newyorkpost--2020-12-25--Accused NYPD cop shooter claims he was only aiming for his girlfriend: prosecutors

It was nothing short of a Christmas miracle .
The police ...

The accused gunman in the Christmas Eve shooting of an NYPD officer was ordered held without bail at his attempted murder arraignment Friday night — as prosecutors described his incriminating excuse that he’d been aiming for his girlfriend, not the cop.
Defendant William Moss has made at least a partial confession — claiming that he believed only his girlfriend was there when he allegedly squeezed off two shots inside a crowded Crown Heights courtyard.
Shot twice in the back but saved by his bulletproof vest, Officer Connor Boalick, 27, spent part of the night in Kings County Hospital, but was released in time for Christmas.
“In sum and substance, the words were that he heard the girlfriend’s voice but did not see the police officer,” Assistant District Attorney Jordan Rossman told the arraignment judge.
Rossman also told the judge that the charge — the attempted murder of a police officer — is about as serious as it gets in the state penal code.
“This defendant is accused of shooting an NYPD police officer in the back when that officer was called to investigate a domestic dispute … between the defendant and his girlfriend,” Rossman told Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Jean T. Walsh.
When officers arrived, Moss “fired two shots at the police” and at the girlfriend and her mother, the prosecutor told the judge.
“The officer was wearing a bullet proof vest, fortunately and was able to escort the two complainants to safety.”
The firearm was recovered, the prosecutor added.
“I wish it never happened,” Moss had told reporters as he was led in to court.
At Friday night’s arraignment, defense lawyer Robin Gordon Leavitt of the Legal Aid Society asked that some bail be set.
“This is a young man who will come back to court,” Leavitt argued — despite his client’s open warrant on a previous marijuana charge. Moss nodded his head emphatically in agreement.
“This marijuana warrant was the only police contact prior to this,” Leavitt argued.
“He’s never been arrested before … he has lived his entire liffe in Brooklyn with his grandmother,” he added, as Moss continued to nod his head up and down.
“She is besides herself. She’s scared, she’s upset and rightfully so — this is a very serious charge … I’m asking your honor to not remand him.”
The judge agreed that the charge is serious.
In fact, “It is the most serious type and level of felony in the penal code,” she said.
Still, the court is “concerned that there were not just police officers but two people, two complaining witnesses that the defendant shot at in all,” she said.
“There were at least four, possibly six people who were in the line of the defendant’s shooting. I’m going to remand,” she said, citing the seriousness of the charges and the strength of the case.
Moss could be seen in the videotaped proceeding hanging his head down in apparent disappointment before the proceeding ended.


newyorkpost--2020-12-25--Fantasy football: These running backs can be saviors

It has been a rough season for running backs .
Injuries ravaged the top tier , rookies weren ’ t being trusted by their coaches throughout much of the season and COVID created a number of issues .
Now , with championships on the line in Week 16 , we never did get back Christian McCaffrey , we can ’ t trust Ezekiel Elliott and fill-ins like Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman have proven unreliable .
Fortunately , help seems to be on the way .
We may not be seeing production of the Derrick Henry level , but Myles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be your fantasy saviors this week .
If there is one thing we have learned about Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey , it ’ s that they prefer to have one player lead their backfield .
While most coaches turn to the tandem backfield , Flores and Gailey have stuck with one guy throughout .
Gaskin was that guy early in the season and they rode him like a pony until he got hurt and missed Week 9 .
When he returned five games later , they fed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now off the reserve/COVID list and facing a soft Raiders run defense that has allowed 171.3 rushing yards per game over the last three weeks , Gaskin should resume his role as the Dolphins ’ lead back .
Gibson ’ s situation is a bit different , but his return from a case of turf toe has the back on everyone ’ s radar , especially with Washington ’ s matchup against the Panthers who have allowed 120 rushing yards per game all year and have coughed up 16 rushing touchdowns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ were limited by the usage of J.D .
McKissic , but Week 10 rolled around and Gibson was the lead dog .
Six touchdowns and three games later , he was out injured .
Upon his return , you can probably expect a workload similar to what he had early on which is 12-15 touches .
It ’ s not bell-cow status but still solid given the matchup .
They say to dance with the person you brought and while you may be tempted to give Ito Smith or Sony Michel a look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Championship week is not the time to take chances .
Dance with who you brought .
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com .
Follow him on Twitter @ rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “ Fantasy Alarm Radio Show ” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football advice .

It has been a rough season for running backs. Injuries ravaged the top tier, rookies weren’t being trusted by their coaches throughout much of the season and COVID created a number of issues. Now, with championships on the line in Week 16, we never did get back Christian McCaffrey, we can’t trust Ezekiel Elliott and fill-ins like Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman have proven unreliable. Fortunately, help seems to be on the way. We may not be seeing production of the Derrick Henry level, but Myles Gaskin and Antonio Gibson could prove to be your fantasy saviors this week.
If there is one thing we have learned about Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, it’s that they prefer to have one player lead their backfield. While most coaches turn to the tandem backfield, Flores and Gailey have stuck with one guy throughout. Gaskin was that guy early in the season and they rode him like a pony until he got hurt and missed Week 9. When he returned five games later, they fed him 21 carries without batting an eye. Now off the reserve/COVID list and facing a soft Raiders run defense that has allowed 171.3 rushing yards per game over the last three weeks, Gaskin should resume his role as the Dolphins’ lead back.
Myles Gaskin Getty Images
Gibson’s situation is a bit different, but his return from a case of turf toe has the back on everyone’s radar, especially with Washington’s matchup against the Panthers who have allowed 120 rushing yards per game all year and have coughed up 16 rushing touchdowns. Early on, Gibson’s touches were limited by the usage of J.D. McKissic, but Week 10 rolled around and Gibson was the lead dog. Six touchdowns and three games later, he was out injured. Upon his return, you can probably expect a workload similar to what he had early on which is 12-15 touches. It’s not bell-cow status but still solid given the matchup.
They say to dance with the person you brought and while you may be tempted to give Ito Smith or Sony Michel a look, Gaskin and Gibson offer better upside. Championship week is not the time to take chances. Dance with who you brought.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football advice.


newyorkpost--2020-12-25--Internal NYPD memo warns of cops being targets of IED, vehicle attacks

The NYPD cop shot in Brooklyn but saved by his ...

The NYPD has been on the alert for weeks for possible attacks similar to Friday’s deliberate RV explosion in Nashville, The Post has learned.
An internal NYPD memo issued earlier this month warned that law enforcement were the “priority targets” for terror attacks involving homemade bombs and vehicle arson.
The Dec. 14 memo, obtained by The Post, said violent extremists and “malicious criminal actors” might go after cops to exacerbate tensions, “exploit civil unrest” and incite further violence.
The document referenced Al-Qaeda propaganda released on Nov. 26 that urged radical jihadists to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to attack “priority targets.”
Those targets included retired officers, business leaders, intelligence personnel and “soldiers and police of every brand.”
Suggested attack methods were “stones, weights, edged weapons” — as well as improvised explosive devices and the arson of commercial buildings and vehicles.
Authorities haven’t yet released a motive for the attack in Nashville and no suspects have been identified, but retired NYPD detective Bill Ryan told Fox News he wouldn’t rule out first responders and police officers as the intended targets.
“You have to really wonder what the motivation of the bombers are — I don’t think this was one person; it was probably an organized group of people,” Ryan said.
Nashville cops responding to reports of “shots fired” in the city’s downtown area were drawn instead to the RV — which played a recording that said a bomb would go off within 15 minutes.
Officers were banging on doors and helping get residents to safety when the vehicle exploded, injuring three people.
“I kind of think it was probably an idea to get first responders to come in,” said Ryan, who was part of an arson and explosions task force.
“[They] give them a 15-minute warning and all the first responders, the police and the firemen come in,” possibly making them prime targets of the bomb.
The NYPD memo said that a review of terrorism acts in the US this year highlighted the use of homemade bombs and incendiary devices, as well as vehicles, to strike law enforcement.
It included a graphic illustration of “recent neo-Nazi propaganda” showing a uniformed cop getting his throat sliced by a masked “ISIS-style executioner.”
The doc also referenced the knife and gun attack on two NYPD officers near a June Black Lives Matter rally — allegedly by an ISIS-supporting Bosnian radical — to underscore the “real world threat” from online propaganda.
The department assessed that those intent on attacking on and off-duty cops could take advantage of officers performing their regular duties and large-scale events to make a statement and quickly inflict damage.
Additional reporting by Tamar Lapin


newyorkpost--2020-12-25--Nets are finally discovering their Kevin Durant reality

For the first time since bolting Boston for Brooklyn , Kyrie ...

This was a nice reminder that, for all the good feeling you can ascribe to a super-duper-star (an old Reggie Jackson term) in the abstract, it is always something else to see that force rise fully to power. Nets fans have spent so long acclimating themselves to the reality of Kevin Durant that it was hard to full comprehend the reality of Kevin Durant.
Not fully.
Not completely.
Until you see it with your eyes. Until you watched a seven-minute stretch of third quarter on a Christmas Day when the Nets, thanks to Durant, converted what seemed destined to be their first genuine challenge of the season into something else, something epic, something every instinct screams you should take with a grain of salt until you just throw the salt shaker out the window.
This became Nets 123, Celtics 95, but it started out as a 54-51 halftime lead for Boston after 24 hard-fought and entertaining minutes. The Celtics certainly seemed to enjoy themselves in the first half, a week after the Nets eviscerated them in preseason. These are a couple of teams that could well meet up six months from now somewhere in the playoffs. Not bad for the second day of the season. The teams were even. The game was too.
With 11:12 left in the third, Boston’s Marcus Smart drilled a 3-pointer to restore the Celtics’ three-point lead, 59-56. Durant answered with a 15-footer.
Even in the moment, it felt like a lead guitarist finishing off a sound check. Durant had been fine in the first half. But he looked different now. Smart made another jumper and then Durant did too. Nets within one. Durant heating up. The Nets bench seemed to understand something was brewing. Player like this, anything can happen. And it can happen at any time.
Daniel Theis missed a 3. Durant made a short jumper. Now the Nets had the lead. Jaylen Brown answered, but Durant simply floated up a 26-foot 3. Then he found DeAndre Jordan for an alley-oop bucket ahead of the field. If there were people inside TD Bank Garden you would have heard an uncomfortable buzz. It happens that way when the best player on the floor is on the other team.
Kevin Durant NBAE via Getty Images
It was endless. It was relentless. Two more free throws. A driving dunk. Soon enough, Kyrie Irving would join the fun, too, and soon enough the Celtics would simply give up the ghost. The dunk made it 80-70, Nets. The competitive portion of this game was already over.
Durant’s night wasn’t over. But his statement was. He might have yelled that he was back on opening night. This was something else. This was definitive. This was defiant. This was Durant. He’s on the Nets now. The Nets are going to have the best player on the floor most nights they play. That’s a hell of a thing.
“It’s still impressive to watch after all these years,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “His length, his skill, his ability, his mobility, he’s still capable to go on runs like that. … He just took over at times.”
It’s true, actually. Here’s what KD had to say about that: “The ball came back into my hands and I tried to be aggressive, going downhill. It felt like I was waiting for more opportunities in the second half and I just knocked some down.”
Sometimes, it’s worth remembering that Nash, too, played the game at a .01 percentile level of excellence, too, and yet even he is often to observe his star thusly: “For mere mortals in this game it’s impossible to think about. It’s nothing in his mind.”
Durant finished with 29 points and he was +31 for his 33 minutes on the floor, and if you watched that felt like an impossibly low number. Irving added 37 points and eight assists, and was also +31, and if the Celtics really are the upper-echelon Eastern Conference team they’ve been the past few years …
OK. It’s early. The Celtics were missing Kemba Walker. There’s months to go. Nobody can say anything definitive about the Nets yet. But they sure can when it comes to Durant. For a year and a half we knew it was a terrific thing for the Nets that he was on their side. Then you actually see what their side looks like when he steps onto the floor.
If nothing else, that makes for a very Merry Christmas.


