The 27-year-old will begin his Bombers career at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this weekend.

The Massachusetts native was hitting just .204 with a homer and seven RBIs for Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate before being plucked by New York.

A second baseman by trade, Antonelli was a first-round pick of the Padres in 2006. The right-handed hitter is a lifetime .261 hitter in the Minors, and he had a brief 21-game stint for the Padres in 2008, hitting .193 with three RBIs. He hasn’t been back on a 25-man Major League roster since.

With the addition of Antonelli to the 40-man roster, the Yankees transferred left-handed pitcher Cesar Cabral — currently on the shelf with a left elbow fracture — to the 60-day disabled list.

Not the most exciting addition in baseball history, but it never hurts to have a utility infielder at your disposal. Offer your thoughts and comments below…

While it’s good to see that Ryan has apparently taken to a healthier lifestyle, it appears that one of his key players has gone in the opposite direction in that regard.

While most professional athletes — especially football players — spend the offseason hitting the weights and improving their agility, Jets running back/kick returner Joe McKnight allegedly spent his time off following the end of the NFL season in fast-food heaven.

Yes, you heard that correctly.

The 24-year-old — who was an All-Pro selection this past season — gained 16 pounds this offseason by stuffing himself with loads of McDonald’s, CBSSports.com reported.

And the Southern California alum wasn’t particularly shy about admitting his junk-food vice.

“I was eating healthy, but the majority of time I was eating bad,” McKnight told reporters. “I wasn’t eating all the right stuff … Like Tim Tebow.”

McKnight, who was drafted by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, averaged just 3.1 yards per carry and didn’t score a touchdown in 2011.

Who knows, maybe some Big Macs and chicken nuggets will do the running back some good? Share your thoughts on this awfully strange story below…

WCBS 880′s Levon Putney On The Story

53 percent of those surveyed in the new Quinnipiac University poll said they would support a gay marriage law, and that is down 4 percent from a poll conducted in March.

67 percent said they agree with Gov. Chris Christie’s call for a ballot referendum on the issue.

“I think the people should be given the right to vote,” the New Jersey Family Policy Council’s Len Deo told Putney. He’d prefer a vote on marriage, like he said southern states did.

He wants the question to be ”Should marriage remain as the union of one man and one woman?”

“That’s a bunch of hogwash,” said Garden State Equality’s Steven Goldstein. He said a public vote would just invite opponents to spend millions on advertising.

“[The advertising would] try to influence voters and corrupt the political system,” Goldstein.

Deo said civil unions allow for the same rights as marriage.

Goldstein pointed out that a lawsuit has been filed in New Jersey claiming separate is not equal.

In a related matter, 64 percent of respondents said President Barack Obama’s recent endorsement of same-sex marriage will not affect their presidential vote in November.

The Quinnipiac poll was a telephone survey of 1,582 registered voters was taken May 9-14. The error margin was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Where do you stand on gay marriage? Sound off in the comments section below.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Allen, a strong safety out of the University of South Carolina, inked a four-year deal that includes a $45,896 signing bonus, the paper reported.

The six-foot-two, 202-pounder starred for the Gamecocks from 2008-2011, recording 198 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four interceptions and two touchdowns over his college career. He played linebacker in his freshman and sophomore seasons before moving to safety.

Gang Green has now signed five of their eight draft picks, but the prize of the class — first-round selection Quinton Coples — remains unsigned.

Jets fans, what do you know about Antonio Allen? Are you confident that he’ll be a solid contributor over the next four seasons? Offer your thoughts and comments below…

An autopsy conducted Thursday found Mary Richardson Kennedy died of “asphyxiation due to hanging,” according to the medical examiner.

The fragile walls of privacy Kennedy worked so hard to build in life came crashing down a final time in death.

The 52-year-old mother of four was found dead inside an outbuilding of her stately Bedford mansion around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Shortly after her husband filed for divorce in July 2010 after 16 years of marriage, Mary Kennedy had a very public struggle with drugs and alcohol. She was arrested for DUI when police spotted her driving over a curb outside a Bedford school.

Weeks later, she was busted again for driving under the influence of drugs. A judge later dismissed those charges, saying the evidence showed she didn’t know the medications she had taken would impair her ability to drive.

A family biographer said life as a Kennedy came with a special set of challenges.

“The overwhelming celebrity, the attention, the obligations, the expectations that you’re supposed to do something with your life, it’s very, very hard,” Lawrence Leamer said.

Police are tightly guarding the home as Robert F. Kennedy’s family asks for privacy in honor of Mary’s memory saying she “inspired our family with her kindness, her love, her gentle soul and generous spirit. Mary was a genius at friendship.”

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below. 

WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane On The Story

Mayor Mike Spano was joined by other city officials when he announced the new regulations on Thursday.

They include record keeping, checking for valid identification, having adequate photographs of good, and holding goods for 14 days before disposal or sale.

“We limit the unscrupulous dealers, I say, from opening up, you know, in the middle of a parking lot,” said Yonkers Police Commissioner Chuck Gardner.

Police said at least one business was found buying gold out of the trunk of a car.

They admit there are regulations that may be more lax in other communities, but said this should send a message.

Officials said they had to act because of a rising burglary and robbery caseload.

Do you trust most gold buyers? Sound off in the comments section below.

Big Blue’s head coach since 2004, Coughlin is at the top of his game after defeating the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI this past February in Indianapolis. And though it would seem like an appropriate time for the coach to step down, the upstate New York native is currently in talks with Giants owner John Mara about a contract extension, according to CBSSports.com.

Mara told reporters of his intention to get a deal done with Coughlin  on Wednesday at the unveiling of the Giants’ 2011 Super Bowl rings.

“We’re working on [a deal],” Mara told reporters. “It will be done sooner rather than later.”

The former Jaguars coach is entering the final year of his current contract, and has mentioned in the past that he’s open to coaching past age 70.

Coughlin has a career record of 154-121 as a head coach, and in addition to last season’s triumphant Super Bowl win, he also famously led the Giants to an improbable victory in Super Bowl XLII over the previously undefeated Patriots.

At this point, Tom Coughlin can coach the Giants for as long as he wants, right? Offer your thoughts and comments in the section below…

Headliners include Bon Jovi, the Foo Fighters and electronic music performer Skrillex, but more than 100 bands are on the bill, spread out over seven stages.

“It looks like a blast, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” one resident said. “It’s good, it’s going to bring a lot of new people to the town.”

Asbury Park was once the diamond at the shore but lost its luster over the years. Now, the shore town is making a comeback.

“It was like a ghost town through the 80s, 90s, up until recently,” one local said.

“We had our good years, we had our bad years, now we’re having good years,” Dimitri Courageous of Criterion Candies said.

1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg reports

Organizers are dealing with a slew of logistical challenges.

The most unusual issue arose when a marine animal group sought assurances that Skrillex’s shrill, screeching, shrieking sounds would not interfere with passing whales or dolphins. Promoters promised they wouldn’t.

Organizers have hired an events company that handles logistics for the Super Bowl and the Olympics to keep things running smoothly.

Parking is expected to be tough in and around Asbury Park. The promoters have secured 9,700 spaces in the lot at Monmouth Park racetrack in Oceanport, about 30 minutes north of Asbury Park, where fans can park and ride $10 shuttle buses to and from the festival.

NJ TRANSIT is adding some trains and expanding the length of others to handle concert traffic.

The boardwalk itself is undergoing $100,000 worth of reinforcements to help support the weight of the crowd, not to mention the main stage, which promoters say will be the largest stage ever built for a beach concert in the United States.

Additional police will be on hand for security and crowd control, and the Berkeley Hotel, within the festival grounds, will have an on-site triage center to handle medical emergencies.

Ticket prices start at $65 for Friday’s show, and $75 for Saturday and Sunday. Premium viewing areas cost $95 for Friday and $125 for the other two days. The shows will go on, rain or shine.

Other acts to grace the Bamboozle stage include, “Jersey Shore” star DJ Pauly D, Andrew Dice Clay, All-American Rejects, Jimmy Eat World, Less Than Jake, The Gaslight Anthem, Dramarama and Brand New.

The music will end by 11 p.m. each night, although indoor after-parties are planned at several venues from 11 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Are you going? Let us know below…

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Police tell CBS 2 that at around 9:30 a.m. a man and woman knocked on the door of a home on Elverton Avenue between Leverett and Barlow in Great Kills.

When the door opened, the man pulled a gun. A struggle ensued, and the occupant of the home ran off.

The man called 911, telling police the perpetrators were inside.

Police responded with the Emergency Services Unit and dogs. The house was cleared.

Police are hunting for the suspects, though the descriptions are somewhat slim. They describe them as a black man with a hoodie and a heavyset woman wearing a nurse’s blouse.

What do you make of the incident? Tell us in our comments section below. 

In January 2007, McNamee sent an email to Jim Murray, an employee of the agency that represents Clemens, complaining about “gross inaccuracies” in a newspaper story that identified him as a steroids supplier. He also claimed in the email that he had been assured by Jeff Novitzky, at the time an Internal Service Revenue agent investigating drug use in sports, that McNamee was not named in a search warrant affidavit referenced in the story.

“It was a lie, wasn’t it?” Clemens’ lawyer Rusty Hardin asked.

“Yes,” McNamee said, adding, “It was just self-preservation.”

In fact, McNamee didn’t have any contact with Novitzky until several months later.

Hardin also highlighted an email that McNamee sent to Clemens around that time.

“Explain to the jury about how you would write emails to the supposed co-crook with you … professing your innocence?” the lawyer demanded.

“It was to explain to Roger that I had his back, and I wasn’t going to rat him out,” explained McNamee, Clemens’ former longtime strength and conditioning coach.

Clemens is on trial for allegedly lying to Congress in 2008 when he denied using steroids or human growth hormone. McNamee testified that he injected the former pitcher multiples times in 1998, 2000 and 2001.

