Truth or Dare” on
first meeting Jan. 12, 1990, at the Satyri- one platonic outing.
con nightclub in Portland, Ore., where But they took their flirty friendship
Nirvana was playing an early gig. They to the next level one night later in 1991,
would end up spending more time to-
gether when Nirvana went to Los An-
geles to record “Nevermind” in the
spring of 1991, since Love lived near
at a Nirvana show at the Metro in
Chicago. Love, who was dating Billy
Corgan at the time, had flown there to
be with the Smashing Pumpkins front-
the Van Nuys studio where the band
was making their breakout album.
Love, who was friends with Grohl first,
even went with him and Cobain to see
man. “She found that Billy was with
another woman, and so she left and
she knew Nirvana was in town,” said
Lyndsey Parker, host of SiriusXM’s
Volume West.
Sparks flew between Love and Co-
bain after the Nirvana show, when they
finally hooked up and began their love
affair. “Within five minutes of her
walking in the dressing room, she was
sitting on Kurt’s lap,” said Parker.
Cobain was attracted to Love as a
woman who was his equal and peer
with her own group — Love’s band
Hole had debuted the album “Pretty
on the Inside” a week before “Never-
alternative nation:
Fans mourned Cobain’s death by
suicide in April 1994 with vigils in
his hometown of Seattle.

Kurt’s beautiful, troubled marriage
mind” came out in September 1991.
“Kurt was very feminist . . . and I
think he was very attracted to a
strong woman,” said Parker. “She
had a very strong personality. She
was already kind of, like, a polariz-
ing figure. I think he was attracted
to a tough, no-bulls - - t woman . . .
He could have dated whoever the
hot supermodel was, and he went
for this scruffy punk-rock girl.”
But Cobain and Love bonded
over more than just music. “Court-
ney once said something to me that
I think really surmised one of the
reasons that they bonded: She said
that Kurt knew what the taste of
government cheese was,” said
Cross. “In a way, I think what she
was saying . . . is that there was
trauma bonding. They both had
had pretty difficult upbringings.
They both had been outsiders. And
even though they both had creative
ambitions and they were both on
the way to fame . . . living in pov-
erty and growing up with neglect,
which both of them had [done], I
think can’t be overstated in how
they bonded.”
Terry McGinnis/WireImage; Shutterstock/Sky Cinema; Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage; Getty Images
But, drugs — in particular, heroin
— were a destructive force in their
relationship.
Dangerous behavior
“Certainly Kurt was way into
drugs before he met Courtney,”
said Cross. “He’d already broken
up with essentially two girlfriends
that didn’t want to hang out with
him because of his drug use. And
for Courtney, the decision to be
with Kurt was in some ways a diffi-
cult decision for her because she
was trying to avoid that life . . . You
know, Kurt suffered from a pretty
serious addiction. In addition to
that, there were two other things
that can’t be underestimated.
There was the chronic pain issues
he had both with the stomach and
his back. And then the third issue
was, he clearly had depression.”
In 1992, there was a controversial
Vanity Fair article that claimed that
Love had used heroin during her
pregnancy with Frances Bean. Al-
though she initially denied it,
claiming that she stopped using
take the GRunGe:
Nirvana was Cobain,
Dave Grohl (left) and
Krist Novoselic.
heroin as soon as she found out that
she was pregnant, the couple tem-
porarily lost custody of their daugh-
ter as a result. But in the 2015 docu-
mentary “Kurt Cobain: Montage of
Heck,” Love admitted, “I used it
once, then stopped. I knew she
would be fine.”
Then in 1993, there was a domes-
tic dispute that made headlines. Co-
In GROOM: Kurt Cobain married
Courtney Love on Feb. 24, 1992,
while the “Hole” frontwoman was
pregnant with daughter Frances
Bean, now 29 (above right).
bain was arrested by police for al-
legedly assaulting Love during a
fight over having guns in the house.
No charges were filed, though, and
the case was dismissed.
But while Cobain and Love were
sometimes at war — with each
other and with themselves — there
was also tremendous tenderness
between them. They would even
leave each other all kinds of love
notes in all kinds of forms.
“It was stuff like written on the
back of an envelope or a fax sent to
a hotel or Post-It notes,” said Cross.
“And many of those things were
saved. These guys were not crazy
housekeepers, and notes that Kurt
wrote on the back of an envelope
might still be there a year and a half
later. And you know, some of it got
saved for posterity — they were
both very aware of the fact that
they were making history.”
Dual muses
Nirvana released its “Never-
mind” follow-up, “In Utero,” in
September 1993, and Cross con-
25
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
nypost.com
tends that you can hear Love’s in-
fluence on that album. “Courtney
made Kurt a better lyricist,” he
said. “And I think Kurt made Court-
ney a better riff writer. And in
some ways, it was a competition.”
While they pushed each other
musically, Love and Cobain were
not always able to provide each
other that same kind of positive in-
fluence when it came to getting —
and staying — sober.
“You’ve got two drug addicts, but
their addiction and their desires
weren’t always matching,” said
Cross. “It isn’t really fair to say who
was the worst addict. But Kurt’s ad-
dictions, sadly, were deeper.”
In March 1994, Cobain acciden-
tally overdosed on painkillers in his
Rome hotel room and fell into a
coma. After he recovered from
that, Love helped stage an inter-
vention for him and he went to re-
hab. But Cobain left rehab early,
went back to Seattle and commit-
ted suicide with a self-inflicted
shotgun wound April 5, 1994. His
last words to Love? “Whatever
happens, you made a great album,”
he said of Hole’s “Live Through
This,” which came out April 12.
There were those who faulted
Love for Cobain’s tragic end.
“I get extremely pissed when
anyone blames her in any way for
his death . . . whether it’s the more
general sentiment that they think
she drove him to suicide because
she made him miserable all the way
to the weird conspiracy theories,”
said Parker.
Later in 1994, Love mused about
losing her “prince on a goddamn
white horse” to Rolling Stone: “I
used to feel like mourning him was
really selfish because it would
make him feel guilty. And the best
thing to do was to pray for him and
show him joy, so he could feel the
vibration of the joy.”
26
NJ man Felony
raps vs. ‘Pay-to-play’ Pete
nypost.com

arrested
in ‘rub’ Buttigieg donors got city contracts ex-Jet
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Creeper alert, aisle three! Former New York Jets

A New Jersey man was running back Zac Stacy is
busted for rubbing his groin By Natalie O’Neill tracts between 2011 and nated more than $35,000 to Butti- facing five new domestic-
against the backside of a 2019, the Daily Mail re- gieg campaigns. violence charges related to
woman at a supermarket, Pete Buttigieg’s politi- ported. The construction firms Bradley a second alleged attack on
police said Wednesday. cal donors scored city In two cases, firms Co. and Abe Marcus/Ivy Tower his ex-girlfriend.
Ehab E. Nassif, 59, of contracts worth millions were reportedly scored contacts for multimillion- After an alleged assault
Howell Township, was after giving big bucks to awarded contracts by dollar development projects after last August, Kristin Evans
charged with fourth-degree his campaign for mayor South Bend’s Board of each donating thousands, according was allegedly attacked
criminal sexual contact of South Bend, Ind. — Public Works — on to the Daily Mail. again by Stacy in Novem-
after a shopper said he fol- raising concerns over which Buttigieg (inset) The architectural firm DLZ Indi- ber. Stacy was charged
lowed her around a Lidl su- “pay-to-play” deals as he had a seat — the same ana was also awarded more than with felony aggravated bat-
permarket on Route 9 South dishes out funds for the day they donated to his $885,000 in contracts after donating tery and third-degree fel-
in Howell on Feb. 12. national infrastructure campaign. $14,150, according to city public- ony criminal mischief in
An investigation found package, according to a report and works records and other documents. the second case.
Nassif pretended to look at public records. Critics and government watch- Stacy is scheduled to re-
products near the woman The transportation secretary’s
Gifts and perks dogs called the donations worrying turn to court to face the
as he approached her, How- mayoral political action committees Buttigieg, now 40, was also gifted as Buttigieg prepares to dole out new charges March 16.
ell police said. accepted money from at least 23 cigars, alcohol and golf trips valued $210 billion under President Biden’s Stacy’s attorney did not re-
“As the victim reached for companies that were later awarded at hundreds of dollars by other com- bipartisan infrastructure law. turn requests for
an item on the shelf, the more than $33 million in contracts panies that won contracts, accord- However, South Bend officials told comment.
subject then purposely for city projects, according to the ing to the report. the Daily Mail that Buttigieg “was Evans told The Post on
rubbed his groin on her but- Daily Mail. The story was confirmed The Indiana engineering consult- not involved in the awarding of en- Wednesday that “it’s very
tocks,” cops said. by a Post review of some docu- ing firm American Structurepoint gineering and construction con- disappointing” to learn that
Nassif fled, but a tip from ments. won nearly $800,000 in contracts, tracts.” ” prosecutors decided to
a “concerned citizen” who The companies, their executives including for a sewer project, ac- The Department of Transporta- charge Stacy with misde-
saw a social-media report and spouses donated $253,750 to cording to city records and docu- tion said it has “consistently made meanors only, rather than
led to his arrest in another Buttigieg’s campaigns and were ments provided by publicinteg- transparency and accountability to felonies, in the August
Howell store, police said. awarded at least $33,280,426 in con- rity.org. The firm reportedly do- the American pe ople a top priority.” incident.
Joshua Rhett Miller Marjorie Hernandez

It’s 2022 & We Live in Staten Island or New Jersey?

SERVICE HERE &
WE PAY THE TOLLS!
WE SERVICE ALL
LINCOLNS!
Have Vehicles!
No Matter Where You Bought From!

LINCOLN
ASK ABOUT OUR Anywhere In The 5 Boroughs or Long Island. Don’t Wait...
PRESIDENTS’ WEEKEND DEALS!
MORE INVENTORY ARRIVING DAILY! GET YOUR VEHICLE TODAY!
IN-STOCK FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY! COMING SOON!

NEW 2022 LINCOLN NEW 2022 LINCOLN NEW 2022 LINCOLN

NEW 2022 LINCOLN CORSAIR NAUTILUS AVIATOR NAVIGATOR
WELCOME MCU
SHOWROOM HOURS: MEMBERS
Mon-Thu 9a-9p, Fri 9a-7:30p ★ AUTHORIZED
AUTONET DEALER
Sat 9a-6p, Sun 11a-5p CI
PA
L CREDIT
U

WE SPEAK Spanish, Russian,

NI

NI
• MU

ON

Auto Net
French, Arabic, Hindi,
•

LINCOLN
PA

R
LE
R

IC

Urdu, Punjabi
E
T

I PA
TIN G D

5102 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, New York 1-718-258-9400

www.PremierLincoln.com
All offers and pricing include all costs to consumer except tax, title & DMV fees which are additional & may be due upon signing. Photos for illustration. Prior transactions excluded. Offers cannot be combined. Ad supercedes previous offers. Based on current Lincoln programs. Expires 2/28/22. DCA#0806391. DMV#6240988.
 Weird
‘SUSHI’
23
27

true Press
Bye, secretary
bye ‘birdie’ mocks
BUT America

New
New York
Yuri Gripas/UPI/Shutterstock

York Post,
perts near-unanimously said yes,

JITTERS
MAUREEN Q & hey! White we can and we should, the Biden
Two aggressive wild tur- CALLAHAN House press administration announced that ev-

Post, Thursday,
keys
A New are Hampshire
going postal judgein secretary Jen ery American household would get
Groton,
has ruled Conn., terrorizing
a Londonderry Psaki replies to four tests mailed for free.

Wednesday,
mail carriers
motorist notandguilty
prevent-
of questions from
speeding
ing — from
residents despite the
getting EN PSAKI can’t resign fast the press corps
undisputed fact that he
deliveries.
was
The driving at 102 mph.
belligerent bird-
J enough.
Not that the mainstream
with flip, out-of-
touch snark that
Contempt is vitriol
Now, I’d hate for Psaki to find me

HIT NYC
John whom
brains, Coughlin was
some neigh- media ever really holds her to diminishes the condescending. But may I remind

February
rushing
bors havehisdubbed
wife, who was
“Thelma account for her arrogance, conde- anxieties of her: Americans have been in a sus-

April 6,24,
in labor,
and to the
Louise,” hospital.
have been at- scension, sarcasm or out-of-touch current-day pended state of high anxiety for
Baby Kyle
tacking postalcame into the
workers in responses to the average Ameri- American two years now. It’s only getting
the town for weeks,minutes
world just six result- can’s pain. citizens. worse. Sarcasm doesn’t help.
afterin Mom
emptyand Dad made

2011
ing mailboxes due Hey, at least she fully chan- Is COVID in the rearview? Looks
it to the hospital.

2022 nypost.com
to “animal interference.” nels her boss. like it, but who knows? And even if
A few fumbles it is, we have record inflation that’s
would be understand- only worsening, gas prices nearing
Purveyors
Bong appetite.of the world’s able. White House $5 a gallon, Russia’s invasion of

Fish fans’ nuke fears

nypost.com
oldest profession
Customers say aare tak-
restau- press secretary is a no- Ukraine, fraying bonds with our al-
ing plastic.
rant in Las Vegas laced their toriously tough job with a lies, increasing crime and home-
Cops
food near
with Pittsburgh
weed after doz-In- high level of burnout. lessness at home, and an overall
ternational Airport said
ens of people fell
prostitutes are increas- mysteri- But Psaki, a former competitive sense that no one’s in control of
ously “ill.”
ingly accepting credit-card swimmer raised in Greenwich, anything, least of all our president.

Japan’s new
Atcards
gift least as30payment.
people claim Conn., seems to never have en- By REBECCA ROSENBERG One in seven Americans, Forbes
they were cash
hit with is halluci- countered people living paycheck reports, now lives paycheck to pay-
While easily and JENNIFER FERMINO
nations,
spotted and blurryseizedvision and
by cops to paycheck or worried about how check. Last month, Bloomberg’s

safety level
other
during far-out
an arrest,symptomshookers they’ll feed, clothe or educate their With Japan facing a near-nu- Justin Sink asked about Biden’s
after
can dining
better atconceal
the Thaitheireat- kids — amid a global pandemic, no clear meltdown, nervous New cratering polls.
York City sushi restaurants are

Jen, you
ery Secret
profits if of Siam. comes
payment less. If anything, her statements “So,” he said, “the sense is that

s
inSamantha
the form ofDiaz said she
plastic. seem aimed at one cohort alone: desperate to reassure the jittery things are going well? There’s no
ate a curry dish before sud- High-earning, highly educated lib- public that their chow isn’t con- need for TOKYO
change — rightThe now?”Japanese
denly “melting” into her erals and progressives just like her, taminated — but some leery fish government
Psaki couldn’t help set herself.
its first radi-
lovers are still swearing off their ation-safety standards fora
chair.
A boozed-up woman ones who think anyone on the other “I think that, having worked in
favorite raw-food spots. fishHouse
yesterday after Japan’s
“I said, down
stripped ‘Honey? to herI think
bra side is too stupid to acknowledge. “No way would I eat sushi in a White before” — wow —
I’m
andhigh.’ ” and took off
panties million years,” said Ben Goldha- “youtsunami-ravaged
do hard things in thenuclear White
into the woods after a mo- plant reported
House. We could certainly propose radioactive
tor-vehicle crash in Port Gaslighting Americans gen, 52, a Manhattan real-estate contamination
legislation to see if people in support
nearby
broker. seawater measuring several
St.She’s
Lucie, Fla., cops
“Extra! Extra!” said. Last October, as the nation con- Never mind that he used to bunny rabbits andthe icelegal
cream, but
Angela Ferranti, 25, alle- million times limit.
A mother interrupted her fronted unprecedented supply- that wouldn’t be veryoperator
rewardingin- to

‘Psak’ at
love the Asian delicacy. The plant
gedly toldreporter
TV-news cops she son chain issues affecting not just the “My son did a project on Cher- the American people.”
wanted sisted that the radiation will
while he to
was“conceal
taping a seg- her holidays but food and medical sup- nobyl, and the shellfish around it It’srapidly
this kind of haughtiness
disperse and thatthat it
scent”to from a police
“Hi, dog. got Psaki
ment
But
holler,
a him
four-legged
baby!”
K-9
plies, Psaki sarcastically minimized has tons of radiation. It’s just a posesphotographed
no immediatebydanger, Annie
and blow a kiss. it all as “the tragedy of the tread- matter of time before the same Leibovitz
but anfor Vogue
expert said andthatlovingly
expo-
cop — with the very cool profiled
MylesKiloHarris,— of Fox28 in mill that’s delayed.” thing happens in Japan. This is surebytoThe the Newhighly York Times
concen-
name
Columbus,
sniffed outOhio,
eventually
rolledand
Ferranti, his Yes, to Psaki, and the Biden ad- LI’L ANGRY BIRD worse,” he said. Magazine,
tratedwhichlevelsclaimed
near the she “has
Fuku-
eyes
she wasandcharged
grinnedwith when his
DUI. ministration, the supply-chain cri- SI kid’s The US Food and Drug Ad- tamped shimadown the vitriol
Daiichi plantthat col-
could
mother, Sandi, drove up to sis was down to a Peloton backlog, fickle ministration is inspecting all oredcause newsimmediate
briefings duringinjury and the
finger food imports from Japan for ra-
say hello. a minor inconvenience afflicting of ‘hate’ Trump thatadministration.”
the leaks could result in
He told his cameraman, the crabby 1%. By HANNAH RAPPLEYE, DOUG diation after a power plant there residual
Vitriol is justcontamination
another word for of

your job
AUER and DAN MANGAN

Is that a chicken in your He’s No. 1, all right — Staten

— crippled by last month’s

“This is my mom. Hold on.” TIMID:
After WhiteOsman Daramy
House chief behaves
of staff the seaIt’s
contempt. in the
clear area.
Psaki — and AP
Island’s No. 1 problem child.
Pipsqueak punk Osman Da-
ramy was all obnoxious

pants, or are you just

smiles and obscene gestures
yesterday as he was hauled
into court on hate-crime

earthquake and tsunami — her boss, whose most common an-

Ronaldyesterday, unlike lastdown,
Klain doubled week. the
charges for allegedly assault-
ing and trying to rip off the
religious headdress of a fe-

happy to see me? male Muslim classmate.

The 11-year-old Osman —
whose own mother is a Mus-
began leaking extreme amounts,
Thankfully, and hilari- RNC’s Tommy Pigott tweeted, lim — had taunted the
13-year-old girl during one as-
swerbookto tough
“The questions
Story of is “C’mon,
Sushi,” said
‘Hate’ kid keeps
sault, saying, “Aren’t you the

massively contaminating the

Muslim girl we beat up? We’ll
beat you up again,” a prose-

A Florida
it’s theman’s hunting “Struggling to pay for fuel, food man” — lovers
are fullshouldn’t
of it.
cutor alleged yesterday.
“It was not one incident. It

ously, former — as sushi worry, but

was a continued course of be-
havior,” Assistant District Attor-

trip was brief.Ky., man was and housing because of rising pri-
ney Teresa Wilson told a Staten
Island Family Court judge a day
after Osman’s arrest. seawater around it. But US con- Americans frustrated witha the
a Louisville,
“The defendant is a public-
safety risk.”
Two months ago, Osman
and a 13-year-old female ac-
trols have done little to assuage added, “There is clearly per-
Darren forDurrant
allegedlytried to ces is not a ‘high class problem.’ administration’s lack of progress
complice punched and kicked

finger to himself
the Muslim girl and tried to COURT GESTURE: A cuffed Osman

busted trying rip off her hijab outside Drey-

fus Intermediate School in
Stapleton, prosecutors said.
The verbal harassment of
steal a crossbow by shoving Biden is making everyone worse
the girl resumed over the past
Family Court, where he faced hate-crime Daramy manages a defiant salute yesterday at Staten Island
was brought into court with
silver handcuffs around his
charges for an alleged assault on a Muslim
for being “African.” He said he
bought the boy an airline ticket
schoolmate.
man on March 15 on school
Manhattan’s panicked public. ception problem.”
should, Psaki after
recently thetoldMarch
the la- 11
tiny wrists and later walked grounds — the same day she
to Sierra Leone for April 17 so

to steal four pounds of several weeks, most recently out in ankle shackles. returned from suspension for

Shortly
he could move back. stealing $70 from a teacher’s
Sunday, they said. Davies said the boy, who

Sushi connoisseurs are grilling

The boy stood teary-eyed pocketbook
Judge Helene Sacco — say- was born in a Sierra Leonean staring at the floor in November,
as prose- sources said.
ing the evidence showed refugee camp and brought cutors rattled off his discipli-
to Osman was busted on Feb. 4

dies of “The View,”he says“Feel those

Osman could commit another the United States when

it down his bypants at a hard- off, but instead of stopping the

he nary record. for a robbery and has been sus-

chicken stuffing the

crime — ordered him held was 6 months old, has a Mus- Defense lawyer Chris Ro- pended

earthquake, he was inun-

without bail until his next lim mother. bles said, “My client vehe- diate three from Dreyfus Interme-

their waiters about where their

court appearance Tuesday. times since January.
“How could a Muslim have mently denies all allegations.” Dreyfus has the third high-
Meanwhile, sources said est suspension
rate in the bor-

ware
poultrystore
downin Mims, Fla., ac-
his shorts. damage, their strategy is to try to rolls came from, claim workers emotions.
dated with Go toquestions
a kickboxing from class
peo-
Eagle-eyed
cording — or is that
to police. few days in juvenile etly to court shielded by an
gaslightAAmericans.” at local restaurants. and plehave a margarita.”
asking him if sushi was safe.
chicken-eyed?
Durrant, 46, tried — store em-
to hide lockup
Indeed, was all tiny
gaslighting is Psaki’s m.o. officer who draped a com-
trouble- “Maybe 25 percent of custom- This“I answer is “the tragedy
was surprised. It made of theme
ployees
the weapon noticed
in his that the
khakis Here maker
she is on Osman Daramy forting
our withdrawal were herarm on the
answers notskinny
dripping in Space Force
ers are pointsaid
asking,” of Dovina
contact.Wil-
I treadmill”
realize that redux. I couldn’t
people have no sayidea
it
man’s shorts
before hobbling wereout falling
of the from needed for adays
Afghanistan, fullafter a 17- boy’s
attitude disdainshoulder.
and superiority. don’t know
liam, who
who that is.”
works at Ging Sushi better than of
that most Stephanie
the fish isn’t Gallardo,
coming
down,onpast
store his knees
a crutch, and
authori- adjustment,
year-old boy fell toashishe meekly
death from Osman was joined
Those reporters by
who challenge After The Post
and Asian spotted on
Restaurant threethe who from Japan,” he
is running for said.
Congress from
alerted
ties police.
allege. walked into
a departing US C-17 Island Krystal
Statentransport Callender,
her narrative often 13, whounder-
“don’t planes
Upperpacked with underage mi-
East Side. The cuisine
Washington state. has become so
plane,Family
huddled masses below is
court yesterday. accused
stand” of participating
how complicated any given grantsAtlanding in the dead of
Ooki restaurant onnight
Third popular all over
“Unfortunately,” the globe
Gallardo replied,that
clingingLast week,
to the aircraft as it took in
the 11-year-old theis.attack at the Dreyfus
issue hereAvenue,
and in management
Florida, to Fox’s even hung
Peter many of the
“kickboxing ingredients
classes average $150 are nowso
It’sNorth
A a statue-tory
Carolinaoffense.
woman off: “Ilittle
would terror
not flipped
say thatthe has Intermediate School in Sta-
thisbird a letter
Doocy: “We in
are their
talkingwindow
about earlyfrom aregrown
$149 domestically,
outside of myhebudget. said. As
At birth
gave leaston18 decorative
a “Twosday.” been before
anythinga butcourt proceeding pleton.
a success.” theirEarlier
flights. foodthan distributor, which
you might like.” an example,
Drinking a margaritahe pointed
at 11:37 a.m.to onsuc-
yard
The statues
mother’shave been
“miracle” “Hisonlegshate-crime
and arms charges
were gone,”for Every reporter a target
Krystal was allowed to go took
In pains NPR’s
December, to sayMarathe Liasson
Japanese cessful
a Friday sushi seem
doesn’t rice farms in Cali-
advisable.”
swiped
baby in was
girl San Diego
born at since
ex- allegedly
the boy’s beating
brother told Vice News home
up a Mus- And with her mother
no reporter after
is off-limits — tuna it imports,
questioned called Ten-Qoo
why the administration forniaannounced
Psaki and a popular she’llmiso
be leav- farm
NY Post: Chad Rachman

the fall.2:22 a.m. Tuesday,

actly lim classmate and trying to her weekend
after finding the remains. “I doesn’t matter how conservative arrest, but a or Maguro,
couldn’t was farm-raised
do what the UK had done off the in western Massachusetts.
ing her post sometime this year. If
But some sushi staples are still
But at in
2/22/2022 least a stolen
hospital room broughtrip them
off her myself.” head- judge
backreligious yesterday
liberal their outlet.remanded withcountry’s southern
COVID tests and “make coast,
themfar Biden
importedhopesfrom to Japan,
turn such thingsas
moose is no longer on the dress. her to a juvenile lockup to
No. 2.
loose. The $4,000 bronze Fun fact: During his presidency, To a Bloomberg reporter, last freefrom the them
and give site of out the quake-
and have around,
hamachi, he’dwhichdo well to find
is often a
called
During his probable-cause await a probable-cause crippled nuclear plant.
Proud parents
moose, which Aberli
had beenand Barack Obama passed over Psaki February, who asked if President them available everywhere?” spokesperson
yellowtail onwho feels our
American pain
menus.
hearing yesterday, a timid- hearing later this week. “We“Should
offer awewide variety
Hank
stolen Spear welcomed
in February, Ju-
was re- twicelooking
for this job.
Osman walked qui- Biden will Jessica maintain
Simeone Donald Psaki: just send one of — rather than one who
In addition, some mocks it.
unusual
seafood products from around
dah
centlyGrace
found into
in the world
a field a Wonder why. Trump’s Space Force: “Wow. The to every American?”
the world, a majority of which types of shellfish used in high-
after
mile 26 hours
away of labor.
from its own- Even if she remained this tone- Space Force. It’s the plane of today After the predictable
originate fallout, The
from countries other Cable
end placeswoos are/ often
P. 34imported
ers’ home. Natalie O’Neill deaf, Psaki might be more tolerable . . . I’m happy to check with our Intercept reporting that
than Japan,” the sign says. the ex- from Japan.
David K. Li, WireandServices
Wires Trevor Corson, author of the jennifer.fermino@nypost.com
 WABC
28
nypost.com

RADIO.COM
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

770 AM New York City • 107.1 FM Eastern Long Island

TONY ORLANDO TO HONOR

LEGENDARY MUSIC INDUSTRY
LEADER CLIVE DAVIS WITH A
TWO HOUR MUSICAL TRIBUTE
THIS SATURDAY NIGHT
FEBRUARY 26TH, 10PM - 12AM
THE TONY ORLANDO SHOW
WILL BE AN AMAZING TWO-HOUR
TONY ORLANDO
MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO
CLIVE DAVIS
INCLUDING A FASCINATING INTERVIEW WITH
TONY & CLIVE. IT'S A NOT TO BE MISSED SHOW
CLIVE DAVIS ON MUSIC RADIO 77 WABC!
Listen Live @ WABCradio.com
STREAMINGWORLDWIDE ONE OF NORTH AMERICA’S MOST POWERFUL RADIO STATIONS
 29

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Rent Reality
It’s the regulations pushing prices sky-high
Neocon: Facing Down Putin Means Pain
The need “to muster a more comprehensive and long-term response to
Russian aggression,” Noah Rothman warns at Commentary, “surely terri-
fies Western leaders because it involves absorbing real and sustained
T’S tempting to blame greedy pain.” Notably, “to comprehensively sanction the Russian regime,” allies

I landlords for skyrocketing

rents in Manhattan. The me-
dian price of a one-bedroom
apartment is up 25% and a two-
bedroom 27% from last year,
“will need to target its most lucrative export — energy.” That will push up
oil prices, which “could in turn push U.S. inflation rates well above 10
percent.” And “Europe, which is far more reliant than the U.S. on Russian
energy, will be even more acutely affected.” Yet “this is the only serious
course left to the West.” Sanctions in train so far “won’t send a single Rus-
with some tenants telling The sian soldier back to permanent bases.” Putin’s out to kill “a geopolitical
Post of even higher hikes: One order that has well served both Americans and the world,” and “Resist-
West Village studio is going from ance won’t come without sacrifice, but it is a sacrifice we all must be

nypost.com
$2,696 to $3,950. asked to make if we are to preserve the world our parents and grandpar-
But those who see this as ents struggled to bequeath to us.”
price-gouging that should be il-
legal overlook a crucial fact:
Many such increases are already From the right: Hillary, the FBI & Mueller
illegal — and that’s actually the The “dots” that John Durham is connecting “strongly suggest the Clin-
heart of the problem. ton campaign ran a sophisticated, multi-prong coordinated intelligence
Rent regulation affects operation against Trump with either the active or tacit support of the
960,000 of the city’s 3 million FBI,” thunders Peter van Buren at Spectator World. The campaign indi-
housing units. Rents on these rectly hired ex-MI6 officer Christopher Steele to feed “lies” to the FBI

