Jeter reader start-up to give fans ‘short stop’ to idols

Just three days after retiring from the Yankees, Derek Jeter has suited up with a new team.

The baseball great is joining The Players' Tribune, a digital start-up publication that promises to give "world-class athletes" a chance to communicate with their fans in an "unfiltered, honest" way.

"I do think fans deserve more than 'no comments' or 'I don't knows,' " said Jeter, who will serve as founding publisher, in a statement on Wednesday.

Joining Jeter in the venture is Legendary Entertainment — a film and TV production company run by Thomas Tull — and ESPN The Magazine founder Gary Hoenig.

"Over the next few months," Jeter wrote in his maiden post on the site, "we'll be introducing a strong core of athlete editors and contributors who will shape the site into an online community filled with first-person stories and behind-the-scenes content."

Although The Players' Tribune (TPT) has rankled some media outlets that helped turn Jeter into a household name — the AP's perspective on the venture was, "Jeter's new venture aims to put sportswriters out of work" — the animosity may be misplaced.

TPT's editorial director, after all, is veteran journalist Hoenig, the longtime editorial director of ESPN Publishing.

Hoenig has already enlisted former Sports Illustrated photo director Maureen Cavanagh as the new site's creative director and former ESPN The Magazine senior writer Sarah Turcotte as executive editor.

Tull credited Jeter with the "idea of providing athletes with a platform to communicate directly with their fans."

And Jeter admitted that, during his playing days, he'd been less than forthcoming.

"I learned early on in New York, the toughest media environment in sports, that just because a reporter asks you a question doesn't mean you have to answer," he wrote in his post. "I attribute much of my success in New York to my ability to understand and avoid unnecessary distractions."

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Why Rex Ryan may need to dip into Herm Edwards’ old playbook

The Jets have been here before.

Twelve years ago, they were struggling mightily and staring at a trip to San Diego to face a tough Chargers team that was 6-1 and featured an explosive offense. That is when then-Jets coach Herm Edwards delivered his most famous message.

"This is what the greatest thing about sports is. You play to win the game. Hello? You play to win the game ," Edwards said in a press conference Oct. 30, 2002. "You don't play it to just play it. That's the great thing about sports: You play to win, and I don't care if you don't have any wins. You go play to win. When you start telling me it doesn't matter, then retire. Get out. 'Cause it matters."

The Jets were 2-5 that year and Edwards had fielded a question about whether he needed to speak to the team about giving up on the season. They beat the Chargers 44-13 that week and won seven of their final nine games to finish 9-7 and win the AFC East.

Maybe current Jets coach Rex Ryan needs to break out a tape of Edwards' famous rant. These Jets are at a similar crossroads at 1-3, having lost three straight games, and heading to the West Coast to face the 3-1 Chargers and their explosive offense.

Ryan said he is not worried about his team getting bogged down by the losing streak. In Ryan's six years as Jets coach, the team never has lost four games in a row.

"I understand the question, because in most cases I have been on some teams where it is a huge concern," Ryan said of allowing the negativity to fracture the team. "But, in my heart, I don't believe that is this team. This team wants to win. They are not focused on all that type of stuff like, 'Woe is me.' Getting them to practice hard, getting them to prepare to the utmost of their ability, that is not the issue here, that is not this team. We feel good about ourselves, we believe we are doing the right things, and we believe we are going to come through this."

Ryan did not break out any memorable motivational speeches Wednesday or give any quotes that are destined for a beer commercial. Players said his main message was to "stay the course."

That is kind of what Edwards was trying to say, too.

"That was spontaneous," Edwards, now an ESPN analyst, said in a phone interview Wednesday. "That was never intended to be one of those deals where I had sat and thought about it. The question was asked, were we going to pack it up? My mind-set was when you sign on to do something, you finish the job. We weren't going to cut our hours for coaches or players."

Edwards said he knew the 2002 team was good and that it just wasn't playing well. The 2014 Jets have said many of the same things.

"Going on that plane, I never thought we were not going to win that game," Edwards said. "I just knew it. I just had that feeling the way we practiced. Maybe what I said kind of galvanized everybody, kind of shocked everybody, the way I did it, and went off. The coaches said, 'Are you OK?' I said, 'I'm fine.' "

Edwards can relate to what Ryan is facing with his team. His advice to Ryan is not to change what he's doing.

