newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Giants’ Dave Gettleman altering approach for 2020 NFL Draft

The Giants might need more than a few seconds to make their first-round draft pick this year .
General manager Dave Gettleman — known for his convictions and quick submissions to defy a 10-minute clock — is open to marrying “ best player available ” and team needs with pick No .
4 .
That means Gettleman will not just select the player atop the draft board regardless of position if there are others within a similar grade range , like a two-point margin .
So , the top offensive tackles and position-less defender Isaiah Simmons should be firmly in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brown — perhaps the draft ’ s least-questioned prospect — could be seen as unnecessary overlap .
“ When you ’ re splitting hairs , it ’ s OK to take the [ grade ] 96 instead of the 98 , ” Gettleman said responding to a hypothetical .
“ It ’ s when you have a 98 and then you ’ ve got an 88 , that ’ s not splitting hairs anymore .
Even if the 88 is the bigger position of need , once you start reaching you ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had the same grade on running back Saquon Barkley and edge-rusher Bradley Chubb in the 2018 draft , as The Post reported at the time .
Barkley became the No .
2 pick without a moment ’ s hesitation , even though pass rusher was ( and still is ) a major need .
Chubb went No .
5 .
Quarterback Daniel Jones and edge-rusher Josh Allen received the same grade from the Giants in last year ’ s draft .
After selecting Jones at No .
6 , the Giants considered trading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No .
7 .
Gettleman , 69 , has rethought a few philosophies in recent few months .
He now is open to negotiating contracts in-season and he admits miscalculating the Giants ’ ability to win while rebuilding when he first took over .
Redefining “ best player available ” also could be the influence of coach Joe Judge , who says “ long-term upside ” is a factor .
“ What you ’ re trying to do is build the best roster you can , ” Gettleman said .
“ When you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 98 , to me that is not a big deal .
When you have precipitous drops in your evaluation , that ’ s when you get into trouble.
” Submit your Giants questions to be answered in an upcoming mailbag Simmons is the most challenging top prospect for some teams to grade , because he played 100 or more snaps at five different positions last season .
The 238-pound Clemson product could be the top inside linebacker or the top safety in the draft , but he supposedly informed teams he wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strengths .
“ What ’ s happening now is there are a lot of college players like that , ” Gettleman said .
“ Because the college game is so different , they take a young man with a unique skill set and they use him in a variety of ways that maybe hasn ’ t happened before .
It ’ s not what I grew up with , that ’ s for sure.
” Simmons created 26 quarterback pressures on 71 rushes for an eye-popping success rate last season .
If the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hybrid linebacker/safety Jeremy Chinn looks like the second-round version .
A graduate of the Patriots ’ drafting school , Judge values schematic versatility in players .
It seems to be rubbing off .
“ It ’ s up to us , ” Gettleman said , “ to figure out how that player fits the New York Football Giants .
”

The Giants might need more than a few seconds to make their first-round draft pick this year.
General manager Dave Gettleman — known for his convictions and quick submissions to defy a 10-minute clock — is open to marrying “best player available” and team needs with pick No. 4. That means Gettleman will not just select the player atop the draft board regardless of position if there are others within a similar grade range, like a two-point margin.
So, the top offensive tackles and position-less defender Isaiah Simmons should be firmly in the discussion, while defensive tackle Derrick Brown — perhaps the draft’s least-questioned prospect — could be seen as unnecessary overlap.
“When you’re splitting hairs, it’s OK to take the [grade] 96 instead of the 98,” Gettleman said responding to a hypothetical. “It’s when you have a 98 and then you’ve got an 88, that’s not splitting hairs anymore. Even if the 88 is the bigger position of need, once you start reaching you’ve created issues for yourself.”
The Giants had the same grade on running back Saquon Barkley and edge-rusher Bradley Chubb in the 2018 draft, as The Post reported at the time. Barkley became the No. 2 pick without a moment’s hesitation, even though pass rusher was (and still is) a major need. Chubb went No. 5.
Quarterback Daniel Jones and edge-rusher Josh Allen received the same grade from the Giants in last year’s draft. After selecting Jones at No. 6, the Giants considered trading up for Allen, but he went No. 7.
Gettleman, 69, has rethought a few philosophies in recent few months. He now is open to negotiating contracts in-season and he admits miscalculating the Giants’ ability to win while rebuilding when he first took over.
Redefining “best player available” also could be the influence of coach Joe Judge, who says “long-term upside” is a factor.
“What you’re trying to do is build the best roster you can,” Gettleman said. “When you’re talking a 96 to a 98, to me that is not a big deal. When you have precipitous drops in your evaluation, that’s when you get into trouble.”
Submit your Giants questions to be answered in an upcoming mailbag
Simmons is the most challenging top prospect for some teams to grade, because he played 100 or more snaps at five different positions last season. The 238-pound Clemson product could be the top inside linebacker or the top safety in the draft, but he supposedly informed teams he wants to rush on passing downs despite his coverage strengths.
“What’s happening now is there are a lot of college players like that,” Gettleman said. “Because the college game is so different, they take a young man with a unique skill set and they use him in a variety of ways that maybe hasn’t happened before. It’s not what I grew up with, that’s for sure.”
Simmons created 26 quarterback pressures on 71 rushes for an eye-popping success rate last season. If the Giants pass on Simmons, Southern Illinois hybrid linebacker/safety Jeremy Chinn looks like the second-round version.
A graduate of the Patriots’ drafting school, Judge values schematic versatility in players. It seems to be rubbing off.
“It’s up to us,” Gettleman said, “to figure out how that player fits the New York Football Giants.”


