April 11, 2002

METS' FEUD RUNS INTO NINTH INNING

CAN Wall Street keep the already-strained relationship between Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday from exploding in the bottom of the ninth? The two 50/50 partners have had a...

VERIZON CALLED ON PENSION $ - ISS BACKS PROPOSAL TO CHANGE EXEC COMP

Influential Institutional Shareholder Services is disconnecting from Verizon in a brewing proxy battle. ISS, which influences big blocks of votes controlled by institutional shareholders, is urging them to vote for...

LEONA SUES EMPIRE STATE PTNR.

Leona Helmsley is trying to oust a longtime partner and friend from operations at the Empire State Building and two other midtown office buildings. She and Irving Schneider, another partner...

STOCKS RALLY ON EARNINGS ANTICIPATION

Stocks had their biggest one-day gain in a month yesterday on renewed enthusiasm about profits and the economic recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average zoomed 173.06 to 10,381.73, while the...

LACROIX WILL DESIGN FOR LVMH'S PUCCI

Bernard Arnault's LVMH has tapped an insider to design for Pucci. Christian Lacroix, designer of the Lacroix couture, signature and diffusion collections, has been tapped to do double duty by...

SHARPENING THE AX - 500 JPM JOBS ON LINE IN PLAN TO REFOCUS BANKING BIZ

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is planning a major shakeup of its investment banking division as part of investment-banking co-Chief Geoffrey Boisi's ambitious plan to streamline operations and reduce costs...

NOW KPMG'S IN HOT WATER OVER XEROX

Another big accounting firm, KPMG, has been dragged into the widening probe of the cooked-books epidemic in corporate America. The accounting firm said yesterday the Securities and Exchange Commission may...

ENLIGHTENED TRUMAN RETURNS TO CONDE NASTY

James Truman has gone to the mountaintop. And Conde Nast insiders are wondering how their missing editorial director will look and act after spending the past month at an undisclosed...

GRUB(MAN) FOR HUNGRY SPITZER

High-flying Salomon Smith Barney tech analyst and former amateur boxer Jack Grubman may be in for the fight of his life. Grubman, made famous by his stock picks during the...

JUDY PREVIEWING E. SIDE LOVE NESTS FOR HER RUDY

RUDY Giuliani's galpal Judith Nathan is also his personal shopper. She has been previewing some fancy apartments for the former mayor. Her most recent inspection was of a 12th-floor co-op...

LAUGH? I ALMOST... HAD A STROKE OVER 'SEXAHOLIX'

"John Leguizamo's Sexaholix: A Love Story" [ ] Saturday at 10 p.m. on HBO ------ JOHN Leguizamo is a tough act to follow - not in the usual sense, but...

BATTLE OF THE FILM FESTIVALS

A small, struggling film fest is complaining that it had to change its schedule after its running dates were usurped by the Robert De Niro-sponsored Tribeca Film Festival. Marco Ursino,...

GETTIN' DIDDY WITH IT

UrbanAid2 ----- A small, strong-willed woman named Maria Davis stole Tuesday's hip-hop extravaganza from Alicia Keys, Jay-Z and Sean Combs. The concert - UrbanAid2 - was a benefit to raise...

STARR REPORT

'Early' bird Morissette in tune at 59th Alanis Morissette will perform two songs from her new album, "Under Rug Swept" and her single, "Ironic," today outside the "Early Show" studios...

SURVIVOR WINNER: CENTRAL PARK

GET ready for "Survivor: Central Park." The reunion epsiode of "Survivor: Marquesas" - part of the finale during which the latest $1-million winner will be crowned - is likely to...

WHEN GOOD SHOWS GO BAD

JUMP the Shark," a popular Website where people talk about when and how their favorite TV series began to go downhill, is being turned into a syndicated TV show. Jumping...

SOMETIMES LONGER JUST ISN'T BETTER

HOLLYWOOD is developing a serious footage fetish, with money-hungry studios releasing longer - sometimes much, much longer - versions of classic films that test audiences' patience and bottoms. A "20th...

ASHANTI BEATS TWEET

IN the battle between two buzzed-about R&B newcomers, the first round goes to the local kid. Ashanti, a 21-year-old singer from Glen Cove, L.I., is on top of the charts...

'STAR WARS' TO HELP KIDS

THE much-anticipated new "Star Wars" movie will make its New York debut at the Tribeca Film Festival. "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" will unspool May 12...