newyorkpost--2020-12-25--Alec Burks proving to be key addition to Knicks lineup

The star of the Knicks ’ preseason is already hurt .
Two ...

Alec Burks missed the final two preseason games, but he didn’t miss a beat in Wednesday’s opener in Indiana.
In his first game as a father and a Knick, Burks came off the bench to smoothly drop in 22 points, shooting 6 of 12 with three assists and one turnover in 32 minutes.
No rust — just production from the player who will likely become their best free-agent signing.
The 29-year-old Burks missed the two Cleveland preseason games as his wife gave birth to a baby boy, a plan that had been in place. That time away from the team led to coach Tom Thibodeau to start Reggie Bullock at shooting guard on opening night in Indiana.
That could reverse Saturday in the home opener against the Sixers. Burks, the longtime Jazz backcourtman and the Knicks’ oldest player, could start at shooting guard and also moonlight as backup point guard if Immanuel Quickley is not available because of his hip pointer. The Knicks also host the Bucks on Sunday.
“It’s a possibility,’’ Thibodeau said. “I like the scoring punch he gives us off the bench. He’s sort of great to have because of the versatility. The ability to be a secondary ball-handler, at times playing the point. Scoring the ball, guarding down a position. He’s got a lot of toughness to him. He’ll have significant role, whether it’s starting or coming off the bench.’’
The coaches love Burks, and he may become the ultimate handyman. After his wife gave birth, Burks was back at practice for three days to get back in the flow.
Alec Burks NBAE via Getty Images
“My boy is doing great, the young king is here,’’ Burks said. “I’m glad about that. The game reps at game speed [in practice] helped a lot when I got back. So I was in shape for the game.”
Burks, who signed a one-year, $6 million deal, posted 19 points in the first half off the bench against Indiana. He wound up 2 of 4 from 3-point range and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. He was pleased about the cohesion, despite missing time on paternity leave in a shortened training camp.
“I’m trying to get more chemistry,’’ Burks said. “We don’t have so much practice time. I’m trying to learn everybody, and that was the main thing I was happy about it. Learning everybody’s tendencies and where they like to be on the court.’’
The Knicks coach still wants to explore Burks as a point guard. It’s an indicator neither point guards Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. have emerged.
Thibodeau used a Burks-RJ Barrett backcourt after Quickley went down. It didn’t work too well, and Thibodeau turned to Ntilikina to start the fourth quarter. That was worse. The Frenchman looked lost in his five minutes, and the Knicks folded in a 121-107 loss to the Pacers.
“I think I did all right,’’ Burks said of his debut. “The main goal is to win, so we failed.”
Burks said he did play some point guard in Utah alongside Gordon Hayward. With Stephen Curry out for the majority of last season, Burks worked alongside D’Angelo Russell as a ball hander at Golden State.
“[Warriors coach Steve] Kerr had me on-ball and off-ball,’’ Burks said.
The Warriors dealt Burks at last season’s trade deadline to the Sixers. Burks was with Philly in the Orlando bubble and in the rotation in the playoffs. In free agency, the Sixers bolstered their wing position by adding Danny Green and also signed guard Seth Curry.
According to sources, the Knicks didn’t have Burks high on their wing list, but many other options fell through for president Leon Rose.
“I don’t like talking about the past,’’ Burks said. “I wish [the Sixers] the best and success going forward. I’m here as a Knick now and glad I made that decision.”


newyorkpost--2020-12-25--Giants rookie Andrew Thomas making difference off the field

Andrew Thomas ran around the house screaming for joy on Christmas morning .
What other reaction should a surprised preteen boy have to unwrapping a brand new PlayStation 3 ?
“ Christmas for us wasn ’ t always about the gifts , but we were fortunate to have our family , ” Thomas said .
“ I grew up in a two-parent household , and my grandmother would cook for every big holiday .
There were some Christmases we might not have presents , but when I was 12 or 13 , I wasn ’ t expecting much , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got me the PS3.
” A decade later , Thomas ’ virtual likeness is part of one of the most popular video games — as the Giants ’ $ 32 million rookie left tackle in “ Madden NFL 21 ” — and he is one who created Christmas memories for children .
From afar , and with the help of his parents and local businesses , Thomas partnered with his hometown ’ s mayor and local businesses on a drive that gave away 50 turkeys and provided gifts off the wish lists for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Lithonia , Ga. “ We put together some bags to make people feel a little better during this time , ” Thomas said .
“ I want to help out my community as much as I can — not just with giving , but I ’ m thinking of planning things around how to manage money and pay your bills .
Having this contract to help others is a big thing.
” Thomas recreated his childhood Christmases by flying in his parents , sister and girlfriend to fill his new home with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Giants practice .
In this most unusual season , he had all visitors tested and cleared for COVID-19 at the team facility to make certain he is on the field Sunday when the Giants visit the Ravens .
Points could be hard to come by for the Giants .
“ Their defensive front is crazy — they rotate a lot of good players in there , ” Thomas said .
“ Some big , strong two-gappers up front who allow their linebackers to make a lot of plays and rushers who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ rookie season has been a roller coaster : An encouraging debut , a nightmarish next six games and a five-game stretch where he turned a corner .
Or so it seemed .
The past two games are a true microcosm : Thomas was whipped by the relatively unknown Haason Reddick for an NFL-high seven pressures and two sacks in Week 14 — only to recover by going quietly unnoticed against fierce pass-rusher Myles Garrett .
How does that make any sense ?
“ It ’ s a mentality thing , ” Thomas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every week , you have to be prepared .
You can ’ t think anybody in the NFL is not capable of doing their job because they are the best at it .
Once a game is over with , that ’ s in the past .
There were some things I put on tape [ against Garrett ] I was proud of , but there were plays I need to work on , and I take those to next week.
” The Giants offensive line was in a difficult spot two weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duck playing on two leg injuries .
Jones ’ mobility looked better in practice this week , which allows Thomas greater margin for error protecting the blind side .
He is likely to get heavy doses of six-time Pro Bowler Calais Campbell and Pernell McPhee , with team sacks leader Matthew Judon on the other side .
If anyone is forgiving of Thomas ’ ups and downs , it ’ s Jones , who went through them as a rookie last season .
“ I ’ ve been extremely impressed with how he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ That ’ s a tough position to step in and play in the NFL .
You ’ re going up against a lot of the best athletes on the field in those pass rushers .
His learning process has been one he ’ s really attacked .
His approach every day has been the same .
I think he ’ s going to be a great player.
” In keeping with the NFL tradition of quarterbacks rewarding their offensive linemen at Christmas , Jones ordered each an arcade-sized Pac-Man .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who skipped the running around this time to save his energy for making Jones ’ life easier Sunday .
“ I wouldn ’ t say it takes extra , ” Thomas said .
“ With him being hurt , that ’ s something you worry about .
But , even when he ’ s 100 percent , we ’ re focused on not letting anybody touch the quarterback .
”

Andrew Thomas ran around the house screaming for joy on Christmas morning.
What other reaction should a surprised preteen boy have to unwrapping a brand new PlayStation 3?
“Christmas for us wasn’t always about the gifts, but we were fortunate to have our family,” Thomas said. “I grew up in a two-parent household, and my grandmother would cook for every big holiday. There were some Christmases we might not have presents, but when I was 12 or 13, I wasn’t expecting much, and somehow, some way, my parents got me the PS3.”
A decade later, Thomas’ virtual likeness is part of one of the most popular video games — as the Giants’ $32 million rookie left tackle in “Madden NFL 21” — and he is one who created Christmas memories for children.
From afar, and with the help of his parents and local businesses, Thomas partnered with his hometown’s mayor and local businesses on a drive that gave away 50 turkeys and provided gifts off the wish lists for five select families impacted by the pandemic in Lithonia, Ga.
“We put together some bags to make people feel a little better during this time,” Thomas said. “I want to help out my community as much as I can — not just with giving, but I’m thinking of planning things around how to manage money and pay your bills. Having this contract to help others is a big thing.”
Thomas recreated his childhood Christmases by flying in his parents, sister and girlfriend to fill his new home with the smell of soul food after Friday’s Giants practice. In this most unusual season, he had all visitors tested and cleared for COVID-19 at the team facility to make certain he is on the field Sunday when the Giants visit the Ravens.
Andrew Thomas Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Points could be hard to come by for the Giants.
“Their defensive front is crazy — they rotate a lot of good players in there,” Thomas said. “Some big, strong two-gappers up front who allow their linebackers to make a lot of plays and rushers who come in on passing situations.”
Thomas’ rookie season has been a roller coaster: An encouraging debut, a nightmarish next six games and a five-game stretch where he turned a corner. Or so it seemed.
The past two games are a true microcosm: Thomas was whipped by the relatively unknown Haason Reddick for an NFL-high seven pressures and two sacks in Week 14 — only to recover by going quietly unnoticed against fierce pass-rusher Myles Garrett. How does that make any sense?
“It’s a mentality thing,” Thomas said. “You understand that, every week, you have to be prepared. You can’t think anybody in the NFL is not capable of doing their job because they are the best at it. Once a game is over with, that’s in the past. There were some things I put on tape [against Garrett] I was proud of, but there were plays I need to work on, and I take those to next week.”
The Giants offensive line was in a difficult spot two weeks ago because Daniel Jones was a sitting duck playing on two leg injuries. Jones’ mobility looked better in practice this week, which allows Thomas greater margin for error protecting the blind side. He is likely to get heavy doses of six-time Pro Bowler Calais Campbell and Pernell McPhee, with team sacks leader Matthew Judon on the other side.
If anyone is forgiving of Thomas’ ups and downs, it’s Jones, who went through them as a rookie last season.
“I’ve been extremely impressed with how he’s handled it,” Jones said. “That’s a tough position to step in and play in the NFL. You’re going up against a lot of the best athletes on the field in those pass rushers. His learning process has been one he’s really attacked. His approach every day has been the same. I think he’s going to be a great player.”
In keeping with the NFL tradition of quarterbacks rewarding their offensive linemen at Christmas, Jones ordered each an arcade-sized Pac-Man. More video games to excite Thomas, who skipped the running around this time to save his energy for making Jones’ life easier Sunday.
“I wouldn’t say it takes extra,” Thomas said. “With him being hurt, that’s something you worry about. But, even when he’s 100 percent, we’re focused on not letting anybody touch the quarterback.”