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Six ways coronavirus shutdown will alter 2020 NFL Draft

X ’ s and O ’ s are on hold until the Giants are ...

Drew Rosenhaus’ established March and April routine includes traveling to college pro days, not shopping online to construct a makeshift weight room.
He is used to prepping NFL draft prospects for in-person interactions, not sending reminders to find a quiet room at home, put away electronic distractions and dress to impress on a one-hour WebEx call.
But these are just some of the necessary steps taken by the 32-year powerful NFL agent, while grounded at home, to fill the gaps after most pro days, facility visits and private workouts were canceled under coronavirus social-distancing restrictions.
“We’re taping a virtual pro day from A to Z for our clients and distributing it to all the teams,” Rosenhaus said. “We’ve done everything from helping our clients get home gym equipment to connecting them with Peloton, and arranging for them to do social distancing, but find fields where they can go workouts in.”
When the 2020 NFL Draft begins Thursday, decision-makers will have fewer testing numbers, medical evaluations and character insights than usual at their disposal.
What will this year’s vastly different preparation ultimately mean on draft day? Which teams are best-positioned? Which prospects might be most impacted? The Post spoke to experienced agents, scouts and executives who concluded:
Continuity matters
Seventeen of 32 head coaches have been in their current jobs less than three years. Four general managers (two of whom are coaches) will be running a draft for the first time. Only five coaches and eight GMs have held the same job since 2010.
“The staffs who have been together a long time — so the general manager knows everyone’s voice in the room — will benefit,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said. “Some guys are high-graders. Some guys are low-graders. The GMs who value what their scouts say is big. That sounds pretty simple, but that’s not the case in most places.”
Area scouts will be difference-makers
A GM with time-tested faith in one area scout over others could default to selecting multiple players from the same region of the country, admits former Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik of SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“It’s the teams that have area scouts with the most knowledge of their players,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “It’s not that you are going to miss out on 40 [yard dash] times. You have to rely on what area scouts were able to gather in the fall to build the profile of what these guys are like as people, workers, football intellect.”
Caution with injury concerns
Limited team-player interactions means limited medical information. Former can’t-miss quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the most notable candidate to slide because of it. There are many more in the middle rounds.
The scouting combine is the most recent checkup for 300-plus players. Medical records on those snubbed by the combine are unavailable in some cases. The annual April medical rechecks were canceled.
“We are going to see a record-low number of non-combine guys picked,” Jeremiah said. “You can’t take a player in the third or fourth round and have him show with a degenerative knee you didn’t know anything about.”
Seniors over underclassmen
Coaches and GMs who read body-language cues might default to notes from a 1-on-1 in-person interview at one of the senior All-Star showcases rather than from a floating head breaking down film via FaceTime. Especially when looking to get to the bottom of character red flags.
“That group of underclassmen who would’ve been fourth-, fifth- or sixth-rounders, we are going to see a higher percentage go undrafted,” Dominik said. “There will be a [bigger] group from the Senior Bowl drafted because you have so much confidence in everything you need to know.”
Technology savants
A GM will be connected to his coaches, scouts and the league virtually during the draft.
One NFL GM spent more than $10,000 to upgrade his home internet, per NFL Network. Gil Brandt, a Hall of Fame executive for the Cowboys, says there is an advantage for “teams with the best IT people.”
“I think teams will play it closer to the vest,” Brandt said. “You are going to have a lot less coaches pounding on a table and saying, ‘Take this guy!’ There is a natural difference between five guys connected as opposed to five guys talking in a room.”
Broader draft range at deep positions
Pro day testing numbers in the National Football Scouting database shared by teams help to create a consensus opinion most years. Without those, game-tape is being worn threadbare — a risk in its own right.
If this happened last year, Brandt says top rookie Josh Jacobs would have tumbled past pick No. 24 because he was in a split backfield at Alabama.
“Once everybody has times and gets a feel for these players as people,” Jeremiah said, “while they might not be in the exact same order, they are all in those same buckets of 4-5 guys. This year, it’s going to be more subjective.”
Agents are working overtime to get clients a fair shake.
“We’ve really had to scramble to find what works best for each individual,” Rosenhaus said. “I’m trying to replace all of that with the communication with the teams. It’s all virtual. It really is 2020.”


