August 16, 1999

THERE'S LIES, DAMN LIES, & GOV'T INFLATION STATISTICS

IF you look deep enough into Friday's inflation numbers and ask just the right questions, you will find this out: For the month of July, gasoline prices rose an astonishing...

RACING FORM'S NEW OWNERS BETTING ON LONG SHOT

The Daily Racing Form, the 105-year-old newspaper for the business and sport of horse racing, is going to need the spirit of a fine thoroughbred over the next couple of...

CONSPIRACY THEORY: MORGAN INFORMANT: CURRY, D.A. IN CAHOOTS/CURRY WANTS ME DEAD

The mysterious informant in the Morgan Stanley Dean Witter gay porn and fake e-mails saga has accused Christian Curry of threatening to kill him and the Manhattan district attorney of...

ON THE NEWSSTAND

WITH the British "lads" magazines losing circulation for the first time, their American cousins are charting new territories in titilation. Now that a cover featuring the barely-covered breasts of some...

GOODBYE, GOLDEN BOY: AGING BARYSHNIKOV IS AN ACQUIRED TASTE

HIS body is ramrod straight, elegantly squared at the shoulders, and while there may be just the faintest hint of thickening around the waist, with his brush-cut, dirty-blond hair, he...

TV TICKER

Night stalker Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz sits for an exclusive interview on tonight's "Larry King Live" (9-10 p.m. on CNN). King will interview Berkowitz from the Sullivan Correctional...

A 'DARK' FUTURE: THE REALTHRILLER IS WHETHER PLAY LIVES

THE critics whipped out the knives for "Voices in the Dark" last week, hacking John Pielmeier's mystery thriller to shreds. But the corpse is still twitching. On Friday, producer Ben...

'SEX' EACH NIGHT

"The History of Sex" Tonight through Friday at 10on the History Channel Rating: XXX WHO'DA thunk the musty, fusty, all-old-war-all-the-time History Channel could get so down and dirty that in...

HOWARD'S HEARTACHE: STERN'S BACK-PAIN AGONY FRONT-AND-CENTER ON 'LARRY KING LIVE'

HOWARD Stern's chronic back pain was once so intense that he used to lie on the hard floor of his radio studio in a desperate bid for relief. Today, thanks...

HOLIDAYS IN HELL: 'BROKEDOWN PALACE' IS A GRIM REMINDER THAT SMUGGLING DRUGS IS JUST PLAIN DUMB

ASK anyone who has looked into the matter, including those who made "Brokedown Palace," and it's obvious: You really don't want to serve time in a Third World jail. "Palace,"...

A TOUGH TASKMASTER - RETIRED DOMINATRIX EVA NORVIND WHIPPED ACTRESS RENE RUSSO'S PSYCHE INTO SHAPE FOR 'THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR' - AND SHE CAN HELP YOU, TOO

IT looks like any other Midtown high-rise office building. But several flights above 57th Street, behind a sterile beige door, lurks a working dungeon, replete with whips, chains and slightly...

'SPRINGER' IS HURTING

HEY Jerry, what's the story? "Jerry Springer" is losing its ratings punch - bad news for Studios USA, which decided this week not to sell the controversial talk show after...

PASHMANIA

Forget Hillary versus Rudy. There's a more vicious battle infiltrating the ranks of exclusive cliques and dividing savvy New Yorkers. The controversy: Should the pashmina shawl, this year's perennial flavor-of-the-month...

'RUSTIC' RUDY WINS UPSTATE HEARTS - EXCLUSIVE

CALL him "Farmer Rudy." City residents will be skeptical, but a powerful Republican says Mayor Giuliani is fast becoming the kind of "warm and cozy" figure who appeals to upstate...

WANTED: 1 HOUSE W/2 MSTR BDRMS

WITH the first couple hot in pursuit of the house of their dreams, Bill and Hillary Clinton have each scanned the real-estate ads to draw up a few personal requirements...

SADDAM'S SON TORTURED TEAM: EX-SOCCER STAR

Top Iraqi soccer stars were imprisoned and tortured when they blew games - at the order of Saddam Hussein's son, a former team member charges. The former Olympic competitor says...