newyorkpost--2020-12-25--Browns’ turnaround is reason for Jets to have hope

Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield always will be linked as ...

When the 1-13 Jets play the Browns on Sunday in their home finale, they should look across the field at their opponent and see hope for themselves.
The Browns were 0-16 in 2017. Yet they enter Sunday’s game with a 10-4 record, are a virtual guarantee to make the playoffs and still have an outside chance to win the AFC North.
That’s a lot of progress in a little time for a Cleveland franchise that — much like the perception the Jets are tagged with (10 years removed from their last playoff appearance) — was considered a black hole.
Is there a Jets fan on the planet who wouldn’t sign up for being in the position the Browns are currently in two seasons from now?
“That says a couple things,’’ former Jets general manager and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum told The Post this week when asked about the resurgent Browns. “One is that maybe they were a little bit closer than people perceived. Some of those games the Browns were in [in 2017] were one-possession games, so close.
“And now, they’ve made a couple good decisions and the quarterback [Baker Mayfield] got better. They brought [head coach Kevin] Stefanski in, [offensive line coach] Bill Callahan in and have a better offensive line. A combination of all those things and you can turn things around quickly, because our sport is built inherently for teams to be in the middle, 8-8.’’
The Jets, 9-point underdogs to beat the Browns, are two more losses from finishing 1-15 for the second time in their history, and the rebuild appears daunting with a new coaching staff needed, uncertainty at quarterback and a roster that’s simply not good enough.
Tannenbaum, though, does not believe the Jets are light years away.
Baker Mayfield against the Jets last season. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
“If you just start with the last two months — they played the Patriots at MetLife very close, that game was a really competitive, a one-score game to the end,’’ Tannenbaum said. “Look at the Raiders game [a 31-28 loss in the final seconds]. Obviously, they had a reasonably good chance to win that game. And, they just beat a good Rams team on the road.
“So, the cupboard is not bare by any stretch.’’
Nor was that of the Browns, who have flourished under the leadership of Stefanski, a head coach who seems to have pushed all the right buttons.
Stefanski was in Minnesota running the Vikings offense while the Browns were toiling at 0-16.
Asked how daunting a task rebuilding from 0-16 appeared, Stefanski, in his first year in Cleveland having inherited a team that went 6-10 last year, said, “It’s hard for me to go there because I wasn’t here then. But I can tell you everything we’ve done since I got here, and all that was taking it one day at a time and building this thing meticulously in terms of scheme and personnel.
“Then with Andrew Berry coming aboard and taking the reins [as general manager], what he’s done is bring in the right people,’’ Stefanski continued. “We brought in good football players and we brought in good people, hired a coaching staff I felt really strongly about.’’
Stefanski, too, has proven to be the right person for the job. Interestingly, he was considered an “offensive’’ head coach, much the way Adam Gase was when he was hired by the Jets before last season.
The difference, though, Stefanski has stamped himself as the CEO of the entire team, not just the offense — unlike Gase, who hasn’t had a lot to do with the Jets defense.
“I just tried to be myself,’’ Stefanski said. “But I’m the head coach of the team, so I think the players understand I’m not the offensive head coach, I’m the head coach. I also feel strongly about the coaching staff we put together here.
“Andrew put a plan together in the offseason and identified guys that he wanted to go after via trade, free agency, the draft. He addressed a bunch of areas we thought were important. I know everyone looks to the offensive line, and that’s fair to do. We went out and got a guy in free agency [Jack Conklin], drafted one [Jedrick Wills] and brought in coach Callahan, who I think is the best in the business.’’
Gase, who’s tried to build two programs with little success with the Dolphins and Jets, admired the Browns’ build from afar. Of course, on Sunday he’ll get an up-close look.
“They’ve done a good job as far as building that thing from front on back and got the right kind of guys up front, whether it’s the O-line or D-line,’’ Gase said. “They obviously have an elite pass rusher [Myles Garrett], and they’ve got an O-line that’s doing a really good job creating holes and creating a really good running game [led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt].
“They’ve surrounded the quarterback with a lot of skill players that help him keep excelling and getting better and better. Coming into this year, a lot of people were wondering how well [Mayfield] was going to play. He’s played really well this year and they’ve won a lot of games.’’
If you’re thinking this is exactly what’s been missing with the Gase Jets — strong offensive line and skill players surrounding quarterback Sam Darnold — you’re not alone.
Asked if he sees the job the Browns have done rebuilding themselves into a contender in such a short period of time as a sign of hope for a franchise like the Jets, Stefanski said, “It’s really hard for me to go there. We keep our blinders on and focus on what we’ve got in front of us.’’
What Stefanski did comment on was what his team has in front of it Sunday, and he seemed to echo Tannenbaum’s cupboard-not-bare sentiment with regard to the Jets.
The Browns first-year coach stood before his team Wednesday morning and told them, “Just put on the tape’’ of the Jets’ win over the Rams last week.
“I know they won the game last week; you can see the result,’’ he said. “But I also wanted them to look at how they won. That was a physical group out there, taking the ball away, attacking blocks, running the ball, getting explosive. I think the tape was jumping out at the guys.’’


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Latest mysterious monolith appears in California park, made of gingerbread

There ’ s nothing “ mono ” about these anymore , that ’ s for sure .
A ...

That’s the way the monolith crumbles: a gingerbread knockoff of the perplexing plinths that have popped up around the world has collapsed in San Francisco.
The monolith had been found at a California park just in time for Christmas.
Photos on social media show the edible edifice decorated with white icing and gumdrops while standing tall at Corona Heights Park in San Francisco Friday morning.
Residents got to see the sweet treat before it collapsed Saturday, according to KGO-TV.
It’s unclear how the cookie monolith got there or how it crumbled.
The gingerbread monolith was similar to others found around the world. The first monolith appeared at a Utah desert, then in Romania and Southern California.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Hofstra’s Kvonn Cramer perseveres  after injuries kept him off court for years

It was 1,366 days between games .
One-thousand , three-hundred and sixty-six days from the final game of Kvonn Cramer ’ s sophomore year of high school to his first college game at Hofstra .
March 5 , 2017 , to Nov. 29 , 2020 .
More than three and a half full years .
In between there were two major left knee surgeries , a redshirt season , doubts about his once-promising future , doctors questioning whether he could play again , tear-filled nights that made this journey seem like a long-winding road toward nowhere .
But on Nov. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court again , making his debut against nationally ranked Rutgers at the RAC .
“ It ’ s a miracle from God , ” his mother , Gwendolyn Brown , said .
“ I ’ m about to play my first Division I basketball game , ” the 6-foot-6 Wilmington , Del.
, native said he thought to himself as he kneeled at the scorer ’ s table that day .
“ My heart is racing , I ’ m kind of nervous , I don ’ t want to mess up.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a high-major prospect in the summer entering his junior year at Mount Pleasant .
He was a high-flying athlete with the size and length teams covet on the wing .
Seton Hall , VCU , Rutgers , UConn , St. Joseph ’ s and Temple were among his suitors .
Then it all changed .
On a dunk in a fall-league game , he heard a pop in his knee upon landing .
He had torn his ACL .
Following a lengthy rehab , he was preparing the following summer for his senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost time .
Out of nowhere , however , the knee would swell up .
Eventually , he got checked out .
A strep infection had transferred to the knee and eaten up 60 percent of the surgically repaired ligament .
They had to redo the ACL surgery , leading to another long rehab , more questions about what was next .
But he never considered a different path .
“ It ’ s the person I am — I never quit , ” he said .
“ And it ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me quit.
” Cramer still attended all of his high school team ’ s games and practices , becoming an extra assistant coach .
He became Mount Pleasant ’ s biggest cheerleader .
Losses , though , were hard .
He felt responsible .
After the team dropped the final game of his senior year , he remained in the locker room an extra hour , he was so despondent .
While most of the other schools dropped off recruiting Cramer when he opted for the second surgery , Hofstra never did .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ him a five-year scholarship .
He would redshirt the first season , work his way back into shape and only practice .
“ I remember being filled with joy at that point , when they told me that , ” he said .
“ I was like , ‘ I ’ m going to get a chance to play college basketball , make my dream [ come true ] .
’ ” When asked if he had ever taken a player he had never seen work out in person or was coming off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Farrelly laughed .
He had not .
But Farrelly , filling in for head coach Joe Mihalich who is on medical leave , and Hofstra were convinced he was worth the risk .
A close friend , Wagner assistant coach Bobby Jordan who had previously spent time with Cramer ’ s AAU program Team Final , felt he was perfect for the Pride .
His AAU coaches told Farrelly he had high-major talent if not for the knee injury .
As a sophomore , he averaged 18 points , eight rebounds and four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the AAU circuit .
“ How do you get a steal ?
Someone who is hurt , who is under the radar , doesn ’ t get seen , plays for a smaller AAU program that doesn ’ t get out there as much , ” Farrelly said .
“ He was a little bit of a gamble , sure , but so much of this recruiting stuff is a gamble .
You don ’ t know really what you have until they get on campus .
Guys that are heralded don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not heralded pan out.
” The early returns are overwhelmingly positive .
Cramer is averaging 7.7 points , 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals as a key reserve in 23.1 minutes per game .
He is coming off his best performance of the young season , a 12-point , five-rebound effort in a rousing upset at Atlantic 10 power Richmond on Tuesday .
In the final minutes , Cramer had a pair of soaring slams , the kind of plays Farrelly talked about seeing in workouts during Cramer ’ s redshirt year that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are capable of .
“ All the kids are watching him .
He ’ s just a super kid , ” Mount Pleasant coach Lisa Sullivan said .
“ The whole basketball community in Delaware is rooting for him.
” Brown nearly broke down talking about her son ’ s long road to this point .
The doctors telling her he may never play again .
The guilt she felt thinking she gave her son strepthroat that led to the second surgery .
The doubt about whether his Division I goal would happen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone who helped her son — coaches , friends , doctors .
“ I ’ m excited , happy , I can ’ t explain it , oh my God , ” she said .
Cramer hopes he ’ s past all of the injuries now .
That he can focus on the career he ’ s always wanted , and can help Hofstra repeat as CAA champions .
But he doesn ’ t forget what he went through .
It ’ s part of who he is .
“ I always think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be a memory that sticks with me , ” Cramer said .
“ I cherish the moments that I have now .
”