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--NFL Draft 2020: Offensive line is the Giants’ ‘pressure point’

Problems need answers .
Weaknesses need to be strengthened .
The Giants will come out of the 2020 NFL Draft having fortified their offensive line .
Whether that arrives via an offensive tackle with their first-round pick ( the most likely scenario ) or on the second day of the draft , this help will come .
General manager Dave Gettleman is always a proponent of building with the big guys , and he is fully aware of what has gone on up front the past few years .
He used his first two first-round picks with the Giants on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not giving them adequate protection has produced a total of nine wins in two seasons .
It is akin to purchasing fantastic new toys and , oh my goodness , not including the batteries required to get the toys up and running .
“ Well again , you know my theory , ’ ’ Gettleman said Friday .
“ It ’ s very , very difficult for Saquon to run the ball if he doesn ’ t have holes .
It ’ s going to be difficult for Daniel to throw the ball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We ’ ll continue to build the offensive line.
’ ’ With that , Gettleman admitted what is well-known to anyone paying attention to the state of the offensive line the past few years .
“ Is it a pressure point ?
To a degree , ’ ’ Gettleman said .
“ I ’ m not going to deny that .
But it ’ s about getting the right guy .
It ’ s about not panicking.
’ ’ This is not an assurance the Giants , with the No .
4-overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down a few spots ) , will take one of the top-rated tackles in this class .
It would hardly be considered “ panicking ’ ’ selecting Jedrick Wills ( Alabama ) or Tristan Wirfs ( Iowa ) and , in the eyes of many scouts , also not a panic move to take Mekhi Becton ( Louisville ) or Andrew Thomas ( Georgia ) up so high .
But if the Giants do not view any of those four as a legitimate top-five talent or value , it would be a reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fill a glaring need .
The “ pressure point ’ ’ Gettleman referenced is real .
He again mentioned undrafted Nick Gates as having “ a bright future ’ ’ and noted Spencer Pulley “ has done good work for us at center.
’ ’ There was a reminder center Jon Halapio , who is currently unsigned , “ is coming back , hopefully he ’ ll be ready to go ’ ’ after surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon .
These are all options , though not first options , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and new head coach Joe Judge view team-building through similar lenses .
Submit your Giants questions to be answered in an upcoming mailbag “ Joe and I are of the same mentality that really and truly , the offensive line sets the tone for the team , ’ ’ Gettleman said .
“ It really does .
You think of the offensive lines in 2007 and 2011 when we beat the Patriots , those groups set the tone .
We ’ re going to do everything we can to make sure we replicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most recent Super Bowl lines for the Giants were not assembled by paying full retail .
Chris Snee , taken in the second round , was the highest draft pick on either line .
David Diehl , the starting left tackle for both Super Bowl both teams , was a fifth-round pick .
Kareem McKenzie , the right tackle for both teams , was a third-round pick of the Jets .
Shaun O ’ Hara and Rich Seubert , starters for the 2007 team , were undrafted .
Kevin Boothe ( starter in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Raiders and David Baas ( 2011 ) was a second-round pick of the 49ers .
Gettleman called this offensive tackle draft class “ a thick group , ’ ’ saying “ there are tackles throughout the draft.
’ ’ Perhaps he believes the Giants after the first round can find one capable of starting .
Nate Solder , the returning left tackle , played poorly in 2019 .
It is not financially prudent to part ways with him , as it would mean an unwieldy $ 13 million in dead salary cap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring in the best players , ’ ’ Gettleman said .
“ It they ’ re at a position where there ’ s an incumbent starter , then he ’ s going to compete .
’ ’

Problems need answers. Weaknesses need to be strengthened.
The Giants will come out of the 2020 NFL Draft having fortified their offensive line. Whether that arrives via an offensive tackle with their first-round pick (the most likely scenario) or on the second day of the draft, this help will come.
Bank on it.
General manager Dave Gettleman is always a proponent of building with the big guys, and he is fully aware of what has gone on up front the past few years. He used his first two first-round picks with the Giants on Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, and not giving them adequate protection has produced a total of nine wins in two seasons. It is akin to purchasing fantastic new toys and, oh my goodness, not including the batteries required to get the toys up and running.
“Well again, you know my theory,’’ Gettleman said Friday. “It’s very, very difficult for Saquon to run the ball if he doesn’t have holes. It’s going to be difficult for Daniel to throw the ball when he’s on his back. We’ll continue to build the offensive line.’’
With that, Gettleman admitted what is well-known to anyone paying attention to the state of the offensive line the past few years.
“Is it a pressure point? To a degree,’’ Gettleman said. “I’m not going to deny that. But it’s about getting the right guy. It’s about not panicking.’’
This is not an assurance the Giants, with the No. 4-overall pick (assuming they do not trade down a few spots), will take one of the top-rated tackles in this class. It would hardly be considered “panicking’’ selecting Jedrick Wills (Alabama) or Tristan Wirfs (Iowa) and, in the eyes of many scouts, also not a panic move to take Mekhi Becton (Louisville) or Andrew Thomas (Georgia) up so high. But if the Giants do not view any of those four as a legitimate top-five talent or value, it would be a reach to take any of them, even to fill a glaring need.
Submit your Giants questions to be answered in an upcoming mailbag
The “pressure point’’ Gettleman referenced is real. He again mentioned undrafted Nick Gates as having “a bright future’’ and noted Spencer Pulley “has done good work for us at center.’’ There was a reminder center Jon Halapio, who is currently unsigned, “is coming back, hopefully he’ll be ready to go’’ after surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.
These are all options, though not first options, for the Giants. Gettleman said he and new head coach Joe Judge view team-building through similar lenses.
“Joe and I are of the same mentality that really and truly, the offensive line sets the tone for the team,’’ Gettleman said. “It really does. You think of the offensive lines in 2007 and 2011 when we beat the Patriots, those groups set the tone. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure we replicate that.’’
Interestingly, the two most recent Super Bowl lines for the Giants were not assembled by paying full retail. Chris Snee, taken in the second round, was the highest draft pick on either line. David Diehl, the starting left tackle for both Super Bowl both teams, was a fifth-round pick. Kareem McKenzie, the right tackle for both teams, was a third-round pick of the Jets. Shaun O’Hara and Rich Seubert, starters for the 2007 team, were undrafted. Kevin Boothe (starter in 2011) was a sixth-round pick of the Raiders and David Baas (2011) was a second-round pick of the 49ers.
Gettleman called this offensive tackle draft class “a thick group,’’ saying “there are tackles throughout the draft.’’ Perhaps he believes the Giants after the first round can find one capable of starting.
Nate Solder, the returning left tackle, played poorly in 2019. It is not financially prudent to part ways with him, as it would mean an unwieldy $13 million in dead salary cap money.
“We’re going to bring in the best players,’’ Gettleman said. “It they’re at a position where there’s an incumbent starter, then he’s going to compete.’’