Hardin also tried to get McNamee to admit that he never told Clemens he was discussing the pitcher’s alleged drug use with federal authorities. McNamee said that Clemens never asked.

“How could he ask if he didn’t know?” Hardin demanded.

“How could I answer if he didn’t ask?” McNamee replied.

“You’re serious?” Hardin said.

Also on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton told lawyers out of earshot of the jury that some jurors had wondered how long the trial, now in its fifth week, will last.

“At this pace, I’ll guess we’ll be here forever,” the judge said.

A prosecutor said he expected to finish the case by the end of next week, or at the latest early the following week. He said the government had 14 more witnesses after McNamee.

“Fourteen additional witnesses?” Walton said incredulously.

After the government’s case, the defense then brings its own witnesses if it chooses to.

Walton said that the case is dragging on too long, and that jurors want to get back to their lives. He warned that one side could suffer, although he didn’t know which one.

“Like flipping a coin — 50/50,” Walton quipped, a reference to former Clemens teammate Andy Pettitte’s testimony in the trial. Pettitte testified earlier that Clemens said he used HGH, but under cross-examination agreed that there was a 50/50 chance he might have misunderstood Clemens.

Yet another twist in this painfully slow trial. Offer your take in the comments section below…

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly sent a letter to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has been a vocal critic of the policy, detailing the changes which are aimed at increasing public confidence in the controversial practice.

1010 WINS’ Stan Brooks reports

“What we’re trying to do is make certain it’s done as professionally as possible, that the forms are properly prepared, that proper respect is shown and that it’s done according to the law,” Kelly said.

Last year, more than 600,000 people were stopped, mostly black and Hispanic men.

In response to the controversy, Kelly is republishing a department order prohibiting racial profiling.

“This is to a large extent a refresher,” Kelly said.

The department is implementing intensified training that will include new videos about how to handle street encounters and make an executive officer in each precinct responsible for auditing the stop-and-frisk worksheets.

More than 1,500 officers are receiving the training, and more will follow.

WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb reports

Kelly said the program stresses civility, professionalism and courtesy when interacting with the public.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said Kelly’s plan is a “step in the right direction” but doesn’t “honestly address the policing crisis which is dividing this city.”

“The numbers speak for themselves: new data shows the City is on track to stop some 800,000 New Yorkers this year, the most ever,” Stringer said. “A reform plan that does nothing to reverse that trend is not real reform.”

Quinn received Kelly’s letter Thursday, a day after a federal judge gave class-action status to a lawsuit by people who had been stopped. The judge said the department’s attitude was “deeply troubling.”

Sound off on this post below…

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The steakhouse was founded in 1982 at 123 West 52nd Street. The final day will be Father’s Day – June 17.

Proprietor Ben Benson, famous for having his spoon in the creamed spinach, told Scott that he’d rather not have to close the restaurant.

Benson With Scott

“I don’t really want to. We’ve been negotiating with a very stubborn landlord for a while now and it seems that to renew after 30 years, to give us another 15, unless we pay them a lot more money, which we could not, I mean the demands were, in my mind, outrageous,” he told Scott. “We just had to say ‘Thank you, but no thank you’ and close our doors.”

EXTRA: NYC’s Best Steakhouses

Benson said he has been approached about doing a new joint-venture restaurant.

He said he doesn’t know how active he wants to be, but, he would like to “keep the legacy going.”

What’s your favorite steak in New York? Please sound off in the comments section below.

Her family released a statement Thursday saying Summer died and that “While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”

Summer is survived by her husband Bruce Sodano, their daughters, Brooklyn and Amanda, and Summer’s daughter, Mimi, from a previous marriage.

1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa reports

Summer was born LaDonna Andre Gaines on December 31, 1948, and grew up in Boston’s Mission Hill section. Part of a religious family, she first sang in her church’s gospel choir, and as a teenager performed with a rock group called the Crow.

After high school, she moved to New York to sing and act in stage productions, and soon landed a role in a German production of Hair. She moved to Europe around 1968-1969, and spent a year in the German cast, after which she became part of the Hair company in Vienna.

Summer had been living in Englewood, Fla., with her husband Bruce Sudano who she married in 1980. Sudano was a singer with the trio Brooklyn Dreams. Their self-titled LP appeared in 1977. The record fared poorly but the group received an unexpected boost via their appearance in the 1978 feature film American Hot Wax. Brooklyn Dreams’ 1979 follow-up, Sleepless Nights, featured the smash “Heaven Knows,” a duet with Donna Summer. The trio not only opened for the singer on tour, but Sudano and Summer wed in 1980.

New York City was partially defined in the ’70′s and ’80′s by the thumping, soulful disco music played at bastions like Studio 54 and others. And among all the myriad tracks that swept the city – and the nation – in that era, Summer’s tunes echo through time.

According to Billboard Magazine, Summer earned 32 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in her career, with 14 of those reaching the top 10. Her biggest singles include her four No. 1s “MacArthur Park,” “Hot Stuff,” “Bad Girls” and “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” with Barbra Streisand. While she earned a string of smashes in the 1970s, she continued to chart hits on into ’80s, ’90s, ’00s and ’10s.

Donna Summer had five Grammy Awards, seventeen Grammy nominations in all, three multi platinum albums, eleven gold albums, twelve gold singles comprising  many of the classic hit songs of the 70′s & 80′s

Related: Notable Deaths 2012

For more coverage on the death of Donna Summer, check with our colleagues at CBSMiami.

Please offer your remembrances of Summer in the comments section below. 

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

And with Jason Bay on the path back to the Majors after suffering a non-displaced fracture of a rib on his left side in the second game of a doubleheader against the Giants in April, the questions looms: Who will be demoted when the left fielder returns?

Despite Davis’ issues at the plate this season, it’s unlikely that he’ll be the one sent down when Bay returns to action, according to the New York Post.

Not only is Bay set to return in roughly 10 days, but shortstop Ruben Tejada, out with a quad injury, is also expected to be back on the field around that time.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Mike Baxter and Justin Turner will be candidates to be sent down in the next week-and-a-half, but all three have played very well thus far this season, making the decision even more difficult for manager Terry Collins.

When Davis was asked if he feels that he deserves to be demoted, he acknowledged that he’s underperforming, but expressed confidence that he’ll again become the dangerous power presence that he was in 2010 and a portion of 2011.

“[Being sent down] has crossed my mind,” Davis told The New York Post. “But even if they do send me down, I know I’ll be back. [But] I’m not going to think about it. If I get sent down, I get sent down. I’m starting to swing the bat a lot better and I’m still leading the team in home runs. I’ve hit some balls hard lately and haven’t gotten hits, and that’s all I can do.”

The 25-year-old slugger does lead the club with five home runs, but was hitting just .167 entering Thursday’s contest against the Reds.

Do you think that Ike should be sent down to the Minors when Bay returns? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below…

If you’re an ardent hockey devotee like myself, you’ve probably watched the 2004 film ‘Miracle’ to the point that you’re practically able to quote the movie word-for-word.

There’s a scene where Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell) assembles his Team USA into the film room and briefs them on how to beat the Russians.

“There is a way to stay with this team. You take their game and you shove it right back in their face,” Brooks demanded.

In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Devils did exactly that. Their entire lineup outperformed the Rangers from top-to-bottom and surpassed the Blueshirts in several key areas.

New Jersey was more aggressive, stronger on the forecheck and won important battles along the boards. As a result, the Rangers struggled for puck possession and failed to score any goals in 5-on-5 situations.

“I thought we established our forecheck right off the bat in the first period and we’re creating zone time and chances. We felt if we could play 5-on-5 and stick with it, we were going to get rewarded, and that’s what happened,” Devils’ head coach Peter DeBoer said post-game.

Dogged determination on the forecheck, an emphasis on backchecking and a consistent start-to-finish effort. These are characteristics that the Rangers have prided themselves upon all season, but the Devils were the livelier bunch for the entire 60 minutes in Game 2.

Defenseman Andy Greene hustled back late in the third period to earn an crucial icing which forced the Rangers back into their defensive zone and delayed Henrik Lundqvist leaving the ice for an extra skater. Once Lundqvist was able to leave his crease, the Devils frustrated the Rangers by repeatedly clearing pucks down ice as they beat the Rangers in the face-off circle.

I asked Devils’ captain Zach Parise about the importance of Greene’s late efforts that helped kill the clock in the dying minutes of Game 2.

“Little plays like that go a long way right now. You never know if they’re able to get that forecheck going. We can the puck all the way back to their zone, kill the clock a little more as opposed to them getting a cycle going,” Parise replied.

Parise believes Greene has been an ‘unsung hero’ for the Devils these playoffs.  “(Andy) has had an unbelievable postseason for us. He’s kinda gone under the radar but he’s been huge. He’s making a lot of little plays like that have gone a long way for us,” he explained.

Bryce Salvador echoed a similar belief when I spoke with him post-game.

“It’s a big play. It’s the difference between an icing and them having some time in our zone. So, it was one of those plays that not to many people notice but it was a huge play,” Salvador stated.

Outside of Iyla Kovalchuk’s goal that was forcefully blasted past Lundqvist, the Devils tend to score high-effort goals that are product of hard labor around the ‘low-slot.’ David Clarkson thrives in this area and scored the game-winning goal in Game 2.

Each of his three playoff goals have been game-winners. Martin Brodeur spoke about Clarkson’s physical attributes during his post-game press conference.

“Clarkie is a guy who is hard to play against when he’s strong on the puck and when he gets himself positioned well in front of net and be able to make some plays around the net. I thought it was a pretty dominant player inside the offensive zone,” Brodeur explained.

Listen to Brodeur’s entire press conference below:

Where Parise grew up in Minnesota, they have a saying for these kind of goals. They call them ‘bloody nose goals.’ I asked Zach is this is a kind of trademark that the Devils embody.

