CBS has unveiled its 2012-2013 primetime schedule. The company – which owns CBSNewYork – touted its status as America’s most-watched network for 9 out of the last 10 years.

New offerings will include stars like Lucy Liu, Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Kyle MacLahlan, Brandon Routh and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who is perhaps best known for his turn as “McLovin” in “Superbad.”

For a complete breakdown of the new season and schedule, just click here.

WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau On The Story

Lillie Holliday’s site – www.ostmemorialfund.com – is set up as a memorial for her son, Omar Thornton and solicits donations to fight institutionalized racism.

“As a mother, I do not want any other mother to experience what I did in losing a son as a result of the impact of racism in the workplace,” she says in a statement on the website.

The site provides a link for donations, saying they will “assist in shaping a safer environment for our families and loved ones.”

Thornton, who was black, shot 10 people, eight of them fatally, within three minutes on Aug. 3, 2010 at the Hartford Distributors warehouse, before killing himself in what police said was the worst mass shooting ever in Connecticut.

Immediately before the shootings, Thornton was fired for stealing beer. Before killing himself, he called 911 and told an operator: “This place is a racist place. They’re treating me bad over here. And treat all other black employees bad over here, too. So I took it to my own hands and handled the problem. I wish I could have got more of the people.”

A police investigation concluded there was no evidence to support the claim of racism.

Claudette Carveth, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Consumer Protection, said Wednesday that her department’s enforcement division has been investigating the website since receiving a complaint on May 7.

She said they have no record of that memorial fund being registered with the state.

“We will continue to look at this organization, its intent and its practices and make sure they are complying with the law,” she said.

Christopher Roos, a manager of the Teamsters local that represents workers at the warehouse, said he and other employees are upset by the site, which he said has opened even more wounds.

“It’s basically her insinuating that these guys were racist, the company was racist and that the Teamsters are racist, and that isn’t true,” he said. “If she wants to have a fund for her son, that’s fine, but don’t say it’s for racism, because that isn’t why he did it. He did it because he had psychological problems.”

Holliday, who did not immediately return phone calls and emails from The Associated Press, told WTIC-TV she should be allowed to grieve in her own way.

“That is my son. That’s my baby. And as his mother, I should have the right to do whatever I want to do in my son’s honor,” she said. “And I don’t know why would that make them upset.”

Holliday also said that she plans to use the funds donated to the website to conduct an independent investigation of the shootings.

What do you think of the website? 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.)

A judge said Wednesday Knuckles, a half pug, half beagle, can stay with Craig Dershowitz’s ex-girlfriend Sarah Brega.

In papers filed earlier this year in Manhattan state Supreme Court, Dershowitz, who lives in New York, said Brega “kidnapped” Knuckles after they broke up and took the dog to California.

Brega said Dershowitz gave her the puggle pup. Dershowitz said the dog is registered to him. “He’s my son. Really, first thing I really loved and cared for,” said Dershowitz.

Dershowitz started the website ”Rescue Knux” to raise money for the custody fight. For $250, contributors can play fetch with Knuckles. For $10,000, Legends of Graffiti will do a giant, personalized mural.

Dershowitz made an emotional video plea and posted the following on his site:

“Knuckles was kidnapped by my ex-girlfriend and the legal fees to retrieve him are going to bankrupt me.

I know it might sound funny and I understand that. If it wasn’t so painful, I would be laughing too (I mean, c’mon – dognapp – really?) but this is very serious to me and I miss him a lot. Enough that I have gone into debt to retrieve him and enough that I am on here asking for your help. I need the money to keep fighting the court battle. She comes from a wealthy family that is backing her. I don’t. She keeps filing crazy, frivolous motions just knowing that I can’t afford to respond even after the judge has ruled in my favor. The courts gave me custody already but, sadly, the system is too complex and expensive to make anything that simple and easy.

I need help bringing my boy home…where he belongs…for good.”

So far Dershowitz raised $4,304 of his $20,000 goal and has 32 days to go.

Who do you think should get the dog? Sound off below.

WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb: Mayor Bloomberg Defended Stop-And-Frisk

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said in a written ruling that there was “overwhelming evidence” that a centralized stop-and-frisk program has led to thousands of unlawful stops. She noted that the vast majority of New Yorkers who are unlawfully stopped will never file a lawsuit in response, and she said class-action status was created for just these kinds of court cases.

The lawsuit alleged that the police department purposefully engaged in a widespread practice of concentrating its stop-and-frisk activity on black and Hispanic neighborhoods based on their racial composition rather than legitimate non-racial factors. The lawsuit said officers are pressured to meet quotas as part of the program and they are punished if they do not.

1010 WINS’ Stan Brooks On The Story

Scheindlin said she found it “disturbing” that the city responded to the lawsuit by saying a court order to stop the practice would amount to “judicial intrusion,” and that no injunction could guarantee that suspicionless stops would never occur or would only occur in a certain percentage of encounters.

“First, suspicionless stops should never occur,” Scheindlin wrote. She said the police department’s “cavalier attitude towards the prospect of a ‘widespread practice of suspicionless stops’ displays a deeply troubling apathy towards New Yorkers’ most fundamental constitutional rights.”

She called it “rather audacious” of the police department to argue that legislators already would have passed necessary laws if it were possible to protect people from unlawful searches and seizures.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly declined to comment.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he couldn’t comment directly on the ruling because he hadn’t seen it, but he did defend the stop and frisk program, saying it had helped the city prevent thousands of deaths - largely of black and Hispanic New Yorkers, who are far more likely to be murder victims than their white counterparts.

“Nobody should ask Ray Kelly to apologize - he’s not going to and neither am I - for saving 5,600 lives. And I think it’s fair to say that stop, question and frisk has been an essential part of the NYPD’s work; it’s taken more than 6,000 guns off the streets in the last eight years, and this year we are on pace to have the lowest number of murders in recorded history,” said Bloomberg. ”We’re not going to do anything that undermines that trend and threatens public safety.”

The city law office said in a statement: “We respectfully disagree with the decision and are reviewing our legal options.”

Darius Charney, who argued the case on behalf of the Center for Constitutional Rights, a non-profit legal organization, said: “We’re very pleased. We think she clearly got everything right on the law.”

WCBS 880′s Peter Haskell: Charney Plans To Prove His Point In Court

He said the ruling “reinforces that this is a citywide problem the NYPD needs to address.”

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said in a release that the ruling “is a wake-up call – and it is time for the city to face the damage done by this divisive policy.”

In 2002, there were 97,296 stops. Last year, there were 685,724 stops, while there were 601,055 in 2010 and 575,304 in 2009.

The Police Department has said it made 203,500 street stops during the first three months of 2012, up from 183,326 in the first three months of 2011.

The RAND Corp. research organization, in a study commissioned by the NYPD and released in 2007, concluded the raw data “distorts the magnitude and, at times, the existence of racially biased policing.”

The study acknowledged that “black pedestrians were stopped at a rate that is 50 percent greater than their representation in the residential census.” But it said using the census as a benchmark was unreliable because it failed to factor in variables such as a higher arrest rate and more crime-suspect descriptions involving minorities.

How do you feel about the city’s stop and frisk policy? 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.)

Web Extras: 4 Best Hiking Trails In New York City | 5 Best Scenic Running Paths Outside Manhattan

The government wants you to know that simply sporting a pair of Skechers’ fitness shoes is not going to get you Kim Kardashian’s curves or Brooke Burke’s toned tush.

Skechers USA Inc. will pay $40 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that the footwear company made unfounded claims that its Shape-ups shoes would help people lose weight and strengthen their butt, leg and stomach muscles. Kardashian, Burke and other celebrities endorsed the shoes in Skechers ads.

Wednesday’s settlement also involves the company’s Resistance Runner, Toners, and Tone-ups shoes. Skechers made deceptive claims about those shoes, too, says the agency.

New York Attorney General Eric  T. Schneiderman released the following statement Wednesday. “This settlement forces Skechers to ‘shape up’ by ceasing to make unsubstantiated health and medical claims for their so-called toning shoes. New Yorkers who purchased these shoes as a result of Skechers’ deceptive marketing practices will now be eligible for refunds.” “A fair market only exists when there are no false marketing claims that give one company an unfair advantage over the competition. Corporations will not be allowed to mislead consumers into spending their hard-earned money on products that promise what they can’t deliver.”

Consumers who bought the shoes will be eligible for refunds, though it’s not clear how much money people will get. The FTC says that will depend on how many claims are received in the eight-month filing period. Most of the $40 million will be returned to consumers, the commission said. A small amount of the money will be used to administer the payouts.

Schneiderman encourages anyone who purchased Shape-Ups, Tone-Ups, or the Skechers Resistance Runner at any time to go to www.ftc.gov/skechers or call 866-325-4186 beginning today to submit a claim for a partial refund.

“The FTC’s message, for Skechers and other national advertisers, is to shape up your substantiation or tone down your claims,” said David Vladeck, director of the agency’s consumer protection bureau. For millions of consumers, he said, “the only thing that got a workout was their wallet.”

The commission settled similar charges with Reebok last year over its EasyTone walking shoes and RunTone running shoes. That $25 million agreement also provided customer refunds.