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Boys of Summer one of the best baseball books ever written

During the coronavirus shutdown , each day we will bring you ...

During the coronavirus shutdown, each day we will bring you a recommendation from The Post’s Peter Botte for a sports movie, TV show or book that perhaps was before your time or somehow slipped between the cracks of your viewing/reading history.
The Boys of Summer
By Roger Kahn, 1972 (Harper & Row)
It might be considered too sentimental for today’s TMZ audiences, but this eloquent recounting of the Dodgers’ long-awaited “Wait ’Til Next Year” coronation in the 1955 World Series — and the borough of Brooklyn’s unbreakable love affair with Dem Bums — ranks as one of the finest works ever written about our national pastime.
My father grew up in Brooklyn in the 1940s and adored the Dodgers, even if he also revered Joe DiMaggio, as many first- and second-generation Italian-Americans did in various neighborhoods across New York.
My dad, a Navy veteran and former NYPD lieutenant who passed away in 2018, had me read this book when I was roughly 12 years old, to explain part of his childhood experience and why we were raised as a National League household on Long Island despite his lifelong Joe D. fixation.
Kahn, who died in February, attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn and NYU and served as Dodgers beat writer for the old New York Herald Tribune before moving on to editing jobs at Newsweek and the Saturday Evening Post. He authored more than a dozen other books about baseball and other topics, including biographies of Jack Dempsey and Pete Rose and book on DiMaggio’s relationship with Marilyn Monroe.
With a title gleaned from a Dylan Thomas poem, Kahn’s prose magically takes us through the summer of ’55 at Ebbets Field, and there’s plenty about his relationship with Jackie Robinson, who we highlighted earlier this week following the anniversary of his historic breaking of the color barrier in 1947.
Kahn also follows up in detail with Jackie — as well as teammates Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella, Carl Erskine, Preacher Roe, Duke Snider and Carl Furillo — and describes their lives after the Dodgers bolted Brooklyn for Los Angeles and into their retirements.
In 2002, Sports Illustrated ranked “The Boys of Summer” second on its list of the Top 100 Sports Books of All Time — behind only A.J. Liebling’s boxing masterpiece “The Sweet Science” — calling Kahn’s artistry “a novelistic tale of conflict and change, a tribute, a civic history, a piece of nostalgia and, finally, a tragedy.”
Quote of Note: “By applauding [Jackie] Robinson, a man did not feel that he was taking a stand on school integration, or on open housing. But for an instant he had accepted Robinson simply as a hometown ball player.” Roger Kahn in “The Boys of Summer.”
Botte Blows: 4.6 of 5


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Chicago Sky’s Stefanie Dolson says entire family had the coronavirus

Sabrina Ionescu emerged as both a generational talent and a ...

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.
Chicago Sky center Stefanie Dolson told ESPN she tested positive for COVID-19 along with her family.
Dolson is the second WNBA player to publicly reveal she contacted the virus. Los Angeles Sparks guard Sydney Wiese tested positive last month. The 28-year-old Dolson, a former UConn star who was born in Port Jervis, said she contacted the coronavirus last month, but did not reveal the full details of her illness or recovery.
“This virus has hit pretty close to home. About a month ago, my whole family and I, we all tested positive for the virus, and it hit us pretty hard,” Dolson said in an interview Friday night during the WNBA Draft. “My mom, she ended up being admitted into the hospital for about four days. She had severe symptoms, pneumonia. But because of the team of healthcare workers that was there, she’s home safe now and healthy.
“So I just want to say thank you to all the healthcare workers out there. What you’re doing is inspirational and amazing, putting your lives at risk for us, and helping the community and the country. I just want to say thank you.”
Dolson starred at Minisink Valley High School and led her team to four straight New York State Public High School Section 9 championship appearances. The 6-foot-5 center was selected to the McDonald’s All-American Game and went on to earn NCAA championships in 2013 and 2014 at UConn.
A two-time WNBA All-Star, Dolson played three years with the Washington Mystics until she was traded to Chicago for the 2017 season. Dolson had played for the Henan Phoenix in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association this past winter until the league suspended its season in January because of the coronavirus pandemic.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Dave Gettleman must live up to promise and fix Giants offensive line

Never say never when it comes to Dave Gettleman and ...

