Who is the fake Rod Stewart? NYC man denies it’s him

The search is still on for a phony Rod Stewart with spiked blond locks who is duping star-struck fans across the city.

The bogus Brit, who bears a striking resemblance to the "Maggie May" singer, has been seen in the Meatpacking District, posing with fans, crashing World Cup soccer bashes and was even spotted outside a Bronx schoolyard. An Instagram user last week posted a pic of one Rod lookalike sitting on a subway train, prompting commenters to dub him "Rockaway Rod."

A Rod Stewart lookalike was spotted on a train in NYC.Photo: goingwitheddie.com

Paul Anton, 62, a divorced dad-of-three who lives in Midtown West, confirmed to Page Six he is the man in the picture — but denies he's posing as the "Do You Think I'm Sexy" star.

Anton, who insists he's hardly a rock star and works in real estate, told Page Six, "I have never pretended to be Rod Stewart. I am a respected businessman with children, I have never asked for free drinks. I pay my own way. People do mistake me for Rod, but I always say I'm not him. I would like to shake Rod's hand and say I am not an imposter. I love his music, but I wouldn't pretend to be him. And I've never been to the Rockaways."

When asked why he keeps Stewart's trademark tousled blond cockatoo coiff, he added, "This is the way I look."

Meanwhile, Stewart's manager, Arnold Stiefel, insists there is at least one, and perhaps many Faux-Rods, still at large.

He said, "This has been going on for years. The first fake Rod sighting was 15 years ago when Jann Wenner said, 'I said hello to Rod and he ignored me.'"

Stiefel continued, "I said, 'That's not Rod, he's in California.' Then we got a call from a deputy sheriff outside New Orleans saying, 'We've got Rod Stewart in the drunk tank, he's been arrested for being drunk and disorderly in a bar.' I said, 'You'd better call the Dorchester in London because he's there right now.' The real Rod . . . thought it was funny, but said, let people know it isn't me."

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Jessica Alba’s baby spurred Honest Company startup

Actress Jessica Alba started her nontoxic-focused e-commerce venture, Honest Company, after her mother recommended a baby clothes detergent that made her child break out in welts.

The experience led her to chase down company co-founder Christopher Gavigan, an expert in children's health who said she couldn't "shop around the problem."

The two spoke at Advertising Week in New York and slammed the US government for its lack of regulations on chemical ingredients in health and wellness products.

The Honest Company, which is distributed by Target, Costco and Whole Foods, among others, keeps prices low for steady customers by direct shipping, Alba and Gavigan said.

The company has its name on 90 different products and is set to add a slew more while shipping its brand around the world.

It recently raised $70 million, giving it a value of nearly $1 billion, and is prepping for an initial public offering.

"We do nutritional vitamins to toothpaste and mouthwash. We're working on deodorants and feminine care and expanding internationally," said Alba.

The actress said raising funds at the beginning was tough because, "A lot of people you're raising money from are not your target demographic; it was for Millennials. Nothing against you bankers or ad agencies."

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‘Pathetically fat’ cops forced to lose weight: sources

These cops need to be a little more gut-less.

A waddling group of NYPD officers has gotten so out of shape that their commander forced them to chip in for a room full of exercise equipment to shed some pounds, The Post has learned.

Some officers at the Community Affairs Division have ballooned to nearly 300 pounds — and are in no condition to ever chase down a suspect if called upon to do so, sources said.

"They are mostly all pathetically fat," a source said. "They get heavy on the job . . . There's a lot of sitting around and eating Twinkies at your desk."

Photo: Gregory P. Mango

To fight the fat, Inspector Ellen Chang — a triathlete — ordered her chunky charges to pony up $30 each to outfit their East 12th Street headquarters with a stationary bike, a treadmill, a StairMaster and 350 pounds of free weights, the sources said.

Some officers are dreading the thought of exercise and have described Chang's plan as "bulls–t." But the inspector is not backing down, regularly telling the obese officers, "You guys could stand to work out more" and, "You should really hit a gym," the sources said.

The Community Affairs Division handles police relations with various community groups but doesn't demand any physical work from the approximately 30 cops assigned there.

They are mostly all pathetically fat … They get heavy on the job … There's a lot of sitting around and eating Twinkies at your desk. - Source

On Monday, a Post reporter spotted one overweight Community Affairs officer entering the building carrying a bag from Dunkin' Donuts.

Another heavyset cop said he hated Chang's plan and complained about being forced to fund the fitness regimen.

"It's not right that we've gotta pay for something she wants," he said. "And if you say, 'No,' you get told. 'You could use the exercise.' "

Chang — who has a solid and powerful physique — didn't deny trying to tone up her underlings.

"I've done two half-triathlons and run in three marathons here in the city, so I wanted to get the guys and gals here motivated and have some equipment on site for them," she said.

Chang also said she thought her weight-loss program was "going well," adding, "I don't think there was any resistance at all."

But she denied that cops had to donate any cash toward her fitness program, saying she used money from the NYPD's "reserve fund" and got a piece of used gear from "the guy who runs the gym at headquarters downtown."

"I actually kicked in money from my own pocket," she said.

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Calderon will be sharp at point

For many Knicks fans, Jose Calderon is being — and already has been — embraced at point guard because he's not Raymond Felton.

But to others, Calderon is being embraced because he's, well, Jose Calderon.

"His numbers speak for themselves," Carmelo Anthony said. "The way he's able to run a team, the way he's able to shoot the basketball lights out, his assist-to-turnover ratio is like no other."

"He understands the game, he sees everything, and he is a willing passer," said Samuel Dalembert, who arrived with Calderon from the Mavericks in the trade for Tyson Chandler. "There is no ego, there is nothing, just go out there and try to win."

So Knicks fans have substance in their willingness to accept Calderon, and not simply because he replaces prime booing target Felton. Calderon is a pass-first, hit every (or almost every) free throw, terrific shooting, smart point guard. He enters his 10th NBA season, 7 ½ seasons spent in Toronto, as a career 10.2 scorer and 6.8 assist guy. Every season, he was in the top 20 in assists-to-turnovers.

And Calderon, who turned 33 Sunday, is as excited to be a Knick and adapt to the triangle offense as the Knicks are to have him.

"It helps just to be able to learn the system [together]," Calderon said at Media Day on Monday. "It's going to be about where you're going to be, finding a spot, trying to get everybody in the right places and just share the ball. Find the open guy. If you're open shoot the ball. Just try to make it as easy as possible. If we're sharing the ball and you pass the ball first, your teammate is going to pass it to you. We have to get that into our minds and try to play as a team. We can be a really good team.

"The system is going to be trying to share the ball, try to reposition everybody. I like that. I'm the pass-first point guard. I'm going to try to get everybody involved like I've been doing for a while.

"The system fits me well."

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Caesars ‘loyalty’ ruling a win for Leon Black’s Apollo

Score one for Leon Black.

In one of the most heated battles in Atlantic City, Black's Apollo Global Management won a major victory over David Tepper — getting the okay from state regulators to transfer control of the highly valued player loyalty rewards program from its money-losing Caesars Entertainment into a new sister company.

The transfer, to Caesars Enterprise Services, takes it outside the reach of Tepper's Appaloosa Management — a move Tepper fought long and hard to prevent.

Appaloosa is a junior creditor of Caesars Entertainment, which owns Bally's Atlantic City and Caesars Atlantic City, two down-on-their-heels casinos.

If Apollo put Bally's and Caesars into Chapter 11 reorganization, the loyalty program could have given Appaloosa and other junior creditors some leverage.

Without it, the junior creditors are likely to get little return, sources close to the situation said.

The decision by New Jersey gaming regulators to allow the transfer — released Sept. 26 — increases the likelihood of a bankruptcy filing by the two casinos, sources said.

Before the loyalty-rewards program can officially be transferred, other state regulators where Caesars operates must also approve the move.

A fourth company, Caesars Entertainment Resort Properties, owns Harrah's Resort Atlantic City, the strongest among the chain's three Atlantic City casinos.

In a bid to salvage its investment in the casino giant, Apollo last year split the chain into three companies — including one with faster-growing online assets and another with troubled brick-and-mortar casino operations.

In addition to winning the right to transfer the loyalty program, Caesars announced last week that any proceeds creditors gain from suits against Caesars for fraudulently transferring assets between its companies would go first to first-lien bond holders.

That means even if junior creditors, like Appaloosa, were to win in court they may not collect the proceeds.

"I think Tepper is in a hard spot," a gaming analyst, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Post.

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Yahoo! and AOL center stage at ‘Advertising Week’

Madison Avenue will be keeping a close eye on Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer and AOL boss Tim Armstrong this week, as their struggling Internet giants feel the pressure to merge.

The two will be on prominent display in New York, where thousands of ad-industry and media professionals will descend for the annual Advertising Week event.

Mayer and Armstrong might cross paths on Thursday morning when they attend separate sessions at the Times Center. Armstrong will chat with Publicis head honcho Maurice Levy in the morning, while Mayer will discuss her vision with Fast Company editors at noon.

Mayer on Friday received a letter from activist hedge fund Starboard Value, demanding she pursue a combination with AOL, along with other measures to cut costs.

Armstrong is no stranger to Starboard, which pressured AOL to explore a similar partnership with Yahoo in 2012. The hedge fund lost the fight to get AOL boards seats but only after Armstrong took steps to placate investors.

The stakes are high for Mayer and Armstrong, both former Google execs who are trying to turn around their aging companies while competing for the hearts and minds of marketers at Ad Week.

While marketers don't typically negotiate deals during the event, it provides a big stage for companies to talk up their business and establish relationships that could pay off down the road.

Facebook, for instance, is expected to unveil details of its new Atlas ad platform, which aims to improve how marketers track what users are doing on mobile devices.

Some companies are taking a different tack to grab attention. Online video ad company Virool is running a contest for a trip to outerspace, courtesy of Virgin Galactic.

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Ex-Giant QB kicking off new reality cooking show

One-time "The Bachelor" star Jesse Palmer says his new hosting gig on Food Network's "Food Truck Face Off" is a far cry from his experience on the dating show a decade ago.

"This is obviously a completely different genre versus what I did in 2004," says Palmer, laughing. "There's a lot of heat in this show — but it's confined to the kitchen."

That said, the current ESPN college football analyst thinks there's plenty of drama and heartache on "Face Off," which premieres at 8 p.m. Thursday.

"There's a lot of emotion," he says. "It's the ultimate reality television — there's no doubt about it."

