newyorkpost--2020-08-02--It’s looking like only one force can stop the Yankees

The Yankees have gotten off to one of the best ...

They are Bronx Bombers again, especially the hulking giant named Aaron Judge. They have a Hit Machine at the top of the lineup named DJ LeMahieu. They have a Cy Young-candidate named Gerrit Cole. They have their closer Aroldis Chapman on his way back from COVID-19. They have Masahiro Tanaka back on the mound since taking a 112-mph rocket in the head from Giancarlo Stanton. And their Next Men Up are superior than everybody else’s Next Men Up.
They’ve been knocking on the door the last two years, it has been 10 consecutive seasons when their self-imposed World Series-or-Bust mandate has gone Bust, and they are obsessed with kicking that door down.
Aaron Boone, so perfect for this market and for this storm, knows he has a Dream Team, his stars healthy again and aligned, his Savages in the box and on the mound making for an unstoppable freight train that maybe only a virus can stop.
And suddenly it feels like the bottom of the ninth for the Yankees and for Major League Baseball.
Dr. Fauci on the mound.
And what a shame that would be.
Especially for Boone’s Bronx Bombers.
The baseball gods can’t be this cruel to the Yankees, can they?
Tanaka was back in the saddle for 51 pitches, Judge homered for the fourth consecutive game, Gio Urshela blasted a grand slam and Nick Nelson was an unsung bullpen hero in the 6-1 Yankees’ 5-2 win over the Red Sox.
Judge, healthy finally, resembles the fearsome vintage 2017 version.
“One of the great players in the game,” Boone said.
But despite the Yankees’ great play, coronavirus still is lingering. Forget about hindsight is 20/20: MLB should have built a bubble. Or two. Or three. Whatever it took.
Money always talks. But bulls–t always walks.
As they pushed for the sport to return, “Tell us when and where” became the players’ rallying cry.
None of them, starting at the top, had any idea that the virus was telling anyone listening the same damn thing.
“I am not a quitter,” commissioner Rob Manfred said.
Neither is the virus.
Six teams have had their seasons paused.
“If anything, this season has taught us, and the virus has taught us, that this is always a day-by-day, week-by-week kind of situation that we exist in,” Boone said before the game.
Boss George Steinbrenner would have been proud how his son Hal’s Yankees have handled the pandemic.
“If your leadership is showing how important it is and you’ve got the front office like we have here taking it very seriously, I think that’ll trickle down to the players taking it seriously, I think that it’s a leadership thing and it’s something that we all need to take seriously,” James Paxton said.
It seems inconceivable that a Marlins team owned by Derek Jeter and managed by Don Mattingly could behave as recklessly as Billy Martin after hours and cause the embattled Manfred to threaten calling strike three on Friday and shutting down a season that began too late before it ever really began.
The news that four more members of the Cardinals organization tested positive forced their Saturday and Sunday games against the Brewers to be canceled has caused more consternation and high anxiety across the league.
Brewers All-Star center fielder Lorenzo Cain became the 16th player to opt out on Saturday. Expect others to follow. And who could blame them?
“It is manageable,” Manfred said.
Until it isn’t.
Manfred and the owners and the television networks will keep whistling in the dark, of course, until it isn’t.
Baseball’s Dance With Doomsday is what happens when:
Its leadership gambled that it could police the sport outside of a bubble assuming that the country would have a better control of the virus. Tragically, inexcusably, the country does not.
It was inevitable that there would be players long on stupidity and short on common sense and consideration who either underestimated the virus or considered themselves indestructible and chose to ignore warnings that were not loud or persistent enough.
That’s one toxic brew and one toxic mess.
Hotel hall monitors now have to prevent a player from searching for lemon pepper chicken wings? Better late than never, right? Perhaps a small army of compliance officers would help.
“Your decisions off the field will put all of our seasons in jeopardy this year,” Cubs outfielder Steven Souza Jr. tweeted Friday.
No kidding.
Especially outside any bubble, there has to be a shared responsibility on every team and zero tolerance for anything but disciplined, obedient behavior.
Even then, it should not have been lost on anyone that the virus can strike anywhere at any time. Sadly, it was lost on some when it cannot afford to be lost on one.
Is broadcaster Jerry Hairston right that Cardinals partied at a casino? SMH.
This rushed Baseball Experiment has seemed doomed from the start.
You feel for all the teams that have vigilantly followed the protocols and done things as right as they possibly could.
Despite MLB’s uneven battle vs. the coronavirus, The Boss would have loved these Yankees — 14 homers over the first seven games, 306 homers in 2019. Vince Lombardi would have, too: Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.
Brett Gardner was part of the Yankees’ 27th championship team. This could be his chance for No. 28.
“There’s obviously 30 teams in the league, so I think it’s important that we all take it very seriously, and just be as smart as we can, not just at the field and on the field but away from the field,” Gardner said.
There is no margin for error.
Alas, to err is human. Starting at the top of the sport.
Play ball? Or play bawl?
“I think everybody wonders, whether it be players, or fans, even the league in general … and hope that things do get better, the numbers do get better, and the things that we’ve seen over the last week or so are the worst of it,” Gardner said.
Hope is not a strategy.
Nightmare looming for a Dream Team.
Bottom of the ninth.
Dr. Fauci on the mound.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--James Corden might be ‘in line’ to replace Ellen Degeneres: report

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 ) Late Late Show host James @ @ @ @ @ ” to replace Ellen Degeneres the Sun newspaper is reporting — despite other signs that @ @ @ @ @ anywhere anytime soon .
Corden “ could be the shock winner after dozens of employees @ @ @ @ @ presenter of turning a blind eye to racism , bullying and sexual harassment on her @ @ @ @ @ the paper said .
It cited as its source “ insiders ” who claim Corden @ @ @ @ @ been seen as Degeneres ’ “ long term successor , ” even pre-scandal — and @ @ @ @ @ Still , the Post reported Saturday that Degeneres is going back to work this month @ @ @ @ @ internal email from the show ’ s own executive producers .

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“Late Late Show” host James Corden is “in line” to replace Ellen DeGeneres the Sun newspaper is reporting — despite other signs that she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Corden “could be the shock winner after dozens of employees accused the $50 million-a-year presenter of turning a blind eye to racism, bullying and sexual harassment on her hit daytime show,” the paper said.
It cited as its source “insiders” who claim Corden, 41, has long been seen as DeGeneres’ “long term successor,” even pre-scandal — and only more so now.
Still, the Post reported Saturday that DeGeneres is going back to work this month, as stated in an internal email from the show’s own executive producers.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Rob Manfred’s defiant MLB message: ‘We are playing’

Despite a series of postponed games because of positive COVID-19 tests , Rob Manfred isn ’ t ready to pause or cancel the abbreviated baseball season .
Hours after the sport ’ s commissioner told ESPN continuing to play is “ manageable ” and “ there is no reason to quit now , ” MLB announced plans for the Marlins and Phillies to begin play again after being held out this entire week .
The plan is that by Tuesday all 30 teams will be back in action after 20 percent of the league — six teams — were held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begin a four-game , home-and-home series with the Yankees on Monday in The Bronx , while the Marlins will return to action Tuesday in Baltimore against the Orioles with a four-game series that will include a Thursday doubleheader .
The Marlins will be the “ home ” team in two of those games .
MLB said the Marlins players not infected have remained in Philadelphia in isolation and have not worked out since last Sunday .
No Phillies players have tested positive for the virus , and of the three staff to test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positives .
Additionally , there were no new positive results from testing done on Friday that didn ’ t include the aforementioned cases .
“ We are playing .
The players need to be better , but I am not a quitter in general and there is no reason to quit now , ” Manfred told Karl Ravech of ESPN .
“ We have had to be fluid , but it is manageable.
” In the wake of 21 members of the Marlins — 18 of them players — testing positive , neither @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last Sunday .
As a result , the Blue Jays ( who were supposed to host the Phillies in Buffalo ) and the Nationals ( who were supposed to visit the Marlins in Miami ) were also idle this weekend .
Additionally , the Cardinals and Brewers games Friday , Saturday and Sunday in Milwaukee were postponed due to positive tests by two Cardinals players on Friday and multiple members of their traveling party , including one player , on Saturday .
Adding to that , Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain opted out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team announced , becoming the first big name player to do so since play began .
Manfred ’ s “ I am not a quitter ” statement comes on the heels of the commissioner telling MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark that if the sport doesn ’ t do a better job of managing the coronavirus , it could be shut down as The Post ’ s Joel Sherman reported .
The hope was that would compel union reps to implore teammates how important it is to adhere to health and safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon be over .

Despite a series of postponed games because of positive COVID-19 tests, Rob Manfred isn’t ready to pause or cancel the abbreviated baseball season.
Hours after the sport’s commissioner told ESPN continuing to play is “manageable” and “there is no reason to quit now,” MLB announced plans for the Marlins and Phillies to begin play again after being held out this entire week.
The plan is that by Tuesday all 30 teams will be back in action after 20 percent of the league — six teams — were held for the weekend. The Phillies will begin a four-game, home-and-home series with the Yankees on Monday in The Bronx, while the Marlins will return to action Tuesday in Baltimore against the Orioles with a four-game series that will include a Thursday doubleheader.
The Marlins will be the “home” team in two of those games. MLB said the Marlins players not infected have remained in Philadelphia in isolation and have not worked out since last Sunday. No Phillies players have tested positive for the virus, and of the three staff to test positive, two of them were false positives. Additionally, there were no new positive results from testing done on Friday that didn’t include the aforementioned cases.
“We are playing. The players need to be better, but I am not a quitter in general and there is no reason to quit now,” Manfred told Karl Ravech of ESPN. “We have had to be fluid, but it is manageable.”
In the wake of 21 members of the Marlins — 18 of them players — testing positive, neither team had played since facing one another last Sunday. As a result, the Blue Jays (who were supposed to host the Phillies in Buffalo) and the Nationals (who were supposed to visit the Marlins in Miami) were also idle this weekend.
Additionally, the Cardinals and Brewers games Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Milwaukee were postponed due to positive tests by two Cardinals players on Friday and multiple members of their traveling party, including one player, on Saturday. Adding to that, Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain opted out of the season on Saturday, the team announced, becoming the first big name player to do so since play began.
Manfred’s “I am not a quitter” statement comes on the heels of the commissioner telling MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark that if the sport doesn’t do a better job of managing the coronavirus, it could be shut down as The Post’s Joel Sherman reported. The hope was that would compel union reps to implore teammates how important it is to adhere to health and safety protocols, or else the season could soon be over.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--PGA Championship will have a season’s worth of golf storylines

PGA of America to the PGA Tour : “ Thank you.
’ ’ This ...