WHERE'S THE PREZ? - 'WEST WING' PUTS CLINTON, FORD AND CARTER IN SPECIAL BUT SKIPS BUSH

AN unusual "West Wing" episode scheduled to air later this month includes interviews with three former Presidents and officials from every recent administration - except the Bush White House. But...

CAMERA SHY

WHAT are the odds? A bull shark took a chunk out of the leg of a veteran shark expert Tuesday while he was filming a segment for the Discovery Channel's...

THE BEAT GOES ON: RATING THE CITY'S VINTAGE NIGHTSPOTS

SLEEK lounges like Chateau and Coda may be the latest hot spots on the nightlife scene, but Manhattan scenesters remember the days when clubs like Studio 54 and Club USA...

REAL CLONES 'CRY' FOR BAN

PRESIDENT Bush is right: We need an anti-cloning law before it's too late - and time is running out. Yesterday, Bush urged the Senate to pass legislation banning all forms...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A San Francisco judge handed a repeat drug offender one of his spare judicial robes and then ordered him to put it on and "sentence yourself." "This is your life...

ACCIDENTAL KILLER GETS 9 YEARS

Joval Fisher had never been arrested before he fired his 9 mm gun in the air to celebrate the Fourth of July in 2001 - and now he's paying with...

THE REV'S AGENDA - WHAT ABOUT SCHOOLS, AL?

On Monday, the Rev. Al Sharpton concluded the first annual National Action Network Convention - culminating a rather eventful year in the public spotlight as he eyes a run for...

DUBYA: LET'S MAKE U.S. A NO-CLONE ZONE

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday implored Congress to quickly outlaw human cloning - including cloning just for research. "Science has set before us decisions of immense consequences. We can pursue...

U.S. MAY HUNT FOR 'DEAD' PILOT IN IRAQ

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon may send a team of investigators to Iraq to try to determine whether a Navy pilot shot down on the opening night of the Persian Gulf...

NYERS HOPING NOBODY HITS IT 'BIG' MAY 14

The Big Game lottery's jackpot rose to $200 million yesterday, and if there is no winner by May 15, New Yorkers won't have to go to New Jersey to get...

GYMNASTIC GREAT TWISTS OUT OF SHOPLIFTING TRIAL

Four-time Olympic gold-medalist Olga Korbut, who dazzled the world on the uneven bars at the 1972 Games in Munich, has taken steps to avoid bars of a different sort in...

MIKE HAS TRASH HEAP OF ISSUES TO TACKLE IN HIS SECOND 100 DAYS

His first 100 days behind him, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday he next plans to move from tone-setting to tackling problems, including the city's mounting garbage crisis. The Sanitation Department -...

TERROR-NEST TWIST - LYNNE'S ATT'Y SUSPECT IN BOMBER'S ESCAPE

The lawyer defending Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman's accused terror-helper remains the prime suspect in the sensational 1979 prison breakout here of the nation's most feared terror mastermind, The Post has learned....

U.S. 'ALLY' PAYS BOMBERS - SAUDIS JUST LIKE SADDAM

WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia has joined Saddam Hussein in giving "blood money" to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers - a policy that could complicate relations between America and one...

COPS HUNT JEALOUS HUBBY OF SLAIN JAIL GUARD'S PAL

Cops believe an off-duty correction officer was shot dead at a Brooklyn housing project by the estranged husband of one of the officer's co-workers. Officer Andrew Morgan, 35, whose mother...

CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE - CHURCHGOER SLAIN AS THUGS SHOOT IT OUT IN B'KLYN: COPS

A 66-year-old devout Jehovah's Witness was caught in the crossfire and killed by gun-toting drug dealers as she got off the bus on her way home from services, police said...

REBUILDING PANEL OUGHT TO GET REAL ESTATE

Congratulations to the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. for adding a Hispanic person, an African-American person and an Asian-American person to its ever-swelling roster. But if the LMDC wanted diversity that...

AVNER'S WIDOW 'CRIES ALL THE TIME'

The wife of slain Brooklyn yeshiva student Avner Abensour is "still really struggling" to come to grips with the murder and says she cannot have any closure until his mystery...

B'KLYN DIOCESE IN DEAL WITH DAS

Another huge domino in the Catholic Church fell yesterday as Brooklyn Bishop Thomas Daily agreed to give prosecutors the names of some 35 priests accused of molesting kids since 1982....