It was 1,366 days between games.
One-thousand, three-hundred and sixty-six days from the final game of Kvonn Cramer’s sophomore year of high school to his first college game at Hofstra. March 5, 2017, to Nov. 29, 2020. More than three and a half full years.
In between there were two major left knee surgeries, a redshirt season, doubts about his once-promising future, doctors questioning whether he could play again, tear-filled nights that made this journey seem like a long-winding road toward nowhere.
But on Nov. 29, 2020, Cramer was on the court again, making his debut against nationally ranked Rutgers at the RAC.
“It’s a miracle from God,” his mother, Gwendolyn Brown, said.
“I’m about to play my first Division I basketball game,” the 6-foot-6 Wilmington, Del., native said he thought to himself as he kneeled at the scorer’s table that day. “My heart is racing, I’m kind of nervous, I don’t want to mess up.”
Cramer had all the makings of a high-major prospect in the summer entering his junior year at Mount Pleasant. He was a high-flying athlete with the size and length teams covet on the wing. Seton Hall, VCU, Rutgers, UConn, St. Joseph’s and Temple were among his suitors. Then it all changed. On a dunk in a fall-league game, he heard a pop in his knee upon landing. He had torn his ACL.
Following a lengthy rehab, he was preparing the following summer for his senior year, hoping to make up for lost time. Out of nowhere, however, the knee would swell up. Eventually, he got checked out. A strep infection had transferred to the knee and eaten up 60 percent of the surgically repaired ligament. They had to redo the ACL surgery, leading to another long rehab, more questions about what was next. But he never considered a different path.
“It’s the person I am — I never quit,” he said. “And it’s the people around me — they never let me quit.”
Cramer still attended all of his high school team’s games and practices, becoming an extra assistant coach. He became Mount Pleasant’s biggest cheerleader. Losses, though, were hard. He felt responsible. After the team dropped the final game of his senior year, he remained in the locker room an extra hour, he was so despondent.
While most of the other schools dropped off recruiting Cramer when he opted for the second surgery, Hofstra never did. It was the lone program to offered him a five-year scholarship. He would redshirt the first season, work his way back into shape and only practice.
“I remember being filled with joy at that point, when they told me that,” he said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to get a chance to play college basketball, make my dream [come true].’ ”
When asked if he had ever taken a player he had never seen work out in person or was coming off multiple surgeries, interim Hofstra coach Mike Farrelly laughed. He had not.
“Crazy, right?” he said.
But Farrelly, filling in for head coach Joe Mihalich who is on medical leave, and Hofstra were convinced he was worth the risk. A close friend, Wagner assistant coach Bobby Jordan who had previously spent time with Cramer’s AAU program Team Final, felt he was perfect for the Pride. His AAU coaches told Farrelly he had high-major talent if not for the knee injury. As a sophomore, he averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists and had put up strong numbers on the AAU circuit.
“How do you get a steal? Someone who is hurt, who is under the radar, doesn’t get seen, plays for a smaller AAU program that doesn’t get out there as much,” Farrelly said. “He was a little bit of a gamble, sure, but so much of this recruiting stuff is a gamble. You don’t know really what you have until they get on campus. Guys that are heralded don’t pan out. Guys that are not heralded pan out.”
The early returns are overwhelmingly positive. Cramer is averaging 7.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals as a key reserve in 23.1 minutes per game. He is coming off his best performance of the young season, a 12-point, five-rebound effort in a rousing upset at Atlantic 10 power Richmond on Tuesday.
In the final minutes, Cramer had a pair of soaring slams, the kind of plays Farrelly talked about seeing in workouts during Cramer’s redshirt year that few players at Hofstra’s level are capable of.
“All the kids are watching him. He’s just a super kid,” Mount Pleasant coach Lisa Sullivan said. “The whole basketball community in Delaware is rooting for him.”
Brown nearly broke down talking about her son’s long road to this point. The doctors telling her he may never play again. The guilt she felt thinking she gave her son strepthroat that led to the second surgery. The doubt about whether his Division I goal would happen. She rattled off the names of everyone who helped her son — coaches, friends, doctors.
“I’m excited, happy, I can’t explain it, oh my God,” she said.
Cramer hopes he’s past all of the injuries now. That he can focus on the career he’s always wanted, and can help Hofstra repeat as CAA champions. But he doesn’t forget what he went through. It’s part of who he is.
“I always think back, because it’s always going to be a memory that sticks with me,” Cramer said. “I cherish the moments that I have now.”


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Kyler Murray suffers leg injury at end of Cardinals’ loss to 49ers

GLENDALE , Ariz. — Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray has suffered an apparent right leg injury on the Cardinals ’ final @ @ @ @ @ Murray was hit by the 49ers ’ Alex Barrett after making a throw as the @ @ @ @ @ the closing seconds on Saturday .
Murray ’ s fourth-down throw fell incomplete , clinching @ @ @ @ @ victory , and he rolled over in pain .
Murray lay on the field as @ @ @ @ @ to him and limped off the field after a couple of minutes .
He appeared @ @ @ @ @ on the Cardinals ’ bench and lingered there before heading off to the locker room @ @ @ @ @ yards on 31 of 50 passing with no touchdowns and threw an interception in the @ @ @ @ @ minutes left .

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray has suffered an apparent right leg injury on the Cardinals’ final play against San Francisco.
Murray was hit by the 49ers’ Alex Barrett after making a throw as the Cardinals tried to rally in the closing seconds on Saturday. Murray’s fourth-down throw fell incomplete, clinching San Francisco’s 20-12 victory, and he rolled over in pain.
Murray lay on the field as Arizona’s trainers attended to him and limped off the field after a couple of minutes. He appeared to be in considerable pain on the Cardinals’ bench and lingered there before heading off to the locker room.
Murray threw for 247 yards on 31 of 50 passing with no touchdowns and threw an interception in the end zone with about five minutes left.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Lobbyist brother of top Biden aide reportedly lands big contracts

The lobbyist brother of a top adviser to President-elect Joe Biden has been raking in the clients ever since Biden ’ s win was declared , according to reports — sparking conflict-of-interest concerns in the new White House inner circle .
Jeff Ricchetti , the brother of longtime Biden aide Steve Ricchetti , picked up a lobbying contract with Amazon Web Services in November , less than a week after Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election , CNBC reported Saturday .
Two days later , Jeff Ricchetti registered as a lobbyist for Evofem Biosciences , pushing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That same week , Steve Ricchetti , who served as Biden ’ s campaign chairman and as his vice-presidential chief of staff , was tapped as “ counselor to the president , ” a job held by trusted aides like Kellyanne Conway under President Trump .
The Ricchetti brothers co-founded their Washington , D.C. lobbying firm , Ricchetti Inc. , in 2001 .
The firm handled pharmaceutical clients like Eli Lilly and Sanofi during Biden ’ s second vice-presidential term , when Steve Ricchetti left the company to become Biden ’ s right-hand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fierce denunciations from progressive Democrats .
Ricchetti “ is a former pharma lobbyist and has represented groups vociferously opposed to Medicare For All and the public manufacturing of prescription drugs , ” Alexandra Rojas of the progressive group Justice Democrats said last month .
“ If Joe Biden continues making corporate-friendly appointments to his White House , he will risk quickly fracturing the hard-earned goodwill his team built with progressives to defeat Donald Trump , ” she added .
A source assured CNBC that Jeff Ricchetti ’ s client list should cause no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their professional activities distinctly separate , ” the source said .

The lobbyist brother of a top adviser to President-elect Joe Biden has been raking in the clients ever since Biden’s win was declared, according to reports — sparking conflict-of-interest concerns in the new White House inner circle.
Jeff Ricchetti, the brother of longtime Biden aide Steve Ricchetti, picked up a lobbying contract with Amazon Web Services in November, less than a week after Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election, CNBC reported Saturday.
Two days later, Jeff Ricchetti registered as a lobbyist for Evofem Biosciences, pushing for contraceptive coverage in federal health-care plans.
That same week, Steve Ricchetti, who served as Biden’s campaign chairman and as his vice-presidential chief of staff, was tapped as “counselor to the president,” a job held by trusted aides like Kellyanne Conway under President Trump.
The Ricchetti brothers co-founded their Washington, D.C. lobbying firm, Ricchetti Inc., in 2001. The firm handled pharmaceutical clients like Eli Lilly and Sanofi during Biden’s second vice-presidential term, when Steve Ricchetti left the company to become Biden’s right-hand man.
But his resume has drawn fierce denunciations from progressive Democrats.
Ricchetti “is a former pharma lobbyist and has represented groups vociferously opposed to Medicare For All and the public manufacturing of prescription drugs,” Alexandra Rojas of the progressive group Justice Democrats said last month.
“If Joe Biden continues making corporate-friendly appointments to his White House, he will risk quickly fracturing the hard-earned goodwill his team built with progressives to defeat Donald Trump,” she added.
A source assured CNBC that Jeff Ricchetti’s client list should cause no concern.
“Steve and Jeff keep their professional activities distinctly separate,” the source said.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--NFL pregame shows are consistently useless

Major League Baseball ’ s reclassification Wednesday of the Negro Leagues will ...