Stefano Giovannini
apartments are not increasing and the press. Clinton lawyer Michael Sussmann went to The New York
this year at all, thanks to the Times (as an anonymous source), FBI and likely CIA (allegedly “misrep-
city’s Rent Guidelines Board. A resenting himself as not working for the Clinton campaign”) to push the
good deal for the current occu- lie of secret Trump communications with Russia’s Alfa Bank. And Robert
pants, to be sure — but these Mueller may have declined to indict anyone because “the conspiracy
price controls distort the overall would have been disclosed.” Mueller “was protecting someone in his be-
market and lead to eye-popping Through the roof: Anne Kennedy’s West Village studio is going up to $3,950. loved FBI. This goes deep.”
rent increases on the few non-
regulated units that remain. have to be a housing shortage to New York City must always and
Here’s why. justify the price controls, as had forever be in a housing crisis. Conservative: Fla. Protects Parents v. ‘Aggressors’
The lucky occupants of rent- always been the case. Instead, But most cities don’t have rent President Biden has “called Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill
stabilized units, not surprisingly, rent regulation has no “sunset.” control — and don’t face a per- hateful,” notes Madeleine Kearns at National Review. But the bill simply
tend to stay put once they’ve ef- No other business has to ask ennial housing crisis. states that “classroom instruction . . . on sexual orientation or gender
fectively hit the housing lottery. permission to raise its prices State attorneys in the Rent Sta- identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3.” Critics cry “cen-
That helps explain why Gotham (see: inflation), but property bilization Association case bi- sorship” but “it is perfectly appropriate to censor adult themes and ideas
— once known for welcoming owners must do so in perpetu- zarrely argue that the 2019 law has around small children,” such as the notion of a “true gender.” Nor are
ambitious newcomers — has the ity. And here’s the kicker: made things better. They assert these “hypothetical concerns”: A Florida family filed suit on learning
lowest housing turn- There’s no requirement that only rent regulation stood be- “school staff had held private meetings” with their daughter on “which
over of America’s 10 landlords rent to low- tween the city and a wave of pronouns she would prefer,” “whether she would like to stay with the
largest cities. I call this Howard income tenants. homelessness. To say that with a boys on overnight trips” — and “whether they should keep her parents in
the “frozen city” phe- Husock If there’s any good straight face requires ignoring the the dark.” These lawmakers have “identified the real aggressors.”
nomenon: Regardless of news in all this, it’s the sad and sometimes dangerous fig-
their capacity to pay a possibility the 2019 leg- ures flooding the city’s street cor-
higher rent, households protect islation has gone so far as to be ners and subway cars. Foreign desk: Biden’s Tough Vlad Promises
their good, rent-regulated deals unconstitutional. That’s the con- As the Coalition for the Home- Noting then-candidate Joe Biden’s tweet of Feb.
even if they no longer need the tention of the Rent Stabilization less points out: The number of 21, 2020: “Vladimir Putin doesn’t want me to be
space. Think of the boomer cou- Association, which is challeng- homeless New Yorkers sleeping President. . . . I’m the only person in this field
ples on Central Park West with ing the law in court. each night in municipal shelters who’s ever gone toe-to-toe with him,” Real Clear
empty bedrooms. In the case heard last week by is 16% higher than it was 10 years Politics’ Philip Wegmann observes: “But now, for
It’s not a real housing market the US Court of Appeals and ago; the number of homeless sin- better or worse, the president does find himself
— it’s a variation on musical likely headed to the Supreme gle adults is 91% higher. That’s toe-to-toe with Putin.” Biden also told supporters
chairs. Those left standing when Court, the RSA highlights the come at a time rent regulation that once he won, Putin’s “days of tyranny and
the rent-stabilized vacancies are fact the new law essentially re- was firmly in place, with the trying to intimidate the United States and those
filled must enter the scrum for quires that landlords renew an feckless de Blasio administration in Eastern Europe are over.” And, in the first
vacant, market-rate, non-regu- expiring lease even when a ten- drastically limiting rent in- 2020 debate, “I’ve gone head-to-head with Putin
lated units. It should surprise no ant has passed the apartment on creases. and made it clear to him we’re not going to take
one that as housing demand re- to someone else, such as a Here’s an idea for the “Rent is President Biden any of his stuff.” Oops.
bounds (a good thing), asking younger family member. This, it too damn high” advocates to
rents will rise for those units. It’s says, creates an unending “line consider: Rent controls actually Liberal: Where the Right Is Right
what housing scholar Peter Sa- of strangers” to whom an owner increase homelessness. That’s “Part of developing a genuine liberal nationalism requires examining
lins has rightly termed “scarcity must rent by law. And, of course, because artificially low rents and absorbing good ideas from around the political spectrum,” observes
by design.” it limits turnover, the heart of give wealthy tenants who no John Halpin at Liberal Patriot, noting the “best ideas” of conservatives: A
The situation has been made the city’s problem. longer need a big apartment rea- commitment to “localism,” i.e. asking “political and community leaders to
worse, not better, by 2019’s so- Property owners hope this will son to stay put. Gotham rents design policies . . . from the ground up rather than from the top down.”
called Housing Stability and prove a bridge too far for a con- were the nation’s highest in Jan- Tradition, “vital to maintaining softer norms that keep society together,”
Tenant Protection Act, a vastly servative Supreme Court more uary. Those skyrocketing rent and common sense, which “offers a good corrective” to “bureaucratic tra-
beefed-up set of rent regula- attuned to property rights than increases are an argument not ditions.” Plus a focus on the “potential and real spillover effects” from
tions. It foreclosed the possibil- its predecessors. for but against rent controls. regulation. “Conservative ideas . . . serve American interests by stressing
ity of “decontrol” even for high- It’s a tough moment to push Howard Husock is an American the importance of free enterprise and small business,” and “policy makers
er-end units. Nor does there back on the spurious idea that Enterprise Institute senior fellow. would be wise to incorporate suggestions coming from conservatives and
the private sector.” — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
30
letters@nypost.com
nypost.com

America’s oldest continuously published daily newspaper

Cleaning Up the Subways:
Save the Pax Americana Hizzoner’s Safety Plan
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

lements of the left and right are united: can Dream is still alive. There is little doubt that

E

The Issue: Mayor Adams’ plan to make subways safer
The United States should not be the Progressives think some European states the issue of homelessness
by increasing social-service and police presence.
world’s policeman. Whether it be are superior for their social policies, but is an issue that needs to be
Ukraine, the Middle East or China, it’s their democracies flourished under an um- solved (“Subway home-
not our business to get involved. brella of American protection and support. less-aid teams off to slow derstand that the home-
For the progressive left, the refrain is the And what did we ask for in exchange? Not start,” Feb. 23). less are dying.
same as it’s been since at least the 1960s: the toll of empires past, not land, not tribute. Simply ignoring the is- Audrey Lummer, 63,
Who are we to judge? Slandering our coun- We wanted free trade and an end to war. sue, as Mayor Adams’ was found dead Feb. 9 on
try as a racist hellhole, they promote at best We are, of course, not nirvana. But the US predecessor did, is not a the subway platform at
a moral equivalency between the United struggles openly, in debate and at the voting solution. Locking people the 21st Street in Long Is-
States and Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping. Or booth, with political and social relations. We up doesn’t solve the land City. She was home-
they go further, and consider the govern- change. Do our critics even consider that problem either. less. That should not
ments of Venezuela, China and Cuba supe- the reason you don’t hear as much dissent in These people were have happened.
rior because they pursue socialism. other nations is that those voices are stifled? once productive mem- I understand what it is
A rising force on the right is the They But all that is threatened if we retreat into bers of society who, for like to be homeless. I was
Aren’t Worth It Doctrine, or, as former Pres- fortress America. China expects obedience, whatever reason, have homeless myself in 1975
ident Donald Trump would put it, we’re not allies. Russia wants power, not peace. descended into a life of after leaving the US Navy
suckers. Why defend Ukraine? It’s corrupt. There will be more war, more conquering, drug addiction and men- at the end of the Vietnam
Why back Germany? It’s ungrateful. Why more torture and suffering. tal illness. War.
have troops in South Korea? It can protect Adams’ multifaceted Mayor Adams Our government has a
itself. More darkly, autocrats are praised as e are in the most peaceful period of re- plan to include law en- responsibility to help the
strong, efficient and “genius.”
Part of this is a backlash to the spectacu-
larly failed promises that Iraq and Afghani-
W corded time, and it’s because of the
post-World War II alliances forged by
the West. How many regional conflicts were
forcement, medical care,
drug treatment and hous-
ing is needed if this
to put a blanket over her-
self to obscure what she
was doing underneath.
homeless or more will
surely die. Too much
time has gone by, and our
stan could be transformed into democracies. kept in check by NATO? How many dicta- homeless crisis is to fi- This women needed homeless would have
There’s also the naive fallacy, shared by tors discouraged? And in the global market- nally be resolved. It cer- treatment. We have al- been forgotten if it was
both sides, that America can withdraw from place this fostered, the quality of life rose for tainly is worth the effort. lowed activists to set the not for the homeless
the international stage, and “fix the prob- all. To take just one benchmark: 36% of hu- Robert DiNardo drumbeat on the treat- sleeping on subways and
lems at home” with all the money we’d save. manity lived in extreme poverty in 1990. To- Farmingdale ment of the homeless — people being pushed
day, it’s fallen to 9%, per the World Bank. all in the name of not be- unto the tracks. More
ut the United States should not slink Ukraine is not a “border dispute”; it’s Putin There
 is one sure-fire lieving they are sick and must be done now.

B away from its place as the world’s super-

power. It should not retire in shame, or
throw up its hands in frustration, and leave a
trying to expand Russian energy influence
over the West and restore the Czarist empire.
China conquering Taiwan would secure a
way to stop the mayhem
on the subway. That is to
change every turnstile to
in need of help.
Instead, society is
called sick and systemi-
Frederick Bedell
Bellerose

vacuum for the tyrannical. dominance in production and trade. Both aim the ones we find at un- cally racist. We need a While
 this week might
Pax Americana is worth saving. to break the world order. We can pump all the manned stations. new way of dealing with have seen the first day of
Contra the hashtags of The Squad, the oil we want domestically, we can support They are floor-to-ceil- this problem — not the the mayor’s new plan to
United States is the most pluralistic, diverse American industry, but do we really think ing barred turnstiles that Steven Banks way. He has clean up the subways, he
nation state in history. Its people enjoy free- we’ll enjoy the same prosperity if the rest of you can’t leap over. No done enough damage better hit the ground
dom of expression, freedom of existence, the world is dependent on their whims? more fare-beating and Mark Zafrin running.
more than those under China’s Orwellian We must have enough pride in this nation the crazies and homeless Manhattan With six outlandish and
state, Russia’s soft totalitarianism or the the- to understand that the non-interventionist who commit many of unforgivable stabbings
ocracies of the Middle East. Why is the right and the blame-America left are wrong. these violent crimes I
 applaud Mayor Ad- committed last weekend,
United States the No. 1 destination of immi- The world needs us. Let us be there for would be denied access ams’ new policy on tack- the mayor is already be-
grants and refugees worldwide? The Ameri- them. to the platforms because, ling crime in the subway. hind the eight ball.
believe me, few are pay- However, handing out As we all know by now,
ing to get on the trains. summonses for fare- the NYPD and MTA po-
Down With the Monitors! Those emergency
doors? They should be
beating will not be effec-
tive in combating this
lice want to do their jobs,
while the Manhattan dis-
espite spending almost $111 million on Whatever monitors do, the only thing that locked and only opened problem. Arresting them trict attorney and other

D court-appointed monitors and special

masters, city agencies under such over-
sight have failed to resolve a host of problems
truly seems to matter is cashing their checks.
They’re a substitute for genuine solutions.
Mayor Adams needs to direct the city’s
at the discretion of the
fare-booth clerks.
It may slow entrance to
and prosecuting them
would be a more effec-
tive deterrent.
woke prosecutors and
judges do all in their
power to undermine jus-
that prompted the scrutiny, The Post reports. lawyers to petition the various courts to the platforms, but it’s a Alan Fenster tice for the innocent vic-
These court-imposed schemes have cost start winding down these fruitless follies. small price to pay for the Flushing tims of the rails.
New Yorkers a small fortune. The city and Take the fight to the US Supreme Court if lives saved and stopping It’s past time for the
courts need to find a way to end them (and needed: It should reject the whole legal phi- crimes often committed The
 homeless are peo- governor, who seems to
actually fix what’s broken). losophy that underlies these decrees. on our subways. ple, too. There are many be oblivious to the may-
The Post reviewed 11 ongoing cases, from The NYPD-FDNY-DOE hiring cases are a Perry Greenberg homeless in New York, hem in New York City, to
the deplorable conditions in public housing good place to start: Those agencies have Brooklyn and our mayor under- wake up and confront
and Rikers jails to alleged racist hiring prac- clearly achieved the goals of fair hiring and stands that only too these issues head-on, in-
tices at the NYPD, FDNY and Department promotion. The police and fire departments This
 week, on the way well. That is why he stead of burying her head
of Education. Most had little to show for the are as racially and ethnically diverse as the home from work, I wit- seeks to rid our trans- in the political sands, and
years involved and public funds expended. city they serve, and headed by women to boot. nessed a disheveled portation systems of the support the mayor.
After 40 years under a special monitor, And don’t stop with the monitors: Other homeless women take up homeless. Doc Ludemann
horrific conditions persist at city jails. So consent decrees, like the Callahan deal that three seats and proceed But he must also un- Bridgeport, Conn.
the longest-running monitor, the Office of created the “right to shelter,” should go, too.
Compliance Consultants, has accomplished It’s spawned a multibillion industry with no
nothing meaningful since 1982. end to homelessness in sight. E-MAIL: letters@nypost.com or WRITE to The Editor, The New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the
Another monitor, over the Administration If the mayor’s serious about stopping Americas, New York, NY 10036. Include name, address and daytime phone number. No unverifiable
letters will be published. The Post reserves the right to edit all letters.
for Children’s Services, has had no better abuse of the taxpayers, he needs to declare
luck: ACS has made big improvements from war on these absurdities that pretend the The New York Post is published by N.Y.P. Holdings Inc., 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036.
time to time, but also slid backward. way to fix anything is to throw lawyers at it. Rupert Murdoch, Chairman; Sean M. Giancola, Publisher; Keith Poole, Editor-in-Chief;
Stephen Lynch, Print EIC; Mark Cunningham, Editorial Page Editor
 POSTOPINION 31

Panning Presidents

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Isn’t Treason
T is deeply illiberal to accuse those who criticize the president of treason.

I It’s un-American. It is, in fact, the kind of rhetoric that exists in tyrannies.
Yet numerous liberals have accused those critical of Joe Biden’s impo-
tent handling of the Ukrainian crisis of sedition.
Harvard prof Laurence Tribe, a favorite of the “resistance” (back when dis-
sent was still patriotic) recently argued that Fox News host Tucker Carlson
and other Republicans he claims are praising Russian President Vladimir Pu-
tin have provided “aid and comfort” to an “enemy” and thus would meet the
definition of “treason” under Article III, Section 3 of the US Constitution.
Reacting to a House GOP tweet censuring Biden for “weakness,” one-
time Republican Michael Steele stated, “This is what disloyalty at home
looks like.” Jennifer Rubin, the White House’s favorite columnist, con-
tended that every Republican
needs to decide: “Are you on team
Trump/Putin or team US/democ-
racy. You cannot be both.” DAVID

nypost.com
Those, of course, aren’t the two HARSANYI
teams. Americans do not owe Joe
Biden — or Donald Trump, Barack
Obama or George W. Bush — loy- Are all the Democrats who oppose
alty. The right to political dissent is a aid to Israel, our staunchest ally,
hallmark of healthy liberalism. And guilty of treason as well?
disparaging elected officials is the Protecting the ability to dissent
God-given right of every American. is patriotic, even if the dissent it-
Though it may be difficult for self is not. Some conservatives, un-
partisans to comprehend the dif- fortunately, admire and repeat Pu-
ference, disparaging the presi- tin’s talking points. Some cham-

Talk to the Truckers

EVEN-foot fencing topped
name it. Peacefully protest, clog
— mostly wage workers — laid off
dent’s decisions is not tantamount pion the idea that Ukraine is noth-
to attacking the United States. ing more than part of greater Rus-
Most conservatives maintain that sia. These people might be igno-
Biden is incompetent, ineffectual rant of history, or they might be
and perpetually wrong on matters of embracing bad or destructive rea-
foreign policy. Certainly, accusing soning, but they are guilty of nei-

S with razor wire will likely be

installed surrounding the US
Capitol next week, in advance
of President Biden’s March 1 State
of the Union message. Capitol Po-
things up, make people think
about the mandates.”
When thousands marched on
Washington to protest George
Floyd’s death, they weren’t met
or furloughed in a speculative at-
tempt to curb the spread of the vi-
rus. Unemployment hit 14.7%.
Of course, government bureau-
crats, journalists and professors
Biden, who has a long history of ob- ther treason nor patriotism.
sequious behavior towards the Putin Note, too, that while there are nu-
regime, of being weak is well within merous idealistic reasons to defend
the norms of political debate. dissension, there are also obvious

lice are reportedly planning the

wall to keep out truckers who are
with razor wire. This is America.
Up north, Prime Minister Justin
didn’t lose their jobs. Now the me-
dia are barely mentioning new
‘ Disparaging elected officials is the
heading to DC as part of the Peo-
ple’s Convoy protesting COVID
restrictions.
Instead of shutting the truckers
out, Biden should be inviting them
Trudeau made a whopper of a polit-
ical miscalculation by crushing the
truckers’ protest without ever giv-
ing them a hearing. But Trudeau is a
born-and-bred elite. Biden claims
findings that lockdowns didn’t ac-
tually save lives.
Nor are they speaking up, ques-
tioning the continuation of gov-
ernment emergency powers.
God-given right of every American.
When our Iraq nation-building
experiment went south, Demo-
crats condemned Bush as a failed
led us into quagmires and wars
’
practical ones. Presidents have long

based on false pretenses and flawed

in to sit in the gallery during his
speech and have a chat afterward.
He invited America’s enemy Rus-
sian President Vladimir Putin to
talk. Why not truckers who love
America and say they want to “re-
store our nation’s Constitution”?
How Biden treats the truckers
could be pivotal for his presi-
dency and the Democratic Party.
The people who truck our goods,
serve us in restaurants and work
with their hands are speaking out
for American freedom.
If Scranton Joe were still at the
top of his game, he’d welcome the
truckers and regale them with sto-
ries of his blue-collar past. Visit-
ing a Mack Truck plant last sum-
mer, Biden boasted, “I used to
drive an 18-wheeler rig.” That isn’t
true, though he once rode in a rig.
The point is Biden understood,
even a year ago, the political pay-
off from treating working people
with respect, instead of greeting
them with razor wire.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he
hopes the truckers do come:
“Civil disobedience is a time-hon-
ored tradition in our country,
from slavery to civil-rights, you
working-class credentials.
Meanwhile, in unison the main-
stream media are dismissing the
BETSY
McCAUGHEY
American truckers as “right-
wing,” among other things.
Anti-science? Hardly. Science is
proving the truckers right about
the damaging impact of govern-
ment lockdowns and mandates.
A Johns Hopkins analysis found
“no evidence that lockdowns,
school closures, border closures
and limiting gatherings have had a
noticeable effect on COVID-19
mortality,” with the possible ex-
ception of locking down bars.
Lockdowns cost lives instead of
saving them: “Deaths of despair”
are likely linked to unemploy-
ment, economic desperation and
social isolation, suggests Univer-
sity of Chicago professor Casey
Mulligan.
The height of the pandemic saw
more than 30 million Americans
When Biden notified Congress
Friday that he is extending his
emergency powers, which were
scheduled to expire, the media
were mum. Likewise when Gov.
Hochul extended her emergency
powers last week.
It’s the truckers who are saying
“Enough.”
New York Times columnist
Thomas B. Edsall dismisses the
truckers and their allies as ignora-
muses who lack the “advanced ed-
ucation and top scores on apti-
tude tests” to get ahead. When the
truck convoy arrives in DC, Edsall
argues, Biden must prove himself
by maintaining order. That would
be a rerun of Trudeau’s mistake.
Truth is, these truckers speak
for a large swath of America that
is fed up with government closing
businesses, mandating shots and
forcing masks on their kids.
Biden routinely calls his agenda
a “blue-collar blueprint to build
America.” If he wants the country
to believe he’s a friend of working
people, he’ll listen to the truckers,
not smack them down.
Betsy McCaughey is a former
lieutenant governor of New York.
warmongering autocrat. As was
their right. When Trump elimi-
nated Iranian terror leader Qassem
Soleimani, virtually every liberal,
including presidential candidate
Biden, criticized his action. Were
they “disloyal”?
Indeed, when the Trump admin-
istration abandoned the Iran deal,
not only did the opposition party
widely condemn the president;
Democrats like former Secretary
of State John Kerry and Sen. Chris
Murphy secretly met with officials
from Iran, a nation actively fund-
ing terror groups and targeting
Americans (and Jews) worldwide,
to undermine the administration.
But, as usual, we are expected to
live by two standards.
Of course, no matter where you
stand on the situation in Eastern Eu-
rope, an American owes Ukraine no
loyalty either. Carlson isn’t engaged
in sedition or undermining “democ-
racy” for disagreeing on what con-
stitutes national interests. Biden
only recently argued that protecting
Afghanistan was not in our “vital na-
tional interest.” Does that mean that
he’s in league with the Taliban — a
group that murdered Americans?
policy. We need to challenge those
in power — especially in efforts that
may lead to war. It should not escape
the attention of liberals that some
Republicans accused anti-war activ-
ists during the buildup to the Iraq
War of belonging to a fifth column
as a way of nullifying dissent.
These days, the American left
spends an inordinate amount of
time working to censor debate and
dictate what is and isn’t appropri-
ate speech. The effort to smear dis-
senters is no different.
It’s the kind of thinking that, at
best, undermines open debate and,
at worst, leads to things like Wood-
row Wilson’s Espionage and Sedi-
tion Acts of 1917-18, when our 28th
president threw anti-war activists
such as Socialist presidential can-
didate Eugene Debs into prison. It
was Wilson who was disloyal to
the Constitution, not Debs.
And today, it is those who
would quash dissent who harm
our freedom.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer
at National Review and author of
“Eurotrash: Why America Must Re-
ject the Failed Ideas of a Dying
Continent.”
32
The Post Puzzle Page
nypost.com

Very Easy #5,738 

2
To solve a Su Doku, 8 2 1 6 5
you must put a number
7 9 3
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

from 1 to 9, in each
empty box. 1 7 5 3 8
Each number must 5 4 3 2
appear once in each

TODAY’S ANSWER
horizontal row, as well 2 9 3 1 6
as in each vertical 5 7 6
column and in each of
the 3-by-3 grids. 3 6 4 2 9
Directions: Make a 2 to 7 Impossible? Not once 9
letter word from the letters
in each row. Add points of
you get the hang of it. Difficult #5,528 
each word using scoring Tips and in depth
directions at right. 7 Letter
words get 50 point bonus. strategies at 3 1 7
“Blank” used as any letter
have no point value. All the www.SudokuWiki.org 3 8 5 9
words are in the Official
7 2 8
For more
SCRABBLE players
Dictionary, 4th Edition.
7 3 9
Bridge Word Force
Su Doku puzzles 3 8 9
LAVENDER
From the word or phrase above, form AT LEAST 19
five-letter words, without using more than one form
see tomorrow’s 7 1 3
of the same word. For example, drink or drank (not
both). New York Post 3 5 4
ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S POST
Yesterday’s word: Solutions on Page 43 4 9 5 1
ATHLETIC
attic
cheat
lathe
latte
teach
theta
© Syndicated Puzzles 8 1 4
ethic leach tithe
latch lithe title
tacit

Across
1 With 60-Across, disguise one’s
identity ... and what the an-
Wonderword swers to starred clues subtly
do?
How to play: All the words listed below appear in the puzzle –– 6 Common commuter org.
horizontally, vertically, diagonally, even backward. Find them 9 Key with no sharps or flats:
and Circle their letters only. Do not circle the word. The Abbr.
13 Gender identity spectrum
leftover letters spell the Wonderword. 15 Origami bird
16 *“On the Waterfront” director
17 Lena of “The Wiz”
18 Switz. neighbor
19 XL x XL
If you asked Cy the Cynic to 20 Not so concentrated
describe himself in five words, his 21 MLB’s Cards, on scoreboards
22 *Open-water paddlers
reply would be “lazy.” As declarer, 24 “Yikes!”
Cy never looks deeply into the play; 26 Econ. measure
he seizes on the first line he sees. 27 Madre’s sister
28 Green-sounding Navy jacket
“Saves wear and tear on the 32 Sq., for one
brain,” Cy says. 33 *Pungent French beef dish
The Cynic was declarer at six 36 Cache
37 Vehement
spades, and West led the jack of 38 Inner __
diamonds. Cy won with the ace and 39 FGs often end them
took the A-K of trumps. When East 40 “Am not!” retort 9 Raven’s sound
44 *Historic Pearl Harbor event 10 Member of a pitching staff?
discarded, Cy continued with the K-A 11 “The Vampire Chronicles”
49 French possessive
of clubs and a club ruff. No queen 50 Puma rival author
fell; West threw a heart. Cy then took 51 Bobby on ice 12 Taunts
52 Siena sweetheart 14 Newborn’s acquisition
the queen and king of diamonds and 15 For a song
53 Bride of a title Orkan
tried a heart to his queen. Down one. 54 *“Godspeed” to the cast of 20 Jazz trumpeter Marsalis
“Lead the three of diamonds to “Godspell,” say 22 Kind of butter used in skin
56 __ Park, Colo. care
dummy’s nine,” North said. “You get 23 Showing surprise
57 Orange variety
an extra dummy entry to set up and 58 Slip end? 25 Gush
cash the fifth club.” 59 “__ La La”: Manfred Mann hit 29 Strong watchdogs
60 See 1-Across 30 Art able to
“No good,” Cy replied. “West can 31 Tagged, perhaps
Down
put up the ten to block the suit.” 1 Perturbed 32 Camper with a camper
Cy was being his lazy self. After he 2 Many an “instant” product, 33 Plymouth Colony VIP PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
e.g. 34 Excoriated (C) 2022 Tribune Media Services
ruffs the third club, he can exit with 46 Ark document
3 Isolate, in a way 35 “Out of Africa” author Dinesen
a trump. Then if West leads a low 4 “Grab __”: “You’re pinch- 36 Bits on some buns 47 Play area
diamond (the ten is no better), Cy hitting” 39 Green-lights 48 Jagged little hill
5 Beat or neat suffix 41 Latin catchall 52 Sigmund contemporary
wins with the nine, ruffs a fourth 54 First Korean act to perform at
6 Miata maker 42 Legendary sister of Venus
club and returns to the king of 7 Place to race 43 Plains tribe the Grammys
diamonds for the good club. 8 “Atlas Shrugged” author Rand 45 Did sum math? 55 Hawaii’s Mauna __