LAWYERS FOR EX-COP CHARLES SCHWARZ SAY THE PROSECUTORS WHO WANT THEM GAGGED SHOULD TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR

Lawyers for ex-cop Charles Schwarz say the prosecutors who want them gagged should take a look in the mirror. Opposing U.S. Attorney Alan Vinegrad's renewed bid to get a gag...

NEW YORK'S NOT READY - WAR ON TERROR'S LIKELY TO HIT US IN THE BUDGET - AT LEAST

SPRING has returned to New York - gloriously - and the tourists, too. It's hard to believe there's a war on. But there is, of course. Daily dispatches from the...

MICKEY MOUSE SCHWARZ CASE DRAWS RATS

WHEN I had the privilege and honor to be the guest speaker at the cops Holy Name Society, the blood was running hot over the torture of Chuck Schwarz. I...

CONCERNED HILL ASKS FBI TO PRY OVER SPILT MILK

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Clinton is asking the FBI to investigate a rash of "bioterrorism" attacks on upstate dairy farms, where cows and milk tanks have been deliberately contaminated. No...

BUSH HAGGLES IN THE MIDEAST BAZAAR

CRITICS say President Bush's Mideast policy looks "incoherent." But what's really going on could be that Bush has figured out how to play by the complex bargaining rules of the...

IT'S TIME FOR CARDINAL EGAN TO LET PROSECUTORS DO THEIR JOB

WESTCHESTER District Attorney Jeanine Pirro described them as an "obstacle." To survivors of priestly abuse, it's members are known as the "Catholic Mafia" - a group of powerful and influential...

SLAY DOC'S PALS IN PLEA TO TV

POUGHKEEPSIE - Hundreds gathered at the Vassar Brothers Hospital here yesterday to pay tribute to Dr. Jeffrey Perchick - and to sign a petition to demand that a sketch of...

LOWER MANHATTAN'S REBUILDING CZAR YESTERDAY BACKED OFF HIS APPEAL

Lower Manhattan's rebuilding czar yesterday backed off his appeal to raise money from private donors to keep the Tribute in Light going. John Whitehead asked business executives during a speech...

A PRIEST ACCUSED OF ABUSING YOUNG BOYS DECADES AGO LURED CHILDREN INTO A "VOCATION CLUB"

A priest accused of abusing young boys decades ago lured children into a "vocation club" for Queens grammar-school students who dreamed of becoming priests, a lawyer representing one of the...

CRAZY, BUT NOT SLOW - NEW LAWYER SAYS 'CHIN' WON'T LET 'INSANITY' DELAY HIS TRIAL

Vincent "Chin" Gigante's craziness won't hold up the wheels of justice this time around - or so says his new high-powered lawyer. Benjamin Brafman said he might ask federal Judge...

SECOND HORROR IN WEEKS FOR TOMS RIVER

The bloody rampage by renegade lawman Ed Lutes is the kind of unimaginable outburst most people think "can't happen here." But not only did a mass murder happen in suburban...

TWO BUSTED IN MEDICAID 'SCAM'

Two former officials of a city mental health clinic for kids were busted by the state Attorney General's Office yesterday for stealing more than $1 million in Medicaid money, authorities...

BILLBOARD SUIT A BAD SIGN FOR 'SPIDER-MAN'

The secret identity in the new Spider-Man movie isn't Peter Parker - it's a billboard, according to a new lawsuit. The owners of several famous Times Square advertising spots have...

UNION DISUNITY FOR DOORMEN

The head of the doormens union fired a staff member - and longtime reformer - who said he planned to run for the local's top job in an upcoming election....

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WOULD HAVE AN EASIER TIME

The Board of Education would have an easier time getting rid of incompetent teachers and those accused of misconduct if a tentative agreement between City Hall and the Teachers Union...

IT'S THE WILD WEST SIDE AFTER POLICE HORSE BUCKS OFFICER

A police horse threw his rider, fell on the cop and then took off on a 20-block sprint yesterday, chased by patrol cars, mounted police and K-9 cops. Officer John...

2,685 FACE JOB LOSS AS LEVY HONES BUDGET AX

Schools Chancellor Harold Levy yesterday proposed sweeping budget cuts - including chopping 2,685 jobs from the school system - in a bid to offset a crippling loss in city and...

MIKE FLIP-FLOPS ON ED. BOARD - SAYS IT CAN STAY - BUT ONLY IF HE PICKS CHANCELLOR

ALBANY - Mayor Bloomberg has dropped his demand to abolish the Board of Education - as long as he can appoint the schools chancellor, sources told The Post yesterday. Sources...