'FESS UP, GEORGE - DON'T BLOW IT LIKE BUBBA

BILL CLINTON didn't inhale - and George W. Bush sniffed because he had a cold. "I won't play that Washington game," said the Mini-Bush when asked about rumors he had...

RIOTS JOLT ULSTER ON CAR-BOMB ANNIVERSARY

Thousands of mourners filled the streets of Omagh for a quiet observance of the first anniversary of Northern Ireland's deadliest bombing - but fresh violence erupted elsewhere. Mourners lined the...

DALAI DRAWS A PEACE CORPS - 40,000 FLOCK TO CENTRAL PK. FOR HIS LECTURE

The Dalai Lama's message of peace, compassion and love was greeted yesterday by 40,000 New Yorkers - many who said they went to Central Park curious and left feeling uplifted....

BUSH SETS DATE FOR FIRST N.Y. CAMPAIGN SWING - EXCLUSIVE

DES MOINES, Iowa - Fresh from his straw-poll win, GOP front-runner George W. Bush is planning his first campaign swing to New York - a sign he's happy Gov. Pataki...

THE BUNGLE OF BROOKLYN - OR IS IT L.I.?

HISTORIANS tell us that the Battle of Long Island - the first major encounter of the Revolutionary War - was fought on Aug. 27, 1776. But for some, the battle...

LIDDY: I'D USE FORCE FOR TAIWAN

DES MOINES, Iowa - Republican 2000 hopeful Elizabeth Dole said yesterday she'd use force if China moved against Taiwan. "President Dole would do so," she declared. She added, "I think...

FLAMES OF HATE DAMAGE L.I. TEMPLE: COPS FEAR FURROW MAY HAVE INSPIRED HAPPAUGE ARSONIST

A fire at a Long Island temple yesterday may have been inspired by the anti-Semitic madman who shot five Jewish people in California, officials said. The hate crime happened at...

DOMINICANS SAY: VIVA RUDY!

Mayor Giuliani marched at the front of yesterday's Dominican Day Parade and roused cries of "senador!" from the city's largest immigrant group. Dominican Accion President Postancia Rodriguez, who marched with...

RAIN DIDN'T DAMPEN DROUGHT

Complete weather report / Page 37The weekend rainfall was certainly welcome - but it did little to help New York's drought woes, officials said last night. "We need a lot...

QNS. COPS EYE LINK IN SLAYS

Police are investigating whether the murders this week of two next-door neighbors in Queens - a 33-year-old man shot in the head as he sat in his car and an...

ANOTHER WOODSTOCK, BUT WITHOUT THE RIOTS

BETHEL, N.Y. - LSD and pot were just a hazy memory yesterday when nostalgia and '60s good vibrations marked the 30th anniversary of Woodstock at the original site on Yasgur's...

YANKEE FAITHFUL REMEMBER MICK

Derek Jeter and most of his fellow Bronx Bombers weren't even born when it happened. But three decades ago yesterday, an illustrious part of New York folklore came to an...

'BABY BX. BOMBERS' HAVE BACKS TO THE WALL

The Baby Bronx Bombers had their backs to the wall last night in their quest to make it to the Little League World Series - and their manager said that's...

CHUCK: OPEN FBI FILES TO INS

Sen. Charles Schumer vowed yesterday to fight for INS access to the FBI's database at Newark and JFK airports - and to keep undocumented criminals out of the United States....

COPS: NARCS SHOOT MACHETE MAN

A machete-wielding man was shot yesterday as he menaced an undercover narcotics officer in Harlem, police said. Manhattan North narcotics officers were working in a plainclothes operation meant to identify...

BLAST DESTROYS PALESTINIAN BOMB FACTORY

TEL AVIV - A powerful car bomb exploded in the West Bank city of Hebron yesterday - destroying a bomb factory operated by Palestinian terrorists. The terrifying blast appeared to...