The slogan the PGA of America coined several years ago to commemorate and promote its PGA Championship as the last of the four major championships in the calendar year was: “Glory’s last shot.’’
This week’s PGA Championship, to be played at Harding Park in San Francisco, represents “Glory’s first shot.’’ It not only will be the first major championship of 2020, but the first conducted since the British Open was played in July 2019 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
With the COVID-19 pandemic having pushed the PGA from May to August, canceled the British Open and postponed the U.S. Open and Masters to September and November, respectively, the PGA Championship is batting leadoff to the truncated major championship season.
It does so with the PGA Tour having conducted eight weeks of events in its restart. And it comes with a list of a season’s worth of tremendous storylines.
Where to start?
With Brooks Koepka is attempting to accomplish something no one has done in 93 years: a threepeat? This despite Koepka having slumped for the better part of the past year with a knee injury and erratic play.
With Jon Rahm and his newly minted No. 1 ranking, achieved two weeks ago with his victory at the Memorial Tournament, trying to win his first career major championship after not having truly contended to win one in his first 13 tries as a pro?
With Tiger Woods, who’s played just four tournament rounds since February and just three tournaments in 2020, trying to win his 16th major championship?
With Rory McIlroy, the perceived top player in the world, trying to regain the No. 1 ranking Rahm wrested from him two weeks ago?
With Bryson DeChambeau and his 30-something pounds of added muscle and new-found length off the tee supposedly poised to change the game?
With Dustin Johnson, who won the Travelers Championship and followed that with a pair of 80s en route to a missed cut at the Memorial then an opening-round 78 and a withdrawal from the 3M Championship a week ago?
How about with Jordan Spieth, who’s been slumping so badly the past three years that no one even remembers he’s a PGA Championship victory away from completing the rare career Grand Slam?
Or the new fleet of 20-somethings rapidly rising up the rankings — led by Colin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland?
Or Phil Mickelson, who still believes he has a major championship victory or two in him at age 50 and flashes that very ability to do so from time to time?
We can go on, because there are more storylines. But you get the picture. This week in San Francisco has potential to be memorable.
“There are so many great storylines, something good’s going to happen … we just don’t know which one it is,’’ Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA of America, told The Post this past week. “We’ve got 97 of the top 100 in world rankings coming. We’re fortunate to have the strongest field on paper in golf for the past 10 or 15 years. Everyone wants to play, and we’re excited about that.
“We’re proud to be that first major. Now that we’re finally back into the major season, it’s going to be a great run of golf. We’ll have us and then [FedExCup] playoffs start and then U.S. Open and the Masters. It’s going to be a sprint, and a great one and we’re very proud to kick that off.’’
Waugh said the week, which will include no spectators on site as the PGA Tour has been doing for the past two months since it’s restart, “will feel different than the last eight weeks, because it is a major and that pressure is there.”
“I think it’ll be different and better than the last eight weeks, because a major always is,’’ he said. “We’re thrilled to be the first ones out, for sure. Hopefully, we’ll have a close match and a lot of drama to the end.’’


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Key impeachment witness Alexander Vindman says in op-ed ‘doing what’s right matters’

On his first day of retirement , key Donald Trump impeachment trial witness Lt .
Colonel Alexander Vindman said in a Washington Post op-ed Saturday that speaking up against the president cost him his career — but he believes “ right matters.
” “ When I was asked why I had the confidence to tell my father not to worry about my testimony , my response was , ‘ Congressman , because this is America , ” he recalled in the piece of his testimony .
“ This is the country I served and defended , that all my brothers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matters.
” He added , “ To this day , despite everything that has happened , I continue to believe that in America , right matters .
I want to help ensure that right matters for all Americans.
” Vindman had testified in November that he had listened in on Trump ’ s July 25 , 2019 call with Ukraine ’ s leader — in which the president leaned on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter — and was convinced the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gain .
In ending his 21-year Army career , the Purple Heart recipient blamed bullying , intimidation and retaliation by Trump and his allies .
Trump had pushed Vindman out of the White House in February .

On his first day of retirement, key Donald Trump impeachment trial witness Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman said in a Washington Post op-ed Saturday that speaking up against the president cost him his career — but he believes “right matters.”
“When I was asked why I had the confidence to tell my father not to worry about my testimony, my response was, ‘Congressman, because this is America,” he recalled in the piece of his testimony.
“This is the country I served and defended, that all my brothers have served, and here, right matters.”
He added, “To this day, despite everything that has happened, I continue to believe that in America, right matters. I want to help ensure that right matters for all Americans.”
Vindman had testified in November that he had listened in on Trump’s July 25, 2019 call with Ukraine’s leader — in which the president leaned on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter — and was convinced the president abused his power for personal political gain.
In ending his 21-year Army career, the Purple Heart recipient blamed bullying, intimidation and retaliation by Trump and his allies.
Trump had pushed Vindman out of the White House in February.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Mets’ Robinson Cano stays hot after moving up in order

ATLANTA — Robinson Cano is often trolled by the organist at Truist Park with a chorus of Simon & Garfunkel ’ s “ Mrs .
Robinson ” when he steps to the plate .
More appropriate for Cano would be the legendary pop duo ’ s “ Feelin ’ Groovy.
” The Mets second baseman added two hits on Saturday — giving him 10 in his past five games — as a bright spot in a lineup that looked sluggish in a 7-1 loss to the Braves .
Cano , who was elevated to the fifth spot in the batting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only run with a sacrifice fly .
“ He looks more comfortable at the plate , ” manager Luis Rojas said before the game .
“ The last few games we have seen it .
His stance and mechanics , he definitely looks more quiet getting ready early and recognizing pitches and get the head of the bat out.
” Cano missed a week in summer camp for personal reasons , which might have contributed to his slow start .
Franklyn Kilome was added to the roster for a situation precisely like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outing from their starting pitcher that necessitated a reliever devouring multiple innings .
Kilome was solid , allowing two earned runs on two hits with five strikeouts over four innings in his MLB debut .
“ It was a crazy experience and I also have to thank the Mets for giving me this opportunity , ” said Kilome , who missed last season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery after arriving in the 2018 trade that sent Asdrubal Cabrera to the Phillies .
“ He ’ s a guy that is going to give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stuff is there , ” Rojas said .
Dellin Betances , who retired just one batter Friday and allowed four runs in the eighth inning , said he ’ s still adjusting to his inconsistent velocity .
The right-hander seemed more upset with the two walks he issued than the two hits .
“ I ’ m trying to get better , and attack the strike zone , I think that is going to help me out , ” said Betances , who appeared in only game last season with the Yankees because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack the strike zone to get these guys out and change speeds .
I ’ m not throwing as hard as I was a couple of years ago .
”

ATLANTA — Robinson Cano is often trolled by the organist at Truist Park with a chorus of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” when he steps to the plate.
More appropriate for Cano would be the legendary pop duo’s “Feelin’ Groovy.” The Mets second baseman added two hits on Saturday — giving him 10 in his past five games — as a bright spot in a lineup that looked sluggish in a 7-1 loss to the Braves.
Cano, who was elevated to the fifth spot in the batting order, drove in the Mets’ only run with a sacrifice fly.
“He looks more comfortable at the plate,” manager Luis Rojas said before the game. “The last few games we have seen it. His stance and mechanics, he definitely looks more quiet getting ready early and recognizing pitches and get the head of the bat out.”
Cano missed a week in summer camp for personal reasons, which might have contributed to his slow start.
Franklyn Kilome was added to the roster for a situation precisely like the one the Mets faced: A short outing from their starting pitcher that necessitated a reliever devouring multiple innings. Kilome was solid, allowing two earned runs on two hits with five strikeouts over four innings in his MLB debut.
“It was a crazy experience and I also have to thank the Mets for giving me this opportunity,” said Kilome, who missed last season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery after arriving in the 2018 trade that sent Asdrubal Cabrera to the Phillies.
“He’s a guy that is going to give us quality innings, we know the stuff is there,” Rojas said.
Dellin Betances, who retired just one batter Friday and allowed four runs in the eighth inning, said he’s still adjusting to his inconsistent velocity. The right-hander seemed more upset with the two walks he issued than the two hits.
“I’m trying to get better, and attack the strike zone, I think that is going to help me out,” said Betances, who appeared in only game last season with the Yankees because of injuries. “I have to attack the strike zone to get these guys out and change speeds. I’m not throwing as hard as I was a couple of years ago.”


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Why Nets’ Jamal Crawford may not play vs. Wizards

Could Sunday ’ s game be a preview of the NBA ’ s first-ever ...