There's a lot of heat in this show — but it's confined to the kitchen.
 - 'Food Truck Face Off' host Jesse Palmer

On "Face Off," two-person teams create and sell street-friendly fare in a competition to win a customized food truck for one year. A panel of judges rates the taste, service and presentation of the teams' cuisines, which range from Southern-fried to vegetarian Indian.

In a final showdown, competitors face off to raise the most money — and thereby win their coveted vehicle — alongside other already-established food trucks in cities including Miami, LA, Austin, Texas, and Palmer's hometown of Toronto, Canada.

"I think people think it's an easy thing — just no stress, that you're laughing, having a good time in the kitchen with your buddy," says Palmer, a 2001-04 quarterback for the New York Giants. "It could not have been more the opposite."

Contestants come from a variety of backgrounds and levels of expertise. Whether they're seasoned restaurant chefs or amateur cooks armed with family recipes, they must juggle an intense mix of challenges, including long lines of impatient customers, supply shortages, technical issues (like suddenly non-functioning propane stoves) and flavor-starved recipes that turn off the judges' palates.

"Food Truck Face Off" contestants line up for evaluations from a panel of judges.Photo: Courtesy of Food Network

"It becomes pretty obvious how important winning this thing is to them and how it can change their lives. But the challenges they had to go through were very physically, very emotionally taxing," he says. "It sounds cliche, but blood, sweat and tears — all of those things were shed on this show."

Palmer — a professed "huge foodie" who turns 36 on Sunday, Oct. 5 — says hosting the series made sense for him because he's a big fan of food trucks. When he's not on the road, the Manhattan resident finds himself eating street food a few times a week.

Palmer was New York Giants quarterback from 2001-04.Photo: Anthony J Causi

"I'll always carry $20 cash on me in case I find a food truck," he says. "There are so many times in this city when you'll be walking around, doing errands or whatever, and all of a sudden there's just one there on the corner and you go, 'Oh, dumplings … I've got 10 bucks; let's just do it!'"

However, Palmer — who is currently single (his relationship with 2004 "Bachelor" winner Jessica Bowlin ended shortly after the finale aired) — says the thought of stepping behind a grill himself is too daunting, even for a former pro football player.

"It's way harder than I imagined. People said, 'Well, could you do it?'" I would never be willing to run one of those things, ever," he confesses. "There's no way I could.

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Ex-policy bigs to testify in trial over AIG bailout

Talk about a "stress test."

More than six years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Ben Bernanke, Henry "Hank" Paulson and Tim Geithner — the crisis-era trio that orchestrated the bank bailouts — are being summoned to Washington again to answer for the controversial rescue of AIG.

The three are expected to testify in a long-running lawsuit that accuses the federal government of shafting AIG shareholders when it extended a $182 billion lifeline to the failing insurance giant in 2008.

Former Federal Reserve chief Bernanke, along with Paulson, the Treasury secretary when the mortgage bubble burst, and Geithner, who headed the New York Federal Reserve before taking over the Treasury, are set to testify during a trial that starts on Monday.

The trial, which is expected to last at least two weeks, will revisit allegations lobbed at the three while they battled the financial crisis: They saved Wall Street while letting Main Street suffer.

The case revisits a time those policymakers would rather forget and comes just as regulators are facing fresh criticism that they were too cozy with the banks they were overseeing.

Last week, 46 hours of tapes secretly recorded by Carmen Segarra, a former bank examiner for the New York Fed who was fired in 2012, depicted financial watchdogs as little more than bank taskmasters who bent over backward to appease Goldman Sachs.

The AIG suit, brought by former Chairman Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, accuses the government of imposing an "extortionate interest rate" — around 11 percent on the $85 billion initial loan — that was far less favorable than the terms extended to teetering banks.

Greenberg, chairman of his investment vehicle, Starr International, argues the government should pay $40 billion for imposing the loan-shark-like rate and taking a 90 percent stake in the company without giving shareholders including him adequate compensation. Other banks were able to borrow at around 5 percent under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, the suit claims.

The 11 percent interest rate included a "penalty" but wasn't different from the figures bankers at JPMorgan Chase and Goldman had arrived at to save the ailing company, Geithner wrote in his account of the 2008 crisis, "Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises."

Greenberg's case, which will be determined in a non-jury trial in the US Court of Federal Claims, is reportedly being bankrolled by some of Wall Street's biggest names, including Ken Langone, former head of the New York Stock Exchange, and J. Christopher Flowers, who runs his own private-equity company.

Greenberg and other critics argue that the rescue of AIG was really another bank bailout. AIG was on the hook for billions in claims owed to Goldman and other banks that had bought insurance to cover bad financial bets.

If it had collapsed, the banks would not have gotten paid.

"Letting AIG fail seemed like a formula for a second Great Depression," Geithner wrote in his book. "It was essential we do everything in our power to try to avoid that."

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This week’s TV watch list: From a ‘Manhattan love story’ to murder

"Manhattan Love Story"

Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. on ABC

A young couple (Analeigh Tipton and Jake McDorman) navigates the complicated terrain of a modern-day relationship in this new rom-com that highlights the differences of men and women in dating through voiceovers revealing their inner thoughts.

"Stalker"

Wednesday at 10 p.m. on CBS

Maggie Q ("Nikita") and Dylan McDermott ("American Horror Story") star as detectives at the Threat Assessment Unit of the LAPD who delve into the minds of stalkers to protect their targets from future incidents in this new psychological thriller from Kevin Williamson ("The Following," "The Vampire Diaries").

Dylan McDermott, left, and Maggie Q star in "Stalker."Photo: Richard Cartwright/CBS

"Gracepoint"

Thursday at 9 p.m. on Fox

The BBC drama "Broadchurch" gets a 10-episode American adaptation with David Tennant reprising his role as Det. Emmett Carver, who leads the police investigation when a young boy is murdered in a small seaside town. Anna Gunn ("Breaking Bad") co-stars as his partner Det. Ellie Miller.

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Who cares who died on ‘The Simpsons’ season premiere?

It should come as no surprise that the much-ballyhooed decision to kill off an important character in Springfield on the first episode of the 26th season turned out to be a lame play for attention by a show desperate to stay relevant. Because the person who died was not Homer, Sideshow Bob, Grandpa or Krusty the Clown as some had guessed but … Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky. Who?

Rabbi Hyman KrustofskyPhoto: Facebook

It's Krusty's father, voiced by comedian Jackie Mason. You may or may not remember him, since he made nine, mostly minor, appearances on the show. Only four of those were voiced by Mason and only one of which was in the show's golden era in the 90s.

His death isn't exactly an "Itchy and Scratchy" bloodbath either: after Krusty suffers through a brutal Comedy Central-style roast (featuring real-life roasters Jeff Ross and Sarah Silverman), he visits his father to get parental approval for his comedy. After telling Krusty he finds his humor very "eh," the rabbi dies, sitting at his desk. And, boom, that's it, he's off to yellow heaven with Bleeding Gums Murphy and Maude Flanders.

The episode tries desperately to milk this moment for some kind of emotional resonance with viewers, but the pathos udders are painfully dry. After the rabbi's death, Lisa becomes fraught with paranoia that her own father, with his non-stop donut and Duff consumption, is in danger of dying. But instead of pulling out a humorously poignant moment (remember when Homer's mother had to run away in Season 7?) the writers went slapstick, having her encase Homer in bubblewrap in the case he should get hit by a bus or something.

Krusty spends most of the episode trying to reconcile with his father's disappointment and the climax — where Krusty discovers a rabbi his father admired maybe stole some of Krusty's lame jokes, I guess? — leaves you feeling kind of "eh" yourself.

It does lead to one of the episode's actually funny moments, when he hallucinates Jewish heaven, with a Joe Lieberman presidential library and "free egg cream" day at Ebbets Field, where the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants are still playing. But compare this to the mortality gut check that Lisa got when Bleeding Gums Murphy died in Season 6, and Krustofsky's death seems like a pointless plea for attention.

The show's writers opened with an oh-we're-so-clever moment by having Bart write on the chalkboard "Spoiler alert: unfortunately my dad doesn't die." Then it goes into a couch gag scene by Oscar-nominated artist Don Hertzfeldt that is both overly long and perhaps one of the strangest in the show's history, reimagining the Simpson family as distorted microbial blobs from the future.

Kelsey Grammer makes a brief cameo as the murderous Sideshow Bob but strangely, David Hyde Pierce, Grammer's co-star from "Frasier" who played Sideshow Bob's brother in a classic episode from Season 7, also appears, though he's playing himself.

No one expects much of a creativity payoff from this long-running sitcom, but even the 1999 death of Maude Flanders — a frequent but largely unremarkable presence on the show — felt like it was worth the build up, as we watched Ned Flanders deal with life when it's not so okely dokely.
So next time "The Simpsons" tries to get your attention by killing off a major character, you can simply shake your head and say "eh."

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Bad news for Russia: Dollar has been trading at a 4-year high

In Manhattan, it was a week of traffic gridlock, as President Obama tried to rally the world against ISIS.

In Syria, it was a week of shell-shock, as US F-15s and F-16s criss-crossed the nighttime skies.

And in currency trading rooms around the world, it was a week of the greenback, as the once-almighty US dollar cemented its comeback as the world's go-to investment.

As of Friday, the dollar was trading at a four-year high against a basket of world currencies, capping a 10-week winning streak not seen since Richard Nixon was in the White House and "The Godfather" won the Oscar.

That is bad news for ISIS, which is trying to fund its diabolical caliphate with petro-dollars. It is also Russian President Vladimir Putin's worst nightmare.

That's because Putin's expansionist ambitions are fueled by oil, and as the dollar goes up, oil prices come down.

Worse still for Putin, the dollar's gains have been most impressive against the Russian ruble. In fact, the Russian currency is off nearly 20 percent against the dollar this year.

This is all great news for American drivers and homeowners as we head into the winter heating oil season. "The US dollar is king," wrote economist David Rosenberg in a letter to clients last week.

The one caveat to King Dollar is its effect on US stocks. Equities in general are not a fan of dollar strength, since it damps blue- chip profits.

Big American multinational companies such as Exxon, GE, Ford and IBM, which get more than 40 percent of their sales from overseas, will come under earnings pressure — as the stock market forecast this week.

Here in the US, the resurgent greenback will help keep inflation at bay.

Yes, right now the US is the only game in town, and the rapid advance of the almighty dollar will probably turn out to be the dominant investment theme of 2014.