“We want to be known for it and I think that’s how you gotta score against these guys. It’s not pretty against these guys. You’re not going to get a lot of tick-tack-toe opportunities, you gotta work,” Parise replied.

The Devils are just going to keep working and it’s up to the Rangers to find their legs and match New Jersey’s intensity level as the series shifts from Madison Square Garden to the Prudential Center.

Have the Devils seized the momentum going into Game 3? Share your thoughts below and send your tweets to @HartnettWFAN.

The Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, will be contested at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday. Six colts who ran in the Kentucky Derby will return for the Preakness, including the top two finishers, I’ll Have Another and Bodemeister. Also returning are the fourth- and fifth-place finishers, Went the Day Well and Creative Cause, as well as also-rans Daddy Nose Best and Optimizer. The remainder of the field will be made up of unproven colts and minor stakes winners that would be a shock should they come anywhere near a winner’s circle on Saturday.

In recent years, the Preakness has been the most predictable of the Triple Crown races, with only three winners since 2000 paying more than $10 for a $2 win bet. During that same period the Kentucky Derby has had 11 win payouts over $10 and the Belmont Stakes has had nine. Another thing to consider is that colts that compete in the Derby tend to win the Preakness. Since 1997, only three Preakness winners did not run in the Derby. If the trends hold, the winner of this year’s Preakness will be one of the six that ran in the Derby, and will go off at odds of less than 4-to-1.

Here is a closer look at the 11 who will line up for the 2012 Preakness Stakes:

Bodemeister
Morning Line Odds: 8-5
While I’ll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby, more attention is being paid to second place finisher Bodemeister. In fact, Bodemeister was made the morning line favorite in this year’s Preakness. From a pace perspective, he ran one of the most impressive Kentucky Derbys in history. He set a blistering pace and only lost by a length-and-a-half. In perusing the past performances of the field for the Preakness, there are no other colts with early speed, so Bodemeister should have an easier time of it on the lead. This anticipated pace scenario makes him the one to beat when the gates open on Saturday.

I’ll Have Another
Morning Line Odds: 5-2
I’ll Have Another, the second choice on the morning line, has been perfect in 2012 and enters the Preakness as the only one with a shot at sweeping the Triple Crown. He shipped to Pimlico soon after his Derby win, and reports from the scene say he has trained brilliantly over the track. In looking at his past performances, he has the ability to press a fast pace, so watch for him to run close to pacesetter Bodemeister from the start. The question is: Will he have what it takes to make the lead if Bodemesiter is able to set a more reasonable pace in the Preakness?

Went the Day Well
Morning Line Odds: 6-1
While Bodemeister has received all the attention for his valiant but losing effort in the Derby, Went the Day Well also ran a tremendous race to finish fourth. In only his fifth career start, he ran into trouble early in the race and around the first turn. Jockey John Velazquez had to check twice and literally pull back on the reins when other horses cut into his path. He was eighteen lengths from the leaders with only three beaten when they turned into the backstretch. Just a few hundred yards from the finish, he was moving as fast as any horse in the field, and ended up only two-and-a-half lengths away from the winner in the end. He will get a better trip in the Preakness and could be in a prime position to make a winning move in the stretch.

Creative Cause
Morning Line Odds: 6-1
The California-based Creative Cause is as game a racehorse as any among this year’s 3-year-olds. He showed his class in the Derby, making it to third in the deep stretch before being passed by Went the Day Well and Dullahan. He finished fifth, just three lengths behind the winner. He will run well in the Preakness, as he always does, but it’s hard to figure him turning the tables on the three that finished in front of him in the Derby.

Teeth of the Dog
Morning Line: 15-1
Teeth of the Dog is the lone entry that did not run in the Derby that has a chance to fill out the bottom of trifecta and superfecta tickets. He made his graded stakes debut in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial, where he finished third at odds of 53-to-1. He comes into this race as a mystery, but his trainer Michael Matz has no reason to embarrass himself with an entry in the Preakness that can’t run.

Daddy Nose Best
Morning line: 12-1
After emerging as many racing pundit’s longshot pick leading up to the Kentucky Derby, he ran mid-pack throughout and finished a disappointing 10th. Should he revert to the form he flashed in winning the Sunland Derby in March, he has a chance to fill out the bottom of exotic tickets, but he seems a step below the top contenders.

Zetterholm
Morning Line: 20-1
Zetterholm has won three-of-five career races, but all of his wins have come in races restricted to horses bred in New York. The Preakness is a monumental jump in class, and it’s hard to comprehend him being competitive against the following 30-1 odds horses: Optimizer, Cozzetti, Tiger Walk and Pretension. The four colts listed on the morning line at 30-1 are all deserving longshots in this year’s field of 11.

Betting the 2012 Preakness

Knowing the lack of early speed in the race, watch for jockey Mario Gutierrez aboard I’ll Have Another to run close behind Bodemeister from the start. With those two clocking what is sure to be a swift pace on the front end, look for Went the Day Well to put himself in a stalking position behind the leaders and make a big move to run by them both in the stretch. Creative Cause is the pick to round out the bottom of the superfecta, but it might be worthwhile to play some exotic tickets with Teeth of the Dog as well.

1) Went the Day Well
2) I’ll Have Another
3) Bodemeister
4) Creative Cause

For more information, visit the Hello Race Fans Preakness page. For a quick summary for all of this year’s contenders, check out the HRF Preakness Cheat Sheet.

Kevin Martin is the founder of the thoroughbred racing history site Colin’s Ghost and a contributing editor at Hello Race Fans.

Who is your pick to win the Preakness Stakes? Offer your thoughts and comments in the section below…

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – According to Forbes, our little Jenny from the Block (Castle Hill, to be specific) is the world’s most powerful celebrity, moving up 50 spots this year on the 100-celeb list.

No doubt her seat at the ‘American Idol’ judges table helped her standing, but according to E! Online’s Marc Malkin, Lopez is ditching the famed talent show after this season.

Photos: People Magazine’s ‘Most Beautiful’, 2001-2012

Lopez hasn’t publicly announced her intent to leave Idol, but according to Malkin’s sources she is just too busy to keep pitchy-singers begging for mercy.

It looks like Lopez is already booked for the rest of 2012, as she prepares to embark on a world tour with Enrique Iglesias, spending her summer Latin America and the  U.S., and hitting up the rest of the world this fall.

With Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul gone, Lopez was a major audience draw for the show and Fox may be willing to part with giant wads of cash to keep J.Lo  on board.  How much of a raise do you give a woman who already makes $20 million a season?

If Lopez leaves, who should fill her seat?

WCBS 880′s Levon Putney On The Story

Preservation New Jersey has listed the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey for 2012.

“This year’s list is particularly representative of economic challenges,” Preservation New Jersey Senior Program Director Stephanie Cherry-Farmer told Putney.

These are situations where caretakers lack the funds to maintain the structures. Cherry-Farmer said the main goal is to show those with money that donations could help to preserve history.

“I think it is a challenge that everybody can relate to,” she said.

Among this year’s sites is the Franklin Inn in East Millstone, Franklin Township, Somerset County. It dates back to before the Revolutionary War.

“It was a very successful used bookstore during the late ’90s and 2000s,” Cherry-Farmer said.

But it was damaged last year by Tropical Storm Irene.

“A little bit of repair and it’ll be back to a viable use,” Cherry-Farmer said.

Also on the list is the rusty Central Railroad of New Jersey train shed at the historic terminal in Liberty State Park, Jersey City, Hudson County.

“This is not just an old building. It’s an opportunity for revitalization,” she said.

Also on the list of sites are the following:

- Hope Fire Company / American Legion Post 254 – Mays Landing, Hamilton Township, Atlantic County
- Howell House – Cape May, Cape May County
- The Kastner Mansion / Pride of Newark Elks Lodge No. 93 - Newark, Essex County
- Lime Kilns of New Jersey – Statewide, Multiple Municipalities and Counties
- Mount Peace Cemetery – Lawnside, Camden County
- Salem County Insane Asylum – Woodstown, Mannington Township, Salem County
- Tichenor-Gregory-Goddel-Wallisch Farmstead – West Milford Township, Passaic County
- Wheatsworth Mill and Gingerbread Castle – Hamburg, Sussex County

LINK: Preservation New Jersey

“As the economy gets better money will come back. We just have to make sure these resources stay around long enough,” Cherry-Farmer said.

What site do you think needs help in New Jersey? Sound off in the comments section below.

More: Brooklyn’s 5 Best Live Music Venues

A preview of what’s to come on their new album Handwritten, due for release July 24, the New Jersey band’s nearly two hour performance included the energetic first single “45” as well as the bluesy “Biloxi Parish” which showcased a new side of the band. With distinct groove, though a slight deviation from the expected, Brian Fallon’s familiar vocals and memorable guitar licks impressed.

More: NYC’s 5 Best Venues To Discover Up-And-Coming Music Acts

The band’s set covered the entirety of Gaslight Anthem’s catalog, from the poignant “Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts” and the classic “Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?” off their first EP Senor and the Queen to the more familiar “Great Expectations” and “Old White Lincoln” from breakthrough album The ’59 Sound. All the while frontman Brian Fallon expressed his gratitude to the fans.

“First show back. Not bad,” Fallon said while addressing the audience for the first time. “Apparently we’re streaming this all over the whole world. I feel like the Beatles on television. Today, a live show. I’ve never seen that before. I’m sure Coldplay has beat us to it, but I haven’t seen it so for me it’s the first time.”

The Gaslight Anthem switched gears effortlessly from the more aggressive “The ’59 Sound” to the slower “Miles Davis & the Cool.”

(credit: Annie Reuter)

“I’m so curious as to who’s watching,” Fallon confessed mid-set. “I wonder, is Brazil listening? What’s fancy? Is anybody in Paris watching? Anyone somewhere real far away like Connecticut?”