Skechers billed its Shape-ups as a fitness tool designed to promote weight loss and tone muscles with the shoe’s curved “rocker” or rolling bottom _ saying it provides natural instability and causes the consumer to “use more energy with every step.” Shape-ups cost about $100 and are sold at retailers nationwide.

Ads for the Resistance Runner shoes claimed people who wear them could increase “muscle activation” by up to 85 percent for posture-related muscles and 71 percent for one of the muscles in the buttocks, said the FTC.

The commission says Skechers falsely represented that clinical studies backed up the company’s claims about its toning shoes. The settlement bars Skechers from misrepresenting any tests, studies or research on its shoes in the future.

In Wednesday’s court filing, Skechers says it disputes the charges and is pursuing additional studies. A call to Skechers seeking additional comment was not immediately returned.

The settlement is part of a broader agreement also announced Wednesday — a settlement resolving a multi-state investigation led by the attorneys general from Tennessee and Ohio and involving more than 40 states. The company, based in Manhattan Beach, Calif., will provide $40 million for customer refunds in the federal case and $5 million to the states.

Have you purchased a pair of Shape-ups? Let us know below.

Producers announced Wednesday that “Bring It On: The Musical” will form a complex pyramid in New York as part of the show’s 13-city national tour. Its new 12-week stand at the St. James Theatre is set to begin July 12 with an official opening planned for Aug. 1.

More: Spring’s 5 Best Broadway Musicals

The musical, which which is written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Amanda Green and Tom Kitt, is based on the popular cheerleading movies. It will tumble back on the road after its Oct. 7 show.

The last time cheerleaders were on Broadway didn’t go so well: “Lysistrata Jones,” about a college basketball team, closed in January after just 34 preview performances and 30 regular performances.

“Bring It On” began at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in October and will wrap up its tour in Toronto on June 3.

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

Each act was given five minutes to impress the judges, who will select up to 20 acts to join the MUNY roster which currently features more than 350 artists.

1010 WINS’ Glenn Schuck reports

The acts were judged on quality, variety, and appropriateness for the mass transit environment.

“I think it’s great culturally, I think we bring something different, I think it’s an awesome experience for people in transit,” a member of the Brooklyn reggae fusion band Red Stefan said.

Once the performers are chosen, they will bring music to 25 locations throughout the transit system. The artists are not  paid by the MTA but can accept tips from the public.

“I appreciate it more when people come closer and clap,” Paco Lopez, a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, said.

The winners will be announced after Memorial Day.

What do you think of the MUNY program? Let us know below…

WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb On The Story

Two World Series titles and nearly 50 years later, the Midsummer Classic is coming back to Queens.

On Wednesday, Major League Baseball finally announced the Mets will host the 2013 All-Star game at Citi Field.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig made it official at City Hall — under the watchful eye of Mr. Met — with team owner Fred Wilpon and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also behind the podium.

“The whole New York area, I think, will be very pleased,” said Selig. “This is really a five-day celebration of our great sport.”

Mark your calendars: the game will be played on July 16, 2013.

Wilpon called it a “great event for New York,” though the embattled owner slipped up a bit a few moments later.

“If I knew how easy this was, I would have asked the mayor and commissioner if (they) could have arranged for us to have the World Series this year,” he said. “But I don’t think that would be possible.”

Enter Bloomberg, who swiftly came to the rescue.

“Well, I’m counting on a Subway Series this year, just so ya know,” proclaimed the mayor.

The announcement was a long time coming. MLB decided the Mets would host the game at Citi Field at least four years ago, the Associated Press reported, but the official word was held until agreements could be in place with the city and agencies for the needed services and events that come with hosting an All-Star weekend.

The Mets hosted the All-Stars once before, way back in 1964 — the inaugural year of Shea Stadium, now a parking lot for Citi Field patrons. The old Yankee Stadium, in its final season, was home to New York’s last All-Star game in 2008.

“I’m very happy for the people here at Citi Field, it’s a beautiful ballpark,” Mets manager Terry Collins said upon hearing the initial reports on Tuesday. “It’ll be held in one of the nicest ballparks in the country.”

NYC, are you pumped to have another All-Star weekend? Sound off below!

In the federal courtroom of Judge Reggie Walton in Washington, D.C., the cross-examination of star witness (against Roger Clemens) Brian McNamee by lawyer Rusty Hardin continued today in a morning-only session.  So far (the very end of trial on Monday and the morning-only session on Tuesday), we certainly have not seen the kind of withering cross-examination that was expected by lead defense counsel Rusty Hardin.

To this writer, Brian McNamee, for the most part, has come across as a believable witness in a tough spot.  Remember, when you look at the history of the whole steroids debacle, people tend to look at it differently now when one of the leading truth-tellers has turned out to be Jose Canseco (book(s) and all).

Initially, hardly anyone believed Canseco (and his name came up today when McNamee testified that Roger Clemens had a steroids conversation with Canseco).  To date, one can argue that Canseco is the greatest truth-teller in a land of half-truths or even outright lies.

WHAT ABOUT THE CROSS-EXAMINATION?

Well, Rusty Hardin has done an interesting thing by setting forth in front of the jury a three-columned board with column headings “Mistake,” “Something Based on Bad Memory” and “Lie” (references to trial testimony are from the tweets of Jim Baumbach of Newsday and/or The Daily News I-Team).  Obviously there to impact the jury (and it says here that might very well work), so far (cross continues on Thursday) there hasn’t been a whole lot on the chart to sway the jury.

Having said that, McNamee has admitted before this jury that he has intentionally lied.  He’s also been forced to admit that Roger Clemens didn’t use the word “steroids,” instead, according to McNamee, he assumed that Clemens’ use of the words “thigh shot” or “booty shot” meant that he wanted to be injected with steroids.

But try as he might, Hardin was pretty much (so far) unable to break McNamee or make him out to be an unreliable witness.

ONE GOOD PIECE OF TESTIMONY FOR THE CLEMENS’ DEFENSE

There was one piece of testimony by McNamee that, it says here, may be very helpful to the Clemens defense.  Earlier in the trial, admitted steroids dealer Kirk Radomski (who has written his own interesting book on the subject) told how he had mailed some HGH to the home of Roger Clemens, the implication clearly being that it was for McNamee to inject Roger Clemens.

But today, apparently for the first time, Brian McNamee testified that he told now-famous federal steroid cop Jeff Novitzky (Balco, Barry Bonds, etc.) that the HGH Radomski sent to McNamee at the house of Roger Clemens was for DEBBIE Clemens, not ROGER Clemens.

This, from the star witness for the prosecution.

Yikes!

McNamee was forced to agree with Rusty Hardin that he (McNamee) had never said that before.

That strikes this writer as all but negating the testimony of Kirk Radomski and the notion that HGH was sent to the home of Roger Clemens for the use of Roger Clemens.

That’s powerful stuff to the benefit of the defense.

The cross-examination of Brian McNamee continues on Thursday morning.

A spokesperson for the museum told CBS 2 that two artifacts were stolen.

Masked thieves targeted the museum overnight, said Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano. They smashed in through a window and stole the objects.

“The incident is very unfortunate. The good news is that thankfully nobody was hurt as a result of the burglary,” said Joe Goode of the USGA Museum.

Soriano said the burglary went down at around 2:39 a.m.

Soriano said officers responding to the scene found several trophy cases that were smashed up with an axe.

Museum staff are staying mum on exactly what was stolen, and their value. Sources told CBS 2 what was taken were replicas, not original artifacts.

There are security cameras throughout the building. Police reviewing the footage said the suspect has a tall, thin build. He was wearing blue jeans, a dark jacket and white sneakers. He may have also been wearing a mask.

The museum’s website says it is “home to the world’s premier collection of golf artifacts and memorabilia.”

“We’ve got rooms and galleries dedicated to Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Bob Jones,” Goode explained.

The burglary comes on the heels of another robbery at a nearby golf course last Friday.

The Somerset Hills Country Club, just 10 minutes away, was robbed between 3 and 5 a.m., reported CBS 2′s Kathryn Brown. In that robbery, trophies were stolen from the clubhouse. Three golf carts were also stolen but were later recovered.

Police are looking into whether the two robberies may be related.

Anyone with any information on the USGA Museum robbery is asked to call Bernards Township Detectives at 908-766-1122 or Somerset County Prosecutors at 908-231-7100. You can also leave an anonymous tip by calling 888-577-8477 (TIPS) or by clicking here.  All calls are kept confidential.

Sound off on this story in our comments section below. 

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – After hearing rumblings about food trucks returning the the old Tavern on the Green site after being scooted out by the city’s Park Department after last season, we stopped by the space at Central Park West &67th Street to see for ourselves.

The trucks were told that due to upcoming renovations they would no longer be allowed  at the location,  but Pera Turkish Tacos and Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream were both there serving customers last week.

On our trip to the site, we asked one of Pera’s employees whether the truck would be there for the summer. They said said their truck would be there through June 10th, but weren’t sure whether the contract would be renewed.

Eggplant Taco from the Pera Turkish Taco truck (credit: New York Street Food)

See Also: New York City’s 6 Best Food Trucks

Our guess is the Tavern food trucks signed 1 year contracts last June, and the city couldn’t keep them from serving at the site without buying back a portion of the contracts.

Since construction on a new restaurant hasn’t begun yet, they might as well let the trucks serve another month until the contracts run out.

