Time to marvel at Brodeur, while we can

There will be one more emotional sendoff, though even the grand goodbye that awaits Derek Jeter might not carry the emotional weight of Mariano Rivera's remarkable Bronx farewell.

But we have another special athlete who may very well be on his final tour and who deserves the love as much as his legendary brothers in pinstripes.

Nobody has been here longer than Martin Brodeur, who first showed up in New Jersey in the spring of 1992 before returning to stay in the autumn of 1993, almost two years before Jeter and Rivera (and Andy Pettitte) became Yankees.

Nobody has had a more distinguished career than Brodeur, who has played to a level of excellence over the past two decades achieved by few for even a single season, and nobody ever has been more identifiable with his team than this Devils' goaltender.

He is a Devil the way Mantle was a Yankee, the way Reed was a Knick, the way Gifford was a Giant and Seaver a Met, Namath a Jet, Potvin an Islander, Gilbert a Ranger.

If he played in Manhattan, he would have a candy bar named after him. Across the Hudson, he has his name on the Stanley Cup three times and scrawled all over the NHL record book.

You've got to be pretty darn special for a league's governing body to create a rule in order to negate a strength. The NCAA instituted a no-dunk rule (later, of course, dunked itself) in the '60s in order to cut the then-named Lew Alcindor down to size. The trapezoid on NHL rinks is an invention first contemplated in order to neutralize Brodeur's puck-moving skills.

This is a time of sadness for Brodeur, his family and friends as they mourn the passing of his father, Denis Brodeur. It was always a pleasure to interact with the elder Brodeur, the great sports photographer and goaltender on Canada's 1952 Silver Medal winning Olympic Team, and it always was impossible to tell who was more proud of the other, the father or the son.

Martin Brodeur, the French Canadian who became Marty Brodeur along the Turnpike to immortality, has not said this will be his final season. He may not know and he may not divulge his decision even when he makes it.

And so we don't know. We don't know how many more chances we're going to get to watch him, enjoy him and revel in this singular athlete who has played more years for the Devils than anyone else ever has played for any one of our teams.

There will be no appreciation tour across the NHL's landscape to mimic baseball's unprecedented six-month recognition of Rivera. But it will be your loss if you fail to appreciate Brodeur, who plays as a 41-year-old with the same zeal and joy he did at half that age.

We have become accustomed to having legends in our midst. Now we are becoming accustomed to bidding them farewell.

Icons: They come and they go.

We don't know if this will be it for Brodeur, but we do know time is growing short and growing near, and there is no time like the present to pay homage to the kind of a sports landmark you get once in a lifetime.

***

Mark the NHLPA as a co-conspirator in last week's Sabres-Maple Leafs gong show in Toronto for its continued support of the small segment of sluggos in the population at the expense of the more skilled athletes whose roster spots they are claiming.

What code?

And how about the NHL fining Buffalo coach Ron Rolston for "team conduct and player selection" for sending John Scott onto the ice before the slow-footed enforcer jumped Phil Kessel?

Honestly, where was the league on the issue of player selection when John Tortorella had Derek Dorsett, Kris Newbury, Micheal Haley, Steve Eminger and Roman Hamrlik on the ice as a five-man unit with the score tied 1-1 — but not for long — in last year's elimination Game 5 in Boston?

We only kid the ones we love.

***

The Stampede's second annual Kenny Cup will be played at 4:30 on Oct. 5 in Bridgeport prior to the AHL Sound Tigers' opener against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Proceeds from the charity event go to research at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in the memory of Ken Dressler.

***

Cory Schneider, meanwhile, who will be the Devils' co-No. 1 with Brodeur, is the most important offseason acquisition in the NHL, and yes, that includes the Panthers' signing of free agent Scott Gomez.

PA executive director Don Fehr — you all remember him? — informed membership last week "to expect little or no return" on last season's 16.26-percent escrow deduction.

This means the players wound up with approximately 49 cents on the dollar for their work last season, already having lost a large chunk of dough to the 48-game season.

So we received a press release about Proskauer-Rose's role in the sale of the Panthers, and we can all rest easy knowing the new ownership will be the first to know the details of the next lockout.

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Colleges flunking students in debt education

Some universities are giving their students a bad education in finance to foster relationships with banks.

That's according to a consumer advocate group's report to be released Monday at a Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB) hearing devoted to financial products offered on college campuses.

These schools, in seeking rewards from banks for exclusive debit-card marketing rights on their campuses, are failing in their role as financial gatekeepers.

They should be doing a better job of locking out financial predators who would soak students with high debit-card fees almost as soon as they start using their student IDs and access federal financial aid, according to the report released by the US Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG).

"Banks and other financial firms are taking advantage of a variety of opportunities to form partnerships with colleges and universities to provide campus student ID cards and to offer student aid disbursements on debit or prepaid cards," writes Rich Williams, a higher-education advocate, in the US PIRG report.

He notes these debit and credit cards, which are often known as affinity cards, impress students because they carry the college insignia.

Even students who don't want these debit cards, US PIRG officials say, often get them. That's because these cards are often used when students have received more in student aid than they owe in tuition for a quarter, and the difference is provided through a card.

Colleges often receive bonuses from the card companies for allowing them to be the exclusive provider on a campus.

However, students end up "bearing some costs directly — including per-swipe fees, inactivity fees, overdraft fees and more," according to the study.

Indeed, the study documents that college-age young people — 18 to 25 — tend to pay the most debit card overdraft fees.

The report called for more federal involvement in the selling of financial products to college students.

But an official of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), in his letter to the CFPB, urged regulators to study the issue and understand that the banking market is complex.

"Different student bodies have varying needs and preferences. For example, our members report that students at community colleges often arrive without existing banking relationships or may even be ineligible to open an account on their own due to pre-existing circumstances. Additionally, CFPB should not assume that all college students are 'young consumers,'" according to John Walda, president and CEO of NACUBO.

"Student demographics," he added, "show that traditional students, those 18 to 22 years old, are a declining proportion of college students; those over 24 or financially independent from their parents are fast becoming the majority population of college students."

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Lavin says St. John’s can be ‘special’

Steve Lavin has set the same three goals for his St. John's basketball team each year: win the Big East regular season title, the conference's postseason crown and reach the NCAA Tournament.

For the first time, he feels all three are realistically attainable.

"This is a year where we're positioned to do something special," Lavin said Saturday at the third annual "Dribble for the Cure," a benefit for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation at St. John's. "We expect that, too. We probably have even higher expectations than people outside the program because that's why we all came here. That's why I came as a head coach. That's why [junior shooting guard D'Angelo Harrison] came from Houston. That's why we put together this group."

Expectations are sky-high for the Queens program, which is looking for its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2011, Lavin's first season, and first victory since 2000.

This season will be unlike any of Lavin's previous three. His first year there were no expectations, and his team of seniors made a surprising run to the NCAAs, snapping a nine-year drought. The ensuing season, the team was made up of mostly freshmen and lacked the needed depth to compete in the rugged Big East. Last year, the Johnnies still were young, but reached the NIT and finished with a 16-15 record.

St. John's has added key pieces in Philadelphia freshman point guard Rysheed Jordan, a five-star recruit ranked among the top high school seniors in the country a year ago; Harvard transfer Max Hooper, a sharpshooter who hit 10 3-pointers in an exhibition game during the team's trip to Europe over the summer; and versatile big man Orlando Sanchez, who became eligible after the NCAA granted him an age waiver. Furthermore, red-shirt senior God'sgift Achiuwa is active after sitting out last season, and the entire team returns aside from reserve forward Amir Garrett, who transferred to Cal State-Northridge.

"This is why I came to St. John's, for a team like this," said sophomore forward JaKarr Sampson, the Big East Rookie of the Year last winter. "We have all the pieces."

Vastly improved depth — a weakness the past two years, but now a strength — should give Lavin plenty of flexibility, offering him the option to go small or play big, press and trap.

"Our [top] 10 players can probably start on any roster [in the country]," said Harrison, the Johnnies' leading scorer a year ago who is back after being suspended by Lavin for the team's final six games last season because of behavioral issues. "Having that depth and being able to just expend your energy on things you need to do because you know somebody just as good is coming in for you, that's just great to have."

"We can have about eight, nine guys in double figures this year. We have two or three guys at every position."

The addition of Jordan should free up experienced guards like Harrison and Phil Greene IV to play off the ball, their forte, rather than initiating the offense. The freshman already has impressed his teammates and the St. John's coaching staff with his basketball IQ and ability to create opportunities for himself and others.

"He's as impressive as any player I've had at this stage in his career in space," Lavin said. "If you just kind of space the floor, his ability to break ankles, as they say, get to the paint, the cup or kick, is exceptional."

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No need to cook the books on Walter White

Walter White has helped Sony and AMC make out like bandits.