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Montero makes his case for spot in 2015 rotation in Mets’ win

Jacob deGrom was skipped in what was to be his final start of the season, but fellow rookie Rafael Montero did a decent impersonation in his place.

Taking the mound instead of the NL Rookie of the Year front-runner, Montero allowed just one run over 5 ¹/₃ innings and struck out six, but the Mets' spot starter received a no-decision, with the offense producing just three hits until Lucas Duda's two-out walk-off home run in the ninth inning in a 2-1 win over the Astros on Saturday night at Citi Field.

With deGrom's season capped at 178 ²/₃ innings, Montero made his eighth career start and first since Sept. 10, allowing six hits and two walks.

The 23-year-old opened the game with five shutout innings before allowing a one-out RBI double to Jason Castro in the sixth inning then was pulled, having thrown 91 pitches, with 56 strikes.

Incredibly, it was just over four months ago, as Mets fans anticipated the seemingly inevitable call-up of Noah Syndegaard, the team made two less-heralded additions by bringing up Montero and deGrom up on May 12.

Jenrry Mejia's time as a starter had come to an end as Montero stepped into the rotation and deGrom headed for the bullpen, with general manager Sandy Alderson just wanting to give the latter a "little taste of what it is to be in the big leagues."

Then, deGrom filled in for an injured Dillon Gee and became the lasting legacy of the season, likely solidifying his spot in the rotation for years to come, while Montero spent the majority of the season in the minors.

Next season, an already crowded and competitive rotation — including deGrom, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee and Bartolo Colon — could become cloudier with Montero competing for a spot. Manager Terry Collins said Saturday that though the right-hander could end up in the bullpen, the team is keeping an open mind about what makes the most sense for Montero and the Mets.

"I think that'll be determined in time," Collins said. "Right now, because of what we're looking at, he's going to go to spring training most likely as a starting pitching candidate and then we'll make the determination in spring training where he best fits. When we get into camp, we're certainly going to give him some looks in the bullpen, but we have to make sure we have some depth in the rotation as far as that's concerned.

If at the end of spring training, we think he's a good option out of the bullpen, we'll make that adjustment."

Montero made two relief appearances this season, pitching a combined 1 ¹/₃ innings and allowing one run, two hits and two walks, while registering two strikeouts. He finished the season 1-4 with a 4.06 ERA, allowing just one run over his final two starts.

If the Mets believe Montero will be most effective as a starter, he might even begin next season at Triple-A Las Vegas.

"You got to look at where he can help us the most, where he can make us better," Collins said. "That determination will be made later on. If he's our best option to give us the quality bullpen we think we need, he'll be in that mix. If it's, 'Hey, look, we got five guys here,' but he's the next closest guy to help us in the rotation, I imagine he'll stay there."

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Why Kerley sometimes feels he’s underrated as a receiver

Post columnist Steve Serby caught up with Jets receiver Jeremy Kerley for some Q&A ahead of the Gang Green's clash with the Lions on Sunday.

Q: New York is not for everybody. Do you enjoy playing in this market?
A: I do, I do. Not a lot of people can play on the big stage, a lot of guys freeze up, it's not for everybody. I love the bright lights. I love being under pressure. It's something that time and time again is getting more and more comfortable to me. It's fun to play in the big city. Sometimes I see it's just the people love you or they're not gonna like you. Your first impression is really the only one that you have so either you can win 'em, or you don't. If you don't win 'em, sometimes it's hard to get 'em back.

Q: Why do you think pressure doesn't bother you?
A: I put a lot of pressure on myself in life. There's other pressures out there that scare me a lot more than playing in front of 70,000 people on Sunday.

Q: Such as what?
A: Such as failing as a father. Not being successful for my family. Those are the pressures that you gotta live with for the rest of your life.

Q: Why do you think you're that way?
A: I don't think I've seen a lot of successful fathers growing up … very successful relationship marriages, just families growing up. Sports has always been like a getaway for me. It turned into fun, it didn't turn into a worry for me, it was nothing I ever worried about. There was never any pressure. You get butterflies, don't get me wrong. But it's not something I was, "I can't make a mistake, I can't do this." … I think that kinda scared me into, when I first had kids, to be the best father I could be for them, and never fail or give them any opportunity to say that, "My dad wasn't there for me, or I didn't see him there, I didn't do that, I didn't do this."

Q: What was growing up like for you?
A: It was difficult for me a little bit. But everything that I seen and I went through made me into the person I am today.

Q: Difficult how?
A: I'll just say there were things that I wish that I had, there were things that I wish I didn't see that I did see. But, everything happens for a reason, so … I don't regret anything.

Q: Do you feel like you're either underrated as a receiver or under appreciated?
A: Sometimes. I just feel like I get labeled most of the time — labeled as, "Oh, you know, Jeremy's just a slot receiver." Or, I don't [get] credited for the all-around stuff that I do. But it kinda motivates me to prove myself just a little bit more. I can see myself as a guy that's underrated, but it's something that I probably wouldn't change, and I hope through my career, I kinda had that chip on my shoulder.

Q: You were a fifth-round pick. Do you think it was because of your size?
A: Nah, I don't necessarily think it's because of my size [5-foot-9, 188 pounds]. Randall Cobb, I don't know if he's too much taller than me [5-foot-10], too much heavier than me [192 pounds], but he was a second-round pick. I don't feel like I necessarily had that much of an opportunity to prove myself in college [at TCU]. Once again, I feel like I got labeled as a slot receiver. Also being in the offense that we ran, it primarily wasn't an NFL offense. The first time that I ever a route tree, let alone a comeback, was when I first got to the Senior Bowl.

Q: You're a free agent after this year. How does that motivate you?
A: I don't even think about it too much. I kinda see myself as a once-a-Jet-always-a-Jet type of guy. Hopefully my play talks for itself. Whatever happens at the end of the day, it happens. I have other motivations that carry me through my career. It just so happens that money isn't one of them.

Q: What are some of the other ones?
A: I'm just showing my kids that accountability and hard work can get you somewhere. Proving to myself time and time again that I can go out here and play this game, but anybody who's played this game for three or more years, they can tell you that each year after that, it's a little harder than the next, your body's not the same. You got younger guys coming in who, you know, feel a little bit better, or haven't wore out themself a little bit more than you have. It's different, so you gotta cherish the years that you're in here, so every year after Year 3 or Year 4, it's a commitment, not only to yourself but to your family, showing them that, "I'm in it for the long haul for y'all."

Q: Ideally, would you want to play your entire career with one team as Derek Jeter has?
A: Yeah, I mean, ideally. That would be the best thing so my family doesn't have to get up and switch from city to city, state to state. But, like I said, once a Jet, always a Jet, I would love to be a Jet. This is a place that I call home. All the coaching staff, and players and stuff, I see them as friends and family, so … I would always want to be a Jet.

Q: Who are some slot receivers you enjoy watching?
A: Victor Cruz is a good receiver, inside and outside. … Eddie Royal … but I wouldn't say necessarily it's a conscious guy I look up to. I kinda like outside receivers a little bit more.

Q: Who for instance?
A: Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, Cris Carter … obviously Jerry Rice.

Q: Describe Cruz's game for me.
A: I'd say it's similar to mine — quick receiver, real shifty … finesse receiver, route-runner. He's not just a good receiver, he's a good route-runner. A lot of guys are perceived as good receivers, and they're good with the ball in their hands, and good against separation. But not a lot of guys are good route-runners. I see him as a guy that can run a route tree and make it look pretty good.

Jeremy KerleyPhoto: Paul J. Bereswill

Q: How would you grade yourself as a route runner?
A: I would grade myself as a pretty good route-runner, that's something I take pride in. [Jets wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal] is always on me about it, so give credit to him, he's helped me a lot. I'm a guy that never really played receiver until I got to college.

Q: Describe Eric Decker.
A: He's a guy that can gain separation. I didn't watch too much on him when he was with Denver, but when he got here, I got to see him progress as a route runner over the month that I've been with him. He catches the ball well. He gets along with the coaching staff and guys in the building and guys in the locker room, so he's a good player.

Q: What is the major area of growth you've seen in Geno Smith?
A: Just poise and his ability to communicate, get information in and out to guys where they need to be. In the past, I don't think communication was a strong suit for Geno, or for us, myself included. But two years, under the same coordinator, same system, during the game, the way that he's able to communicate and get guys in the right places and doing the things that he wants them to do instead of kinda guessing and second- guessing himself — he definitely took that part out of his game. He's showing a lot of poise, a lot of leadership.

Q: What sense do you have for how he's handled the presence of Michael Vick?
A: I think he's handled it pretty good. We treat Michael Vick as one of those guys that's a coach on the field with you. I'm assuming he'll go down as one of the best to do it, Hall-of-Fame type guy. For him to be in the same meeting rooms with Geno, I think it only helps him.

Q: Rookie safety Calvin Pryor, how good is he going to be?
A: Calvin Pryor's gonna be a potential Hall of Famer. Good instincts, good speed.

Q: What are your thoughts about the AFC East?
A: I feel like the AFC East is definitely more competitive this year.

Q: Do you think the division is up for grabs?
A: Yeah, I think so. Hopefully we grab it.

Q: Have you thought about playing against Darrelle Revis?
A: I hope I get a chance to go against him. Who wouldn't want to play against one of the best?

Q: How would you describe your recent touchdown dance?
A: Flawless.

Q: How did you decide on it?
A: I'm always clowning, I'm always doing something to make people laugh.

Q: Do you like New York City?
A: To tell you the truth, I really wasn't a fan starting off. I guess it was because I was homesick or whatever, but it's grown on me over the years. This is a place that I kinda call home. I get a lot of love out here, so the people made it kinda easy for me to adjust.

Q: Favorite New York City things.
A: Going into Ripley's Believe It Or Not with the kids, showing them all kind of crazy stuff. Obviously the food … but I try to stay out of Manhattan. Most of the time I try to go to Brooklyn, and just enjoy downtown and walk around.

Q: What part of Brooklyn?
A: Right by Barclays.

Q: Did you go to Nets games?
A: Yeah, I've been to a couple of 'em.

Q: Do you like the Knicks?
A: I haven't been to a game, so I can't say I'm a huge fan of the Knicks. I haven't been to the Garden.

Q: Are you still holding onto the hope to pursue a baseball career?
A: Somewhat, man, but I'm getting a little older, so (chuckle) I don't know if my body is the same as it was three or four years ago. Baseball was my first love, so it's always something I think about.