It’s taking a while to get the rust off Jamal Crawford’s 40-year-old bones.
Crawford, who sat out the season as an unsigned free agent, joined the Nets for his first practice on July 15.
But Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said it’s undetermined if Crawford will make his Nets debut Sunday against Washington in Game 2 of the restart. It raises a mystery about his physical conditioning with Vaughn’s vague diagnosis.
Crawford, signed as a replacement player because of the Nets’ depleted roster, already missed the opener. Crawford still played as many games as a Net as Kevin Durant, who pushed for his signing.
Vaughn said Crawford will be “reassessed” Saturday night.
“It’s really that tenuous,’’ Vaughn said. “Overall, we have to be realistic what each player is. Jamal has played more games than LeBron James. The time off that he had leading into the bubble whether that was spending time with family or quarantine, we want each athlete to be in position to be successful not only today, but also going forward. The objective is to put him on the floor when he is comfortable and has a base underneath him, so we’re not turning the page backwards.’’
New signee Tyler Johnson said Crawford is needed for his leadership and to take pressure off Caris LeVert. That is, if he’s in game shape. Crawford could play his 1,327th regular-season contest Sunday.
“You see how many playoff runs this guy has had,’’ Johnson said of the 3-time Sixth Man of the Year. “He brings a different side of basketball a lot of guys haven’t seen. There’s a lot of young guys who haven’t been in this playoff pressure. He fills that void and allows you to relax and play your game because you have someone there talking you through things. We want him healthy. When he does get back, he’ll be integral part moving forward.”


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Long Island boat collision leaves man dead and six other passengers injured

A collision between two boats in the waters off Long Island left one man dead and six other boaters injured @ @ @ @ @ fatal wreck occurred in the Freeport Creek near Cow Mead Park about 6:45 p.m. , @ @ @ @ @ injured passengers were taken to a nearby hospital , where a 25-year-old man was declared @ @ @ @ @ immediately release his identity .
Two of the six people involved in the crash suffered @ @ @ @ @ .
The cause of the collision is under investigation .

A collision between two boats in the waters off Long Island left one man dead and six other boaters injured, authorities said.
The fatal wreck occurred in the Freeport Creek near Cow Mead Park about 6:45 p.m., police said.
All seven injured passengers were taken to a nearby hospital, where a 25-year-old man was declared dead. Police did not immediately release his identity.
Two of the six people involved in the crash suffered serious injuries, police said.
The cause of the collision is under investigation.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--How Tom Fitzgerald is handling the Devils’ endless summer

John Chayka got burned after trying to make a deal ...

This is the endless summer for Tom Fitzgerald, the Devils, and the other six general managers and their respective teams that are on the outside looking in at the bubble, snubbed by the NHL tournament committee.
“We’d certainly prefer to be playing and relevant in the marketplace,” Fitzgerald, officially appointed the fifth GM in franchise history on July 9 after having served in an interim role since Ray Shero’s dismissal on Jan. 12, told Slap Shots on Friday. “But I can assure everyone that we are using this time constructively in every area to be prepared for next season.”
The 24 clubs participating in the tournament are reaping the benefit of simply being on the ice and playing competitive hockey following the COVID-necessitated pause that shut down the NHL on March 12. The Seven Dwarfs, as they are known affectionately in this space, however, face a best-case scenario of an eight-month offseason if the NHL can meet its Nov. 17 target date to open 2020-21 training camps. That’s not quite equitable.
Fitzgerald knows it, so do his counterparts in Detroit, Ottawa, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose and Buffalo. They have been in constant communication, hardly commiserating, but instead constructing a proposal to submit to the NHL for permission to have a Phase 3 camp of their own leading into Nov. 17.
“We are working on a plan to present to the league so that we have the same opportunity to work with our players as the teams that are in the playoffs,” said Fitzgerald, whose team actually came up only .007 percentage points shy of the cut line. “Eight months is just too long of a layoff.
“We would open under the same Phase 3 protocols that were in place leading up to this and would lead directly into training camp. That would serve as a runway and ramp up into training camp. That’s the most logical and safest time to have it. We wouldn’t want players flying in and then flying out and then returning at some point for camp.”
The NHL is certainly aware of the challenges facing the inactive clubs. Or perhaps we should call these teams, “Unfit to play.” Regardless, the league is sympathetic to their concerns.
“If possible, we’d like to add a prospect camp to it, as well, at the front end,” said the 51-year-old Fitzgerald, who has been directing the operation out of his Boston home base via Zoom and conference calls. “I should say, too, that we opened our rink in Newark for Phase 2 [informal workouts] and I have to give credit to our owners, Josh [Harris] and David [Blitzer] for keeping it open.
“We haven’t had all that many guys in to skate up to this point, it’s been a few, but under Phase 2 protocols, we’re hoping and we think guys will come in early and take advantage of the ice.”
Fitzgerald said he just recently conducted his 2019-20 exit meetings with the players. The Devils have dived to the bottom of the ocean in preparation for the draft, in which the Devils will pick seventh overall and may have Arizona’s and Vancouver’s first-rounders, as well, depending upon the results of the qualifying round.
“We broke down the top 35 prospects among our executive leadership board and our scouts and personnel department, cross-checked video, compiled reports, went about it diligently,” he said. “We built our list, I’m sure there will be some tweaks to it as we get to the draft [scheduled for Oct. 9-10], but we feel good about it.”
The GM has overseen the club’s wellness and conditioning program, with the appropriate coaching personnel designing and redesigning personal programs for the players. Oh, and by the way, Fitzgerald was doing all this while the Ivory Tower was conducting interviews for a possible replacement and while he and the crowded hierarchy were searching for a coach to replace interim man Alain Nasreddine. That, of course, turned out to be Lindy Ruff, who will have plenty of time in which to learn about the team and its personnel.
“There is nothing in the GM’s handbook about how to handle a pandemic,” said Fitzgerald, who was assistant GM in Pittsburgh for five years before joining New Jersey in the same capacity five years ago. “I just went about my business, I appreciated the opportunity, I believed that I was ready to handle it and went at it day by day. It was business as usual, if there’s been anything usual about this.”
The Devils and their brethren are hurrying up to wait … for what optimistically will be at least another three months after nearly five months off. But Fitzgerald isn’t twiddling his thumbs.
“I’m talking to as many GMs as I can. You’ve got 12 in Toronto and 12 in Edmonton and you know they’re talking,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ I just want to remind everyone that we’re here.”


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Man rescued from East River after jumping in to escape injury during fight

A man was rescued by the NYPD from the East River Saturday night after intentionally jumping in to avoid injury @ @ @ @ @ other men , authorities said .
The rescue took place about 10:50 p.m. in the @ @ @ @ @ Park on East 9th Street , police said .
The unidentified man was taken to @ @ @ @ @ , police said .
Police believe the three men quarreling were homeless and one of @ @ @ @ @ cut with a bottle , sources said .
All three men were arrested but were @ @ @ @

A man was rescued by the NYPD from the East River Saturday night after intentionally jumping in to avoid injury during a fight with two other men, authorities said.
The rescue took place about 10:50 p.m. in the waters off the East River Park on East 9th Street, police said.
The unidentified man was taken to Bellevue Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Police believe the three men quarreling were homeless and one of the men may have been cut with a bottle, sources said.
All three men were arrested but were not immediately charged.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Dominic Smith is likely Mets winner in Yoenis Cespedes mess

ATLANTA — Yoenis Cespedes opting out removes a potential big bat from the Mets lineup , but there are plenty of candidates to fill his DH role .
Maybe a preview of the Mets ’ plan was on display in Sunday ’ s 4-0 loss to the Braves in which J.D .
Davis started at DH and Dominic Smith in left field .
Smith , who had largely been relegated to the bench in the Mets ’ first nine games of the season , will likely be the primary benefactor from Cespedes ’ departure .
Davis has struggled defensively in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have backed off an earlier decision to let him see action at third base this season , behind Jeff McNeil .
So Davis would factor heavily into the new DH equation , with it also possible Robinson Cano could take more at-bats at the spot .
But another possibility would be moving Brandon Nimmo to left field in an attempt to upgrade the team ’ s defense .
The Mets acquired Billy Hamilton in a trade with the Giants on Sunday in an attempt to add a glove in center field , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jake Marisnick sits on the injured list with a strained left hamstring .

ATLANTA — Yoenis Cespedes opting out removes a potential big bat from the Mets lineup, but there are plenty of candidates to fill his DH role.
Maybe a preview of the Mets’ plan was on display in Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the Braves in which J.D. Davis started at DH and Dominic Smith in left field. Smith, who had largely been relegated to the bench in the Mets’ first nine games of the season, will likely be the primary benefactor from Cespedes’ departure.
Davis has struggled defensively in left field and team brass appears to have backed off an earlier decision to let him see action at third base this season, behind Jeff McNeil. So Davis would factor heavily into the new DH equation, with it also possible Robinson Cano could take more at-bats at the spot.
But another possibility would be moving Brandon Nimmo to left field in an attempt to upgrade the team’s defense. The Mets acquired Billy Hamilton in a trade with the Giants on Sunday in an attempt to add a glove in center field, at least as a late-inning defensive replacement as Jake Marisnick sits on the injured list with a strained left hamstring.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Eagles coach Doug Pederson tests positive for coronavirus

The Super Bowl-winning coach told his players the news during an unscheduled team meeting on Sunday after a second positive @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Pederson is asymptomatic and doing well , ” the Eagles said in a @ @ @ @ @ currently in self-quarantine and in communication with the team ’ s medical staff .
The @ @ @ @ @ established by the NFL and the NFLPA .
Any individuals in close contact with Pederson @ @ @ @ @ notified and will continue with daily testing procedures and compliance with all protocols before returning @ @ @ @ @ is believed Pederson , 52 , contracted the virus outside of the Eagles facility , @ @ @ @ @ will need to register multiple negative tests before he can return to work .
Pederson @ @ @ @ @ to test positive for coronavirus — following the since-recovered Saints coach Sean Payton — but @ @ @ @ @ so since teams started gathering for training camp .
The Eagles are scheduled to open @ @ @ @ @ against the Washington Football team .