"Breaking Bad," which ends its 5-season run Sunday, has helped fill numerous lockers with cash for both companies.

Sony Pictures TV, which owns the franchise, has sold the TV show in 200 countries, and there are plans to remake the shocking drug-themed drama for Spanish language station Univision.

Our international TV contacts suggest that the show may have banked as much as $300 million just in straight sales of Season 1.

For AMC, the benefit has been just as positive, though more difficult to quantify.

While "Breaking Bad" isn't the only hot show on AMC, ad revenue rose from $214 million, to $311 million, between 2011 when it went public and 2013.

Advertisers have also flocked to the show about a math teacher turned meth maker. "Breaking Bad" attracted just 24 advertisers in Season 1, while 60 companies have jumped on the Season 5 bandwagon.

And let's not forget how many people turned to Netflix to catch up on all the seasons they missed.

One indication of how much more popular the show got between Seasons 4 and 5: Facebook likes jumped from 1.38 million, to 5.6 million.

We're sure Walter and Jesse will be breaking records as well as hearts when Nielsen numbers come out Monday and the series ends its run.

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Holmes’ hair gets down to business

Katie Holmes' gorgeous mane is helping to boost sales for New York-based beauty brand Alterna Haircare.

Holmes signed on as an owner of ,and ambassador for, Alterna, which launched its first global advertising campaign earlier this year and has just launched a campaign in which Holmes promotes über- luxury, "anti-aging" hair products called Caviar.

The 17-year-old company moved to New York from California in November to be closer to the beauty industry, and to "put a face to the brand."

Holmes was a natural choice, both because she transformed her life and because she is a 34-year-old mother who is gorgeous, fashionable and lives in New York, says Alterna CEO Joan Malloy.

Holmes also has her own fashion company, Holmes & Yang, and presents during Fashion Week.

Holmes signed a three-year contract to be the voice and face of the brand, and is working closely with the company on holiday fragrances for 2014.

Since Holmes signed on, the company has doubled its business in Sephora in the last three years.

Sources say the brand is approaching $100 million in retail sales, a number that may increase by $15 million to $20 million in the next year.

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Colleges flunking students in debt education

Some universities are giving their students a bad education in finance to foster relationships with banks.

That's according to a consumer advocate group's report to be released Monday at a Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB) hearing devoted to financial products offered on college campuses.

These schools, in seeking rewards from banks for exclusive debit-card marketing rights on their campuses, are failing in their role as financial gatekeepers.

They should be doing a better job of locking out financial predators who would soak students with high debit-card fees almost as soon as they start using their student IDs and access federal financial aid, according to the report released by the US Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG).

"Banks and other financial firms are taking advantage of a variety of opportunities to form partnerships with colleges and universities to provide campus student ID cards and to offer student aid disbursements on debit or prepaid cards," writes Rich Williams, a higher-education advocate, in the US PIRG report.

He notes these debit and credit cards, which are often known as affinity cards, impress students because they carry the college insignia.

Even students who don't want these debit cards, US PIRG officials say, often get them. That's because these cards are often used when students have received more in student aid than they owe in tuition for a quarter, and the difference is provided through a card.

Colleges often receive bonuses from the card companies for allowing them to be the exclusive provider on a campus.

However, students end up "bearing some costs directly — including per-swipe fees, inactivity fees, overdraft fees and more," according to the study.

Indeed, the study documents that college-age young people — 18 to 25 — tend to pay the most debit card overdraft fees.

The report called for more federal involvement in the selling of financial products to college students.

But an official of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), in his letter to the CFPB, urged regulators to study the issue and understand that the banking market is complex.

"Different student bodies have varying needs and preferences. For example, our members report that students at community colleges often arrive without existing banking relationships or may even be ineligible to open an account on their own due to pre-existing circumstances. Additionally, CFPB should not assume that all college students are 'young consumers,'" according to John Walda, president and CEO of NACUBO.

"Student demographics," he added, "show that traditional students, those 18 to 22 years old, are a declining proportion of college students; those over 24 or financially independent from their parents are fast becoming the majority population of college students."

10.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lavin says St. John’s can be ‘special’

Steve Lavin has set the same three goals for his St. John's basketball team each year: win the Big East regular season title, the conference's postseason crown and reach the NCAA Tournament.

For the first time, he feels all three are realistically attainable.

"This is a year where we're positioned to do something special," Lavin said Saturday at the third annual "Dribble for the Cure," a benefit for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation at St. John's. "We expect that, too. We probably have even higher expectations than people outside the program because that's why we all came here. That's why I came as a head coach. That's why [junior shooting guard D'Angelo Harrison] came from Houston. That's why we put together this group."

Expectations are sky-high for the Queens program, which is looking for its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2011, Lavin's first season, and first victory since 2000.

This season will be unlike any of Lavin's previous three. His first year there were no expectations, and his team of seniors made a surprising run to the NCAAs, snapping a nine-year drought. The ensuing season, the team was made up of mostly freshmen and lacked the needed depth to compete in the rugged Big East. Last year, the Johnnies still were young, but reached the NIT and finished with a 16-15 record.

St. John's has added key pieces in Philadelphia freshman point guard Rysheed Jordan, a five-star recruit ranked among the top high school seniors in the country a year ago; Harvard transfer Max Hooper, a sharpshooter who hit 10 3-pointers in an exhibition game during the team's trip to Europe over the summer; and versatile big man Orlando Sanchez, who became eligible after the NCAA granted him an age waiver. Furthermore, red-shirt senior God'sgift Achiuwa is active after sitting out last season, and the entire team returns aside from reserve forward Amir Garrett, who transferred to Cal State-Northridge.

"This is why I came to St. John's, for a team like this," said sophomore forward JaKarr Sampson, the Big East Rookie of the Year last winter. "We have all the pieces."

Vastly improved depth — a weakness the past two years, but now a strength — should give Lavin plenty of flexibility, offering him the option to go small or play big, press and trap.

"Our [top] 10 players can probably start on any roster [in the country]," said Harrison, the Johnnies' leading scorer a year ago who is back after being suspended by Lavin for the team's final six games last season because of behavioral issues. "Having that depth and being able to just expend your energy on things you need to do because you know somebody just as good is coming in for you, that's just great to have."

"We can have about eight, nine guys in double figures this year. We have two or three guys at every position."

The addition of Jordan should free up experienced guards like Harrison and Phil Greene IV to play off the ball, their forte, rather than initiating the offense. The freshman already has impressed his teammates and the St. John's coaching staff with his basketball IQ and ability to create opportunities for himself and others.

"He's as impressive as any player I've had at this stage in his career in space," Lavin said. "If you just kind of space the floor, his ability to break ankles, as they say, get to the paint, the cup or kick, is exceptional."

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Time to marvel at Brodeur, while we can

There will be one more emotional sendoff, though even the grand goodbye that awaits Derek Jeter might not carry the emotional weight of Mariano Rivera's remarkable Bronx farewell.

But we have another special athlete who may very well be on his final tour and who deserves the love as much as his legendary brothers in pinstripes.

Nobody has been here longer than Martin Brodeur, who first showed up in New Jersey in the spring of 1992 before returning to stay in the autumn of 1993, almost two years before Jeter and Rivera (and Andy Pettitte) became Yankees.

Nobody has had a more distinguished career than Brodeur, who has played to a level of excellence over the past two decades achieved by few for even a single season, and nobody ever has been more identifiable with his team than this Devils' goaltender.

He is a Devil the way Mantle was a Yankee, the way Reed was a Knick, the way Gifford was a Giant and Seaver a Met, Namath a Jet, Potvin an Islander, Gilbert a Ranger.

If he played in Manhattan, he would have a candy bar named after him. Across the Hudson, he has his name on the Stanley Cup three times and scrawled all over the NHL record book.

You've got to be pretty darn special for a league's governing body to create a rule in order to negate a strength. The NCAA instituted a no-dunk rule (later, of course, dunked itself) in the '60s in order to cut the then-named Lew Alcindor down to size. The trapezoid on NHL rinks is an invention first contemplated in order to neutralize Brodeur's puck-moving skills.

This is a time of sadness for Brodeur, his family and friends as they mourn the passing of his father, Denis Brodeur. It was always a pleasure to interact with the elder Brodeur, the great sports photographer and goaltender on Canada's 1952 Silver Medal winning Olympic Team, and it always was impossible to tell who was more proud of the other, the father or the son.

Martin Brodeur, the French Canadian who became Marty Brodeur along the Turnpike to immortality, has not said this will be his final season. He may not know and he may not divulge his decision even when he makes it.

And so we don't know. We don't know how many more chances we're going to get to watch him, enjoy him and revel in this singular athlete who has played more years for the Devils than anyone else ever has played for any one of our teams.