Q: You were a center fielder?
A: Yeah, I played everywhere, man — center field, pitcher, shortstop, everywhere.

Q: Your oldest child is 5. Is he a football fan?
A: Yeah. … He's a Daddy fan.

Q: Describe him.
A: He has a big heart just like me. A lot of energy, man, always doing something, always running around, always trying to be involved in something. Really a country boy, so kinda gets closed in up here in the city [New Jersey], he can't run wild like.

Q: Your next oldest?
A: The next one is 18 months.

Q: The youngest?
A: Seven months.

Q: How has fatherhood affected you or changed your life?
A: I think it put a lot of things in perspective for me. It's beautiful. It's a good thing coming home and seeing those faces and them seeing my face.

Q: Describe Jets fans.
A: They're definitely sincere … emotional … and they want to see good football. You don't want fans that come out and blow smoke up you, and give you false hope. They tell it how it is, and they want to see good football. They're loyal fans so, that's kinda what you want to see out of your fans.

Q: How would you describe your fashion style?
A: I'll wear anything from suspenders to overalls to long johns. … I'm different when it comes to fashion.

Q: You have a unique style, you mean?
A: Very unique.

Q: Do you have a favorite place to shop?
A: Can't tell the world that!

Q: What's your favorite Jets highlight?
A: Probably the opening day punt return against Buffalo [2012]. It was a momentum changer. I think it was a packed crowd, man, I just looked up into the stands, everybody was going crazy with it. That was just one point in my career I probably will never forget.

Q: Did you watch Jeter's last game at Yankee Stadium?
A: I just watched the highlights.

Q: What would be your retirement final game fantasy?
A: I guess it would be catching a winning touchdown … the Super Bowl, obviously. That'd be ideal.

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9 reasons the Mets will be much better next season

The pain ends today.

Yes, the Mets beat the Astros 2-1 Saturday night in dramatic fashion at Citi Field, when Lucas Duda lined a two-run, two-out, walk-off home run in the ninth inning with his parents in attendance from Southern California.

"What a blessing,'' Eleanor Duda told The Post, noting she was filming the at-bat when her son lined the ball down the right-field line.

It's a nice story, but doesn't detract from this season's failure.

Here are nine reasons, one for each position, to believe the Mets will be better in 2015 than they were this 78-83 season, their sixth straight season finishing well under .500, their eighth straight season not making it to the postseason, their 28th straight season not winning the World Series.

1. Starting pitching

Next season it all starts 60 feet, 6 inches away with starting pitching. Jacob deGrom was the find of the year. His coolness under fire is what the rotation needs to push Matt Harvey. Zack Wheeler is only getting better. A little more fastball command will put him over the top.

Those upset with Harvey being at Yankee Stadium to say goodbye to Derek Jeter, get over it. Harvey has a winning passion. It doesn't hurt to show respect to the Yankees shortstop. If more Mets had that kind of winning passion, those losing years would not have been as lengthy.

Harvey gives the Mets a backbone. Bartolo Colon won 14 games. With more young arms developing like lefty Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard, this rotation will be fun to watch.

2. David Wright

Wright must become a feared hitter again. He batted .269 with a career-low in home runs (eight) and OPS (.698). A healthy shoulder will help.

3. Fewer Ks

The Mets need to cut down strikeouts. Wright struck out 113 times. The Mets as an organization have to realize that putting the ball in play is more important than ever. Curtis Granderson owns 141 Ks while Duda is at 134. Duda leads the team with 88 RBIs and 29 home runs and without the Ike Davis sideshow, Duda should be in a much better place as a hitter heading into spring training. Daniel Murphy had another solid season and his bat has trade value. Dilson Herrera is on the move.

4. Joy division

The NL East works in the Mets favor. Only the Nationals are any good. The rest of the division stinks. Battle Washington and clean up on the rest and the Mets will be in a good place.

5. An actual bullpen

A bullpen without retreads is a successful bullpen. The Mets made the mistake the last few seasons bringing in relievers who were well past their prime. The number of games lost by those broken-down arms cost the Mets dearly, especially early in the season. Losing the lead late in games crushes a team. Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia give Terry Collins arms to work with at the end of games, and when Familia learns to elevate his fastball at key moments, he will be a force.

6. Improved shortstop

There must be a consistent shortstop on this team in 2015. Ruben Tejada needs a change of venue. It's been an issue for years. The Mets finally realize that.

7. Raised expectations

Sandy's proclamations. Once Sandy Alderson's challenge of 90 wins became another Mets sideshow, it was not a good thing, but trying to raise expectations within was a good thing, and in 2015, winning is expected from the beginning. Alderson doesn't have to put a number on it this time — there is one letter, not number, that matters — W. If the Mets don't win, the buck stops with Collins and Alderson. It's cut and dry from the first pitch of the season.

8. Catching on

Catcher Travis d'Arnaud is reaching his mighty potential. D'Arnaud came to the realization he shouldn't try to guide the ball with his swing. Let it rip.

9. Better Citi

The fences are coming in a bit, again. Every foot closer to the plate helps in a ballpark that destroys a hitter's confidence. The Mets are inching closer to success, but major strides on offense must be made.

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Capital access hard to find for Latino business owners

The credit crunch is still crimping a full recovery, choking New York's minority small-business owners, the city's cash-strapped Latino entrepreneurs and analysts say.

While big banks have started to open up the small-lending spigots again — as the worst of the Great Recession slowly recedes — the results show a glaring deficit.

Small businesses owned by Hispanics in New York City are falling behind, receiving less financing than their non-Hispanics counterparts, according to an analysis of lending data.

Diana Gonzalez of Queens knows the feeling. The 31-year-old native of Ecuador, who arrived in New York at age 19, was in knots as one big bank after another turned down her loan application so she and her sister, Ruth Segarra, 35, could expand their businesses — a carpeting and flooring company in Woodside and a retail shoe store in Jackson Heights.

"It was very frustrating," Gonzalez told The Post of their recent experience. "We went to a lot of places, but the big banks just did not lend — period. It was tough." The two sisters eventually organized funding of $75,000 from a non-traditional lender, with an additional $25,000 in the pipeline. Gonzalez says other small-business owners in the Latino community face the same challenge.

The reason? Although there's evidence of lending bias, analysts also blame the tendency of small Hispanic businesses to concentrate in less-dynamic, less-formal and less-profitable sectors that degrade credit scores compared with other ethnic groups who've embraced high-tech, e-commerce and other innovative fields.

"Even when the age of a business — how long a company has been in operation — was the same, the average revenue and credit scores for Latino-owned companies were often lower than those of non-Latino businesses," according to small-business expert Rohit Arora, CEO of Biz2Credit, which recently conducted an analysis of small-business loan applications.

"The result is that Latino entrepreneurs face greater scrutiny from banks and often have to turn to alternative lenders that charge much higher interest rates," Arora added.

The findings reflect a national trend. An analysis of lending by the government-sponsored Small Business Administration shows approvals to minority-owned businesses operated by Asians and women climbing rapidly during the past five years.

However, lending to African Americans has sharply declined to the low single digits — and stalled in the low single digits for Latinos.

Meanwhile, small-business loan approval rates nationwide at big banks hit a post-recession high in August for the third consecutive month, according to the latest data from the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index.

The number of Latino businesses in NYC has nearly doubled since the late '90s to more than 140,000 in recent years — and account for 15 percent or more of businesses in the city.

Between their Austro Carpets in Woodside and Emes NY shoe store in Jackson Heights, sisters Gonzalez and Segarra nowemploy about 12 people. Annual revenue at Austro is $1.5 million.

Access to capital is a critical part of success. A business needs it to fuel growth, according to Gonzalez.

"We thought obtaining a loan would have been easier, but it just didn't turn out like that," she said.

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Citi gets OK to make Argentina bond payments

Citibank's fears of imminent disaster in Argentina have been averted — at least until the end of December.

Manhattan federal judge Thomas Griesa on Friday agreed to stay his earlier order that would have prevented the bank from making Sept. 30 payments on Argentina's bonds.

Citibank said withholding the money would violate Argentine law and could lead the bank to lose its license in the South American country. Citi has been in Argentina for more than 100 years and has a vast retail banking presence there.

The dispute over $8 billion of Argentine local law bonds is just part of the complex battle raging between Argentina and a holdout group of creditors led by Paul Singer.

Argentina's refusal to pay the Singer group after exhausting its legal avenues in the US has led the country to default on a much bigger group of bonds. To get around the US courts, the country passed a law that will allow those bondholders to exchange their debt for local bonds.

Letting Citi's local Argentine law bonds off the hook "would open the door for Argentina to seek other evasions," said Ted Olson, Singer's lead lawyer and a former solicitor general.

Griesa said he was not concerned about repercussions — only the law. While he stopped short of lifting his injunction against Citi, he seemed to be having second thoughts about his earlier order.

"There was not the kind of full briefing we're having now," said Griesa.

His remark came after Citibank lawyer Karen Wagner detailed why the Argentine law bonds should be exempt from his broad order forcing Argentina to pay the Singer group each time it makes payments to exchange bondholders.

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Why you should believe in these Giants

The Giants have turned NFL opinions about them upside down and inside out. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why they are suddenly in play and have a chance to make some good old-fashioned noise and be a legitimate contender again:

Eli Manning

It always starts with the franchise quarterback, who over the last two weeks has played at an elite level. His indefatigable preparation in a short week gave him an undeniable advantage over the Redskins' Kirk Cousins. Manning looked lost in Ben McAdoo's West Coast offense at the start of the season; now he looks as if he could operate it with his eyes closed.

Any concerns over McAdoo being a first-time play-caller have dissipated. He and Manning are two bodies, one mind. Over the past three weeks, Manning is 75-for-106 with eight touchdowns and three interceptions (one in the last two weeks, and a fluky one at that).

"There isn't any doubt that he is growing in confidence in the system and how it can be utilized," coach Tom Coughlin said.

Rueben Randle is stepping up, finally, and Victor Cruz is getting open in space out of multiple alignments.

"You could see the progression in our offense and it was just a matter of when it was going to happen," Cruz said.

Explosive wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the No. 1 draft pick, may finally be ready to show why he is made for this offense.

"It's a ton of fun to be able to be able to run all different types of routes, and catch the ball at different parts of the field, different areas of the field," Cruz said.