After talking to a fan from Connecticut in the audience, he addressed a fan from Australia who admitted to having a tattoo of his face on her body.

“You have my face on your leg? What does your husband think about that?” he asked to which she replied, “It’s his favorite!”

“Maybe I want to meet him. It’s interesting. I don’t know how to handle that so I’m going to play a song,” he said before introducing their new single “45,” a song about “just keep on keeping on.”

Released just last week you’d never know it – fans were singing along word for word.

The remainder of their set featured older material they haven’t played in a while including “I’da Called You Woody, Joe” a track from their debut album Sink or Swim that the band filmed the video for on the Asbury Park boardwalk. Meanwhile, Fallon reminisced about the old days and when they performed at a venue in Jersey where the floor caved in.

“I’ll never forget those days, just getting right up close to people. Sometimes I miss it and sometimes I don’t miss it because people smell,” he joked. “It’s true. Let’s be honest.”

The remainder of their set included the emotive “Here’s Looking At You, Kid” and New York centric track “The Queen of Lower Chelsea” which had Fallon poke fun at his old home, Park Slope.

“I used to live in Brooklyn for two years and I couldn’t tell anything from anywhere. The only thing you know is when you’re driving from Park Slope you see moms in strollers and then you cross over into Williamsburg and I don’t know about this place. There are some of the coolest looking people I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Am I wearing the right thing?’ I should cut my jean shorts off or something. Everybody looks famous here it’s like Los Angeles but different. Fancy, nice. I like it. I hear you got a bed bug problem, that’s okay.”

As the first chord of “Backseats” began a mosh pit formed on the floor while fans screamed along. Normally the band’s last song, they decided to stick around for an equally fitting encore.

During their last three tracks the energy in the room skyrocketed. Before Gaslight Anthem closed their set with “one of the best rock & roll songs of the era,” the Who’s “Teenage Wasteland,” Fallon promised, “We’re gonna see you real soon.”

Having just released U.S. tour dates for the summer and gearing up for Gaslight Anthem’s upcoming July album release, their fans will no doubt be there.

- Annie Reuter CBS Local

Students from nearly 50 schools took the exam on May 5 at the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights.

Students are required to be seated at least four feet apart to prevent cheating but a surprise inspection from the College Board found the test takers were accidentally seated much closer, Bruce Dennis, head of Packer, said in a statement.

1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa reports

As a result, nearly 200 students had their scores invalidated.

“While we accept responsibility for not strictly adhering to all guidelines, the College Board’s decision to invalidate almost two hundred student scores without any evidence of individual wrongdoing or cheating makes strikes us as exceedingly unfair,” Dennis said.

The Educational Testing Service released a statement saying they are “required to invalidate scores whenever the ETS Office of Testing Integrity determines that students took the SAT under non-standard conditions or when testing protocols were not followed.”

Dennis claims the College Board failed to communicate with the school directly about its decision to invalidate the scores and instead heard of the move from students and families.

Students are outraged over the situation.

“The auditor saw everything and didn’t say anything,” junior Jake Shapiro said. “They just let us take the test and now we have to retake it.”

“Imagine preparing for a test and finishing, finally thinking it’s over and then finding out it’s cancelled and you have to start all over again,” junior Jake Miller said.

“I understand the grounds, but I just think it’s really unfair,” sophomore Maddy Yi said.

Many of the students will retake the test this Saturday at no cost. The school will provide students free breakfast and  transportation to Abraham Lincoln High School on Coney Island for the exam.

Packer is also taking measures to ensure the appropriate changes are made ahead of their June 2 test date and has contacted legal counsel to ensure the students’ rights are protected.

Testing services have been on high alert since a cheating ring was exposed on Long Island last year.

Officials announced new security measures for standardized test-takers earlier this year aimed at preventing another testing scandal like the one that rocked Long Island.

The cheating scandal, which involved test-takers impersonating other students, put 20 former and current students in handcuffs and exposed some major weaknesses in the system.

Students taking the SAT and ACT now have to pass an identity test, which includes state-of-the-art photo recognition, enhanced handwriting analysis and more testing at home school sites, among other security measures.

Do you think the move by the College Board was fair? Sound off on the story below…

The pattern has become consistent.

The top-seeded Rangers start their playoff series with a win at home. Not necessarily an impressive win, but they take a 1-0 series lead nonetheless. Then they are unable to match the intensity and effort of their opponent in the second game and they kick away home-ice advantage.

In the first round, they gave the game away to the 8^th-seeded Senators. In the second round, the Capitals were the beneficiary. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Devils were able to get even in the series with a 3-2 victory.

The Rangers didn’t play badly, but they didn’t match the Devils in their ability to respond quickly to adversity. The Devils got on the scoreboard first when Ilya Kovalchuk snapped home a shot high on the long side past Henrik Lundqvist. End of shutout streak and first goal of the game. Good omens for the Devils right there.

Just as big as getting the opening goal was the way the Devils were moving the puck and shooting it. Instead of the deliberate pace they had in Game 1, every pass was crisp and with a purpose. If the receiver had time and space, the shot was taken. If not, another pass was made.

That’s what didn’t happen in the first game and the Rangers were able to block shot after shot – 26 in total. This time, the Rangers were not blocking shots at the same kind of pace and finished with 16.

Shot blocking is how Ranger coach John Tortorella apparently measures effort, and when Bryce Salvador wound up to take a slap shot from the blue line and Marian Gaborik did not make sufficient effort to get in front of it, the puck ended up in the back of the net when Ryan Carter deflected it past Lundqvist. Not only did that goal breathe life in the Devils, it kept Gaborik from taking his regular turn on the ice in the third period. His butt was glued to the bench for nearly 13 minutes, which seemed very questionable since the Rangers had fallen behind early in the third period and the Rangers are not the most gifted offensive team.

The presence of Gaborik gives them added speed and the ability to spread the Devil defense and presumably put more pressure on Martin Brodeur. It had to be a fairly momentous decision to sit Gaborik, arguably the team’s second-best offensive player behind Brad Richards. Gaborik, of course, scored the historic triple overtime against the Capitals in Game 3 of their second round series.

But there was no discussion of the move by John “I’ll Keep It In The Room” Tortorella. His lack of desire to communicate with the media – and the public – has been well-documented. He’s rude and nasty and a bad reflection on his sport.

The impact of his childish attitude on his team is debatable. The Rangers have not played consistent hockey and dominated the way the Los Angeles Kings are doing in the Western Conference, but they have survived and advanced despite their inability to sweep the first two home games in each playoff series. (Speaking of the Kings, their head coach Darryl Sutter is no day at the beach either. He may be even more miserable than Tortorella.)

The fact that Tortorella offers nothing to the media probably troubles commissioner Gary Bettman as he contemplates a Stanley Cup Finals between the Kings and the Rangers. The New York-Los Angeles matchup in the last round should be the dream matchup for the league, but with front men like the angry Tortorella and the classic sour puss of Sutter, it could be nightmarish.

But forget about the PR aspect and get back to what is said “in the room.” The Rangers may not always get the lesson right away, but they do know how to respond after losing. A better effort and a win in Game 3 would fit in with the pattern the team has displayed thus far in the postseason.

Gaborik may turn out to be the key figure in the next game. He has been called out by his coach before and while he may not like it, he usually responds. He has been resilient and that’s certainly the signature of this team.

Don’t expect that to change as the series resumes in Newark.

Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman was with Pro Football Weekly for 10 years and his byline has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Playboy, NFL.com and The Sporting News. He is the author of four books, including Who’s Better, Who’s Best in Football — The Top 60 Players of All-Time. Follow him on Twitter (@profootballboy).

Turns out one Big Blue legend was preparing to sell his to the highest bidder.

Lawrence Taylor’s championship ring from Super Bowl XXV has hit the auction block, SCP Auctions announced in a press release Thursday.

It was described on the auction site as “arguably the most significant” Super Bowl ring to ever hit the open market. The piece is highlighted by two football-shaped diamonds with “GIANTS” above and “WORLD CHAMPIONS” below.

There were 12 bids on lot No. 981 as of Thursday morning. The current high of $37,982 had not yet met the item’s reserve price.

The ring will come with a notarized letter of authorization from Taylor himself, though the winner shouldn’t expect the 21-year-old bling to arrive in pristine condition.

“The ring shows considerable wear,” the description read, “that in some eyes, only enhances (its) aura.”

Taylor, who has had his share of legal troubles in recent years, won his second title with New York in the 1991 classic. Super Bowl XXV was book-ended by Whitney Houston’s stirring rendition of the national anthem and the infamous last-second field goal attempt from Bills kicker Scott Norwood, pushed wide-right, that handed New York the 20-19 win.

Giants fans, your thoughts on LT auctioning off his ring? Sound off below!

The U.S. senators from New York and New Jersey are wagering pizza on the outcome.

If the Devils win the Eastern Conference Finals, Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand will have to buy a piece for Sens. Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg at the New Jersey pizza place of their choice. If the Rangers win, Menendez and Lautenberg will have to buy a pie at the New York pizza place chosen by Schumer and Gillibrand.

New York won Game 1 on Monday, 3-0. And Menendez tweeted with confidence on Wednesday before Game 2 of the best-of-7 series:

“The bet is on: (at)NHLDevils win & (at)ChuckSchumer (at)SenGillibrand have to buy (at)FrankLautenberg & I our favorite (hash)NJ pizza of choice & vice versa.”

Tricia Enright, Menendez’s spokeswomen, believes that Schumer and Gillibrand have chosen to get pizza from Grimaldi’s in New York if they win. She said the New Jersey senators have not chosen a shop yet.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Delta Airlines is offering fans with tickets to game three against the New Jersey Devils a free charter flight that will leave LaGuardia Airport at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning for the 17 minute trip to Newark Airport.

Ground transportation will be provided to the Prudential Center for the game and back to LaGuardia after the game.