There will be no appreciation tour across the NHL's landscape to mimic baseball's unprecedented six-month recognition of Rivera. But it will be your loss if you fail to appreciate Brodeur, who plays as a 41-year-old with the same zeal and joy he did at half that age.

We have become accustomed to having legends in our midst. Now we are becoming accustomed to bidding them farewell.

Icons: They come and they go.

We don't know if this will be it for Brodeur, but we do know time is growing short and growing near, and there is no time like the present to pay homage to the kind of a sports landmark you get once in a lifetime.

***

Mark the NHLPA as a co-conspirator in last week's Sabres-Maple Leafs gong show in Toronto for its continued support of the small segment of sluggos in the population at the expense of the more skilled athletes whose roster spots they are claiming.

What code?

And how about the NHL fining Buffalo coach Ron Rolston for "team conduct and player selection" for sending John Scott onto the ice before the slow-footed enforcer jumped Phil Kessel?

Honestly, where was the league on the issue of player selection when John Tortorella had Derek Dorsett, Kris Newbury, Micheal Haley, Steve Eminger and Roman Hamrlik on the ice as a five-man unit with the score tied 1-1 — but not for long — in last year's elimination Game 5 in Boston?

We only kid the ones we love.

***

The Stampede's second annual Kenny Cup will be played at 4:30 on Oct. 5 in Bridgeport prior to the AHL Sound Tigers' opener against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Proceeds from the charity event go to research at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in the memory of Ken Dressler.

***

Cory Schneider, meanwhile, who will be the Devils' co-No. 1 with Brodeur, is the most important offseason acquisition in the NHL, and yes, that includes the Panthers' signing of free agent Scott Gomez.

PA executive director Don Fehr — you all remember him? — informed membership last week "to expect little or no return" on last season's 16.26-percent escrow deduction.

This means the players wound up with approximately 49 cents on the dollar for their work last season, already having lost a large chunk of dough to the 48-game season.

So we received a press release about Proskauer-Rose's role in the sale of the Panthers, and we can all rest easy knowing the new ownership will be the first to know the details of the next lockout.

10.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

No need to cook the books on Walter White

Walter White has helped Sony and AMC make out like bandits.

"Breaking Bad," which ends its 5-season run Sunday, has helped fill numerous lockers with cash for both companies.

Sony Pictures TV, which owns the franchise, has sold the TV show in 200 countries, and there are plans to remake the shocking drug-themed drama for Spanish language station Univision.

Our international TV contacts suggest that the show may have banked as much as $300 million just in straight sales of Season 1.

For AMC, the benefit has been just as positive, though more difficult to quantify.

While "Breaking Bad" isn't the only hot show on AMC, ad revenue rose from $214 million, to $311 million, between 2011 when it went public and 2013.

Advertisers have also flocked to the show about a math teacher turned meth maker. "Breaking Bad" attracted just 24 advertisers in Season 1, while 60 companies have jumped on the Season 5 bandwagon.

And let's not forget how many people turned to Netflix to catch up on all the seasons they missed.

One indication of how much more popular the show got between Seasons 4 and 5: Facebook likes jumped from 1.38 million, to 5.6 million.

We're sure Walter and Jesse will be breaking records as well as hearts when Nielsen numbers come out Monday and the series ends its run.

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Holmes’ hair gets down to business

Katie Holmes' gorgeous mane is helping to boost sales for New York-based beauty brand Alterna Haircare.

Holmes signed on as an owner of ,and ambassador for, Alterna, which launched its first global advertising campaign earlier this year and has just launched a campaign in which Holmes promotes über- luxury, "anti-aging" hair products called Caviar.

The 17-year-old company moved to New York from California in November to be closer to the beauty industry, and to "put a face to the brand."

Holmes was a natural choice, both because she transformed her life and because she is a 34-year-old mother who is gorgeous, fashionable and lives in New York, says Alterna CEO Joan Malloy.

Holmes also has her own fashion company, Holmes & Yang, and presents during Fashion Week.

Holmes signed a three-year contract to be the voice and face of the brand, and is working closely with the company on holiday fragrances for 2014.

Since Holmes signed on, the company has doubled its business in Sephora in the last three years.

Sources say the brand is approaching $100 million in retail sales, a number that may increase by $15 million to $20 million in the next year.

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Tight spot: Jets’ Winslow eyes bounce-back game

Rex Ryan and Kellen Winslow Jr. insist they're not the least bit worried about the Jets tight end's declining production since his impressive season opener. They say defenses have adjusted to take him away, which has opened things up for other players. But they say his time is coming.

"I'd blame it square on Marty [Mornhinweg]'s shoulders — put him under the bus,'' Ryan joked Friday of his offensive coordinator. "But no, they certainly know where Kellen is, I'll put it that way. [Defenses] know where Kellen is, and if I would've had my little TV thing up here, I could've showed you what I meant by it.

"But he allowed one-on-one's [for receivers] on the outside. He has done a tremendous job for us. The guy works his tail off on the practice field. [He's] a great teammate, but a very unselfish guy, and I think that's really impressed me. I know it's impressed his teammates as well.''

Getting targeted eight times in the season opener, Winslow caught seven passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. Targeted six times in Week 2 at New England, he caught three passes for 16 yards, and quarterback Geno Smith didn't throw his way once last Sunday. Asked if defenses have keyed on him since his big game against Tampa Bay, Winslow shrugged.

"I guess,'' Winslow said. "Sometimes the ball just goes different ways. But it always evens out eventually. I would say they're trying to jam me and stuff like that, but it's man-to-man, it's cover two or cover three. It's not like I'm triple-teamed. They're just trying to get their hands on me, and that gets other guys open.

"It evens out though, and we proved we can stretch the field, so guys can't just sit low on us. They're going to be scared to get run past. … It's all about attempts and making plays. So when it comes my way, my job is to make a play. It's coming, so I'm ready.''

It might come his way Sunday. After coughing up a team-record 471 points last season, the Titans scrapped their old defensive system and now play man-to-man on nearly every down. After they allowed San Diego's Antonio Gates five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown last weekend, Winslow could see chances in Tennessee.

"They play man-to-man the whole game and they rely on their front seven to get pressure,'' said Winslow, who is 57 receiving yards shy of 5,000. "They're coming after the quarterback and they're going to live and die by man-to-man. It's our job to be men and make plays for Geno, or whoever is in there.

"They're attack mode on defense and man-to-man. As long as we protect, we'll be fine. We just have to protect Geno and guys have to get open, we'll be fine and make plays.''

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Cuba to let athletes sign with overseas teams

HAVANA — Could a new wave of Cuban baseball players be headed for the majors in America without having to defect from the communist island?

Cuba announced Friday that athletes from all sports will soon be able to sign contracts with foreign leagues, a break with a decades-old policy that held pro sports to be anathema to socialist ideals.

It's a step toward the day when the road from Havana to Yankee Stadium might mean simply hopping on a plane rather than attempting a perilous sea crossing or sneaking out of a hotel at midnight in a strange land.

But American baseball fans shouldn't throw their Dodgers or Rockies caps in the air in celebration just yet. The Cold War-era embargo against Cuba means it may not happen anytime soon.

If it does come to pass, it could increase — astronomically, in some cases — the amount of money Cuban baseball players can earn.

Athletes' wages are not made public in Cuba but are believed to be somewhere around the $20 a month that most other state employees earn — a tiny fraction of the millions many U.S. big-leaguers make.

"It's the dream of many athletes to test themselves in other leagues — the big leagues, if at some point my country would allow it," said Yasmani Tomas, who is one of Cuba's top talents, batting .345 last season with the powerhouse Havana Industriales.

Under the new policy, athletes will be eligible to play abroad as long as they fulfill their commitments at home, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported. For baseball players, that means being available for international competitions as well as Cuba's November-to-April league.

President Raul Castro's government clearly hopes the move will stem defections by athletes who are lured abroad by the possibility of lucrative contracts, a practice that saps talent from Cuba's teams.

"I think this could help stop the desertions a little bit," said Yulieski Gourriel, a talented 29-year-old third baseman who batted .314 last year for Sancti Spiritus.

"I don't even want to talk about how much I've been offered, because every time we leave the country, there are these offers. I've never paid attention because I've always said I'm not interested."

A number of his countrymen, however, are interested.

Cuban defectors now in the majors include Yasiel Puig, who signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Dodgers and had a sensational rookie season, helping Los Angeles win its division. Aroldis Chapman, the hard-throwing reliever, is making just over $5 million a year with the Cincinnati Reds.

If the policy change comes to pass, "it's good for Cuba, for everybody, for the players — more people in the big leagues, more experience for international tournaments," said Milwaukee Brewers infielder Yuniesky Betancourt, a Cuban defector who left his homeland aboard a speedboat in 2003.

Professional sports were essentially done away with under Fidel Castro in 1961, two years after the Cuban revolution, and athletes became state employees just like factory workers and farmhands.