Tom Coughlin

Read the pulse of his team perfectly, keeping the players loose with music in practice before the critical Week 3 game with the Texans, then challenging his team to show him the will to prepare in the short week before the demolition of the Redskins.

"I thought the players focused well last week," Coughlin said. "We've got to continue that attitude about having a chip on our shoulder and having a lot to prove."

Larry Donnell

A star was born on Thursday night, with three TD catches.

The raw, 6-foot-6 tight end has changed the complexion of the offense with his basketball athleticism.

"I think when Larry Donnell started to come to fruition and catch the ball well and make the plays for us, I think that's when things kind of shifted and things went in our way a little bit," Cruz said. "So it was definitely something that we needed to happen, someone to step up and make some big plays, and Larry's done that for us."

The offensive line

If this unit had played last season the way it has played the last two weeks, Manning wouldn't have thrown 27 interceptions, John Mara wouldn't have called the offense broken and Kevin Gilbride might not have "retired." Left tackle Will Beatty is growing in confidence following his recovery from a broken leg and tenacious rookie left guard Weston Richburg could be the next Chris Snee.

One week, Rashad Jennings rushes for 176 yards, the next week Manning can film a new Football On Your Phone video while standing upright surveying the field.

The camaraderie and pride among the group is growing.

"We've played this one group together for a few weeks, and they've experienced a little bit of success a week ago, and that has done a lot for them," Coughlin said.

The defense

The pass rushers are having fun hunting, and even with Walter Thurmond III lost for the season, there is impressive playmaking depth (Trumaine McBride, Zach Bowman, Quintin Demps) in a secondary anchored by corners Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Prince Amukamara and Antrel Rolle. What a difference six takeaways can make.

"The pressure is definitely getting there," Amukamara said. "When you have guys in the quarterback's face or are just moving the quarterback around, that helps us as a secondary. When we hold our guys in good coverage it allows the defensive line to get more sacks. We definitely play hand-in-hand."

It is beginning to look as if we will have ourselves a race in the NFC East.

"For a couple of weeks we're told that we're not very good, etcetera, etcetera," Coughlin said, "and we don't believe that."

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New York Fed president criticized for ignoring flaws

After blasting big banks for their rotten culture, New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley can no longer ignore the stench emanating from his own bank.

Dudley, 61, came under fire on Friday after secretly recorded audio tapes emerged that purportedly show how the New York Fed is far too cozy with the financial institutions it is supposed to oversee.

Dudley, a former Goldman Sachs partner who was tapped to lead the New York Fed in 2009, has called on big banks to overhaul their culture while turning a blind eye to his institution's own flaws, critics say.

"He's basically putting it on the banks to be more ethical," one former top regulator told The Post.

"I would say, what about you? This is the pot calling the kettle black."

Last year, Dudley said in a speech that some banks have an "apparent lack of respect for law, regulation and the public trust."

He went so far as to suggest that Wall Street firms needed to clean house and that more than just a few bad actors were to blame for the excesses that led to the financial crisis.

"There is evidence of deep-seated cultural and ethical failures at many large financial institutions," Dudley said.

Next month, the bank overseer will host a workshop on "reforming culture and behavior" on Wall Street that will attract bigwigs like Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman and the Securities and Exchange Commission's top enforcer, Andrew Ceresney.

Dudley's tough talk on the banks stands in stark contrast to the audio recordings that surfaced on Friday.

The 46 hours of tapes were recorded by Carmen Segarra, a former New York Fed bank examiner who claims that her colleagues were afraid to push back against Goldman even on a deal they privately referred to as "shady."

The Segarra tapes — which haven't been released in full — amount to a WikiLeaks-type dump of information on powerful financial institutions and the financial regulators that are supposed to keep them in check.

The New York Fed — the most powerful of the regional Fed banks and the one with the most Wall Street contact — embeds its own examiners inside the institutions its regulates as opposed to bringing in outside lawyers to determine whether banks are playing by the rules.

Excerpts of the Segarra tapes, obtained by National Public Radio and ProPublica, paint a picture of deferential financial cops fretting about being too hard on banks and keeping embarrassing comments from Goldman execs out of meeting minutes.

Both the New York Fed and Goldman deny the allegations and claim that Segarra, who sued for wrongful termination, was fired for poor performance.

"The New York Fed categorically rejects the allegations being made about the integrity of its supervision of financial institutions," it said in a statement. "The New York Fed works diligently to execute its supervisory authority in a manner that is most effective in promoting the safety and soundness of the financial institutions it is charged with supervising."

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Hazzard’s hiring will help boxing and MMA thrive in Atlantic City

Larry Hazzard is back as the commissioner of the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, and you can expect the same outspoken, no-nonsense regulator who governed the department from 1985 until November 2007, when he was unceremoniously fired.

"I am who I am," said Hazzard, who returned to his office last week, replacing Aaron Davis, who had succeeded him. "My style and the things that I've done have earned me recognition in the highest place of honor and that's the International Boxing Hall of Fame. That being said, I don't intend to change. The Larry Hazzard you knew in the past is the Larry Hazzard you're going to get again. I am who I am. I'm no phony."

That's a good thing because Hazzard, 69, is also a visionary and an innovator and a protector of fighters. A three-time New Jersey Golden Gloves Champion in his youth, the Newark native was also a referee for more than 40 world title fights before becoming commissioner. During his tenure as head of the regulatory agency, he established the most comprehensive set of combat sports regulations in the nation. They included the unified rules that have been universal in both boxing and mixed martial arts.

Despite his decorated tenure, Hazzard was essentially fired by then Attorney General Anne Milgram in a messy split that resulted in Hazzard claiming his dismissal was in retaliation for exposing shady practices by others within the commission.

He has remained visible within the boxing community, serving as chairman of officials for the International Boxing Federation. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Class of 2010 that also featured Mike Tyson.

Hazzard's profile, experience and connections should be assets in using boxing and MMA events to help revitalize Atlantic City. Hazzard was the commissioner in what he called "the glory days," when fights featuring Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes, George Foreman and Arturo Gatti filled casinos and arenas. He's also the holder of a black belt in jujitsu and pushed New Jersey to be one of the first states to openly embrace MMA. He's hoping to use his influence to help restore Atlantic City as a major boxing and MMA venue.

"I'm still in the process of doing a little survey of what's been going on," Hazzard said. "I do think there needs to be a great deal more involvement by casino entrepreneurs in the major events taking place in Atlantic City. From the commission perspective, we have to make sure the boxing and MMA communities understand that New Jersey is a combative-sports-friendly place to do business. If we concentrate on those two areas, I think you'll see a vast improvement."

Hazzard has wasted no time in adding a bit of intrigue to the first major bout he'll oversee. Light heavyweight champions Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev meet Nov. 8 at Boardwalk Hall. Hazzard told The Post he'll make instant replay available for use if there are questions about how cuts were created, illegal blows or other questionable actions. Hazzard first promoted the use of instant replay in boxing in 2005.

"It can be used in any situation that would have an impact on the final outcome of the bout," Hazzard said. "We can review it at the referee's request or the administrator's request."

Hazzard's reappointment by Gov. Chris Christie came as a surprise to some, but is being applauded by most.

"God is still in the business of doing good things for people," Hazzard said. "I'm elated. I thank the governor for giving me this opportunity again to impact the sport of boxing, which I love so much. This is something I don't take lightly."

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Starboard wants a Yahoo-AOL merger

Starboard Value is a hedge fund on the prowl.

On Friday, less than 24 hours after receiving key proxy endorsements in its longstanding quest to oust the board at Darden Restaurants, the activist investor sank its teeth into Yahoo!

And it's not likely to let go, a source told the Post, until the Marissa Mayer-led company succumbs to Starboard's recommendation that it merge with AOL.

Starboard managing director Jeff Smith laid out his plans in a 2,500-word letter to Mayer that, in addition to advising an AOL hook-up, recommends Yahoo! cut expenses, shake its acquisition habit and monetize its 15 percent stake in Alibaba and 35.5 percent stake in Yahoo! Japan.

Smith also let it be known — even though out of the office in observance of Rosh Hashanah — that his fund was already "a significant" Yahoo! shareholder.

"Yahoo!'s remaining stake in Alibaba is currently worth more than the entire enterprise value of Yahoo!," he wrote. With Yahoo! Japan thrown into the mix, Smith asserted Starboard's plan would goose Yahoo!'s stock by $11 per share.
Mayer said only that the company would review the letter.

News of Starboard's interest in Yahoo! sent its stock up 4.4 percent in Friday trading, to close at $40.66 per share. AOL shares also got a bump, rising 3.7 percent, to close at $44.55.

Part of AOL's rise can be attributed to Starboard's intimate knowledge of AOL — a company Smith believes could deliver up to $1 billion in synergies if combined with Yahoo!

Smith sent a letter to AOL in December 2011, similar to the one Yahoo! received on Friday. His AOL epistle kicked off a bruising battle that had Smith going mano a mano with AOL CEO Tim Armstrong for the next half year.

Although Armstrong finally escaped Starboard's clutches, he did so mostly by executing on the directives dispensed by Smith.

"Starboard got everything it wanted but the proxy vote," said a source close to that earlier battler.

Mayer has also managed to shut down another activist's campaign. She bought back the stake held by Third Point's Dan Loeb after he orchestrated her arrival as Yahoo! CEO in July 2012.

Starboard is expected to be more persistent.

"It's true they don't have a holding period set for any of their investments," says the source close to Starboard's struggle with AOL. "It would be unusual, though, for them to pump and dump. It's not their M.O."

This isn't the first time an AOL-Yahoo! combination has captured imaginations.

In July, at Allen & Co.'s annual mogulfest, Armstrong and Mayer sparked speculation of a tie-up by having a "deep conversation" late at night in a Sun Valley, Idaho, bar.

The cognoscenti eventually determined such a merger was a no-go — AOL wasn't cool enough for glamorous Mayer, sniffed one investor at the time — but Mayer's coolness factor has since begun to fade.

"The idea isn't to create a great company [by merging Yahoo! and AOL]. It's to create a better company," said a source familiar with Starboard's current thinking.

And before this battle is over, he adds, investors will hear time and again how if Yahoo! and AOL are left to themselves "they will ultimately struggle."

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Media newsletter folds after 67 years

Media Industry Newsletter, which has been chronicling the ad page performance of the magazine industry for 67 years through its boxscores said that last Monday's edition was the final version.

MIN Editor-in-chief Steve Cohn said publishers were being discouraged from turning over their numbers as the Magazine Publishers of America gets ready to unveil a new way of calibrating the industry's performance.