Eagles coach Doug Pederson tested positive for coronavirus, the team announced Sunday.
The Super Bowl-winning coach told his players the news during an unscheduled team meeting on Sunday after a second positive test, according to ESPN.
“Pederson is asymptomatic and doing well,” the Eagles said in a statement. “He is currently in self-quarantine and in
communication with the team’s medical staff. The organization is following the protocols established by the NFL and the NFLPA. Any individuals in close contact with Pederson at our facility have been notified and will continue with daily testing
procedures and compliance with all protocols before returning to the facility.”
It is believed Pederson, 52, contracted the virus outside of the Eagles facility, according to ESPN. He will need to register multiple negative tests before he can return to work.
Pederson is the second NFL coach to test positive for coronavirus — following the since-recovered Saints coach Sean Payton — but is the first to do so since teams started gathering for training camp. The Eagles are scheduled to open the regular season Sept. 13 against the Washington Football team.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Trump gives support for Microsoft to acquire TikTok

Microsoft said on Sunday they spoke with President Trump about acquiring trendy social app TikTok — and Trump gave its parent company ByteDance 45 days to strike a deal .
The time frame agreed to by the president , which was confirmed by two sources to Reuters , aligns with Microsoft ’ s stated intentions of wrapping up talks with the popular app ’ s current Beijing-based owner by Sept. 15 .
“ During this process , Microsoft looks forward to continuing dialogue with the United States Government , including with the President , ” the company said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two companies will be overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States .
The government panel has the ability to block any agreement , sources told Reuters .
TikTok has been the subject of escalating scrutiny from US public officials over concerns the Chinese government is using the app to tap user data .
President Trump on Friday said he planned to ban the app in the US .
“ As far as TikTok is concerned , we ’ re banning them from the United States , ” Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TikTok has insisted it has never provided user data to China and that it would not do so if asked , saying in a statement that it has “ no higher priority than promoting a safe app experience that protects our users ’ privacy.
” A preliminary proposal being explored by Microsoft and ByteDance would give the former ownership of the social media app in more markets than just the US .
Microsoft said in its Sunday blog post the proposal would also include purchasing TikTok service in Canada , Australia and New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security concerns , saying “ world class security , privacy , and digital safety protections ” would be added to TikTok if a deal is struck .

Microsoft said on Sunday they spoke with President Trump about acquiring trendy social app TikTok — and Trump gave its parent company ByteDance 45 days to strike a deal.
The time frame agreed to by the president, which was confirmed by two sources to Reuters, aligns with Microsoft’s stated intentions of wrapping up talks with the popular app’s current Beijing-based owner by Sept. 15.
“During this process, Microsoft looks forward to continuing dialogue with the United States Government, including with the President,” the company said in a Sunday blog post.
The negotiations between the two companies will be overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The government panel has the ability to block any agreement, sources told Reuters.
TikTok has been the subject of escalating scrutiny from US public officials over concerns the Chinese government is using the app to tap user data.
President Trump on Friday said he planned to ban the app in the US.
“As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
TikTok has insisted it has never provided user data to China and that it would not do so if asked, saying in a statement that it has “no higher priority than promoting a safe app experience that protects our users’ privacy.”
A preliminary proposal being explored by Microsoft and ByteDance would give the former ownership of the social media app in more markets than just the US.
Microsoft said in its Sunday blog post the proposal would also include purchasing TikTok service in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The Seattle-based Microsoft also addressed security concerns, saying “world class security, privacy, and digital safety protections” would be added to TikTok if a deal is struck.
With Post wires


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Aaron Judge hits home run in 5th straight Yankees game

There may not be fans at Yankee Stadium to rise , but that won ’ t stop Aaron Judge from hitting home runs .
On Sunday against the Red Sox , the Yankees ’ star right fielder hit a home run in his fifth consecutive game , extending his career-high stretch and giving him five home runs through eight games .
Judge ’ s 419-foot blast brought him within three games of the MLB record , held by franchise great Don Mattingly ( 10 home runs in eight games in 1987 ) , Dale Long ( eight home runs with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Griffey Jr. ( eight home runs with the Mariners in 1993 ) .
Alex Rodriguez was the last Yankee to hit five home runs in five games , back in 2007 .
The Yankees , who hit a home run in an MLB record 31 straight games last season , entered Sunday ranked third in home runs this season with 15 through eight games of the 60-game season .
It is unclear whether MLB is using a different baseball as it did last season , when a record 6,776 homers were hit — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous record set in 2017 .

There may not be fans at Yankee Stadium to rise, but that won’t stop Aaron Judge from hitting home runs.
On Sunday against the Red Sox, the Yankees’ star right fielder hit two home runs, which marked his fifth consecutive game with a home run and helped his team to a 9-7 comeback win.
Judge’s home run in the second inning brought him within three games of the MLB record, held by franchise great Don Mattingly (10 home runs in eight games in 1987), Dale Long (eight home runs with the Pirates in 1956) and Ken Griffey Jr. (eight home runs with the Mariners in 1993).
Judge then hit a 468-foot blast in the eighth that put the Yankees on top and gave the 28-year-old six home runs through eight games.
Alex Rodriguez was the last Yankee to hit five home runs in five games, in 2007.
The Yankees, who hit a home run in an MLB record 31 straight games last season, entered Sunday ranked third in home runs this season with 14 through seven games of the truncated 60-game season.
It is unclear whether MLB is using a different baseball than it did last season, when a record 6,776 homers were hit — nearly 700 home runs more than the previous record set in 2017.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--MTA basket meant to catch falling subway debris plummets and injures one

No , that ’ s not the sky falling — it ’ s a piece of MTA equipment meant to prevent debris from doing just that .
A pedestrian was injured when a wire basket installed to catch shrapnel from elevated subway tracks plummeted in Brooklyn on Sunday , officials said .
Transit crews were doing maintenance work on the J/Z line at Alabama Avenue and Fulton Street in East New York around 11:50 a.m. when the piece of equipment fell , according to the MTA .
First responders treated and transported the injured person to Jamaica Hospital , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ word on their condition .
An MTA spokesman said the agency was investigating the “ unacceptable ” incident .
“ This is unacceptable and we are concerned for the person who may have been struck , ” Aaron Donovan said in a statement .
“ We are investigating this isolated incident and undertaking a thorough review of procedures to ensure it never happens again.
” The MTA announced in November that it was taking steps to stop debris from falling off elevated subway tracks after a series of high-profile incidents , including one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through a livery cab ’ s rear window in Queens .
That forced transit workers to conduct a systemwide inspection of all 325,000 baskets already installed under elevated tracks to catch falling debris .
The agency also said at the time that it would be installing new baskets and more netting to catch the dangerous shrapnel .

No, that’s not the sky falling — it’s a piece of MTA equipment meant to prevent debris from doing just that.
A pedestrian was injured when a wire basket installed to catch shrapnel from elevated subway tracks plummeted in Brooklyn on Sunday, officials said.
Transit crews were doing maintenance work on the J/Z line at Alabama Avenue and Fulton Street in East New York around 11:50 a.m. when the piece of equipment fell, according to the MTA.
First responders treated and transported the injured person to Jamaica Hospital, the FDNY said. There was no immediate word on their condition.
An MTA spokesman said the agency was investigating the “unacceptable” incident.
“This is unacceptable and we are concerned for the person who may have been struck,” Aaron Donovan said in a statement.
“We are investigating this isolated incident and undertaking a thorough review of procedures to ensure it never happens again.”
The MTA announced in November that it was taking steps to stop debris from falling off elevated subway tracks after a series of high-profile incidents, including one where a giant piece of metal crashed through a livery cab’s rear window in Queens.
That forced transit workers to conduct a systemwide inspection of all 325,000 baskets already installed under elevated tracks to catch falling debris.
The agency also said at the time that it would be installing new baskets and more netting to catch the dangerous shrapnel.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Stop hospitals from keeping their prices secret

American hospitals are taking a scalpel to the hands that ...

Health costs are one of America’s biggest problems. They decimate family incomes, drive Americans into bankruptcy and demoralize citizens. Americans have come to expect hefty bills for the simplest of hospital visits. But there is a solution — price transparency — and it isn’t too late to enact it as part of the next coronavirus-relief package.
Patients don’t know what they are paying in advance, because hospitals and insurers work to hide this information. In June, nine US senators introduced the Health Care PRICE Transparency Act. The bill compels hospitals and insurers to provide discounted cash prices and negotiated rates, and to publicly reveal how they calculate those rates. By doing so, it would offer our people a decent measure of certainty in turbulent times.
For years, we’ve heard stories of surprise bills and inflated, unaccountable costs destroying patients financially. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a devastating cascade of such cases.
Consider what happened to Melissa Szymanski. Melissa went to a Hartford, Conn., hospital with COVID-19 symptoms. Bizarrely, the hospital denied her a test. Instead, as she told my organization, “I received an EKG, chest X-ray, flu test, urine-pregnancy test and IV fluids. My diagnosis: potential COVID.”
The hospital charged her $3,200 for five hours in the emergency room, and she had to spend weeks fighting fraudulent, improperly coded bills that her insurance company refused to accept as COVID-related — because she never actually received a test. As Melissa says, “it shouldn’t have to be this hard. If I knew the price in advance, I would be informed and able to decline tests that are unnecessary.”
No wonder the American people want health-care price transparency. Surveys show that 90 percent of Americans support the government requiring hospitals and insurance companies to reveal their discounted, cash prices and negotiated rates.
Melissa’s only option was to spin the wheel and play a game of health-care-cost roulette. Americans all too often pay for health care with a blank check, and we all know someone who expected to be billed a few hundred dollars, only to be charged thousands or tens of thousands.
There is no reason why health costs should be secret. We expect price transparency at gas stations and when paying rent, but hospitals and insurers have tricked us into believing we can’t have it for medical bills.
A murky price model enables price-gouging, overbilling and waste. Hospitals deviously pass on these costs to powerless, often unsophisticated patients via bills weeks after treatment.
In addition to ensuring basic fairness, price transparency would drive down systemic costs — one of the bipartisan goals of US health reform for decades. A similar process has played out in other industries, as innovators like Travelocity and Carfax have improved the travel and used-car industries. Customers can compare alternatives and choose the product and services best fitting their needs and budget.
Larry Van Horn, a Vanderbilt University health economist, found that discounted cash prices across our country, even in the same facilities, are on average 39 percent lower than the insurance-negotiated rates. It’s downright bizarre. Being able to choose care at transparent cash prices could save the average family of four $11,000 a year on health costs, according to experts.
Critics of price transparency claim it is almost impossible to compare prices amid health emergencies. But that ignores the power of what economists call proxy shoppers: Allowing even a small slice of consumers to shop around can keep prices low for everyone. Only a fraction of drivers need to shop around for gas to keep prices low and honest — why not for health?
Naturally, there is opposition — from profiteering special interests: hospitals and insurers who gorge themselves financially by charging ridiculously high prices to the detriment of their consumers. These companies invest millions of dollars in lobbying and in lawyers to maintain the status quo — and their profits.
Amid a devastating health and economic crisis, there is no justifiable reason to reject this no-cost solution to protect all Americans from outrageous hospital bills and crippling medical debt.
Cynthia Fisher, a life-sciences entrepreneur, is chairwoman of PatientRightsAdvocate.org.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--It’s past time the tax code faced the new home-office reality