Every year at about this time, I stop to consider whether the streak is alive. Not that anyone should care, but it is:
In the nearly 40 years I’ve written this column, not once have I received word from even one reader that he or she favors one NFL studio pregame show over any other, let alone all others. It has never come up. The only thing recognized is that the shows — on CBS, Fox, ESPN, NFL Network — grow longer, thus fueling their commercial value and viewer uselessness.
No network even tries to distinguish its pregame show from the rest. They are, in weekly form, forced laughter festivals, intentionally dull and flat, as if Roger Goodell holds the master circuit to cut the juice and burn the contract if someone dares detail why a player is out with “off-the-field issues.” The truth, in Goodell’s NFL, is an act of sedition.
“So Coach, who do you like in today’s Seahawks-Lions, to be seen right here on Fox?” “Well, they first have to establish the run …” Apparently we’re supposed to care about the answer, but we don’t, never have and never will. Yet the scripts never change.
There will be irrelevant stats thrown in to feign preparation and enlightenment, and perhaps CBS’s “Weekend” Boomer Esiason, the phony, will resume his role as a tongue-tied choir boy while Fox’s Jimmy Johnson still wears that look that he can’t believe he’s paid for this.
NFL pregame shows always will be useless, The Post’s Phil Mushnick writes. CBS
The panelists, while they come and go, have grown in per-telecast number, thus further ensuring that intelligent conversation will be lost to one-sentence in-and-outs. And even more forced belly laughs.
Fox’s Jay Glazer seems a strong source on late player scratches and rumors, but that’s it.
So how does a network attract then sustain loyal NFL pregame audience? How would any of them know if none have even bothered to try?
Early this season I saw a defensive back, stretched out on the field, nearly motionless after a helmet-to-shoulder-pad collision. His head was immobilized, and soon a gurney carried him to an ambulance that departed. The sideline reporter noted his arms were moving and said she’d keep us posted. Then what?
Who rides to the hospital with the player? What’s going on in the player’s mind as he stares at the inside roof of the ambulance? How are his personal belongings, including his street clothing, transported to the hospital? If he’s released in a vastly improved condition, who accompanies him home, especially by airplane from an away game?
Does the team employ a staff to provide such aid, comfort and services? We’ve witnessed the start of such dramas, but how do they play out?
This is where I’d include a six-minute piece within a pregame show.
What’s practice week like for a long snapper? That line judge also works at a penitentiary? Or at a reptile refuge? Show and tell us their stories. Give us more, give us something, anything better. Besides big, loud laughs at gags that wouldn’t naturally emit a grin, give us a chance to say to ourselves, “That was pretty interesting.”
But on we go, keeping it dull, keeping network hands safe and clean as they make nothing out of something. Rinse, repeat.
Shameful MLB past can’t just be erased
Now that Rob Manfred, with a single declaration, has radically and racially revised American history — eliminating decades of MLB segregation by decree — The Great Emancipator is working on a new result for the Crimean War.
So networks hire former football officials to prejudge replay challenges and they often provide nothing better than “maybe” or “perhaps,” meaning their second guess is no better than the field officials’ first guess and the official second guess. And they still declare that this is called, “Getting it right.”
Peer Pressure: Guaranteed, Mark Schlereth, now with Fox, never spoke of a QB’s “arm talent” until he became a TV football analyst.
Trouble magnet Dwayne Haskins, Washington’s QB, has lost his designation as a team captain, with an upper-case C. Makes one wonder who he be beat out for the honor.
Volume Alert: New York audiences will be subjected to “Hollerin’ ” Kevin Harlan on CBS’s Browns-Jets telecast.
Iowa State’s colors have been cardinal and gold since 1899. You could always narrow it down by choosing Iowa State, Arizona State or USC for instant TV recognition. Now it’s just another school whose football team, on Nike’s orders and purchased compliance, wears bad-attitude all black.
Monday night, despite the uncivil war between the Steelers and Bengals, was designated an NFL “Muppets Night” for those kids hooked on black coffee. Having always confused the Muppets with Sesame Street, I wanted to learn if Elmo is related to Venmo.
Holiday games confirm leagues worship $$$
If I were King …
Adam Silver AP
So, Christmas Eve there again were no NBA games scheduled, which made no sense for game workers, broadcast workers and pre-COVID ticket-buyers who would much prefer to work or attend games on Christmas Eve than abandon their families and the holiday on Christmas Day. But on Christmas Day, the NBA, fully devoted to TV money, schedules five national game telecasts.
On Thanksgiving Day, thousands of folks who prefer to be with families and loved ones are ordered to work so the NFL can televise three games, one for CBS money, one for NBC money, one for Fox money.
And Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day for all Americans to solemnly reflect on his achievements and assassination, is now annually scheduled to be loaded with and devoted to NBA games — in somber salute to Dr. King, of course.
Is there a more media-certified myth than NFL teams “tanking” the season to improve their draft pick?
1) The likelihood that the head coach — an Adam Gase — won’t be back is such a given that to think he’d be eager to grease his own skid and lose as a favor to the team about to fire him, is ridiculous. Why not just punch yourself in the eyes?
2) That players, so many of them deemed expendable after a rotten season, would voluntarily feed their departure and diminished standing by playing conspicuously bad football is absurd. Wait for me! I’ll punch myself in the eyes, too!
But “tanking,” the NFL myth, is here to stay.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Deli worker accused of clocking customer over sandwich order

A man who ordered some early morning eats at a Hamilton Heights deli apparently wasn ’ t pleased with the @ @ @ @ @ began fighting over the sandwich with a deli worker , identified by police as Ali @ @ @ @ @ beef continued outside the shop at 3660 Broadway .
Zubaidi , 26 , is accused @ @ @ @ @ , 29 , in the face and knocking him to the ground , cops said @ @ @ @ @ hands and neck , police said .
Zubaidi of the Bronx , was charged with @ @ @ @ @ answered the phone at the N & H Deli Saturday afternoon said Zubaidi had worked @ @ @ @ @ month , and that the aggrieved customer may have been drunk .

This sandwich packed a real punch.
A man who ordered some early morning eats at a Hamilton Heights deli apparently wasn’t pleased with the results. Cops say he began fighting over the sandwich with a deli worker, identified by police as Ali Zubaidi.
The 5 a.m. beef continued outside the shop at 3660 Broadway.
Zubaidi, 26, is accused of punching the unidentified customer, 29, in the face and knocking him to the ground, cops said. The victim cut his hands and neck, police said.
Zubaidi of the Bronx, was charged with assault.
A man who answered the phone at the N & H Deli Saturday afternoon said Zubaidi had worked there for less than a month, and that the aggrieved customer may have been drunk.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Nets, Kyrie Irving taking game-by-game approach

This was a nice reminder that , for all the good ...

The Nets are the first NBA team in 12 years to win their first two games of the season by more than 20 points each, but the only thing on their minds after routing the Celtics on Friday was playing at Charlotte on Sunday.
“What’s there to be content about? What’s there to be happy about?” Kyrie Irving said after Friday’s 123-95 win over the Celtics. “It’s two games. Let’s move on to the next game. Let’s get ready for Charlotte. Let’s go do this thing again. Let’s have some fun. Obviously, we want this season to go in a very patient current. We don’t want to rush this.
“I know what history looks like … and I don’t want to take any day for granted, so I’m grateful I get to share it, this journey, with these guys.”
It would be easy for the Nets to get caught up in their early success, especially after obliterating a three-point halftime deficit with a 35-point third quarter in front of a national-television audience on Christmas in Boston. The Nets, however, won’t allow themselves to be that team.
Kyrie Irving NBAE via Getty Images
Irving, whose 37 points in his first regular-season game against his former team counted as the most any Net has scored on Christmas Day, said the Nets need to utilize this time to size up their opponents and get a feel for how the Eastern Conference is going to stack up.
He added there are 70 games left in the regular season, and then after that “it’s a free-for-all.”
“I think in the past, I’ve had just such a rushing mentality to get through the season, to get into the playoffs, and right now I’m just grounded and balanced and playing every single day and not taking any day for granted with these guys,” Irving said.
Head coach Steve Nash evinced a similar tone after Friday’s win. He said the Nets’ depth and internal competition has allowed them to get off to a good start, but also pointed out that every team they play will likely get better at some point.
The Celtics have been playing without four-time All-Star Kemba Walker, who is expected to be evaluated for a return in early January after receiving a stem-cell injection in his left knee during the offseason. The Nets also demolished the Warriors, who didn’t have Draymond Green (foot injury) in the season-opener.
“I think it’s more that we just need to stay hungry. I wouldn’t take [the wins] with a grain of salt,” Nash said after coaching the first road game of his career Friday. “I think we defended well in both games for the most part, and that’s where we’re going to judge ourselves every night. Obviously, we want to play well offensively and want to build a terrific offense. But we’re going to just ourselves on our defense, implementing our principles, so we’re off to a good start in that respect, which is our priority, but we have to stay hungry.
“This means nothing. We’re just getting started. We have to continue to have that ambition to improve throughout the season.”
The Nets will play three games in the next four days, including matchups with the Hornets and Hawks, so they hope their attitude will lead to further establishing themselves in the Eastern Conference.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Man describes harrowing escape from deadly Queens house fire