Sport as private enterprise was deemed incompatible with the Marxist society Castro intended to create. In 2005, he railed against the "parasites that feed off the athlete's hard work" in professional sports.

Friday's announcement is part of a trend toward relaxing that stance under Castro's brother, who became president in 2006.

Earlier this year, Cuba ended a five-decade ban on professional boxing, joining an international semipro league where fighters compete for sponsored teams and earn $1,000 to $3,000 a month.

Still, the biggest obstacle to, say, Tomas' likeness showing up on a bobblehead doll in a major league park someday may lie not in Cuba, but in the U.S.

Granma reported that Cuban athletes will have to pay taxes on any earnings from foreign clubs, an apparent conflict with the 51-year-old American embargo that outlaws nearly all U.S. transactions with Cuba unless they are specifically licensed by Washington.

The economic restrictions were imposed after Cuba nationalized American businesses and aligned itself with the Soviet Union. They have been kept in place to try to pressure the authoritarian country to allow its people more freedom.

"Our policy has not changed. Cuban players need to be unblocked by a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control in order to play for the MLB," said John Sullivan, spokesman for the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. "In order to qualify, the players must prove that they have permanent residency outside of Cuba."

Another complication: Major League Baseball and its players union would have to decide whether Cuban ballplayers would be able to sign as free agents or would have to go through the international draft that baseball hopes to start in 2017.

Even if Cubans have trouble playing in the U.S., they might still be able to take the field in Mexico, Japan, Venezuela or other countries during their offseason, something that has happened before in a few instances.

Also Friday, Granma announced raises for island athletes, including bonuses for individual and team achievement. For example, in baseball, league leaders in hitting and other categories will get an extra $41. The team that wins the title will split $2,700.

That's small change by big-league standards, but sizeable in Cuba.

"The pay raise is going to be a big help. It was time," Tomas said. "I think if we'd done it even earlier, some athletes would not have left."

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Giants entire season on the line in Week 4

The Giants are facing the end Sunday in Kansas City.

They don't want to concede as much and that's understandable. But if the sheer desperation of the moment is not enough to drive the 0-3 Giants to their first victory of the year when they play the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, then their 2013 season will unofficially end in Kansas City at virtually the same time of day the Yankees' playoff-less disappointment will come to its official end in Houston.

From the outside looking in, it does not look good for the Giants Sunday, and that means it does not look good for the rest of the season. Two of their offensive line starters — guard Chris Snee and center David Baas — were ruled out Friday with injuries and a third key piece, tackle David Diehl, is very iffy to play. Adding to the malaise, the Giants' high-priced left tackle Will Beatty was a turnstile trying to block for Eli Manning last week.

On top of all this, Arrowhead Stadium is one of the loudest, most difficult road stadiums for a weakened offensive line to play in.

So, after a week when the Panthers teed off on Manning up as their personal punching bag in a 38-0 shellacking, beware of the hungry Chiefs on Sunday. Kansas City, 3-0, has been resting and practicing for 10 days since its last game.

Given all these issues, Manning might be in for another run for his life.

But this is for sure: The Giants cannot go 0-4 and expect to make the playoffs.

Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only one team — the 1992 Chargers — started a season 0-4 and made it to the playoffs, going 11-5 and winning the AFC West.

One team in 43 years. Do the math — 0-4 means it's over. It means 0-for-the-last-two-postseasons since they won the Super Bowl three years ago.

A Giants loss Sunday ends not only their realistic playoff chances, but it surely ends the way we have known this team for the last few years, dating back to its second Super Bowl win in five years.

It surely will lead to an eventual change in personnel, possibly with fading core veterans such as defensive end Justin Tuck gone and playmakers such as Hakeem Nicks not re-signed. Perhaps, too, some of Tom Coughlin's coaching staff takes a scapegoat hit and — we cannot rule this out however unlikely it seems — Coughlin possibly does not come back.

A more intimidating factor than all of the above is the fact the Giants' margin for error is almost nonexistent. They are walking on a tightrope without a net below. That makes for excruciating pressure. How will this team handle it?

"We can't worry about being 0-4. If we go in there with that mindset then we're already at a disadvantage,'' Giants safety Antrel Rolle said Friday.

"This is a must win, let's make no mistake about it,'' Giants safety Ryan Mundy said. "We need this game. We need to get back on track and start stacking some wins.''

The Giants have to start with one, save their season for the moment on Sunday and move on from there.

Coughlin, who many incorrectly perceive as always dour and disciplining, sensed the gravity of the situation and was upbeat all week in an effort to raise his players' spirits for Sunday.

"If you start dwelling on all that [negative] stuff … they are young athletes and the main thing is you don't want people tied up; they've got to go play,'' Coughlin said. "They're not going to be successful unless they come out of their shell and play and don't worry about it. Let me worry about the errors and what to say. You go play the game. I'll take it on my shoulders. That's been the way we've approached it.

"It's easy to stay down and feel sorry for yourself. The difficult thing is to come back and stand up and be positive and try to inspire people to overcome the obstacles … and to do it as one.''

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Shady antique shop staffers ‘tricked tourist into $1M sale’

It's the "Antiques Road Show"-turned-horror flick.

Shady staffers at a Manhattan collectibles emporium tricked an elderly Ohio tourist into forking over more than a $1 million for miniature statues worth a fraction that, a new Manhattan federal lawsuit alleges.

Retiree Priscilla Janney-Pace, 68, of Yellow Springs was visiting New York City in January 2012 when she noticed some figurines in the window of Metropolitan Fine Arts & Antiques on West 57th Street and went inside to ask about them, states the suit, which was filed Friday.

The store's president and CEO, Samuel Morano, personally tended to Pace, telling her the statues were Japanese figurines known as Netsukes that were produced in the 17th century, the documents say.

Convinced that she was purchasing highly coveted antiques, Janney-Price bought several figurines for tens of thousands of dollars — and returned in February to snap up a few more, according to the lawsuit.

Sensing they had a live one with deep pockets, store staffers then began inundating Janney-Price with e-mail and telephone sales pitches in an attempt to sell her additional items, according to court papers.

Store representatives laid it on thick, telling the retiree that business was suffering and that they could really use her patronage, the suit claims.

They even send her boxes of chocolates and traveled to her winter home in Florida to make sales pitches in person, court papers state.

In March, staffer Irving Morano told Janney-Price that he was selling carvings made from woolly-mammoth tusks, the suit alleges.

"I hate to impose on you, but I can really use some business and am willing to make huge sacrifices," store manager David Cohen told her, according to court papers.

It's unclear whether Janney-Pace ever bought those carvings.

But her lawyer, Paul Cossu, told The Post on Friday: "The defendants engaged in a series of egregiously fraudulent sales to an elderly woman, in which the defendants lied about the origin, age, quality, and value of what they claimed to be antique ivory and jade drawings.''

By the time Janney-Price finally put her credit card down, she had been relieved of more than $1 million for what she assumed were museum-quality sculptures.

That was most of her retirement money, Cossu said.

Janney-Price's daughter eventually caught wind of her mom's expenditures and took the items to an appraiser who gave her the bad news — the items were all Chinese reproductions and worth about $100,000 total, the suit states.

Cossu said the store slips into crafty paperwork that its sales refunds are limited.

Janney-Price is seeking more than $1 million in compensatory damages, Cossu said.

The gallery declined comment to The Post on Friday.

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Giants not overlooking Chiefs QB Alex Smith

OK, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is not Peyton Manning.

But he's not exactly JaMarcus Russell, either.

"He's a very, very good, experienced veteran quarterback who is being utilized for his legs as well as his mind and his arm," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said of Smith, a guy who has led the Chiefs to a 3-0 start, a guy the Giants look to upend Sunday in Kansas City.

"He's very effective. This year particularly he has a high completion percentage," safety Ryan Mundy said. "He's getting the ball out quick. Not taking many sacks and he has playmakers around him."

So no, Smith is not Eli's big brother or Tony Romo or even Cam Newton, the three guys that have helped to push the Giants into an 0-3 ditch, a situation that causes Sunday's get together to be "a must win," according to Mundy.

But what Smith is, in addition to all of the nice things the Giants called him, is the owner of the second-best winning percentage among active quarterbacks since 2011. At 23-5-1 for an .810 winning mark, Smith ranks behind just Peyton Manning (16-3, .842). New England's Tom Brady (28-7, .800) is third.

"He's just a very precise quarterback. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes," cornerback Prince Amukamara said. "He's just a precise quarterback. Doesn't try to do too much, doesn't do too little."

This season, the 3-0 Chiefs have not committed a turnover. The Titans are the only other team that can say the same. So Smith, the Chiefs second leading rusher behind Jamaal Charles, hasn't fumbled or thrown an interception.

"Over the years, he really has had a successful career," Coughlin said. "He does a good job in taking care of the ball. He will pull the ball down and run and they run the option and do those kinds of things."