Rangers legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Rod Gilbert and Rangers great Ron Duguay will join fans on the flight.

Snacks, gifts and prizes are also part of the deal.

“It’s obviously a very unique flight,” Delta spokesperson Leslie Park said. “We thought it would be a great way to get some buzz going and get some Rangers fans really excited for the game on Saturday.”

Hopefuls had until noon Thursday to fill out a form on the team’s website.

Seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fans must have tickets to the game and be able to present valid identification.

Suffolk County Police say they pulled over Kurt Knoernschild after they spotted his 1993 Chevy pick-up turning left through a red light at around 1:45 a.m.

Police say Knoernschild was driving erratically when he was pulled over.

A check of his identification revealed Knoernschild had 23 suspensions on his license, which had also been revoked due to prior DWI convictions.

The incident took place at the intersection of County Road 83 and Coram-Mt. Sinai Road.

Police say Knoernschild was arrested and charged with Felony Driving While Intoxicated and Feloney Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 1st Degree. He’s being arraigned today.

Knoernschild’s pick-up was seized.

What do you make of the arrest? Sound off in our comments section below.

The last few nights notwithstanding, the New York Metropolitans have made the cognoscenti gobble some humble cobbler. And I volunteer to take the first bite in front the Big Apple’s biggest surprise.

Like most of you, I reflexively put the Mets down for 70 wins. Why not? Jon Heyman said the Mets would finish north of the Vegas money line (72), but I thought he was merely appeasing the fan base, putting a bright face on a baleful franchise.

If I told you that the Mets would lose Jose Reyes, his replacements would hit .185 and .217, respectively, Ike Davis would dwell well below the Mendoza line, Jason Bay would still bat a brutal .240 (when not on the DL), Mike Pelfrey would miss the season, and the team’s closer was about as stable as Octomom, who wouldn’t have penciled them for 65 wins?

The Mets were faced with scandal off the field and squalor on the diamond. Making things more laughable, their answer was to hire two lifers who hadn’t done their jobs in a decade. Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins last performed their current gigs during the Clinton administration, not since “Thong Song” was all the rage.

Each man was charged with running a roster stuffed with players a third their age. And Alderson’s first task was the ever-popular payroll purge, shipping Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez. For an encore, he didn’t even make a formal contract offer to the team’s most beloved and talented player (Reyes), who just happened to win the NL batting title on his way out.

As part of Alderson’s new paradigm, the Mets (20-17) were proud to put nine players on the field spawned by their farm system. Normally, that’s a small-market euphemism for frugality, the baseball equivalent of a Piscataway produce sign stating: “Nothing Beats a Jersey Tomato!”

But after watching Reyes walk without so much as a slap on the rump juxtaposed with the Mets’ recent desire to talk contract extension with David Wright, I wondered if Alderson knew something we didn’t. Are the Mets in fact better without Jose Reyes?

It sounds like a stupid question – and perhaps it is – but someone needs to tell me why Wright is a priority and Reyes wasn’t. And don’t tell me you knew that Wright would morph into Stan Musial to start the season.  The fact that Wright is hitting over .400 and Reyes is closer to .250 is an accident.

Some propagandist – perhaps Reyes’s agent – led us to believe that it would take at least $160 million to sign the splendid shortstop, who just put a bow on his best season at the best time. Then the Marlins sailed in and signed Reyes for $50 million less.

Or maybe the Alderson – who’s myriad job functions included selling you a low-rent product in a high-rent district – used that imaginary number as a pretext to duck the negotiating table. Maybe Alderson really wanted Reyes but was handcuffed by your beloved Wilpons. Or Maybe Alderson just didn’t want Reyes.

No matter the answer, it seems to be working.  And I can’t explain it.

The central irony of the Mets’ surprising success is that they’re winning with Omar Minaya’s players. Minaya, who was accused of letting his farm system rot, allowing his farm czar (Tony Bernazard) to challenge an entire club to a cage match, overpaying players, and signing only Hispanics. But based on the startlingly good production from the new, no-name Mets, Minaya turned out to be a bit smarter than most of us thought. (Unfortunately, he also gave Ollie Perez $36 million, which would have doomed Branch Rickey, much less Omar Minaya.)

But Alderson and Collins showed courage by walking in lockstep along the company line. No one would take Bay’s contract and, when healthy, Johan Santana is actually worth his most of his salary. So Alderson got rid of the rest while resisting the impulse to replace their pricey waste.

The Mets’ payroll (around $93 million) is right in the middle among MLB teams. And they are just one game behind my Yankees, who spend $100 million more. Sure, the Yanks are far more likely to make the playoffs, but just for the purposes of this piece, the Mets have performed something of a miracle.

Mets fans won’t give the Wilpons credit for the surprising start. Nor should they, as ownership dug the very hole that Alderson is trying to fill. Perhaps they were just accidentally brilliant in picking Alderson and Collins (unless you believe Bud Selig mandated the former Marine’s hiring).

Either way, nothing speaks louder than success, particularly when everyone picks you to finish last. Frankly, I regarded Alderson and Collins as regurgitated, geriatric company men whose time had long passed – Alderson with the Bash Brothers and Collins…well, he never really won anything, anywhere, so he’d surely bomb New York City. They were two mummies exhumed for the purpose of putting a more competent (if not corporate) face on a crumbling ball club.

I was wrong. Mike Francesa said the crowd at his recent breakfast gave Collins a standing ovation. If it’s not too late, I’ll join them.

No one expects the Mets to win 90 games, but it’s now reasonable to think they will finish closer to 90 than 70. And the two unlikeliest shamans of a formerly shameful team deserve all the credit for the revival.

Feel free to email me: Keidel.jason@gmail.com

www.twitter.com/JasonKeidel

The Celtics captain put in 24 points in Boston’s 101-91 Game 3 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia, putting his knee injury behind him and getting aggressive when it came to pretty much every aspect of the game.

“Whether I shot the ball well or not, everything I was going to do was being with aggression,” Pierce said.

Aggressive might be an understatement. Pierce was in attack mode early on, even if his shots weren’t falling. Early in the first quarter, he missed four shots from close range, but it was the fact he fought for the three put-backs in the paint that showed he was determined to make a difference after scoring just seven points in Boston’s Game 2 loss.

He continued to go strong to the basket, following up his early misses with two ferocious dunks. Pierce finishing with nine points in the first 12 minutes of the game. He ended up hitting six of his 17 attempts from the floor, but did most of his damage at — and getting to — the free throw line. After just two trips to the charity stripe on Monday, Pierce found his way to the line 14 times in Game 3, scoring 11 of his points at the line.

Special Coverage: NBA Playoffs

He made it known to all of Philly when he was making his way to the line, following each drive to the hoop with an aggressive scream that would make Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” jealous.

“Everything I was going to do was going to be aggressive because they were really collapsing on me on the down-screens, on my jumpers,” said Pierce. “I just tried to get to the hole and I was able to get to the line; able to get to the rim a number of times. It’s something I have to continue to do.”

“Paul is just a grinder,” head coach Doc Rivers said following the win. “He really is. You look at him at times and you wonder, ‘How is this guy getting open?’ He just has great fundamentals. He never does it with speed. He just knows how to play basketball. He’s a throwback guy, that he knows how to play basketball. We jokingly call him our ‘professional scorer’ and that’s what he is in a lot of ways.”

“[Pierce] played great for us tonight,” said point guard Rajon Rondo, who scored 23 points of his own while dishing out 14 assists. “Paul has been struggling scoring, but he has been doing the intangibles. On those [first-quarter] drives, he didn’t get some calls early in the game and thought they were fouls, so he went out and was aggressive and finished strong.”

Recap: Thunder Go Up 2-0 On Lakers

Pierce had been just 5-for-20 in the series in the first two games, but helped the Celtics send a message as they took a 2-1 series lead. While he only added four assists, he credited the team’s ball movement for getting the offense going.

“Our offense finally came alive,” Pierce said. “We moved the ball. We knew that’s what we were going to have to do to score 100 points.”

“We just wanted to come out and establish who we are as a team,” Pierce said.

They certainly did that. Now they just need to keep it going on Friday night.

Gaborik was benched roughly 13 minutes in the Rangers’ 3-2 loss to the Devils on Wednesday night after making a couple of bad plays on Ryan Carter’s goal late in the second period that tied it at 2.

Until that point, the Rangers seemed in control, but the tally by the Devils’ fourth-line center changed the momentum and a deflected goal early in the third period by David Clarkson proved to be the winner as New Jersey evened the series.

Tortorella refused to talk about sitting Gaborik, who was a 41-goal scorer in the regular season, or say almost anything about his team’s performance, other than it needs to improve.

Gaborik shed a little light on his being benched.

“On the second goal, I didn’t get the puck out, I guess. I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him,” Gaborik said.

Besides not getting the puck out, Gaborik also seemed to fail to do what all his teammates have done this season. He didn’t block the shot by defenseman Bryce Salvador from the blue line.

Gaborik seemed to stand straight up like a pencil and didn’t stretch his body out to block the shot. Carter tipped it and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist didn’t have a chance to stop it.

“I have to do a better job there, on the second goal,” Gaborik said. “We had some momentum and they took over. I have to do a better job on the wall and . it’s a series. We just have to come back into their building and play better.”

The late goal carried over into the third period and Clarkson got the winner 2:31 into the final period when the Rangers had trouble clearing the puck. Adam Henrique took a shot from the top of the faceoff circle and Clarkson knocked it into the net with a chopping motion with his stick.

The goal was reviewed to see if it was a high stick, but it was allowed to stand.

“When it’s such a high tip, that’s a tough play,” Lundqvist said. “I saw the puck, but after he touched it, it was just too tough to recover. The next game we just have to correct a few things. — the battles and stick positioning. We just have to talk about that and correct it.”

New York seemed to control after Marc Staal and rookie Chris Kreider scored second-period power-play goal to give New York a 2-1 lead.