A Queens man who barely escaped a “ suspicious ” house fire that killed three other tenants is haunted each day since by their terrified cries or help , he told The Post this week .
“ My head still plays them screaming for help and me looking at them , ” said the shaken former tenant , who recounted that horrible night in Elmhurst .
Moments before his home caught fire on Dec. 19 , the man , who asked not to be identified , was jolted awake by a strange noise — and then thrown into darkness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas burner before it ignites , he recalled .
Next was a crashing boom , and then whatever lights were still on , shut off .
The tenant , who had lived in a room in the 48th Avenue house for two years , smelled smoke when he opened his door — then saw flames shooting from the top of the basement door .
“ I put on my boots .
I put on my coat as calmly as I could , ” he said .
He tried to alert others by banging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
” “ If ( the door ) hadn ’ t created that barrier , I would have had to run through the fire , ” he said .
He called 911 as soon as he was out .
“ I barely made it out of there alive , ” he said .
Three others were trapped inside , two in their rooms as doors to a second floor balcony were locked , blocking a route to safety .
All three were found dead .
Authorities have not publicly identified the victims .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause of the fire .
The blaze — now deemed suspicious — is being investigated as a possible arson .
The first floor tenant , who had been paying about $ 700 a month rent , said he and about half a dozen others living in the Elmhurst home had struggled with new landlords in recent months , claiming they wanted them out of the building — even at one point turning off the utilities .
The tenant had met landlord Eric Chen a couple of times and said in September or October @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money he wanted to be paid to move out .
The resident said he didn ’ t have time to discuss the matter .
After the fire , police and fire marshals asked him what he knew about Chen and what communications he had with him , the tenant said , adding he reported the landlord ’ s effort to get him out to the authorities .
Authorities showed him a video of someone entering the home ’ s yard before dawn on Dec. 19 and then walking away 15 to 20 minutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing a black coat .
He told police that he could not identity the person in the footage .
A police canine found traces of an accelerant at the property .
Police sources told The Post that traces of accelerant were also found on gloves inside Chen ’ s car .
They seized the SUV as well as computer equipment .
The investigation is ongoing but police have not charged Chen , who could not be reached for comment , with a crime .
A neighbor told The Post the building owner wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frustrated by occupants who wouldn ’ t budge .
The property went into foreclosure last fall and was purchased by an LLC for $ 1.2 million in February 2020 .
Chen , 29 , of Flushing , is listed in state records as the registered agent .
Gustavo Escubero , 45 , who was the super in the building before he left earlier this year , claimed in January 2020 several people would repeatedly come to the house or call tenants in an attempt to get them to move .
“ At one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
“ We were like warriors fighting to stay in our homes .
I was psychologically sick.
” He said he did not know if they represented a bank or the new owners , but a woman he described as being involved at the time gave her name as either Nancy or Alicia .
Escubero took a $ 1,000 payout and departed in February 2020 .
Initial state documents for the LLC , filed on Jan. 2 , 2020 , list Nancy Xie as the organizer of the corporation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was changed to Chen in April 2020 .
It remains unclear whether Xie was the person Escubero recalled , and whether she was involved with the property at the time of the fire .
Xie could not be reached for comment .
The home has long been riddled with city violations for overcrowding and other issues .
The basement was padlocked and unoccupied at the time of the fire .
The city had issued a vacate order for the space to the building ’ s prior owner after he allegedly divided it into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozens of people had been packed into the three-story residence , according to complaints .
A prospective tenant complained to the city in January 2020 that 60 people lived there .
A former resident put the number at about 30 .
Many had left after the home was sold in February and the new owners allegedly turned off the heat .
The first-floor tenant said the new landlords did not come to collect rent .
City records show 16 complaints were made about a lack of utilities in February and March 2020 .

A Queens man who barely escaped a “suspicious” house fire that killed three other tenants is haunted each day since by their terrified cries or help, he told The Post this week.
“My head still plays them screaming for help and me looking at them,” said the shaken former tenant, who recounted that horrible night in Elmhurst.
Moments before his home caught fire on Dec. 19, the man, who asked not to be identified, was jolted awake by a strange noise — and then thrown into darkness.
It was like the sound of a gas burner before it ignites, he recalled.
Next was a crashing boom, and then whatever lights were still on, shut off.
The tenant, who had lived in a room in the 48th Avenue house for two years, smelled smoke when he opened his door — then saw flames shooting from the top of the basement door.
A body is removed from the house by firefighters. Dan Herrick
“I put on my boots. I put on my coat as calmly as I could,” he said. He tried to alert others by banging on doors and yelling, “Fire!”
“If (the door) hadn’t created that barrier, I would have had to run through the fire,” he said.
He called 911 as soon as he was out.
“I barely made it out of there alive,” he said.
Three others were trapped inside, two in their rooms as doors to a second floor balcony were locked, blocking a route to safety.
All three were found dead. Authorities have not publicly identified the victims.
The FDNY has yet to determine the cause of the fire. The blaze — now deemed suspicious — is being investigated as a possible arson.
The first floor tenant, who had been paying about $700 a month rent, said he and about half a dozen others living in the Elmhurst home had struggled with new landlords in recent months, claiming they wanted them out of the building — even at one point turning off the utilities.
Firefighters are seen at the aftermath of the fire Dennis A. Clark
The tenant had met landlord Eric Chen a couple of times and said in September or October, the landlord asked him how much money he wanted to be paid to move out.
The resident said he didn’t have time to discuss the matter.
After the fire, police and fire marshals asked him what he knew about Chen and what communications he had with him, the tenant said, adding he reported the landlord’s effort to get him out to the authorities.
Authorities showed him a video of someone entering the home’s yard before dawn on Dec. 19 and then walking away 15 to 20 minutes later. He said the man was wearing a black coat. He told police that he could not identity the person in the footage.
A police canine found traces of an accelerant at the property.
Police sources told The Post that traces of accelerant were also found on gloves inside Chen’s car. They seized the SUV as well as computer equipment. The investigation is ongoing but police have not charged Chen, who could not be reached for comment, with a crime.
A neighbor told The Post the building owner wanted to sell the property and was allegedly frustrated by occupants who wouldn’t budge.
Seth Gottfried
The property went into foreclosure last fall and was purchased by an LLC for $1.2 million in February 2020. Chen, 29, of Flushing, is listed in state records as the registered agent.
Gustavo Escubero, 45, who was the super in the building before he left earlier this year, claimed in January 2020 several people would repeatedly come to the house or call tenants in an attempt to get them to move.
“At one point they came and started breaking things,” he said. “We were like warriors fighting to stay in our homes. I was psychologically sick.”
He said he did not know if they represented a bank or the new owners, but a woman he described as being involved at the time gave her name as either Nancy or Alicia.
Escubero took a $1,000 payout and departed in February 2020.
Initial state documents for the LLC, filed on Jan. 2, 2020, list Nancy Xie as the organizer of the corporation. The name of the registered agent was changed to Chen in April 2020. It remains unclear whether Xie was the person Escubero recalled, and whether she was involved with the property at the time of the fire.
Xie could not be reached for comment.
The home has long been riddled with city violations for overcrowding and other issues.
The basement was padlocked and unoccupied at the time of the fire. The city had issued a vacate order for the space to the building’s prior owner after he allegedly divided it into illegal apartments.
At various points, dozens of people had been packed into the three-story residence, according to complaints.
A prospective tenant complained to the city in January 2020 that 60 people lived there. A former resident put the number at about 30.
Dan Herrick
Many had left after the home was sold in February and the new owners allegedly turned off the heat. The first-floor tenant said the new landlords did not come to collect rent.
City records show 16 complaints were made about a lack of utilities in February and March 2020.
Additional reporting by Isabel Vincent


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--NFL beating coronavirus odds as season nears close

The Ravens released new details about the severity of their ...

The COVID-19 pandemic was headed toward its earliest and most deadly stages when the NFL went ahead and conducted its college draft in April.
Skepticism reigned.
The curve our nation was trying to flatten was predicted to be at its most dangerous height in April. Yet the NFL powered on, carried on with its draft with alterations to make it a virtual event without fans and with team executives conducting business from their respective homes.
And it went off without a hitch.
Roger Goodell AP
Then, after the NBA and NHL played their respective 2020 seasons in a bubble, the NFL announced its plans to press on with its schedule on time with no bubble.
Skepticism reigned.
How was the 32-team NFL, with rosters and coaching staffs numbering some 70 or so per team, going to play a full schedule with teams traveling all over the country? How was it going to pull this off without losing some weeks of the schedule with outbreaks of the virus?
The common belief — which has since been debunked — was that players across the line of scrimmage and in tackling were going to be breathing and inadvertently spitting on each other from close range. It seemed impossible to pull off.
There was talk that the league, with outbreaks of the virus, may have to use bye weeks to make up postponed games, or that it may have to use the bye week between the conference title games and the Super Bowl to make up games. There was more talk that there was no way the league would play its entire schedule.
Yet here we are: Playing Week 16 and on schedule to finish the regular season next week before the playoffs begin on time.
Sure, there have been some hiccups. The Titans, Ravens and Raiders were victimized by a number of positive tests. The Steelers were unwitting victims of having to deal with rescheduled games because of the Titans and Ravens breakouts.
The Broncos lost all three quarterbacks on their roster and were forced to play the Saints with a converted receiver who’d played some quarterback in his college career — and lost 31-3.
But these are isolated incidents, lesser issues when you look at the larger picture.
Data released by the NFL and the NFL Players Association on Tuesday provided evidence of the extraordinary job that’s been done by the league and its players during this pandemic.
From Aug. 1 to Dec. 19, 840,460 tests were administered to players and personnel, and 201 players and 359 other personnel had confirmed positive cases. That’s a remarkable .0007 percent positivity rate.
The league announced testing from Dec. 13 to Dec. 19 that 41,501 tests were administered to a total of 6,927 players and team personnel and there were 14 confirmed positive tests among players and 31 new confirmed positive tests among other personnel.
It feels like a minor miracle that the NFL has not been more adversely affected by COVID-19. And, like the draft in the spring turned out to be, it has felt like a godsend for starved sports fans.
It’s been a credit to the vision of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league powers as well as the responsible commitment of the players — save for the occasional knucklehead decisions like Dwayne Haskins’ going mask-less around strippers this past week — that has made this work.
Against a lot of odds and skepticism.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--New York Democratic boss warns AOC not to challenge Chuck Schumer

“ The Squad ” may be no more .
Despite a new class ...