Dow Down
Jones 464.85
Indust.
Avg. 33,131.76
Business
Briefs
Marts dive
Investors around the
world lost their appetite
for risk on Wednesday,
with stocks selling off
and the dollar gaining
ground as Ukraine de-
clared a state of emer-
gency. The S&P 500
shed 79.26 points to
4,225.50, and the Dow
and Nasdaq headed
south as well.
Epstein story
Barclays PLC said it
has frozen former Chief
Executive Jes Staley’s
deferred pay while reg-
ulators complete a
probe into how he char-
acterized his relation-
ship with convicted sex
offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Bad discount
TJX, parent company
of TJ Maxx and Home-
Goods, saw shares drop
4.2% after the off-price
retailer delivered a
fourth-quarter miss.
E-unity
Automative giant
Ford has no plans to
spin off its electric vehi-
cle or gasoline-powered
vehicle businesses,
CEO Jim Farley said.
Russia brake
Stellantis is prepared
to shift or limit produc-
tion in Russia if West-
ern sanctions disrupt
those operations, the
automaker’s CEO said
in a sign of how the car
industry is navigating
the fallout of Russian
President Vladimir Pu-
tin’s decision to recog-
nize two breakaway re-
gions in eastern
Ukraine.
Sources: AP, Dow
Jones and Reuters
Follow us on
@NYPOSTBIZ
Business
kinky sachs
Leissner: I caved to ex-lover’s $10M shackmail
By ThomAs BArrABI
The ongoing embezzle-
ment trial of ex-Goldman
Sachs banker Roger Ng took
another strange turn this
week when the prosecu-
tion’s star witness, Tim
Leissner, detailed his extra-
marital affairs — including
one with a woman who pur-
portedly blackmailed him
into buying her a $10 million
mansion.
Leissner, 52, a former
Goldman executive, is testi-
fying against Ng, who faces
federal charges over his al-
leged role in Malaysia’s
1MDB corruption scandal. A
judge on Wednesday, mean-
while, said she’d pause the
trial after federal prosecu-
tors said they’d failed to turn
over a cache of documents
to Ng’s defense lawyers. It’s
not clear when the trial will
restart.
Open secret
While on the stand this
week, Leissner admitted to
prosecutors that he has had
several affairs.
One was a decade-long re-
lationship with Rohana Ro-
zhan, a media executive and
former CEO of Astro Malay-
sia Holdings. Leissner said
he used money siphoned
from the 1MDB fund to buy
Rozhan a $10 million house
after she threatened to re-
veal his involvement in ille-
gal activity following their
breakup.
“Ms. Rozhan was very up-
Goldman mulls clawbacks for defectors
By ArIel ZIlBer
Goldman Sachs wants to claw
back bonuses from executives
who leave as it scrambles to stem
a tide of high-profile departures,
according to a new report.
When one young star, 42-year-
old Omer Ismail, left with a dep-
33
Nasdaq Down
Comp. 344.03
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
13,037.49
’fess
tro Malaysia Holdings did
Tryst fund not respond to Bloomberg’s
request for comment on
nypost.com
Tim Leissner (right with wife Leissner’s testimony. Ro-
Kimora Lee Simmons) testified at zhan left Astro in 2019.
1MDB embezzle trial that he paid Goldman Sachs declined
$10 million in blackmail to ex- comment on Leissner’s remarks.
lover Rohana Rozhan (below).
“Double bigamist”
Leissner’s personal life
has been under intense
scrutiny during Ng’s trial.
Earlier this month, Ng’s de-
fense attorney Marc Agni-
filo referred to Leissner as a
“double bigamist” who has
been “married to two differ-
ent women at the same
time, twice.”
The defense attorney ar-
gued Leissner “uses women,
he uses false intimacy, and
now he’s trying to use my
client to get him to do his
jail time.”
Leissner previously
pleaded guilty to charges of
conspiracy to launder
money and conspiracy to vi-
olate the Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act. He agreed to
Getty Images
forfeit $43.7 million and will
be sentenced later this year.
Meanwhile, Ng, Gold-
man’s former head of invest-
ment banking in Malaysia,
set that I was ending our re- ment in the 1MDB scandal. He admitted to continuing faces federal charges of con-
lationship to be with my fu- She was threatening to ex- the relationship despite spiracy to launder money
ture wife, with Kimora,” pose me. At the time, 2013, I Gnodde’s warnings to “be and violate US anti-bribery
Leissner said on the stand, was very fearful of that,” careful” because Rozhan’s laws. He is accused of par-
referencing his estranged Leissner added, according company was a client. ticipating in a scheme to
wife, fashion model and re- to Bloomberg. Leissner said the relation- loot billions of dollars from
ality TV star Kimora Lee Leissner testified that he ship was an open secret Malaysia’s sovereign devel-
Simmons. informed Richard Gnodde, known by “pretty much ev- opment fund.
“If I didn’t buy her a the then-chief of Goldman erybody in our Southeast Ng has pleaded not guilty
house, she would tell the au- Sachs’ Asia business, of his Asia territory.” to the charges.
thorities about my involve- relationship with Rozhan. Gnodde, Rozhan and As- tbarrabi@nypost.com
uty to run a Walmart-backed not someone headed out the door. who headed Goldman divisions
startup, Goldman CEO David Sol-
omon was so angry the bank con-
An attempt by Ismail and deputy,
David Stark, to cash out stock bo-
before leaving for other compa-
nies, had unvested stock options
sidered confiscating the pair’s nuses that had vested and were worth millions taken away after
vested stock options, according to subject to taxation dating back five their departures, said the report.
Bloomberg. years was denied, according to the A Goldman spokesman said, “In
Taking away vested stock is nor- report. They were also banned each case mentioned by Bloom-
mally a last-resort step against from firm-run alumni events. berg, there were explicit terms” of
someone accused of misconduct, Gregg Lemkau and Eric Lane, signed agreements “upheld.”
34
Heat over Crypto-ad boast
nypost.com
The boss of crypto platform company’s Web site.
Coinbase was in hot water this
week after he gave his company
credit for coming up with its viral
In his tweets, Armstrong initially
suggested that Coinbase devel-
oped the TV ad in-house because
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
Super Bowl commercial — only he “didn’t like” pitches provided
for an ad agency to reveal that it by an outside agency, whose con-
pitched the idea months earlier. cepts were “standard Super Bowl
The backlash against Coinbase ad ideas.” The executive claimed
CEO Brian Armstrong (right) Coinbase brainstormed ideas and
stemmed from a lengthy Twitter eventually landed on the QR code
thread in which he bragged about concept, which he said came to-
the ad, which featured a floating gether at the “last minute.”
QR code that drove viewers to the “No ad agency would have done
Arch foes rip McD’s
‘Lying’ about phasing out caged-pig abuse: activists
By Ariel ZilBer
Grim existence
An animal-rights group
says McDonald’s is lying
by claiming it is phasing
out ties with hog farmers
who keep pregnant pigs
confined to narrow cages
for weeks at a time.
The Humane Society of
the United States says
McDonald’s still sources
pork from clients who
The
The Humane
Humane Society
Society
lock pigs in gestation says
says McDonald’s
McDonald’s has has
crates for the first five reneged
reneged on
on its
its pledge
pledge to
to
weeks of their 16-week phase
phase out
out pork
pork from
from
pregnancy. producers
producers who
who coop
coop up
up
pregnant
pregnant pigs
pigs in
in
Confined to crates ‘gestation
‘gestation crates’
crates’ so
so
McDonald’s had previ- small,
small, the
the animals
animals
ously pledged to signifi- cannot
cannot turn
turn around.
around.
cantly reduce its reliance
on farmers who keep preg-
nant sows confined to so- from hog farmers who around for five weeks at a
called “gestation crates”
for the entire duration of
the 16-week pregnancy.
keep the sows locked in
crates for the first five
weeks of the pregnancy.
time — each pregnancy
cycle — still amounts to
suffering the likes of
But the Humane Society
now says McDonald’s is
“From an animal welfare
perspective, locking a pig
which is almost unparal-
leled in all of agriculture,”
skirting the issue through in solitary confinement so Josh Balk of the Humane
semantics by buying pork tight she can’t even turn Society told The Post.
Citi to staff: Come in! Cable nets woo Psaki
Citigroup has asked vaccinated staff last year returned to the office
employees in all US locations to at its New York City headquarters
start returning to the office begin- and other offices in the tri-state
ning the week of March 21, accord- area, among others.
ing to an internal memo Wednesday The decision also highlights a
that was seen by Reuters. growing inclination among employ-
Staff will be working from the of- ers and politicians to treat COVID
fice for at least two days a week, the as part of everyday life.
memo said. Wall Street banks and investment
The move builds on Citi’s previ- firms have been more proactive
ous return-to-office efforts, which than other sectors in making staff
started last September. The bank’s return to offices. Reuters
this ad,” Armstrong boasted.
Armstrong’s tweets drew a
sharp response from Martin
Agency CEO Kristen Cavallo,
who wrote back that her team
had originally pitched the idea
for the commercial to Coinbase
in a meeting that dated back to
August.
“It was actually inspired by
presentations our agency
showed your team,” she
tweeted. Thomas Barrabi
A company spokesper-
son told The Post: “We
disagree with this inaccu-
rate characterization of
our industry-leading
pledge and subsequent
progress we’ve seen the
industry make at scale, in-
Sharp-elbowed Biden administra-
tion White House press secretary
Jen Psaki has emerged as a top can-
didate for Rachel Maddow’s
MSNBC anchor chair, according to
a report.
Psaki, who has plans to leave the
White House this year, is being
courted by several news networks,
including CNN and MSNBC, ac-
cording to newsletter Puck.
A source told The Post that UTA
cluding that an estimated
30-35% of US pork produc-
tion has moved to group
housing systems.”
McDonald’s has come
under pressure from the
Humane Society and bil-
lionaire activist investor
Carl Icahn, who have in-
sisted that the fast-food gi-
ant cease all business with
pork producers that use
gestation crates.
Icahn, who owns a small
stake in McDonald’s, but
has nonetheless threat-
ened a proxy fight over
the issue, recently nomi-
nated two board members.
A decade ago, McDon-
ald’s pledged to “source all
pork for its US business
from producers that do
not house pregnant sows
in gestation stalls by the
end of 2022.”
McDonald’s has said the
demand for pork produc-
ers to immediately abolish
the use of all gestation
crates is not realistic.
azilber@nypost.com
superagent and co-president Jay
Sures shopped the idea of Psaki as a
cable-news prime-time host.
Star anchor Maddow has been on
leave from her 9 p.m. weekday
show while pursuing other projects.
And CNN also is on the hunt for
somebody to replace the fired Chris
Cuomo.
Sources told The Post that Psaki
is not close to signing with any
network. Alexandra Steigrad
‘Forever’
ban for
Shkreli
A federal judge Wednes-
day permanently barred
former pharmaceutical ex-
ecutive Martin Shkreli from
serving as an officer or di-
rector of publicly traded
companies, and ordered
him to pay a $1.39 million
fine for violating securities
law from 2009 to 2014.
Judge Kiyo Matsumoto in
Brooklyn issued her ruling
in the Securities and Ex-
change Commission’s civil
case alleging Shkreli
cheated investors in his
hedge funds and raided his
biotechnology company,
Retrophin, for funds to set-
tle with investors.
Shkreli had proposed a
10-year officer and director
ban, arguing that his seven-
year prison sentence and
$7.8 million in forfeiture
and penalties in his related
criminal case were suffi-
cient punishment.
A lawyer for Shkreli did
not reply to a request for
comment.
Shkreli became notorious
and known as “Pharma
Bro” in 2015, when he raised
the price of the anti-para-
sitic drug Daraprim over-
night to $750 per tablet
from $17.50 while serving as
chief executive of Turing
Pharmaceuticals, later re-
named Vyera Pharmaceuti-
cals.
Shkreli is serving his sen-
tence at a low-security fed-
eral prison in Allenwood,
Pa., and will be eligible for
release in November.
Reuters
Bird flu now
in Delaware
The Department of Agri-
culture reported a highly le-
thal form of bird flu in a
commercial poultry flock in
Delaware on Wednesday,
expanding an outbreak that
has limited the export of
poultry products.
The federal agency has
recently reported infection
cases of highly pathogenic
avian flu in commercial tur-
key and chicken operations
— in Indiana on Feb. 15 as
well as Kentucky a day ear-
lier — triggering trade re-
strictions from foreign
poultry buyers such as
China.
Reuters

buyk: Local service has
ties to a Russian startup.
‘Sanction’
fear at NY
deliver app
New York employees of a
Russian-funded grocery-de-
livery app are nervous that
new Biden administration
sanctions against Moscow
could threaten their jobs,
The Post has learned.
Buyk, a New York-based
startup co-founded by two
Russian entrepreneurs and
recently unveiled a partner-
ship with Grubhub, cur-
rently offers 15-minute gro-
cery deliveries in every
borough except Staten Is-
land.
Since much of Buyk’s
funding comes from Rus-
sian sources — including a
venture-capital fund backed
by Russia’s largest state-
owned bank — some rank-
and-file employees say they
fear that US sanctions in re-
taliation for Russian aggres-
sion against Ukraine could
threaten the company’s US
operations.
While Buyk bills itself as
an American company, it
was founded as a spinoff of
a St. Petersburg startup
called Samokat that is par-
tially controlled by Russian
state-owned bank Sber-
bank. Theo Wayt
Insta-slap at
Estée exec
A top executive at cos-
metics giant Estée Lauder
has been suspended by the
company over a post on his
Instagram account that in-
cluded mention of the
N-word.
John Demsey, the execu-
tive group president who is
responsible for such brands
as MAC and Clinique, was
disciplined for the post,
which also included a joke
about COVID-19, according
to The Wall Street Journal.
Ariel Zilber
A rare situation
Andrew Wiederhorn,
boss of the Fatburger
and Johnny Rockets
chains, is under federal
investigation for an
array of financial
crimes. He is already a
convicted felon. The
home of his son,
Thayer, and his
daughter-in-law,
Brooke (below right,
with her mother, Kim
Richards) was raided
by authorities.
Burger CEO faces
fat load of trouble
By Lisa FicKenscher
The boss of the Fatburger and Johnny
Rockets chains is being investigated by
federal agencies for alleged financial
crimes — again.
Fat Brands CEO Andrew Wiederhorn,
a convicted felon who served 15 months
in prison about 20 years ago for filing a
false tax return and paying an illegal
gratuity, is under investigation by the
Securities and Exchange Commission
and the US Attorney’s Office for the
Central District of California, the com-
pany said in a regulatory filing.
The agencies are seeking documents
related to Fat Brands’ merger with Fog
Cutter Capital Group — the company
Wiederhorn led at the time of his con-
viction — and “transactions between
these entities and Mr. Wiederhorn, and
compensation, extensions of credit and
other benefits or payments received by
Mr. Wiederhorn or his family,” accord-
ing to the filing.
While Fat Brands said it does not be-
lieve it’s a target of the investigations, of
which it was notified in December, its
shares tanked on the news, down 23%
on Tuesday and down nearly 6% on
Wednesday.
Investigators raided the Beverly
Grove home of Wiederhorn’s son,
Thayer, and his wife, Brooke Wieder-
horn, in December, according to court
documents.
Brooke is the daughter of “The Real
Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Kim
Richards, and her 2014 wedding to
Thayer was featured on the show.
The search warrant called for agents
to gather “clothing, digital devices,
backpacks, wallets, briefcases, purses
and bags,” according to the court docu-
ment.
The items are being used as part of an
investigation into alleged securities
fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud,
money laundering and tax evasion, ac-
cording to the search warrant.
The feds are looking for any financial
transfers or “anything of value” be-
tween Fat Brands and Fog Cutter and
transactions between “Wiederhorn,
Thayer or any of their current or former
spouses, romantic partners, parents,
children, siblings or current or former
in-laws,” according to the filing.
GOOd
35
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
LuCk
SpOrt
Bookies seek a win
nypost.com
By Josh Kosman pany has signed up about
500,000 customers in New
If you thought the sports- York since launch. “The vol-
betting ads plastered all over umes in New York were about
New York meant the indus- two times what we were antic-
try’s having a heyday, take a ipating,” the company’s CEO,
look at their profits: likely zero. Tom Reeg, told investors on a
In fact, a tally of online book- Tuesday earnings call.
makers’ profits shows they’ve Caesars’ latest earnings pe-
very likely lost money, around riod ended in December, so its
$200 million, since launching results since the state legalized
in New York on Jan. 8, accord- online sports betting aren’t
ing to an analyst who’s run the available, but the industry ana-
numbers for The Post. lyst said it’s a near certainty the
How can that be? Operators company lost money on its
like Caesars and New York operations.
DraftKings are having Caesars declined to
to spend big to lure comment on profit
gamblers onto their figures but said it has
apps: Those much-ad- scaled back its promo-
vertised promotions tions. Its latest is $300
cost money, or about in free gambling with
$100 to $150 per new a new customer’s first
customer, according On the
to the industry ana-
lyst, who didn’t want
to be named.
money $20 bet.
Still, the analyst who
compiled the num-
bers for The Post said the
And New York state levies a bookmakers won’t just fold in
massive 51% tax on the book- New York and that doing busi-
makers’ gross revenue, eating ness in the state is likely to be-
into their bottom lines. Much come less painful.
to their chagrin, the sports-
books also have had to pay the
51% tax on the promotion
‘Shift to profit focus’
money they fork over. “The initial marketing blitz
should tail off given that
awareness has been set,” he
One lucky ‘loser’
said. “There is a realization the
“I got lucky by not winning a entire market needs to shift to
New York license,” a sports- a profit focus.”
betting operator who tried and DraftKings on Friday re-
failed to secure a local license, leased earnings for the first
joked to The Post. time since its New York
So far, the bookmakers have launch. The bookie lost about
attracted more people than ex- $50 million through Feb. 13, the
pected — but at a cost, with analyst said — basing the esti-
promotions that lure bettors in mate on piecing together
with a “free” $3,000 if a gam- numbers from the report.
bler ponied up $3,000 of his DraftKings didn’t respond to a
own at Caesars, for instance. request for comment.
Since online sports betting In New York, DraftKings
came online in January, 1.5 mil- represents about 25% of the
lion to 2 million accounts have sports-betting market, which
been opened, according to the is how the analyst extrapo-
industry analyst. State data lated that the industry likely
show $2.4 billion has been wa- lost $200 million. FanDuel has
gered through Feb. 13. about 36% of the market. It de-
At Caesars alone, the com- clined to comment.
36
nypost.com
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

YOUR DESTINATION FOR

STYLE INSPIRATION.

Scan now for the very latest in celebrity fashion and beauty.

PAGESIX.COM/STYLE
 37

InsIde Kerry Washington’s ‘scandalous’ home lists for $25M, p. 40

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Home
GUTS OF
Harry Macklowe
(below) gutted
and rebuilt One
Wall St. (left and
inset) as a
residential
playground in
one of the most

nypost.com
complex

STEEL
building
projects in NYC
history.
Inside NYC’s
record-setting
office conversion
By ZACHARY KUSSIN

F
OR nearly a century, One Wall Street
has towered over the heart of the Fi-
nancial District.
The former home of the Irving Trust
commercial bank, and later the Bank of
New York Mellon Corporation, it was
one of the city’s tallest buildings when it de-
buted in 1931.
Now, the 1.2 million-square-foot, Art Deco
office tower masterpiece is once again mak-
ing an impact.
After nearly eight years of construction, the
tower has officially debuted as a residential
skyscraper. The 566-unit condo building,
transformed by developer Macklowe Proper-
ties, is the city’s largest-ever office-to-resi-
dential conversion.
Together a 50-story landmarked tower and ing, dining and kitchen areas accented with Mi-
a 30-story extension, the conversion ele appliances and waterfall counters.
is a feat of engineering on a scale The firm’s head, Harry Macklowe, designed
never before seen in Manhattan the kitchens himself — with other touches in-
that required a nearly full gut of cluding Lincoln Calacatta marble topping the
the gigantic tower, hundreds of counters and backsplashes, plus custom cabi-
new Landmarks-approved win- nets crafted by Aran Cucine. Ceilings more than
dows and shifting the whole of 10 feet high hover over wide-plank French oak
the building’s mechanics from hardwood floors.
its perimeter to its center. Sales at the tower launched quietly in Septem-
With closings to begin ber. There are now 34 residences for sale, priced
DBOX for Macklowe Properties; Tamara Beckwith/NY Post (inset)

mid-year and comple- between $990,000 for a studio and $12.75 million
tion expected by the for a four-bedroom. A triplex penthouse in the
end of 2022, the building’s crown with 35-foot ceilings may re-
developer has portedly list for $40 million, but Kirk Rundhaug
now unveiled of Compass, which leads sales and marketing at
photographs of One Wall Street, said that an asking price has yet
its model units, a to be set.
collection of Rundhaug declined to say how many units to-
seven apart- tal are spoken for, but he said the building has
ments not cur- some 170 different apartment layouts, which
rently for sale — alone has created demand. For instance, the
and The Post got property houses 11 loft-style units — six of
an exclusive first which have sold and two of which are under ne-
look inside. gotiation.
These dwell- The development — whose helping hands
ings include also include Robert A.M. Stern and SLCE Archi-
floor-to-ceiling tects — is helping to transform the business-
windows that hours neighborhood into a more residential
overlook Broad-
way, and open liv- See ONE WALL ST. on Page 38
38
Home
nypost.com
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
Old building, new tricks: One Wall Street includes 170 distinct apartment layouts, luxury finishes and unique perspectives.
From ONE WALL ST. on
Page 37
area. It will even include a
Whole Foods at its base.
“[Locals] have walked by it
every day for years and
they’ve seen it under con-
struction … and now they
can visit and take a tour and
see if it’s right for them,” said
Richard Dubrow, Macklowe
Properties’ director of mar-
keting.
Other resi-friendly ameni-
ties include a coworking
space, a kids’ playroom, a
lounge for teens, a private
residents’ restaurant next to
a 4,000-square-foot land-
scaped terrace, a private gym
— as well as access to the
three-story Life Time fitness
center in the commercial
portion.
But the building’s biggest
perk is its history.
In 1929, Irving Trust tapped
architect Ralph Walker —
whose other work includes
the Stella and Walker towers
in Manhattan — to design
the building and it’s said that
Cass Gilbert, the rival archi-
tect of the nearby Wool-
worth Building, withdrew
his money from the bank in
One Wall now has 34 listed residences, which range in price from $990,000 for a studio and $12.75 million for a four-bedroom.
Michael Young
The Red Room survived the
1960s and is still tricked out
with luminous red and gold
Art Deco tile and metal work.
protest.
The bank commissioned
the 30-story extension in
1963 — and stripped the
build of much of its original
splendor in the process.
The only original portion
remaining is the Red Room.
That space, a dazzling mo-
saic-clad atrium, formerly
served as a banking hall for
Irving Trust’s most loyal cli-
ents. It will house a to-be-an-
nounced retail tenant follow-
ing a $1 million-plus restora-
tion, which included a refur-
bishment of the glass mosaic,
the triple-high windows and
the ornamental metal.
“It’s the most significant
piece that stayed behind,”
said Lilla Smith, Macklowe
Properties’ director of archi-
tecture.
However, Macklowe has
tried to reinject moments of
Walker’s vision back into the
tower. For instance, they’ve
reopened the original entry
on Broadway, which now
leads to an Art Deco-style
lobby. The team also demol-
ished 30 elevators, then relo-
cated and rebuilt nearly a
dozen lifts for residents in
the center of the building to
optimize the homes’ layouts,
as well as exposure to light
and air.
The south-facing façade of
the landmark tower — which
had rows of three windows
— now boasts rows of five to
match the north façade.
“It wound up making the
building symmetrical,” said
Smith. “When we presented
[the plan] to Landmarks, we
asserted that Ralph Walker
Getty Images
Demographics are shifting as Fidi adds resi towers.
Making change
DBOX for Macklowe Properties
ONCE teeming with young investment bankers and
seasoned hedge fund managers working 60-plus hour
weeks, the Financial District wasn’t exactly where New
Yorkers laid down roots.
Now, with the financial sector pairing down its office
footprint in favor of tech, working from home and less
traditional neighborhoods, Fidi is developing a dis-
tinctly non-finance feel.
would probably be very “I used to think Fidi was going to be swarming with
much in favor of that.” the typical finance bros wearing collared shirts and
Mechanical rooms, which vests,” admitted 32-year-old Carrie Booze, who moved
previously faced the New from a small apartment in Nolita to a sun-drenched
York Stock Exchange, were space on the 14th floor
also moved — and that’s of 200 Water Street a
made for some new views. little over a year ago.
“In a number of apart- Booze, who works in
ments, you can actually look public relations, says
onto the old trading floor,” her new neighbor-
said Smith. hood is much more
With the opening of the residential than she
property comes a host of expected.
other views that only office For New Yorkers
tenants previously saw. like Booze, Fidi has
East-facing residents will become a value prop-
also get a peek of the Ge- osition, where both
orge Washington statue in ample space and
front of Federal Hall, while amenities are a frac-
those facing west will see a tion of the price of
sculpture of an eagle over neighboring areas like
Binyan Studios
the entry of 65 Broadway, Tribeca.
previously the American Developers are pav-
Express headquarters. A ing the way.
block north of that, resi- Stan Ponte, of So-
dents can look over the theby’s International
spire of Trinity Church to Realty, co-sales di- Jolie is one of the ritzy new
see the World Trade Center rector of the Wool- resi towers arriving in Fidi.
in the backdrop. worth Tower Resi-
“That’s a couple hundred dences, says that Fidi is experiencing a major renais-
years of history — it’s the sance with restaurants helmed by big names like
layers of history of the ar- Danny Meyer and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a buzz-
chitecture that make the ing South Street Seaport, pretty parks and charming
views so appealing and cobblestone streets, good schools and excellent sub-
rich,” said Dubrow. “There way access.
are all these little nice mo- Ryan Serhant, head of sales and marketing at Jolie, a
ments,” added Smith. 42-story luxury residential building located at 77
Greenwich St., noted that a new 450-seat public ele-
mentary school located will open at the building’s base
in September — a bonus for the building’s residents
and other locals with little ones.
Angelo and Sam Franco-DeWitt, a couple in their 30s
who moved from Inwood to a luxury rental located at
63 Wall St. in August, say they like their new neighbor-
hood’s diversity.
“I think the area is actually a lot more youthful than I
Donna Dotan (2)
imagined,” Angelo said. “It is way more common for us
to see millennials walking their dogs than a Gen X-er.”
“Contrary to the old view of the Financial District, the
area is not solely dominated by people who work in
that industry,” Sam added.
— Stacey Lastoe
 39

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

nypost.com
Brooklyn, NY — 779 East 39th Street Head of Harbor, NY Manhasset, NY – Plandome
$1,500,000. MLS# 3319839. $2,950,000. MLS# 3358565. $3,195,000.
Steve Sallion, 718.638.6500, c.917.482.4863 Marianne Koke, 631.584.6600, c.631.335.7111 Kristen Denihan, 516.627.4440, c.516.312.4415
Ann Hance, 516.627.4440, c.516.660.1680
Eileen Krach, 516.627.4440, c.917.270.3737

Nissequogue, NY Nissequogue, NY Port Washington, NY – Rental

MLS# 3376726. $429,000. MLS# 3372867. $3,600,000. MLS# 3365104. $6,500/month.
Marianne Koke, 631.584.6600, c.631.335.7111 Marianne Koke, 631.584.6600, c.631.335.7111 Shohreh Hakimian, 516.627.4440, c.516.647.2676
Soleyman Hakimian, 516.627.4440, c.516.849.9666

Southold, NY Upper Brookville, NY – “Lions Gate” Whitestone, NY – Custom Split

MLS# 3370273. $2,697.85. MLS# 3368606. $5,650,000. MLS# 3376913. $1,449,000.
Cheryl Schneider, 631.298.4130, c.631.766.2598 Alexis McAndrew, 516.759.4800, c.917.750.8939 Ann Carlucci, 516.627.4440, c.516.672.2023
Regan Battuello, 631.298.4130, c.917.697.2092

Each office is independently owned and operated. We are pledged to provide equal opportunity for housing to any prospective customer or client, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. danielgale.com
40
Home

Gimme Shelter
nypost.com

Yard sale

Eytan Stern Weber/Evan Joseph Images; Chevy Chase/Twitter

A secret gar-
den shared by
JENNIFER GOULD just 22 home-
owners in
the West Vil-
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

lage is getting
a new mem-
ber to its club.
A historic home at
188 Sullivan, next door to bil-
lionaire and bestselling author
Ray Dalio (inset) — founder
and co-chief investment offi- 145 Park Place

Serhant Studios; Getty Images (inset)

cer of the world’s largest
hedge fund, Bridgewater As-
sociates — is now in contract.
It was last asking $7.99 mil-
Thrill of the Chase
lion, down from its original EMiLy Evelyn Chase, the
ask of $8.95 million last April youngest daughter of actor/
— and neighbors in the Mac- comedian Chevy Chase
Dougal-Sullivan Gardens are (both inset right) has sold her
buzzing about the identity of Park Slope apartment at 145
the mystery buyer. The land- Park Place for its full asking
marked, 1850-built Greek Re- price of $989,000. Emily bought
50 Riverside Blvd. vival townhouse is 22½ feet the condo with her father in 2018 for
$912,000. They put it back on the market last Novem-

pope’S addreSS
ber. Chevy congratulated his daughter, her listing bro-
ker Steven Marvin of Serhant and his lawyer Jonat-
han Movtady on his Instagram account: “Congratu-

Yoo Jean Han/Sotheby’s International Realty

lations to my daughter, @em_chases on the sale of her
apartment! Special thanks to: @stevenmarvin and

S
CANDALOUS! Actress Kerry
Washington’s (right) former
rental is back on the market for
the queenly sum of $25 million
— following a hefty $2.5 mil-
lion price chop and broker
swap. The stunning Bronx-
born star of “Scandal” and
“Little Fires Everywhere” paid
close to $70,000 a month to
live in the 6,168-square-foot
Upper West Side penthouse
at 50 Riverside Blvd. when
she was on Broadway, starring
in “American Son” in 2019.
(Common charges are an addi-
tional $6,914 a month.) “We
spent a lot of time looking for a
place that had enough space for
our whole crew, our posse,” Wash-
ington — who had previously been
living in LA with her husband, the
NFL cornerback turned actor
Nnamdi Asomugha and their
three kids — told Architectural Di-
gest at the time. The full-floor
home comes with a private eleva-
tor landing, six bedrooms and
7½ bathrooms.
Floor-to-ceiling
windows
showcase the
Hudson
River and
THAT it took a mere five weeks, 42 showings and 11 bids for a Sunny
We ...
sunset views. There’s also open living @jonnymov @serhant.” Emily, who works as a senior
and dining areas divided by a look- manager for the National Audubon Society, left Park
through fireplace. And yes, the corner Slope for her parents’ home in Westchester at the start
living room sofa was a favorite of lockdown in March 2020. Now, she works remotely
go-to for Washington, just like her and no longer has to be at the Audubon office in the
iconic “Scandal” character, Olivia West Village. “Moving back in with my parents in my
Pope, savoring a glass of wine on 30s was quite an experiment,” Emily told Gimme. The
her coach at the end of a long day fourth-floor, one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo is
solving presidential problems. 1,060 square feet. It’s in a complex that includes a
“That Cloud couch is dangerous landmarked eight-story building facing Park Place and
— I never wanted to get up,” 188 Sullivan St. a new construction building facing Flatbush.
Washington told AD. The pent-
house also features an eat-in
chef’s kitchen, a media room wide and sports 5,075 square 219 Hudson St.
with a wet bar and built-in feet. It has only had two buy-
wine fridge, a mud room and a ers in the last 100 years. Sour-
laundry room, while the main ces told Gimme that Dalio ex-
bedroom boasts custom pressed “serious interest” in
walk-in closets and bathrooms purchasing the home and dou-
with walk-in showers and one bling his investment on the
windowed soaking tub. Building block, but in the end never
amenities include a gym, spa, a pulled the trigger. Listing bro-
pool, a 38-foot rock climbing wall, ker Jeremy V. Stein, of So-
basketball and squash courts, theby’s, confirms only that the
bowling alley, golf simulator, resi- buyer is not someone who al-
dents’ lounge, game room, screen- ready owns in the garden (ex- Douglas Elliman; Hippolyte Petit/WireImage (inset)
ing room and events room with a isting owners in the commu-
catering kitchen. The current
seller paid $19.69 million for the
nity have the right of first re-
fusal). The 22 colorfully
Badge of honor
penthouse in 2016, according to painted row houses make up EMMY Award-winning actor Camryn Manheim
property records. The listing the landmarked MacDougal- (below) is starring on NBC’s “Law & Order” revival as
broker is Serhant’s Carolina Sullivan Gardens, which is Lt. Kate Dixon — and she’s also been spotted house
Bravo. Mansion Global first re- filled with mature maple and hunting recently on the streets of New York. Best
ported the listing. sycamore trees known for her roles on “The Practice” and “Ghost
Whisperer,” Manheim said she has come “full circle,”
Regalia building as her first acting job out of school was a guest ap-
pearance on the first 13 episodes of “Law & Order”
Charles Josset from Photostetic; AP

Isles penthouse triplex to sell at auction for $20.55 million. That’s

hear more than $5 million over the minimum bid of $15 million. (The three decades ago, according to Deadline.
One residence Manheim recently toured
unit first listed for $25.5 million last year before selling via auc-
tion last December, and closing earlier this month.) The resi- was a $5.99 million penthouse in Hud-
dence is at 19575 Collins Ave. in the Regalia building — where son Square. The full-floor unit is at 219
soccer star Lionel Messi (left) bought the entire 9th floor for $7.3 Hudson St., known as the Riverview.
million last year. The six-bedroom unit was designed by architect At 2,011 square feet, it comes with
Charles Allem of CAD International. It comes with a 1,500-square- three bedrooms, 3½ baths and a
foot main bedroom and design details like onyx and lots of wood. 475-square-foot terrace.
The sellers were repped by Jeff Miller of ONE Sotheby’s Inter- There’s also an open chef’s
national Realty and Concierge Auctions. The buyer was repped kitchen. The brokers are
by Mark Pordes and Adam Kaufman of Pordes Residential. Douglas Elliman’s Tom Pos-
tilio and Mickey Conlon.
 41

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

MERCHANDISE NOTICES PET PLACE
I CAREERS
I CAREER COLLECTIBLES FORECLOSURE NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES
TRAINING DOGS