Though the Giants have had some past success against Smith — they beat his 49ers, 20-17, in the 2011 NFC championship game and then intercepted him three times last season — they cannot go into Sunday's game thinking Smith is a break for them.

"Absolutely not," said safety Antrel Rolle, who came away with two of the interceptions the Giants managed when they snuffed the Niners, 26-3, last Oct. 14. "I wouldn't know where that [thinking] comes from. The guy is 3-0. Their team is 3-0. They're playing really good football right now.

"He's a gifted athlete. The system suits him well," Rolle continued about Smith, who has completed 61 percent of his passes and thrown for an average of 223 yards per.

Again, not Peyton. But not Alex in Blunderland, either.

"They have multiple playmakers they can distribute the ball to," Rolle said. "That makes them a 3-0 football team."

Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said Smith does "an excellent job of taking what the defense gives him" and praised the Chiefs' running game that complements the quarterback so "he doesn't feel pressured into making bad decisions.

"He will pull the ball down and run it so he's got five option, plus his legs," Fewell said.

The zero turnovers through three games is an area the Giants want to attack.

"We need this game," Mundy said, stressing the need for forcing turnovers. "We need to capitalize. If we have opportunities [for interceptions] we need to catch the ball. If the ball's on the turf we need to recover the ball."

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Woman fails driving exam she took for someone else

She flunked Criminality 101.

A wannabe whiz who was paid to illegally take commercial driver's license exams for desperate applicants repeatedly failed the test, according to a Brooklyn federal court complaint.

Marie Daniel was part of a ragtag group that used corrupt security guards and coded pencils to help CDL applicants cheat on their qualification tests at local DMVs where the exams are given and monitored, papers state.

But despite receiving thousands of dollars for her services, Daniel was rarely able to pass the test – even while leisurely sitting in a restaurant with the help of a laptop.

A slightly more successful arm of the gang sold special pencils marked up with a series of dashes and dots that corresponded to correct true and false answers, papers state.

At one meeting with an informant this past May, a Akmal "Soldier" Narzikulov requested $2,500 to provide the magic pencil.

The informant passed the test – the first step in acquiring a license to drive a school bus – and left the office.

Daniel's crew paid off DMV security guards to look the other way while applicants took the tests off site to nearby restaurants where she filled them out, papers state.

One undercover was told to pick up CDL tests from a DMV clerk, watch for an all clear signal from a security guard, and to then leave the office with the test, court papers state.

The agent met Daniel at a nearby restaurant where she calmly filled out the answers – with a little help from a laptop computer.

After forking over $2,400, the undercover went back inside, turned in the test and was told that he flunked.

Crew member Dale Harper said not to worry – Daniel could take it another time – but she failed again.

And when one location got too sticky, the crew shifted operations to other DMVs where fresh guards had been paid off.

Other crew members even provided forged medical certifications required for the CDL license.

The operation was eventually undone by a network of undercover federal agents, informants, and NYPD cops who were tipped off to the rampant cheating at DMV locations in Queens, Long Island, and Manhattan.

The entire outfit was arraigned yesterday in Brooklyn federal court on mail fraud raps and pleaded not guilty.

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A bionic leg controlled by a patient’s mind

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Zac Vawter, fitted with an experimental "bionic" leg, is training for the world's tallest stair-climbing event where he'll attempt to climb 103 flights to the top of the Willis Tower using the new prosthesis.

AP

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Scientists test mind-controlled bionic leg

A man who lost the lower part of his leg in a motorcycle accident has been fitted with the first thought-controlled bionic leg.

Zac Vawter has been testing the device which uses neurosignals from his upper leg muscles to control the prosthetic knee and ankle.

The robotic leg senses the unconscious muscle movements and translates them into movements for the knee and ankle of the device.

Mr. Vawter, who lost his leg four years ago, said the artificial limb "is a big improvement compared to my regular prosthetic leg" because it "responds quickly and more appropriately, allowing me to interact with my environment in a way that is similar to how I moved before my amputation".

Seattle-based Mr Vawter is the subject of a case report by Levi Hargrove and his Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago colleagues in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Cops find LI ‘office shooter’s’ car

Cops found the getaway vehicle used by the gunman who walked into his old Long Island office and killed one man and wounded another, and are scouring a village in upstate Putnam County looking for the suspect, authorities said Thursday.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said the white 2008 Honda Pilot driven by Sang Ho Kim, 63, was found Wednesday night at about 11 p.m. in Cold Spring.

"[We] are not releasing what was in [the] car, except to say [the] suspect was not there," Mangano told News 12.

"We hope to see this ending today. We hope he's in that area. If you see something, say something. We're going to continue to hunt the suspect down," he said.

Gun-toting cops were searching the quaint village on the banks of the Hudson, and officials ordered the nearby Haldane school district closed for the day for fear that the armed Kim was still in the area.

The disgruntled contractor opened fire in his old Long Island office Wednesday — forcing a lockdown at the nearby Roosevelt Field Mall.

The gunfire at the East Garden City lighting company caused a panic among shoppers at the mall, four days after a massacre in a Kenyan mall that was besieged by armed terrorists.

"We were in line, and suddenly someone said the store is being closed and we had to leave," said German tourist Anna Stellar. "Then we heard there was a shooter somewhere outside. Of course, the first thing I thought of was Kenya."

A mall employee who identified himself as John said he thought the same thing when he heard of the shooting.

"I was on my lunch break and I see all the police and helicopters at the mall, and right away I thought this was connected with Kenya," he said.

"This is the perfect area for that — it's a very popular, busy mall."

Kim walked into the offices of Savenergy — a company that manufactures energy-efficient light fixtures — at around 10 a.m. Wednesday to settle a vendetta and fired at the two victims, according to the Nassau County police.

"The company was occupied by about four employees at the time," said police Chief of Department Steven Skrynecki. "He entered one room where the owner/CEO and an employee were. He opened fire immediately on those two individuals."

The slain worker was not identified. The company's owner remained in critical condition at Nassau University Medical Center, Skrynecki said.

Kim fled in a white 2008 Honda Pilot with New York plate number FMA3648, cops said.

"The motive here appears to be work related," Skrynecki said. "There's some disgruntlement between him and the company that he was attacking."

Police placed Garden City School District facilities and the mall on lockdown. The order was lifted a few hours later after cops determined Kim wasn't a threat to the general public.

"We have nothing to suggest that this individual is on a random shooting rampage," he added.

Burt Grant said he had a meeting scheduled at Savenergy to discuss a business deal.

"If the meeting was earlier, I would have been inside," he said.

While cops on Long Island continued the manhunt for Kim, the NYPD was outside his Fresh Meadows, Queens, apartment complex.

Kim, described as an Asian man standing about 6-foot-2, was last seen wearing a red shirt and brown suit jacket, cops said.

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24 things to know before ‘Homeland’ returns

By Robert Rorke

September 26, 2013 | 9:35am

Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in "Homeland."

Season three begins Sunday night at 9 p.m. on Showtime with Brody (Damian Lewis) on the run and Carrie (Claire Danes) in the hot seat and Saul (Mandy Patinkin) having to make some very difficult decisions about her future. In case you're late to this thrilling party, here are the key moments from the first two seasons.

1

CIA case officer Carrie Mathison bribes her way into an Iraqi prison, where one of her informants is being held. As Carrie is spotted and dragged away by guards, the informant whispers something into her ear: an American prisoner has been turned into a terrorist.
 

2

Back in Washington, DC, Director of Counterterrorism David Estes (David Harewood) announces that after a raid on an al Qaeda compound, an eight-year POW Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody has been rescued.

3

Convinced that Brody is the terrorist, Carrie hires someone to help her conduct surveillance. She bugs the Brody house and watches his activities 24/7, including Brody's sexual problems with his wife, Jessica (Morena Baccarin).

4

Crazy Carrie begins to stalk Brody and they begin a disastrous affair. After he passes a polygraph test, he takes Carrie on a trip out of town. She directs him to a family cabin not far from DC. The next morning, while discussing breakfast, Carrie slips up and mentions Brody's favorite brand of tea: Yorkshire Gold. Brody asks how she knows the tea he drinks, and accuses her of spying on him. Carrie, knowing she's been caught, elects to turn the tables; she directly accuses Brody of being an agent of al Qaeda.

5

Brody takes his family on a trip to Gettysburg before he embarks on his campaign for Congress. Later on, they go to a diner for lunch, and Brody excuses himself to get something at the drugstore. Brody instead heads to the back of a clothing store. Waiting there is a man who has tailored an explosive suicide vest for Brody.

6

Saul produces a timeline of Abu Nazir's activity based on Carrie's notes and puts it all up on a wall. Carrie and Saul analyze the timeline, focusing on a period of inactivity from Abu Nazir which, unbeknownst to them, coincides with the death of his son Issa.