However, Carter’s goal seemed to change the momentum.

Rangers captain Ryan Callahan downplayed the game.

“We’re a confident team going into third periods,” he said. “I don’t think it changed our mindset at all, going into the third.”

It changed Gaborik’s playing time. He did not return to the ice until less than 9 minutes were left and the only reason he probably did was because the Rangers needed a goal.

“The first period we were kind of slow, we didn’t get pucks like we wanted to,” Gaborik said. “Second period we did better, but it has to be better overall, try to create some zone time — in their zone — and keep some pucks in and get to the net. We didn’t do that enough.”

The series will shift to New Jersey for the next two games, with Game 3 scheduled for Saturday.

“We’ve been in this situation before — obviously, you want to be up, 2-0, but we just have to get back to their building and play better,” Gaborik said.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs On The Story

“Nationally each year, 5,000 teens are killed in motor vehicle accidents. In Nassau County last year, sadly four teens were killed,” said Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale.

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said that, nationally, 14 teenagers die in auto accidents every day.

Dale cited alcohol, speeding, and distractions as primary causes for teen auto accidents.

County officials held a public event next to a crashed car on Wednesday to drive home the point.

“Don’t drive if you can’t drive… A lot of teenagers drive when they’re emotional. It’s, like, not good. It’s dangerous,” Bethpage High School senior Melissa Tadio told Xirinachs on Thursday. “So just, I guess, just be smart.”

How are making sure your teenagers stay safe behind the wheel? Sound off in the comments section below.

The 46-year-old victim met up with a friend in Hempstead around 3 p.m. on May 5 and went with him to visit his friends at a home on Brookside Drive, police said.

The friend left the home, leaving the victim alone with the three suspects who then accused her of owing them money, police said.

WCBS 880′s Sophia Hall reports

When the victim told them that she didn’t have any money, they beat her about the face, sexually assaulted her and stole her purse and cellphone, police said.

The suspects then placed a plastic bag over the victim’s head, bound her hands and feet and dumped her body in a wooded area behind Henry Street, police said.

The victim was able to free herself and scream for help, police said.

Kenneth Bass, 52, and Julia Lopez, 37 were arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, rape, criminal sex act, assault, and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

A third suspect is still being sought.

The victim was treated at a local hospital.

Sound off on this story below…

Box Score | Playoffs Schedule

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant scored 22 points and rattled in the go-ahead basket on a baseline runner with 18 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City trailed by seven with 2 minutes left before surging back with a series of defensive stops by its stars to take a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers, who came up empty on their last six possessions after Bynum’s hook shot made it 75-68 with 2:09 remaining.

Game 2 Photo Gallery (Photo:Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

After struggling throughout the second half, the Thunder suddenly came alive after Scott Brooks called timeout following Bynum’s basket that gave Los Angeles its largest lead of the game.

James Harden drove for a layup before Durant used his height advantage to reach up and tip away a pass from Bryant, who he was guarding. Durant ran out for a right-handed dunk at the other end before Russell Westbrook forced another turnover by aggressively challenging an outlet pass to Bryant along the sideline.

Harden made the next stop, blocking Bryant’s jumper on the next Lakers possession and getting a layup in transition off it to cut the deficit to one in the final minute.

Bryant couldn’t connect again, this time on a 3-pointer, to give the Thunder the ball back with the chance to take the lead and Durant was able to make it happen.

Steve Blake missed a 3-pointer from the right side with about 5 seconds left after Metta World Peace couldn’t get the ball to Bryant on the inbounds play. Durant was then fouled with 0.3 seconds left and made his first try before missing the second on purpose – failing to hit the backboard or rim for a violation.

The Lakers got a desperation try but World Peace’s long pass for Bynum was intercepted by Harden.

Westbrook added 15 points for Oklahoma City, which matched its lowest scoring total of the season but still gutted out the win.

Historically, the loss makes a huge difference. Los Angeles is 29-12 when splitting the first two games of a seven-game series and has lost 17 of 19 when falling into a 2-0 hole. The Lakers’ last comeback was in the 2004 West semifinals against San Antonio.

The Thunder have won all nine of their series after leading 2-0, dating back to the franchise’s days in Seattle.

In a game that was nip-and-tuck throughout, the Lakers started inching away early in the fourth quarter while Westbrook was on the bench.

Bryant drilled a jumper from the left wing and Blake followed with a 3-pointer before World Peace hit one of two free throws for a 69-63 advantage with 7:27 remaining – the Lakers’ largest lead to that point.

Westbrook returned then but only provided the briefest of sparks for the struggling Oklahoma City offense, and Bynum’s second straight basket – on a left-handed hook shot at the left block – made it 75-68 with 2:09 to play.

Until that point, Oklahoma City had made only 7 of 27 shots in the second half while committing eight turnovers.

After getting ripped apart by the Thunder’s pick-and-roll attack and giving up 119 points in Game 1, the Lakers made it an emphasis to put up more resistance in the rematch and it showed. Matt Barnes shuffled back and forth around three Nick Collison screens to contest Harden’s jumper and preserve the Lakers’ 22-21 lead after one quarter.

The Lakers’ defense was at its best just after halftime as they got out of a 48-45 deficit by holding Oklahoma City scoreless for the first 4 minutes and allowing just two baskets in the first 8 minutes. But Los Angeles still couldn’t create any sort of a cushion and Westbrook’s wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner – after World Peace airballed a similar shot on the opposite end – had the Thunder back within 57-56 with 3:31 left in the third.

Notes: The NBA on Wednesday fined Devin Ebanks $25,000 for actions related to his Game 1 ejection and Bynum $15,000 for failing to speak to reporters Tuesday. Bynum, who has had recent disciplinary issues within the team, talked at the Lakers’ morning shootaround Wednesday and called it a make up for skipping the previous day. “I think he’s learning. Is he going to be a perfect citizen the rest of his career? I don’t know,” coach Mike Brown said. “He’s bound to make mistakes. I think everybody makes mistakes.” … World Peace has said he supported Scott Brooks to become Sacramento’s coach back in 2007, when Brooks had been an assistant under Eric Musselman. “Little does he know, if I would have got the job, I was going to ask for him to be traded,” Brooks joked. He then called World Peace, or Ron Artest at the time, the third-best two-way player at the time behind Bryant and Kevin Garnett. … Harden caught World Peace with an inadvertent elbow to the face in the first quarter.

So when Giants linebacker Clint Sintim and running back Andre Brown tweeted photos of the previously unseen Super Bowl ring in March, Tuck quickly questioned the jewelry’s authenticity. Ditto when punter Steve Weatherford posted a different image of the same ring this week to his Twitter page.

Turns out it was the real thing — and Tuck still isn’t happy.

“I didn’t want everybody that didn’t have anything to do with Giants Nation to be seeing the ring before we had 95 percent of our players seeing the ring,” Tuck said Wednesday, according to the New York Daily News.

The Giants received their championship rings Wednesday night, and Tuck was even talking “dynasty.” But the defensive end certainly would’ve been happier had the unauthorized photos never surfaced.

After the first leak, Tuck said on Twitter that the ring was still a work in progress. Tuck insisted to the Newark Star-Ledger, “ya’ll got the wrong picture … that’s not our ring,” after Weatherford’s tweet seemed to confirm the design.

“I really think that was unfair,” Tuck told the Daily News. “And I wish I knew who dropped it and leaked the ring because I will have some choice words for him too.”

Do you agree with Tuck? Sound off in the comments below…

Last weekend I went out for some street food, and ended up in Union Square.  I never realized how much of a street food paradise that area had become on Saturdays.

On 14th St., between Broadway & 3rd Ave, there were three food trucks -and on Union Square West, there were six food trucks lined up between 14th St and 16th St.  Unfortunately, it also felt like this scene was getting too big, and I’m afraid it may be broken up at some point.

READ ON: New Season Rolls Out Slew Of New Food Trucks In Manhattan, Hoboken

(credit: New York Street Food)

But I digress.  The vendor that caught my eye last weekend was actually a new cart called Morocho, who I had never seen before.  They were parked on the sidewalk on Union Square West between 14-15 St, and the sign said Peruvian Fusion.

I spoke with the chef, Miguel Samanez, who told me this was their first month on the street.  He was born in Brazil to Brazilian and Peruvian parents, but actually grew up in the Midwest.  Someone must have taught this guy how to cook Peruvian food though, because it was delicious.

As I usually do at a new place, I asked for the chef’s recommendation.  He suggested Aji de Gallina, a chicken, egg and potato dish that cost $7.  The menu looked really interesting and I wanted to try a second item, so he then suggested a lomo saltado taco, which cost $5.

More: NYC’s 5 Best Tacos

I started with the lomo saltado taco, which had strips of rib-eye steak, red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, soy sauce, garlic and a touch of oyster sauce.

The lomo saltado came on two soft corn tortillas in a container.  I’m glad it was in a container because I had to eat some of it with a fork before I could pick up the taco.  Not only was it too hot to pick up, but there was a bunch of sauce on the bottom, and too much food to lift it without making a mess.  The fork helped get things down to a manageable level.

Wow, this was an excellent taco!  The strips of beef were thick, marinated and tender, and each item could be tasted in the mix, especially the red onions and sauce.  Even the tortilla had a pronounced corn taste.  It wasn’t just a vehicle for the fillings.

Aji De Gallina (credit: New York Street Food)

With the soy sauce, oyster sauce and garlic, I can see where the “fusion” comes from.  There was definitely an Asian influence in this dish, but it was nothing at all like the Korean tacos we’ve had.  It was more of a Japanese influence, which isn’t surprising considering Peru has a large Japanese population.  Peru even had a president of Japanese descent (Alberto Fujimori) for most of the 1990s.

When I first ordered, I thought $5 for a taco was kind of pricey, but this was a substantial dish – and I still had the aji de gallina to eat!