H0MING IN 0N W'CHESTER - CLINTONS' SEARCH IS A FAMILY AFFAIR

The entire first family went hunting for their post-White House dream house in Westchester yesterday - hoping to find a base from which Hillary Rodham Clinton can launch a New...

SHAKEN CLASSMATES RETURN TO COLUMBINE TODAY

Two thousand students will walk through the doors of Columbine HS for the new school year today, months after their lives were forever changed by two gun-toting classmates. The last...

BRONX BOYS ARE WINNERS EVEN WHEN THEY LOSE

The miracle Baby Bronx Bombers got another one last night. The Little Leaguers with major-league heart dropped both games of a morning-night double-header - only to find out they still...

NYDIA RIPS 'CONDITIONS' ON FALN PARDONS

President Clinton's demand that Puerto Rican terrorists renounce violence to win their release from prison is too onerous, Rep. Nydia Velazquez said yesterday. Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)...

VOLPE DROPS A BOMBSHELL - SAYS ACQUITTED WIESE - NOT SCHWARZ - WAS WITH HIM DURING BATHROOM ATTACK

For the first time and in his own words, a repentent Justin Volpe reveals the shocking events two years ago in Brooklyn that led to the most sensational case of...

LOUIMA'S ACCOUNT

LOUIMA'S ACCOUNT Abner Louima gave authorities several versions of what happened to him in the bathroom at the 70th precinct. Here are the different stories. In his original account, four...

SUBWAY'S NOT FOR EVERYONE

TE Mets' battle for first place in the National League East has the Big Apple juiced. In every precinct around town, talk of a possible Subway Series has given sports...

BASEBALL LEGENDS KY. BOUND FOR REESE

A star-studded Who's Who of baseball greats are expected to flood Louisville, Ky. this week for the funeral of Brooklyn Dodgers legend Pee Wee Reese. The beloved Hall of Fame...

BAFFERT TO UNLEASH HIS 'OTHER' STAR FILLY

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, knowing his stakes-winning 2-year-old filly Magicalmysterycat would have to face Bob Baffert's unbeaten superstar Chilukki if she stayed in California, decided discretion was...

SHUG'S STAR SHINES BRIGHT IN BABY RACE

SARATOGA SPRINGS - When it comes to pedigree power, few first-time starters pack the wallop of Traditionally in today's third race, for 2-year-olds going six furlongs. Trained by Shug McGaughey...

BIG BLUE'S 'O' LIGHTS UP GIANT SCREEN

ALBANY - It can be the most deceptive and disruptive of plays, evolving from seemingly harmless to brilliantly game-breaking in a matter of seconds. It is a fixture on highlight...

MILTON HAPPY WITH MINNY HA-HA'S

You'd think any player would love to be a Yankee and have a chance to win a World Series every year. But former Yankee farmhand Eric Milton is happy not...

FONZIE DOESN'T MISS A BEAT

MET NOTES SAN FRANCISCO - Edgardo Alfonzo rejoined the team yesterday after making a brief trip to Venezuela for the funeral of his uncle, Cesar Pina, who was 53. He...

COLLINS GETS A KICK OUT OF VIKINGS

GIANT NOTES ALBANY - It might have been funny if it didn't hurt so much. "It was something out of a Bruce Lee movie, or something," Kerry Collins said yesterday....

PLETCHER SITTIN' ON 'READY'

SARATOGA SPRINGS - More Than Ready, regarded by many as the best two-year-old in training, breezed yesterday morning on the Oklahoma training track, going four furlongs in :51 2/5. Trainer...

'TEMPER' GIVES TRAINER, JOCK A NEEDED LIFT

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Two days after being knocked to the canvas by the news that Horse of the Year candidate Victory Gallop was being retired because of injury, his trainer...

TUNA TROUBLED BY DEPTH PERCEPTION

One of the keys to the success Bill Parcells has carved out in his illustrious career has been his ability to plug backup players into key roles to make the...

FOR TWINS, FINAL OUT A REAL HEART-STOPPER

It's easy to see why Tom Kelly's hair is white. His Twins beat the Yankees 5-3 yesterday at Yankee Stadium, continuing their solid play since the All-Star break (16-13). Still,...