7

Brody betrays Carrie to Estes, who reveals that Brody confessed to his affair with Carrie, claiming that she was spying on him and continually harassing him. Estes discovers the "timeline," which is made up of highly classified materials that shouldn't be in her home. Estes fires Carrie.

8

Brody records a videotape of himself, explaining his future actions as an attack against a domestic threat — namely Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan) and his advisors, whom Brody blames for the deaths of 82 children during a drone strike in Pakistan. One of them was Abu Nazir's son, Issa.

9

Brody gets dressed for a summit with the Vice President, concealing his explosive vest under his Marine uniform. As lawmakers convene in front of the State Department, Brody's fellow escaped prisoner Tom Walker (Chris Chalk) opens fire. Walden's chief aide, Elizabeth Gaines (Linda Purl), is shot in the back and killed. As Walker continues to fire into the crowd, the surviving VIPs are rushed into a secure bunker. He finds himself in the bunker with Walden, Estes and other high-ranking officials.

10

Carrie tells Saul the elimination of the Vice President and the other high-value targets is the true goal of the attack. Inside the bunker, Brody attempts to detonate his explosive vest, only to find that the device has become disabled due to disconnected wires. He retreats into a bathroom stall and works on repairing the vest. Meanwhile, Carrie arrives at Brody's house and urges Dana Brody (Morgan Saylor) to call her father and talk him out of the attack. After repairing the vest, Brody prepares to enter the bunker and carry out the attack. However, he receives a call from Dana, who tells him about Carrie's accusations and insists that Brody tell her that he will be returning home that night. After much agonizing, Brody makes the promise and forgoes detonating the vest. When an all clear is given, Brody and the other dignitaries start to file out of the bunker.
 

11

At the beginning of season two, Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan) asks Brody is he would consider being his running mate when he campaigns for the Presidency. Later on, journalist Roya Hammad (Zuleikha Robinson) reveals herself to Brody as an ally of Abu Nazir. She relays an assignment: to retrieve a list of potential attack targets from a safe in Estes' office.

12

Brody texts Abu Nazir (Navid Neghaban) while in a meeting with Walden to warn him about an assassination in the works. As Nazir exits his vehicle, one of his men shows him the text message as the Delta Force team prepares to open fire. Nazir ducks back into his vehicle and successfully escapes while two of his lieutenants, including Abbas Ali, are slain.

13

Saul finds a memory card in a hidden compartment in Abbas Ali's satchel. He pops it into his computer and finds Brody's prepared video confession prior to his attempted suicide bombing.
 

14

Roya tells Brody he must deliver the tailor who made his suicide vest to a safe house. He drives to Gettysburg and picks up the tailor but he escapes when Brody stops to get gas. Brody tackles him in a forest, wounding him and ultimately breaking his neck.

15

Brody invites Carrie to have a drink at a hotel bar. He admits he is on the outs with his wife. They discuss how Carrie is hot on the trail of Abu Nazir. Carrie is ordered back to headquarters but she goes to Brody's hotel room, calling him a traitor and a terrorist. Brody is apprehended by CIA goons and removed. 

16

Carrie and fellow agent Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend) interrogate Brody. He gives up Roya Hammad, and the various al Qaeda associates he's had contact with. Carrie tells Brody his options. He can be exposed publicly, go to trial, and face prison time, or he can use his position to help the CIA anticipate Abu Nazir's planned attack, and nobody will have to know the truth about him.

17

The CIA investigates the tailor's shop and seven men are massacred.

18

Brody takes Dana to the police station to report the hit-and-run accident she was involved in with the Vice President's son, but they find Carrie waiting for them outside the police station. Carrie threatens that his deal with the CIA will be off if he does so. Dana approaches, and Brody apologetically tells her that they can't report the accident.

19

A helicopter descends and picks up Brody and delivers him to a clean-shaven Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban) who is in the US.

20

Brody contacts Carrie, begging her to get his family into hiding. Then he reports that Nazir is planning an attack on a homecoming event hosted by Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan) where 300 special ops soldiers are to be reunited with their families.

21

Estes puts Saul on the backbench and directs Quinn to kill Brody. He almost does it. In the meantime, Roya and her TV crew are ambushed in a parking lot and she is arrested

22

Nazir takes Carrie hostage in an abandoned warehouse and threatens to kill her unless Brody enters Vice President Walden's office and retrieves a serial number that corresponds to Walden's pacemaker. He explains that he will be able to use the serial number to manipulate the pacemaker wirelessly. Brody texts the serial number to Nazir, who accelerates Walden's heartbeat, killing him.

23

Abu Nazir is killed by a SWAT team. The Brodys call it quits.

24

Carrie and Brody attend Walden's memorial service. They sneak away to make out in an empty room. A bomb in Brody's car kills 300 people, including the Walden's wife and son. Carrie drives Brody to Canada. Saul is promoted to acting director and is relieved to see Carrie is alive. 

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Besuited creep attempts to rape woman in Tribeca

A creep in a business suit tried to rape a woman returning to her Tribeca apartment building Friday night, police said.

The suspect followed the 39-year-old into her building, shoved her to the floor in the lobby and tried to rape her around 9:15 p.m., Friday, cops said.

A man entered the building, scaring the attacker off, police said.

The victim was taken to an area hospital, where she was treated for bruises and released, authorities said.

The suspect is believed to be in his 40s or early- to mid-50s, about 5-foot-9 and between 170 and 200 pounds. He was wearing a navy blue blazer, dark pants, a white button-down shirt and black dress shoes.

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Britney Spears’ comeback already petering out

Britney's back, but she's also bombing at the box office.

The ticket sales for her upcoming Las Vegas concerts are a "disaster" according to Radar Online.

The 31-year-old singer recently announced a two-year residency at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino starting on December 27, but it appears the public doesn't care as much as they used to.

"After spending hundreds of thousands on promo, they expected to instantly sell out all of the first 16 shows, but they didn't come close!" a source told Radar Online.

Britney's manager Larry Rudolph responded to the tanking tickets claim, telling E! Online, "This is the best-selling show in the history of Vegas."

The Princess of Pop will allegedly pocket $30 million for the comeback concerts, which she hopes will be a family affair.

"Preston (her eight-year-old son) will probably be on stage but I think Jayden (her six-year-old son) would have a hard time with it," Spears said recently.

But Kevin Federline, who has joint custody of the children, didn't seem too keen on Britney's suggestion when TMZ caught up with him.

"We'll see about that," said K-Fed.

This story originally appeared on News.com.au.

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Giants sign ex-Jet FB Conner, put Hynoski on IR

In dire need of a fullback, the Giants on Wednesday signed one who once was supposed to be a big deal for the Jets, adding John Conner to the roster after Henry Hynoski went down with another serious injury.

Conner, 26, was a 2010 fifth-round draft pick of the Jets and was expected to be a heavy-duty blocking fullback, arriving with the nickname "The Terminator.'' He played in every game for the Jets in 2010 and 2011, mostly used as a blocker, but he also had 21 rushing attempts, 88 yards and two touchdowns.

He hurt his knee and hamstring and lasted three games in 2012 before the Jets waived him. Conner hooked on with the Bengals late in the 2012 season and played in two games. He did not survive the last round of cuts with the Bengals this summer.

Hynoski fractured his left shoulder in Sunday's 38-0 loss to the Panthers. He had fought back from offseason knee surgery to be ready for the start of the season, but just as he was rounding into form, he hurt his shoulder. Hynoski was put on season-ending injured reserve.

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Laura Ling tackles the dark side of ‘Society X’

Laura Ling will tackle several thought-provoking topics on her new investigative series "Society X With Laura Ling" — including the rise of synthetic drugs like Molly and Spice (synthetic marijuana). They're both explored in detail on the show's Oct. 3 premiere (10 p.m. on E!).

"I had been wanting to do [an episode on] Bath Salts and synthetic marijuana for quite some time, when these were less regulated," she says. "Now there are stricter laws and more regulations … but it's just exploded into this world of designer drugs that's really so much more than Molly or Bath Salts. Working on this episode really opened my eyes to this whole world … that's moving so fast with the Internet. You can now get heroin and other drugs delivered to your doorstep and it seems like the drug makers are so many steps ahead of the law." Several of the people featured in the Oct. 3 series premiere are college students — who both manufacture (with a bit of chemistry knowledge) and use these designer drugs — which is extremely alarming. "We're just shining a light on this subculture," Ling says, adding that she's "pretty pregnant" and has taken a short break from shooting "Society X," but hopes to tackle the subcultures of electronic music festivals and "real-life vampires" in future installments of the show.