Mary Berner, the head of MPA, the Association of Magazine Media, has been making the rounds to publishers in recent weeks to hype a new way of capturing the many platforms where magazines are selling.

Although most magazine media still count on their print editions for the bulk of revenue, the print side has been in steady decline. The much smaller digital side has been growing double digits.

In the farewell note, MIN editors wrote, "The September 29 MIN will debut a new box score ….

"To borrow the famous line from Desi Arnaz in 'I Love Lucy,' there will be plenty of 'splainin' to do, but we are confident that the new data will be a valued reference."

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Jets are Lion kings

The Jets-Lions game has some of the same handicapping elements as last week's Giants-Texans game.

The Giants came in having lost two in a row, the second of those at home. Although their offense had shown some signs of coming around in a Week 2 loss to the Cardinals, there was a new, big injury (Jon Beason), and some seemingly bad matchups in store against the Texans, notably a suspect offensive line against J.J. Watt. The Giants not only won, they won big.

So here are the Jets, losers of two straight, the most recent at home to the Bears. They have an extremely iffy Eric Decker (hamstring) and a nightmare of a matchup with their cornerbacks up against Calvin Johnson, if he plays.

Even with the "Megatron" mismatch, this figures to be a defensive slog. The Lions are No.1 in the NFL with 244.3 yards per game allowed, while the Jets are No. 1 in the AFC at 268.3. The QBs actually have comparable numbers: Matthew Stafford has 883 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions and Geno Smith is 713-3-4. The Jets have an edge on the ground, with Chris Ivory averaging 5.7 yards per carry to Joique Bell's 3.0

But this selection comes down to urgency, and it was encouraging to hear Rex Ryan say that word and embrace that feeling this week. With the Chargers, Broncos and Patriots lined up ahead, Ryan knows he can't let this season get to 1-3. He will throw he everything he can dream up at the Lions to try to win this game.

The pick: Jets +1 ¹/₂ .

Raiders (+4) over Dolphins (at London): The Dolphins have urgency, too, with two losses after their stunning win over the Patriots. But this spread seems a bit much on a neutral field, especially with Knowshon Moreno not available to help struggling QB Ryan Tannehill. Impressed with rookie QB Derek Carr, though the numbers aren't there yet. He's covered the spread two of his first three.

Packers (-1¹/₂) over BEARS: Odd line considering the Bears have won two in a row and the Packers are 0-2 on the road by a combined 55-23. Here's why: Aaron Rodgers is 10-2 in his career against Chicago and has won his last seven, and the Bears are beat up in the secondary. Geno Smith couldn't take advantage but Rodgers will.

TEXANS (-3) over Bills: Wouldn't give many more than this, though, because the Texans' offense didn't look like much against the Giants with Arian Foster out and Andre Johnson gimpy. Those injury concerns remain.

COLTS (-7¹/₂) over Titans: OK, football mathematicians … How have the Titans been outscored 69-43 if they are plus-44 yards per game and plus-1 in turnovers? The Titans are sweating out Jake Locker's wrist injury. Meanwhile, the Colts are getting rolling, and know how to blow out suspect foes.

RAVENS (-3¹/₂) over Panthers: That was a telling loss on Sunday night to the Steelers. The Panthers couldn't stop the run, and didn't even try the zone-read option with Cam Newton because of his rib injury. And now the Ravens' Steve Smith, a Carolina legend, takes a shot at his old team.

STEELERS (-7¹/₂) over Buccaneers: Bucs will have had 10 days to think about their desultory 56-14 no-show in Atlanta. Maybe they should think about other careers. Somewhere, Greg Schiano is laughing his butt off. Pittsburgh isn't the place where bad teams go to get well.

CHARGERS (-13) over Jaguars: Loss of Danny Woodhead is huge for Chargers, who already were without Ryan Mathews. That leaves Donald Brown and his 2.0 yards per carry. That will hurt them against better defenses but not so much here. Qualcomm is a tough place for Blake Bortles to make his first start.

Eagles (+5) over 49ERS: Love the desperation angle, and the Niners certainly should be that, but it's hard to justify this hefty lay to the undefeated Eagles. Fun college rematch of Chip Kelly and Jim Harbaugh. Their two Oregon-Stanford meetings were 51-42 Harbaugh in 2009 and 52-31 Kelly in 2010.

Falcons (-3) over VIKINGS: Like Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater makes his first NFL start after a lengthy relief appearance. He's QBing a team whose leading rusher after three games has 95 yards, and plays wide receiver (Cordarelle Patterson). Just a hard task trying to keep up against a loaded Falcons offense.
COWBOYS (+3) over Saints: Cowboys in nice home-'dog role after big comeback win at St. Louis, where they trailed 21-0. Saints are 0-2 on the road this season already, losing at Atlanta and Cleveland.

MONDAY NIGHT

CHIEFS (+3¹/₂) over Patriots: Taking the other home underdog in prime time as well. Andy Reid is hoping to get Jamaal Charles back. Replacement Knile Davis had 132 yards and a touchdown in the win at Miami, and, Jets fans, did you notice Joe McKnight scored two TDs against the Dolphins? Like Alex Smith's patience and efficiency to keep the ball away from Tom Brady.

BEST BETS: Steelers, Eagles, Falcons.

LOCK OF THE WEEK: Steelers (Locks 2-1).

LAST WEEK: 10-6 overall, 3-0 Best Bets.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Giants.

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Hondo gets even!

Hondo not only brought his overall record to .500 by going 9-7 in Week 3, but also maintained his No. 1 status in the Best Bet penthouse, although he now has some unwanted company. Some people just don't know when to leave you alone.

Before delving into the whys and wherefores of Week 4, Mr. Aitch, on behalf of the rest of the Bettor's Guide, would like to congratulate Brian Costello for finally breaking into the Best Bet win column. Everyone was confident you could do it.

Jets over Lions: The red zone is the dead zone for the Jets. However, the road can be a load for the Lions. What to do? Well, it's like this: Gang Green is 0-2 so far on its six-week run of facing elite QBs. If they're going to break through against one of them, it will be against the weakest link, Stafford.

Not only that but Rex provided assurances Geno will improve: "I've seen him improve. I've seen him make huge improvements. I think he's going to continue to improve. I truly believe that." Rex would never say something he doesn't believe, so that's good enough for Hondo.

Bears over Packers: Dale Decker of Two Rivers, Wis., experiences as many as 100 orgasms a day because he's suffering from something called Persistent Genital Arousal Syndrome (PGAS). Assuming he's a Packers fan, chances are the number probably will drop into the mid-90s Sunday.

Decker complained of having an orgasm at the grocery store, but he may have been partially to blame for that one himself — he kept checking and rechecking the melons.

It's a rare condition but not unheard of, medical experts say. Bill Clinton had a similar affliction when he was in the White House, although his version was known as PPPGAS — President Peyronie's Persistent Genital Arousal Syndrome.

Texans over Bills: After listening to Jim Nantz's contentious interview with Mike Francesa, it's clear if Roger Goodell ever needs a hug he can always run to the open arms of Nantz.

In an obvious suckup to Goodell, Nantz stridently challenged Francesa's notion that it looks like the fix could be in on the so-called independent probe of the commissioner by former FBI chief Robert Mueller Jr., who works for a firm that does business with the NFL. Ranted Nantz: "I'm tired of a former FBI director being besmirched by people like you." Others are tired of Goodell being besmooched by people like Nantz.

Colts over Titans: Goodell didn't mention the NFL victims of domestic violence in his 45-minute dodge-ball game last Friday. He must be waiting for his committees and panels to advise him when to do that.

Ravens over Panthers: HondoNation props to Stuy High for being named the city's No. 1 high school. Rumor has it the students were so excited about the honor, they dressed even more provocatively this week for Slutty Wednesday.

Mayor de Blasio says he plans to lift the cell phone ban at city schools. That way parents will be able to stay in touch with their children throughout the day and the kiddies won't have to wait until after school to do their sexting.

Steelers over Bucs: More props … to the "Slip 'N' Slide," which was nominated for the Toy Hall of Fame. In a related story, the Nip 'N' Slip has been nominated for the Internet Hall of Fame. Other Internet honorees include: the Sideboob, the Underboob, the Wardrobe Malfunction and the Wag List.

Dolphins over Raiders: Goodell definitely wants the NFL's new personal conduct policy in place by next season when Jameis Winston enters the league. In fact, word is some standardized punishments already have been worked out. For example, it will be a two-game ban for stealing crab legs, and one game for stealing soda at a Burger King. However, if there are videos of the heists, add two games.

Coming next year on CBS — "NCIS: NFL."

Jaguars over Chargers: From Bob Fox, the crafty emailer: "I am SHOCKED to read Olbermann's comments about Jeter! Who knew Olbermann was still alive?"
A tribute to Jeter from BarkingMut of SoBe: "In ways that truly count, Derek Jeter retires on Sunday after 20 years of never having struck out."

Falcons over Vikings: The Vikings, who repeatedly vowed to "get it right" when it comes to dealing with the Adrian Peterson mess, still are selling Peterson memorabilia such as jerseys, bobbleheads, earrings, shot glasses. Apparently, in the Minnesota front office, "getting it right" means raking in some extra dough on the back of an alleged child abuser.

Eagles over 49ers: Obama reportedly is so upset about the latest breach in security at the White House he may change his home protection from the beleaguered Secret Service to a neighborhood watch.

Cowboys over Saints: Larry Flynt reportedly is considering taking Hustler public. If he's smart, he will cash in on the Alibaba buzz and rename his company Alibooba.

Chiefs over Patriots: The search has begun to replace Eric Holder, who Thursday announced his resignation as Attorney General. Applicants for the DOJ's top job must be willing to monitor reporters' phone calls and read their emails, enforce laws selectively, and conduct an allegedly impartial investigation of his department should any suspicion of impropriety arise.

BEST BETS: Jets, Texans, Steelers.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Giants.

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It’s no surprise Jeter’s final act in Bronx was a winning one

If you were paying attention, what you saw a fraction of inch before was a whole lot of space on the right side of the infield. Man on second, with speed, that's no such an unusual strategy. Unless you factor in the man standing at home plate.

And unless you remembered just how many of the first 3,462 base hits of Derek Jeter's career had gone in almost precisely that direction.