COP-SLAY SUSPECT BUS-TED BY GREYHOUND

New security cameras installed after Sept. 11 were instrumental in helping Miami cops nab a fugitive wanted for the Easter Sunday stabbing of an off-duty NYPD officer. Luis Alberto Gomez...

SIS HELPS DAVE BEAT JAY ON HOT BOOKING

David Letterman's kid sister, a newspaper editor in Florida, may have played a decisive role in his latest battle with late-night rival Jay Leno. It seems that both Letterman's "Late...

TIGER PAWS-ES TO INTRODUCE HIS SWEDE-IE

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Tiger Woods' new gal pal is no longer just a face in the gallery. Woods and 22-year-old Swedish model/nanny Elin Nordegren went public with their relationship last...

NO JOY IN MUDVILLE - LAFAYETTE'S STORIED TEAM MAY DISBAND

It's been a long time since Lafayette HS was the beacon of New York City baseball. But the school that produced a long list of major league players - including...

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR GAY BARBIE GIRL

A 13-year-old junior high school student reportedly was kicked out of a Queens school yesterday for wearing a T-shirt declaring "Barbie is a lesbian." Fox-5 News said Natalie Hodges, who...

ISRAELIS 'ERADICATING' LAST FEW TERROR POCKETS

JENIN, West Bank - Israeli troops are withdrawing from three West Bank villages, and have only small pockets of terrorist resistance to wipe out, officials said yesterday. But Prime Minister...

CLERGY AND SEXUAL ABUSE

A sex-crime victims' advocate slammed Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon yesterday for coming out against a new state law that would force clergy to report accusations of sexual abuse...

IMPOSTOR COP ROBBED TEENS ON LONG ISLAND: POLICE

A Long Island man, armed with a gun and a phony badge, robbed three groups of youths by impersonating a cop, officials said yesterday. Jesse Astuto, 26, of Farmingdale was...

COP 'KILLER' CAUGHT ON CAMERA

New security cameras installed after Sept. 11 were instrumental in helping Miami cops nab a fugitive wanted for the Easter Sunday stabbing of an off-duty NYPD officer. Luis Alberto Gomez...

LEVY PROPOSES FIRING 2,700: BUDGET AX FALLS IN SEPT. WITHOUT FUNDS BOOST

Schools Chancellor Harold Levy yesterday proposed sweeping budget cuts - including chopping 2,685 jobs from the school system - in a bid to offset a crippling loss in city and...

MIKE: BOARD CAN STAY IF CHANCELLOR'S MY SAY

ALBANY - Mayor Bloomberg has dropped his demand to abolish the Board of Education - as long as he can appoint the schools chancellor, sources told The Post yesterday. Sources...

LOOSE CANNON: SUICIDE COP MASSACRES 5 NEIGHBORS

The Jersey Shore cop behind the horrific massacre in Toms River, N.J., was a rage-filled "loose cannon" who surprised few by going berserk and murdering five people, neighbors said. "He...

ISRAELIS MOP UP WEST BANK TERROR POCKETS

JENIN, West Bank - Israeli troops are withdrawing from three more West Bank towns, and have only small pockets of terrorist resistance to wipe out, officials said yesterday. But Prime...

COOKE MAY BE FEELING NBA DRAFT

It's official: Lenny Cooke knows what he's doing next year. He's just not telling anyone - except for his brother, Damany. "I made up my mind," said the 6-foot-6 Cooke,...

CONE EYES BLEACHER ENCORE

YANKEE NOTES TORONTO - David Cone liked sitting in the Yankee Stadium bleachers so much last Friday that he plans to spend tomorrow night and Saturday in Fenway Park's right-field...

JASON'S HRS WASTED - YANKEES MAR PAIR OF BLASTS WITH LOSS

TORONTO - They didn't pitch or catch very well, and when it came to hitting in the clutch late, the big names came up small. On the night Jason Giambi...

AILING ALEXEI ACCEPTS PRE-PLAYOFF LAYOFF

NASHVILLE - When the Islanders ended their seven-year playoff drought last week, it triggered the end of Alexei Yashin's ironman streak. Yashin, who left with a strained groin in the...

NETS A TRUE ROD-TO-RICHES STORY

HERE'S the most simple and yet most amazing thing about pro sports: If you let people who know what they're doing, do their job, your franchise will succeed. Rod Thorn...

ALL EYES ON 'NEW' AUGUSTA - PLAYERS GEARED FOR THE GRIND

AUGUSTA - The electrically charged feelings that engulf the mind and body of the players in contention on Sunday afternoon at the Masters is something every one of them craves,...