It ’ s a month ‘ till Labor Day , but come fall , tens of millions of Americans will still be working from home .
It ’ s an open question , too , whether people will ever go back to an office five days a week , nine to five .
Congress should update the tax code to reflect this new reality : The American home is no longer just a place for family and leisure , but also a place of business .
More than 67 million people — 42 percent of the American labor force — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to Stanford professor Nicholas Bloom .
With COVID-19 still spreading , more companies , from Apple to Wayfair , are pushing back target dates for office returns into 2021 .
It ’ s quite likely , then , that tens of millions of people will have spent a full year using their homes as offices — and , with staggered hours and days , they will spend much of next year doing the same .
This costs money .
Workers are powering computers with their own electricity and Internet connections , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will use more air conditioning and heat .
A portion of the rent or the mortgage , too , now subsidizes work , not home .
Come tax time , most workers who attempt to deduct some of the thousands of dollars in extra costs will be surprised : they can ’ t .
Effective with the 2018 tax law , workers who earn a regular salary or wage from an employer can ’ t deduct any home-office expenses .
Even the self-employed have a hard time deducting home-office costs .
The Internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , thinks that when it comes to a home office , we ’ re all still living in idyllic 1950s America .
In “ Leave it to Beaver , ” Ward Cleaver has some sort of mysterious urban office job — and has a man-cave of a suburban home office for when he has to take some papers home .
Everyone else , kids and mom , knows the office is off limits .
Likewise , the IRS requires the self-employed to use their home offices “ exclusively ” for work and for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you don ’ t have any “ personal-use furnishings ” in it .
The only audit-proof way to do this is the Ward Cleaver way : a separate room with a desk and a chair .
This rule favors suburbanites .
It also favors a lot of unproductive extra space .
The bigger your office , the bigger the deduction , as it ’ s figured as a percentage of the square footage of your apartment or house .
Indeed , Ward Cleaver himself may be violating the “ exclusivity ” rule , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chats with his kids .
The rule has been outdated for close to two decades , since the Internet made it easier for us to do at least part of our jobs at home .
COVID-19 has made it entirely obsolete .
We have all proved we can work perfectly well sprawled across the bed , at the kitchen table , in the backyard , or even sitting on the bathroom floor — or a combination of all , for a change of scenery every few hours .
“ Personal-use furnishings ” are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our Zoom calls .
Rather than offering people who still have their white-collar ( or , these days , sweat-pants ) jobs more stimulus , in the form of a second round of $ 1,200 checks , Congress should nod to the new reality , offering a new , equivalent deduction for the work-from-home crowd to defray new heating , cooling , computer-charging and connectivity costs .
Longer-term fixes are harder , as is everything with the tax code , where the simplest change means a cascade of unintended consequences .
It makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours , not square feet .
Why should the tax code favor someone who needs , and can afford , 500 square feet of special-purpose space to work , rather than a corner of the couch ?
But letting people deduct the cost of their home by the hours they work there would mean tens of billions of dollars in lost tax dollars and would still favor people whose housing costs are higher , as they would have more to deduct .
Only one thing is certain : Congress should direct the IRS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The separate man-cave just steps — but a world away — from where mom is cooking dinner has proved a luxury , not a necessity .
The self-employed who want the taxpayer to subsidize a remote office should have to commute to it , just as the rest of us once did .

It’s a month ‘till Labor Day, but come fall, tens of millions of Americans will still be working from home. It’s an open question, too, whether people will ever go back to an office five days a week, nine to five. Congress should update the tax code to reflect this new reality: The American home is no longer just a place for family and leisure, but also a place of business.
More than 67 million people — 42 percent of the American labor force — are working at home full-time right now, according to Stanford professor Nicholas Bloom. With COVID-19 still spreading, more companies, from Apple to Wayfair, are pushing back target dates for office returns into 2021.
It’s quite likely, then, that tens of millions of people will have spent a full year using their homes as offices — and, with staggered hours and days, they will spend much of next year doing the same.
This costs money. Workers are powering computers with their own electricity and Internet connections, and, home all day, they will use more air conditioning and heat. A portion of the rent or the mortgage, too, now subsidizes work, not home.
Come tax time, most workers who attempt to deduct some of the thousands of dollars in extra costs will be surprised: they can’t. Effective with the 2018 tax law, workers who earn a regular salary or wage from an employer can’t deduct any home-office expenses.
Even the self-employed have a hard time deducting home-office costs. The Internal Revenue Service, following Congress’ direction, thinks that when it comes to a home office, we’re all still living in idyllic 1950s America.
In “Leave it to Beaver,” Ward Cleaver has some sort of mysterious urban office job — and has a man-cave of a suburban home office for when he has to take some papers home. Everyone else, kids and mom, knows the office is off limits.
Likewise, the IRS requires the self-employed to use their home offices “exclusively” for work and for no other purpose. Tax advisers suggest you don’t have any “personal-use furnishings” in it.
The only audit-proof way to do this is the Ward Cleaver way: a separate room with a desk and a chair. This rule favors suburbanites. It also favors a lot of unproductive extra space. The bigger your office, the bigger the deduction, as it’s figured as a percentage of the square footage of your apartment or house.
Indeed, Ward Cleaver himself may be violating the “exclusivity” rule, as he uses his office for man-to-boy chats with his kids.
The rule has been outdated for close to two decades, since the Internet made it easier for us to do at least part of our jobs at home. COVID-19 has made it entirely obsolete.
We have all proved we can work perfectly well sprawled across the bed, at the kitchen table, in the backyard, or even sitting on the bathroom floor — or a combination of all, for a change of scenery every few hours. “Personal-use furnishings” are now the quirky backdrops of all of our Zoom calls.
Rather than offering people who still have their white-collar (or, these days, sweat-pants) jobs more stimulus, in the form of a second round of $1,200 checks, Congress should nod to the new reality, offering a new, equivalent deduction for the work-from-home crowd to defray new heating, cooling, computer-charging and connectivity costs.
Longer-term fixes are harder, as is everything with the tax code, where the simplest change means a cascade of unintended consequences.
It makes more sense to measure remote work by hours, not square feet. Why should the tax code favor someone who needs, and can afford, 500 square feet of special-purpose space to work, rather than a corner of the couch?
But letting people deduct the cost of their home by the hours they work there would mean tens of billions of dollars in lost tax dollars and would still favor people whose housing costs are higher, as they would have more to deduct.
Only one thing is certain: Congress should direct the IRS to scrap the Ward Cleaver rule. The separate man-cave just steps — but a world away — from where mom is cooking dinner has proved a luxury, not a necessity. The self-employed who want the taxpayer to subsidize a remote office should have to commute to it, just as the rest of us once did.
Nicole Gelinas is a Manhattan Institute senior fellow.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Yankees take advantage of baseball’s coronavirus issues: Sherman

They are Bronx Bombers again , especially the hulking giant named ...

Players, coaches and managers will let you know they do not make the schedule. They play who is put in front of them and however that works out, it works out.
If this is the week in which your opponent doesn’t have its starting quarterback or point guard, luck of the draw. If you are playing too many day games after night games or your West Coast trips are particularly ill-timed, your executives probably lobbied to change it before it became official, but here you are.
This major league season, though, has put all these concepts through the looking glass. Which players are available daily has never been more in question since a common cold now will put a player on the injured list until he tests a few times to demonstrate it is not COVID-19. Which opponent you are playing and where has become a multiple choice question.
No team is going to be immune from the implications — flexibility is going to mean a lot more than if a player can kick his leg up above his head. But clearly greater advantages and disadvantages will be derived. The Blue Jays, for example, have no home games in their actual Toronto home. The Marlins, when they are scheduled to restart Tuesday, will have had to alter more than half a roster decimated by COVID-19. The Phillies did not play in the last week due to proximity to the infested Marlins, which could mean as many as 57 games in 56 days if they are to complete a 60-game schedule.
Conversely, the Yankees, to date, have benefited more than most. Again, no club is immune. DJ LeMahieu missed most of spring training 2.0 with the virus, and Luis Cessa and Aroldis Chapman are just returning now. Does Tommy Kahnle need Tommy John surgery because of the build up, shut down, build up reality of a re-start that has seen a spree of pitching injuries. The Yankees last week were stuck two days in Philadelphia without playing, were about to return home perhaps to play the Phillies and then pivoted to Baltimore to play the Orioles.
But even in that last one, you see the glimmer. There is no such thing as a sure win in the majors, but putting the Yankees in Camden Yards is as close as you get.
What else aided and abetted the Yankees in a 6-1 start?
— Juan Soto learned just hours before the season opener that he was COVID-19 positive. So the defending champs lost the best hitter from a lineup that already was without Anthony Rendon (signed with the Angels) and Ryan Zimmerman (opted out of the season).
The Nationals won once against the Yankees — the middle game of the three-game set in which Stephen Strasburg was scratched with nerve pain in his right hand. Which emphasizes that not every gift is opened.
— If your season is going to be impacted by COVID-19, there is a blessing to being in the right place at the right time. The Yankees had two games in Philadelphia postponed, but rather than have to go on an extended hiatus and risk losing the edge of playing, they were able to go to Baltimore to play because the Orioles were supposed to be facing the Marlins. Thus, the Marlins and Phillies were shut down, but the Yankees were able to keep on playing. Comparatively — as an example — the Nationals will have four days off before playing Tuesday because over the weekend they were supposed to play the Marlins.
— The Red Sox have just one quality starter and the Yankees missed Nathan Eovaldi because he pitched Wednesday against the Mets. In addition, Eduardo Rodriguez will not pitch this season due to a heart issue the Red Sox believe is a ramification of the lefty having had COVID-19. The only two Red Sox pitchers with sustained success against the Yankees last year were Eovaldi and Rodriguez.
— The Phillies will have gone seven days without playing when they face the Yankees in The Bronx on Monday. They were put on ice to await to see if any of their personnel contracted coronavirus after playing three games against the Marlins. No Phillie player tested positive. The team has had three workouts.
“It is human nature to think why us or poor Phillies, ‘Why did this happen,’ ” Jake Arrieta told Philadelphia reporters Sunday. “But once you have that initial thought and get it out of your head and turn the page, then it is time to think what do we have to do to stay ready; as ready as we possibly can, even though it is difficult.”
Nevertheless, a good attitude isn’t as valuable as continuing to face strong competition. Arrieta said with simulated games and bullpen sessions he is good for at least 80-90 pitches in his Monday 2020 debut. But expect Phillies manager Joe Girardi to be cautious in how much he extends any of his arms in the short run considering the rampant pitching injuries consuming the game.
That should be another advantage Yankees in this bizarre season.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Boaters greet SpaceX capsule after splashdown, catching officials off guard