"I thought what the players appreciated was that all through that my personality never changed," Edwards said. "What we did in practice, we did. I didn't all of a sudden start hollering and fussing at players. I just stayed who I was. They watched me go through all this and they thought, 'Coach has our back. He's not changing his personality.' I think when you do that, you gain the respect out of your players."

Edwards also faced a quarterback decision that season, making the change from Vinny Testaverde to Chad Pennington in Week 5, a move that turned the season around. Edwards said this time, though, he would not pull the plug on Geno Smith for Michael Vick.

"If you go to Vick, what basically you're saying is Geno is not your future," Edwards said. "That's why I think it's too early. You look at your division, and my goodness. If you win this game, you're 2-3 and you're going, 'Wait a minute.' To me, this division is a race to 10. Whoever gets to 10 wins the fastest, wins it. It might be a race to nine."

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The mullet dress is still a thing

Don't mock the mullet.

The universally reviled short-in-front, long-in-back hairdo — also known as hockey hair, the beaver paddle, the ape drape and, very appropriately, the shlong (an amalgam of short-long) — is having a major moment in the form of dresses, not 'dos.

That's thanks in part to gorgeous Amal Alamuddin, a k a Mrs. Clooney, who stepped out in two designer mullet dresses over her wedding weekend in Venice.

While the style has been around for years — Geena Davis' hilarious 1992 Oscars get-up landed her on worst-dressed lists — it's made a comeback. Designers from Raf Simons at Dior to Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Giambattista Valli have sent bilevel creations down the catwalk in recent seasons.

Split ticket: Lena Dunham has fun with fashion and it shows in this flirty Giambattista Valli frock. The embellish-ment ties in with her tattoos! On the other hand, Geena Davis' infamous dress at the 1992 Academy Awards has gone down in Oscar history as one of the all-time most comical getups. The shiny corset-top dress, black tights and court shoes is still good for a giggle.Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images; Ron Galella/WireImage

Celebs like Marion Cotillard, January Jones, Anne Hathaway and Lena Dunham have rocked variations at parties and awards shows, ranging from the mini-mullet (when the front is calf-height) to the modern mullet (architectural design with no flounces) to the minidress with a train.

It's also a trend that's notoriously difficult to pull off. On the wrong person, the style can look like something is missing (the front of the dress and common sense). On the right one, it's, as they say, party in front, business in back.

"The beauty of the mullet dress is it doesn't require a full commitment, which also makes it versatile," says Stellene Volandes, executive style director at Town & Country. "The key is a nude shoe, which looks good from either side."

Designer Giambattista Valli's phone is ringing off the hook since Amal Alamuddin wore the frock on the right. She also wore a McQueen mullet (left).Photo: Kika Press/PacificCoastNews; Ernesto Ruscio/GC Images

Fashion critics have universally praised Amal's trendsetting attire: a custom red-and-black Alexander McQueen creation for her women-only pre-wedding dinner and an embellished white lace Giambattista Valli fall/winter 2014 frock for her first appearance as a married lady.

The public liked them, too. A Valli publicist reached in Paris reported that the house has received multiple requests for the couture creation.

"Amal can do it, she's got the body type for it," says Robert Verdi, celebrity stylist and TV personality.
Still, he concedes that the mullet dress is "not my favorite silhouette by any means."

This is a look that needs to come with a warning label, as well as a brand label. - Robert Verdi

"This is a look that needs to come with a warning label, as well as a brand label," says Verdi.

"People see it and think they can get away with it, but you have to be very tall and thin to get the full benefit of the style. You can't put that dress on a short girl or a fat girl."

Amal, of course, is the opposite.

"She's long and lean and dramatic," says Verdi, who admired her fashion choices.

"The [lace dress] is covered up, and then you glance down and it's very naughty and you see her little skinny Barbie legs. It falls into the category of, 'the world is your gynecologist.' It's that racy quality that makes this particular dress so interesting."