Van Leeuwen will be at the site when the weather cooperates – at least until June 10th.

We’ll check back to see if the contracts are renewed in June, but quite honestly, we would be surprised if they were.

The hosts of “The Talk” stopped by the CBS 2 studios during the noon show. They’re in town hosting a special week-long series of shows out of NYC.

As they did on Monday, the women decided to tackle the weather forecast. Little did they know that they’d be tackled instead.

John Elliott delivered what has to be one of the most unusual weather reports in CBS 2 history.

Things started out normally enough, with John explaining about spot showers heading our way Wednesday afternoon. To check current weather conditions, click here.

At around the 2 minute mark, however, the hosts of the “The Talk” stormed the set.

Things got crazy from there.

“You didn’t think you were gonna get away with this this unscathed, did you?” said Julie Chen.

“Where’s Sharon Osbourne?” asked John.

That led to an embrace. And a tackling. And some rolling around on the set.

Watch the video and see it for yourself.

“I got in so much trouble with my wife,” said John Elliott to Sharon about their infamous Monday encounter.

“But I only felt your buns,” she replied. And did it again.

“Now they’re hot and cross,” John said.

“Mrs. Elliott, don’t be upset,” said Sharon.

Should Mrs. Elliott be concerned? Sound off in our comments section below. 

WCBS 880′s Levon Putney On The Story

The plan is for DePiero’s Country Farm Market in Montvale to close and a Wegmans supermarket to open on half of the farm’s 55 acres.

The full plan will go before the borough’s zoning board in two weeks.

The farm has been there since 1924 and offers hay rides and pumpkin picking the fall, plus other events during the year.

Customers on Wednesday mourned the upcoming loss of DePiero’s.

“It’s a shame all these farmers are going out,” one told Putney.

“If they keep the homeyness of the place, where we can just sit and chit-chat for a while, that would be great,” said another.

Are you looking forward to the arrival of Wegmans? Sound off in the comments section below.

Francesco Miceli, 50, of Rockville Centre, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday to multiple counts of criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance. Bail has been set at $40,000.

Two very different pictures are emerging of the West Babylon restaurant owner a day after he was arrested and accused of making drug deals out of his shop.

1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria reports

Miceli was arrested Tuesday night following a three-month investigation, police said.

He is accused of selling Oxycodone hydrochloride pills several times to an undercover police officer at Miceli Brothers Pizzeria and Restaurant – the shop he runs with his two sons.

WCBS 880′s Sophia Hall On The Story

Police said they found 150 pills inside the restaurant when it was raided.

Matthew Miceli, the defendant’s son, opened the shop for business on Wednesday morning.

“We’re gonna keep making pizza, keep selling food, people like how it tastes,” the 19-year-old Miceli said. “I’ll serve them.”

He insists his father is not a drug dealer and is an active member in the community.

“We donate to all the fire departments, I always sponsor Little League,” the younger Miceli said, refusing to comment on the charges.

The alleged drug deals were no secret to residents in the neighborhood.

“People knew that drugs were being sold,” Ronnie Pascuzzo, of West Babylon, said.

“I’m glad he’s gone,” a local deli owner and father of three said.

Sound off on this story below…

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced 14 arrests in the car theft investigation on Wednesday.

1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa reports

The sophisticated international car theft ring stole more than 100 cars with a value of $4 million, authorities said.

“These were not random thefts, the cars were stolen to order,” Kelly said.

WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond: They Preferred Lexus And Toyota

The ring allegedly took orders for specific colors and models of Lexus sedans and other luxury vehicles from an international broker who then sold the vehicles to buyers in Nigeria and other African nations, authorities said.

Once an order was placed, the thieves would locate the vehicles on city streets and “stalk” the drivers until there was an opportune time to steal their cars, Schneiderman said.

In one incident, a woman took six minutes to drop off her child at school and came out to find her car gone, 1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa reports.

“This crew used the streets of New York as their own personal auto showroom,” Schneiderman said.

Williamsburg and Flushing were the hardest hit areas in the city.

(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.)

New Yorkers project a certain confidence that non-New Yorkers see as arrogance.

There’s an overall belief that everything is just a little bit better in New York than it is anywhere else. Two cities – Boston and Chicago – have developed complexes when it comes to competing against New York in sports. Both have come up with occasional victories, but New York’s dominance has been clear and substantial. In most cases, it’s the dominance on the baseball side of the equation that gives New York bragging rights – Yankees over Red Sox; New York World Series titles over Chicago – but the Giants’ ability to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl must be factored into the equation.

If the Rangers can somehow get past the Devils in their Eastern Conference Finals series, they will try to represent New York against a team from that hockey hotbed in Los Angeles.

While there is no doubt that New York’s hockey roots – Harry Howell, Emile Francis, Rod Gilbert, Eddie Giacomin, Mark Messier – are light years ahead of Los Angeles – Rogie Vachon, Bill “Cowboy” Flett, Charlie Simmer, Marcel Dionne — a matchup between the Rangers and the Kings would not be any old-timer’s series. The Kings are on a big-time roll and they would be one nasty team to beat.

New York superiority? Not in this case. The Kings have all the elements that you want in a hockey team. They have a powerhouse of a team that is threatening to make the playoffs a shambles.

Throughout much of the regular season, the Kings were the team that couldn’t shoot straight. They couldn’t score goals and it seemed unlikely that they would even make the playoffs. They steadied themselves after the All-Star game and slowly developed traction, but it wasn’t until mid-March that they made a serious run at securing a playoff spot. They got in by the length of their fingernails and they have not stopped surging.

Much like the Rangers, the Kings depend on goaltending for their primary strength. Jonathan Quick was the No. 3 goalie behind Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas on the 2010 U.S. Olympic hockey team, but he is nobody’s No. 3 any longer. He is just a tad behind Henrik Lundqvist on the league’s goalie totem pole and he has a knack for getting low in his crease so he can track shots and then make the all-but-impossible save.

During the regular season, the Kings expected Quick to get them a win if they scored two goals on a given night. But that’s no longer the case since the Kings have been the highest scoring team in the playoffs, averaging 3.18 goals per game. The best player has been power forward Dustin Brown, who was on the trading block in late February and could have been moved to Boston for Milan Lucic. Not making that move has turned out to be the best thing for Los Angeles, because Brown has 14 points in 11 postseason games. Former Flyers Mike Richards and Jeff Carter are also carrying their weight. Richards is a nasty pest who has 10 points while Carter scored a hat trick the Kings’ 4-0 victory over Phoenix in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Anze Kopitar is a legitimate sniper with a wicked shot. He has 13 points in this year’s playoff season.

Defensively, the Kings are somewhat reminiscent of the Rangers because they are nasty, physical and committed. The best of the bunch is Drew Doughty, who is not afraid to step up on the offensive end, but he’s a truck who is willing to run over opposing forwards to take possession of the puck. Matt Greene, Willie Mitchell, Slava Voynov and Rob Scuderi will also sacrifice their bodies to block shots and deliver hard checks.

The Kings are just two games away from making the Western Conference playoffs a shambles. After beating the Canucks in 5 games and sweeping the Blues, they are threatening to brush aside the Coyotes in a similar manner.

Then the holy grail will be in their sights. They will be a formidable opponent who may end up in the favorite’s role no matter who they face in the Stanley Cup Finals.

New York intimidation? Don’t count on it against a team that is simply dominating.

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).

Laurie Fine held a news conference Wednesday and said she planned to file a libel lawsuit in federal court against the cable network and two employees. ESPN in November broke the story of two former Syracuse ball boys, Robert Davis and Michael Lang, who claimed they were molested by Bernie Fine decades ago.

“I’m here today as a wife and a mother who has had to endure the trauma of being smeared in the public as a monster,” she said, reading quickly from a statement. “My life has been destroyed.”

Laurie Fine’s lawyer, Lawrence Fisher of Pittsburgh, repeatedly declined to answer specific questions and said he was discussing the complaint with Bristol, Conn.-based ESPN. He has not yet filed a lawsuit.

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said the complaint is without merit and the network stands by its reporting.

Bernie Fine has denied wrongdoing and hasn’t been charged. Federal investigators opened an investigation into him following the allegations of a third man, 23-year-old Zach Tomaselli of Lewiston, Maine, who has since said he lied. The local prosecutor has called Davis and Lang credible but said the alleged crimes occurred too long ago to pursue.

Laurie Fine, with her two daughters at her side, said her husband called to wish her luck Wednesday. She would not address whether they are still together.

“Bernie does support this lawsuit, and he’s behind me 100 percent,” Laurie Fine said.

Laurie Fine said she was the victim of “treacherous lies” and that her family has had to endure watching her being “smeared in the public as a monster.” She said the attention has forced her to live in seclusion for the past six months and give up charity work she enjoyed.

“Today, through my attorneys, I have taken the first steps toward restoring my good name,” Fine said.

“They should apologize and retract these horrible lies reported about me,” she added.

Fine said the network was motivated by the unfolding child sex-abuse scandal at Penn State University.

“Although these defendants have known me to be a decent and honorable woman, they have maliciously attacked me in order to attack my husband and to boost television ratings in the wake of the Penn State scandal,” she said.