Recreational boaters got up close and personal to the SpaceX capsule carrying two US astronauts after it landed in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday — catching NASA officials off guard .
“ That was not what we were anticipating , ” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said at a press conference addressing the private boaters who greeted the craft with spacemen Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley aboard .
Several boats with multiple passengers , including one flying a Trump campaign flag , could be seen on a livestream that captured the historic voyage surrounding the floating capsule after it safely touched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coast Guard cleared a landing for the craft and it wasn ’ t until after splashing down that the spectators crept close .
“ We wanted to make sure that there was a clearing for them to land .
The Coast Guard did an excellent job of ensuring that , ” said Bridenstine .
“ Then of course , after they landed the boats just came in .
We need to do a better job next time for sure , ” he said .
Steve Stich , manager of NASA ’ s Commercial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleared in advance of the capsule ’ s return .
The astronauts made it back to earth after spending two months inside the International Space Station .
The journey marked the first ever commercial space mission and Sunday was NASA ’ s first water landing since 1975 .

Recreational boaters got up close and personal to the SpaceX capsule carrying two US astronauts after it landed in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday — catching NASA officials off guard.
“That was not what we were anticipating,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said at a press conference of the private boaters who greeted the craft with spacemen Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley aboard.
Several boats with multiple passengers, including one flying a Trump campaign flag, could be seen on a livestream that captured the historic voyage surrounding the floating capsule after it safely touched down.
Bridenstine noted that the US Coast Guard cleared a landing for the craft and it wasn’t until after splashing down that the spectators crept close.
“We wanted to make sure that there was a clearing for them to land. The Coast Guard did an excellent job of ensuring that,” said Bridenstine.
Previous 1 of 5 Next Advertisement The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft lands in the Gulf of Mexico. EPA The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft is lifted onto the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship shortly after it landed. UPI Advertisement NASA astronaut Robert Behnken gives a thumbs up to onlookers as he boards a plane at Naval Air Station Pensacola. UPI Advertisement
“Then of course, after they landed the boats just came in. We need to do a better job next time for sure,” he said.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said 10 nautical miles were cleared in advance of the capsule’s return.
The astronauts made it back to Earth after spending two months on the International Space Station.
The journey marked the first-ever commercial space mission and Sunday was NASA’s first water landing since 1975.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--People do not have the right to riot

People do not have the right to riot

Protesters in Gotham and other cities around the nation are so used to getting their way , they ’ ve been spoiled .
Their illegal occupation of our streets and parks has become so routine that the protesting class throws tantrums when it faces consequences , however rarely that happens .
Last week ’ s arrest of Nikki Stone , wanted for alleged serial vandalism of police cameras , was a case in point .
The 18-year-old homeless woman was marching in a “ peaceful , ” though non-permitted , march down Second Avenue when plainclothes NYPD officers arrested her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Stone had been filmed on multiple occasions painting over NYPD security cameras around City Hall Park during the last month ’ s occupation .
Her alleged actions suggest a flagrant lawlessness and enmity against the public good .
Yet Stone became a cause celebre , with supporters claiming she had been “ disappeared , ” as if by a right-wing regime in Latin America circa 1982 .
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted : “ There is no excuse for snatching women off the street and throwing them into unmarked vans.
” Cable host @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The City Council ’ s Progressive Caucus claimed that “ this arrest was a tactic meant to intimidate protesters and discourage civil disobedience.
” Lawmakers accused Mayor Bill de Blasio of failing to hold “ the NYPD accountable for the brutality unleashed on those exercising ” fundamental rights .
Back in the real world , plainclothes officers with unmarked cars arrest wanted suspects like Stone every day , because it is the most effective way to approach them without tipping them off and letting them escape .
It is only “ kidnapping ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operating with judicial warrants , has no authority to bring criminals to court .
Moreover , the progressive councilmembers radically confuse “ civil disobedience ” and “ First Amendment rights.
” The First Amendment protects the right “ peaceably to assemble , ” but that doesn ’ t mean you can block traffic any time you want to .
Ask Chris Hayes if you can sit in his MSNBC office or studio for a week in the name of your favorite cause .
Civil disobedience means intentionally breaking the law to draw attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the law .
But de Blasio has been so spinelessly indulgent of anti-cop protests , allowing wildcat marches to take place every day , all over the city , that the protesters have come to believe that they have the right to break the law .
When confronted , they exhibit the outrage of a pampered toddler denied a toy at nap-time .
Similarly petulant , VOCAL-NY , a government-funded nonprofit , is stamping its feet because the city is no longer planning to pay for the construction of its new headquarters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Defund the Police ” encampment , marches and protests that dominated downtown in the run-up to the city budget deal .
The group ’ s chief organizer , Jawanza James Williams , proudly declared : “ We will occupy .
We will not leave here until the mayor listens to us !
!
!
” VOCAL-NY receives about $ 500,000 from the city each year , mostly for drug-abuse-prevention and other health programs .
Taxpayers didn ’ t allocate money to the group so it could establish an illegal campsite , stage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and attack law enforcers , destroy public property or demand abolition of the police .
Members of the group went to the homes of local politicians , and even the home of Speaker Corey Johnson ’ s boyfriend , screaming at them .
When Johnson removed several million dollars in capital spending that had been earmarked for VOCAL-NY to build a new headquarters , the group shrieked that he was being spiteful and violating their constitutional rights : “ There can be no place in New York City ’ s politics for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights.
” Yeah , cry more .
VOCAL-NY , like many other ostensible “ charities , ” is used to taking millions of dollars in taxpayer funding for explicitly political activity .
They ’ ve gotten used to it — because no one in charge says no .
Johnson insists that the money was removed as a fiscal measure and had nothing to do with the way that VOCAL-NY portrayed him as a cop-loving bootlicker during the budget process , embarrassing him ahead of a possible mayoral run , or that they threw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ door .
But VOCAL-NY , and the protesters who want to dictate the time and manner of their arrests and the clothing of their arresting agents , need to relearn a key lesson of toddlerhood : Actions have consequences .

Protesters in Gotham and other cities around the nation are so used to getting their way, they’ve been spoiled. Their illegal occupation of our streets and parks has become so routine that the protesting class throws tantrums when it faces consequences, however rarely that happens.
Last week’s arrest of Nikki Stone, wanted for alleged serial vandalism of police cameras, was a case in point. The 18-year-old homeless woman was marching in a “peaceful,” though non-permitted, march down Second Avenue when plainclothes NYPD officers arrested her and put her in an unmarked van.
Stone had been filmed on multiple occasions painting over NYPD security cameras around City Hall Park during the last month’s occupation. Her alleged actions suggest a flagrant lawlessness and enmity against the public good.
Yet Stone became a cause celebre, with supporters claiming she had been “disappeared,” as if by a right-wing regime in Latin America circa 1982. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: “There is no excuse for snatching women off the street and throwing them into unmarked vans.” Cable host Chris Hayes called it “kidnapping.”
The City Council’s Progressive Caucus claimed that “this arrest was a tactic meant to intimidate protesters and discourage civil disobedience.” Lawmakers accused Mayor Bill de Blasio of failing to hold “the NYPD accountable for the brutality unleashed on those exercising” fundamental rights.
Back in the real world, plainclothes officers with unmarked cars arrest wanted suspects like Stone every day, because it is the most effective way to approach them without tipping them off and letting them escape. It is only “kidnapping” if one believes that law enforcement, operating with judicial warrants, has no authority to bring criminals to court.
Moreover, the progressive councilmembers radically confuse “civil disobedience” and “First Amendment rights.”
The First Amendment protects the right “peaceably to assemble,” but that doesn’t mean you can block traffic any time you want to. Ask Chris Hayes if you can sit in his MSNBC office or studio for a week in the name of your favorite cause.
Civil disobedience means intentionally breaking the law to draw attention to the (alleged) unfairness of the law. But de Blasio has been so spinelessly indulgent of anti-cop protests, allowing wildcat marches to take place every day, all over the city, that the protesters have come to believe that they have the right to break the law. When confronted, they exhibit the outrage of a pampered toddler denied a toy at nap-time.
Similarly petulant, VOCAL-NY, a government-funded nonprofit, is stamping its feet because the city is no longer planning to pay for the construction of its new headquarters. VOCAL-NY was the prime mover behind the “Defund the Police” encampment, marches and protests that dominated downtown in the run-up to the city budget deal. The group’s chief organizer, Jawanza James Williams, proudly declared: “We will occupy. We will not leave here until the mayor listens to us!!!”
VOCAL-NY receives about $500,000 from the city each year, mostly for drug-abuse-prevention and other health programs. Taxpayers didn’t allocate money to the group so it could establish an illegal campsite, stage marches across the Brooklyn Bridge, harass and attack law enforcers, destroy public property or demand abolition of the police. Members of the group went to the homes of local politicians, and even the home of Speaker Corey Johnson’s boyfriend, screaming at them.
When Johnson removed several million dollars in capital spending that had been earmarked for VOCAL-NY to build a new headquarters, the group shrieked that he was being spiteful and violating their constitutional rights: “There can be no place in New York City’s politics for this kind of attack on our First Amendment rights.” Yeah, cry more.
VOCAL-NY, like many other ostensible “charities,” is used to taking millions of dollars in taxpayer funding for explicitly political activity. They’ve gotten used to it — because no one in charge says no.
Johnson insists that the money was removed as a fiscal measure and had nothing to do with the way that VOCAL-NY portrayed him as a cop-loving bootlicker during the budget process, embarrassing him ahead of a possible mayoral run, or that they threw paint at his boyfriend’s front door. But VOCAL-NY, and the protesters who want to dictate the time and manner of their arrests and the clothing of their arresting agents, need to relearn a key lesson of toddlerhood: Actions have consequences.
Seth Barron is associate editor of City Journal.
Twitter: @SethBarronNYC