S ireless is ro osin to
I BUSINESS UYI SE R S
S
S
B
Q
S
S
S R M R
R
B
S R S
- install new wireless
telecommunications antennas on an ESE PUPPIES
nd ll ther S orts ards, R R M R R M dora le males and emales, toy or
OPPORTUNITIES ert Memora ilia raded R M S S
existin uildin located at 4
Ri erside r , ew ork, ew ork teacu si es, shots and a ers
inta e ards re er re-19 0 S , SB, B RS B R ounty, he new acility will all 1 - 14- 9
ayin o ollar $$$ S K : B R R S , B S in a Security reement dated consist o the collocation o
I FINANCIAL small or lar e collections
all enry 91 -2 -2 5 R R R S
R R
( M
R S
R
R
Q S
R M cto er 1, 2012, executed y
erett eil, e tors, to
antennas at a to hei ht o 129 t
in on the 109 t in uildin to S I U PUPPIES
SERVICES M R
S ) B
(
B
SS )
R S , lainti a ainst Bank, ational ssociation,
secured arty, in accordance with
ara et (1 4 t in measured to to Beauti ul Males emales
o water tower) ny interested rice to $ell
11 5- - 5 RS K RS - , its ri hts as holder o the Security, arty wishin to su mit comments all 1 - -54
I REAL ESTATE NOTICES
S
R R (
M
SS R ),
- -K ,
RS,
S RB
M S R
S,
RS,
y re ardin the otential e ects the
ro osed acility may ha e on any
R R M 2 ( R S S, S S, S, historic ro erty may do so y
SERVICES R M ) 11 SS S, RS, R RS, will conduct a u lic sendin such comments to: ro ect YORKIE PUPPIES
RS , BR , S SS RS R S , sale o the security consistin o 122001425 - KM B onsultin , R B , ure red,
RK, R S R RS S 199 shares o stock o cro olis 21 B Street, Burlin ton, M 01 0 , toy teacu si es
I MERCHANDISE FORECLOSURE NOTICES
RM R M , R, B ardens Realty or , all ri ht, title or ia tele hone at ( 1 )495-0 40 all 1 - 0 -41

nypost.com
S , I I IO R R and interest in and to a
FOR SALE I E SE
9 22),
U IO EER (
R E
S R
MB K
MB
S R M
K S R
B
ro rietary ease etween said
or oration and de tor or M RK S , rt
IO I E SE R S , R , R a artment 1 in the uildin r iled Sec o State o REAL ESTATE
I PETS S B
U IO EER (
S 1S R
14 4494),
S K
R S ,
R S
R , R known as 21-
storia,
5th Street,
11105-2114, to ether
12 10 2021
o SS
oc : ew ork
desi nated as a ent
S SS R ( S R S) R MS S S RB with all ixtures and articles o u on whom rocess may e
R R M R M R , et al ersonal ro erty now or ser ed shall mail roc : 25 th
I AUTOMOTIVE R R M
R S
R , e endant(s) herea ter a ixed to or used in
connection with said a artment
e , Suite 1105, ew ork,
10001, S ur ose: sycholo y
MANHATTAN APTS
S K : B R S B ttorney or lainti (s) Knuckles, on March 14, 2022, 10:00 M, on FURNISHED
B 11:15 M Komosinski Man ro, , the ront ste s o the Queens
I LEGAL & R R R S
R R
( M R , 2022, BR 5 5 axter Road, Suite 590, ounty Su reme ourt Buildin , ish ireless is ro osin to
S ) B B R S , R lms ord, 1052 located at -11 Sut hin Bl d, install new wireless Kitchenettes, Studios, 1 Bedrooms
PUBLIC NOTICE S ( SS ) S S R amaica, , in satis action o an telecommunications antennas on a Brklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan
11 5- - 5 RS RS , 51 R ursuant to a ud ment o inde tedness in the rinci al uildin located at est 204th Studios $900mo+: 1 Beds $1000mo+
S M RS , BR , RK: oreclosure and Sale entered May amount o $1 , 2 lus Street, , he new acility will nyc rentals 212-210-9214 (no text)
R R ( 11, 2021, will sell at u lic interest, late ees, attorney ees, consist o antennas mounted at a
SS R ), R artment 2 located at 11 auction to the hi hest idder at maintenance in arrears and all to hei ht o -2 and 1 on
PLACE AN AD R M 5 ( nderson enue, Bronx, ew ste s o Queens ounty Su reme other ad anced char es the 0 -2 -tall uildin
hei ht 4- to the to o chimney)
(o erall
R M ) 11 5 ork and monthly maintenance ourt, -11 Sut hin Boule ard, artment is sold S S and
ny interested arty wishin to
MANHATTAN
RS , BR , $ 54 50 amaica, 114 5 on March 1 , ossession to e o tained y the
Email: RK, R S 2022 at 11:45 M remises urchaser Said sale is su ect to: su mit comments re ardin the FURNISHED ROOMS
RM S S S R known as 1 1-10 9 rd enue, ayment o all sums due, i any, to otential e ects the ro osed
clloyd@nypost.com S , I I IO R S SS R S ollis, ew ork 1142 Block cro olis ardens Realty or acility may ha e on any historic
I E SE U IO EER ( R S R R S 10 22 ot 4 ll that certain lot, and their attorneys, and the ro erty may do so y sendin such Rooms, Kitchenettes, Studios
9 22) R E S R S S iece or arcel o land, with the consent i necessary, o said comments to: ro ect 122001 59 - Bklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan
B onsultin , 21 B Street,
DEADLINES IO
U IO EER (
I E SE
14 4494)
R S RB
- M
B S uildin s and im ro ements
thereon erected, situate, lyin and
cor oration any existin tenancy
ayment o all ex enses and ees Burlin ton, M 01 0 , or (20 ) 2 1-
4
Rooms $150wk+ : Studios $900mo+
nyc rentals 212-210-9214 (no text)
S 1S R S K M , R S, ein in the Borou h and ounty o the secured arty with res ect
Monday: Friday 2:30PM SS R ( S R S) M S R o Queens, ity and State o ew thereto terms o sale and
R S SS R R S R S ork roximate mount o auctioneer s ees ish ireless is ro osin to install
Mon @Work: Friday 2:30PM R M R , R B R S ud ment is $4 , 1 12 lus new wireless telecommunications All real estate advertising in this
R S R B S interest and costs remises will he secured arty reser es antennas on an existin uildin newspaper is subject to the Federal
Tuesday: Monday 2:30PM S B M B R e sold su ect to ro isions o the ri ht to id he urchase located at 1 St icolas enue, Fair Housing Act of 1968 as amended
Wednesday: Tuesday 2:30PM B 11:00 M R M S R R iled ud ment ndex o rice or the ease and Shares o ew ork, ew ork ounty, in 1988 which makes it illegal to
M R , 2022 BR M S 05 12 2021 ash will not e the artment shall e aya le y 1002 he new acility will consist advertise “any preference, limitation
Thursday: Wednesday 2:30PM R S , R S M acce ted at the sale certi ied or ank check, as ollows: o the collocation o antennas at
S S R R M S S S a ten (10 ) ercent de osit is a rox 95 t in on the a rox or discrimination based on race,
Friday: Thursday 2:30PM RS , 51 R S B R he oreclosure sale will e re uired with a success ul id, 0 t 2in tall uildin (91 t color, religion, sex, handicapped,
RS , BR , RK: S SS B R B conducted in accordance with aya le to ldrid e ite, measured to chimney) ny familial status, or national origin, or
Saturday: Friday 2:30PM B R R RS 11th udicial istrict s o id-19 ash will not e acce ted, and the interested arty wishin to su mit intention to make such preference,
artment 5 located at 11 5 SS R B K R R olicies and oreclosure auction alance o the urchase rice shall comments re ardin the otential limitation or discrimination.” To
Sunday: Friday 2:30PM nderson enue, Bronx, ew K R M R R, rules he Re eree shall en orce e aya le within thirty ( 0) days e ects the ro osed acility may
complain of discriminiation, call HUD
ork and monthly maintenance B SM , B SS any rules in lace re ardin acial ha e on any historic ro erty may
$ 41 50 BS, , S R ( co erin s and social distancin R , do so y sendin such comments to: toll free at 1-800-669-9777. The
RS KS R Re eree will only acce t a certi ied ( ttorneys or Secured reditor) ro ect 122001 4 - KM B toll free telephone for the hearing
PAYMENTS S S
R S
S
SS R S
R
B
RS M
)
R RS
M
ank check made aya le to the
re eree
( 1)454- 059 onsultin , 21 B Street, Burlin ton,
M 01 0 , or ia tele hone at
impaired is 1-800-927-9275. Or,
call the Anti Discrimination of New
R S R R S Q R (10 ) oyce Brown, s , Re eree Fill your jobs in the ( 1 )495-0 40
We Accept S R S S S SS B SR Q R 229 -002921 New York Post Classifieds
York (the Fair Housing Agency
R S RB B S K K R S for the 5 Boros of New York) at
Visa, Mastercard, otice is here y i en a license, 718-422-0066, or The New York
- M R M S
American Express, M , R S, B S M S num er 1 42 4 or on- remises City Commission of Human Rights
M S R B B i uor has een a lied or y hotline at 212-306-7500.
checks and money orders S SS R R S R S R R R LEGAL NOTICES the undersi ned to sell li uor at
R B R S MM M B retail in a Restaurant under the
R B S SS R R S lcoholic Be era e ontrol aw at
The New York Post reserves the right to M B R B R , B 102 enue , ew ork,
ellco artnershi and its controlled S ireless is ro osin to
edit, reclassify, reject or cancel an ad at
any time. We can only give appropriate
credit, not to exceed the cost of the ad, for
R M
S M
M
S R
S
R RM
B
S
B
SS
S
B
B S
a iliates doin usiness as eri on
ireless ( eri on ireless) is
install new wireless
telecommunications antennas on an
10009
consum tion
enue
or on-
os itality
remises
LLC
one insertion. We are not liable for com-
plete omissions. Any discrepancies must S B
R M S S
R
S S
(45)
B
S
R -
ro osin to collocate antennas at
0 t 5in on a 9 t uildin ( 2 t
o erall hei ht with a urtenances)
existin uildin located at 259
aci ic Street, Brooklyn, Kin s
ounty, 11201 he new acility S ireless is ro osin to
Formation
be brought to our attention within 30 days
of the first day the ad runs, in order to
receive consideration for credit. B R
S
SS R
SS
R
B K R
B
RS
R B
R
SS
, M
S
B
R RMS
SM , B SS
at 129 exin ton
ork, ew ork,
comments re ardin
enue, ew
1012 u lic
otential
will consist o the collocation o
antennas at aryin hei hts not to
exceed a roximately 95 t 5in
install new wireless
telecommunications antennas on an
Notices:
BS, (914) 4 -0 00 existin uildin located at 15 9
K R M R R, e ects rom this site on historic a o e round le el (measured to
B
BS,
SM , B SS
, S R ,
B :00 - 5:00 M ro erties may e su mitted within
0 days rom the date o this
the to o the antennas) on the 5 t
tall uildin ny interested arty
Bruckner Bl d , Bronx, Bronx ounty,
ew ork 104 2 he new acility
will consist o antennas and
All NYS
EMPLOYMENT
(
RS
RS
M R RS
KS R
S
u lication to: ro ect 12200154 -
c o B onsultin , 21 B Street,
wishin to su mit comments
re ardin the otential e ects the
e ui ment at a to hei ht o
a rox 1 1 t on the 152 t
Counties
B ) M Burlin ton, M 01 0 , ro osed acility may ha e on any uildin (measured to the to o the
Q R (10 ) LEGAL NOTICES saddleman e iconsultin com, or historic ro erty may do so y chimney, 125 t to the roo line)
S SS B SR Q R ia tele hone at ( 5 ) 54- 5 sendin such comments to: ro ect ny interested arty wishin to
K K R S 122001 1 - K B onsultin , su mit comments re ardin the
R M S 21 B Street, Burlin ton, M 01 0 , otential e ects the ro osed
FINANCIAL B S M S ish ireless is ro osin to ellco artnershi and its controlled or ia tele hone at ( 5 ) 40 -1 04 acility may ha e on any historic
B B install new wireless a iliates doin usiness as eri on ro erty may do so y sendin such
R R R telecommunications antennas on an ireless ( eri on ireless) is comments to: ro ect 122001222 -
MM M B existin uildin located at 1 ro osin to collocate antennas at a otice o ormation o R M KM B onsultin , 21 B Street,
Senior inancial nalysts SS R R S 1 th St , Bronx, Bronx o , he to hei ht o 5 t on a 59 t uildin B , a domestic Burlin ton, M 01 0 , or ia email
B R B new acility will consist o the (with all a urtenances) at 2 90 rticles o r ani ation iled with at k odchaux e iconsultin com
Risk ocus,
tions in ew ork,
has multi le osi-
to collect,
RM B B collocation o antennas at a to
hei ht o 9 t 4in on the t 4in
est 21st, Brooklyn, Kin s ounty,
11224 u lic comments the Secretary o State o ew ork Place your notice
S SS B S (SS ) on uly 29, 2020 with
document, and or ani e usiness B S uildin ny interested arty re ardin otential e ects rom this S ice location: assau ounty S S R rt r in NYP Classifieds.
re uirements or inte ratin li uidi- S B R - wishin to su mit comments site on historic ro erties may e SS is desi nated as a ent u on iled Sec o State o 2 2022
ty mana ement roducts with inan- (45) S re ardin the otential e ects the su mitted within 0 days rom the whom rocess a ainst the oc : ew ork o SS
cial re ulatory re ositories Send , M B ro osed acility may ha e on any date o this u lication to: ro ect may e ser ed SS shall mail desi nated as a ent u on whom
Email Karen at
resumes to homas Mc au hlin at historic ro erty may do so y 12200109 KM co B
1000 own enter ay, Suite 210,
SS R RMS
sendin such comments to: ro ect onsultin , 21 B Street, Burlin ton, rocess to: he , 45 Middle rocess may e ser ed shall kinscho@nypost.com
S SM , B SS eck Rd Ste 229 reat eck mail roc : 15 est 5 th Street,
anons ur , 15 1 or BS, (914) 4 -0 00 122001442 - M B onsultin , 21 M 01 0 , 11021 ur ose: ny law ul ew ork, 10019, S
us-immi ration ness com B :00 - 5:00 M B Street, Burlin ton, M 01 0 , or k odchaux e iconsultin com, or ur ose ur ose: ny law ul ur ose
em loyer o calls ia tele hone at ( 5) 0-59 ia tele hone at ( 1 )495-0 40
42 NBA NHL Lightning 5, Oilers 3

Stroman blasts Mets, EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic W L Pct. GB
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic W L OL* Pt GF GA
Edmonton
Tampa Bay
1 1 1— 3
2 2 1— 5
First Period: 1, Tampa Bay, Maroon 9
nypost.com

Philadelphia 35 23 .603 — Florida 35 11 5 75 212 151 (Cirelli), 11:57. 2, Edmonton, McDavid

27 (Barrie, Draisaitl), 18:10 (pp). 3,
Boston 34 26 .567 2 Tampa Bay 33 11 6 72 174 142

Eppler in Twitter rant

Tampa Bay, Stamkos 24 (Killorn,
Toronto 32 25 .561 2½ Toronto 32 14 4 68 179 141 Sergachev), 19:45. Penalties: Stamkos,
Boston 29 17 4 62 145 139 TB (Interference), 17:53.
NETS 31 28 .525 4½ Second Period: 4, Tampa Bay, Point 19
Detroit 23 23 6 52 149 181
KNICKS 25 34 .424 10½ (Kucherov, Palat), 10:48. 5, Tampa Bay,
Ottawa 19 26 5 43 134 159 Perry 14 (Sergachev, Maroon), 15:24
Southeast W L Pct. GB Buffalo 16 28 8 40 138 186 (pp). 6, Edmonton, Hyman 19
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

(Draisaitl), 17:12. Penalties: Nugent-

By JErEmy Layton fied his position, taking a shot at Eppler in Miami 38 21 .644 — Montreal 12 33 7 31 121 197 Hopkins, EDM (Holding), 11:20;
the process. Atlanta 28 30 .483 9½ Metropolitan W L OL* Pt GF GA Draisaitl, EDM (Tripping), 13:28.
Charlotte 29 31 .483 9½ Third Period: 7, Edmonton, McDavid 28
Marcus Stroman apparently has no re- “Just look at who the Mets hired as their Carolina 35 11 4 74 176 121 (Draisaitl, Hyman), 9:39. 8, Tampa Bay,
grets about leaving the Mets for GM…that tells you enough,” he Washington 27 31 .466 10½ Pittsburgh 31 13 8 70 173 140 Kucherov 8, 19:56 (en). Penalties:
Orlando 13 47 .217 25½ Rangers 32 13 5 69 151 127 Yamamoto, EDM (Delay of Game), 2:34;
the Cubs this offseason. wrote. “His lack of awareness in Hedman, TB (Holding), 3:39; Kane, EDM
Stroman, who spent three his previous position is being ex- Washington 28 15 9 65 171 145 (Tripping), 4:02.
Central W L Pct. GB
years with the Mets, from 2019-21 posed to the public now. I’m be- Columbus 26 23 1 53 167 183 Shots on Goal: Edmonton 9-11-10—30.
Chicago 38 21 .644 — Islanders 19 20 7 45 116 128 Tampa Bay 5-11-7—23.
(opting out of the 2020 season yond thankful I’m gone from that Cleveland 35 23 .603 2½ Power-play opportunities: Edmonton
Philadelphia 15 26 10 40 129 180
after suffering an injury), is one organization. God got me!” Milwaukee 36 24 .600 2½
1 of 1; Tampa Bay 1 of 4.
Devils 17 28 5 39 146 182 Goalies: Edmonton, Smith 5-6-1 (22
of the more active athletes on Most of the tweets appeared to
Indiana 20 40 .333 18½ WESTERN CONFERENCE
shots-18 saves). Tampa Bay,
Twitter. On Tuesday, he used his have been deleted as of Wednes- Vasilevskiy 27-8-4 (30-27).
Detroit 13 45 .224 24½
social media reach to attack his day. Central W L OL* Pt GF GA A: 19,092 (19,092). T: 2:23.
now-former team and their new Stroman also alleged he was the WESTERN CONFERENCE Colorado 37 10 4 78 204 145
general manager, Billy Eppler. recipient of racial slurs in a tweet Southwest W L Pct. GB St. Louis 30 14 6 66 179 138 Stars 3, Jets 2, OT
After a post praising his former MARCUS that remained up as of Wednes- Memphis 41 19 .683 — Minnesota 31 14 3 65 186 147
Winnipeg 1 0 1 0— 2
Mets teammate Michael Con- STROMAN day night. Dallas 35 24 .593 5½ Nashville 29 18 4 62 159 147 Dallas 0 1 1 1— 3
forto, calling him an “unbelieva- “Endless death threats, being Dallas 28 20 2 58 146 147
San Antonio 23 36 .390 17½ First Period: 1, Winnipeg, Wheeler 6
ble human being” and calling for the called a n----- often, hearing Black lives Winnipeg 22 20 9 53 147 153 (Pionk, Scheifele), 7:14. Penalties:
New Orleans 23 36 .390 17½
Chicago 18 26 8 44 126 176 Wheeler, WPG (Tripping), 15:30.
league to “pay that man what he de- don’t matter, and playing for a front office Houston 15 43 .259 25 Second Period: 2, Dallas, Benn 13
Arizona 13 34 4 30 116 189
serves,” a fan responded she’s “still hold- who didn’t care about any of that,” he (Hintz), 17:50 (sh). Penalties:
ing out hope” that Conforto returns to the tweeted. “I will speak on this topic on my Northwest W L Pct. GB Pacific W L OL* Pt GF GA Morrissey, WPG (High Sticking), 0:48;
Mets. time and on my podcast at some point. Utah 36 22 .621 — Calgary 30 13 6 66 169 114 Klingberg, DAL (Tripping), 11:23;
Denver 33 25 .569 3 Vegas 29 18 4 62 169 150 Wheeler, WPG (Holding), 12:44; Raffl,
Stroman didn’t agree. Still dealt on the mound through all of DAL (Hooking), 16:13; Lowry, WPG
“I’m hoping he’s well-paid elsewhere,” that!” Minnesota 31 28 .525 5½ Los Angeles 27 17 7 61 150 143 (Tripping), 20:00.
Stroman tweeted, with a shrug emoji. It’s unclear where Stroman’s disdain for Portland 25 34 .424 11½ Edmonton 28 20 3 59 171 166 Third Period: 3, Winnipeg, Scheifele 18
Anaheim 25 19 9 59 160 161 (Pionk, Connor), 4:27 (pp). 4, Dallas,
When pressed on the thought, he re- Eppler, whom the Mets hired in Novem- Oklahoma City 18 40 .310 18
Gurianov 7 (Benn, Seguin), 13:35.
Vancouver 24 22 6 54 140 148
sponded: “Very very thankful to be out of ber, came from. Eppler spent six seasons Pacific W L Pct. GB Penalties: Faksa, DAL (Hooking), 3:04.
San Jose 22 22 6 50 134 158
there for several reasons. God always got as the general manager of the Angels, and Phoenix 48 10 .828 —
Overtime: 5, Dallas, Seguin 17 (Benn),
Seattle 16 33 4 36 137 190 0:54. Penalties: None.
me. Beyond excited to perform for an in- while he did some good things there — Golden State 42 17 .712 6½ Shots on Goal: Winnipeg 10-6-5-1—22.
credible fanbase who appreciates their notably, signing two-way superstar Shohei OL*: Lost in OT (for 1 point)
L.A. Clippers 30 31 .492 19½ Dallas 15-11-12-1—39.
players! @Cubs.” Ohtani — the team never made the play- Wednesday Power-play opportunities: Winnipeg 1
L.A. Lakers 27 31 .466 21 Montreal 4, Buffalo 0
When asked if he could expand on the offs under his watch. of 3; Dallas 0 of 5.
issues that drove him away from the Mets, Stroman signed a three-year deal with Sacramento 22 38 .367 27 Colorado 5, Detroit 2 Goalies: Winnipeg, Hellebuyck 17-18-7
(39 shots-36 saves). Dallas, Oettinger
he wrote, “The world isn’t ready for those the Cubs in December, after the Mets Wednesday Dallas 3, Winnipeg 2, OT 15-6-0 (22-20).
answers to be honest.” hired Eppler — and before the lockout be- No games scheduled. Tampa Bay 5, Edmonton 3 A: 0 (18,532). T: 2:32.
In another tweet, Stroman further clari- gan. Los Angeles 3, Arizona 2
Thursday
Boston at Nets, 7:30pm Thursday Kings 3, Coyotes 2

Ex-Ranger Avery, 41, returns Cleveland at Detroit, 7pm

Atlanta at Chicago, 8pm
Memphis at Minnesota, 8pm
Phoenix at Oklahoma City, 8pm
Devils at Pittsburgh, 7pm
Washington at Rangers, 7pm
Islanders at San Jose, 10:30pm
Columbus at Florida, 7pm
Los Angeles
Arizona
0 2 1— 3
0 2 0— 2
First Period: None. Penalties: Lemieux,

to hockey with Orlando of ECHL

By Ethan SEarS
Sean Avery is back in
professional hockey.
The former Rangers for-
ward, who last played pro
hockey in the AHL in 2012,
signed a contract with the
East Coast Hockey
League’s Orlando Solar
Bears, Tampa Bay’s ECHL
affiliate, the team an-
nounced Wednesday.
Avery, who twice led the
NHL in penalty minutes,
played six seasons with
the Rangers, scoring 45
goals with 78 assists. He’s
currently 41 years old.
Since retiring in 2012,
Avery has competed on
“Dancing With the Stars,”
published a memoir and
was cast in Christopher
Nolan’s film “Tenet.” In
2016, he was served with a
restraining order for har-
assing his mother-in-law,
and in late 2014, The Post
reported that Avery had a
SeAN AveRy
meltdown during rehears-
als for an off-Broadway
production and quit.
During his playing ca-
reer, Avery had a reputa-
tion as controversial and a
bully. He was fined and
suspended multiple times
throughout his tenure in
the league.
Matt Barnaby, a rival en-
forcer in the league during
Avery’s playing days, who
has sparred with him since
retirement, took to Twit-
ter to give his take.
“If Avery signs in Or-
lando, I will sign with any-
one in that division...You
can play me as much as
[John Tortorella] did,”
Barnaby wrote.
The Jacksonville Ice-
men, the Rangers’ ECHL
affiliate, replied to the
tweet with a thinking
emoji.
Last summer, Barnaby
challenged Avery to a fight
through amateur boxing
promotion Rough N’
Rowdy, leading Avery to
call Barnaby a “desperate
ankle biter” on Twitter.
It’s unclear how soon
Avery will be on the ice for
the Solar Bears, but they
played Wednesday night
against the Florida Ever-
blades.
Since it has been 10
years since his last pro
hockey game, however,
Avery likely will need
some time to work up his
conditioning.
Denver at Sacramento, 10pm
Golden State at Portland, 10pm
Friday
Miami at Knicks, 7:30pm
Houston at Orlando, 7pm
Oklahoma City at Indiana, 7pm
San Antonio at Washington, 7pm
Toronto at Charlotte, 7pm
Philadelphia at Minnesota, 8pm
Dallas at Utah, 9pm
New Orleans at Phoenix, 9pm
Clippers at L.A. Lakers, 10pm
Soccer
CONCACAF Champions League-2nd Leg
NYCFC 4, Santos 0
(NYCFC advance 6-0 on aggregate)
CF Montreal 3, Santos 0
(CF Montreal wins 3-1 on aggregate)
Colorado 1, Communicaciones 0 FT
(Tied 1-1 on aggregate;Comunicaciones
advance 4-3 on penalties)
Pumas UNAM 4, Saprissa 1
(Pumas UNAM advandce 6-3 on
aggregate)
SheBelieves Cup
New Zealand 0, Czech Rep. 0
United States 5, Iceland 0
UEFA Champions League-1st Leg
Atletico Madrid 1, Manchester United 1
Benfica 2, Ajax Amsterdam 2
English Premier League
Burnley 1, Tottenham Hotspur 0
Crystal Palace 4, Watford 1
Liverpool 6, Leeds United 0
English League Championship
Millwall 2, Derby County 1
Fulham 2, Peterborough United 1
Huddersfield Town 2, Cardiff City 1
Queens Park Rangers 2, Blackpool 1
Sheffield United 1, Blackburn Rovers 0
Luton Town 2, Stoke City 1
Minnesota at Toronto, 7pm
Dallas at Nashville, 8:30pm
Boston at Seattle, 10pm
Calgary at Vancouver, 10pm
Friday
Devils at Chicago, 8:30pm
Columbus at Carolina, 7pm
Buffalo at St. Louis, 8pm
Winnipeg at Colorado, 9pm
Vegas at Arizona, 9:30pm
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10pm
Canadiens 4, Sabres 0
Buffalo 0 0 0— 0
Montreal 1 1 2— 4
First Period: 1, Montreal, Suzuki 10
(Caufield), 6:52. Penalties: Cozens, BUF
(Tripping), 8:28.
Second Period: 2, Montreal, Suzuki 11,
5:57 (ps). Penalties: Caufield, MTL
(High Sticking), 4:43; Dahlin, BUF
(Roughing), 4:43; Cozens, BUF
(Interference on breakaway (Penalty
Shot)), 5:57; Gallagher, MTL (Hooking),
12:01; Fitzgerald, BUF (Fighting), 14:32;
Gallagher, MTL (Fighting), 14:32.
Third Period: 3, Montreal, Caufield 7
(Suzuki), 1:18. 4, Montreal, Evans 7
(Chiarot), 18:27 (en). Penalties:
Romanov, MTL (Tripping), 14:17.
Shots on Goal: Buffalo 4-14-14—32.
Montreal 11-6-12—29.
Power-play opportunities: Buffalo 0 of
2; Montreal 0 of 1.
Goalies: Buffalo, Anderson 6-6-0 (28
shots-25 saves). Montreal,
Montembeault 5-10-4 (32-32).
A: 0 (21,288). T: 2:22.
LA (Tripping), 16:02; O'Brien, ARI
(Tripping), 18:50.
Second Period: 1, Arizona, Keller 21
(Schmaltz, Moser), 6:25. 2, Los Angeles,
Lizotte 7 (Anderson, Lemieux), 6:43. 3,
Los Angeles, Arvidsson 14 (Moore,
Danault), 7:35. 4, Arizona, Hayton 3
(Kolyachonok), 13:03. Penalties: None.
Third Period: 5, Los Angeles, Arvidsson
15 (Moore, Roy), 16:21. Penalties: Boyd,
ARI (Delay of Game), 1:30; O'Brien, ARI
(Misconduct), 6:53; Kempe, LA
(Tripping), 17:03.
Shots on Goal: Los Angeles 14-13-8—
35. Arizona 4-10-5—19.
Power-play opportunities: Los
Angeles 0 of 2; Arizona 0 of 2.
Goalies: Los Angeles, Petersen 13-7-1
(19 shots-17 saves). Arizona,
Wedgewood 6-12-3 (35-32).
A: 9,415 (17,125). T: 2:19.
Avalanche 5, Red Wings 2
Colorado 2 1 2— 5
Detroit 0 1 1— 2
First Period: 1, Colorado, Landeskog 24
(Makar, Helm), 1:12. 2, Colorado, Jost 6
(O'Connor, Newhook), 11:47.
Second Period: 3, Detroit, Zadina 7
(Seider, Larkin), 11:35. 4, Colorado,
Kadri 22 (Toews, Rantanen), 18:19.
Third Period: 5, Colorado, Nichushkin
14 (Burakovsky, Newhook), 2:11. 6,
Detroit, Fabbri 14 (Larkin, Seider), 9:38
(pp). 7, Colorado, Landeskog 25
(Rantanen), 19:21 (en).
Shots on Goal: Colorado 11-10-10—31.
Detroit 7-13-14—34.
Power-play opportunities: Colorado 0
of 3; Detroit 1 of 3.
Goalies: Colorado, Francouz 8-2-0 (34
shots-32 saves). Detroit, Greiss 8-8-1
(30-26).
A: 18,562 (20,000). T: 2:30.
 ACTION
43

ACTION
College Hoops
East
Albany (NY) 72, Maine 68
Army 73, Bucknell 60

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Boston U. 76, Lafayette 60

Aqueduct
Beyond Best (5th) Colgate 78, Holy Cross 71
Post Time: 12:50 p.m. Lock of Lock Record: 15 for 31 (48%) Creighton 81, St. John's 78
vcangialosi@nypost.com
Analysis by Vic Cangialosi the Day Meet Record: 81/302 $427.80 Davidson 74, Duquesne 50
Fordham 60, La Salle 54
Lehigh 78, American 61

 
on the Flatter sired colt. RELATE Distant 2nd last pair, latest at 7/8. Using in Mass.-Lowell 67, Stony Brook 50
 