The accusations from Davis and Lang, quickly picked up by other national media, roiled the Syracuse team’s then-perfect season and brought criticism to Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim. Boeheim initially called Davis a liar out to capitalize on the Penn State scandal, but soon softened his stance.

Davis initially approached ESPN in 2003, but the network did not report the story then.

Fisher said the media coverage has made it “impossible” for Laurie Fine to go out in public in her hometown, so they held the news conference in Geneva, a Finger Lakes resort town 45 miles west of Syracuse. The family has also put their suburban Syracuse home on the market.

“She can’t even go to Wegmans,” said Fisher, referring to a local supermarket chain.

Fisher said ESPN should apologize, retract the stories and “be punished for willful, wanton, reckless disregard for the reputation and the truth of Laurie Fine.” He called it “a textbook example of defamation in the world of journalism.”

Your thoughts on the lawsuit? 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.)

When the Jets acquired Tim Tebow from the Broncos, Joe Namath wasn’t a fan of the acquisition.

He also took it upon himself to question the hiring of Tony Sparano as offensive coordinator.

But as fast as you can say “ay ay ay”, Namath has had a change of heart on both subjects. At the United Way Gridiron Gala Tuesday night, Namath was asked about Tebow and Mark Sanchez co-existing. The Jets Hall Of Fame signal caller drew a positive picture.

“I’m a Mark Sanchez fan,” said Namath. “I’ve also been a Tim Tebow fan since his freshman year at Florida. When draft day came up I said somebody gotta draft this kid because he’s only positive for the team. He’s going to bring a lot of positive vibes and effort. It’s a plus.”

Now that’s a far cry Namath’s original thought of the Tebow trade.

I asked Namath if he really feels that the Sanchez-Tebow tandem can really work.

“I think it can work,” said Namath. “I have enough respect for Tony Sparano to believe it can work so yeah it can work.”

So now Namath thinks that the two-headed monster that the Jets have created at quarterback can work at that he likes the guy that the Jets have trusted in training them.

But who does Namath think is the better quarterback?

It’s as easy as making a guarantee….Sanchez!

“No doubt about it at all at this point certainly,” said Namath. “And Mark is going to get better. He’s going into his fourth year. I remember a team that won a championship with a quarterback in his fourth year. Let’s hope that happens again.”

Namath was, of course, referring to himself and the Super Bowl III Champion Jets.

But why has Broadway Joe changed his thinking about Tebow and Sparano?  It wasn’t that long ago that he was down on both acquisitions.

It’s easy to figure out really. Namath is trying to get back in good graces with the Jets. He has been very critical of the Jets during a weekly radio appearance and that caused a strain in the relationship between the Jets and the player who led them to their only championship.

“I don’t like feeling the vibes that I get back whenever I cross Woody’s (Johnson) path,” said Namath. “Rex (Ryan) and I have been getting along well when we bump into each other but I know that there’s an underlying sensitivity there that the Jets have.”

It’s not a good thing when the greatest player in franchise history is not on good terms with the team and that needs to be fixed.  It was a different set of circumstances when Yogi Berra stayed away from the Yankees all those years but when he came back, it was awesome.

Namath would like nothing better than to be back in the Jets’ good graces but flip flopping his opinion on what the team does proves one point.

He has zero credibility when it comes to being an impartial analyst.

LOCAL PLAYERS HONORED

Congratulations to Jets guard Brandon Moore and Giants guard Chris Snee on being honored as “Hometown Heroes” at the United Way Gridiron Gala Tuesday night. The event raised The event raised $1.5 million dollars to benefit  New York city’s most vulnerable children and youth. Moore and Snee were recognized for their service to the community. Also, Giants Hall Of Fame linebacker Harry Carson received the MVP Award recognizing his lifetime achievement.

There were plenty of current and former Jets players in attendance including Dustin Keller, Mohammed Wilkerson, Mike DeVito, Wesley Walker, and John Schmidt.

Keller couldn’t have been happier for his teammate to be honored as a hometown hero.

“It’s awesome and he definitely deserves it,” said Keller. “He does so many things in the community. He’s such a leader and a vocal guy in the locker room. The guys want to follow what he’s doing and this is more than deserved.”

The United Way of New York City fights poverty across the five boroughs. To learn more about their work and how to get involved, please visit www.unitedwaynyc.org.

CHANGE IS GOOD

Dustin Keller also spoke about what’s going on with the Jets on the field and the transition to new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. When Brian Schottenheimer left to become offensive coordinator with the Rams, Rex Ryan noted that the verbiage in the offensive playbook may have been too complicated.

Keller says Sparano’s playbook is much different.

“It’s definitely shorter,” said Keller. “The words have a lot more meaning than they did before. There’s not as much verbiage needed. There’s a lot of memorization involved, but our guys can definitely handle that.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of Schotty there huh?

At the gala, I also caught up with 2010 first round pick Muhammad Wilkerson. He’s happy to be reunited with former prep school teammate Quinton Coples who was taken by the Jets in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Listen to my interview with Wilkerson:

The Jets are continuing their off-season program and OTA’s will begin next week. Check back here next week for more!

Enjoy the off-season everyone. It’s going to be full of news and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @pschwartzwfan.

WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane On The Story

The Daily News reported that eight signal maintainers are suspected of filing false reports that claimed they had inspected subway signals that they had never actually inspected.

Two supervisors, Oscar Magalong and Chandrapaul Hariprashad, are suspected of entering the inspection reports into the MTA computer system with full knowledge that they were false.

A source told the Daily News that all 10 face a felony charge of tampering with official records and a misdemeanor charge of official misconduct.

One of the workers was charged after prosecutors said copies of signal bar codes turned up in that worker’s locker.

In testimony before a City Council hearing in January, New York City Transit President Thomas Prendergast admitted that things were so lax that it was possible for 90 percent of signal inspection reports to have been fudged, reported WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane.

“To think that those reports were falsified meant that people’s lives were placed at risk, and they were placed at risk for a long period of time,” City Council member James Vacca, head of the transportation committee, told Murnane.

Vacca said he hopes this scandal will serve as a lasting lesson.

Transport Workers Union Workers Local 100 President John Samuelson said it is appalling that higher-ups haven’t been charged. He said that if the allegations are true, the pressure to carry out the acts came from above the workers.

“Signal maintainers and our Local 100 members gain no financial benefit. They didn’t win any free trips to do extra signal work. They got nothing out of this,” Samuelson told Murnane. ”The [foremen] were being pushed by their senior managers to get the work done by any means necessary.”

Do you feel safe riding on the subway? Sound off in the comments section below.

Ralph Neptune, 46, falsely accused a man at the Brooklyn Heights branch around 7:30 p.m. of watching pornography on a library computer, 1010 WINS’ John Montone reports.

1010 WINS’ John Montone reports

The two men apparently got into an argument before Neptune pulled out a knife and stabbed the 52-year-old victim in the neck and chest, police said.

Neptune is charged with assault, weapon possession and menacing. He is being observed at Bellevue Hospital.

The victim is expected to recover.

Sound off on this story below…

Rescue and recovery workers who helped in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are planning to gather at the 9/11 memorial on May 30th to commemorate the anniversary.

The ceremony will honor the sacrifices of those whose efforts “were nothing short of heroic,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg, chairman of the 9/11 memorial, said Tuesday.

Spots for the event will be limited.

The white gold ring, commemorating the team’s Super Bowl XLVI win over New England in February, features four Lombardi trophies — one for each Big Blue title. Speaking of blue, the ring boasts a border of 37 sapphires.

The NFL champions will be presented with the impressive jewelry Wednesday night at Tiffany & Co. in Manhattan, but fans will have first crack at “trying on” the diamond-encrusted bling.

Giants fans can snap a photo and show off their virtual Super Bowl ring to the world with the GoldRun app for iPhone and Android phones. Not a ring person? They’ve got you covered. There’s a Lombardi Trophy option, too.

The ring was designed by Tiffany & Co. with input from Giants ownership, top management and some key players, including quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Justin Tuck. The winning score is featured on one side, the other will show the player’s name and number.

“Finish” and “All In” are engraved inside the ring, a nod to the Giants’ rallying cries from last season.

“Stray (former Giant Michael Strahan) talked about the 10 table ring,” said Tuck, according to the team’s official website. “He wanted a ring you could see from 10 tables away. I talked about the restaurant ring. I wanted one that was big enough to see throughout whatever restaurant you go in and see it from each corner.”

The finished product appeared strikingly similar to the photos previously leaked on Twitter by linebacker Clint Sintim and punter Steve Weatherford.

(credit: Twitter/@Weatherford5)

Giants fans, do you plan to “try on” the virtual ring? Your thoughts on the design? Sound off below!

WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs On The Story

His election Wednesday made him the youngest elected official in New York, WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported.

He said his landslide election sent an important message to young people.

“Never let anyone tell you what you can’t do. So many people decided to tell me ‘You couldn’t run for the school board. You’re too young.’” he told Xirinachs.

Lazafan is the first high school student ever elected to the Syosset Board of Education and said it’s a dream come true, and he has more dreams ahead.

“One of the youngest New York State Assemblyman will be a nice achievement as well,” he said.

He said politics is “absolutely” in his future.

Lafazan’s win came despite a controversy involving his father having removed an absentee voter list from district headquarters.