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Mets’ dysfunction made Yoenis Cespedes drama much worse

Yoenis Cespedes walked .
Is it because money talks ?
The Mets ...

We are reminded once more that when the time comes for the ownership papers to be signed and for the transfer of power to be completed, whoever wins the Mets — and yes, it’s hard not to add an ironic chuckle when you put it that way — needs to do a few other things besides write a big check and order office chairs.
A complete fumigation, for starters.
An exorcism wouldn’t be a terrible idea.
A few pagan rites of sacrifice … well, maybe that’s going a little far. Maybe.
But for now, in the aftermath of one of the truly insane days in a Mets history book that often feels like it was authored inside the reading room of a sanitarium, let’s just put it in the simplest way possible: This could only happen to the Mets. This only does happen to the Mets.
Other teams have had players opt out on their season, most notably the Dodgers and David Price, most recently the Brewers and Lorenzo Cain. These are all stoic, solemn affairs: The player makes a choice, the team wishes them well, and everyone moves along. It’s just another part of the soundtrack of 2020.
The Mets?
Shortly after Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the Braves began, they released a statement: “As of game time, Yoenis Céspedes has not reported to the ballpark today. He did not reach out to management with any explanation for his absence. Our attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful.”
This was a chilling pronouncement. Darryl Kile once didn’t show up for work, and he was found dead in his hotel room of a heart attack. Matt Harvey didn’t show up for work once, and it turned out he had simply added to the pile of problems — physical, emotional, all of it — that expedited his exile from New York.
Later, the Mets felt compelled to make a public addendum regarding Cespedes: They were not worried about his safety.
Now, understand something: In a time of COVID-19, only one New York reporter, The Post’s Mike Puma, was at the game in Atlanta. He is not permitted in the clubhouse. He would never have known that Cespedes had ghosted the Mets until afterward, which is when they announced Cespedes was opting out for the rest of the season “for COVID-related reasons.”
So why make such an odd, disjointed statement?
“There was no agenda,” Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen insisted. “We wanted to be transparent in real time.”
Except here is something we also know now: According to sources, there had quickly evolved a situation in which Cespedes — off to a 5-for-31 start with 15 strikeouts — expressed concerns about being kept out of the lineup, because he needed to hit certain levels to achieve contract bonuses. Cespedes has already lost most of his money this year thanks to his farm accident last summer, as well as the 2020 pro-rated salary structure.
He didn’t play one of the games in Boston. And he wasn’t in the lineup that Luis Rojas delivered his players via Zoom on Sunday morning. The Mets knew of Cespedes’ displeasure, so in that context it absolutely makes you wonder what the intent of that initial press statement was. To shame him into a tearful confession about how profoundly selfish he is?
It really is astonishing. There is no way to defend Cespedes on this, at all, if we are to believe multiple sources, and on two levels: Not just using the COVID opt-out as cover — think about that one for a minute — but also, given how much of a fiasco his four-year contract (negotiated by his former agent, Brodie Van Wagenen) has been, that he would make this kind of stand over money.
And yet …
The Mets clearly exacerbated this. They can claim different. But the truth is there was a genuine public concern percolating about Cespedes’ well-being. As Van Wagenen himself said, “Baseball has suffered some tragedies” and you can take that all the way back to Eddie Waitkus getting shot in his hotel in 1949, a story much more familiar when his name was later changed in the book and the movie to Roy Hobbs.
Clearly they had an idea of why the player was AWOL Sunday morning. There was no good reason to speculate about what had happened to him until they knew what happened to him. It was a perplexing choice and a bizarre turn in what is already a 10-game baseball season plucked out of the imagination of Stephen King.
Oh, and by the way? The Mets are 3-7 now. The Mets are on pace to finish 18-42 on the year. The Mets were 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position Sunday. The Mets are a raging tire fire before any of the extra drama even gets thrown onto pyre.
Amazing. Saturday was the five-year anniversary of the night Cespedes showed up and completely rewrote the narrative of the 2015 Mets season. He became a folk hero here. He had the world in his back pocket. Five years to the day later, that era ended on another Saturday night: 0-for-4, two strikeouts, a .161 average, eroded skills.
And on Sunday morning a whole new era began. One worthy of a surgeon general’s warning


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Party’s over: Iconic NYC venues struggling amid pandemic

On July 9 , Manhattan ’ s uber-swanky party venue Gotham Hall hosted its first event since the pandemic hit in March .
The ballroom , where Elton John and Mariah Carey have performed for private events , had donated the sumptuous space — complete with marble floors , 70-foot ceilings and stained-glass skylight — to the New York Blood Center for a blood drive .
“ We had our sanitation crew come into the building for the first time since March 11 , ” Gotham Hall ’ s managing director , B. Allan Kurtz , told The Post about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , industry sources say , reflects the gloomy outlook facing iconic Big Apple party spaces — from Gotham Hall to the Rainbow Room to the Plaza Hotel — as the coronavirus pandemic wears on .
Once bustling with stylish weddings , splashy corporate galas and charitable balls peppered with A-listers , New York City ’ s glamorous party venues have been sitting dormant for months , unable to make money .
Industry sources now say they don ’ t see an out until 2021 at the earliest — raising questions about whether the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even survive .
“ This is a dire situation , ” said Arthur Backal , who runs the Mandarin Oriental ’ s party spaces , among others .
“ Before the fall season we will hear about venues that are closing for good.
” The Copacabana in Times Square was shuttered in May , and the events staff at the luxurious St. Regis Hotel in Midtown East was recently laid off , sources told The Post .
The Plaza Hotel , where Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were married , has already moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Mike Warren , director of events at the posh Central Park South location .
Warren now expects twice as many bookings to be moved or canceled by the end of the year , representing tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue , he told The Post .
On Friday , an array of professionals who rely on the party industry — including caterers , DJs and audio-visual engineers — set up 48 empty tables with chairs in Times Square to draw attention to their plight as federal lawmakers hammer out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that the party industry , estimated to generate $ 10 billion in annual sales in the region , has been frozen out of billions in pandemic aid going to other industries because the loans are based on the number of employees brought back to work .
“ We need a bridge from now until these businesses reopen , ” Warren said of the industry ” s request to lawmakers .
Right now their best hope is for Gov .
Andrew Cuomo to OK small indoor gatherings of 10 to 50 people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could lead to some bookings — albeit less lucrative than before .
“ If someone called a year ago and said we have an event for 25 guests , I would have said , ‘ We are too large for that , ’ ” Kurtz of Gotham Hall told The Post .
“ Now when someone calls for an event for 10 people we listen to them .
We would consider renting the space for $ 10,000.
” To keep the lights on , Gotham Hall is also researching whether it might also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adhere to new social distancing rules .
The city , for example , has issued requests for proposals for spaces to accommodate public school children at $ 40 per child for the day , which is a far cry from the $ 25,000 to $ 75,000 fee Gotham Hall charges for the use of its space .
Kurtz is hopeful , however , that private schools and universities might make a better offer .
“ We can set up a lecture hall for 200 people , ” he said .
The Gotham Hall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funeral homes , including Frank E. Campbell , to host small memorials .
The Plaza — famous for its lavish 300-person weddings that can cost upwards of $ 400 a plate , or $ 120,000 — is considering opening its doors to “ micro-weddings ” of 10 or 20 people , although guests can opt to add dozens more guests virtually .
The lowest possible cost for these intimate weddings , however , will be $ 25,000 , Warren said .
“ We need at least that amount to cover our costs .
@