Not so much: Stella McCartney's dress (of her own design) is rigid at the 2011 Met Gala; Paula Patton is a beautiful woman, but why did she tack a dust ruffle on her scarlet mini- dress? The actress wore this overly revealing get-up to Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party earlier this year; Did Marion Cotillard have a medical emergency? This white Dior contraption bears an uncanny resemblance to a hospital gown; Kim Kardashian wrestled with an alligator at a 2012 MTV event in Germany and this is what she got: a long, heavy tail that she had to drag around behind her all night!Photo: Chance Yeh/PatrickMcMullan.com; Steve Granitz/WireImage; George Pimentel/WireImage; Mike Marsland/WireImage

Style and beauty expert Mary Alice Stephenson also raves about both of Amal's mullet dresses: "The fact that [the Valli dress] was cut shorter in the front made it a more modern way to get dressed up when the sun's still out.

"If you cover it all up, it's not really modern," she concludes. "If you show it all off, it's not modern. The best way is to find the middle ground."

Overall, Stephenson gives the high-low hemline an energetic thumbs up.

"I think it's a sophisticated, elegant way to show a little skin. If you have the legs to pull it off, go for it," she advises. "It's a wow moment from the waist down."

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Lawyers for hacked celebs sue Google for ‘failing to removing nude pics’

Lawyers for the female celebrities whose nude or private images were hacked are threatening to sue Google for $100 million for allegedly failing to remove the images and "making millions from the victimization of women."

Images of stars including Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Amber Heard, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez and Cara Delevingne have been distributed online in what is said to be the biggest celebrity hacking scandal in history.

Now top Hollywood lawyer Marty Singer, who represents over a dozen of the women affected by the leak, has written a sternly-worded letter to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as Eric Schmidt and Google lawyers accusing them of "blatantly unethical behavior" – and comparing their alleged lack of action to the NFL leadership's handling of the Ray Rice affair.

The letter, exclusively seen by Page Six claims Google has failed, "to act expeditiously, and responsibly to remove the images, but in knowingly accommodating, facilitating, and perpetuating the unlawful conduct. Google is making millions and profiting from the victimization of women."

Singer writes that Lavely & Singer sent a notice to remove images four weeks ago, and a dozen more since, but many of the images are still on Google sites BlogSpot and YouTube.

Singer adds, "Google knows the images are hacked stolen property, private and confidential photos and videos unlawfully obtained and posted by pervert predators who are violating the victims' privacy rights … Yet Google has taken little or no action to stop these outrageous violations"

The letter continues, "Because the victims are celebrities with valuable publicity rights you do nothing — nothing but collect millions of dollars in advertising revenue … as you seek to capitalize on this scandal rather than quash it. Like the NFL, which turned a blind eye while its players assaulted and victimized women and children, Google has turned a blind eye while its sites repeatedly exploit and victimize these women."

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Cowboys’ Spillman subject of reported sex assault

GRAPEVINE, Texas — Dallas Cowboys special teams player C.J. Spillman is under investigation but hasn't been arrested or charged after a report of an alleged sexual assault at the team hotel last month.

Grapevine police spokesman Sgt. Robert Eberling said Wednesday night that the alleged incident took place early the morning of Sept. 20 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center.

The team flew to St. Louis later that Saturday, and Spillman played against the Rams the next day. He has played in all four games for the Cowboys, including last weekend at home against New Orleans.

Eberling said no other details were being released because the investigation is ongoing.

Spillman's agent and attorney declined to comment.

The Cowboys signed the 28-year-old Spillman on Sept. 1.

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SEC charges two in Herbalife insider trading for $47k profits

The Wall Street battle over Herbalife has drawn accusations of insider trading from billionaire investors on both sides of the fight.

But so far, the only charges in the federal probe of trading in the stock involve two young men somewhat removed from the battle of the titans.

And the illicit profits? A paltry $47,100.

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday sued two men for alleged insider trading over a tip, in December 2012, that activist investor Bill Ackman planned to launch a bearish attack on Herbalife.

Filip Szymik, a 28-year-old consultant who lives in New York, found out about Ackman's upcoming presentation from his roommate and childhood friend, Mariusz Adamski, then a junior analyst at Ackman's Pershing Square hedge fund.

The analyst, who left the firm in September of last year, has not been accused of wrongdoing. Ackman told The Post his departure was unrelated to the probe.