Are you inspired by this young man’s win? Sound off in the comments section below.

Playing for the sixth time in 11 days, Los Angeles gave San Antonio its toughest first half of the playoffs before fading fast. And unlike their stunning Game 1 comeback at Memphis in the first round, the Clippers didn’t have the wind this time.

Manu Ginobili added 22 points for the Spurs, who’ve won 15 in a row. It’s the longest winning streak sustained in the NBA playoffs since the 2004 Spurs won 17 straight.

“It’s the playoffs. It’s going to be physical. We knew that coming in,” Duncan said. “We just expected to attack the basket as much as possible.”

Eric Bledsoe led the Clippers with 23 points.

Game 2 is Thursday night.

That gives the beat-up and banged-up Clippers one full day of rest — which is all the time they’ve had to recover between games for the past week and a half.

Los Angeles couldn’t even fly home first after knocking out the Grizzlies on Sunday in Game 7 of a grueling series that had the Clippers hobbling next to Texas. Blake Griffin scored 15 points in 28 minutes a day after estimating his sprained left knee had him feeling “80 percent” at best.

The Clippers said the injury is bad enough that their All-Star and leading scorer might be missing up to two weeks if this were the regular season. But unlike in Game 7 on Sunday, Griffin didn’t take a seat in the fourth quarter until the Spurs were safely ahead in the final minutes.

Rookie Kawhi Leonard added 16 points, hitting all three of his 3s, and Danny Green added 15 points for the Spurs.

The marquee matchup of the series — All-Star point guards Tony Parker and Chris Paul — was a fizzle. Paul, who ended the first round with an aching hip, scored just six points and didn’t make a single basket in the second half. Parker had seven points and 11 assists.

Caron Butler scored 15 points and Nick Young had 13 for the Clippers. Los Angeles cut the deficit to single digits with a 10-burst in the fourth quarter before San Antonio, which hasn’t lost in a month, ran away with its 11th double-digit victory during this dominating winning streak.

The Clippers didn’t even need San Antonio’s help getting more bumps and bruises: Mo Williams, already playing with his sore right fingers taped, took a lump on the head when teammate Reggie Evans kicked him with an errant foot after Williams fell on his back in the lane.

Williams wobbled when he tried standing, sat back down, and the Clippers burned a timeout. He never left the game, but the Clippers weren’t getting any fresher.

Parker, meanwhile, finally felt the hard knocks and slow-him-down shoves that Utah repeatedly promised but never delivered in the first round. Sometimes, the All-Star looked in vain to officials when the whistle didn’t blow. When that didn’t work once in the first quarter, he kept jabbering about a no-call on the last possession while lining up to shoot free throws on the current one.

Popovich, pacing and sensing an impending technical foul, silenced his leading scorer.

“Tony!” Popovich snapped from the sideline. “Shoot!”

Parker waved off the NBA Coach of the Year — he was under control. But his frustrations didn’t end there. He was 1 for 9 despite playing 38 minutes, scoring all but two of his points at the foul line.

Notes: Before this became the deepest Spurs team yet under Popovich, Butler said he came so close to signing with the Spurs after the lockout that he canceled a flight to San Antonio when the Clippers counteroffered. “They made a great pitch,” Butler said. …Leonard finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, the highest finish for a Spurs player since Ginobili finished fourth in 2003. Said Popovich: “He’s done a good enough job to make me trust him to be in the starting lineup. I’m happy for him.”

Mets reliever D.J. Carrasco had just beaned Brewers slugger Ryan Braun after a Rickie Weeks home run in the top of the seventh, and David Wright was set to lead off the bottom of the frame.

Everyone in the stadium seemed to know a retaliatory plunking would likely come next, including New York manager Terry Collins, who wasn’t about to take that chance with Wright.

Collins flexed his managerial muscles and pulled Wright from the game.

“I just could not afford to have my starter get hurt,” he told WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton on Wednesday. The skipper called in from his fan-attended breakfast at the Hard Rock with Mike Francesa.

Listen: Collins with Boomer & Carton

(You can download the entire interview HERE.)

Though a heated dugout exchange was caught on camera, Collins said everything has been ironed out. Matter of fact, the five-time All-Star called Collins after the game and texted him Wednesday morning.

“Nothing’s hidden. When David came off the field, you know, he knew he was gonna get drilled,” said Collins. “He said, ‘I’m gonna go take this,’ and I said, ‘Not tonight, you’re not.’ “

Collins hoped Wright’s fiery willingness to put his body on the line would serve as a lesson for the Mets’ youngsters.

“That’s why he is who he is on this club,” said Collins. “He’s the face of the organization and I love him to death. I think he plays the game right. And I hope the young players, I hope those young players — we have a lot of them out on that bench — saw what he was willing to do for the ballclub last night.”

Perhaps it would have turned out differently if the game were tight. But Collins wasn’t about sacrifice Wright’s body in an 8-0 blowout.

“That’s what I said to him afterwards. I said, ‘There’ll be a time when you’re gonna have to wear one for what’s happened,’ ” Collins said. “But last night, I didn’t think last night was that time.”

As for why Carrasco — who was ejected by plate umpire Gary Darling — would bean Braun? Wright was at a loss for words after the game, and Collins sounded just as puzzled.

“I’ll tell you guys,” he told Boomer and Carton, “I wish I had the answer for that.”

Your thoughts on Collins’ decision and Wright’s willingness to stand in against the heat? Sound off in the comments below…

David West scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, George Hill added 15 and the Indiana Pacers took home-court advantage away from Miami by beating the Heat 78-75 in Game 2 of the teams’ Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night.

LeBron James scored 28 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade finished with 24, but both missed big chances for the Heat late. James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down one, and Wade was short on a layup that would have tied the game with 16 seconds remaining.

Mario Chalmers’ 3-pointer to tie bounced away on the final play, and the series was tied 1-1.

Danny Granger scored 11 points and Paul George added 10 for Indiana, which took advantage of Heat forward Chris Bosh’s absence and outrebounded Miami 50-40.

Game 3 is Thursday in Indianapolis.

James had a chance to give Miami the lead with 1:22 left, but his shot was blocked from behind by George, who was fouled two seconds later. He missed both free throws, keeping the Indiana lead at 76-75. And after Wade missed a jumper, James was fouled by Granger — his sixth — battling for the rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining.

James couldn’t connect on either, and the Heat didn’t score again.

Bosh is expected to miss the rest of the series with a strained abdominal muscle. Without him, James and Wade combined for 52 points — and no other Miami player scored more than five.

A dreadful third quarter by Miami — 3 for 17 shooting — allowed Indiana to lead by as much as 11, before the emotions picked up considerably in the fourth.

Wade was steaming when he missed a shot after trying to create contact with Indiana’s Dahntay Jones with 9:53 left. As Wade argued, Jones went the other way and set Leandro Barbosa up for a score that put the Pacers up 63-56.

Chalmers turned the ball over on the next possession, and as the Pacers took off for what set up as a 2-on-none break, Wade caught Darren Collison from behind and knocked him over. A flagrant-1 was called, Collison hit both free throws, the Indiana lead was nine and tensions were suddenly high.

It all seemed to spark Miami.

The Heat scored the next six points, James — who got hit in the head by Granger with 7:25 left, sparking a bit of shoving that led to double-technicals given to both players — added a putback off an offensive rebound and Wade did the same about a minute later, getting Miami within 69-66 with 5:57 left.

James missed a free throw that would have tied it with 4:30 remaining, but after George got the rebound, James dove in to create a jump ball situation. The MVP easily won the tap, sending it to Wade, whose bank shot over West put Miami back on top 72-71.

Barbosa scored on the next Indiana possession. The Pacers weren’t rattled, and left celebrating minutes later.

Indiana scored 16 points in the first seven minutes of the first half, then scored 17 in the next 17 minutes. And even after a drought like that, Miami’s lead was only 38-33 at the break.

George missed four shots in a 60-second span early on, setting the tone for an icy-cold half by the Pacers. Indiana was up 16-9 midway through the first when the Heat went to a smaller lineup that paid quick dividends.

Three baskets at the rim — a layup by Wade, then James firing a pass to Turiaf for a dunk, followed by a Wade touch pass to James for another slam — erased most of the early deficit, and defense did the rest. Indiana missed 24 of 29 shots in one stretch, and after Hibbert used his size advantage to get three shots in the first 1:11, he only got two attempts over the rest of the half.

Miami was 0-for-7 on shots that would have pushed its margin to double digits in the first half, continuing a trend from Game 1. Neither team ever led the series opener by more than nine either, and when George made a 3-pointer with 6:09 left in the third, the Pacers had pulled into a 46-all tie. A steal and dunk by George followed on the next possession, putting the Pacers back on top.

Before long, the Pacers had that first 10-point edge of the series. Collison’s jumper with 1:29 left in the third put Indiana up 59-49, and the margin was 61-52 entering the fourth.

For as bad as Indiana’s first half was offensively, Miami’s third quarter was equally dreadful — the Heat were outscored 28-14 on 3-for-17 shooting in the period, the third-worst shooting effort by the reigning East champs in any quarter this season.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Music mogul, club owner, partial proprietor of  an NBA team, and husband to the ‘most beautiful woman’– Jay-Z has a pretty full resume, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t throw his hat into the political ring in years to come.