1 mile; $35,000; mdn clm($25,000); 4up 6 fur; $88,000; alw; 4up(f) Navy 52, Loyola (Md.) 50
deep exotics with THRILL OF IT who has made 3 starts. 3rd twice and a New Hampshire 83, NJIT 55
We're talkin' graduation for INOUAINTALKINTOME. Board hitter closer 5th. AUNT KAT argued the lead then settled for 3rd. Mott shaves a Providence 99, Xavier 92, 3OT
last 3, latest at this distance. Carmouche to seal the deal. LIVE IN FIVE was PN Horse Wt. Jockey Last 3 Trainer Odds furlong. PIECE OF MY HEART led late, settled for 2nd racing 7/8. Cuts back Seton Hall 66, Butler 60
4th, well back of Inouaintalkintome. In light (115) for rematch as Gomez as well but 0 for 4 at this distance. Franco picks up the Keeneland invader Towson 84, James Madison 65
1 Crawford County(M),120 M Franco x-x-x Rodriguez 10-1 UMBC 92, Hartford 85
rides for Baker. And BANANA FANNA FOE was 9th behind top pair at 38-1. for Gargan. EASY TO BLESS enters off an easy W. Now 6 for 9 racing 6/8.
2 Saratoga Sky(M),120 E Cancel 7-x-x Ferraro 12-1 Must be considered. ITS COLD IN DEHERE finished strong to be 2nd, a neck Vermont 66, Binghamton 49
Midpack racing a mile at Belmont.
PN Horse Wt. Jockey Last 3 Trainer Odds
better than Aunt Kat. About 8 lengths shy last time she ran this distance. South
3 Royal Time(M),120 J Correa x-x-x Ferraro 15-1 GLORY DIA moves higher after scoring at Parx. Auburn 77, Ole Miss. 64
1 Elegant Laoban,122 J Davis 3-5-4 K O'Brien 15-1 4 Colloquy(M),120 D Davis x-x-x Clement 5-2 PN Horse Wt. Jockey Last 3 Trainer Odds Boston College 69, NC State 61
Cent. Arkansas 81, North Alabama 72
2 Emerald Banker,122 G Richards 6-7-8 S Jerkens 30-1 5 Juggler(L),120 J Davis 4-3-2 Vazquez 6-1 1 Hey Mamaluke(L),113 A Hernandez 9-2-5 Sciacca 20-1 Chattanooga 83, ETSU 77
Clemson 80, Wake Forest 69
3 Bonana Fanna Foe(L),122 T McCarthy 9-4-4 Englehart 6-1 6 Relate(L),120 J Lezcano 2-2-4 Asmussen 3-1 2 Glory Dia(L),123 G Milan 1-6-1 Dominguez 8-1 Duke 65, Virginia 61
4 Causeway of Dreams(L),122 A Worrie 8-3-7 Quick 12-1 East Carolina 64, South Florida 60
7 Thrill of It(M),113 J Gomez 3-5-3 Terranova II 5-1 3 Piece of My Heart(L),118 M Franco 2-5-3 Gargan 3-1 Florida Gulf Coast 82, Liberty 72, OT
5 Live in Five(L),115 J Gomez 4-7-9 Baker 6-5 8 Clash A. J.(L),120 O Gomez 2-6-2 Jones 8-1 4 Aunt Kat(L),118 D Davis 3-7-2 Mott 2-1 Gardner-Webb 60, UNC-Asheville 59
Georgia St. 82, Louisiana-Monroe 70
6 Inouaintalkintome(L),122 K Carmouche 2-3-2 Falcone 1-1 9 Joshua(M),120 K Carmouche x-x-x Falcone 10-1 5 Its Cold in Dehere(L),123 J Lezcano 2-5-1 Rice 4-1 Houston 81, Tulane 67

 
Kentucky 71, LSU 66
 6 1/2 fur; $37,000; clm($25,000); 4up
Both BASTET and R WORKING GIRL move lower after coming up  1 1/8 miles; $80,000; mdn; 3YO
Todd Pletcher has BEYOND BEST stretch longer and the Curlin colt
6 Easy to Bless(L),123
7 Sweet Willemina(L),123
J Correa
S Gonzalez
1-2-2
1-3-1
Ferraro
Lake
7-2
8-1
Longwood 71, Radford 66
Louisiana 82, Georgia So. 69
South Carolina 66, Mississippi St. 56


well short. Bastet missed by a neck racing at this level here in November. R should relish the real estate. Finished well for 4th at Gulfstream in latest. Texas St. 55, South Alabama 52
Working Girl scored easily at this longer distance 2 back. A RING THING Edge over SOUTH STREET who ran evenly, 3rd of 5 before leaving Santa
 6 fur; $55,000; alw; 3YO The Citadel 71, Mercer 67

nypost.com
was 3rd, about 4 lengths back of Bastet. Anita. Mott gives him another 1/16 to get there; gets Lezcano to ride. FROSTED WILD RIDE may be on the lead at a price. Fast filly has Troy 59, Texas-Arlington 53
PN Horse Wt. Jockey Last 3 Trainer Odds STJAMES Some changes after finishing up the track here. Cancel UNC-Greensboro 73, W. Carolina 64
won 2 in a row here, latest with similar at 17-1. BEVERLYS CHARGE VCU 72, George Mason 66
on..blinkers on..1st time lasix. Extreme value. RED LINE OVERDRIVE Kentucky shipper placed 2nd with comparable. No history at Aqueduct.
1 Left Leaning Lucy(L),120 J Vargas, Jr 4-6-3 Donk 7-2 Another Pletcher colt who can benefit extending longer. 2nd racing 7/8. Virginia Tech 62, Georgia Tech 58
ROOSKI and LADY MILAGRO ran 2-3 behind top pick. Rooski won previous Wofford 83, VMI 72
2 Mia Bea Star(L),120 S Camacho, Jr 9-5-2 Persaud 12-1 PN Horse Wt. Jockey Last 3 Trainer Odds pair. Lady Milagro was 3rd again next out. OFALLTHEGINJOINTS smashed Midwest
3 Investment Grade(L),120 O Gomez 4-7-6 Jones 20-1 1 Stjames(M),120 E Cancel 6-4-x Gyarmati 30-1 her debut by 4+. Competitively spotted. Dayton 82, UMass 61
PN Horse Wt. Jockey Last 3 Trainer Odds Drake 71, Valparaiso 65
4 Charlotte Webley(L),123 S Fret 6-1-5 Simmonds 8-1 2 Awesome Aaron(L),120 M Franco 5-x-x C Brown 9-2 Iowa St. 84, West Virginia 81
1 Lady Milagro(L),120 E Cancel 3-3-2 C Martin 9-2 Loyola Chicago 82, Evansville 31
5 A Ring Thing(L),123 J Lezcano 8-3-1 Vazquez 6-1 3 Beyond Best(L),120 T McCarthy 4-5-x Pletcher 8-5
2 Sweet Surprise(L),120 D Davis 1-8-9 Hills 15-1
Michigan 71, Rutgers 62
6 R Working Girl(L),123 H Harkie 4-1-4 Kantarmaci 5-2 4 South Street(L),120 J Lezcano 3-4-5 Mott 3-1 Missouri St. 83, Bradley 67
3 Frosted Wild Ride(L),115 J Gomez 1-1-9 Vazquez 8-1 N. Iowa 88, Indiana St. 82
7 Bastet(L),113 J Gomez 6-2-4 Barker 8-5 5 Writeitontheice(L),120 L Rod Castro 3-4-x Rodriguez 15-1 Notre Dame 79, Syracuse 69


4 Beverly's Charge(L),122 M Franco 2-6-8 Maker 5-2 S. Illinois 90, Illinois St. 69
6 Cheeky Tico(L),113 J Gomez 3-9-x Noda 15-1
 1 mile; $22,000; clm($8,000); 4up Wisconsin 68, Minnesota 67
5 Ofalltheginjoints(M),120 K Carmouche 1-x-x Levine 6-1 Southwest
7 Nobodyridesforfree(L),120 D Davis 3-x-x Englehart 12-1
Playing PLAYWRIGHT again but he left us 7th of 9 last time. Closer Appalachian St. 78, UALR 66
got up in time 2 races back, nipping the desperate MAGNETRON in a photo 8 Red Line Overdrive(M),120 K Carmouche 2-4-x Pletcher 7-2 6 Lanfrankophile(L),122 L Rod Castro 6-3-5 Lynch 12-1
SMU 75, Tulsa 61


finish. He was claimed by Atras who makes a rider change to Carmouche. 7 Bistrita(L),120 T McCarthy 1-2-x Englehart 6-1 Texas 75, TCU 66
POTANTICO Still skidding. Hasn't won in a couple of years. 4th racing a
mile here weeks ago. Speed on the rail; Gomez takes him as far as he goes.
 1 mile; $72,000; alw; 4up
The BREADMAN is 0 for 2 on dirt after running home a wide 3rd off
8 Kingdom Queen(L),120 J Davis 2-4-10 Mc Allen 12-1
Far West
Colorado St. 61, Wyoming 55
PN Horse Wt. Jockey Last 3 Trainer Odds the layoff. Turf victory was earned racing a mile. DR ARDITO stretched to a 9 Rooski(L),122 J Vargas, Jr 2-1-1 Englehart 4-1
2 Potantico(L),113 J Gomez 4-4-3 Morley 5-2
mile and won at 2nd asking last April. Chad Browns colt may need a race. Tennis
PLAY OF THE DAY
FENWAY graduated on his 6th attempt then retreated sprinting with
3 Playwright(L),123 T McCarthy 7-1-3 Schettino 4-1 similar. Not sure he wants a mile yet. FORTY TWO ACE has won 2 straight, ATP World Tour Dubai Duty Free
4 Invest(L),120 L Rod Castro 6-6-2 Shivmangal 15-1
this oval, this distance. Threepeat in cards. SON OF AN EX broke maiden Tennis Championships
moving a mile, then a non-threatening 2nd racing 1 1/8. Closer needs it At Dubai Tennis Stadium; Dubai,
1 a-Threethehardway(L),120 M Luzzi 6-3-2 Barrera 8-1 fast up front to rebound. One of our President’s Day picks, Gentle United Arab Emirates; Purse:
PN Horse Wt. Jockey Last 3 Trainer Odds Annie, scratched. The other, Caragate, got a $2,794,840; Surface: Hardcourt
5 Trappeze Artist(L),110 E Fuentes 9-7-6 Mc Allen 30-1 outdoor; Wednesday (seedings in
1A a-Blood Moon(L),116 O Hrndz Mreno 8-5-8 Barrera 8-1
1 Run for Boston(L),123 K Carmouche 6-2-3 Ryerson 12-1 piece of the pie, finishing third at 26-1 in the parentheses):
Men's Singles - Round of 16
6 Flowers for Lisa(L),115 A Hernandez 8-2-7 Englehart 6-1
2 Son of an Ex(L),123 H Harkie 2-1-8 Persaud 8-1 Maddie May Stakes. Unfortunately, that was Hubert Hurkacz (5), Poland, def. Alex
7 Magnetron(L),120 K Carmouche 2-6-2 Atras 9-5
3 Kodiak Brown(L),120 E Cancel 3-4-2 Englehart 20-1 one of the highlights last week. Down Molcan, Slovakia, 6-3, 6-2.
Jannik Sinner (4), Italy, def. Andy
4 Fenway(L),120 T McCarthy 7-1-5 Terranova II 5-1 -$159.80 for the meet. Murray, Britain, 7-5, 6-2.
8 Nutzforboltz(L),120 J Samuel 5-6-5 Noda 10-1
Race 5: Beyond Best, $30 to win. Andrey Rublev (2), Russia, def. Kwon


 7 fur; $70,000; mdn; 3YO
More ground for JUGGLER. Raced evenly, midpack last out.
Runnerup lone try at this distance. COLLOQUY debuts for Clement. Davis
Yonkers results
FIRST: mile trot; nw7500l5; purse $13,000
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 6:55 TIME-
28.3; 59.0; 1:28.1; 1:57.4
4 Drazzmatzz(JStrtton) 6.20 3.40 2.50
5 Im The Muscle (M Miller) 3.60 2.90
1 Zooming (T Buter) 6.60
• Exacta (4-5) $23.60 • Triple (4-5-1) $240.00
SECOND: mile trot; 50000clm; purse $28,000
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 7:21 TIME-
27.4; 56.0; 1:25.4; 1:57.4
5 MufasaAs(ASegelmn) 57.50 22.80 10.20
4 Eva Dairpet Fr (T Buter) 21.40 16.60
7 Henderson Seelster (M Miller) 13.40
• Exacta (5-4) $534.00 • Triple (5-4-7)
$6,531.00 • Superfecta (5-4-7-3) $215.25 •
Daily double (4-5) $118.00
THIRD: mile pace; fmnw2pm; purse $16,500
5 Breadman(L),123
6 Dr Ardito(L),123
7 Forty Two Ace(L),120
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 7:43 TIME-
28.0; 58.1; 1:27.3; 1:58.3
7 OkwoodCrlIr(JBngrn) 2.40 2.10 2.10
2 Bump In The Road (TButer) 7.30 3.30
5 Ideal Chip (J Stratton) 2.10
• Exacta (7-2) $18.20 • Triple (7-2-5) $36.80
FOURTH: mile trot; nw7500l5; purse $13,000
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 8:03 TIME-
29.1; 59.0; 1:28.1; 1:59.0
1 MyByChrstn(PLchnc) 10.00 4.00 2.60
2 Serrano Volo (G Brennan) 2.10 2.10
5 Miss You Kelly (J Marohn) 4.70
• Exacta (1-2) $15.80 • Triple (1-2-5) $121.00
• Superfecta (1-2-5-7) $38.35 • Pick 3 (5-7-1)
$786.00 • Pick 4 (4-5-7-1) $2,265.00
FIFTH: mile trot; 75000clm; purse $30,000
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 8:24 TIME-
J Lezcano 3-4-6
M Franco 1-2-x
M Luzzi 1-1-2
28.3; 58.3; 1:27.0; 1:57.0
1 VoygToPrs(JBongorn) 11.40 4.80 2.60
6 WldAndCrazyGuy(JBrtlett) 4.40 2.70
3 Lucky Matter (M Kakaley) 2.20
• Exacta (1-6) $29.60 • Triple (1-6-3) $153.50
SIXTH: mile pace; fmnw4pm; purse $18,000
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 8:44 TIME-
28.0; 58.0; 1:27.3; 1:57.0
5 AltaMaderaN(TButer) 2.40 2.10 2.10
1 Stay Safe (A Siegelman) 6.70 4.30
6 Who's Smokin N (J Marohn) 7.40
• Exacta (5-1) $13.80 • Triple (5-1-6) $100.50
• Superfecta (5-1-6-3) $18.55 • Pick 3 (1-1-5)
$159.50
SEVENTH: mile trot; nw10075l5; purse
$17,500
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 9:04 TIME-
Terranova II 9-2
C Brown 9-5
Race 8: Frosted Wild Ride, $4 across the
board.
Baker 2-1
28.1; 58.1; 1:27.1; 1:56.4
4 Hunting As (T Buter) 5.90 3.70 2.10
5 It AintTheWhisky(JMarohn) 5.80 3.40
1 All Champy (J Bartlett) 2.30
• Exacta (4-5) $26.00 • Triple (4-5-1) $71.00
EIGHTH: mile trot; 50000clm; purse $28,000
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 9:27 TIME-
28.3; 58.4; 1:27.1; 1:57.4
7 StckWthMKd(MKkly) 23.80 7.20 3.10
4 Plumb (J Bongiorno) 3.60 2.50
5 Smalltownthrowdown (J Bartlett) 2.30
• Exacta (7-4) $50.50 • Triple (7-4-5) $178.00
• Superfecta (7-4-5-6) $50.45 • Pick 3 (5-4-7)
$66.50 • $1 Pick 6 (7-1-1-5-4-7) $83.00
NINTH: mile pace; fmnw7pm; purse $20,000
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 9:48 TIME-
28.4; 58.2; 1:27.1; 1:55.2
— Vic Cangialosi
1 VoletsRnbow(JBrtltt) 3.80 2.50 2.20
7 Heavenssofarwy(GBrennn) 17.80 8.40
2 Tenthousand Angels (JBongiorno) 3.20
• Exacta (1-7) $80.50 • Triple (1-7-2) $296.00
• Superfecta (1-7-2-4) $44.40 • Pick 5 (1-5-4-7-
1) $2,549.00
TENTH: mile trot; nw5000l5; purse $11,500
TRACK: CONDITION-FT OFF: 10:12 TIME
Outa Jail 5 6 5 5 5-5 1/4 6-4 1:59.0 22.10
TIME-28.2; 57.3; 1:27.1; 1:58.1
1 FshonForever(SSmth) 4.10 2.20 2.10
4 Bazillionaire (J Bongiorno) 2.30 2.20
2 Teddy Brosevelt (A Siegelman) 2.70
• Exacta (1-4) $8.20 • Triple (1-4-2) $29.60 •
Superfecta (1-4-2-6) $4.97 • Late double (1-1)
$11.40 • Pick 3 (7-1-1) $120.00 • Pick 4 (4-7-1-
1) $452.00
Total Handle-$755,972.
Soon Woo, South Korea, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Novak Djokovic (1), Serbia, def. Karen
Khachanov, Russia, 6-3, 7-6 (2).
Jiri Vesely, Czech Republic, def. Roberto
Bautista Agut (8), Spain, 6-2, 6-4.
Denis Shapovalov (6), Canada, def.
Taro Daniel, Japan, 6-4, 6-3.
WTA Qatar Open
At Khalifa International Tennis and
Squash Complex; Doha, Qatar; Purse:
$2,632,448; Surface: Hardcourt
outdoor; Wednesday (seedings in
parentheses):
Women's Singles - Round of 16
Coco Gauff (14), United States, def.
Paula Badosa (3), Spain, 6-2, 6-3.
Jelena Ostapenko (15), Latvia, def.
Barbora Krejcikova (2), Czech
Republic, 6-3, 6-2.
Anett Kontaveit (4), Estonia, def. Elise
Mertens (16), Belgium, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.
Ons Jabeur (8), Tunisia, def. Tereza
Martincova, Czech Republic, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Maria Sakkari (6), Greece, def. Jessica
Pegula (9), United States, 6-4, 7-5.
Iga Swiatek (7), Poland, def. Daria
Kasatkina, Russia, 6-3, 6-0.
Garbine Muguruza (5), Spain, def.
Madison Brengle, United States, 6-0, 6-2.

Yonkers entries for Thursday

FIRST: Mile pace; $13,000; cond 4 Duke Of Lindy (JStratton) 5-2-4 4-1 8 Gottalovemyshadow (Strttn) 5-4-8 20-1 3 Rockn Philly (SZeron) 1-2-1 9-1
Puzzles on Page 32
1 Bye Bye Michelle (JMarohn) 4-5-3 9-2 5 Joe Exotic (JBartlett) 5-1-3 5-1 SIXTH: Mile pace; $25,000; cond 4 La Bella Vita N (MMiller) 5-1-2 6-1
2 Paige's Girl (SZeron) 7-4-8 7-1 6 Keeper Of Secrets (SZeron) 2-6-3 4-1 1 VelocityMcsweets (Kakley) 5-6-1 9-2 5 Lit De Rose (PLachance) 4-1-4 5-1
3 E R Hilary (ASiegelman) 5-4-6 5-1 7 Mnemonic (MMiller) 4-7-2 20-1 2 McmarkleSparkle (GBrennn) 1-3-6 3-1 6 Racine Bell (JBartlett) 1-1-3 5-2 7 3 1 6 2 8 9 4 5 8 6 4 9 2 3 1 7 5
4 Ponder The Odds (MMiller) 2-3-7 9-2 8 Yucatan Party Man (TButer) 2-5-5 7-1 3 Andra Day (SZeron) 3-2-2 12-1 NINTH: Mile trot; $20,000; cond
5 Diamondtoothgerte(JBrtlett) 2-4-4 4-1 FOURTH: Mile pace; $21,500; cond 4 Imprincessgemma A (Dube) 2-1-5 9-5 1 StrikingGenson (Siegelman) 6-2-1 8-1 8 2 9 7 5 4 3 1 6 1 3 2 8 5 7 4 9 6
6 Classy Chapel N (MKakaley) 7-4-5 5-1 1 Fighting Evil (TButer) 2-2-8 4-1 5 Lucky Artist A (MMiller) 2-3-6 4-1 2 Awesome Trix (JMarohn) 8-1-3 3-1
7 WoodmereHarriet (Stratton) 1-7-5 6-1 2 Ladybeluckytonite (Brennn) 7-3-7 2-1 6 Cowgirl Lilly (TButer) 7-6-2 20-1 3 Perron (JStratton) 7-1-7 4-1 5 4 6 9 3 1 8 7 2 5 7 9 6 1 4 2 3 8
8 A Crafty Lady (DDube) 6-7-4 20-1 3 WoodmereSkyroller (Zeron) 3-2-1 8-1 7 The Fun Marshall (JBartlett) 4-4-6 12-1 4 HeartofgoldDevie (MKakley) 8-2-3 8-1
SECOND: Mile pace; $17,500; cond 4 Chuppah On (MKakaley) 4-2-1 7-1 8 Laurie Lee (JStratton) 2-1-2 20-1 5 LadyAnnNo (TSmedshmmer) 1-1-3 7-2 4 1 7 2 6 9 5 3 8 6 2 7 3 4 9 5 8 1
1 Dance Club (DDube) 8-4-6 2-1 5 Tobago Time (JMarohn) 3-3-6 12-1 SEVENTH: Mile pace; $21,500; cond 6 Blank Space As (JBartlett) 4-4-2 7-2
2 PrayTheRosary (Siegelman) 6-4-3 5-2 6 Major Battle (MMiller) 4-2-2 3-1 1 Greenhill Hanover (TButer) 7-5-5 12-1 7 Grafenberg (GBrennan) 1-3-5 20-1 6 8 5 4 1 3 2 9 7 4 1 3 5 8 2 9 6 7
3 Acefourtyfour Alex (MMiller) 4-4-5 20-1 7 Campus Queen (JStratton) 4-7-1 8-1 2 Iron Mistress (VGinsburg) 5-6-5 8-1 8 Titans Hope (SZeron) 4-5-1 20-1
4 Checkered Past (TButer) 1-3-8 6-1 8 Malnificent (JBartlett) 5-8-5 20-1 3 Magical Mistress(GBrennan) 2-4-4 5-1 TENTH: Mile pace; $30,000; cond 2 9 3 5 8 7 1 6 4 9 5 8 7 6 1 3 2 4
5 Ys Tallia (SZeron) 3-1-3 5-1 FIFTH: Mile pace; $11,500; cond 4 Easy To Please (JStratton) 4-1-2 5-2 1 Mystical Carrie (MMiller) 6-6-2 7-2
6 Babs Jansen (MKakaley) 7-4-4 6-1 1 Tell Me A Joke (JBartlett) 7-5-7 9-2 5 ManDontforgetMe(JBartlett) 3-3-1 4-1 2 Neverforgetwhour (JStrattn) 1-5-2 7-2 9 5 2 3 7 6 4 8 1 3 9 5 1 7 8 6 4 2
7 Cousin Mary (JBartlett) 7-3-3 15-1 2 Cabowabocuttie (TButer) 3-7-2 7-2 6 Thebeachiscalling(MKakley) 1-3-4 7-2 3 Coral Bella (JBartlett) 6-7-7 15-1
8 Milady Denver A (JStratton) 8-5-2 20-1 3 Crystal Sparkles N (SZeron) X-3-5 20-1 7 Betterb Chevron N (SZeron) 3-7-4 20-1 4 AnnabelleHanover (YGingrs) 7-2-6 9-2 3 6 8 1 4 5 7 2 9 7 4 6 2 9 5 8 1 3
THIRD: Mile trot; $18,000; cond 4 Ideal Hannah (MKakaley) 4-8-1 4-1 8 Demeter N (JMarohn) 1-3-2 9-1 5 HeavensShowgrlA(GBrennn) 6-5-3 5-1
1 Sv Royal Flush (DDube) 5-6-3 15-1 5 Scandalicious (GBrennan) 6-3-6 3-1 EIGHTH: Mile pace; $39,000; Open 6 Machnhope (SZeron) 3-2-3 3-1 1 7 4 8 9 2 6 5 3 2 8 1 4 3 6 7 5 9
6 Fear My Shadow (JMarohn) 3-1-6 5-1 7 Sports Flix (JMarohn) 5-2-6 20-1
2 P L Oscar (JMarohn) 1-1-3 9-2
7 Sweet SallySue (Siegelman) 6-5-7 6-1
1 Karma Seelster (JStratton) 2-1-1 2-1
8 Jive Dancing A (DDube) 3-5-1 20-1 Solution to Very Easy #5,738 Solution to Difficult #5,528
3 Infinite Zette (MKakaley) 4-5-2 3-1 2 Alexa Skye (YGingras) 4-4-2 9-2
 ACTION
44

ACTION
nypost.com

TOP PLAY
The Line Spread value gone, so take
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

College Basketball
Powered by
Favorite
MIDDLE
Thursday
PTS Underdog Over on Celtics’ team total
Updated lines at BetMGM.com TENNESSEE ST. 8.5 Marshall
By Joe Dellera They are 27th in net rating over
OAKLAND 6.5 Ipfw actionnetwork.com their past 10 games.
NHL WRIGHT STATE 7.5 Youngstown Now, they come out of the
State Both the Celtics and the Nets are break against a Celtics team
Thursday QUINNIPIAC 2.5 Siena looking to finish the season strong that was scorching hot and
Favorite Money Line Underdog MEMPHIS 12.5 Temple and climb up the Eastern Confer- plays lock-down defense. I
Bryant 4.5 ST. FRANCIS NY ence standings. Will the Celtics cool fully anticipate the Nets to
RANGERS $105-130 Capitals Mount St. Mary’s 2.5 SACRED HEART off a bit following an extended struggle in this matchup. Even
Islanders $105-125 SHARKS St. Francis PA 1.5 CENTRAL break? Can the Nets compete though Boston has had difficul-
CONNECTICUT
without any of their biggest ties on offense, a date with a
PENGUINS $260-350 Devils LONG ISLAND 6 Merrimack
stars at home? Let’s break porous Nets defense may
WINTHROP 10.5 Usc Upstate
PANTHERS $300-400 Blue Jackets down the prime-time be just what it needs to
STEPHEN F. 6.5 Sam Houston matchup Thursday out kick start a run after the
MAPLE LEAFS $135-160 Wild AUSTIN State
Wis. Milwaukee 7 IUPUI of the All-Star break. break.
PREDATORS $125-150 Stars RICE 4.5 Louisiana Tech The Nets are ex- This line is on the
NORTH TEXAS 22.5 Southern Miss tremely dependent on move. The Celtics already
Bruins $185-225 KRAKEN Kevin Durant, which have been hammered to
N. COLORADO 5.5 E. Washington
Flames $125-155 CANUCKS N. ARIZONA 3.5 Idaho State makes sense consid- -6.5 from an open at -2. As a
DePaul 3.5 GEORGETOWN
ering he was the result, the best way to back
Home team in CAPS MVP front-runner the Celtics is their team to-
Uab 15.5 UTSA
prior to his injury. tal, as I expect them to put
NBA ILLINOIS 8.5 Wis. Green Bay
CHICAGO He remains out. up points against this Nets
Thursday Louisiana Tech 4.5 RICE The issue is they team that truly lacks wing
SE MISSOURI Tennessee are now without option No. 2 defenders.
Favorite PTS (O/U) Underdog 6.5 THE PLAY: Celtics
STATE Martin (Kyrie Irving) and No. 3 (Ben
Celtics 6.5 (213.5) NETS UTAH VALLEY 2.5 Seattle Simmons). And the Nets’ of- team total, Over 110.5
Cavaliers 8.5 (210.5) PISTONS UMKC 2 South Dakota fense just cannot outpace (-110).
South Dakota the points their defense Joe Dellera handicaps the
BULLS 3.5 (234.5) Hawks State 3.5 ORAL ROBERTS
was inevitably giving up. NBA for Action Network.
Suns 10.5 (214.5) THUNDER ST. THOMAS 2.5 Denver
Buffalo 12.5 NORTHERN
Grizzlies 2.5 (239.5) T’WOLVES ILLINOIS
Warriors 8.5 (223.5) TRAIL BLAZERS ABILENE 16.5 Lamar
SportS ShortS
CHRISTIAN
Nuggets 4.5 (231.5) KINGS TARLETON Ut Rio Grande SOCCER: NYCFC advances Azzi Fudd added 13 as No. 7 Connecticut
STATE 7.5 Valley won the Big East women’s conference title
Friday Alfredo Morales and Maxime Chanot with a 69-38 victory over Marquette. The
HOUSTON 5.5 Incarnate Word
Heat 5.5 (213.5) KNICKS BAPTIST each scored in the first half and forward Tal- Huskies also clinched the top seed in the Big
MAGIC 4.5 (228.5) Rockets TENNESSEE TECH 5 Tennessee State les Magno added two goals in the second East Tournament.
SIU 2 Austin Peay half to help NYCFC advance in the Concacaf  In Charlottesville, Va., A.J. Griffin hit
PACERS 7.5 (216.5) Thunder EDWARDSVILLE Champions League with a 4-0 victory back-to-back 3-pointers and scored on a drive
Spurs 1.5 (225.5) WIZARDS Morehead State 16.5 EASTERN Wednesday over Santos de Guapiles at Banc after making just one basket in the first 36
ILLINOIS of California Stadium in Los Angeles. minutes and No. 7 Duke beat Virginia 65-61.
Raptors 1.5 (225.5) HORNETS Texas A&M
Corpus Christ 1 MCNEESE STATE NYCFC earned a 6-0 win on aggregate in  In the Bronx, Chuba Ohams tied his
76ers 1.5 (229.5) TIMBERWOLVES NORTHWESTERN the Round of 16 and await a quarterfinal op- career high with 20 points plus 13 rebounds
Nicholls State 6 STATE ponent to be determined in early March. as Fordham topped La Salle 60-54.
JAZZ 6.5 (216.5) Mavericks
SUNS 7.5 (226.5) Pelicans
Gonzaga 9 SAN FRANCISCO  In Frisco, Texas, Catarina Macario and NHL: Perry gets 400th goal in TB win
MURRAY STATE 3.5 Belmont Mallory Pugh each scored two goals and
LAKERS 1.5 (224.5) Clippers SOUTHERN UTAH 5 Montana Kristie Mewis added a tally in the 88th Corey Perry became the 103rd NHL
ILLINOIS 6 Ohio State minute to help the U.S. women’s national player to reach 400 goals with his tally in the
Home team in CAPS team win the SheBelieves Cup title with a 5-0 second period and the Lightning beat the
Ucsb 1 UC DAVIS
California Baptist 1 DIXIE STATE victory over Iceland. Oilers 5-3 in Tampa, Fla.
College Basketball COLORADO 6 Arizona State NCAA: Michigan beats Rutgers  In Dallas, Tyler Seguin scored 54 sec-
Thursday SE LOUISIANA 2 New Orleans onds into overtime on a play that required a
Favorite PTS Underdog Ucla 3.5 OREGON Caleb Houstan scored 13 of his career-high review, and the Stars beat the Jets 3-2.
Wagner 12.5 FAIRLEIGH Saint Mary’s CA 12 SAN DIEGO 21 points in the second half when Michigan  In Detroit, Gabriel Landeskog opened
DICKINSON Santa Clara 10.5 PEPPERDINE pulled away to beat Rutgers 71-62 in Ann Ar- the scoring 1:12 in and capped it with an emp-
NORTHEASTERN 8.5 William & Mary Portland 1 PACIFIC bor, Mich. without head coach Juwan How- ty-netter for his 25th goal of the season, help-
MIAMI OHIO 10.5 Central Michigan Loyola ard, who was serving the first of a five-game ing the NHL-leading Avalanche beat the Red
WESTERN ILLINOIS 12.5 Nebraska Omaha BYU 12.5 Marymount suspension. Former longtime Saint Joseph’s Wings 5-2.
CHARLOTTE 8.5 Florida Int’l SACRAMENTO coach and current Michigan associate head EtC.: Z. Johnson named captain
STATE 1.5 Idaho
Cleveland State 2.5 DETROIT coach Phil Martelli was filling in for Howard,
INDIANA 6.5 Maryland Weber State 3 PORTLAND ST. suspended and fined by the Big Ten after hit- Two-time major champion Zach John-
Florida Atlantic 1.5 OLD DOMINION Cal Irvine 1 CS FULLERTON ting a Wisconsin assistant coach in the head son is taking over as Ryder Cup captain,
WINTHROP 10.5 Usc Upstate
CAL RIVERSIDE 12 Cs Northridge during the handshake line after a loss Sunday. according to sources, leading an American
LONG BEACH 8 Uc San Diego Ron Harper Jr. scored 19 points for Rutgers. side trying to end 30 years without a vic-
DELAWARE 4.5 Charleston
N. KENTUCKY 10.5 Robert Morris
STATE  In Providence, R.I., Jared Bynum had tory on European soil.
DREXEL 5.5 Nc Wilimington
Usc 10 OREGON STATE 27 points, including a key 3-pointer to help  Spanish figure skater Laura Barquero
Arizona 11.5 UTAH 11th-ranked Providence hold off Xavier 99-92 became the fourth athlete to fail a doping
HOFSTRA 14.5 Elon HAWAII 11.5 Cal Poly Slo in triple overtime. test from the Beijing Olympics after testing
LONG ISLAND 8.5 Merrimack Home team in CAPS  In Hartford, Conn., Evina Westbrook positive for the banned steroid clostebol, the
came off the bench to score 17 points and International Testing Agency said.
 ACTION
45