Syzmik agreed to keep the Herbalife information confidential and didn't trade on it. But he allegedly shared the details with another friend, Jordan Peixoto, 30, who was then a research analyst at Deloitte in New York.

Peixoto bought Herbalife put options — a bet the stock would fall — ahead of Ackman's Dec. 20, 2012, presentation, the SEC alleged. The stock then plunged 39 percent, earning Peixoto $47,100.

Szymik agreed to a penalty in that amount. Civil charges against Peixoto are still pending.

"Pershing Square was in no way implicated," Ackman wrote in a note to investors Tuesday. "We assisted the SEC and are satisfied that those who misappropriated our inside information were held accountable."

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FCC’s blackout ruling bodes more NFL woes

The move Tuesday by the Federal Communication Commission to remove the regulatory ban on pay-TV airing locally blacked-out NFL games is just the beginning of the league's Washington headache.

The ruling by the FCC — which the NFL unsuccessfully fought — is expected to be followed on Capitol Hill by:

• A bill aiming to create federal oversight of the NFL
• A move by some lawmakers to do away with the tax-exempt status enjoyed by the NFL and other pro sports organizations
• A push from some in Congress to do away with the NFL's anti-trust exemptions.

The FCC action and the moves in Congress — coming on the heels of the Ray Rice domestic violence episode — show the NFL is not exactly in Washington's good graces lately.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is behind the effort to create a Congressional commission overseeing the NFL.

"That's something I'm thinking through," Blumenthal told The Post. The lawmaker said he would like to form a commission to review all of the NFL's policies, including treatment of players and women.

The commission — whose members would include people with sports-world credibility — would determine if the NFL is worthy of its antitrust status.

At the same time, Blumenthal is sponsoring a bill with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that would completely end the blackout of local NFL games.

An NFL spokesman said, "NFL teams have made significant efforts in recent years to minimize blackouts. The FCC's decision will not change that commitment for the foreseeable future."

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Michelin Guide’s ‘random’ approach to New York

There's nothing like a list to start arguments, as the 2014 Michelin Guide to New York restaurants proves.

The Gallic gastronomic bible yanked a star from restaurant Daniel, cutting it down to two. (The great chef Daniel Boulud graciously said it was "still an honor.")

It shut out new Sushi Nakazawa, which New York critics and customers immediately loved.

It bestowed four Queens eateries with one star each, including M. Wells Steakhouse, which opened to tepid write-ups. Of 20 newly starred restaurants citywide, 11 were in Brooklyn or Queens, including three-star Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare in Downtown Brooklyn and two-star Blanca in Bushwick.

Le Bernardin, Eleven Madison Park, Jean-Georges, Masa and Per Se hung onto their three stars each. Babbo and Del Posto each claimed a miserly single star.

Post critic Steve Cuozzo said, "It's as random as ever — a star for Hakkasan, a ridiculous, over-priced, phony Chinese place? The scary thing is, the guide has more clout than it first did here because it's taken seriously by European and Asian tourists, and right now they seem to outnumber New Yorkers in our restaurants."

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Changes coming to 5th Avenue

Ben Ashkenazy and Michael Alpert's Ashkenazy Acquisition — together with the Germany-based Deka Immobilien Investment — have purchased two condominiums that make up the retail portion of 522 Fifth Ave. at West 44th Street for roughly $170 million, or just over $6,400 per square foot.

This one seems cheap compared to those previously made in the prime Fifth Avenue blocks between 49th and 57th streets because the rents south of 49th Street are lower but growing, and the buyers may need to spend up to $30 million to redo the storefronts and increase the square footage.

To attract new and higher- paying retailers for the buyer, the offering memorandum states seller Morgan Stanley hired Gensler architects and approved two possible design schemes that could cost between $22 million and $27 million, plus downtime.

Both would expand the current two storefronts to create 26,554 square feet on two levels with at least three stores. The facade would either get new glass or a more expansive upgrade.

Either design would create new storefronts on both sides of the grand and columned 19-foot-9-inch-high front-covered entry along with a 16,334-square-foot second floor with 17-foot-9-inch ceiling heights, now occupied by the investment firm.

The current Camper store pays $410 a foot for 2,060 square feet just south of the entrance under a lease that ends in January 2023, the memo states. Orvis has the 6,351-square-foot store on the north corner at West 44th Street until this month at a rent of $142 per square foot.