PHOTOS: People Magazine’s Most Beautiful Women, 2001-2012

Jay-Z, an ardent supporter of President Obama since the beginning, sat down with CNN’s Poppy Harlow during a recent trip to Philadelphia to promote a local music festival.

Harlow pressed the rapper for his opinion on President Obama’s recent remarks in support of the gay marriage.

Jay-Z said it was, “the right thing to do.”

But he didn’t stop there.  It appears that the rapper has given the topic quite a bit of thought.

“I’ve always thought it as something that was still holding the country back,” Jay-Z said, referencing the fact that same-sex marriage is not recognized nationwide.

“What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple.”

When asked if he thought the President’s stance would lose him votes among minority voters come election time, Jay-Z’s answer was simple:  “It’s really not about votes,” he said. “It’s about people.”

Bloomberg, watch your back, it looks like you have some competition when it comes to diplomatic speeches.

The Eastern Conference’s top-seeded team has failed in its first two attempts to double that edge at Madison Square Garden. Given a third shot against the New Jersey Devils, the Rangers are determined to make the most of home-ice advantage in Game 2 of the East finals on Wednesday night.

The Rangers held an optional practice Tuesday at their home rink, the site of a 3-0 win in Game 1 on Monday.

The teams slogged through two periods, and New York admittedly wasn’t at its best coming off its second straight seven-game series. But the Rangers scored three times in the third period and rode their defense and the goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist to victory.

“I don’t know about escaped,” Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said of the win. “We’ve got to be better. We know that. We’ve got areas in the game that we need to improve on and we need to work on. We’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

While no one in the Rangers room could put a finger on what went wrong in Game 2 losses to Ottawa and Washington, New York voiced a determination to break the trend in which it alternated wins and losses through the first four games of the opening two rounds.

The Rangers went win-one-lose-one through all seven games against Washington. New Jersey won four straight against Philadelphia after losing the opener, to end that second-round series in five games. The Devils came back from a 3-2 deficit in the first round against Florida.

A two-game lead could do wonders for the Rangers, if for no other reason than to get a mental break from the constant pressure.

“We don’t look to come out the same way we did in Game 1,” forward Mike Rupp said. “We’re fortunate, but we’ll move forward and make sure we’re better in Game 2. We need this game. It’s a pivotal game, and both teams want it. The stakes are going to be higher and the game is going to be at an even higher pace.

“In the first two rounds, we exchanged wins and losses through the first four games. We’re looking to get away from that. We want to win every game if we can. We obviously would like to string a few more together.”

Not only haven’t the Rangers taken a 2-0 lead, but they haven’t held a two-game edge at any point of either series. The only time they have won two games in a row this postseason was when they rallied from a 3-2 hole and took Games 6 and 7 against Ottawa.

The Devils, who had five days off between the second and third rounds, would be happy to take a 1-1 tie home for Game 3 on Saturday.

“You’re down one game, and they have home-ice advantage,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said Tuesday. “We’ve been in this spot before. We know we can play better. Credit to them, they got the job done — found a way to get a win. Now it’s on us to respond the right way.”

The Devils will try to quickly figure out how to neutralize the Rangers’ ability to block shots. New Jersey shot 21 pucks that made it through to the net, and they were all stopped by Lundqvist. As difficult as it is to face a premier goalie, New Jersey also had to deal with the frustration of having an additional 26 attempts turned aside before they got close to the net.

“We couldn’t seem to get that first one past him,” Devils captain Zach Parise said of Lundqvist. “The opportunities were there. Some great chances right in front of the net, some good shots from the slot, but he made big saves. Then they got one early in the third, and we couldn’t rebound after that.”

New Jersey frustrated clubs for years with its lock-down, trapping style that was backstopped by goalie Martin Brodeur. Now they are being tested with another maddening form of defense.

“We were blamed for the trap when we were successful at it,” said the 40-year-old Brodeur, who has made 183 consecutive playoff starts for the Devils. “Whatever brings success is what you need to do. I know it’s probably not the most exciting brand of hockey, but it’s really effective.

“They got in people’s heads by doing what they’re doing, and they’re tough to play against because of that.”

The Rangers got a dose of it, too, against the Capitals — the only team in the playoffs that has blocked more shots than they have.

Dan Girardi, who broke the scoreless tie with a goal 53 seconds into the third period on Monday, and fellow defenseman Marc Staal both had a game-high five blocks in Game 1. Callahan, Ryan McDonagh — Girardi’s defense partner — and another defenseman Anton Stralman all had three blocks each.

The Devils had 15 blocks of their own and allowed 28 shots, including one into an empty net with 1:27 left.

“You have to play defense to win,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said Tuesday. “Blocking shots is playing defense.”

DeBoer also vented frustration Tuesday about calls he felt were missed by the officials. He felt that Brodeur was nudged by Rangers forward Derek Stepan as he provided a screen on Girardi’s shot from the blue line that Brodeur said he never saw.

“Looked like a bump to me,” DeBoer said.

He also took issue with a play in which he believed defenseman Michael Del Zotto closed his hand on the puck in the third period. But DeBoer knows the only way to win is for his club to penetrate the New York defense and then solve Lundqvist, who has allowed only 25 goals in 15 playoff games.

“He’s a challenge. He’s a very good goalie,” DeBoer said. “But Ottawa found a way to score on him, so did Washington, so did we during the regular season. We’re going to get goals. We’ve got to concentrate and do a better job on our execution around the net.”

Notes: The Rangers recalled goalie Cam Talbot, defensemen Tim Erixon and Dylan McIlrath, and forwards J.T. Miller, Kris Newbury and Casey Wellman from the Connecticut Whale, who were eliminated from the American Hockey League playoffs on Friday. … DeBoer said defenseman Henrik Tallinder, out since early January because of a blood clot in his left leg, has passed some hurdles and that he and center Jacob Josefson are “getting closer” to returning. Josefson broke his left wrist on April 3 against the New York Islanders, in the Devils’ third-to-last regular-season game, and was expected to be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks.

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

The heist went down in the middle of the afternoon Tuesday. Police say at around 3:40 p.m. two men hailed a livery cab at 125th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

The cab took the two to the Bronx. They arrived at 804 East 138 Street, which is the Wellness Center in Port Morris.

That’s when the two pulled out a knife and held it to the driver’s throat.

They stole his cell phone and wallet and ran off.

Descriptions of the suspects provided by the NYPD are very slim. The knife-wielding man is described as African-American, wearing a dark jacket, a plaid button-down shirt and light colored pants. He also wore a doo-rag. The other suspect is simply described as a black male wearing a dark hoodie.

The surveillance video may offer a few more clues.

“What these two men did when they robbed this driver was brutally stupid,” Fernando Mateo, spokesman for the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers said. “It’s stupid because anyone that robs a cab driver knows that we’re going to get their images. We’re going to find them and we’re going to capture them and they’re going to go to jail.”

The group is offering a $1,000 reward for information in the case.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You can also submit tips by via the Crime Stoppers website or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

One of the best new food trucks this year is Mexico Blvd.  They have only been around for a couple of months, but have built a good following with their strong, vibrant flavors.

More: New Season Rolls Out Slew Of Need Food Trucks In NYC, Hoboken

For our first visit we had an al pastor torta, which was good (and messy), but ordering tacos gives you the full range of their abilities.

On this visit, we got 3 types of tacos – al pastor, chicken tinga and bistec, which were $3 each.

More: NYC’s 5 Best Tacos

Chicken Taco from Mexico Blvd. (credit: New York Street Food)

While at their debut, Mexico Blvd. served tacos wrapped in one tortilla each, they use two for each taco – good move.

I started with the al pastor taco, which was marinated in a 3-chili sauce.  It was topped with a long slice of pineapple, scallions.

The truck informed us that they are testing out a new (very, very hot) sauce.

Did I want to try it?  Of course!

Between the 3-chili sauce and the hot sauce, the al pastor had quite a “pop”.  The pineapple added a little fruitiness and tang, but make no mistake, this was spicy.  If you leave off the hot sauce, it will still have some heat, but less so. Personally, I loved it with the hot sauce.

More: NYC’s 5 Best Spicy Meals

The chicken tinga had shredded chicken breast and another spicy salsa, in addition to the hot sauce.  I also tasted fresh lime juice.  Between the chicken, lime and salsa, I had to be careful not to let the juices drip on my shirt, but that was not going to keep me from fully enjoying this tasty taco.

Bistec Taco from Mexico Blvd. (credit: New York Street Food)

The Bistec taco was made with chunks of top round beef that were marinated in beer.

We were told the beer marinade helps the chilis get into the beef.  One thing’s for sure, the beef was nice and tender, and I didn’t run across any fat.

The beef also had a nice grilled flavor, more so than the other meats, and it was topped with a medium-spicy red salsa, onions and fresh cilantro.

More: NYC’s 5 Best Burritos

This was a great lunch, but I was stuffed.  Two tacos should be enough for most people for lunch, but I had to try a few different tacos to be able to give you the full scoop.

If you’re a vegetarian, Mexico Blvd also serves a nice guacamole with chili-rubbed chips, and a vegetarian quesadilla with avocado and cheese.

Mexico Blvd makes the rounds of various neighborhoods for lunch, so follow them on Twitter here or on our Mobile Munchies twitter feed.  You’ll be glad you did.