Don’t do it AOC!
That’s the warning New York’s Democratic party boss has for the sophomore Congresswoman, who is rumored to be mulling a primary challenge to US Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.
“I think it would be a primary driven by ambition more than by need,” Jay Jacobs told The Post.
“Chuck Schumer has been a progressive force in the state for decades,” added the chairman of the state Democratic committee. “She has a constituency that admires her and supports her, and they’re in her community, and I think it would be a loss for them if she were to do that.”
And he would beat her, he said.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would “absolutely” lose a challenge if she went head-to-head against the veteran Democratic lawmaker, said Jacobs — who noted he’s yet to meet the Queens rep.
“We’ve never met. I would look forward to doing that,” he said. “I am open to that at any time.”
There has been speculation for months Ocasio-Cortez, 31, may try to unseat US Senate minority leader Schumer, 70, in 2022 — chatter she hasn’t tamped down.
Asked point blank earlier this year about challenging Schumer, AOC responded “I don’t know,” according to Politico.
“I don’t know if I’m really going to be staying in the House forever,” she told Vanity Fair in October.
She raised eyebrows again earlier this month after saying she wished to see “new leadership in the Democratic Party.”
President Trump has even chimed in on a potential Ocasio-Cortez-Schumer battle, snarking AOC would “kick his ass,” in a primary.
AOC and Schumer did not return messages.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Father who left twins to die in hot car now an activist

Nine year old Masyn Ortiz was heading to his grandparents ...

The pain is always there.
In the nearly 18 months since Juan Rodriguez’s twin babies, Luna and Phoenix, perished in the back seat of his car — strapped in and forgotten on a sweltering summer day while he worked — the Rockland County dad’s grief has remained raw.
“It’s a struggle everyday,” Rodriguez, 40, told The Post last week in his first public statements since the July 2019 tragedy.
To cope, the father of five and his wife, Marissa, have become advocates for an issue they say many people still don’t understand: kids dying in hot cars. Juan is now appearing in a documentary on the topic.
This year, 24 children died of heatstroke after being left in cars in the United States, according to data collected by the Department of Transportation. In 2019, 52 children died and a record 53 died in 2018.
On that fateful day in 2019, Rodriguez left his home in New City and drove to his job as a social worker. His adorable babies were snug in their car seats as he headed to the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in The Bronx, where he counsels disabled veterans. Believing he’d already dropped Luna and Phoenix at day care in Yonkers, Rodriguez didn’t realize what he’d done until eight hours later as he headed home — and looked in the rearview mirror.“ Oh, my God, oh, my God!” he wailed after pulling over. “I killed my babies!” The twins were foaming at the mouth. Their organs had failed and their body temperature had hit 108 degrees.
Previous 1 of 6 Next Advertisement The Post’s front page about Rodriguez from 2019. Juan Rodriguez is seen crying in Bronx Criminal Court Tomas E. Gaston Advertisement Juan Rodriguez and his family Facebook Juan Rodriguez and his family Facebook Advertisement
As a social worker, Rodriguez said he had no idea how common the problem is, calling it “a serious public health issue.”
“Now I am always conscious of it when I am treating others,” he said. “I can’t allow myself to get complacent.”
That’s why Rodriguez chose to appear in Susan Morgan Cooper’s upcoming documentary, “Fatal Distraction,” which takes a compassionate look at the grief faced by parents like Juan and Marissa Rodriguez, and how society treats them.
“We have all sorts of sensors and gadgets to prevent against lost keys, why not something to alert us to the fact that someone is still in the back seat?” said Morgan Cooper, whose documentary is set to premiere in the spring.
“These parents suffer so much shame, guilt and self-loathing,” the Los Angeles-based filmmaker said. “There is such a sense of judgment with the public. And it makes little sense. If your child dies from drowning in a pool, the whole society comes together and gives you support. In this case, there is only judgment, and they are treated like common criminals.”
Juan Rodriguez told The Post he is encouraged by the documentary, calling it “the very depiction of what’s happened to families” who are overworked and frazzled and forget their young children in a vehicle.
Although Rodriguez is briefly featured in the documentary, Morgan Cooper didn’t press him for a greater role because his grief was “simply too raw, too fresh” when she was concluding work on the film last summer.
“The punishment that Juan and his wife are giving themselves is far worse than any jail,” she said. “They are suffering a great deal.”
Although Rodriguez was initially charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, he eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless endangerment and served no jail time.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--New Jersey boy born without ear gets his dream Christmas gift

Nine year old Masyn Ortiz was heading to his grandparents on Christmas Eve but , he said he didn ’ t even need to look under the tree for his present .
“ I already got the best gift , ” he told The Post from his family ’ s car .
“ I got a new ear.
” Ortiz , a fourth-grader from Jackson , NJ , was born without an outer ear on his right side or an ear canal — meaning he can only hear on his left .
The technical terms for Masyn ’ s condition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 , thanks to his surgeon , Dr. Thomas Romo , Lenox Hill Hospital ’ s director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery , and the Little Baby Face foundation , which covered the costs , Masyn woke up in the operating room with a new ear — something he ’ s wished for years .
The operation had been scheduled for March but postponed because of COVID-19 after Masyn had already waited two years .
In an painstaking , intricate process that takes about an hour , Dr. Romo harvested cartilage from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ear that he said is indistinguishable from a real one .
Dr. Romo , who has a beard and sounds suspiciously jolly on the phone , admitted he did feel like a certain holiday figure himself when it was all over .
Romo has donated his time and skills over the years to help children born with deformities .
“ You do have the sense of being Santa , bringing this gift of joy to this wonderful family , ” Romo told The Post .
“ Masyn is the most upbeat , articulate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Masyn ’ s mom , Nicole , 37 , a dental assistant and his dad , Daniel , 37 , who works in construction , said their son was always level-headed about his condition and never pitied himself .
He wore his hair long to hide the problem .
“ We never made much of it , ” Nicole Ortiz said .
“ We left it up to him and it didn ’ t bother him too much at first .
If the other kids saw it when he was swimming and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say , ‘ Oh that ’ s my little ear.
’ Then two years ago he came to us and said he ’ d like to fix it .
I think he was more grown-up about it than anyone — and he wasn ’ t scared of the surgery.
” Masyn will undergo a second procedure in about three months time , once his new ear has healed , to be fitted with a state-of-the-art hearing device called a bone-anchored auditory implant .
The costs are also covered by the foundation .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like other kids his age .
He will also be able to cut his hair short for the first time .
“ This is a lifelong present , ” Masyn said .
But he also said he wanted everyone to know he ’ s more than a kid with a new ear .

Nine year old Masyn Ortiz was heading to his grandparents on Christmas Eve but, he said he didn’t even need to look under the tree for his present.
“I already got the best gift,” he told The Post from his family’s car. “I got a new ear.”
Ortiz, a fourth-grader from Jackson, NJ, was born without an outer ear on his right side or an ear canal — meaning he can only hear on his left. The technical terms for Masyn’s condition are microtia and atresia.
On Dec. 18, thanks to his surgeon, Dr. Thomas Romo, Lenox Hill Hospital’s director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, and the Little Baby Face foundation, which covered the costs, Masyn woke up in the operating room with a new ear — something he’s wished for years.
The operation had been scheduled for March but postponed because of COVID-19 after Masyn had already waited two years.
In an painstaking, intricate process that takes about an hour, Dr. Romo harvested cartilage from Masyn’s ribs and sculpted an ear that he said is indistinguishable from a real one.
Dr. Thomas Romo, Lenox Hill Hospital’s director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery
Dr. Romo, who has a beard and sounds suspiciously jolly on the phone, admitted he did feel like a certain holiday figure himself when it was all over. Romo has donated his time and skills over the years to help children born with deformities.
“You do have the sense of being Santa, bringing this gift of joy to this wonderful family,” Romo told The Post. “Masyn is the most upbeat, articulate, wonderful boy. He radiates happiness.”
Masyn’s mom, Nicole, 37, a dental assistant and his dad, Daniel, 37, who works in construction, said their son was always level-headed about his condition and never pitied himself. He wore his hair long to hide the problem.
“We never made much of it,” Nicole Ortiz said. “We left it up to him and it didn’t bother him too much at first. If the other kids saw it when he was swimming and said something, he’d just say, ‘Oh that’s my little ear.’ Then two years ago he came to us and said he’d like to fix it. I think he was more grown-up about it than anyone — and he wasn’t scared of the surgery.”
Masyn will undergo a second procedure in about three months time, once his new ear has healed, to be fitted with a state-of-the-art hearing device called a bone-anchored auditory implant. The costs are also covered by the foundation. He will then look, feel and hear like other kids his age.
He will also be able to cut his hair short for the first time.
“This is a lifelong present,” Masyn said. But he also said he wanted everyone to know he’s more than a kid with a new ear.
“I’m a football player, too!” he said.
Additional reporting by Sara Dorn


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Shocking new video emerges of Nashville Christmas bombing

A new video has emerged of the Christmas morning blast in Nashville .
The short clip shows what appears to be a police officer walking in the street about half a block from a parked RV .
The lights from a police car can be seen flashing on the other end of the block .
The cop exits the frame just before the blast occurs at 13 seconds into the video .
The explosion flash is followed by heavy smoke and flying debris .
The rest of the minute-long clip shows the street shrouded in black smoke , with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the audio at the beginning of the video appears to be referring to instructions that area residents not walk their dogs at that time , along with a comment that things would open up in a couple of hours .
One local who was walking his pooch was stopped by an officer moments before the explosion , likely saving his life .
The street in downtown Nashville where the blast took place was closed that morning when cops discovered the RV , which had a recorded message telling people to evacuate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their quick action evacuating nearby buildings and likely saving many lives .

A new video has emerged of the Christmas morning blast in Nashville.
The short clip shows what appears to be a police officer walking in the street about half a block from a parked RV. The lights from a police car can be seen flashing on the other end of the block.
The cop exits the frame just before the blast occurs at 13 seconds into the video. The explosion flash is followed by heavy smoke and flying debris.
The rest of the minute-long clip shows the street shrouded in black smoke, with a fire burning in the background.
Chatter in the audio at the beginning of the video appears to be referring to instructions that area residents not walk their dogs at that time, along with a comment that things would open up in a couple of hours. One local who was walking his pooch was stopped by an officer moments before the explosion, likely saving his life.
The street in downtown Nashville where the blast took place was closed that morning when cops discovered the RV, which had a recorded message telling people to evacuate. Six Nashville officers were praised as heroes for their quick action evacuating nearby buildings and likely saving many lives.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Brooklyn clinics face criminal probe over unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines

Three people were injured , one seriously , in a Bronx car ...