The future occupant of the Orvis store would eventually have a 23,952-square-foot duplex flagship while a new jewel-box store of 542 square feet would be added between the lobby and Camper.

The CBRE team handling the transaction includes Darcy Stacom, Bill Shanahan, Paul Gillen, Marcella Fasulo and Ryan Spector.

Morgan Stanley confirmed Tuesday's sale, but no one from any of the companies responded to requests for further information or comment.

The deal is made possible because shopping-frenzied New Yorkers and tourists from all over the world have sent cash registers ka-ching-ing along with the value of the stores. Sources tell us ground-floor leases in the immediate area are being signed at rents north of $1,200 a square foot.

"The current retail façade is not typical and the changes will make a difference," said Robert K. Futterman of RKF, a retail broker that was not involved in the deal. "It's a great location."

And commuters racing to catch a train at Grand Central should have no worries: The landmarked black freestanding clock on the sidewalk still belongs to Morgan Stanley and will remain in place.

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In another building sale targeted toward a future retail play, sources tell us Tishman Speyer Properties has just purchased 183 Madison Ave. together with just-created partnership The Cogswell-Lee Development Group for $185 million, or $674 per square foot. The seller was the Argentinian investment company IRSA.

The 19-story landmarked Art Deco building is on the southeast corner of East 34th Street and "L's" around through the block to East 33rd Street.

The 274,413-square-foot office property designed by Warren & Wetmore in 1925 was known as the Madison-Belmont Building. It has an ornate marble and bronze lobby with a multicolored barrel-vaulted ceiling and design elements from ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt.

Developed as a home for the silk industry, it still houses numerous intimate-apparel fashion tenants. TSP is expected to target the building toward tech, advertising, media and Internet (TAMI) companies.

While those rents will slowly roll into higher-paying tenants, the big dollar bump will be in 2020, when the 20,000-square-foot retail lease for modern furniture store Domus Design Collection comes to an end along with its $30ish-per-square-foot rent. Current market retail rents for this area are $150 to $200 per square foot and rising.

In 2007, the building was purchased by Rock New York for $107.5 million. After the market fell, it sold in 2010 for $85.1 million to Rigby Asset Management along with IRSA (Inversiones y Representaciones Sociedad Anónima), which gradually took over 100 percent ownership as Peter Armstrong's Rigby began focusing on developing the garage at 17 E. 12th St. into a luxury condominium building.

IRSA currently owns the Lipstick Building, which was previously owned by Tishman Speyer.

All the parties declined comment.

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In case you missed Tuesday's news, law firm powerhouse Weil Gotshal Manges signed a 400,000-square-foot, 15-year extension of its current lease at the GM Building at 767 Fifth Ave. and will renovate and consolidate onto 10 floors.

The upcoming 2019 end of its current, way-below-market deal along with law-firm partner thrift had left a big question mark hanging over the Boston Properties-owned building, which now gets rents that can soar to $150 a square foot and up for much smaller digs.

Weil and Boston Properties were each repped by CBRE teams.

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Media heads discuss native advertising, banner ads

The "natives" are restless.

Native advertising is one of the biggest trends on Madison Avenue, but some in the business believe it's time to retire the buzzword.

"It's a word I hate," Mashable's chief revenue officer, Seth Rogin, said during an Advertising Week panel on Tuesday. "Native sounds deceptive, even if it isn't."

Andy Wiedlin, Buzzfeed's chief revenue officer, agreed: "I'm with you on the jihad, Seth."

Native advertising refers to stories and other content sponsored by advertisers that blends into the surrounding editorial.

Speaking of changes in the ad business, other panelists at the gathering of media and ad executives said the move to mobile devices spells the end of Web banner ads.

"Banners are dead," said Michele Tobin, Rovio's vice president of global ads, adding that the "Angry Birds" maker hasn't carried banners on its last few releases.

Instead, Rovio is integrating marketers into games. For instance, insurer State Farm makes it possible for players to "power up" and continue the gaming action.

"We're no longer doing banners on mobile," said Yahoo!'s Ned Brody, who touted the firm's cross-platform ad offering, called Gemini.

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