Dave Gettleman made a promise to Giants fans at his introductory press conference he has yet to keep,
“We’ve got to fix the O-line, let’s be honest,” Gettleman said. “Let’s not kid each other. I told you at the top, big men allow you to compete and that’s what we’ve got to fix.”
Don’t just tell us, Dave.
Show us.
Because it’s still not fixed.
The fourth pick of next Thursday night’s virtual NFL draft — or a trade not too far down, as Gettleman will “seriously entertain” engaging a partner below him (if he can find one) for the first time in his career — would go a long way toward fixing it.
Go ahead and finally do it if you can Dave, do your darndest to trade down and get the player you very well may have drafted at No. 4 anyway and recoup the third-round pick at last that you burned in the Leonard Williams trade with the Jets.
It is past time to stop wasting the best years of Saquon Barkley’s career, and it is time to give Daniel Jones more of a fighting chance than Eli Manning had at the end so he can make that second-year leap.
“You know my feeling,” Gettleman said on a conference call. “It’s very, very difficult for Saquon to run the ball if he doesn’t have holes and it’s going to be difficult for Daniel to throw the ball when he’s on his back.”
Unless Gettleman grades the freakish Isaiah Simmons the way he graded Barkley in 2018, or close to how the late, great George Young graded Lawrence Taylor, or unless there is a precipitous drop-off from Simmons’ grade to his top-graded tackle, he should make the pick that sends Jones and Barkley to Hog Heaven. Or as Gettleman might put it, Hog Mollie Heaven.
If Joe Judge won’t even mention the name of his franchise quarterback, he sure as hell won’t mention any names on that defense he has inherited. Simmons would be the playmaker who keeps offensive coordinators awake all night that is sorely missing on Big Blue. But a fortress offensive line can at the very least help keep a flailing defense off the field.
“Joe and I are of the same mentality,” Gettleman said, “that really and truly the offensive line sets a tone for the team. It really does. I think of all the teams that I’ve been with that have gone to Super Bowls, and the offensive lines were the tone-setters. You think of the offensive line in ’07 and ’11 when we beat the Patriots, OK? Those groups set the tone.
“We’re going to do everything we can go make sure we replicate that.”
Nate Solder is on his last legs. Cameron Fleming should be a swing tackle. Center is unsettled, and Shaun O’Hara isn’t coming out of retirement. Gettleman keeps saying he likes versatile lineman Nick Gates … who has started three games.
Submit your Giants questions to be answered in an upcoming mailbag
It doesn’t mean you reach for a tackle. Gettleman knows from John Mara putting him on notice that he cannot afford to make an Ereck Flowers mistake. Former GM Jerry Reese made Flowers the ninth-overall pick in 2015. Tom Coughlin referred to Flowers as an aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier sank.
Gettleman has to pick the right tackle. To play right tackle. Or left tackle.
“Is it a pressure point? To a degree. I’m not going to deny that,” Gettleman said. “But it’s about getting the right guys. It’s about not panicking.”
Panicking would be drafting a tackle for the sake of drafting a tackle and passing on the wondrous, shape-shifting Simmons.
“It’s when you have precipitous drops in your evaluation,” Gettleman said, “that’s when you get into trouble.”
The consensus around the league is there are four tackles — Jedrick Wills, Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton and Andrew Thomas — in the upper tier. If Gettleman chooses to wait until his 36th pick to grab a tackle, he cannot afford a precipitous drop in the value of that second-round tackle.
“There are tackles throughout the draft,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent there.”
There was a lot of talent at Alabama, where Judge cut his teeth under Nick Saban as assistant special teams coach from 2009-11, where Wills started and from where Judge plucked Burton Burns to coach Barkley.
“Joe hired Burton to coach the running backs and he’s been at Alabama, so just think about all of the insight we get into the ’Bama kids,” Gettleman said.
Keep that promise, Dave. Roll Tide or not.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Florida protester arrested for trapping himself in concrete barrels outside Governor’s Manson

Florida cops needed two hours and multiple jackhammers to extricate a protester who ’ d jammed his arms inside a pair of concrete-filled 55-gallon barrels outside the Governor ’ s Mansion in Tallahassee on Friday .
Jordan Mazurek , 28 , of Fort Worth , Texas , had trapped his arms inside the elaborately-rigged barrels to protest the state ’ s handling of prisoners during the coronavirus outbreak , police said .
One of the barrels bore the words “ Stop the massacre ” in white painted lettering , USA Today reported .
The other read , “ Free prisoners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they knew Mazurek had the ability to remove his arms from the length of PVC piping inside each barrel — because they had seen him do so to adjust his mask .
But the barrels were designed to prevent his arms from being forcibly removed , police said .
Another man at the scene who asked USA Today to call him “ August Spires ” said he and other protesters at the scene “ feel that there are people sitting in jail who are unable to make bond and they are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too poor to pay.
” Prisoner rights advocates around the country have called for the release of detainees being held on bail due to concerns that the facilities can not properly socially distance inmates or care for them should they fall ill .
Some states and municipalities , including New York City , have released high-risk detainees to protect them from the virus .
In Florida , 44 inmates and 63 workers tested positive for coronavirus as of Thursday evening , according to the state ’ s Department of Corrections .
Another four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USA Today reported .
Last month , officials at Florida ’ s Hillsborough County Jail sprung 164 detainees considered low-level offenders — including one man who allegedly murdered someone the day after his release .