It had been seven years since Jeter had delivered a walk-off hit. And there seemed no way that he would end that streak. A few minutes earlier the Yankees held a 5-2 lead and the only question was this: would manager Joe Girardi take him out with one out or two outs, to the longest ovation in the short history of the new Yankee Stadium.

Before the game, Girardi has said: "Let it go through. Let the game take it's course. And we'll see what happens."

And he took that literally. Girardi never lifted him. And then the Orioles hit a pair of home runs, and suddenly it was 5-5, and the strangest thing happened then: out of muscle memory, the 48,613 people in stands started to boo. Until they realized something:

Until they realized Jeter was due up third in the bottom half.

The booing stopped then.

Now, one out, man on second, Jeter up, that big inviting hole on the right side of the infield … even before it happened, you knew it would happen. Even before the ball shot through to right field, you could see it shoot there, because you've seen it so many times. And so it was.

And so it happened.

And so his last act in The Bronx would be a winning one, almost a defiant one, the game-winning hit in the 81st home game of the year, a valedictory to end all valedictories. The run scored, the dog pile between first and second was on.

"All I ever wanted," he would say, "was to do my job."

And from the moment Antoan Richardson slid across home plate, then the joint began to jump, and rock, and shudder and shake. Louder and then louder still, crazy and then crazier still, 5 minutes and 16 seconds of sheer pandemonium that you still will feel in your bones in January.

Of course it had to end this way: no scripted ceremony, no fake plot. This is exactly how Jeter would have asked for it to end, even at the beginning, when he was still figuring out about himself, and about what mattered to him. Winning he said, at age 21: winning was what mattered most.

He walked in a winner, a World Series champion as a rookie.

And he would walk out that way, too. He graciously would congratulate the Orioles on winning the race that mattered most to him, but this would be just fine, too. The Orioles, just as graciously, stood on the top step, because when you're a part of a moment like this — even the foil — you want to enjoy it just as much.

The people weren't about to leave, of course. They stayed and they stood and they roared when Jeter went back out to shortstop and bent over to salute the sacred slice of dirt that had been his home, here and across the street, for 19 seasons. They stayed and they stood and they roared as he sought out his parents and his sister.

The stayed. They stood. They roared. It had been like this back in the first inning, when Jeter had hit a rocket that traveled 398 feet to Death Valley, colliding with the top of the fence, and if that had been it, if that had been all, that would've been enough. But of course there was more.

Of course three would be a ninth inning.

"It's the memories more than the mementos that I want to hold on to," Girardi had said before the game, in as prescient a statement as he possibly could have drafted. Seven hours later, there was a hole in the infield and a ball shooting through, and a career that Hollywood would adore was given its fitting conclusion … well, of course it ended that way.

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50 killed in terror attack: Chinese state media

BEIJING — Chinese state media reported Thursday that 50 people, including 40 assailants, were killed in a series of explosions over the weekend in the far western region of Xinjiang, in what officials called a severe terror attack.

Regional authorities had earlier said that the explosions Sunday in Luntai county killed at least two people and injured many others.

The news portal Tianshan Net said bombs exploded at two police stations, a produce market and a store. It said the attack killed two police officers, two police assistants and six bystanders, and that 54 others were injured. It said police took swift action and 40 assailants were either shot dead or died in explosions.

Police captured two attackers, and an investigation found that Maimaiti Tuerxun, a man who was fatally shot, was responsible for the attack, the news portal said. The official Xinhua News Agency spelled the man's name as Mamat Tursun. Names for people from the Uighur and other ethnic groups in China are sometimes transcribed differently in English.

Regional authorities were not available for comment Thursday night.

Ethnic tensions in Xinjiang, home of the Muslim Uighur minority group, have killed more than 300 people in the past year and a half. Chinese authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-influenced terrorists seeking a separate state. Many Muslim Uighurs bristle under Beijing's heavy-handed restrictions on their religious life and resent the influx of the Chinese Han majority into their homeland.

On Tuesday, a court gave a life sentence to a Uighur scholar who has criticized China's ethnic policies and sought to reduce tensions between Uighurs and the Han majority. The court found Ilham Tohti guilty of separatism, saying he incited ethnic hatred and instigated violence.

Authorities have also launched a one-year crackdown on terrorism in Xinjiang, and Chinese state media applauded Ilham Tohti's guilty verdict as a victory in that campaign.

Scholars and human rights advocates say the strike-hard campaign could further radicalize the Uighur people and result in more violence.

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Jeter in no mood to discuss whether he’ll play against Boston

On Tuesday, Derek Jeter left open the possibility he wouldn't play at Fenway Park this weekend. On Wednesday, Jeter didn't commit to participating in the three-game series against the Red Sox.

And manager Joe Girardi did the same, which increases the chances Thursday night's game against the Orioles will be the last of Jeter's Hall of Fame career.

"We just lost, man. Respect the fact that we just lost, we are not going to the playoffs. I can't think about Boston right now,'' Jeter said following a 9-5 loss to the Orioles Wednesday. "Right now I am disappointed, I can't tell you about Boston because I am not thinking about Boston.''

Asked if he discussed with Jeter what his plans are for the weekend, Girardi said he hadn't and would hope to chat with the shortstop sometime Thursday which is expected to be a very hectic day.

"I will try to get his ear, talk to him and see how he wants it to go,'' Girardi said.

As he did last year with Mariano Rivera, Girardi said he is going to leave the decision up to Jeter with the Yankees eliminated from the wild-card chase.

"I will leave that up to him, very similar with what I did for Mo,'' Girardi said of Jeter making the call to play or watch. "In my mind, I really thought Mo would want to play an inning in center field and it never happened. I will leave it up to Derek, I don't see why I would do it any different.''

Rivera opted not to pitch in any of the three final games in Houston last season.

---

The job of managing an aging superstar isn't easy and Girardi acknowledged that any move a manager makes — moving Jeter, 40, out of the No. 2 spot for instance — involves more than the player.

"I think sometimes people underestimate the things you do as a manager, how it affects the whole club,'' said Girardi, who never moved Jeter out of the second spot in the batting order. "There is a ripple effect in everything you do. You have to make sure they are together and you aren't putting the clubhouse in a bad place. The strength of the team is as a whole, not an individual.''

Girardi said he understood the attention on Jeter because of who he is, but mentioned Jeter was not the only Yankee to swing a dead bat at times this season.

"He had a slow April, pretty good May, pretty good June, pretty good July,'' Girardi said. "We had a lot of guys struggle in August and a lot of guys struggle in September. Look at our numbers in September and what a lot of the guys have done. You can move guys around. You can move a guy up who is hitting .200, it's replacing a guy who is hitting .220. Collectively as a group we have not hit as much as we thought we would.''

The Yankees are 0-for-2 attempting to get iconic players a World Series championship send-off.

"We wanted to take Mo out last year as a winner. We wanted to take Derek out as a winner but the fact is that very few players get to do that,'' Mark Teixeira said. "That's very tough to do. We tried our best.''

---

Through three innings, Shane Greene appeared to be on the way to a solid outing in his final appearance of the season. He retired the first seven O's and then left the bases loaded in the third by getting Adam Jones on a grounder to the left side.

But working in the fourth with a 3-0 lead thanks to an RBI double by Teixeira in the first, Stephen Drew's solo homer in the second and Chase Headley's solo blast in the third, Greene came apart.

Singles by Nelson Cruz and Steve Clevenger started the six-run fourth before Kelly Johnson drew a four-pitch, one-out walk to load the bases for Ryan Flaherty. His double to right scored two and after Caleb Joseph struck out, Nick Markakis' single to right plated two. David Lough's triple made it 5-3 and Jones' bunt single scored Lough for a three-run Orioles lead.

In his 14th big league start Greene gave up six runs, seven hits, walked three and fanned five. He finished 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA and certainly showed enough to be in the mix for a rotation spot when spring training opens in February.

---

The Yankees are 5-13 against the Orioles this year and have lost 11 of the last 14.

---

Outfielder Eury Perez entered Wednesday's game in the eighth inning and was the 58th player used by the Yankees this season, extending the franchise record.

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Astorino rips fellow GOPer Christie for appearing with Cuomo

There's war on the Hudson — within the Republican Party.

New York gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino ripped New Jersey Gov. and fellow GOPer Chris Christie Wednesday for appearing with rival Democratic Gov. Cuomo at a joint bistate security press conference at 7 World Trade Center — in the heat of an election campaign.

Astorino, the underdog, accused Christie of aiding Democrat Cuomo's re-election bid.

Christie, who is chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is supposed to help elect GOP candidates to head statehouses across the country — not undermine them, the Astorino camp said.

The election takes place Nov. 4.

"It's beyond us why Governor Christie would want to spend so much time with Andrew Cuomo, who is under investigation by federal prosecutors, got caught cheating on his property taxes and has an approval rating that plummeted to 42 percent," said Astorino spokeswoman Jessica Proud.

"Maybe he's having 2012 flashbacks, but someone should remind him he is chairman of the RGA, not the DGA."

The furor comes almost two years after Christie caught GOP heat for appearing with President Obama to survey damage along the Jersey Shore in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy — just days before the Democratic incumbent's re-election bid against Republican Mitt Romney. The move alienated many GOP leaders, but Christie defended the tour as helping his constituents.

Christie's office dismissed the friendly fire from Astorino, and appeared baffled by it.

"This is a serious task between neighboring states, which suffered the worst terrorist attack in modern history. He can't be serious," said Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak.

Cuomo spokesman Matt Wing responded: "Politicizing public safety during a period of increased terrorist activity abroad is irresponsible and reckless."

Christie, who was re-elected last year in a blue state and is eying a run for president, has stumped for other GOP gubernatorial hopefuls nationwide, but has not campaigned with Astorino, who is trailing Cuomo by double digits.

"We don't pay for landslides and we don't invest in lost causes," Christie said of Astorino in July.

At the time, Astorino said Christie should step down as RGA chief if he won't support his campaign against Cuomo.

The New York race is a tricky situation for Christie, who wants to woo Republicans nationally but has to work with Cuomo on bistate issues in their respective roles as governors. The two jointly oversee the Port Authority, for example.

At Wednesday's press conference, they announced there will be a surge of law enforcement and military personnel at area mass transit hubs — subways, PATH trains, and LIRR and Metro-North railroads — due to heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Cuomo and Christie on Wednesday signed a bi-state agreement to boost security to combat terrorism.

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Geno Smith has a key quality that’s crucial for NFL success

He was defiant in a soft-spoken way, which is exactly what you want to see from Geno Smith as the heat rises on whether he should remain the Jets starting quarterback.