Police were called to the scene after the victim was found Wednesday morning.

All service was temporarily suspended at the height of rush hour on the Oyster Bay branch as police and the medical examiner responded to the scene, according to the MTA.

Service was restored shortly after 8 a.m.

(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.)

Los Angeles dominated the opener and was even better in Game 2, withstanding Phoenix’s initial push and string of penalties for a 2-0 series lead.

Dwight King scored his third goal in two games and Quick tied a team record with his third career playoff shutout to give the Kings a dominating lead heading into Game 3 Thursday night in Los Angeles.

The Kings have won nine straight road playoff games in two seasons, matching the NHL record set by the New York Islanders from 1982-83.

The Islanders won the Stanley Cup both of those years.

Quick matched Felix Potvin’s team record for playoff shutouts and Carter finished off his first career playoff hat trick in the third period, securing the Kings’ seventh straight win overall.

The Coyotes played better early and fell apart late, becoming frustrated after being unable to contain the more-skilled Kings.

Phoenix was hit with a string of penalties starting late in the second period, including a game misconduct to captain Shane Doan for boarding Kings center Trevor Lewis. Martin Hanzal also received one for boarding Dustin Brown in the third period and the Coyotes had 13 penalties for 56 minutes — most coming after the final 5 minutes of the second period.

The Kings won the opener 4-2 by outplaying and outhustling Phoenix.

Knowing Phoenix’s makeup, the Kings figured to get more of a pushback in Game 2.

And the Coyotes were much more aggressive early, winning some of the individual battles they lost in Game 1 while creating some decent scoring chances.

Even with all of Phoenix’s hard work and a couple of line changes by coach Dave Tippett, the Kings still managed to score first. King got it, redirecting a shot by Drew Doughty that beat Mike Smith stick side late in the period.

Hard work in the corners by Mike Richards set up Los Angeles’ second goal, by Carter. He muscled the puck past Smith’s glove side as he was going down on a feed from Dustin Penner that made it 2-0 early in the second period.

“I’ve been working hard in practice to get my game where I wanted it,” Carter said.

Then things completely unraveled for the Coyotes.

Doan, who was suspended three games for elbowing earlier in the season, was given a game misconduct and a five-minute boarding penalty for ramming Lewis from behind. Defenseman Keith Yandle was already in the penalty box and Daymond Langkow joined him after a slashing penalty, giving Los Angeles a two-man advantage for more than 2 minutes.

Brown was sent off for diving on a slash by Smith, but that didn’t bother the Kings. Carter scored his second a few seconds later on a redirect of a shot by Anze Kopitar, putting Los Angeles up 3-0.

“It’s no secret we been struggling a bit with the power play and to get some goals will give us confidence on it,” Carter said. “We have some pretty skilled guys out there on the power play.”

With the Coyotes racking up penalties seemingly on every shift, Carter finished them off with his fifth career hat trick, punching in a rebound with the Kings on a two-man advantage after Hanzal’s hit on Brown.

Notes: The Kings were without D Colin Fraser, out of the lineup attending to a family matter. … Coyotes LW Ray Whitney played in his 100th career playoff game. D Michael Stone played his first with Adrian Aucoin still out of the lineup and David Schlemko still not fully healthy. … Rocker Alice Cooper, who lives in the Valley, attended the game. … The last team to win seven straight road playoff games in one season was Chicago in 2010.

Security agents at LaGuardia Airport patted down 88-year-old Nobel prize winner Henry Kissinger last Friday as he headed to Toronto.

Kissinger said it’s nothing unusual and that he’s often searched during airport security screenings because he wears a brace on his foot and can’t remove his shoes.

In a statement, Kissinger praised the TSA for their “professionalism” and “courtesy” while performing what he calls “an important job.”

The TSA released a statement saying, “There was no indication of anything out of the ordinary with Mr. Kissinger’s checkpoint experience.”

 Sound off on this story below…

1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg On The Story

The Republican governor finds himself thwarted at do-gooding by Democrat Booker, who, in real life, rescued a neighbor from a fire last month.

Booker tells Christie in the video “I got this” as he fixes the governor’s flat tire, helps Bruce Springsteen replace a missing guitar, and Tebows after catching a baby dropped from a Statehouse balcony before Christie’s eyes.

Each time, Christie grits his teeth and says “Booker!”

Booker is then shown on a phone telling Mitt Romney he wouldn’t make a good running mate. Christie grabs the receiver, saying: “Excuse me mayor, I got this.”

The video played at Tuesday’s New Jersey Press Association’s Legislative Correspondents Club show.

Did you like the video? What do you think of Booker and Christie? 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.)

Robertson was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a strained muscle in his left ribcage. The right-hander was working as the fill-in closer for Rivera, who is likely sidelined for the season after tearing a knee ligament on May 3.

Robertson finished five games this season and was 0-1 with a 2.51 ERA and one save. He had not pitched since Friday because of discomfort in his ribcage, an injury diagnosed Tuesday as a strained oblique muscle.

“We don’t think it’s too severe, but it’s hard to tell,” manager Joe Girardi said before Tuesday’s loss in Baltimore. “Obliques can be tricky. We expect him not to pick up a baseball for probably seven to 10 days, and then we’ll see where we are after that.”

To fill out the bullpen, New York recalled right-hander Cody Eppley from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Rafael Soriano, who earned a save Monday night in Baltimore, will become the new closer.

“We lost Mariano first. The bullpen will do whatever we have to do,” Soriano said. “Now with two guys down, it’s not easy for us.”

Soriano is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA and two saves. He didn’t pitch Tuesday against the Orioles.

Although no one told Soriano he’s been assigned the stopper’s role, the right-hander said pitching coach Larry Rothschild has indicated Soriano will be finishing games.

Asked whether he was eager to fill the role, Soriano responded, “Oh, yes.”

“I don’t think about what happened last year because it’s already gone,” Soriano said of last season’s struggles. “I’m focused on this year.”

Despite losing Rivera and Robertson, Girardi was confident the Yankees’ bullpen would be effective.

“They have been used a lot lately, but we think we have the guys that can get it done,” the manager said. “Guys’ roles have just increased a little bit, but we’re not going to abuse them and ask too much.”

Yankees fans, what’s your confidence level in Soriano? 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.)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - One pill forever changed the life of an NBA star with a bright future, WCBS 880′s Irene Cornell reported.

WCBS 880′s Irene Cornell On The Story

At 21-years-old, Chris Herren was a huge talent in professional basketball, but his drug addiction proved to be even bigger.

He went from multi-million dollar contracts with the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets to sleeping in a dumpster, a disastrous downward spiral helped along by a friend from his high school days who offered him a little yellow pill.

“He said ‘Remember in high school we used to play around with Percs? We used to play around with Vicodin? I got a new pill. It’s called Oxycontin. It’s 40 mg. It’s 20 bucks. You want one?’ I put out my hand. He put this little yellow pill in the palm of my hand. I threw it in my mouth. I went back to the cookout,” Herren said as he told his cautionary tale to students at Wagner High School on Staten Island.

Staten Island leads New York City in Oxycontin overdose deaths.

“I had no idea that that decision, that afternoon, that $20, was going to lead to 25 Gs a month, in four months. That I was going from one 40 mg. pill to 1600 mg. a day. When it was time to go back to training camp, I was a full blown junkie,” he said.

He told the students how his drug problem drove him out of the country. He had to go to Italy to play basketball.

But then a new problem developed. He ran out of Oxycontin pills.

“I can’t ‘Oxys’ in Italian. I can’t say ‘Percs’ in Italian. The only thing I could think of at 24-years-old was to roll up my sleeve and point to my vein,” he said.

He had made the switch to heroin.

Eventually he broke the drug habit and, at age 36, has now devoted himself to making sure today’s generation of kids don’t go down the same path he did.

Do you have a story of recovery you’d like to share? Feel free to use the comments section below.

NEW YORK (WFAN) — Father’s Day is still a month or so away, but, for me, it’s never too early to start paying homage to the patriarch of my family.

If not for my father I’d probably be the most miserable person on the planet right now. He saved me from a life of pure disgust by introducing me at a very young age to the New York Yankees. “Thank the good Lord for making me the son of a Yankee fan,” I like to say — often to anyone who will listen.

However, I’m a year-round fan of all major sports, save for basketball, which just never took. I have an appreciation for the hardwood, but don’t go to sleep at night cursing the Dolans or worrying about the Knicks’ point guard situation. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant are exceptional athletes, but I’m not investing in their Fatheads to decorate the man cave any time soon.

Football and hockey, however, are totally different animals in my world and dad is of no use to me whatsoever. He’s at best a casual NFL fan, will watch Notre Dame and occasionally Army if the mood strikes him. The NHL? Well, that’s just basically controlled chaos in his eyes, or, in other words, total nonsense.

As I’ve learned, dad is really proud of his Italian heritage. His lack of loyalty to a specific NFL team has been a serious problem in the past. I mean how do you ask about Dan Marino after your green-blooded son has just witnessed the fake-spike play? I used to think he was just bustin’ chops, but I found out over the years that if you’re last name ends with a vowel or was shortened or if your parents came over to Ellis Island from the old country he was and still is genuinely interested in your well being. I mean the guy knows who Dino Ciccarelli is, which is likely a far cry from today’s so-called sports aficianados, the 20-somethings who will wax poetic about everything that’s happened since the calendar crossed Jan. 1, 2000, or that ESPN has told them.