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On July 9, Manhattan’s uber-swanky party venue Gotham Hall hosted its first event since the pandemic hit in March.
The ballroom, where Elton John and Mariah Carey have performed for private events, had donated the sumptuous space — complete with marble floors, 70-foot ceilings and stained-glass skylight — to the New York Blood Center for a blood drive.
Only 17 people showed up.
“We had our sanitation crew come into the building for the first time since March 11,” Gotham Hall’s managing director, B. Allan Kurtz, told The Post about the depressing affair.
The measly turnout, industry sources say, reflects the gloomy outlook facing iconic Big Apple party spaces — from Gotham Hall to the Rainbow Room to the Plaza Hotel — as the coronavirus pandemic wears on.
Once bustling with stylish weddings, splashy corporate galas and charitable balls peppered with A-listers, New York City’s glamorous party venues have been sitting dormant for months, unable to make money. Industry sources now say they don’t see an out until 2021 at the earliest — raising questions about whether the city’s famed party venues will even survive.
“This is a dire situation,” said Arthur Backal, who runs the Mandarin Oriental’s party spaces, among others. “Before the fall season we will hear about venues that are closing for good.”
The Copacabana in Times Square was shuttered in May, and the events staff at the luxurious St. Regis Hotel in Midtown East was recently laid off, sources told The Post.
The Plaza Hotel, where Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were married, has already moved some 90 parties booked for this year, said Mike Warren, director of events at the posh Central Park South location. Warren now expects twice as many bookings to be moved or canceled by the end of the year, representing tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue, he told The Post.
On Friday, an array of professionals who rely on the party industry — including caterers, DJs and audio-visual engineers — set up 48 empty tables with chairs in Times Square to draw attention to their plight as federal lawmakers hammer out another coronavirus stimulus program.
Their concern is that the party industry, estimated to generate $10 billion in annual sales in the region, has been frozen out of billions in pandemic aid going to other industries because the loans are based on the number of employees brought back to work.
“We need a bridge from now until these businesses reopen,” Warren said of the industry’s request to lawmakers.
Right now their best hope is for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to OK small indoor gatherings of 10 to 50 people in the city starting this fall, which could lead to some bookings — albeit less lucrative than before.
“If someone called a year ago and said we have an event for 25 guests, I would have said, ‘We are too large for that,’ ” Kurtz of Gotham Hall told The Post. “Now when someone calls for an event for 10 people, we listen to them. We would consider renting the space for $10,000.”
To keep the lights on, Gotham Hall is also researching whether it might rent to schools that need space to adhere to new social distancing rules. The city, for example, has issued requests for proposals for spaces to accommodate public school children at $40 per child for the day, which is a far cry from the $25,000 to $75,000 fee Gotham Hall charges for the use of its space.
Kurtz is hopeful, however, that private schools and universities might make a better offer. “We can set up a lecture hall for 200 people,” he said.
The Gotham Hall director is also in discussions with prominent funeral homes, including Frank E. Campbell, to host small memorials.
The Plaza — famous for its lavish 300-person weddings that can cost upwards of $400 a plate, or $120,000 — is considering opening its doors to “micro-weddings” of 10 or 20 people, although guests can opt to add dozens more guests virtually. The lowest possible cost for these intimate weddings, however, will be $25,000, Warren said.
“We need at least that amount to cover our costs.”


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Turning around NYC’s crime spike requires action from more than just the NYPD

A man who walked bleeding into Lincoln Hospital in the ...

With five months left in 2020, New York City has already passed last year’s shooting total, and might well end up doubling it. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea warns it will take time to reverse the crime spike, but that’s no guarantee the NYPD will do so.
The current mess was building for years, and merely redeploying officers can’t fix it. Above all else, Shea is going to have to level with the politicians about what they must do to make a turnaround even possible.
The commissioner can point to special circumstances: With grand juries not meeting in the lockdown, for example, 3,500 felony cases are stalled. That translates directly to more bad guys walking the streets.
The department is also losing roughly 1,000 cops a day from regular duties because they’re needed to handle the various anti-police protests. Thank Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to tolerate protests that violate the lockdown rules (even as he banned other First Amendment-protected activities).
For that matter, by agreeing to limit NYPD overtime along with his other efforts to appease the “defund the police” crowd, the mayor may be reducing it by another 1,000 cops a day.
De Blasio’s leadership has also left the NYPD under- or mis-trained in key regards: His first commissioner ended general training in handling riots and unruly protests, for example, so younger cops and newer commanders weren’t prepared for the chaos that followed the George Floyd murder.
For years now, nearly all training has emphasized “de-escalation” — when sometimes what’s needed is a firm response. That’s why officers last summer were failing to respond even when doused with water or ice.
That shift, along with the national rise in anti-cop sentiment cultivated by progressives like de Blasio, has made many streets actively hostile to cops. Older, wiser members of every community support their neighborhood cops, but any officer making an arrest or simply, say, ordering an illegal gathering to cease can find himself or herself confronting a screaming mob and dozens of cellphones filming everything.
In such an environment, what cop wouldn’t be hesitant?
‘Reformers” have complained about pro-active policing for decades. Now the city is seeing how things work without it: Cops aren’t doing their jobs — at least, not the way they used to. Detectives continue to make arrests as they solve crimes, but beat cops are hanging back, avoiding potential trouble rather than getting out there to prevent it.
In squad rooms across the city, the chatter is about “getting arrested for making an arrest”: Thanks to the new “diaphragm law,” cops on the street must worry about every physical encounter with any civilian, even (or maybe especially) a hardened perp who’s resisting arrest. When you fear that you can lose your job, your career and your pension for doing nothing wrong, of course you’re going to hang back.
One indispensable step in a crime turnaround is thus amending the law to, at the very least, add an “intent” requirement. Even all five city district attorneys saying they won’t prosecute cops who accidentally violate the law isn’t enough: With DAs now regularly winning office by promising to rein in the cops and go ever softer on criminals, they’ve largely lost officers’ trust, too.
Another obvious step is to bring back the anti-crime units, possibly under another name and with a different mix of personnel or with other changes. These were the last NYPD units aggressively working to get guns off the street; it’s plainly no coincidence that shootings started rising the instant these officers were reassigned.
No one believes it was Shea’s idea: His huge misgivings about the disbanding were obvious even as he was announcing it. And everyone reading between the lines concluded the mayor had given him no choice — undermining respect for the commissioner on top of everything else. Chief of Department Terence Monahan, meanwhile, has undermined himself — by kneeling with protesters as well as with ill-conceived comments like his “We can’t be afraid of doing what we do!” outburst at police brass during a recent CompStat meeting.
His sentiment was entirely correct. But he should aim his anger at the politicians.
At this point, rank-and-file distrust of the top command is a big problem in and of itself: Beat cops increasing feel like only their union truly has their back — which means they’ll pay more attention to what union leaders say than to the orders of their actual commanders.
And the Police Benevolent Association and other cop unions don’t really care if crime soars: Their mission is to protect their members, no one else. (Note the irony: A mayor who despises the police unions has managed to make them more powerful by undermining his own chosen command team.)
Undoing this internal NYPD division is a huge test for Shea and his team. Ideally, they’d be seen as scoring a clear “win” or three over the mayor’s anti-policing brain trust — which is another reason to restore the anti-crime units. It would surely help if de Blasio stopped bragging about how often he talks to the commissioner, which looks like humiliating micromanagement.
No, precinct chiefs can’t just order officers to start being aggressive again. “Reformers” have made it easy for cops to play it safe: State laws that aim to prevent commanders from “using quotas” — that is, to order a cop to perform so many pat-downs a week, or make so many arrests, or whatever — have made it near impossible to demand any level of job performance. Officers can safely behave like any other civil servant, doing as little as possible to earn their paycheck.
But you don’t become a cop unless you want to protect the public. What the NYPD needs, above all else, is a plan for how to credibly convince cops that it’s safe to do their jobs again.


newyorkpost--2020-08-02--Plane so stuffed with cocaine it crashed during take-off

A small plane stuffed with $ 80 million in cocaine crashed en-route to Australia — possibly because it was laden with drugs to fly , police said .
The drugs were allegedly found packed on the aircraft after it crashed upon takeoff in Papua New Guinea last week , Australian network 9News reported .
Five members of a Melbourne-based crime syndicate were arrested on Monday , shortly after the plane was dispatched from the Aussie state of Queensland to nearby Papua New Guinea to collect the drugs , cops said .
The craft crashed later that day between 1 p.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fly 500 kilograms of coke out of a remote air-strip on the island nation .
“ The Australian Federal Police ( AFP ) alleges greed played a significant part in the [ crime ] syndicate ’ s activities and can not rule out that the weight of the cocaine had an impact on the plane ’ s ability to take off , ” a police statement read .
Papua New Guinea authorities discovered the downed Cessna 402C plane empty shortly after the crash .
Sniffer dogs identified trace amounts of cocaine at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contraband after a four day search .
No one was found in the partially burned wreckage , according to Sky News .
The pilot turned himself in to the Australian consulate in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday and was charged with immigration offenses .
A truck had allegedly been waiting for the plane in Queensland , with plans to transport the drugs south .
The alleged Aussie co-conspirators had been under police surveillance for two years , according to ABC News .
The five men arrested in Australia — ages 31 , 31 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have ties to the Italian mafia , police said .
They face life in prison for their role in the alleged scheme .
“ These arrests send a clear message that PNG will not tolerate transnational crime syndicates using our nation as a transit point for illicit commodities intended for Australia , ” said David Manning , Papua New Guinea ’ s police chief .

A small plane stuffed with $80 million in cocaine crashed en-route to Australia — possibly because it was laden with drugs to fly, police said.
The drugs were allegedly found packed on the aircraft after it crashed upon takeoff in Papua New Guinea last week, Australian network 9News reported.
Five members of a Melbourne-based crime syndicate were arrested on Monday, shortly after the plane was dispatched from the Aussie state of Queensland to nearby Papua New Guinea to collect the drugs, cops said.
The craft crashed later that day between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. while allegedly attempting to fly 500 kilograms of coke out of a remote air-strip on the island nation.
“The Australian Federal Police (AFP) alleges greed played a significant part in the [crime] syndicate’s activities and cannot rule out that the weight of the cocaine had an impact on the plane’s ability to take off,” a police statement read.
Papua New Guinea authorities discovered the downed Cessna 402C plane empty shortly after the crash. Sniffer dogs identified trace amounts of cocaine at the scene, which led cops to the contraband after a four day search.
No one was found in the partially burned wreckage, according to Sky News.
The pilot turned himself in to the Australian consulate in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday and was charged with immigration offenses.
A truck had allegedly been waiting for the plane in Queensland, with plans to transport the drugs south.
The alleged Aussie co-conspirators had been under police surveillance for two years, according to ABC News.
The five men arrested in Australia — ages 31, 31, 33, 33 and 61 — have ties to the Italian mafia, police said. They face life in prison for their role in the alleged scheme.
“These arrests send a clear message that PNG will not tolerate transnational crime syndicates using our nation as a transit point for illicit commodities intended for Australia,” said David Manning, Papua New Guinea’s police chief.