Florida cops needed two hours and multiple jackhammers to extricate a protester who’d jammed his arms inside a pair of concrete-filled 55-gallon barrels outside the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee on Friday.
Jordan Mazurek, 28, of Fort Worth, Texas, had trapped his arms inside the elaborately-rigged barrels to protest the state’s handling of prisoners during the coronavirus outbreak, police said.
One of the barrels bore the words “Stop the massacre” in white painted lettering, USA Today reported. The other read, “Free prisoners now,”
Police told the outlet that they knew Mazurek had the ability to remove his arms from the length of PVC piping inside each barrel — because they had seen him do so to adjust his mask.
But the barrels were designed to prevent his arms from being forcibly removed, police said.
Another man at the scene who asked USA Today to call him “August Spires” said he and other protesters at the scene “feel that there are people sitting in jail who are unable to make bond and they are being put unnecessarily at risk because they are too poor to pay.”
https://uw-media.tallahassee.com/embed/video/5152740002?placement=snow-embed
Prisoner rights advocates around the country have called for the release of detainees being held on bail due to concerns that the facilities cannot properly socially distance inmates or care for them should they fall ill.
Some states and municipalities, including New York City, have released high-risk detainees to protect them from the virus.
In Florida, 44 inmates and 63 workers tested positive for coronavirus as of Thursday evening, according to the state’s Department of Corrections. Another four inmates have died due to COVID-19, USA Today reported.
Last month, officials at Florida’s Hillsborough County Jail sprung 164 detainees considered low-level offenders — including one man who allegedly murdered someone the day after his release.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Rick Pitino’s Iona recruiting showing he ‘hasn’t lost his touch’

The sports world is at a standstill because of the ...

Ryan Myers almost had to pinch himself.
On the other end of the phone was Rick Pitino selling himself to the Christ the King senior guard, going over all his accomplishments, his history of development and explaining why Myers would fit into his plans at Iona College.
“I’m just telling myself, ‘This is crazy,’ ” Myers, a three-star recruit from Brooklyn, recalled.
Tahlik Chavez, a sharpshooting junior college guard from Texas, had a similar reaction speaking to the man who has led three schools — Providence, Kentucky and Louisville — to the Final Four and has won two national championships. Louisville’s title has since be vacated after an NCAA investigation.
“It’s hard to turn down Rick Pitino,” Chavez said. “It was like a dream talking to Coach Pitino.”
Both wound up committing to the 67-year-old Pitino and Iona, along with four others in the span of five days from March 21-25. On Thursday, Iona announced a massive eight-man class that includes two previous junior college pledges, Darreus Brown and Robert Brown, under former coach Tim Cluess.
It remains to be seen how these players develop, but talent evaluators believe Iona did well with this group. Junior college transfers Osborn Shema and Berrick Jeanlouis are rated in the top 30 by JUCORecruting.com. The 7-foot-1 Shema, who averaged 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds this past season for New Mexico Military Institute, visited Rutgers in January and Florida State had interest. Myers was being recruited by Fordham. Chavez picked Iona over Tulsa. Forward Nellie Jean Joseph, a big man out of the NBA Academy Africa, may have wound up at a higher level if he remained uncommitted, Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Corey Evans said.
The group has size — four players 6-foot-8 or bigger — versatility, athleticism and skill needed in Pitino’s up-tempo system. It was particularly impressive work considering Pitino and his staff met these players through Zoom and relied on video highlights and landed them all in just a few weeks of recruitment time.
“People are just realizing he hasn’t lost his touch. It reflects the relationships that Rick Pitino has, to jump in that kind of a job with that kind of class,” said Evans, who rated Myers, Jeanlouis and Joseph as “mid-major-plus guys” all capable of playing at a higher level than the MAAC.
“You have to have a great freshmen base — that’s what we’re going to focus on,” Pitino said in a phone interview. “We did that a little bit this year. We’re going to do a lot of that next season. Then you have to build the non-conference schedule.”
Pitino is in the process of doing that. Iona is in talks to face a number of power-five conference foes, from Oklahoma State to Kentucky to Minnesota, which is coached by his son, Richard Pitino.
It will be interesting to see how high Pitino can recruit. He’s already landed wings Ikechi Chantilou and Kenard Richardson out of Life Christian Academy (Va.) for the 2021 class, while offering a few top-100 prospects in future classes. One of them, junior forward Gabe Wiznitzer, recently told PhenomHoopReport.com he was interested in Iona and wanted to visit soon.
Pitino has “no doubt” he can bring in elite prospects — he wouldn’t have taken the job otherwise — but he also said he doesn’t rely on how many stars are next to a player’s name when he evaluates them. He rates them on how they fit into his system.
“He has a lot of haters, but he has a lot of people who love him, too,” said Steve Lowry, an adviser for Shema and fellow signee Johan Crafoord, a high school recruit. “I know he has [as much coaching ability] in his pinkie finger than some guys have in their whole brain. He can get five-star recruits. … I think he can get high-level-caliber players. It’s not going to be hard for him at all.”