Opening up the second container, which was significantly heavier than the first, there were two quarters of a hard-boiled egg and slices of olives over a shredded chicken dish in a bright yellow sauce.

I’m not familiar with Peruvian cuisine, but the sauce was aji amarillo, a creamy (sweet) yellow pepper sauce with parmesan cheese in it.  A large amount of saucy pulled chicken was served over a bed of sliced potatoes and lettuce, which gave the dish some heft.

I know it’s spring heading into summer, but this dish would have kept you warm during a cold winter.  Did I mention it tasted amazing too?  Eggy, cheesy, saucy chicken served over potatoes – what’s not to love?  The olives even added some tang to a few bites.

The menu is pretty meaty, but there are at least two dishes for vegetarians that looked good too.  I wasn’t familiar with Peruvian dishes or sauces, and if you’re not, you can check out the menu here and the various sauces here.

You can follow Morocho on Twitter here or on our Mobile Munchies twitter feed, although they park on Union Square West between 14-15 St for lunch and dinner.  No website yet, but their Facebook is here.

I must say Morocho was one of my favorite new street food vendors of the year.  I will definitely be going back to try the rest of the menu over time, although I may skip the veal heart anticuchos.

WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau On The Story

Stamford Police Chief Robert Nivakoff said police gave chase after an overnight street robbery and beating in Stamford and pursued two suspects along I-95 through Darien until the suspects crashed the getaway vehicle in Norwalk.

The chief told Schneidau that Officer Troy Strauser, 36, chased the two on foot across a bridge over I-95, where he fell 20 feet to the roadway below.

“And he landed on his head. He has facial injuries, arm injuries, internal injuries,” Nivakoff said.

Strauser, a married father of three, is at Norwalk Hospital.

Police arrested 30-year-old Frank Douglas after the chase. He faces numerous charges including robbery, assaulting a police officer and cruelty to animals.  Police say he choked a police dog during the struggle to apprehend him.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Hazmat crews are on the scene trying to prevent chemicals from contaminating the Saw Mill River.

Fire officials have received several complaints about a chemical smell in the area but so far an evacuation order has not been issued.

WCBS 880′s Sean Adams reports

The fire erupted at the paint warehouse on Saw Mill River Road around 10 p.m. Tuesday night and almost immediately someone nearby saw the flames and alerted firefighters stationed less than one block away.

“We got a good head start and it just went through the whole building,” a fire official said.

At the height of the blaze, about 75 firefighters were on the scene. Four firefighters suffered minor injuries.

The building was unoccupied.

Officials have set up booms and laid sand near the Saw Mill River to stop the chemical runoff from seeping into the water.

“I don’t know what damage was done prior to getting the booms in, that’s the DEP’s concern,” a fire official said.

A spokeswoman for the Red Cross said her organization is standing by in the event of an evacuation.

The fire chief said the one-story warehouse will have to be completely leveled.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Shortly after the Jets traded for Tim Tebow, the team’s eminent fountain of poisonous wisdom, Santonio Holmes, said something to the effect that all was well with his relationship with Mark Sanchez. But should Sanchez stumble the first two games, he’d be throwing his lot behind Tebow.

He was the only one to say it outright, but yesterday’s locker room indicated that other players may be thinking the same thing. They’re glowing over the new kid’s leadership qualities.

You kind of get the idea that the locker room is collectively saying, “Yeah, sure, Mark’s our starter. But this Tebow guy, he’s something else!”

Darrelle Revis seemed close to a break with self-containment yesterday when he showered praise on Tebow. Revis, the Jets’ shutdown cornerback, credited Tebow with showing leadership from the practice field to the locker room and weight room, all the way to the cafeteria.

He’s passionate. He’s hard-working. He’s confident, Revis told reporters. And he’s winning his teammates over day by day. The “It” factor, Revis called Tebow’s whole personality package.

You kind of get the idea that if this keeps up, he’ll be getting a lot more than those 15-to-20 snaps new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano has planned for him in the regular season. At least at the start of it.

This kind of praise is not something Sanchez would likely prefer to hear. Yeah, Sanchez owns a rock-hard work ethic, and nobody would dispute that. But it’s no secret that the Jets’ nominal starter has a paper-thin self-image. He’s not a confident kid, even in light of the career bests in completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns, and quarterback rating.

Too many blown games among those 18 interceptions.

It won’t help Sanchez that quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh also appears to be smitten with Tebowmania. The guy all but took a knee and put his fist to eye level in prayer as he lauded his new student’s passion and mechanics. Given Tebow’s ugly history with the short and medium passing game, one wonders if Cavanaugh was simply pumping up Tebow’s confidence in that area, or whether a confirmed miracle had occurred at Florham Park.

Either way, people are fast taking a liking to the evangelist in shoulder pads. And it’s not because of his beliefs, but how he is acting in the training complex.

There’s a long way to go before the Jets face the Bills, Steelers, 49ers, and Texans in four of the first five weeks. And remember, everything leading up to that is about production potential. The nicest, most sincere, God-fearingest guys in the world don’t get anyplace in pro football without somebody believing they can be a true asset to their squads.

The same will hold true for Tebow. He’ll have to turn into a real passer, or at least one capable of delivering the short out in a key situation, to supplant the incumbent, be it coming right out of training camp or after a flawed, stuttering start of the schedule.

Yet, it appears numerous players and coaches are lining up behind Tebow, hoping that things work out far better than the original plan.

Can’t blame them. He’s a kid you can root for.

Sanchez? He’ll probably start the season. But as Holmes said well before Revis jumped on the backup train, the first sign of trouble and he’s going to start calling for Tebow.

At that point, heaven help Sanchez. He’ll become just another nice fellow who couldn’t make it on the country’s greatest stage.

Jets fans, are you lining up behind Tebow — or is Sanchez your guy? Sound off below…

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - On Wednesday, WCBS 880 reporter Irene Cornell told you about Chris Herren’s downward spiral from promising NBA star to drug addict.

As he put it, there came a day when he chose “800 mg. over $8 million.”

He lost his dream job with the Boston Celtics and nearly lost his life to Oxycontin and heroin, but now he’s a man on a mission, traveling the country telling his powerful story to vulnerable kids.

WCBS 880′s Irene Cornell On The Story

“When I started doing Oxycontin, the only people that had Oxycontin were people who had terminal cancer, and HIV / AIDS. Those were the only people getting prescribed Oxycontin, and now you get prescribed it for everything,” Herren said.

At Wagner High School on Staten Island, he told the harrowing tale of the night a former NFL player invited him over to get high. For some reason, Chris Herren said no that night. Then he got a phone call and turned on the news.

“So I put on the news and all the sudden, the house that I was in three days earlier popped up and with yellow tape, blue lights, and this woman stepped in front of the camera and she said ‘Last night, at 2:30 in the morning, an unknown assailant kicked in the front door of a former NFL football player. When police arrived on scene they found the 22-year-old girl and former NFL football player with bullets in the back of their head. They were made to get down on their knees and they were executed,’” Herren told the students. “First time in my life I said no to drugs. I would’ve been on that living room floor with a bullet in the back of my head.”

Even that didn’t scare him away from drugs.

“Oxycontin is just heroin in a pill, and one day you’re going to wake up, and you’re not going to be able to find Oxycontin, and your drug dealer’s going to tell you ‘Well, I have heroin.’ and you’re going to say ‘Well, pass me some heroin,’” said Herren.

When he speaks, he tells students that heroin can kill you if Oxycontin doesn’t get you first.

“I just spoke at a school where an eighth grader overdosed. He died. Eighth grade, 13-years-old, on Oxycontin. He got some out of his mother’s medicine cabinet, and his mother woke him up for school the next day, and he was stiff, you know, 13. So, it’s everywhere. It’s at all age groups now. It’s an awful, awful, awful, drug,” Herren told Cornell.

He said that 24 kids he spoke to at Wagner High School came forward to say they had a problem with prescription painkillers.

Herren told Cornell that the potency of Oxycontin and its being overprescribed have added up to many young lives being lost.

How do you think we can protect today’s children? Share your ideas in the comments section below.

- UNLV is now legitimately among the top seven or eight teams in the country heading into next season after adding Findlay Prep power forward Anthony Bennett. The super-skilled Bennett is built like an ox and should mesh perfectly with both Mike Moser and Pitt transfer Khem Birch up front for the Runnin Rebels. Throw in underrated big man Carlos Lopez along with burly veteran Quintrell Thomas and UNLV coach Dave Rice might have the best baseline in all of college basketball in 2012-13.

- VCU’s jump from the CAA to the Atlantic-10 this past week augments the quality of the inaugural conference tournament next March at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn — and also puts more pressure on Rams forward Juvonte Reddic. Out of all the players on the VCU roster, Reddic’s progress is the one that’s most pivotal as Shaka Smart’s team bumps up in conference. At 6-foot-9, Reddic is the Rams best interior player and needs to be a consistent factor every night if VCU is to compete with the brutal frontcourts they’re going to see in the Atlantic-10.

- Newly minted Duquesne coach Jim Ferry is getting a warrior in UAB transfer Ovie Soko. The 6-foot-8 power forward is extremely accurate around the rim and relentless on the backboards. As a junior last season for the Blazers, Soko shot 46.8% from the field and averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining starting in the fall of 2013 for Ferry and the Dukes.

- Looking for an A-10 sleeper next year? Try La Salle. The Explorers may have lost Earl Pettis to graduation but return several key perimeter pieces in Tyreek Duren, Sam Mills, and Ramon Galloway while adding Virginia Tech transfer Tyrone Garland in December. Sophomore to be Jerrell Wright figures to be one of the better front court players in the conference next season and burly big man Steve Zack should also be more capable in his second year under Dr. John Giannini.