So, as you can see, while growing up I didn’t really have an ally once October turned to November and the days crawled by until spring training. I have always fended for myself, with no worldly guidance to speak of, when it comes to the Jets and, to a lesser extent, the Islanders.

And it shows.

How else can I explain being a fan of these two teams in a town that is extremely demanding every waking second and then utterly worships its champions? You win here, you’re a god. You lose here, well, you’re pretty much godless, basically just someone walking the Earth in search of adventure only to find that the road isn’t perilous by design; It’s fraught with all forms of potential catastrophe simply by accident.

Or simply by association.

Why I actually chose the Jets I can’t really put a finger on. None of my close friends I grew up with were passionate fans and I wasn’t really the rebellious type who consciously chose to be the black sheep. I had Giants, Cowboys, Raiders and Steelers diehards to deal with, but not one true Gang Green disciple in my inner circle. Sure, some jumped on the bandwagon from time to time, but as a child of the late 1970s and then a teen in the ’80s, you tell me exactly how many times there was really that much to get all that excited about with the Jets to even consider forsaking all others.

It made for some pretty tough sledding back in the day.

At least with the Islanders I had, and still have, a support group on the home front. My brother remains a loyalist as do a few of the guys I’ve known 30-plus years. We’ve always made the 120-mile round-trip drive to Nassau Coliseum and will continue to make similar excursions should the Isles end up playing elsewhere in the Tri-State Area down the road.

But, pure loyalty aside, it’s a tough time to be a fan of the Jets and Islanders. Correct that, it’s brutal as long as you’re not pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, I can’t count Twitter and the legions of like-minded souls I’ve recruited as being in my corner, because the best years of my sports life are over. Those who tell you life begins at 40 need to be slapped upside the head with a fully loaded puck bag because they never have sports in mind.

And while I understand the Jets are just a few steps from being very good again and the Islanders have been forever “up and coming,” at the end of the day it’s hard to expect more than fans like myself have consistently received.

Compounding the frustration that has come with the Jets and Islanders collectively not winning a championship in now-nearly 30 years has been a recent Super Bowl matchup from hell and currently an NHL Eastern Conference Finals series straight out of central casting for an upcoming documentary on sports fan suicide.

Look, I realize what the Jets will eventually be is really not going to be dictated by what other teams do. The fact that the Giants and the Patriots met for all the marbles was great for this area. I commend Big Blue for being a standard of excellence, a franchise that mostly worries about its own business and by and large carries itself as worthy of the mighty accolades it has earned throughout history.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a hint of jealousy, but, again, I’m a Yankees fan. I know pretty much what it means to churn out a top product the majority of the time. However, baseball has no relation to football when it comes down to doing battle during the season. I love baseball, but football will forever be king. And the fact remains the Giants win titles while the Jets talk about winning titles. It is what it is and it creates a numbness for the fan that refuses to engage in online smack talk. I mean, what’s the point of that? Rings talk, B.S. walks and any diluted defense is really just a failure to grasp reality.

I love hockey for its purity, its intensity and because its postseason is unrivaled anywhere. So, that said, now we have the Rangers and Devils fighting for a spot in the Stanley Cup finals, again. The Rangers were arguably the NHL’s best club throughout the regular season and they’ve rewarded their loyalists with a postseason that has so far been chock full of character and a team-wide message that basically says we won’t quit until you pry our frozen skates off our mangled feet.

The Devils have been as consistently good a franchise as you will find anywhere in sports over the last quarter century, missing the playoffs just three times, not counting the lockout season of 2004-05. Oh yeah, and they’ve won three Stanley Cups, too. If the Devils played in New York City they’d be the Yankees of the hockey world.

Then there’s the Islanders, whose problems over the last two decades have been well-chronicled. I’ll say this for the Islanders fans: they are brand loyalty, even if you want to argue there hasn’t been much of a brand since the early 1990s. If not for YouTube and a few disintegrating VHS tapes I’d have a hard time remembering the glory years. The run of four Stanley Cups was so long ago, if you actually have the gumption to use it as your rallying cry I almost don’t want to know you.

The bottom line, to me anyway, is these two franchises really do nothing more than take up space. It has to be about winning championships. There’s always a billion built-in excuses, or turmoil or a failure to live up to potential, regardless of whether it’s the fans or the media setting the bar. The nonsense — and that’s what it boils down to with the Jets and Islanders, often pure, unadulterated nonsense — has to stop. I could throw the Knicks and Mets in there, too, and go on for another thousand or so words, but you get the point. Why even have a franchise if you as a fan are consistently subjected to mediocrity or utter failure and seemingly always watch the parade from afar too annoyed to feel good for your fellow man, regardless of his affiliation?

At the end of the day there really is no solution for any of this, short of that one special season coming out of nowhere and, albeit for a brief second in time, shifting the usual balance of power. I’m just venting, trying to once again be a voice for the downtrodden or for those not worthy of rising above steerage on the sinking ship.

Make no mistake, I’m not walking away from either of these teams, but at the same time I’m sure my father won’t wake up one day saying he now has an affinity for Canadians, Russians, Swedes and Tebows.

We’re on our own, people, left in a perpetual state of doing nothing but hopin’ and wishin’ and prayin’ and hopin’ …

Read more columns by Jeff Capellini

Have the last few months been brutal for you as well? Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …

The borough council in Point Pleasant Beach approved an ordinance on Tuesday night to have bars close at midnight starting July 1.

WCBS 880′s Sean Adams reports

The measure is in response to residents’ complaints about noise and property damage caused by rowdy bar patrons.

Along the Jersey Shore, there’s a delicate balance between meeting the needs of both residents and businesses.

“It’s good and bad,” resident John Pausey said of the ordinance. “It’s bad for the business people and it’s good for the people that live here.”

The town postponed a separate measure that would allow bars to stay open until 2 a.m. if they pay an extra fee aimed at funding additional police patrols. The final votes on that ordinance are set for June 12.

It seems the Blueshirts were all over the ice in Monday night’s win, sliding this way and that to stop the puck in front of goalie Henrik Lundqvist. After Game 1, frustrated Devils goalie Martin Brodeur mused about how New Jersey might break the blue wall.

“They’re hot at blocking shots,” he said, according to the New York Post. “We might be able to hurt a few guys (by) hitting one-timers in the foot and their head or something.”

Perhaps it was an innocent comment. But WFAN’s Craig Carton lambasted the Devils goalie on Wednesday morning for even suggesting such a thing, and Post columnist Larry Brooks proclaimed now that “the seed has been planted … the presumption of innocence has been forfeited.”

The Devils, at least publicly, weren’t on board with intentionally aiming at New York players. The Rangers lead the Eastern Conference finals 1-0, with Game 2 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

“I can’t tell you that to put in the paper,” one unnamed player told the Post.

“That’s a little hard-core,” said Dainius Zubrus, according to the paper. “I haven’t done that yet in my career, actually shoot at anybody’s face. I’m not really planning on it. I think there are still lanes to get it through. Sometimes the puck gets away, and people get hit. But honestly, I’ve never aimed at anybody’s head.”

Devils center Adam Henrique said injuries sometimes happen when you play the shot-blocking game, but not intentionally.

“You pay the price to block shots,” he said. “It’s always been part of the game. … I don’t think you look to hit a guy in the head.”

Rangers general manager Glen Sather told the Post that Brodeur “couldn’t have been serious.” Even if it was in jest, star Brad Richards said it wasn’t an appropriate remark.

“I don’t think we’ve sunk to a level of such disrespect in this game that one player would intentionally shoot the puck at another player’s head,” Richards told the paper. “I don’t think it’s anything we have to worry about, but I don’t understand why it even would have been brought up and said that way.”

What’s your take on Brodeur’s comments? Sound off in the comments below…

Click here to print a copy of this recipe (pdf)

BBQ Spaghetti Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pulled pork
• 2 lbs spaghetti, cooked
• 4 slices thick cut Texas toast or brioche

Garlic butter:

• 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp granulated garlic
• ½ tsp smoked sea salt

Preparation:

Combine the soft butter with the spices in a medium bowl. Reserve until needed. Lightly coat the toast on both sides. Cook over medium heat on a grill until lightly toasted and golden brown. Alternatively a broiler or toaster oven may be used. Be careful not to put too much butter if using a toaster oven. In this case toast the bread first and then spread on the garlic butter.

BBQ Spaghetti sauce:

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 each garlic cloves, peeled, minced
• 1 each onion, peeled, sliced thick, smoked, diced ( a regular onion can be substituted)
• 3 cups smoked tomatoes,( plum tomatoes in basil can be substituted)
• 1 cup BBQ sauce, homemade
• 1 pork shoulder bone
• ½ lb smoked pork shoulder bark (dark outer surface where all the smoke is)
• 1 bunch basil, chiffonade
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, cook the onion for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir often to avoid burning it. Add the tomatoes and lower the heat. Stir in the BBQ sauce and add the pork bone and meat. Stir well to combine. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for one hour. Remove the pork bone and add the basil. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.

Keeps several weeks covered in the refrigerator.