ACTION

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Home Team Lineups HOME
TODAY
Feb. 24
FRI SAT
AWAY
SUN MON TUE
Feb. 25 Feb. 26 Feb. 27 Feb. 28 Mar. 1
WED
Mar. 2
Odds & Ends BET SMART
Miami
Phila.
Phila. NHL
7:30 7:30 Odds to win 2021-22
NO NO 1:00 NO NO
MSG MSG Presidents Trophy
GAME GAME ABC GAME GAME
ESPN ESPN
ESPN TEAM ODDS
ESPN ESPN
Boston Avalanche +130
7:30 Milw. Tor. Tor. Panthers 3/2
TNT NO 8:30 NO 7:30 7:30 NO
WFAN GAME ABC GAME YES YES GAME Lightning 9/1
660 AM/ WFAN WFAN WFAN Hurricanes 11/1
101.9 FM Maple Leafs 16/1
Washington
Pitts. Van. St. L. Flames 66/1
7:00
NO 3:00 7:30 NO NO 7:30 Wild 66/1
ESPN
GAME ABC MSG GAME GAME TNT
ESPN Penguins 80/1
ESPN ESPN ESPN
98.7 FM
Rangers 100/1
San Jose Ducks 500/1
L.A. Ana. Col.
10:30
NO 10:30 8:30 NO 9:00 NO Bruins 500/1
MSG+
GAME MSG+ MSG+ GAME MSG+ GAME
ESPN

nypost.com
ESPN ESPN ESPN Stars 500/1
98.7 FM
Red Wings 500/1
Oilers 500/1
Pittsburgh Chic. Van. CBJ
NO NO NO Kings 500/1
7:00 8:30 7:30 7:00
GAME GAME GAME
MSG+ MSG+ MSG+ ESPN+ Predators 500/1
Islanders 500/1
Sharks 500/1
DeP. Xav.
NO NO NO NO NO Blues 500/1
5:00 6:30
GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME
FS1 FS1 Canucks 500/1
Golden Knights 500/1
San Capitals 500/1
NO NO Jose NO NO NO NO Jets 500/1
GAME GAME 6:00 GAME GAME GAME GAME RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME: Ryan Blaney has steadily improved his finish in re-
MSG Odds to win
division cent years at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Action Network’s Nick Giffen ad-
Metropolitan vises bettors to jump on his 12/1 mid-week odds for the Wise Power 400 on Sunday.
L.A.
NO NO NO NO NO NO TEAM ODDS
5:00 By Nick GiffeN In other words, Blaney is consistently
GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME Hurricanes -350
ESPN
actionnetwork.com better at Auto Club than he is at an aver-
Penguins 4/1
age track. Additionally, he’s improved
Rangers 7/1 The Daytona 500 came down to an ex- every year the series has run at Auto
Capitals 80/1 citing overtime finish, with rookie Aus- Club. Blaney is also driving a Ford,
Today's Sports on the Air Devils 500/1 tin Cindric taking home his first career which won the Busch Light Clash, both
Celtics at Nets TNT, Islanders 500/1 NASCAR Cup Series victory. Duels at Daytona and the Daytona 500.
NBA 7:30 p.m.
WFAN (660 AM/101.9 FM) Blue Jackets 500/1 Unfortunately, the 40/1 prop bet I rec- My statistical model gives Blaney a 9.0
10 p.m. Warriors at Trail Blazers TNT Flyers 500/1 ommended barely missed cashing as percent chance to win on Sunday. The
NHL 7 p.m. Capitals at Rangers ESPN, ESPN (98.7 FM) Chase Elliott beat Ty Dillon to the line 12/1 line translates to a 7.7 percent im-
7 p.m. Devils at Penguins MSG+ Atlantic Sunday for top Chevy by a foot. plied win probability.
10:30 p.m. Islanders at Sharks MSG+, ESPN (98.7 FM) TEAM ODDS Nevertheless, we press on. DraftKings has the most generous line
College 11 a.m. Women: Quinnipiac at Marist ESPNU Panthers -200 With the pomp and circumstance of right now with this 12/1 offering, but I
Basketball 6 p.m. Wagner at Fairleigh Dickinson CBSSN
6 p.m. Women: Michigan State at Michigan BTN Lightning 3/1 Daytona now in the rearview mirror, the don’t mind grabbing this at 11/1 on Fan-
7 p.m. Temple at Memphis ESPN2 Maple Leafs 9/2 season-long grind begins this weekend Duel as well.
7 p.m. South Carolina Upstate at Winthrop ESPNU Bruins 150/1 at Auto Club Speedway. The Fontana, Christopher Bell (5/1) for a top-5
7 p.m. Elon at Hofstra SNY Red Wings 500/1
Calif., track is a 2-mile stretch known finish
7 p.m. Maryland at Indiana FS1 for high tire wear. Drivers who can best Bell didn’t exactly shine at the high-
Senators 500/1
8 p.m. DePaul at Georgetown CBSSN manage their tires often do well. wear tracks last year, but there are some
8 p.m. Women: Boston College at Duke YES Sabres 750/1 The most comparable track to Auto good signs for him.
8 p.m. Women: Iowa at Rutgers BTN Canadiens 750/1 Club is Atlanta before it was repaved First, his best finish last year at the
8 p.m. Women: Clemson at Notre Dame ACCN Pacific this past offseason. Others might like to high tire wear tracks came at the second
8:30 p.m. Women: South Carolina at Texas A&M SECN include Homestead and Darlington, as Atlanta race. He also won at Atlanta in
9 p.m. Gonzaga at San Francisco ESPN2 TEAM ODDS
9 p.m. Belmont at Murray State ESPNU Flames -250
well. While they are useful compari- both the Truck and Xfinity Series. Bell
9 p.m. Ohio State at Illinois FS1 sons, they can be a bit misleading be- also grabbed a third-place result at Auto
Golden Knights 5/2
9 p.m. Arizona State at Colorado Pac-12 cause certain drivers perform quite dif- Club in his final Xfinity season.
Oilers 14/1 ferently at Homestead and Darlington Perhaps most impressively, he scored
9:30 p.m. UCLA at Oregon ESPN
10 p.m. Loyola Marymount at BYU CBSSN Kings 35/1 than they do at Atlanta and Auto Club. two top-11 finishes, one each at Home-
11 p.m. Arizona at Utah FS1 Ducks 100/1 Books will often lump these high-tire- stead and Darlington in his rookie sea-
11 p.m. USC at Oregon State ESPN2 Sharks 300/1 wear tracks all together, leaving value son with the underfunded and now-de-
Golf 2 p.m. PGA Tour: The Honda Classic, 1st Round GOLF Canucks 300/1 on the table to bet certain drivers. funct Leavine Family Racing.
ATP Dubai, ATP Santiago, ATP Acapulco, That’s exactly where I’m looking for That said, my model gives Bell a 27.8
Kraken 500/1
Tennis 6 a.m. WTA Doha, WTA Guadalajara: my best outright bet of the week. percent chance of hitting a top five.
Early Rounds TENNIS Central Ryan Blaney (12/1) to win While that might be a bit too generous,
ATP Santiago, ATP Acapulco, WTA TEAM ODDS
6 p.m.
Guadalajara: Early Rounds TENNIS
Blaney opened at 14/1 odds to win he needs to achieve a top five only 16.7
CONCACAF Champions League Round of Avalanche -1600 Sunday, but there’s still value in this line. percent of the time to be profitable.
Soccer 8:30 p.m. Wild 9/1 Just looking at average green flag So, even if my model is overestimating
16: Forge FC at Cruz Azul, 2nd Leg FS2
CONCACAF Champions League Round of Blues 66/1 speed, here are Blaney’s ranks at Auto his chances, it would have to be doing
10:30 p.m. Club compared to his full-year rank: so by quite a wide margin to be wrong.
16: F.C. Motagua at Seattle, 2nd Leg FS2 Predators 80/1
High School: Vertical Academy (N.C.) 2017: 10 vs. 13 I would bet Bell to finish in the top
Basketball 5:30 p.m. Stars 500/1
at Oak Hill Academy (Va.) ESPN2 2018: 8 vs. 11 five as low as 4/1 odds.
G-League: Westchester Knicks Jets 500/1
8 p.m. 2019: 4 vs. 10 Nick Giffen handicaps NASCAR for
at Wisconsin Herd MSG Coyotes 1,000/1 2020: 2 vs. 5 Action Network.
Horse Racing Noon Trackside Live MSG+ Blackhawks 1,000/1
46

Chara poised to break

nypost.com

games-played record
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

By Ethan SEarS
Chris Chelios and Zdeno
Chara are both supersti-
tious, so neither reached
out to each other until
Wednesday, after the Is-
landers’ Chara had tied
Chelios’ NHL record for
the most career games
played as a defenseman.
The two didn’t cross
paths much when they
were both in the NHL.
Chelios, who played in the
league from 1984-2010, re-
called the one time he tried
to hit the 6-foot-9 Chara
“was like running into a
brick wall.” They spoke for
15-20 minutes Wednesday,
with Chelios conveying his
respect.
Chara, in turn, offered to
fly Chelios and his wife to
San Jose, Calif., for the Is-
landers-Sharks game
Thursday, in which Chara
will play his 1,652nd game
and become the all-time
leader among defensemen.
Chelios had to decline
since he’ll be working in
the studio for ESPN, but
may try to make it to Long
Island for a game if the Is-
landers hold a ceremony
for Chara at some point
this season.
“He’s just a class act,”
Chelios told The Post of
Chara. “He has been his
Thursday
ISlanderS
at SharkS
10:30 p.m.
MSG+
ESPN Radio
(98.7 FM)
and you’re watching that,
you’ve gotta take notice,”
Trotz said recently. “He’s a
total professional.”
That won’t show up in
Chara’s numbers or even
on the ice. But Trotz and
the rest of the Islanders
agree how much of a differ-
ence it makes in their
room.
IRONMAN: Zdeno
Chara is tied with
Chris Chelios for the
most games played by
a defenseman in NHL
history. Getty Images
it was always clear he’d
have longevity.
“He signed those long-
term extensions, the first
one he signed was until he
was 40, and he had all the
intention in the world to
play until the end of that
contract,” Bergeron said.
“And I could tell by that last
year he still had more in
the tank and he wanted to
accomplish more. So I was
not surprised to see him
carry on and keep playing.”
Chelios played until he
was 48, finishing out his ca-
reer with a short stint in
Atlanta. By that measure,
Chara, who will turn 45 on
March 18, still has a few


    

whole career. It’s a good
thing he wasn’t a real mean
guy — he could do a lot of
Steve Phelps
damage out there.”
That encapsulates much
of why, at 44, Chara is still a
respected figure on the Is-
landers and throughout the
league. Though he’s not the
player he was a decade ago,
Chara has achieved an al-
most unparalleled longev-
ity in a career that has
spanned 24 seasons, thanks
to a willingness to keep his
head down and work, al-
ways putting the team first.
Ahead of the milestone,
Chara declined to talk to
the media. According to
teammates, he didn’t say
anything about the record
internally, either. It’s the
same quality that leads him
to always refer to Barry
Trotz as “coach,” even
when the Islanders’ boss
has told him he can go with
Barry, or to carry other
players’ bags when they’re
left out for a trainer.
“If you’re a young player
It took all of a week be-
fore Mathew Barzal no-
ticed Chara’s work ethic
this season. When he went
into the gym on off days,
he’d see Chara already hav-
ing started a workout.
When he left, Chara would
still be going.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god,
this guy has a crazy engine,’
” Barzal said.
“He doesn’t cut any cor-
ners,” Trotz said. “I mean,
there is no corners cut.
Doesn’t take a day off un-
less I force him to take a
day off.”
Earlier in his career, Pa-
trice Bergeron noticed the
same.
“The way he takes care of
his body on and off the ice,
he just wants to work on
his weaknesses and make it
a strength,” Bergeron said.
“To me it’s again, his will.
His will to be at his best
and push his limits.”
Bergeron said Chara
never made it explicit how
long he wanted to play, but
years left. He has managed
to play 18:31 a game for the
Islanders this season, get-
ting penalty-kill minutes as
well as even strength. He
could be a target at the
trade deadline should he
want to move to a playoff
team.
“I think he provides that
leadership,” Chelios said.
That assertion would be
backed up by the rest of the
Islanders.
After tying the record,
Trotz gave Chara the floor.
He chose to talk about the
team.
“To play as long as long
as he has and he’s so quiet
about it, it is remarkable,”
Trotz said. “I don’t know if
we’re gonna see athletes
like that playing as long as
they have and contributing
as long as these two guys
have.
“He’s one game away
from standing there all by
himself. That’s pretty re-
markable.”
esears@nypost.com
 47

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

By Larry Brooks
You probably saw it.
And if you did, if you were watching
All-Star weekend through the lens of
“I feel like I’ve played with one or
two guys on every single team now.
You’re still friends before the game, still
friends after the game but you’re fight-
ing tooth and nail during the game. I
ond-place Pittsburgh, the Penguins
holding two games in hand, and five
points behind first-place Carolina.
The Capitals, meanwhile, winners of
three of their last four after enduring a

nypost.com
a Rangers fan, the chumminess on mean, I grew up with Garnet Hatha- 5-8-2 stretch, hold the first wild-card
the Metropolitan Division way, he’s on Washington, he’s one of spot, four points behind the Rangers
bench between Chris Krei- my best buddies, and that’s a guy who while having played two more games.
der and Tom Wilson, Public does a really good job of putting things The clubs will not meet again until the
Enemy No. 1 around these to the side and doing his job. April 29 season finale at the Garden.
parts for the last nine- “The minute the puck’s dropped, Other than home ice, finishing in
plus months, almost your only friends out there are the the Metro’s top three eliminates the
surely took you aback. guys out there wearing the same jer- possibility of the wild card and draw-
Now, with Wilson sey as you. I think that’s what being a ing either Florida or Tampa Bay in the
and the Capitals pro is all about, it’s being able to re- first round. But all that is still a long
a-back at the spect one another and converse with way away for a Rangers team that
Garden on one another away from the ice but ob- hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since
Thursday for viously doing your job and battling 2017. Hypothetical matchups seem to
the first incredibly hard and being competi- have about as much of the Rangers’
time since tive when you’re playing that game.” immediate attention as does Wilson.
the conflagra- There has been none of the hype “I want to win games to get points.
tion, which en- surrounding Wilson that dominated I’m not really concerned with who
snared Artemi the lead-up to the Oct. 13 opener in you’re going to play in the playoffs, if
Panarin and a cast Washington, which fizzled into a 5-1 you make the playoffs,” Gallant said.
of thousands, erupted on disorderly defeat. It doesn’t seem that “I want to win games, I want to win
the ice last May 3 before this has reached even the level of an the division. It’s a battle to do that.
planting itself in the psy- afterthought on the eve of the clubs’ “If we’re fortunate enough to the
che of citizens of Rangers- first meeting since the first night. playoffs, we’re going to play a good
town right beside Dave “We haven’t talked about it once,” team. I wouldn’t know which to pick
MOST Schultz-Dale Rolfe, Kreider head coach Gerard Gallant said. “I [as an opponent] right now. Can I
WANTED: explained his interactions with think there’s nothing. I really think look at you and say, ‘This is a better
The Garden No. 43 at the Vegas extravaganza. there’s nothing. matchup?’ I can’t say that.
hosts the
Thursday “There’s a respect and professional- “It’s another game against a team “If you look at the eight teams that
Capitals for Capitals ism away from the game and I think that’s a rival, a division opponent
that’s a few points behind us and that’s
are in today, if that’s how it finishes,
what team would you want to play?
everyone understands that,” said
the first time at RangeRs Kreider, who has slipped to third in what’s important. I don’t think there’s Seriously.”
since Tom 7 p.m.
Wilson rag- the Art Ross race with 33 goals, two anything there [regarding Wilson].” Thursday, it’s the Capitals for the
dolled Artemi ESPN behind leader Leon Draisaitl and one The Blueshirts are nestled in third first time since Game 1. They are
Panarin last ESPN Radio behind Auston Matthews. “When the place in the division, four points up bringing Mr. Wilson with them.
season. (98.7 FM) pucks drop, obviously things change with two games in hand on Washing- Shhh.
Getty Images
dramatically. ton. They are one point behind sec- larry.brooks@nypost.com

Miller’s emergence makes second pairing formidable

By Larry Brooks
K’Andre Miller’s ascension
has created a scenario under
which Rangers coach Gerard
Gallant is equally comforta-
ble with using either the
Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox
duo or the Miller-Jacob
Trouba tandem as his
matchup defense pair against
the opposition’s top guns.
That means against the
unit on which Alex Ovech-
kin skates when the Capitals
come to the Garden on
Thursday.
“They’re interchangeable,
that’s a perfect word,” head
coach Gerard Gallant said.
“You can play either against
the first or second line and it
doesn’t matter.
“It depends on the night,
who’s playing well, and
maybe a little bit on size and
physicality. But for the most
part, they’re interchangeable
… and that’s what we want
our third pair to be, too, with
[Braden] Schneider coming,
a young kid, but that’s what
you’d love to see, not worry-
ing about who’s on the ice
against the top lines.
“It’s coming. It’s obviously
not there, but there are steps
going in the right direction.
That’s the goal,
and it’s a goal for
every team, but it
RANGERS
would be a huge NOTES
thing for us.”
Patrik Nemeth, who had
missed seven straight games
while it was believed he was
dealing with aftereffects
from a late December COV-
Avery returns to hockey / Page 42
ID-19 infection, has re-
claimed his spot on the third
pair across from Schneider
after returning to the lineup
on Sunday at Ot-
tawa. Zac Jones
has returned to
the AHL Wolf
Pack after getting
into five matches this time
around.
“He played hard, he was
good, he looked quick and
has been really good in prac-
tice,” Gallant said of Nemeth.
“We were happy with his
game.
“And again, Jonesy is a
young player we really liked
in all the games he played
but we really don’t want
somebody sitting in the
stands. We want him to play
some games down there and
if we have to bring him back
up, we’ll bring him back up
with no issues.”
➤ Gallant may
dropped a hint about
have
Thursday’s lineup. When
asked whether the same
concept about not sitting
applies to Morgan Bar-
ron, who has been a
scratch the past three
games, the coach said, “We
always want to get those
kids games, but I think
you’re going to see Barron
sooner than later.”
Barron, who has played in
nine NHL games thus far this
season, has been skating the
last two days on a four-man
unit with Greg McKegg, Fi-
lip Chytil and Julien Gau-
thier.
48
Thibs not
sweating
nypost.com

Wes ‘rift’
By GreG Joyce
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Tom Thibodeau was placed fur-

ther into the crosshairs during the
NBA All-Star break, but the Knicks
coach says he isn’t paying it much
mind.
Last Thursday, a day after the
Knicks last played a game, SNY re-
ported that executive vice presi-
dent William Wesley, in conversa-
tions with owner James Dolan, at
least partially blamed Thibodeau
for the team’s struggles. The Knicks
currently are 12th in the Eastern
Conference.
In his first comments since then,
though, Thibodeau insisted he was
not worried about it.
“I talk to Wes all the time,” Thibo-
deau said Wednesday. “I don’t re-
spond to rumors or any of that stuff.
I know the drill here. I’ve been here
before so I don’t worry about any of
that stuff.”

KNICKS NOTES
When the Knicks hired Thibo-
deau, they preached that he and the
front office — led by his former
agent, team president Leon Rose —
were in lockstep.
“I talk to Leon every day, talk to
Wes every day,” said Thibodeau,
who is in the second year of a five-
year contract. “So that doesn’t
change.”
Coming out of the All-Star break,
Thibodeau will be tasked with try-
ing to revive a Knicks team that has
lost 13 of its last 16 games. He hinted
at lineup changes before the break, T IS that time of year again. For Wisconsin game Sunday, the
but did not reveal any on Wednes-
day, aside from Kemba Walker be-
ing shut down for the season.
I the 42nd straight winter, we
can bask in the eternal after-
glow of the Miracle on Ice, which Mike
subject has gone fairly quickly
from hand-shaking to hand-
wringing, as in: Maybe we

➤ Mitchell Robinson practiced
with the Knicks on Wednesday, two
days after revealing that his father
is missing in Florida.
“Just support him as much as we
can,” Thibodeau said.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s
Office in Pensacola, Fla., said in a
Feb. 13 Facebook post that a man
identified as 39-year-old Mitchell
Robinson Jr. has been reported as
missing since Feb. 11.
➤ Nerlens Noel, who missed the
final five games before the break
with a foot injury, practiced fully on
Wednesday, Thibodeau said.
➤ RJ Barrett said the Knicks cel-
ebrated Obi Toppin after he won
the NBA Slam Dunk Contest on
Saturday night.
“First of all, those dunks were ri-
diculous,” Barrett said. “Some of
those dunks, I’ve never seen before.
So man, he can fly for real. Just
happy that he was able to win that
for himself and win something for
the team.”
took place this week in 1980. It
was Feb. 24 when the U.S. beat
Finland for the Olympic gold, 4-2,
when coach Herb Brooks deliv-
ered the single-greatest locker-
room speech in sports history.
Trailing 2-1 after two periods,
Brooks kept it simple.
“You lose this game,” he told his
hickey team, “you’ll take it to
your f---in’ grave.” They heeded
the warning.
Two days earlier, of course, the
U.S. beat the USSR in what was
understood even in real time as
being something of a genuine
marvel. The U.S. team was made
up of college players from Minne-
sota and Massachusetts, the Rus-
sians were comprised of profes-
sionals, the Red Army Team. And
when the deed was done, after
Lake Placid Field House exploded
in a roar for the ages and the So-
viets watched with curiosity from
their blue line as the Americans
celebrated raucously, an interest-
ing thing happened.
“They shook our hands,” Mike
Vaccaro
Eruzione recalled a few years ago
at another Olympics. “And we
shook theirs. And, I swear, a few
of the Soviet players even had
smiles on their faces.”
And there you have it:
If the U.S. and USSR, in the
very middle of a frigid Cold War,
could find it in themselves to ac-
tually go through a postgame
handshake line, then the basket-
ball coach at the University of
Michigan — or any other school,
for that matter — ought to be able
to make it through a postgame
handshake line and not turn into
Bruce Banner, with one cross
look turning him into The Incred-
ible Hulk.
In the wake of Juwan Howard
getting suspended the rest of the
regular season for throwing a
punch during the postgame hand-
shake line after the Michigan-
should just get rid of the post-
game handshake line alto-
gether.
Which is, in a word, absurd.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo
became something of a spokes-
man for sportsmanship Tuesday
when he opted for a common-
sense take on all of this: “That, to
me, would be the biggest farce,
joke, ridiculous nature of any-
thing I’ve ever heard of,” Izzo
said.
He added: “Not shaking hands,
that’s typical of our country right
now. Instead of solving the prob-
lem, let’s make an excuse and let’s
see if, instead of confronting and
demanding that it changes, let’s
eliminate it so that we don’t have
those problems.”
He’s right, of course. From the
first time we play competitive
sports as young kids, the first
thing we learn is that after the
game’s over, you shake hands.
When you’re 7 and you’ve just
lost a basketball game 33-5, the
last thing in the world you want
to do is shake the
other guy’s hand. Then, at 7, you
probably don’t want to do your
homework or take a bath, either.
Except there’s usually a
grown-up somewhere telling you:
It’s the right thing to do.
Honestly, now more than ever,
it’s important to honor the post-
game handshake line, not make it
disappear. It’s part of who we are,
after all. It’s part of our culture.
After they were done pulverizing
each other for 15 rounds, Apollo
Creed hugged Rocky Balboa, said,
“Ain’t gonna be no rematch,” and
Rocky said, “Don’t want one.”
After the Mean Machine beat the
guards in “The Longest Yard,”
one of the hacks actually told
Burt Reynolds’ Paul Crewe: “You
know, you guys ain’t half bad.”
“You’re right,” Crewe said,
laughing.
(Of course, at the end of “The