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Coronavirus has now killed 150,000 people worldwide

The coronavirus has now killed more than 150,000 people worldwide , according to the latest statistics at Johns Hopkins University @ @ @ @ @ passed Friday night ; by midnight , the U.S. continued to have the pandemic ’ @ @ @ @ @ at 31,456 , followed by Italy , with 22,745 deaths , Spain , with 19,613 @ @ @ @ @ deaths .
The first coronavirus death was recorded in Wuhan , China , on Jan. @ @ @ @ @ arising either out of a live-animal food market , or — as is now being @ @ @ @ @ carelessness from a virus research lab .
It took 83 days for the first 50,000 @ @ @ @ @ Reuters notes .
But it took only eight days to climb from 50,000 to 100,000 @ @ @ @ @ hit 150,000 just eight days after that .

The coronavirus has now killed more than 150,000 people worldwide, according to the latest statistics at Johns Hopkins University.
The tragic milestone was passed Friday night; by midnight, the U.S. continued to have the pandemic’s highest death toll, at 31,456, followed by Italy, with 22,745 deaths, Spain, with 19,613 deaths and France with 18,681 deaths.
The first coronavirus death was recorded in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 9; the first cases arising either out of a live-animal food market, or — as is now being investigated — escaping due to carelessness from a virus research lab.
It took 83 days for the first 50,000 deaths to be recorded, Reuters notes.
But it took only eight days to climb from 50,000 to 100,000, and it has now hit 150,000 just eight days after that.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--NCAA coronavirus halt complicating Morgan Barron’s Rangers decision

You ask , we answer .
The Post is fielding questions from ...

Morgan Barron chose to play hockey at Cornell because he wanted to win a national championship, now that may never happen.
The 2019-20 season, Barron’s third with the Big Red after he was drafted by the Rangers in the sixth round (174th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, was beginning to look like his best chance at accomplishing that. But as the coronavirus pandemic swept the nation, suddenly there was no national championship to play for.
Cornell had lost just two games all season and was set to play in the Eastern College Athletic Conference men’s hockey quarterfinals just before the NCAA suspended play. The Big Red was on a 9-0-0 tear, charging to what would’ve been the program’s first Frozen Four appearance in 17 years.
“A lot of the emphasis for me at the start of the year was that I wanted to go and help the team win a lot of games in the postseason,” Barron told The Post in a recent interview. “Obviously, I didn’t get the opportunity to do that. I’m sure there’s a handful of teams around the country who were feeling the same way we were about having a really good chance. Especially for our program, who hasn’t won a national championship in 50 years, it was probably one of the better chances that Cornell has had to go in a deep postseason run.”
Not having an opportunity to finish out this season may influence Barron’s decision regarding his hockey future.
The 21-year-old center was in the midst of the most dominant season of his career, collecting 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 29 games to lead Cornell. He was a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to the top player in college hockey, and was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Year.
After such a prolific season, Barron admitted he became more confident in his ability to compete at the NHL level.
Assistant general manager Chris Drury, who doubles as the general manager of the team’s AHL affiliate, Hartford Wolf Pack, said Rangers brass had a feeling the 6-foot-3 lefty shot would have a breakout 2019-20 season. But the organization, according to Drury, has known Barron is special since drafting him.
“The more I’ve gotten to know him, over the last three-plus years, is that he’s just one of those kids and players that wakes up every day, looks in the mirror and says, ‘How am I going to get better today?’ ” Drury told The Post in a recent phone call. “It’s such a great quality to have because every year he has gotten better and better. Not only does he have the size, but his skating is very good for someone that size.”
Submit your Rangers questions here to be answered in an upcoming mailbag
Barron said he is still unsure if he’s ready to forgo his senior season to make the jump to the NHL. If he opts to go pro, the Rangers are sure he’s ready.
“We’re very confident that he’s ready to be a pro with what he’s done and his maturity on and off the ice,” Drury said.
Barron considers the extra time he has to make his decision the only positive part of the suspended 2019-20 season.
“There’s a ton of stuff [to consider],” Barron said. “Obviously, where I feel I’m at with hockey is going to be a big one, whether I’m able to jump in and make an impact at the pro level or whether I could use one more season in college. … My education is a big thing, I went to Cornell because I wanted to graduate and I need to figure out if that’s going to be a possibility if I leave.
“And like I said, I wanted to go to Cornell to win a national championship. That’s something that’s always going to be in the back of my mind while making this decision.”


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Sabrina Ionescu has bigger plans for Liberty, WNBA: ‘A voice’

The assists were her ticket onto the court .
The boys ...