"Homeland" gets literary

Kent Smith/SHOWTIME

Books: I love "Breaking Bad" too, but there are other anticipated shows out there — believe it or not — including "Homeland," which returns for its third season this Sunday on Showtime. William Morrow has published "Homeland: Carrie's run," a new "prequel" book written by Andrew Kaplan that delves into the back story of Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes, right, who won her second Emmy for the role Sunday night). The book is set in Beirut in 2006 and "follows Carrie's attempts to find evidence linking a new contact to Abu Nazir," according to a publisher press release.

Last, but not lest…

"Derek" star Ricky Gervais in the Oct. 7 issue of People on the last time he cringed: "Watching someone on a reality show flirting, being pretentious or needy." The issue hits New York City newsstands Wednesday … Local TV: "Inside Edition" now on twice daily: 2:30 p.m. (Ch. 5) and 10:30 p.m. (Ch. 9). Deborah Norville hosts. And Robert Rose ("American Latino TV") launches "Raw Travel" Oct. 4 (also on Chs. 5 and 9) … Dyker Heights school teacher Josina Reaves becomes the first contestant on the Cedric the Entertainer-hosted "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" to make it up to the $1 million question on today's show … Oxygen is holding a premiere lunch Thursday for its new series, "Preachers of LA" at Red Rooster Restaurant (310 Lenox Ave.) … Favorite Publicist Names #35: Sweety Ghuman (42West) … Congrats to Mitch Graham, who's gone from a top-notch CBS publicist to being named the network's VP of alternative programming — a huge move for a deserving guy.

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State Dept. sued over Huma Abedin pay deal

WASHINGTON – The State Department got slapped with a lawsuit Wednesday by a government watchdog demanding details of the sweetheart pay deal for longtime Hillary Rodham Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Abedin, who is also the wife of former mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, freelanced for the Bill Clinton-linked Teneo international consulting firm while collecting government pay as deputy chief of staff for then-Secretary of State Clinton.

"As is so often the case with the Clintons, or those close to them, Ms. Abedin's questionable dealings are wrapped in secrecy," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, as he announced his group's lawsuit.

The legal action follows the State Department's failure to comply with a June request by Judicial Watch under the Freedom of Information Act for details about Abedin's employment contracts.

"The State Department's stonewall on Abedin suggests that there is something to hide," said Fitton.

Abedin left the State Department with Clinton in February 2013 and continues to work for her, although the embarrassment of Weiner's failed bid for mayor has strained the Clinton-Abedin relationship.

While at the State Department, Abedin was employed since June 2012 as a "special government employee," a consultant position that allowed her to also represent outside clients.

But Abedin's outside clients included Teneo, an international strategic consulting firm co-founded by former Bill Clinton right-hand man Doug Band.

She reportedly raked in $355,000 as a consultant to Teneo, while simultaneously pocketing $135,000 in government pay.

The arrangement raised eyebrows because Abedin failed to disclose the exact nature of her work for Teneo, which represents a long list of foreign clients and has offices in Brussels, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Munich and Zurich.

Taneo describes its business as providing "the leaders of the world's most respected companies, nonprofit institutions and governments with a full suite of advisory solutions."

Abedin's double dealing is also the target of an investigation by Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

He has charged that Abedin's work arrangement "blurs the line between public-and private-sector employees, especially when employees receive full-time salaries for what appears to be part-time work."

A State Department official said that the agency "takes seriously its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act and will handle this request [from Judicial Watch] accordingly, as it does all requests."

The official noted that the State Department received more than 18,000 FOIA requests last fiscal year.

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Officials: All hostages out of Kenyan mall

Kenyan security forces battled al Qaeda-linked terrorists in an upscale mall for a third day Monday in what they said was a final push to rescue the last few hostages in a siege that has left at least 62 people dead.

While the government announced Sunday that "most" hostages had been released, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 were still being held by a band of attackers described as "a multinational collection from all over the world."

The expert, who insisted on anonymity to talk freely about the situation, said many hostages had been freed or escaped in the previous 24-36 hours, including some who were in hiding.

However, there were at least 30 hostages when the assault by al-Shabab militants began Saturday, he said, and "it's clear" that Kenyan security officials "haven't cleared the building fully."

Flames and dark plumes of smoke rose Monday above the Westgate shopping complex for more than an hour after four large explosions rocked the surrounding neighborhood. The smoke was pouring through a large skylight inside the mall's main department and grocery store, where mattresses and other flammable goods appeared to have been set on fire, a person with knowledge of the rescue operation told The Associated Press.

The explosions were followed by volleys of gunfire as police helicopters and a military jet circled overhead, giving the neighborhood the feel of a war zone.

By evening, Kenyan security officials claimed the upper hand.

"Taken control of all the floors. We're not here to feed the attackers with pastries but to finish and punish them," Police Inspector General David Kimaiyo said on Twitter.

Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said the evacuation of hostages had gone "very, very well" and that Kenyan officials were "very certain" that few if any hostages were left in the building.

But with the mall cordoned off and under heavy security it was not possible to independently verify the assertions. Similar claims of a quick resolution were made by Kenyan officials on Sunday and the siege continued. Authorities have also not provided any details on how many hostages were freed or how many still remain captive.

Three attackers were killed in the fighting Monday, Kenyan authorities said, and more than 10 suspects arrested. Eleven Kenyan soldiers were wounded in the running gun battles.

Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked rebel group, al-Shabab, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said the hostage-takers were well-armed and ready to take on the Kenyan forces.

An al-Shabab spokesman, Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, said in an audio file posted on a militant website that the attackers had been ordered to "take punitive action against the hostages" if force was used to try to rescue them.

The attackers have lots of ammunition, the militant group said in a Twitter feed, adding that Kenya's government would be responsible for any loss of hostages' lives.

A Western security official in Nairobi who insisted on not being named to share information about the rescue operation said the only reason the siege hadn't yet ended would be because hostages were still inside.

Westgate mall, a vast complex with multiple banks that have secure vaults and bulletproof glass partitions, as well as a casino, is difficult to take, the official said. "They are not made for storming," he said of the labyrinth of shops, restaurants and offices. "They're made to be unstormable."

At least 62 people were killed in the assault Saturday by some 12 to 15 al-Shabab militants wielding grenades and firing on civilians inside the mall, which includes shops for such retail giants as Nike, Adidas and Bose and is popular with foreigners and wealthy Kenyans.

The militants specifically targeted non-Muslims, and at least 18 foreigners were among the dead, including six Britons, as well as citizens from France, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Peru, India, Ghana, South Africa and China. Nearly 200 people were wounded, including five Americans.

Fighters from an array of nations participated in the assault, according to Kenya Chief of Defense forces Gen. Julius Karangi. "We have an idea who these people are and they are clearly a multinational collection from all over the world," he said.

In the United States, the FBI was looking into whether Americans were involved in the attack, said FBI spokesman Paul Bresson.

Al-Shabab, whose name means "The Youth" in Arabic, said the mall attack was in retribution for Kenyan forces' 2011 push into neighboring Somalia. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Kenya since the 1998 al-Qaeda truck bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, which killed more than 200 people.

An extremist Islamic terrorist force that grew out of the anarchy that crippled Somalia after warlords ousted a longtime dictator in 1991, al-Shabab is estimated to have several thousand fighters, including a few hundred foreigners, among them militants from the Middle East with experience in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Others are young, raw recruits from Somali communities in the United States and Europe.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the attack showed that al-Shabab was a threat not just to Somalia but to the international community.

Reports that some of the attackers may have been Somalis who lived in the United States illustrate the global nature of the militant group, the Somali leader said in a speech at Ohio State University. "Today, there are clear evidences that Shabab is not a threat to Somalia and Somali people only," he said. "They are a threat to the continent of Africa, and the world at large."

As the crisis passed the 48-hour mark, a video emerged that was taken by someone inside the mall's main department store when the assault began. It video showed frightened and unsure shoppers crouching as long, loud volleys of gunfire could be heard.

Kenyans in many parts of the country stood in long lines Monday to donate blood to aid the nearly 200 people injured in the attack. Fundraisers raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, though government officials warned of scam artists taking advantage of the tragedy.

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Reese’s moves haven’t paid off for Giants

The countdown sign to Super Bowl XLVIII in the Giants locker room displayed 131 on Monday. In bold black numbers it counts the days until the NFL championship is contested in MetLife Stadium.

Reportedly the brainchild of general manager Jerry Reese, it was intended to serve as motivation for the 2013 season. But now it's become a haunting reminder of how quickly dreams can dissipate. It's not the only one of Reese's ideas that hasn't worked out this season.

The Giants are off to an ugly 0-3 start, and while Coach Tom Coughlin has warned his team not to point fingers, there are several glaring reasons why the Giants have underachieved. Some are just plain bad luck (injuries to RB Andre Brown, OL David Diehl and S Steve Brown) and some point back to decisions made by Reese and the Giants front office.