- Iona sharpshooter Kyle Smyth should help Seton Hall next season as a fifth year transfer. The grizzled Smyth was originally recruited out of high school by Kevin Willard and his staff when Willard was at Iona and should blend nicely with the Pirates’ stable of capable outside shooters. The bigger question for Seton Hall is — who’s their point guard? The Pirates are still holding out hope that Texas transfer Sterling Gibbs will be granted a waiver to play next season but if that doesn’t go through, fans in South Orange will look to sophomore Freddie Wilson or incoming freshman Tom Maayan (whose coming off a knee injury) as the likely options as the teams primary ball handler. Combo guard Aaron Cosby could potentially be an emergency option at point guard but he’s probably better suited at playing off the ball.

- Rutgers coach Mike Rice is desperately craving a marquee wing in his 2013 recruiting class and the Scarlet Knights are one of the schools that lead for the services of Pope John combo forward Jermaine Lawrence. The 6-foot-9 Lawrence is also considering Cincinnati, St. John’s, and Florida.

- Virginia Tech transfer Dorian Finney-Smith will likely choose from Florida, Iowa State, Alabama, Marquette, or Texas. The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 6.3 points and seven rebounds per game as a freshman for the Hokies and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

- Cincinnati’s non-conference schedule for next season is beyond brutal. The Bearcats will travel to Marshall, play Iowa State and potentially UNLV in a tournament in Las Vegas, host Xavier, and also have a home game in the SEC/Big East Challenge.

- I’ve talked to a slew of PAC-12 coaches in the last few weeks and they’ve all told me the same thing — watch out for USC. The Trojans may have finished 1-17 in conference play last season but Kevin O’Neill has them set to bounce back big time in 2012-13. Jio Fontan returns from a knee injury to form a solid back court with Maurice Jones and the Trojans will add four solid transfers in Eric Wise (UC Irvine), Ari Stewart (Wake Forest), J.T. Terrell (Wake Forest) and Renaldo Woolridge (Tennessee). The million dollar question for USC will be the health of 7-footer Dewayne Dedmon, who played only 20 games last season due to injury. If Dedmon stays healthy, O’Neill could have a team in the top third of the conference.

- South Carolina forward Damontre Harris will transfer to either Florida or Kansas. There is no timetable on the decision. The 6-foot-9 shot blocking big man averaged 6.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game last season for Gamecocks. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Your thoughts on UNLV’s newest threat? Sound off below…

It was simple and a lot easier to wrap his head around.

“Everybody had a sigh of relief,” the running back said Wednesday, “when we didn’t have the same amount of plays we had last year.”

That’s one of the biggest differences new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano brought to the Jets after replacing Brian Schottenheimer, who agreed to part ways with New York a few months ago and is now in the same position with St. Louis. While Schottenheimer had success at times with the Jets, one of the knocks on him was that his system was too complicated and that led to confusion and poor performances at times.

Sparano’s loud and proud style has also been a big change from the low-key Schottenheimer.

“Nobody’s dozing off,” Jets offensive lineman Vladimir Ducasse told the New York Times. “The way he talks, he grabs your attention.”

Added tight end Josh Baker: “He’s to the point. What he says is what he wants. He makes it known what he wants to get done and he does it with a loud, clear voice.”

It’s still early in offseason workouts, but Sparano has already made his mark on his new team.

“It’s a different mentality with Coach Sparano,” McKnight said. “He’s the type of person that’s like, if you can’t stop him, he’ll keep doing it. That’s the kind of mentality, I think if we had last year I think we could have done better. We were just thinking so much last year.”

Sparano, who was fired as Miami’s head coach during last season, has made it clear that he is committed to a run-first style of offense — exactly what coach Rex Ryan likes. Schottenheimer got away from that approach early last season as the Jets tried throwing more with Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason in the mix. When that didn’t work, the Jets tried to get back to the run — and the backs and offensive line had trouble with consistency.

“With Tony, that’s the type of coach he seems to be, start on the ground and take it from there,” said Greene who ran for a career-high 1,064 yards and six touchdowns last season. “I wouldn’t be mad about it.”

With Tim Tebow on board as the backup quarterback to Mark Sanchez, Sparano will certainly use a wildcat-style offense in spurts — as he did with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams a few seasons ago in Miami.

“It’s going to be clear to the defense who’s going to get the snap,” McKnight said. “It’s just who’s going to get the ball after the ball is snapped.”

McKnight, who could also play a much bigger role in the offense as the backup to Greene after leading the NFL in kickoff return average, packed on 15 pounds this offseason by eating a lot of McDonald’s food.

“I just wanted to come back and not be labeled just as a specialty back, catching and receiving out of the backfield,” said McKnight, who weighs a muscular 216 pounds. “I could spread the defenses out more and show people I can run between the tackles.”

The players say Sparano has a fiery presence on the practice field, barking orders at his players with a no-nonsense approach, telling them all that they need to be accountable for their actions on the field.

“He yells and screams, but I’m used to it,” said wide receiver Stephen Hill, the second-round pick out of Georgia Tech. “That’s how they raise us in Atlanta. I definitely respond better when someone is on me.”

New offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo fits right in with Sparano and Ryan in that he speaks his mind, no matter how bold or brash. DeGuglielmo was coached by Sparano at Boston University, and was on his staff the last few years in Miami. He followed his former boss to New York, where he is in charge of helping an offensive line that was inconsistent last season despite having lots of talent.

He expects all five of last year’s starters to do so again this season, and that includes embattled right tackle Wayne Hunter.

“Until they ship him out of this building or until they shoot me dead in my office, that son of a gun’s going to be the starting right tackle, and he’s going to play well,” DeGuglielmo said, adding that he believes “this is his year” and people would be hard-pressed to find a better player at the position.

“They should strap shields to this guy and put him in The Coliseum,” he said.

DeGuglielmo replaces Bill Callahan, the popular assistant who went to Dallas in the offseason after developing the Jets’ line into one of the best in the league. No pressure there, right?

“You don’t make it in this league unless you know what you’re doing. The difference between me and Bill: I have a Super Bowl ring, and he don’t,” said DeGuglielmo, who won with the Giants as an assistant offensive line coach in 2008. “Whether that means anything, it probably doesn’t. He’s a great football coach. … I coach like ‘Guge.’ That’s what I do. As I told Rex when I interviewed: ‘I’m not worried about the ghost of Bill Callahan … nor should he be worried about the ghost of Hudson Houck down in Dallas, who won some Super Bowl rings.’”

DeGuglielmo praised his group of linemen and even said it has “the makings of being the best line in football” — as it was considered by many to be a few years ago when the Jets went to consecutive AFC title games.

“I’m not going to compare them to what they did two years ago,” he said. “Two years ago, I was 230 pounds and now, I’m 290. So, you could say, ‘Hey, Guge used to look good in that suit,’ but right now I can’t put one leg into it. It doesn’t matter what I was like two years ago. I fluctuate 60 here, 60 there. Whatever. It’s like peeing in a pool. Nobody knows the difference.”

Jets fans, what are you expecting from Sparano’s offense? Sound off below…

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

At least that’s what Darrelle Revis thinks.

When it comes to lunch partners, the All-Pro cornerback says there’s no one like the Jets backup quarterback. Sure, Tebow has had his share of game-winning drives and incredible comebacks during his football career. But just watch him chat over a turkey sandwich.

“Some people have it and some guys don’t,” Revis said Wednesday. “I just think the passion, it’s the passion within, of him wanting to be a leader, wanting to win. You see it all the time — eating lunch you see it. Walking down the hallway you see it.”

Revis has been impressed with how Tebow has fit right in with his new teammates after being acquired from Denver in March. He has also noticed that Tebow has “the gift” of being able to lead and does so by example all the time.

“He’s a born leader,” said Revis. “He really is. Very few athletes have the gift that he has. He tries to lead by example all the time and he tries to be positive, which is awesome.”

But, eating lunch with passion? Really?

“He’s into stuff, like when you’re talking to him, he’s like, ‘Yeah!’” a smiling Revis said, making believe he’s leaning into a conversation. “I’m like, ‘All right, buddy, we’re not competing.’ Nah, he’s very passionate. When he talks about things and during conversations, he’s really into it.”

While neither Tebow nor starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was made available to discuss their approaches to eating lunch, Revis compared his newest teammate to Zeus.

“He’s just one of those guys,” Revis said. “He’s just very positive. He has passion for what he does and you can see it. You can see it when you have a conversation with him. He’s just a leader. He wants to win and everything is positive about him.”

It certainly appears Tebow has settled in nicely with his Jets teammates, taking — and giving — razzings from them, just like one of the guys.

At the end of locker room availability for the media, Tebow noticed Bart Scott sprawled out on the floor and joked that he’s getting old and should head to the cold tub. The veteran linebacker didn’t miss a beat, playfully asking Tebow — known for his strong religious beliefs — if he’d baptize him.

Revis thinks having Tebow and Sanchez on the same team can only help the Jets, especially because of the potential to confuse defenses.

“My initial (thought) to the play would be a trick play, something tricky,” he said. “Tim is dangerous and Mark is dangerous as well. So, to have them both on the field at the same time, you wouldn’t be able to prepare for it because no one has ever seen it. You’ve just got to be cautious, where maybe on the defensive side, you’re like, ‘Hey, back up,’ and it could be a trick play or a double-reverse trick play or something up their sleeve.”

Revis last season commented that he didn’t think Tebow, then with the Broncos, would be able to sustain a level of success as a starting quarterback in the NFL because of his deficiencies. He thinks Tebow’s in the right place to maximize his talents.

“You respect the guy,” Revis said. “He’s a playmaker. He makes plays and wins games, that’s it. Him being a teammate is kind of different because you get to see him every day, you get to talk to him every day, you get to eat lunch with him every day and get to know him as a person. It’s totally different. When you’re competing against somebody and you don’t know that person, you only see what you see on film.”

Do you think Tebow’s gusto will extend from the cafeteria to the playing field this season? Sound off below…

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)