SHIELDS NAMED TYSON'S TRAINER

Ronnie Shields, the former junior welterweight contender who was cited by The Post Tuesday as the best available candidate to train Mike Tyson for his upcoming fight with Lennox Lewis,...

BUT OLD TRADITIONS RULED OUT OF BOUNDS

AUGUSTA - The Masters prides itself on being different than any other major championship played in the United States. There are none of the corporate tents that make a golf...

GIANTS FORGE ON - ACCORSI NOT READY TO WRITE OFF 2002

The revolving door has spun in only one direction, with starters leaving and no one arriving. The most prominent players have lashed out at each other, there's bitterness over money...

DUVAL STANDS BY HIS RECORD

NOTEBOOK AUGUSTA - David Duval, the defending British Open champion, took exception to a question that suggested he might be at a disadvantage this week because he hasn't won a...

TARASCO CATCHES ON WITH AMAZIN'S

CHICAGO - As Tony Tarasco watched "Vanilla Sky" in his Toledo hotel room Tuesday, one line from the movie stuck in his mind: "The sweet is not so sweet without...

DON READY TO REVIEW KNICK HORROR FLICKS

It's another must-lose game for the Knicks tonight at the Garden. More losses mean more ping-pong balls and a better chance to win the lottery. So any knowledgeable Knick fan...

PLETCHER KNOCKS ON WOOD WITH NOKOMA

Few Kentucky Derby hopefuls started down this year's Triple Crown trail with more promise - and, so far, failed to fulfill it - than Nokoma, who makes his final bid...

HOWELL: I CAN WIN MASTERS

AUGUSTA - A lot is expected of Charles Howell III this week. First, he hits the ball further than Tiger Woods. Second, he's regarded as one of the best up-and-coming...

FOR RONDELL, REGGIE STILL STIRS THE DRINK

TORONTO - There is a reason George Steinbrenner has former Yankee greats come to spring training. And while the past is important to The Boss, it's not the only reason...

BASH BROTHERS - ROBBIE, MIKE GO DEEP FOR WIN

CHICAGO - Roberto Alomar and Mike Piazza gave the Bleacher Bums some unwanted souvenirs yesterday. With two outs in the top of the eighth, Alomar and Piazza erased a 2-1...

ESTES' GEM KEEP METS STAFF ON ROLL

MET NOTES CHICAGO - Right before pitching coach Charlie Hough came out to make a pitching change yesterday, Shawn Estes pounded the ball into his glove. Estes had just been...

THEO: I OWE RANGERS - WANTS TO STAY . . . FOR LESS; LEAFS ROLL

Leafs 7 - Rangers 2 The foregone conclusion that the Rangers will pass on picking up Theo Fleury's $7 million option for next season was seconded - and endorsed -...

DEVS PROVE THEIR POINTS - BAFFLE PHILADELPHIA TO MOVE PAST ISLES

Devils 1 - Flyers 0 The timing, the manner and the opponent all converged on this Night the Devils Came Together. One scant week before the playoffs, this victory of...

ESTES' GEM KEEPS METS STAFF ON ROLL

Mets 3 Cubs 2 MET NOTES CHICAGO - Shawn Estes pounded the ball into his glove as pitching coach Charlie Hough came out to make a pitching change yesterday. Estes...

NICK STANDS HIS GROUND

YANKEE NOTES TORONTO - Nick Johnson isn't sure why AL pitchers are working him inside, but if they think the rookie DH is going to back off they are wrong....

BASH BROTHERS:ROBBIE, MIKE GO DEEP FOR WIN

CHICAGO - Roberto Alomar said he hadn't been seeing the ball well from the right side, and 17 straight outs pretty much cemented that fact. But with the Mets trailing...

TO WHITE, REG STILL STIRS DRINK

TORONTO - There is a reason George Steinbrenner has former Yankee greats come to spring training. And while the past is important to The Boss, it's not the only reason...

SAY GOODBYE TO THE SELKE: MADDEN, HOLIK ARE LONGSHOTS

The Selke Dilemma probably won't affect the Devils next season. That trophy will likely go elsewhere. The Devils had two candidates last season for the trophy for the best defensive...

THEO: I OWE RANGERS : WANTS TO STAY WITH CLUB - FOR LESS

The foregone conclusion that the Rangers will pass on picking up Theo Fleury's $7 million option for next season was seconded - and endorsed - yesterday by a most unlikely...