BaTTle lineS:
Even Cold War enemies were able to shake hands
without incident after the U.S.’s Miracle on Ice win over the Soviets
in the 1980 Olympics (inset). But that was something the basketball
teams of Michigan and Wisconsin couldn’t do recently.
Bad News Bears,” after the Yan-
kees told the Bears they were
sorry and offered up a cheer for
their rivals, suing for peace, Tan-
ner Boyle screamed, “Hey Yan-
kees, you can take your apology
and your trophy and shove it up
…” It would appear Juwan How-
ard has seen “Bad News Bears” a
time or two.)
Yes, it would be madness to
eliminate the postgame hand-
shake. Hockey players (save, no-
tably, Billy Smith) can spend
seven games trying to obliterate
each other, yet always shake
hands at the end. Scott Stevens,
as fierce a competitor as who’s
ever been born, once told me,
“The handshake is a bond. It
says, ‘I respect you,’ even if I
can’t stand you.”
Football, too. One of the great
pictures of this recent postseason
was the Rams’ Odell Beckham Jr.
consoling the 49ers’ disconsolate
Deebo Samuel a few minutes after
the end of the NFC Championship
game. You see that all across
sports, at every level. It’s actually
one of the truly pure things left in
those games.
Even in 2022, there ought to be
room for sportsmanship. If there
isn’t … honestly, what’s the point?
mvaccaro@nypost.com
St. John’s lets big
chance slip away
By Zach BraZiller
So many chances. So
many close games. So few
victories.
St. John’s again couldn’t
close out a tight game
against a quality oppo-
nent. The game Wednes-
day night was at Carnes-
ecca Arena, but the loca-
tion really doesn’t matter.
History just keeps repeat-
ing itself. This time, the
Red Storm wasted a nine-
point lead. Even an injury
to Creighton point guard
Ryan Nembhard couldn’t
help them.
CreigHton 81
St. JoHn’S 78
So, a disappointing sea-
son that began with such
high hopes continued on
its dismal path with an
81-78 loss to the Bluejays
after yet another poorly
executed finish was the
Red Storm’s undoing.
Montez Mathis’ runner
in traffic didn’t draw iron
with five seconds left, St.
John’s threw the ball away
with a chance to pull even
in the final seconds and
Aaron Wheeler’s despera-
tion 3-pointer at the
buzzer was off as the Red
Storm (15-12, 7-9 Big East)
fell to 3-5 this season in
games decided by five
points or less.
“If you look at the last
five possessions, I don’t
think we executed what
we wanted to do,” St.
John’s coach Mike Ander-
son said. “I thought defen-
sively we were good, but
you got to be able to make
plays. That’s what big-
time teams do, big-time
players do.”
Julian Champagnie, the
reigning Big East Player of
the Week, shot 3-for-16
from the field and passed
off a chance in the post on
the Mathis shot. Wheeler,
so good in Big East play,
was 1-for-10.
“That’s hard to over-
come,” Anderson said.
St. John’s two best offen-
sive players on this night
were reserves Stef Smith
and O’Mar Stanley, who
combined for 27 points on
49
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
the heels of a Posh Alex-
TOSS UP: ander steal to get the
Posh Alexander Johnnies the lead back
goes up for a with 3:16 to go. Creighton
shot in St. answered with four
John’s 81-78 straight points, however,
loss to to go ahead for good, as
Creighton on the Johnnies went score-
Wednesday. less over the next 2:42.
Corey Sipkin
They had three empty
nypost.com
trips in that span, and
their two stars — Cham-
pagnie and Alexander —
didn’t get a shot on those
possessions.
With 12:25 left in regula-
tion, Creighton lost
Nembhard. Going for a
steal at midcourt, the
freshman collided with
Alexander and immedi-
ately grabbed his right
arm near his wrist. A re-
play seemed to capture
him saying to the
Creighton bench, “it’s
broken.” He stayed down
for a few minutes and
came out, receiving ap-
plause from the crowd.
He did not return.
At the time, it felt like
back luck for Creighton.
The Bluejays were able to
12-for-14 shooting, but is not a scorer, huh? He overcome it, though, with
spent almost the entirety made shots tonight. I late-game execution —
of the final eight minutes thought he turned down a something St. John’s is
on the bench. shot and took a tougher still trying to master.
Mathis, a 22 percent shot, that’s what he did.” “I don’t think it’s one
3-point shooter, had a A 13-5 Creighton run particular thing. It could
wide-open look on the gave the Bluejays (19-8, be a big offensive rebound
corner on that fateful pos- 11-5) a four-point lead with the team gets or it could
session with St. John’s 4:51 left, and St. John’s ap- be a turnover,” Smith said.
down a point, but wanted peared tight. Its shots “The positive is that we
to get something going to- weren’t falling and its de- know we can play with
wards the rim. fense was lagging. But these teams.”
When asked if he re- then, Esahia Nyiwe hit a That also makes it more
gretted not having an- left-wing transition frustrating.
other shooter in that spot 3-pointer following a Dy- “This one stings a lot,”
rather than Mathis, An- lan Addae-Wusu steal and Mathis said.
derson said: “I guess ’Tez Mathis scored inside on zbraziller@nypost.com
Hall uses bench to beat Butler
Jared Rhoden scored 17 points and Yetna also had 10 rebounds for Seton
had three steals as Seton Hall pulled Hall (17-9, 8-8 Big East), which earned
ahead down the stretch to beat But- its fourth consecutive home victory.
ler 66-60 at Prudential Center on Samuel added 15 points, while Harris
Wednesday night. had 10 points.
The Pirates were led by The bench trio helped
their bench, as Tyrese
Seton Hall 66 overcome a season-high
Samuel, Alexis Yetna and Butler 60 25 points and seven re-
Jamir Harris combined for bounds by Bo Hodges for
35 points to make up for a lackluster per- Butler (13-16, 6-12). Bryce Nze added 12
formance from the starters — including points and 10 rebounds. The Pirates im-
Rhoden, who went just 6-for-17 from the prove to 2-0 against the Bulldogs this
field, but was 3-for-4 from 3-point range season. Seton Hall defeated Butler 71-56
and made both his free throws. on Jan. 4. — Post staff and wire report
50
Give him a hand:
nypost.com
Ambidextrous Met
waits for his shot
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
By Mike PuMa
PORT ST. LUCIE — Carlos Cor-
tes still sometimes breaks out his
right-handed glove during pre-
game drills to take grounders at
second base.
The ambidextrous Mets pros-
pect wants to be ready, just in case.
Cortes, a third-round pick by the
Mets in the 2018 draft, stopped
playing the infield (throwing right-
handed) last season, leaving him
for now as a lefty thrower in the
outfield. It’s his natural throwing
hand, and the one he trusts the
most.
“I grew up lefty-lefty, but my
motor skills are righty,” the 24-
year-old Cortes said this week at
Mets minor league camp. “I am
kind of all mixed up.”
Cortes eats right-handed but
brushes his teeth left-handed. He
picks up objects with his right
hand.
He started throwing with his
right hand around age 8 and gave it
a shot as an ambidextrous pitcher
early in high school, but soon
scrapped the idea because of troub-
les with right-handed precision.
“I could never throw a curveball,
I just had no feel for it,” Cortes
said. “I kind of have one now, but it
was like fastball-slider and I
drilled a lot of people. I tried it as a
freshman or sophomore in high
school and I kept drilling people
with fastballs and, yeah, ‘I am not
doing this anymore.’ ”
Cortes, the Mets’ No. 11 prospect
according to MLB Pipeline, played
the outfield full-time for Double-A
Binghamton last season and
owned a .257/.332/.487 slash line
with 14 homers and 57 RBIs in 79
games. It wasn’t enough to earn
Cortes a spot on the Mets’ 40-man
roster, leaving him unprotected for
the Rule 5 draft, which will occur
after the MLB lockout concludes.
“There are probably four or five
guys we have that concern about,”
Mets director of player develop-
ment Kevin Howard said. “At the
end of the day there’s only so
many spots, and every team is put
in the position where they have to
leave guys they really like unpro-
tected, and that, I think, is kind of
the situation we’re in with Carlos.”
In 2019, Cortes played mostly
second base for Single-A St. Lucie
and had a slash line of .255/.336/
.397 with 11 homers and 68 RBIs in
127 games.
Ex-Met Stroman rips former club, Eppler / P. 42
CARLOS CORTES
Righty in infield, lefty in outfield.
He arrived from the University
of South Carolina in the same draft
class that brought Jarred Kelenic
and Simeon Woods-Richardson to
the Mets ahead of him. Kelenic
and Woods-Richardson were later
traded (to the Mariners and Blue
Jays, respectively), leaving Cortes
as the highest remaining draft pick
from the Mets’ 2018 class.
Though Cortes is ambidextrous,
he said he never gave switch-hit-
ting serious consideration.
“My dad was not a big believer
in that,” Cortes said. “There’s not
too many Chipper Joneses, Pete
Roses and Jose Reyeses out there.”
This season, he is expected to
continue playing the outfield al-
most exclusively. It is possible he
will begin the season at Triple-A
Syracuse.
“I am definitely focusing on the
outfield a lot more, I think I am
better out there,” Cortes said. “But
I am never going to close that op-
tion to be right-handed … I am go-
ing to try to keep my arm ready so
I just don’t throw one day and
blow it out, but it’s never going to
be like I have to relearn it. It’s
there, it’s always going to be there,
but obviously the velocity I am go-
ing to have to keep training to
keep up with that.”
Cortes’ goals for the season ex-
tend beyond just reaching Citi
Field.
“My personal biggest goal is I
want to put myself in a situation
where I am a candidate to help the
major league team,” Cortes said.
“Not just make it to the big lea-
gues, but be valuable to the team
and help them win if I can.”
mpuma@nypost.com
MLB: Monday deadline for deal
UPITER, Fla. — National
J Renewal Day came early
for Major League Baseball
in 2022. Those frisky owners
and players just couldn’t wait
until May 4, the actual holiday
(thanks, Google), to renew their
threats against one another.
On Wednesday, at the unsub-
tly named Roger Dean Chevro-
let Stadium,
the owners re-
sponded to
the players’
latest lame
counteroffer
with a lame
counteroffer
Ken Davidoff
of their own.
Sometime amid the chatter,
though, the owners reiterated a
statement they first made at
their Feb. 12 bargaining session
in Manhattan: If they don’t get
this deal done by Monday, then
there won’t be a 162-game sea-
son.
“A deadline is a deadline,” an
MLB spokesman emphasized.
“Missed games are missed
games. Salary will not be paid
for those games.”
The MLBPA, according to a
source, responded with a re-
peated counter-vow of sorts: If
the players don’t get paid for a
full season in 2022, they will not
sign off on an expanded post-
season in the Basic Agreement.
This exchange sequel oc-
curred as a re-
sult of union
scuttlebutt
that next
Monday need
not be the
deadline, that
alternate ave-
nues exist, be
that via holding spring training
for less than four weeks or
shoehorning some doublehead-
ers into the schedule, to pull off
162 contests. The owners natu-
rally dislike twin-bills for reve-
nue reasons, and they contend
that the three-week “summer
camp” held in 2020, after the
COVID-19 shutdown, proved
too short, as exemplified by the
flurry of injuries that followed.
Of course, if the owners con-
sistently prioritized the players’
health, they wouldn’t view the
implementation of the universal
designated hitter as a financial
concession. They’d see it as the
smartest way to keep their
pitchers (by and large their
most prized assets) healthy by
keeping them away from hitting
and baserunning.
The players’ parry concerning
the expanded postseason feels
like a proposition to shoot one’s
own foot. Even within the play-
ers’ camp, there is debate over
the merits and drawbacks of al-
lowing more clubs into the
playoff party. What’s indisputa-
ble is the increased revenue
that would generate, and for all
of the concerns about watering
down October, a look at the
other major sports shows cus-
tomers love it when their club,
no matter how mediocre, puts
itself in the tournament mix.
In any case, five days of bar-
gaining remain before that
 ALL of Famer Troy Aikman is 51
H expected to leave Fox Sports to
become the main analyst for
ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,”

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

The Post has learned.
Aikman’s ESPN deal will be for
five years, according to sources, and
his yearly salary is expected to ap-
proach or exceed the neighborhood
of Tony Romo’s $17.5 million per
year contract with CBS. The deal is
not yet signed, but it is near comple-
tion.

Andrew
Marchand
IT’S GOOD TO BE
EXCLUSIVE THEM: Troy Aikman
(above) is set to join his

nypost.com
fellow former Cowboys
ESPN declined comment. quarterback Tony
Aikman’s seismic move will Romo atop the NFL
shake-up NFL TV free agency. Al- broadcasting food
ready this offseason, the contract of chain, with his new
Al Michaels, arguably the greatest ESPN “Monday Night
NFL play-by-player of all time, ran Football” deal expected
out with NBC. to approach or surpass
Michaels, 77, has been on the Romo’s $180 million
1-yard line in his negotiations to be deal with CBS. AP (2)
the lead play-by-play voice when

FOX’s Aikman
THE CLOCK’S Amazon Prime Video begins its ex-
TICKING: Mets clusive coverage of “Thursday
pitcher Max Scherzer Night Football.” Michaels had
arrives for contract hoped Aikman would join him on
negotiations between Thursday nights.
Major League Though Rams head coach Sean

set to make
Baseball and the McVay has said he will continue on
union at Roger Dean the sidelines this year, Amazon
Stadium in Jupiter, could make a serious run at him, ac-
Fla., on Wednesday. cording to sources. Tom Brady can’t
AP
be fully counted out as a candidate,
but it should be stressed he has

Romo $$$ in
shown no indication he wants to
work in a booth.

or forget about 162 ESPN currently has Steve Levy,

deadline passes, and an expec-
tation exists that the two sides
will meet here every day until
then. If the talks continue at
their current languid pace,
then we won’t see anything re-
sembling a deal.
With the players welcoming
three reinforcements — Yan-
kees Zack Britton and Gerrit
Cole and free agent Andrew
Miller — to their group as the
Reds’ Sonny Gray left, the two
sides met in full for about an
hour and 40 minutes, during
which the owners raised their
minimum-salary offer from
$630,000 to $640,000 for 2022,
with an increase of $10,000
each season through 2026.
After each side caucused for
more than two hours, one
more smaller breakout session
occurred — with Miller, new
Met Max Scherzer and the PA’s
senior director, Bruce Meyer,
joining MLB’s deputy commis-
sioner, Dan Halem, and Rock-
ies CEO Dick Monfort for
about a half-hour. Talks were
said to be civil, if vigorous.
While a move in the right di-
rection, MLBs minimum-sal-
ary uptick didn’t dramatically
alter the vibe of inertia sur-
rounding these talks. Nothing
will, really, until we see some-
one blink on the competitive-
balance tax, over which the
owners have drawn a hard line,
implementing harsher penal-
ties for surpassing the thresh-
old (which barely increase in
their package), while the play-
ers are aiming sky-high, with a
$31 differential, $245 million
versus $214 million, just for
2022, which grows larger from
there.
Those who want the season
to start on time, therefore,
should root against renewals,
replays and rewinds, and hope
for some strikingly new mate-
rial. If that doesn’t emerge
soon, then another holiday,
Opening Day, will come later,
not earlier, than it reads on the
calendar.
kdavidoff@nypost.com
Louis Riddick Jr. and Brian Griese as
its lead “Monday Night Football”
team. Over the next few years,
ESPN will have an expansion in
NFL games from 18 to 25. They will
need multiple crews to call them.
Though ESPN has considered
making a run at Michaels — it hasn’t
done so yet — there is another wild
possibility.
With Joe Buck’s contact up next
year, sources said ESPN could try to
pry Buck from Fox. Buck also calls
the World Series for the network.
Fox would have to grant Buck per-
mission if he wanted to leave early.
Meanwhile, Fox suddenly has a
hole atop its No. 1 broadcast team
with two Super Bowls in the next
three years. Fox, however, has added
depth to its NFL analyst group in re-
cent years.
It will consider its No. 2 analyst
Greg Olsen, McVay, Sean Payton
and, in a twist, could try to trade for
NBC’s Drew Brees, according to
sources. Brees, who is in NBC’s stu-
dio, is also a candidate for Amazon
on Thursday nights.
Fox will also wait if a mystery can-
didate, someone not apparent right
now, arises. 49ers GM and ex-TV
game analyst John Lynch could fall
into this category for either Amazon
or Fox. Fox would also have interest
jump to ‘MNF’
in Brady, but, if the network wasn’t
going to match ESPN for Aikman, it
seems impossible to believe it would
go into the stratosphere it would
take to possibly even entice Brady.
Like Peyton Manning, Brady will
be able to choose when and if he
wants to be in a booth. Manning and
his brother, Eli, are scheduled to do
10 telecasts basically over Zoom the
next three years. Their rookie year
edition of the “Manningcast” on
ESPN2 for Monday night games was
very well received.
It was almost exactly two years ago
in February 2020 that Romo’s deal
with CBS for 10 years and $180 mil-
lion changed the NFL analyst indus-
try, as it was the richest in history.
Aikman has been in the booth far
longer than Romo. Before this past
season, according to sources, Aik-
man used the leverage he had to
make this new deal possible.
He had an out in his contract in
which he could say he would not do
“Thursday Night Football” this sea-
son. With that leverage, Fox agreed
to give Aikman a four-year exten-
sion at $13.2 million per year, ac-
cording to sources.
There was one final stipulation to
the contract — Aikman could opt
out after this season if he were to se-
cure a bigger and better contract,
according to sources.
For the past year, Aikman has
flirted with leaving. He spoke openly
about possibly going to Amazon.
In the end, ESPN, which has been
trying to figure out its top booth for
years, came in with the strongest of-
fer yet.
Aikman’s new deal will run
through Super Bowl LXI in 2027.
That is no coincidence, as that game
will be televised by ABC/ESPN.
The next question is: Who will Aik-
man’s booth partner be?
amarchand@nypost.com
52
nypost.com
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
21-done salute: Paul O’Neill will be the 23rd Yan-
kee to have his number retired.
By Zach BraZiller
Paul O’Neill dropped his
phone. His wife, Nevalee,
teared up. They were both
stunned at the news that
the Yankees had decided to
retire his No. 21 jersey.
“Just a day I won’t ever
forget,” O’Neill said
Wednesday.
O’Neill, now a game ana-
lyst for YES Network who
spent nine seasons in pin-
stripes, will become the
23rd Yankee to receive the
honor, on Aug. 21 in The
Bronx. That group in-
cludes former teammates
he won four champion-
ships with: Derek Jeter,
Andy Pettitte, Mariano
Rivera, Bernie Williams
and Jorge Posada.
“It’s the highest honor
that I’ve ever been given in
baseball,” O’Neill, who was
given his own plaque in
Monument Park in 2014,
said on a Zoom call. “I
don’t really know how to
explain it. It’s on my mind
all day, and it keeps replay-
ing over and over again,
just how cool this is.
“To know that there’s a
generation of people who
associate my name with
that number to me is very
special.”
A five-time All-Star and
the 1994 AL batting cham-
pion, the 58-year-old
O’Neill recalled what it
was like when he first
joined the Yankees in 1993
and visited Monument
Park. He was in awe of the
franchise’s history and the
Nury Hernandez
game’s luminaries who
were once Yankees. He
never thought he would be
part of it one day.
He became a fan favorite
after coming over from the
Reds in a trade, known for
his intense demeanor,
grinding at-bats and tem-
per tantrums that exhib-
ited his fire. He only knew
one way to play, earning
him the nickname “The
Warrior” from late owner
George Steinbrenner. In
nine seasons with the Yan-
kees, he notched a .303/
.377/.492 slash line with 185
homers and 858 RBIs in
1,254 regular-season
games.
Since he retired follow-
ing the 2001 season,
O’Neill’s No. 21 has been
mostly out of sight. It was
given to pitcher LaTroy
Hawkins in 2008 after the
right-hander asked for it to
pay homage to Roberto
Clemente. It will never be
worn again by a Yankee.
“These are things that
you never dream about.
When you’re playing the
game you don’t think about
these things,” he said. “You
think about getting a hit or
hitting a home run. Those
kinds of things go away.
This, to me, now that I Jasson his dream: Jasson
think about it, every single Dominguez struggled in Low-A
time I go into Yankee Sta- Tampa last season, but the
dium and that number is 19-year-old has big talent and big
up, it won’t go away. aspirations. First-year manager
“To look up and see a No. Rachel Balkovec, who worked with
21 that means so much to Dominguez last season, says he
me, I can’t thank the Yan- has a “super-high aptitude.”
kees enough.” N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg (2)
zbraziller@nypost.com

By Dan Martin
TAMPA — If it were up to Jas-
son Dominguez, he’d be playing
for the Yankees by the time he’s
“20 or 21” years old.
The Yankees’ much-hyped pros-
pect, who turned 19 earlier this month,
will have to move up quickly for that to
happen.
He has played just 56 professional
games, all of them last season, which
he split between the Florida Complex
League and Low-A Tampa.
Dominguez seems set to begin the
upcoming minor league season at
Tampa again, where plenty of atten-
tion will be paid to the center fielder
and new manager Rachel Balkovec.
Not all of the attention has been
positive for Dominguez, whose stock
in prospect rankings took a bit of a hit
following his struggles at Tampa last
season, when he had a .744 OPS and 67
strikeouts in 214 plate appearances.
Some scouts began to wonder what his
ceiling might be.
But he showed off some power
Wednesday at the Yankees’ Player De-
velopment Complex, and after team-
mates and coaches praised his attitude
and leadership abilities, Dominguez
spoke with confidence about his future.
“My goal this year is to stay healthy,’’
Dominguez said. “I know if I stay healthy,
the other things I can control.”
Interestingly, Dominguez conducted
nearly the entire interview in English,
which not many young players from the
Dominican Republic are comfortable do-
ing.
That is part of his development as a
leader, according to Balkovec, who
worked closely with Dominguez last sea-
son, as well.
“He has super-high aptitude,’’ Balkovec
said. “He wants to learn anything he can to
help himself, including English. He’s
nervous [giving interviews in a second
language], but he still pushes himself
to do it. That’s pretty much all around
how he approaches baseball, too. If
we want to try something new or
make an adjustment, he’s gonna lis-
ten to what we have to say. He’s a really in-
telligent kid who wants the information
and wants to know why. He asks ques-
tions. He’s a critical thinker.”
The next step will be refining the raw
skills that helped convince the Yankees to
sign Dominguez to a $5.1 million bonus in
July 2019.
Those skills have impressed Anthony
Volpe, the Yankees’ top overall prospect,
who has been working with Dominguez at
the team’s minicamp this week.
“Watching his BP is awesome,’’ Volpe
said. “He’s a specimen. … We call him
‘Mini Aaron Donald.’ ”
Dominguez is listed at 5-foot-10 and 190
pounds — a far cry from the 6-1, 280-
pound Rams defensive tackle — but is
noted for his impressive strength.
And Volpe wasn’t the only one to refer-
ence the gridiron when it came to Domin-
guez.
“I always tell him he should play foot-
ball,’’ said Matt Talarico, the team’s base-
running coordinator. “No one could tackle
that guy. No shot.”
None of that, though, means Dominguez
will emerge as a star in the sport he’s actu-
ally playing.
It doesn’t help that his 2020 was wiped
out when COVID-19 forced the shutdown
of the minor league season before he fi-
nally made his pro debut last year.
The Yankees knew they were asking a
lot of Dominguez when they sent him to
Low-A Tampa, but that was part of his de-
velopment.
“We’ve seen guys time and time again
make it to the big leagues and that’s their
first taste of any challenge or failure,’’ said
Kevin Reese, VP of Player Development.
“He hasn’t played a ton of baseball, espe-
cially against this type of
competition. We
wanted to push him
and will continue to
do that.’’
There will be even
more eyes on him as Dom-
inguez moves through the
minor league system, but he
seemed to enjoy the spotlight on
Wednesday. He was comfortable,
confident and at times, self-deprecat-
ing, while making a strong effort to com-
municate in English alongside Hector
Gonazalez, the team’s cultural develop-
ment coordinator.
Balkovec noted Dominguez took it upon
himself to use Rosetta Stone to help him
learn the new language.
What really matters, though, is what he
can do on the field.
“What’s good about Jasson is he’s ma-
ture beyond his age,” said new hitting
coach Dillon Lawson, previously the mi-
nor league hitting coordinator. “That
helps us with expectations and being real
with him about the hardships he might
face.”
dan.martin@nypost.com
53
Balkovec
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
ready for
spotlight
By Dan Martin
TAMPA — The Low-A Tampa
Tarpons are scheduled to open the
regular season on April 8 in Lake-
land, Fla., against the Tigers’ affili-
ate.
It will be the managerial debut of
Rachel Balkovec, who is the first
woman to manage an affiliated mi-
nor league team.
nypost.com
But Balkovec, named to the posi-
tion last month, isn’t focused on
that date. There’s too much work
to be done first.
“I’m grateful for this time to
practice with the guys that are
here,’’ the 34-year-old said
Wednesday during the Yankees’
minicamp at their player develop-
ment complex. “We’re here study-
ing every day,
watching video.
I go through my
day learning as-
pects of de-
fense, learning
our philoso-
phies inside and
out on defense
that I haven’t
been really
close to as a hit-
ting coach. I’m Rachel
not worried Balkovec
about the begin- First game is
ning of the sea- April 8
son right now.”
After working her way up pro-
fessional baseball on the strength
and conditioning side, as well as
the hitting side, Balkovec said
she’s embracing the broader role
as a manager.
“I’ve gotten so much support
from players,’’ Balkovec said.
“They’re calling me ‘Skip.’ It feels
really natural, to be honest with
you.”
She already has garnered plenty
of attention since getting the new
role, and that will continue — and
perhaps intensify — once the sea-
son starts in April (the minor
league season is not impacted by
the MLB lockout).
“It’s just a part of the job,’’ Balk-
ovec said of the added spotlight.
“Definitely, with where I’m going
and want to go in my career, I
don’t really have a choice. Is it ex-
tra time? Is it possibly a distrac-
tion? Sure. But if I don’t know how
to manage that, then I’m never
gonna be where I want to be. … I
just view it as another part of my
job. I have to hone those skills my-
self and be good at those things. …
As soon as I signed on the dotted
line, that’s the responsibility you
accept.”
54

Booster shot
By Mark W. Sanchez

The Nets and Kyrie Irving have

nypost.com

maintained hope for some time

that the unvaccinated point
guard would be able to play
home games this season. On
Wednesday, they received the
surest sign yet that hope has
been justified. Philadelphia, Seattle and Minne-
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Mayor Eric Adams announced sota’s Twin Cities of Minneapolis

he has a plan to end New York
City’s vaccine mandate for indoor
spaces, including arenas such as
Barclays Center and Madison
Square Garden. Adams said he
“can’t wait” to phase out the man-
date, and that changes could hap-
pen “in the next few weeks.”
Thursday
CELTICS AT NETS
7:30 p.m.
TNT
WFAN (660 AM,
101.9 FM)
The comments were Adams’
most definitive yet, though with-
out a firm timeline and with ca-
veats that future COVID-19 cases
and advice from health experts
will be the deciding factors. Nev-
ertheless, Adams provided a path
via which the Nets could have
their unvaccinated star on the
court full time for the first time
this season. Thus far, Irving has
only played in road games.
“I look forward in the next few
weeks of going to a real transfor-
mation that I don’t have to won-
der what you look like, I would
know what you look like again,”
Adams said, referencing masked
reporters, during a news confer-
ence at Brooklyn Navy Yard.
“And so we are moving in the
right direction, we’re going to do
it in a safe way.”
The Nets are fighting for a
playoff spot with 23 games re-
maining, 13 of which will be at
Barclays Center. They officially
will return from the All-Star
break Thursday, when they will
host the Celtics, as the Eastern
Conference’s No. 8 seed and just
3 ¹/₂ games removed from falling
entirely out of the play-in tourna-
ment.
lifting spirits: New York City mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday he is eager to lift the vaccine
mandate in the next few weeks. That would clear the way for Nets star Kyrie Irving to play in home
games.
Irving isn’t the only player the
Nets have been missing. Kevin
Durant, who sprained his left
MCL last month, practiced
Wednesday but is not expected
back imminently.
Ben Simmons, acquired from
the 76ers in the James Harden
trade, is with the team. Because
he hasn’t played since last sea-
son, however, he still is ramping
up and is not as close to return-
ing to the court as Durant, coach
Steve Nash said.
And if the city’s rules remain as
they are, Irving would only be el-
igible for eight of the Nets’ re-
maining games.
As desperately as the Nets
need reinforcements, Nash said
he only had heard about Adams’
comments from a public rela-
tions staffer just before address-
ing media.
“It’d be great for us to have
Kyrie available for all our games,”
Nash said. “Having said that, who
knows? It’s not really in our con-
trol, so we leave it up to the
mayor and wait patiently.”
Getty Images; ZumaPress
Forward James Johnson, in
echoing NBA commissioner
Adam Silver’s recent sentiments
about unvaccinated opponents
being allowed to play in New
York while Irving cannot, said
the rule “doesn’t make sense.”
Though he is glad the mayor is
moving toward ending the man-
date, Johnson said,“I don’t really
get too encouraged with what
people say.”
As cases have dropped in the
past few weeks, several cities —
including Boston, Washington,
and St. Paul — have either lifted
their vaccine requirements or an-
nounced imminent end dates.
According to NYC Health, New
York City has averaged 796 total
confirmed and reported corona-
virus cases in the past week. The
daily average over the past 28
days has been 1,921.
Barring an unforeseen turn in
the pandemic, it seems Nets fans
will be able to witness Irving play
in person this season. The Nets
did not make Irving available for
comment, but Nash said he has
been “extremely locked in.”
“Kyrie’s been great on the prac-
tice floor, he’s been great in film
sessions, he’s been creating dia-
logue over aspects of our play, so
I sense a real focus and urgency
from him,” Nash said of Irving —
who is averaging 24.1 points, 4.8
rebounds and 5.4 assists in 14
games this season. “So if that’s
any indication, I would say he’s
getting excited at the prospect of
playing in all our games, hope-
fully in the short term.”
If the unforeseen happens, the
Nets have a better fall-back op-
tion to sub for Irving at home fol-
lowing the addition of Goran
Dragic as extra insurance at
point guard. And if the unfore-
seen happens, it seems clear the
Nets do not envision any other
path toward Irving playing full
time.
Irving has been adamant he
will not take the COVID-19 vac-
cine and has said there are things
more important than the Nets’ ti-
tle chances.
Irving has waited out the city,
the Nets and the pandemic. It
suddenly seems possible for him
to win the waiting game — un-
less the eighth-place Nets al-
ready have lost.
— With Bernadette Hogan
msanchez@nypost.com

Dragic chose Brooklyn for chance to win a crown

By Mark W. Sanchez
Goran Dragic credits
Nets coach Steve Nash for
the start of his NBA career.
Now, he may be able to
thank his mentor for his
career’s final chapters, too.
For a second straight sea-
son, the Nets were big win-
ners on the buyout market.
Last year, it was Kevin Du-
rant leading the recruiting
efforts for LaMarcus Al-
dridge and Blake Griffin.
This time, their head coach
nets notes
used his past to shore up
the Nets’ present as they
landed Dragic, the best
point guard available.
Nash, who was the Suns’
starting point guard when
Dragic broke into the league
with Phoenix, sold the point
guard on their background
and the Nets’ immediate fu-
ture, with a roster contain-
ing enough talent to win a
title. Through Dragic’s 14
seasons, he has reached the
NBA Finals just once, in
2020 with the Heat, but has
not won a ring.
“I chose Brooklyn be-
cause I think they have a
really good chance to win a
championship,” Dragic said
after practice Wednesday,
his first time addressing
media since agreeing to the
pact Monday.
Dragic said he was pur-
sued by six other contend-
ers and that the decision
was a difficult one — but
was made easier by Nash,
who has “been a great
friend to me, great mentor.”
The Nets could offer the
continuation of a friend-
ship that began in 2008,
when Dragic was a sec-
ond-round pick by the
Spurs who was quickly
traded to the Suns, a team
led by the veteran point
guard Nash. They would
sit next to each other on
plane trips, and Dragic
would watch the aging su-
perstar go about his regi-
mented routine the same
way every day.
The 35-year-old could
have walked away from the
NBA for good following a
failed stint with the Raptors
this past fall. Dragic played
in just five games this sea-
son after being acquired by
Toronto in the trade that
sent Kyle Lowry to Miami.
Dragic left the Raptors in
November and has sat out
since. He was dealt to the
Spurs at the trade deadline
then promptly bought out.
➤ Nash said there is “no
clarity” on Joe Harris,
who might need a second
surgery on his left ankle.
“He is still working
through things,” Nash said.
➤ Ben Simmons took
part in individual drills at
practice. Though the media
was allowed to watch the
practice, the infamously
shot-resistant star was
working with Kyle Korver,
a player-development coach
and 3-point specialist.
 55

Koepka: All but Lefty

By Ethan SEarS KPMG and Amstel Light,
and has given other spon-
As the golf world sorts sors the opportunity to