Let the critics chatter all they want about his turnovers and why Michael Vick would be a better option, Smith made it clear on Wednesday he is the leader of the Jets and doesn't really care what anyone outside the Florham Park, N.J., facility thinks about it.

"I don't care about what anyone on the outside says in regards to anything negative about myself or this team," Smith said in the locker room following a spirited practice. "I appreciate the fans and I know they come and support us every week. They've got to understand we're working extremely hard to go out there and win. But right now, it's about getting ready for the Lions and that's all we're focused on."

And if that wasn't quite clear enough, Smith added, "I can't sit here and think about something I have no control over. My job is to continue to work hard and get better and lead this team."

I'll say this for Smith: He seems to have thick enough skin to get through his growing pains. There are times in these situations when the stress is evident even behind a calm exterior. The Jets have lost two straight games. Smith has committed five turnovers in a 1-2 start, including two costly interceptions in a 27-19 loss to the Bears on Monday night. But the second-year quarterback doesn't seem fazed by the haters.

Though the season isn't in its second month and already there are those calling for Vick, Smith seems oblivious to it all. He has the endorsement of head coach Rex Ryan, and that's all that seems to matter.

"I respect coach and what he says, because I obviously work hard and I want to be the leader of this team," Smith said. "But it's about me proving myself every single day. Nothing has changed. I've got to prove myself to my teammates. I've got to prove to my coaches as well as myself that I can go out there and get the job done. At this point of my career I'm going out there every single day with the intent to get better."

Vick reiterated his support of Smith, though the backup is confident his chance to prove himself NFL worthy will come sooner or later.

"I want success for Geno," Vick said. "I want Geno to fulfill everything that he wants to fulfill in this game and at the quarterback position, and primarily for this team. But my chance will come again. I'm thankful for that. I'm hoping for that."

Smith hasn't lost his teammates. Center Nick Mangold characterized the confidence level the team has in Smith as "great." The Jets investment in Smith has been too great to give up on him three games into the season.

"We all make mistakes," Mangold said. "I think he's learning and getting better at it. His mistakes are just more amplified than the rest of us."

The Jets rank a respectable eighth in the NFL in total offense, averaging 376 yards per game. But they have struggled in the red zone, recording just one touchdown in six trips inside the Bears 20 on Monday night.

"Turnovers and not scoring touchdowns in the red zone are big things," Mangold said. "We all have a part in it. The protection could be better. Decisions could be better. Routes could be better. We can run the ball better in the red zone. If we get those cleaned up we should be pretty good."

That's what Smith is thinking about, not the critics.

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Ex-St. John’s standout Sanchez: My game fits Knicks triangle

Former St. John's standout Orlando Sanchez lived dirt-poor in the Dominican Republic until he was 20. He landed in Westchester to attend Monroe College in New Rochelle for two years, then got his big shot in Queens.

Sanchez is now back in Westchester, and the athletic 6-foot-9 power forward may just stay in Westchester.

As his wild ride that featured a battle with the NCAA over eligibility and a stint on the Dominican Republic's national team continues, the 26-year-old Sanchez, improbably, will be part of Knicks training camp starting with media day Monday in Tarrytown.

That Sanchez was signed by the Knicks is nothing short of shocking. After a slightly disappointing one-year stint at St. John's, he wasn't drafted after a series of pre-draft workouts with NBA teams because of his age, then wasn't signed to anyone's summer-league team.

According to a source, Knicks brass considered bringing Sanchez to Las Vegas but didn't. President Phil Jackson hadn't seen enough of him. Sanchez, who has a high skill level for a big man, averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Red Storm last season. The Clippers showed interest but never made a summer-league offer.

"Tells you a little something — not that he didn't get drafted, but wasn't playing on a summer-league team,'' one NBA scout said.

After summer league, Allan Houston, general manager of the Knicks' new D-League affiliate in Westchester, fell in love with Sanchez after watching more tape. He envisioned Sanchez as a skilled big man, perfect for the triangle offense, to develop in Westchester — a player who just needed more coaching. The Knicks will need to fill the 2015-16 roster with a group of minimum-wage players to afford to fit a second superstar.

"He's been on the Knicks radar for a while because he was at St. John's,'' his agent BJ Bass said.

There's enough highlight plays of Sanchez using quickness and shot fakes to drive to the basket and finish. He also can run the break and hit the mid-range jumper to potentially be a force in Jackson's and coach Derek Fisher's triangle. Too often at St. John's, playing guard, stayed on the periphery and didn't always show a high motor.

Sanchez, who speaks limited English, has gotten a triangle lesson in the last week since most of the Knicks already are in Tarrytown for voluntary scrimmages.

"I think my game fits the triangle very well,'' Sanchez told The Post. "I've picked it up quickly so far. My ability to shoot, handle and pass shows in this offense. I would like to make the Knicks roster out of camp, but I also understand going to Westchester is a possibility. I think it would be a positive situation, because the team will practice at the Knicks facility and I can develop with the coaching staff.''

That the Knicks now have their D-League affiliate next door as opposed to in Ohio is a bonus to developing players such as Sanchez. That is why second-round pick Thanasis Antetokounmpo chose to sign with Westchester rather than play for a lot more money in Europe. Nevertheless, Antekumpo can't attend training camp because if he fails to make the 15-man NBA roster, the Knicks will lose his rights.)

"I wasn't too worried about not attending summer league,'' Sanchez said. "Veterans' camp is the real opportunity to earn a roster spot.''

Sanchez's eligibility issues swayed John Calipari, who coached him on the Dominican team, from giving him a scholarship at Kentucky. The NCAA ruled he had no eligibility left.

He played seven games for a club team in Spain, from where he was called home by his financially strapped family to work as a carpenter. He had a brief stint with the DR national team. Add in the two years at Monroe College and Sanchez was out of luck and eligibility. After four months of lawyering and petitions, the NCAA granted him a senior year. His junior year at St. John's was lost.

"Not playing junior year at St. John's was very difficult,'' Sanchez said. "The hardest part was not being able to help my teammates. They were like family.''

He's got a new family now — in Westchester.

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Arizona State will turn UCLA into pretenders

The creation of a playoff in college football rectified decades of irrational tradition, but the sport still needs so much fixing.

There's the unresolved matter of schools making billions of dollars off of an unpaid workforce, those athletes receiving health coverage long after they leave campus and the waste that is so much of the first month of the season, when powerhouse schools are scared to schedule anyone but the puny and pathetic.

Least understandable is the continued value placed on preseason polls. After all these years, voters remain unable to disregard mostly unfounded opinions from August and replace them with actual evidence in the fall. Who cares if a player has regressed or a Heisman-winning quarterback continues to prove that common sense doesn't come with athletic gifts or a coach has lost a team or a fanbase has eroded the confidence of a 19-year-old who only has known greatness and assumed that's all that would ever come?

(Note: I'm aware the four playoff teams will be decided by a 13-person committee, but I would trust them to ignore long-established rankings and use original thought as much as I trust the governing body they're working for).

UCLA was a sexy preseason playoff pick, a storied school which hadn't been in the spotlight — even in its own city — for some time and had a Heisman candidate quarterback — Brett Hundley — who could lead an offense as powerful as any in the country, playing alongside a two-way star in linebacker/running back Myles Jack, a Charles Woodson for a new generation.

Then, the top-10 team started the season and Hundley only could lead the offense to one touchdown against Virginia. The next week, the Bruins held on for another one-possession win, allowing 35 points at home against Memphis, followed by Hundley getting injured against Texas and escaping with a three-point win.

Somehow, the Bruins are ranked No. 11 in the AP poll and No. 10 in the USA Today poll, the latter putting them ahead of actually impressive undefeated teams such as Ole Miss and Mississippi State, as well as clearly superior one-loss teams like Georgia and Stanford.

In its first real test of the season, UCLA faces No. 15 Arizona State on Thursday and catches two breaks with Hundley likely back and Sun Devils quarterback Taylor Kelly out with an injury.

Though junior Mike Bercovici is making his first start, he is one of the most talented backups in the country. There's no precedent for how he will perform, but we already know what the Bruins will do.

Take ARIZONA STATE (+4) at home as they erase the idea of UCLA as any kind of playoff contender.

Texas Tech (+14) over OKLAHOMA ST.: Coming off a bye, the Red Raiders still won't be able to make a stop, but will keep the shootout respectable.

Tennessee (+17) over GEORGIA: It's hard to believe in the Bulldogs when they don't believe in feeding the ball to their best player — running back Todd Gurley — who is averaging 9.8 yards per carry and fewer than 14 attempts per game.

WISCONSIN (-34) over S. Florida: Perhaps the Bulls should have started with a different opponent in their first road game.

RUTGERS (-12) over Tulane: The Green Wave's invisible defense outweighs the possibility of the Scarlet Knights looking ahead to their Big Ten schedule starting the following week.

N.C. STATE (+19) over Florida St.: The Seminoles need to look like the defending champions at least once before they're given this kind of respect on the road.

Texas A&M (-9) over Arkansas: All right Aggies, I'm late to the party. Hand me a drink. I've got a lot of catching up to do.

WASHINGTON (+8) over Stanford: Few things in life are more reliable than the home dog.

Cincinnati (+16) over OHIO ST.: A thrashing of Kent State didn't erase the issues the Buckeyes displayed in their first two games.

CLEMSON (-14½) over Unc: The Tar Heels can't stop the ball or take care of the ball. Good times.

S. CAROLINA (-5½) over Missouri: Steve Spurrier is understandably upset with how his team is playing, but the underachieving only will last so long. After a loss to Indiana, Missouri would love to have the Gamecocks' struggles.

Memphis (+19½) over MISSISSIPPI: The Rebels will be ready for Alabama. Unfortunately, that's next week.

IOWA STATE (+21) over Baylor: An upset at Iowa and near-shocker over Kansas State are enough reason to buy into a Cyclones squad with two weeks to prepare against the road-challenged juggernaut.

Notre Dame (-12½) over Syracuse: This seems like a trap, but it's not nearly as scary as the talent gap between the teams.

USC (-9) over Oregon St.: Too often, a highly regarded team is disregarded after one loss. The Trojans still can contend for a conference championship, with their cross-country loss at overlooked Boston College as understandable as any upset.

BEST BETS: Arizona State, Texas A&M, Memphis

Record: 29-29-1; Best Bets: 7-4-1

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