FOX DUO ARE PANDER BEARS

THE Mets, in a hot pennant race, were down, 1-0, to the Giants, Saturday, with two out and none on in the top of the third. Rickey Henderson was batting....

COUPLES EYES RYDER BID

PGA NOTES MEDINAH - Phil Mickelson was 7-over par for the tournament and Jeff Maggert didn't make the cut. But both players won a huge consolation prize by qualifying for...

WEIR WILTS BUT DOESN'T BLAME THE PRESSURE

MEDINAH-Mike Weir thought he had what it took to hold up under the pressure of playing in the final group of a major championship even though he was less than...

ON SECOND THOUGHT, LUCAS STILL IN HUNT

JET NOTES Though Ray Lucas' performance Saturday night was spotty, Bill Parcells said yesterday that Lucas is still very much in the mix for the No. 2 quarterback job. "We...

YANKEE SLUMP NO BIG WORRY

HIDEKI Irabu's forkball has vanished, nowhere to be found for the past three starts. Orlando Hernandez hasn't been quite the same lately. The Yankees have lost two in a row...

STRAW EXPECTED WITHIN 2 WEEKS

YANKEE NOTES Darryl Strawberry is hitting a meager .256 in his minor-league rehab stint at Columbus. But he crushed a towering home run in the 10th inning of Columbus' 14-9...

YANKS RECALL DODGER GREAT

Bob Sheppard spoke and everyone else on the field and in the stands stood motionless and silent, honoring Pee Wee Reese before yesterday's game at the Stadium. Of everyone in...

HIDEKI'S STREAK OVER - TWINKIES HANG 'L' ON IRABU

It had been almost two months since Hideki Irabu had felt this feeling. He had made more than a dozen trips to the mound before walking off with an "L"...

THE TIGER KING - WOODS OUTDUELS GARCIA TO WIN HIS SECOND MAJOR

MEDINAH - When Tiger Woods walked off the 18th green looking more relieved than thrilled, he hugged his mother, then his coach. Then he walked into the outstretched arms of...

A COMPLETE SUCCESS - ROGERS PROVES MET CAN GO DISTANCE IN ROMP

SAN FRANCISCO - For every complete game the Mets get this season, Robin Ventura will apparently hit three grand slams. The Mets pounded the Giants 12-5 yesterday as Ventura hit...

SERGIO HITS TREEMENDOUS SHOT ON 16 / SERGIO SHOT ON 16 IS THREE-MENDOUS

MEDINAH - Most of us would have used a foot wedge to escape the kind of trouble Sergio Garcia found himself in yesterday on the 16th hole at Medinah Country...

WEIR SKIES TO 80, TIES FOR 10TH

MEDINAH - Mike Weir thought he had what it took to hold up under the pressure of playing in the final group of a major championship, even though he was...

THE COMPLETE PACKAGE - ROGERS PROVES MET CAN GO THE DISTANCE

SAN FRANCISCO - For every complete game the Mets' pitching staff throws this season, Robin Ventura will hit three grand slams. That appears to be the ratio the team has...

TIGER PROVES HE'S TOP CAT - WOODS OUTDUELS GARCIA TO CAPTURE SECOND MAJOR; TIGER OUTDUELS SERGIO

MEDINAH - When Tiger Woods walked off the 18th green looking more relieved than thrilled, he hugged his mother, then his coach, Butch Harmon. Then he walked into the outstretched...

VENTURA FULL-SCALE FORCE

SAN FRANCISCO - When Robin Ventura strode to the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth inning yesterday, the scoreboard showed he was sixth in the National league with...

HAND STRAIN KOS CEDENO IN MET ROMP

SAN FRANCISCO - Roger Cedeno was taken out of yesterday's 12-5 Mets' victory over the Giants in the top of the fourth inning with a strained right hand. Cedeno originally...

THERE'S NO QUESTION WHO'S NO. 1

MEDINAH - Sergio Garcia might be the new darling of golf, but Tiger Woods is still the man. Woods' victory in the 81st PGA Championship should not only solidify his...