A health-care network with clinics in Boro Park, Bensonhurst and Williamsburg is under a criminal investigation for giving unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines, officials said Saturday.
ParCare Community Health Network “may have fraudulently obtained COVID-19 vaccine, transferred it to facilities in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines and diverted it to members of the public,” state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a news release.
The statement came hours after The Post questioned a state health department spokesman about ParCare giving the coveted inoculations.
The network’s actions appear to violate the state’s plan to administer the limited supply of vaccines first to frontline healthcare workers, along with nursing home residents and staffers, Zucker said.
The state controls where, and to whom, the vaccine is distributed — and there isn’t enough for those who are supposed to be at the front of the line.
“The supply of COVID-19 vaccine remains limited and has not yet met demand among the groups prioritized for initial vaccination,” Dr. Jane Zucker, the city Health Department’s assistant commissioner for immunizations said Thursday.
Officials did not say how ParCare may have obtained the vaccine.
ParCare shared this poster on social media announcing their authorization to administer COVID-19 vaccines.
ParCare claimed it had received 3,500 doses of the Moderna vaccine, news site BoroPark24 reported Dec. 21.
“Hundreds of patients were already vaccinated today, and people are still coming in,” Gary Schlesinger, the CEO and president of ParCare, told the news site.
Schlesinger also said he expected to have vaccinated 500 people in Boro Park that same day.
ParCare, which also has locations in East Harlem, Crown Heights and Kiryas Joel, set up a website, parcarevaccine.com, where residents could register for the vaccine.
“You have to be on that list,” Schlesinger told BoroPark24, adding he expected to get more vaccines every day. “Once you are on the list, we have to vet to make sure that you are either a healthcare worker, are over 60, or have underlying conditions. We will not give the vaccine to people who are not eligible for this first batch of the shots.”
The vaccine is supposed to be given free of charge. ParCare’s website, though, asks those interested in receiving it for their insurance information. The network accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and most other insurance plans, the company said.
Schlesinger was seen in a photo tweeted Tuesday by the Rabbinical Alliance of America getting vaccinated himself, although he does not appear to be in a group that qualifies.
ParCare brazenly tweeted photos Monday showing boxes of the Moderna vaccine wrapped with ice packs and then in a refrigerator.
“ONE SMALL INJECTION CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY!” it tweeted.
Schlesinger is politically well-connected in the Orthodox Jewish community. He has cultivated ties to Mayor de Blasio, Attorney General Letitia James, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, and Brooklyn borough president and mayoral candidate Eric Adams, sources said.
He claims on his Facebook profile to have worked for the Bloomberg for Mayor campaign in 2009. His social media is full of photos of him with politicians, including President Trump. On Twitter, Schlesinger called de Blasio’s liaison to the Jewish community, Pinny Ringel, a friend.
A ParCare ad claimed “the FDA authorized” the network to receive “a minimal number of COVID-19 vaccines.”
“The vaccines will be made available on a first-come, first-serve (sic) basis,” the ad says.
It adds the vaccines will be given “Only for people in the following categories,” and lists: “Elderly, high risk, underlying conditions.”
The state has not yet authorized the vaccine for anyone in those categories who lives outside of a nursing home, long-term care facility or group home.
One community member told The Post his father, in his 60s, received the vaccine at ParCare’s Williamsburg clinic.
“It’s known in the community you can get a vaccine if you want,” the resident said, adding “it’s a mystery” how the clinic obtained the supply.
“We take this very seriously and DOH will be assisting State Police in a criminal investigation into this matter. Anyone found to have knowingly participated in this scheme will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” the state health commissioner said.
In a statement released late Saturday, a ParCare rep said the network is continuing to operate while cooperating with the DOH investigation.
“During these unprecedented times, we have striven to provide critical healthcare services and administer COVID-19 vaccinations to those qualified to receive them under the New York State Department of Health’s guidelines, which includes frontline healthcare workers and first responders,” the statement said.
“Parcare Community Health Network has a long history of partnering with the City of New York to provide vital healthcare services to New Yorkers who need them most — including providing COVID-19 testing — especially for New Yorkers in medically underserved communities who’ve been hardest hit by COVID-19,” ParCare’s statement continued.
“As we actively cooperate with the New York State Department of Health on this matter, we will continue to perfom top-quality healthcare services to help New York come out of this pandemic.”


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Man critically injured in Bronx car crash

Three people were injured , one seriously , in a Bronx car crash Saturday morning , police said .
The @ @ @ @ @ Civic going south on the Major Deegan Expressway at about 5 a.m. was about to @ @ @ @ @ Street-Macombs Dam Bridge exit , according to the NYPD .
A gray Nissan hit the @ @ @ @ @ s side , forcing it into safety barrels and a guardrail , police said .
@ @ @ @ @ 36-year-old woman and a man in his 30s were taken to Lincoln Hospital .
The @ @ @ @ @ in critical condition Saturday morning .
Neither driver fled the scene and an investigation is @ @ @ @ @

Three people were injured, one seriously, in a Bronx car crash Saturday morning, police said.
The crash happened when a Honda Civic going south on the Major Deegan Expressway at about 5 a.m. was about to get off onto the 161th Street-Macombs Dam Bridge exit, according to the NYPD.
A gray Nissan hit the car on the driver’s side, forcing it into safety barrels and a guardrail, police said.
A 27-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and a man in his 30s were taken to Lincoln Hospital. The man in his 30s was in critical condition Saturday morning.
Neither driver fled the scene and an investigation is ongoing, police said.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Baldwin family match in plaid PJs on Christmas Morning

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens @ @ @ @ @ to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) Alec Baldwin and his wife @ @ @ @ @ Christmas day with a photo of their growing family in matching pajamas .
“ Almost @ @ @ @ @ !
We hope you had a Merry Christmas , ” Hilaria , 36 , posted @ @ @ @ @ Rafael ( from left ) , 4-year-old Leonardo , Hilaria with Eduardo , whom she @ @ @ @ @ , 7-year-old Carmen , Alec and 2-year-old Romeo donning the same red plaid pajama sets @ @ @ @ @ daughter Ireland , whom he shares with ex Kim Basinger , did not join in @ @ @ @ @

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It’s a match.
Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria brightened up Instagram on Christmas day with a photo of their growing family in matching pajamas.
“Almost all of us are looking! We hope you had a Merry Christmas,” Hilaria, 36, posted.
The photo shows 5-year-old Rafael (from left), 4-year-old Leonardo, Hilaria with Eduardo, whom she gave birth to in September, 7-year-old Carmen, Alec and 2-year-old Romeo donning the same red plaid pajama sets.
Alec’s 25-year-old daughter Ireland, whom he shares with ex Kim Basinger, did not join in on the holiday fun.


newyorkpost--2020-12-26--Tom Brady leads Buccaneers to playoffs in easy win over Lions

DETROIT — Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes in the only half he needed to play and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went on to rout the Detroit Lions 47-7 Saturday , sealing a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2007 .
The Bucs ( 10-5 ) set a franchise record with 588 yards and snapped the NFL ’ s second-longest postseason drought behind Cleveland ’ s 18-year run that can end Sunday .
Tampa Bay rested Brady ahead 34-0 , its largest halftime lead in franchise history .
Blaine Gabbert threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Rob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play after Detroit running back D ’ Andre Swift fumbled , and a 22-yard pass to Mike Evans later in the third quarter .
Brady was 22 of 27 for 348 yards with a mix of passes deep down the field and darts in traffic .
The six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback threw touchdown passes to Gronkowski , Evans , Chris Godwin , who made a one-handed catch , and Antonio Brown from 33 , 27 , 7 and 12 yards .
The 43-year-old Brady , who split time with Drew Henson in college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tie Brett Favre ’ s record for an NFL quarterback and played in his 300th game .
The Lions ( 5-10 ) started the game without interim coach Darrell Bevell along with assistants on the defensive staff because of COVID-19 contact tracing .
And they played much of the game without Matthew Stafford .
He was questionable to play with hip and thumb injuries and then hurt his right ankle on the opening drive and did not return .
Chase Daniel struggled to move the ball much for the Lions , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time this season in the third quarter when Jamal Agnew returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown .
Daniel was replaced in the fourth quarter by David Blough , an undrafted rookie last year .
Brady has thrown a franchise-record 36 touchdowns and set a personal record with 348 yards passing by halftime .
Brady and Gabbert combined to throw a Bucs-record six touchdowns .
Tampa Bay set team records in points ( 34 ) and yards ( 410 ) in the first half .
Evans , who had 10 catches for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a team record with 13 receiving touchdowns .

DETROIT — Tom Brady was so dominant in Detroit that he could’ve left Ford Field at halftime to get his favorite chicken wings near the University of Michigan’s campus and still made it back to fly to Florida with his team.
Brady threw four touchdown passes in the only half he needed to play and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went on to rout the Lions 47-7 Saturday, sealing a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
“When we do play the way we’re capable of playing, we’re pretty tough to beat,” Brady said.
The Bucs (10-5) set a franchise record with 588 yards and snapped the NFL’s second-longest postseason drought behind Cleveland’s 18-year run that can end Sunday.
“We’ve been scratching and clawing every single year to make the tournament,” said receiver Mike Evans, who was drafted by Tampa Bay six years ago. “It’s been a journey and we’re happy that we finally accomplished it.”
Tampa Bay rested Brady ahead 34-0, its largest halftime lead in franchise history.
Tom Brady Getty Images
Brady was 22 of 27 for 348 yards with a mix of passes deep down the field and darts in traffic. The six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback threw touchdown passes to Rob Gronkowski, Evans, Chris Godwin, who made a one-handed catch, and Antonio Brown from 33, 27, 7 and 12 yards.
“When we can keep Tom standing, he’s going to deliver for us,” coach Bruce Arians said.
The 43-year-old Brady, who split time with Drew Henson in college, started his 298th game to tie Brett Favre’s record for an NFL quarterback and played in his 300th game.
The Lions (5-10) started the game without interim coach Darrell Bevell along with assistants on the defensive staff because of COVID-19 contact tracing. And they played much of the game without quarterback Matthew Stafford. He was questionable to play with hip and thumb injuries and then hurt his right ankle on the opening drive and did not return.
Chase Daniel struggled to move the ball much for the Lions, who avoided getting shut out for the second time this season when Jamal Agnew returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Daniel was replaced in the fourth by David Blough, an undrafted rookie last year.
“It’s obviously tough when you’ve got a lot of coaches shifting around, but those guys did a great job of getting us ready,” Blough said. “No one feels sorry for us.”