Coughlin was the only voice from the team hierarchy made available on Monday to explain the most one-sided loss of his Giants coaching career. He pulled no punches, saying he challenged his players' pride and told them not to finger point. He also talked about the need for more enthusiasm, but had no answer why the good work on the practice field hasn't translated to game day.

"We thought we were in good shape, thought we were on the same page. I was disappointed in the result," he said of the 38-0 loss to the previously 0-2 Panthers.

He also hinted there may be changes and vowed, "We're going to find out and uncover people that can help us win." Problem is the cupboard could be bare. The offensive line is a mess. After giving up an NFL-low 20 sacks in 2012, the offensive line seems to have gotten old overnight with no relief in sight. Injuries have hampered RG Chris Snee and C David Baas, and LT Will Beatty looked overmatched against DE Greg Hardy, who collected three of the Panthers franchise-tying seven sacks.

The $38 million deal Reese gave Beatty doesn't look too good right now, and the acquisitions that were supposed to add depth and emergency help have been slow developing. James Brewer, Jim Cordle, Brandon Mosley have all had auditions, but can't be trusted. The Giants have few options to improve the line other than move veteran Kevin Boothe back to center when Diehl is ready to play guard again.

Elsewhere, second-year running back David Wilson has been more of a detriment than explosive. His two fumbles were devastating against the Cowboys and he has totalled 75 rushing yards in three games. Brandon Jacobs might have been a feel-good signing, but he has just six yards rushing in two games.

Perhaps more troubling is the Giants defense lacked fight in Carolina, drawing the ire of former linebacker Carl Banks. Reese hasn't put much of a premium on linebackers, preferring to stock a defensive line that has forgotten how to rush the quarterback.

Their current group of nondescript linebackers — Keith Rivers, Mark Herzlich and Spencer Paysinger — has registered virtually no impact plays. Meanwhile, the defensive line has rested on its laurels for too long. That could apply to an entire team still blinded by its Super Bowl jewelry.

"That's one of the bad things about us is our history," said DE Justin Tuck. "We keep looking at, 'we did this . . . and we did that.' But this is a new team. We've got to find out what this team is about."

Reese has built two Super Bowl teams by making decisions and drafting players that worked out. At some positions every general manager rolls the dice and hopes for the best. But gambling on an unproven running back, an aging offensive line and mediocre linebackers has backfired so far in 2013.

That's why the countdown sign in the Giants locker room may be pointing to the Super Bowl, but another countdown has already begun on their postseason hopes.

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Coughlin challenges ‘pride’ of struggling Giants

Upon his arrival way back in 2004, Tom Coughlin marched into the room like a drill sergeant and stated his intense desire to oversee, "the restoration of pride.'' Two Super Bowl titles later, no one denies what Coughlin has wrought.

In much more reserved tones, Coughlin on Monday revealed, "I did challenge our pride a little bit today'' as he addressed his listless and struggling team the day after a 38-0 loss to the Panthers that was alarmingly noncompetitive at almost every turn.

Coughlin has bobbed and weaved around many crisis points in his 10 years with the Giants but he has never been 0-3, a record that leads to an open-season assault on a team that dares to display a Super Bowl calendar in its locker room to remind the players how many days until the big game they once believed they were good enough to play in.

"Obviously when you lose 38-0, anything you say about us probably deserves to be said,'' Eli Manning said after absorbing a physical beating behind an inept offensive line. "It's something we're not happy about as players, you're embarrassed about it and we got to fix it.''

There are no easy answers heading into a game in Kansas City with the unbeaten Chiefs and there were few players willing to offer any suggestions in a sparsely populated locker room. Coughlin said his immediate message amid the carnage was to make sure the Giants, "stick together, that we stay together. That we act, that we speak, and that we are one. We don't finger point. We don't blame anybody either. There is no excuse for what happened. It happened.''

Oh, it happened all right. Coughlin said he may bring the team leaders in to brainstorm about what is going wrong.

"Those things can be good,'' Manning said, before cautioning, "you can talk and you can meet all we want, we got to play better, do a lot of things better than we are doing them now.''

Following Coughlin's assessment, the players met by themselves but this was not some specially called players-only team meeting. In fact, the Giants have a "debriefing'' players meeting almost every Monday, something they adopted during the dark days of their no-win November in 2011 after visiting Navy Seals gave the team the idea.

These are desperate times, though. Manning revealed he may step outside his personality comfort zone and get in someone's face if he sees the need, which would be a dramatic departure from his "Easy Eli'' demeanor.

"We'll see,'' Manning said. "Got to do something just to pick up our performance. We'll see in practice if certain guys need to be challenged. We'll see how it goes and do whatever I think needs to be done to get guys playing at a high level.''

There's not much that can be done to the lineup. The offensive line is the unit struggling most glaringly.

"Your team is your team," Coughlin said. "If there is something that we think we [can do to] help, then I would consider it.''

He said center David Baas and right guard Chris Snee are both having some physical issues. That could lead to finding a spot for David Diehl if he is recovered from thumb surgery.

Perhaps the entire operation overvalued the talent on the team.

"We're going to certainly find out,'' said Coughlin, who left the team Monday afternoon to fly to Waterloo, N.Y., to attend services for his brother John, 63, who died last Monday night after suffering a head injury in a fall. The funeral is Tuesday.

The approach in times of trouble, Coughlin said, has always been consistent.

"Ours has always been 'damn the torpedoes, full-speed ahead,' '' he said.

What has confounded Coughlin this season, as it befuddled him during the late-season 2012 meltdown, is the disconnect between quality practices and miserable games. In essence, he doesn't see any signs the shoddy play is lurking.

"This is a Sunday sport,'' defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. "Sometimes through the week we can have the best practices, but if you don't translate it, it doesn't mean anything. Maybe we're just a little uptight right now, maybe we just need to take a deep breath and relax a little bit and play like we know we can.''

Asked if he was taken aback Coughlin challenged the pride of the team, Manning was nonplussed.

"We saw the game yesterday. We were right there in it. We saw the film,'' he said. "It wasn't pretty. We got to do something.''

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Kravis pushing to buy Jones Group

Henry Kravis has developed a shoe fetish, and he's looking to fill his closet pronto.

The New York billionaire's buyout firm, KKR, is pushing, along with a partner to cut a deal as soon as this week to buy Jones Group, the Seventh Avenue stronghold that owns labels like Stuart Weitzman, Nine West and Anne Klein, The Post has learned.

That would mean putting a quick end to an auction being run by Citigroup that has attracted bids from several buyout shops looking to divvy up the company, including Leonard Green & Partners, Sun Capital and Golden Gate Capital, sources said.

"The goal is to have it wrapped up before the deadline" for second-round bids, according to a source close to the process, noting that the deadline is this week.

The size of KKR's bid, being made jointly with the buyout firm Sycamore Partners, couldn't immediately be learned. Investors have speculated that Jones could fetch between $17 and $18 a share.

Jones shares Monday lost 52 cents, or 3.2 percent, to close at $15.68, giving the company a market value of $1.15 billion.

Representatives for KKR and Sycamore declined to comment.

KKR covets Jones's fast-growing footwear brands, including Kurt Geiger and Brian Atwood, according to insiders briefed on the auction.

Sycamore is circling Jones's aging women's-apparel brands, including Anne Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt and l.e.i., sources said.

"KKR basically wants the good stuff, and Sycamore wants the not-so-good stuff," according to one banking source.

Sycamore, whose co-founder Stefan Kaluzny has lately cut deals to buy struggling retailers Hot Topic and Talbots, also owns Mast Global, a women's apparel manufacturer formerly owned by Limited Brands.

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Colombo mobster hit with 14 year sentence

This mob clan popped the corks a bit too early.

A Colombo crime family associate who celebrated his stunning acquittal on double federal murder raps last year was singing a different tune Monday after a seething judge nailed him with a 14-year sentence for drug peddling.

Francis B.F. Guerra and his family members had reveled in his remarkable acquittal last year and had expected a relatively light sentence for the lesser narcotics charges he was eventually convicted of at the same trial.

But despite the jury's verdict, Judge Sandra Townes told Guerra yesterday that she was absolutely convinced he took part in the gangland killings of a former Colombo underboss and a Staten Island nightclub honcho.

"It was proven at trial in my mind that you were involved in these murders," Townes told the incredulous goon before laying down her sentence.

The jurist said that she broached the slayings because they figured into her assessment of Guerra's future risk to society.

"He does the bidding of the Colombo crime family," Townes said of the dazed defendant. "My belief is that when he is released he will go back."

Guerra — who was convicted of selling Oxycodone pills — looked floored after Townes walloped him with the long prison stretch. He had faced from a minimum of time served up to 20 years.

Defense attorney Gerald McMahon slammed Townes and the sentence.

"This is an atrocity," he seethed, "It's a disgrace for her to tell the jury that said he's not guilty that he's guilty," he said of her references to the killings.

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