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

through the wreckage pause relationships with
caused by Phil Mickelson’s him.
comments on the proposed “They’re scary motherf--

happy with PGA Tour

Saudi Arabian golf league,
Brooks Koepka doesn’t
think the PGA Tour is out
of the woods just yet.
“I think it’s going to still
keep going,” Koepka told
reporters at the Honda
Classic of the potential
league, which is backed fi-
nancially by the Saudi re-
gime. “I think there will
still be talk. I think … ev-
eryone talks about money.
They’ve got enough of it. I
don’t see it backing down.
They can just double up
and they’ll figure it out.
They’ll get their guys.
interview.
He also emphasized
anew that any player who
signs up for a Saudi golf
league would lose their Brooks
PGA Tour membership
and should not expect to Koepka
get it back.
Still, Koepka be-
lieves Mickelson is
on an island when it
comes to his issues
kers to get involved with,”
he told Shipnuck of the re-
gime. “We know they
killed [Washington Post
reporter and U.S. resident
Jamal] Khashoggi and have
out here have the a horrible record on hu-
same opinion.” man rights. They execute
Bryson DeChambeau people over there for being
and Dustin Johnson gay.
both announced earlier “Knowing all of this, why
this week they would re- would I even consider it?
main on the PGA Tour, Because this is a once-in-a-
leading Rory McIlroy lifetime opportunity to re-
to declare the Saudi shape how the PGA Tour
proposal “dead in the operates. They’ve been
water.” McIlroy also able to get by with manipu-
called Mickelson’s lative, coercive, strong-arm

Somebody will sell out and
go to it.”
PGA Tour Commissioner
Jay Monahan says he has
“zero complacency” when
it comes to the threat of
the Saudi-funded league,
and he has a clear message
for any player still tempted
to leave.
“I told the players we’re
moving on and anyone on
the fence needs to make a
decision,” Monahan told
the Associated Press on
Wednesday in a telephone
nypost.com
with the tour. comments to biogra- tactics because we, as play-
“I’m happy with pher Alan Shipnuck ers, had no recourse.”
the PGA Tour,” “naive, selfish, egotis- In a long-winded state-
Koepka said, ac- tical, ignorant.” ment on Tuesday, Mickel-
cording to Sports Mickelson has come son apologized for the
Illustrated. “I think under fire for saying comments, but claimed
everybody out he got involved with they were off the record
here is happy. the proposed golf and praised LIV Golf In-
[Mickelson] can league despite the Sa- vestments, the Saudi-
think whatever he udi government’s backed fund behind the
wants to think, man. atrocious human league. Shipnuck said on
He can do whatever rights record as a Twitter that it’s “com-
he wants to do. I way of putting pres- pletely false” that their
think everybody out sure on the PGA conversation was off the
here is happy. I Tour. He since has record. — With AP
think a lot of people AP lost two sponsors, esears@nypost.com
56
nypost.com
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
SEE YA: Bronx native Kemba Walker,
who only saw action in 37 games this sea-
son, may have already played his final
game as a Knick.
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg; Getty Images
Fairy-tale ending to storybook career has gone up
OMETIMES, it’s not enough to simply
S crave the fairy-tale ending. Sometimes,
reality gets in the way, takes a Zippo
lighter to the final few chapters, turns them
to ash. Sometimes, it turns out Thomas
Wolfe was right. Sometimes, you can’t go
home again.
That isn’t the way this
leg of Kemba Walker’s
basketball journey was
supposed to go. Back in
August, when the Knicks
first imported him via
Oklahoma City, there
were immediate recollec-
tions of Walker the hoops
Mike Vaccaro
phenom out of Rice High,
the latest in a long lineage of New York
point-guard royalty that dates to Dick
McGuire.
There were red flags, sure: his age, his re-
cent injury history, the 25,000 NBA minutes’
worth of tread already on his tires. The
By GreG Joyce
The clock has struck midnight on Kemba
Walker’s homecoming — for this season and
perhaps altogether.
The Knicks and the veteran point guard,
just six months removed from a ballyhooed
press conference to celebrate his signing,
have agreed that he will sit out the rest of this
season to start preparing for next season.
Where the 31-year-old with a balky knee will
play his next game is very much up in the air,
but it’s hard to figure it will be in New York
after the decision, which was announced
Wednesday.
“We knew there was risk involved [signing
Walker],” coach Tom Thibodeau said after
practice. “We thought it was worth it. There
were some good moments. If he’s healthy,
he’s good. So, that’s about it.”
Walker, the Bronx native who signed a
two-year, $18 million contract last summer,
was a candidate to be traded before the
deadline, but the Knicks did not find a deal
to their liking. A buyout also appeared possi-
ble following the deadline, but with this ar-
rangement, Walker is expected to be back on
the trade market this summer.
“We fully support Kemba’s decision to shut
it down for the remainder of the season and
to use this time to prepare for next season,”
Knicks president Leon Rose said in a state-
ment. “His long-term success on the court
remains our priority.”
greeting he got from the Garden, opening
night against the Celtics, was a welcome-
home roar he’d waited his whole life to hear.
And if only the closing credits could’ve
rolled then, maybe everyone would’ve
walked away satisfied.
But there was very little satisfaction from
there.
“We knew there was
risk involved,” coach Tom
Thibodeau said Wednes-
day, after Walker decided
to shut himself down for
the rest of the season, ef-
fectively ending his ten-
ure as a Knick. “And we
thought it was worth it.”
As it turns out, the warning flares had all
been fair. Walker was a step slower than be-
fore. He shot barely 40 percent from the
field. He couldn’t guard anyone. Thibodeau
was the first to do something about this, glu-
ing Walker to the bench 20 games into the
Damaged goods
The version
of Kemba
Walker the
Knicks saw
this season
wasn’t the
former four-
time All-Star
they had
hoped for
when he signed in August (above).
Here’s a look at his career averages
compared to the 2021-22 campaign:
Career Category 2021-22
19.5 Points 11.6
5.3 Assists 3.5
3.8 Rebounds 3.0
41.8 Field-goal percentage 40.3
36.0 3-point percentage 36.7
33.3 Minutes 25.6
Thibodeau, who deferred many of the
questions about the decision to conversa-
tions between Rose and Walker’s agent, had
benched Walker earlier this season. He took
the four-time All-Star out of the starting
lineup and rotation altogether for nine
straight games until injuries opened the door
season, a healthy scratch for nine straight in
December.
There he may have stayed, permanently, if
the Knicks hadn’t gotten ransacked by COV-
ID-19, if Derrick Rose hadn’t gone down with
an ankle injury. Walker came back. He had a
few throwback nights, including a 44-point
explosion against the Wizards on Dec. 23,
and a triple-double against the Hawks on
Christmas Day.
But that was a mirage. He got hurt again, and
when he returned he truly was a shell of what
he’d been. Across his final 13 games as a
Knicks he averaged only 8.1 points, shot only
37 percent. What happened Wednesday has
felt inevitable for weeks; the question was re-
ally if it would happen this way or with a buy-
out. Now, Walker gets to try and get well
enough to play again. It will almost certainly
be elsewhere; with an expiring contract next
summer, he is officially an asset for the Knicks.
More valuable as a line item than a
basketball player. Yes. The Hollywood
Friday
Heat at KnicKs
7:30 p.m.
MSG, ESPN
ESPN Radio
(98.7 FM)
for his return on Dec. 18. After a solid stretch
of play, Walker then sat out another string of
games to tend to his nagging knee.
Overall, he averaged 11.6 points, 3.5 assists
and three rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game
while shooting 40.3 percent from the field
and 36.7 percent from deep.
Walker arrived in New York fresh off being
bought out by the Thunder, after the Celtics
had shipped him out of town following an in-
jury-plagued tenure in Boston. But his home-
coming, which was initially met with good
feelings all around, has since turned into a
nightmare for Walker and the Knicks, who
are coming out of the All-Star break with a
25-34 record.
Thibodeau said he did not know whether
Walker would be around the team the rest of
the season, but he was not at practice
Wednesday.
“I think that just because something didn’t
go as planned doesn’t mean that it’s not a
good idea,” RJ Barrett said. “We play hard no
matter what, no matter who’s out there on
the court, no matter who suits up for us. As
ending sure did wind up in flames.
“We fully support Kemba’s decision to
shut it down for the remainder of the season
and to use this time to prepare for next sea-
son,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a
statement. “His long-term success on the
court remains our priority.”
That amounts to a concession speech from
the Knicks’ boss, for whom Walker was
(along with Evan Fournier) a prize pickup of
the summer, in the hope the Knicks could
build on last year’s 41-31 success story.
Instead, Walker (and Fournier, to a lesser
extent) becomes emblematic of what sure
feels like a troubling strand of dysfunction
percolating between the two most important
members of the Knicks’ hierarchy. Neither
player fits snugly into Thibodeau’s favored
system, and while the coach said the right
things when they were acquired — and has
continued to start Fournier — Walker’s
benching was clearly a cudgel the coach
used to prove his displeasure.

long as you’re a Knick, it’s a part of our
brotherhood and we’re trying to win with
whatever we got.”
With Walker out of the picture, the Knicks
could turn to a few options for their starting
point guard. Derrick Rose practiced fully
Wednesday for the first time since undergo-
ing ankle surgery in December, but when
asked whether the veteran would slide right
into the starting lineup when he is ready,
Thibodeau was noncommittal.
“We’ll see,” Thibodeau said. “I think just
looking, digging into the numbers and stuff,
Alec [Burks] has been our best option so far.”
Burks, a natural wing, started at point
guard for most of the games Walker missed.
Thibodeau also mentioned Immanuel
Quickley, who went through a rough shoot-
ing slump before the All-Star break, while
noting rookie shooting guard Quentin
Grimes can play and guard multiple posi-
tions. The Knicks could also give more min-
utes to rookie Miles McBride, though he has
played in just 21 games this season.
“We see Julius [Randle] as a point forward
and RJ is handling the ball a lot more,” Thi-
bodeau said. “So whatever the strengths of
the team are, you want to play to those
strengths. Derrick was always a power point
guard and he played with the ball and off
the ball. I think we see that with Alec. Alec
can play three positions. So you like ver-
satility.”
gjoyce@nypost.com
in flames
Walker was probably going to be fur-
ther minimized anyway. Rose is ex-
pected back, and though Alec Burks will
probably start at point for now, Rose will
immediately gobble up Walker’s minutes.
Thibodeau has said he is committed to turn-
ing the Knicks into a meritocracy over the
rest of the season, and while Walker
wouldn’t have been alone, there’s little ques-
tion he would’ve fallen prey to that the way
his game has decayed.
Either way, the narrative had already been
broken. What began in The Bronx, at the
Sack Wern Houses in Soundview and moved
on to the Gauchos and to Rice and to one un-
forgettable week at the Garden while he was
at UConn was supposed to culminate in this
grand final act, a No. 8 on his back and “New
York” on his chest.
Except someone got their hands on that
version of the story. And someone took a
Zippo lighter to them.
mvaccaro@nypost.com
57
RJ, Rose
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
back at
practice
By GreG Joyce
The Knicks emerged from the
All-Star break as a healthier
team, with two key players re-
turning to the practice court.
RJ Barrett (sprained ankle)
and Derrick Rose (ankle sur-
gery) both practiced fully on
Wednesday for the first time
since sustaining their respec-
tive injuries. Still, it remained
nypost.com
to be seen whether either will
be ready to play Friday against
the Heat. Coach Tom Thibo-
deau said the team would base
that on how the two feel on
Thursday.
Barrett missed the final four
games before the All-Star break
after getting injured during gar-
bage time during a Feb. 8 loss to
the Nuggets. Thibodeau took
criticism for still having Barrett
on the court at that point in the
game, but Barrett said he had
no issue with it.
“I think I was just frustrated
just with the injury itself,” Bar-
rett said Wednesday. “You
never want to get hurt. It was a
sprained ankle. I always want to
be out on the court. It doesn’t
matter when. So I feel like es-
pecially spraining my ankle like
that, that could have happened
in the first 10 seconds of the
game, so it doesn’t matter.”
Just over two weeks later,
Barrett said he still feels pain,
but wanted to get through it
mentally and thought he was
“pretty close” to being back.
“It’s gonna be sore,” Barrett
said. “But trying to just be men-
tally tough to get through that. I
can move. I can move a little
bit, so like I said, being able to
go out there and practice and
scrimmage and really do that, it
was a good sign. I have another
one [Thursday], so just gonna
continue to see how it feels.”
Rose, meanwhile, last played
on Dec. 16, and has missed 30
straight games since then. The
Knicks, who will now be with-
out Kemba Walker for the rest
of the season, could sorely use
Rose’s veteran presence at
point guard to run the offense,
especially late in games, when
they have faltered lately
“He’s been doing a lot but he
has not taken contact before
[Wednesday],” Thibodeau said.
“So he took contact today, went
through all that. So that’s good.”
gjoyce@nypost.com
More Knicks / P. 48
58
“Love Island,” which failed to spark interest
for three seasons on CBS, is moving to NBC’s
nypost.com
streaming service Peacock for Seasons 4
and 5 — and a total of 80 episodes.
TV Thursday
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022
Crossing swords in feisty spinoff
series ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ on Netflix
By LAuREN SARNER
‘V
ikingS: Valhalla,” a
spinoff of the History
Channel hit “Vikings,”
is an epic and sprawling
affair — and it’s smart
enough to start small, with two
connected tales of good old-fash-
ioned revenge.
Premiering Friday, Feb. 25 on Net-
flix and set in the 11th century —
roughly 100 years after the events
of “Vikings” (which ran from 2013-
2020) — “Valhalla” is a historical
drama following three main charac-
ters. There’s legendary explorer
Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett) before
he became famous famous; his
fierce sister, Freydis Eriksdotter
(Frida Gustavsson); and Harald Si-
gurdsson (Leo Suter, “Sanditon”),
an ambitious rising leader and fu-
ture king of Norway.
The series opens with the St.
Brice’s Day massacre, a real
historical event in which
Vikings living in England in
1002 were murdered by or-
der of the king. After that
bloody night, the show
moves on to follow Vikings
from all over as they as-
semble in the familiar loca-
tion of Kattegat (Ragnar’s
stomping grounds in the
original show) to plot re-
venge against the English
— which is how Leif and
Freydis, who sail in from
Greenland, cross paths
with Harald.
As the avengers assem-
ble, Viking-style, drama
brews among their ranks:
some of them are Pagans while
some are Christian, and both
groups chafe at the prospect of
working together, even as Harald
seeks to unite them. Meanwhile,
Freydis and Leif reveal that their
vengeance has a more personal na-
ture: years ago, Freydis was at-
tacked and raped, and she and her
brother are hunting for the culprit
at this large gathering of their peo-
ple.
It’s an impressively small-scale
way to begin a show with lots of
moving pieces and battles. Too of-
ten, shows in this genre give in to
the temptation to start large, throw-
Red Reddington (James Spader) will return for
another go-round on “The Blacklist,” now
that NBC has renewed the veteran drama
for a 10th season. Former co-star Megan
Boone left the series after Season 8.
Sam
Corlett (left)
and Leo Suter in
“Vikings: Valhalla.”
Below: Frida
Gustavsson and
Corlett.
ing too much at the viewer at once.
Every would-be epic wants to be
the next “Game of Thrones,” but
they mistakenly jump straight to
that show’s bombastic action set-
pieces – and they forget that “Game
of Thrones” began by making the
audience care about one family, the
Starks.
“Vikings: Valhalla” follows the ef-
fective “start small” rule, and as-
tutely realizes that the best way to
tell this story is to anchor it in a tale
of personal vengeance and family
love between Leif and his sister.
(It’s also refreshing that in the rape
revenge subplot, the rape is not
shown onscreen — but the
revenge is).
It isn’t necessary for a
viewer to have seen “Vi-
kings” to understand
what’s going on in “Val-
halla,” though knowing the
backstory enriches it; in
addition to the location of
Kattegat, Ragnar (original
series star Travis Fimmel)
and Bjorn (Alexander Lud-
wig) are both name-
dropped.
This show’s characters
are also more straightfor-
ward than “Vikings,” and
less charmingly eccentric.
None of them have the un-
predictable energy with
hAt’s off to him
SmooVe
moVe
“One Course with
J.B. Smoove”
premieres Friday
on MSG Network
following the
Knicks game. The
new series airs two
episodes a week
after Knicks and
Rangers games,
with Smoove
(“Curb Your
Enthusiasm”)
sitting down with
his celeb friends
over a meal. Guests
include Eli Manning
(this Sunday), Tracy
Morgan, Tina Fey,
Kenan Thompson
and his “Curb” co-
star Susie Essman.
MSG Network.
which Ragnar crackled, or the odd-
ball Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard). But as
a tradeoff, the story of “Valhalla” is
more coherent (the “Vikings” nar-
rative often got lost). This is likely
due to a regime-change: original
series creator Michael Hirst is still
onboard as an executive producer,
but “Valhalla” gets an infusion of
new creative blood from Jeb
Stuart (“The Fugitive”).
The show’s main morAls CodE
drawback, funny
enough, is the two Michael Chiklis will star in
male leads’ appear- the first episode of the Fox
ances. While Suter anthology series “Accused” as a
and Corlett are respected surgeon whose uncon-
both fine actors, ditional love for his teenage son is
Harald and Leif severely tested. It’s
look almost indis- from the creators of
tinguishable at
first, especially “Homeland,” “24”
Getty Images
when spattered and “The Good
with dirt and blood. Doctor.”
It’s difficult to keep
track of who is who,
and that extra layer of
confusion isn’t necessary.
At least on “Vikings,” Ragnar
and Rollo (Clive Standen) had dif-
ferent hair colors and physiques.
If you’re hungry for a swords-
and-shields period piece with bat-
tles, high stakes and revenge — an-
chored in some relatable humanity
— you could do a lot worse than
“Vikings: Valhalla.”
Best Bets Thursday February 24, 2022 SP = Spectrum, C = Cablevision, F = FiOS Movies Sports New 59
Evening SP C F 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:30pm
2 WCBS 2 2 2 CBS News Inside Edition Entertainment Young (8:31) The (9:01) Ghosts B Positive Bull: Estranged brother; CBS 2 News at (11:35) Late

New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

Norah Tonight Sheldon United Ponzi scheme. 11PM Show
What’s on Tonight 4 WNBC 4 4 4 NBC Nightly
News
News 4 New Access
York at 7 Hollywood
Law & Order: Entertainer
murder.
Law & Order: Special Victims Law & Order: Organized
Unit: Birth parents. Crime: Bomb threats.
News 4 New (11:35) Tonight
York at 11 Show
5 WNYW 5 5 5 TMZ Extra You Bet Your Joe Millionaire: For Richer Call Me Kat (9:31) Pivoting The 10 O’Clock News The Big Bang The Big Bang
Life with or Poorer Theory Theory
7 WABC 7 7 7 ABC World Jeopardy! (R) Wheel of Station 19: A new chief Grey’s Anatomy: Car crash. (10:01) Big Sky: Dietrich News (11:35) Kimmel
News Fortune works at Station 19. wants revenge. Live
9 WWOR 9 9 9 The Big Bang Family Feud Family Feud Dateline: A determined Chicago P.D.: Suspicions Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud
Theory father seeks justice. behind a bombing. (R) (R)
11 WPIX 11 11 11 Big Apple black-ish Young Walker: Walker becomes Legacies: An unusual PIX11 News at Ten with Seinfeld Seinfeld
Ball Sheldon interim captain. (R) mission. Fadal and Chambers
13 WNET 13 13 13 BBC World The PBS NewsHour NYC Arts Great Performances (R) Breaking Big Amanpour and Company
News (R)
21 WLIW 21 21 21 (6:00) News Metro Start Up (R) Nature (R) NOVA (R) Metro BBC World
25 WNYE 25 22 25 Report Great Conversations Food. Potluck Actors Feet Global Health Frontiers Artbound: Art culture.
31 WPXN 31 3 531 Chicago PD Chicago P.D. Chicago P.D. Chicago P.D.: A manhunt. Chicago P.D. Chicago P.D.
41 WXTV 41 6 41 Noticiero Noche de Estrellas Premio Lo Nuestro 2022 Noticias 41 Noticiero
drama 47 WNJU 47 16 12 Noticias Exatlón Estados Unidos Hercai, Amor y venganza Pasión de Gavilanes Noticiero Noticias
Grey’s Anatomy: 9 p.m. on
55 WLNY 55 10 10 Queens Man Man Monk WLNY News History Judge Judy Judge Judy Girls Girls
WABC 7. Bailey (Chandra
A&E 46 46 181 First 48 (R) The First 48 (R) The First 48 (R) The First 48 (R) (10:01) The First 48 (R) (11:04) The First 48 (R)
Wilson) rethinks the
AMC 54 43 231 (5:00) The Perfect Storm (2000) aac Draft Day (2014): General manager must make decision. PG-13 aac Casino (1995): Crime in Vegas. R aaac
Webber Method when Levi
BET 37 54 270 (6:35) B.A.P.S. (1997): A woman poses as rich man’s heir. PG-13 ac Spotlight: Halle Berry Kidnap (2017): Kidnapped son. Halle Berry. R aac

nypost.com
(Jake Borelli) copes with
his latest loss. BBCAM 71 101 189 (5:00) 2012 (2009): Global disaster. John Cusack. aac Edge of Tomorrow (2014): Officer thrown into strange time loop. 2012 (2009) John Cusack.
BRAVO 18 44 185 Below (R) Below Deck America’s Got Talent: Extreme: Outlandish skills. Watch What Bad Boys (1995): Seized drugs vanish.
CNBC 15 24 102 Money The News Shark Tank Shark Tank Shark Tank Shark Tank
CNN 78 25 100 Situation Erin Burnett OutFront Anderson Cooper 360° CNN Tonight Don Lemon Tonight Don Lemon Tonight
COM 45 50 190 The Office The Office The Office The Office: Action movie. The Office The Office The Office The Office The Office The Office
DIS 49 31 250 Miraculous Big City (R) Big City (R) Big City (R) Big City (R) Jessie Jessie Big City (R) Big City (R) Miraculous Miraculous
DSC 66 27 120 BattleBots BattleBots: Fresh bots. BattleBots: Unforeseen upsets turn the competition upside-down. (11:02) BattleBots (R)
E! 24 51 196 Blonde aac Miss Congeniality (2000): Undercover beauty. aac The Other Guys (2010): Two mismatched New York City detectives. Will Ferrell.
ESPN 28 36 70 Sports NHL Hockey: Washington Capitals at New York Rangers. Live. College Basketball: UCLA Bruins at Oregon Ducks. SC
ESPN2 29 35 74 HS Bball College Basketball: Temple Owls at Memphis Tigers. College Basketball Live. College Basketball Live.
FBN 43 106 117 Evening Ed Kennedy How America Works (R) American Gold (R) American American American American
FNC 44 26 118 Spc. Rpt. Jesse Watters Primetime Tucker Carlson Tonight Hannity The Ingraham Angle Gutfeld!
FOOD 50 97 164 Beat Bobby Beat Bobby Beat Bobby Restaurant: Impossible Beat Bobby Beat Bobby Beat Bobby Beat Bobby Beat Bobby Beat Bobby
FREFRM 38 49 199 The Office The Office The Office The Office The Office The Office The Office grown-ish Single The 700 Club (R)
FS1 400 99 83 NASCAR College Basketball Live. College Basketball Live. College Basketball Live.
FX 10 40 53 (5:30) Bad Boys for Life (2020) R aaa Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014): Man and daughter make discovery. Mark Wahlberg. Phoenix aa
comedy HALL 191 240 (6:00) Love in the Forecast (2020) NR The Wedding Veil Legacy (2022, Romance) Golden Golden Golden Golden
Call Me Kat: 9 p.m. on HGTV 64 98 165 Flip or Flop Flip or Flop Flip or Flop Flip or Flop Flip or Flop Married to Real Estate Hunters Hunters (R) Hunters (R) Hunters (R)
WNYW 5. Kat (Mayim HIST 40 47 128 Swamp Ppl Swamp People (R) Swamp People (R) Swamp People: Falling water level. (10:33) Swamp People: Storm damage.
Bialik) and Carter queue ID 23 171 123 Nightmare Your Worst Nightmare (R) Sexploitation Undercover Underage (R) (10:01) Undercover age 48 Hours on ID (R)
up to get exclusive LIFE 62 45 140 My Killer My Killer Body with K. (R) My Killer Body with K. My Killer Body with K. (10:03) My Killer Body (R) (11:03) My Killer Body (R)
sneakers for Carter’s MeTV 33 33 3 Happy Days M*A*S*H M*A*S*H Andy Andy Pyle Acres Hogan Hogan Burnett P. Mason
(Julian Gant) son. MSG 27 87 78 MSG Shorts Beginnings MSG Shorts NBA G League: Westchester Knicks at Wisconsin Herd. Live. MSG Shorts WPT Alpha8 Replay.
MSG Plus 48 88 80 Devils Pre NHL Hockey: New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins. Live. Post Game Pregame NHL Hockey Live.
MSNBC 14 23 103 Ari Melber The ReidOut All in with Chris Hayes Rachel Maddow Lawrence O’Donnell The 11th Hour
MTV 20 53 210 Jersey (R) Jersey Shore: Family (R) Jersey Shore: Family Teen Mom (R) Jersey Shore: Family (R) Ridiculous Ridiculous
NATGEO 65 162 121 Life Below Life Below Zero (R) Life Below Zero (R) Life Below 0: Next Gen. Port Protection Alaska: Winter protein. Life Below
NICK 6 121 252 Despicable Danger Warped! The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) Friends Friends Friends Friends
OWN 173 180 145 (6:00) 20/20 20/20 on OWN (R) 48 Hours: Hard Evidence 20/20 on OWN (R) 20/20 on OWN (R) 20/20 on OWN (R)
PARMT 36 56 54 Men Tommy Boy (1995): Underachiever takes over dad’s business. aaa Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) Will Ferrell. aaa
SNY 26 60 77 Mets Reprt College Basketball: Elon Phoenix at Hofstra Pride. Prospects Prospects Prospects Mets Reprt Sports Sports
SYFY 17 48 180 Blade: Trinity (2004): Two allies join the Daywalker’s crusade. R aac Enemy of the State (1998): A lawyer is framed for murder. Gene Hackman. R aaa
TBS 8 39 52 Bang Bang (7:50) Bang (8:15) Bang (8:40) Bang Go-Big Show Full Frontal Go-Big Show (R) Full Frontal
TCM 82 41 230 (6:00) Wise Blood (1980) Brad Dourif. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): A quest in space. Keir Dullea. aaac (10:45) Lawrence of Arabia (1962) aaaa
TLC 52 28 139 Stuck (R) Stuck (R) Dr. Pimple Popper (R) Dr. Pimple Popper 1000-lb Best Friends Hoarding: Filthy landlord.
TNT 3 37 51 Hancock Game Plan NBA Basketball: Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets. Live. NBA Basketball Live.
TVLAND 85 34 241 Andy Andy Andy Loves Ray. Loves Ray. Loves Ray. Loves Ray. Loves Ray. Loves Ray. Queens Queens
USA 16 38 50 (6:00) SVU Family Family Family Family Family Family Family Family Family Family
drama VH1 19 52 217 Citizen aaa The Equalizer (2014): Ex-commando tries to save young girl. R aaa Law Abiding Citizen (2009): A man seeks revenge. R
Big Sky: 10:01 p.m. on WE 59 42 149 (6:50) Criminal Minds (7:50) Growing Up Hip (R) Love After Growing Up Hip Hop In Rhyme (10:47) Millennials Society
WABC 7. Jenny (Katheryn YES 53 89 76 Yankees CenterStage Wom. College Basketball Live. Wom. College Basketball Taped.
Winnick) and Cassie EPIX 595 395 (6:20) The Courier (2019) R aa Fight Club (1999): Secret fights. Brad Pitt. R aaaa The French Connection (1971): A large heroin deal. R
desperately search for HBO 511 301 400 (5:35) Independence Day (1996) aaa Euphoria (R) Euphoria: Lexi’s play. (R) (10:05) Dreamgirls (2006): Girls attain fame. aaa
answers in the wake of MAX 531 371 420 Riddick (2013): Battling predators. R aaa 2 Guns (2013): Mob set up. R aaa (9:50) Point Break (2015): Extreme crimes. PG-13 aa Biker Boyz
Joseph’s death. 551 321 365 (5:30) The Dry (2021) aaa Shutter Island (2010): An asylum has closely guarded secrets. aaac Billions: Turf struggles. TBA Get Rich aa
SHO

WINTER SALE

1
Warm up with a hot deal. AN
TO SUBSCRI
BE

$
SC

NYPost.com/JoinUs or AWEEK
call 1-800-552-7678 code: JoinUs FOR
Offer valid for households that have not had home delivery in the past 60 days. At the end of the introductory period, your
12WEEKS
subscription will automatically renew at the then prevailing rate for your service area unless we terminate your subscription or NEW SUBSCRIBER OFFER
until you cancel your subscription. Sales tax may apply. You must be 18 years or older and have a valid address in the promotional
area, on an active delivery route. Offer expires 3/31/22.
 KYR
K
KY
KYRIE’S
YRIE’’’S
SHHOPES
OPES G
GET
ET S
SHOT
HOT IIN
NAARM
RM
60
nypost.com

MAYOR MAY LIFT VAX MANDATE IN ‘COUPLE WEEKS,’ WHICH WOULD FREE UP IRVING / P. 54
TTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2022 www.nypost.com

e Bestt Sports In Tow

The wn
New York Post, Thursday, February 24, 2022

KKEMBA
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

GOES
HOME
HOME THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

n Tow
The Best Sports In wn
www.nypost.com

N.Y. Post photo illustration; Getty Images,

Knicks get the point
& bring Bronx icon

Fairy tale now nightmare

back to big stage

AP (insets)
KEMBA
COMES
as PG done with Knicks HOME
Kemba Walker, who got his start at famed
title at the Garden, will now call MSG
Rice High School in Harlem and became
home as the four-time All-Star agreed
a true star when he led UConn to the
to a stunning deal to join his hometown
2011 Big East Tournament
Knicks. PAGES 65-62

Bronx native Kemba Walker made a celebratory homecoming in August, joining the Knicks as a free agent. But the honeymoon is over — and in all
likelihood so is his time on Broadway — as the veteran point guard with balky knees and the Knicks agreed he will shut it down for the season. P. 56-57

AIKMAN NEAR BIG $$ MNF DEAL

A MARCHAND
PAGE 51 À[)91925|lj;daK]È {?\>\v\c\/