Sabrina Ionescu emerged as both a generational talent and a face of women’s basketball during her college career at Oregon.
Now, New York City and the WNBA await.
The Liberty made a long-anticipated and easy decision official Friday night by selecting Ionescu, the superstar point guard, with the first-overall pick of the WNBA Draft, marking what could turn out to be a monumental day for the franchise.
“The fact that I’ll be able to be in Brooklyn and have a platform and a voice in kind of the mecca of the world is going to be amazing,” Ionescu said on a conference call. “I’m just excited for that opportunity, having done it in Eugene and changing the way people view women’s sports in Eugene. Just excited to take that with me to Brooklyn and hopefully use it for a bigger good in that bigger marketplace.”
Ionescu, whose play and competitive fire enthralled a fanbase that grew to include the likes of Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry and LeBron James, rewrote the NCAA record book for men and women during her dominant college career. The 5-foot-11 pick-and-roll specialist finished her four-year career with 2,562 points, 1,091 assists and 1,040 rebounds — the first-ever player to surpass 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds — while setting a new standard with 26 career triple-doubles.
After leaving her mark on Oregon and the women’s college game, Ionescu will have the chance to do the same for the Liberty and WNBA — a challenge the two-time national player of the year is diving into head-first.
“I know there’s a lot of pressure, but I’m really just excited to take that on and see where it takes me,” said Ionescu, who confirmed she had signed with Nike after Under Armour and Puma both vied for her endorsement in a sneaker war. “Just excited to use that as motivation to continue to get better in all aspects of my game.”
The Liberty have gone 17-51 over the past two seasons, which helped them win the draft lottery last September. They have a new head coach in Walt Hopkins, whose offense features the pick-and-roll that Ionescu mastered at Oregon, and, whenever the season is able to begin in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, will start playing their home games at Barclays Center. They also traded away their most established star, Tina Charles, on Wednesday, but after two more trades Friday night, they wound up with six new draft picks (all in the top 15 overall) to inject the roster with young talent and versatility.
The blank canvas is now Ionescu’s to take over.
“Sabrina has been preparing to take this on for quite some time,” Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said on a conference call. “If you just look at her overall trajectory over the past four years, it seems that people just seem to gravitate to her and it seems like the responsibility, if you can call it that, of being that next transcendent player — a player that transcends the game and bridges the gap from the women’s game to the men’s game and back and forth — I think Sabrina’s been building for that and I think she’s ready for that. She has a name recognition that was built from her work product. It wasn’t given to her, she built this.
“There isn’t a challenge that I’ve seen Sabrina take on that she hasn’t won. If that isn’t New York, I don’t know what is.”
Loading up
After taking Sabrina Ionescu with the first-overall pick on Friday, the Liberty made six more picks. Here’s a look at how they did:
Pick Name Position Height School
1. Sabrina Ionescu G 5-11 Oregon
The two-time national player of the year was the queen of triple-doubles, piling up an NCAA-record 26.
9. Megan Walker F 6-1 UConn
One of three draft-eligible juniors this year, Walker led the Huskies with 19.7 ppg and 8.4 rpg.
10.* Jocelyn Willoughby G/F 6-0 Virginia
Acquired this pick in a trade via Phoenix. The Newark native led the ACC in scoring (19.2 ppg) and was named its women’s basketball scholar-athlete of the year.
12. Jazmine Jones G 6-0 Louisville
Averaged 14.1 points with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio as an All-ACC defensive guard.
13. Kylee Shook F 6-4 Louisville
The ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year left as the school’s all-time blocks leader with 223.
15. Leaonna Odom F 6-2 Duke
Provides versatility and length after averaging 14.3 points and 6..2 rebounds per game.
26. Erica Ogwumike G 5-9 Rice
After picking the Conference USA Player of the Year, the Liberty sent Ogwumike (the younger sister of WNBA stars Nneka and Chiney) to the Lynx for 25-year-old Australian forward Stephanie Talbot.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Trump announces $19B coronavirus aid for farmers

CHICAGO — President Donald Trump on Friday announced a $ 19 billion relief program to help U.S. farmers cope with the impact of the coronavirus , including $ 16 billion in direct payments to producers and mass purchases of meat , dairy , vegetables and other products .
The U.S. Agriculture Department is partnering with regional and local distributors to purchase $ 3 billion in such farm goods to be distributed to food banks , churches and aid groups as millions of Americans face unemployment with much of the economy shut down .
“ American agriculture has been hard-hit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , and President Trump is standing with our farmers and all Americans to make sure that we all get through this national emergency , ” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said at a White House news conference .
The agency said it will make monthly purchases totaling about $ 100 million each of fresh produce , dairy products and meat products .
Perdue said USDA will work with companies like Sysco Corp to help procure , package and distribute food boxes .
Long lines have formed at U.S. food banks in recent weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get their goods to market because of disruption caused by the pandemic , forcing some to throw out food and call for government help .
“ Having to dump milk or plow under vegetables ready to market is not only financially distressing but it ’ s heartbreaking as well for those that produce them , ” Perdue said .
Direct payments will be sent “ as quickly as possible ” as farm commodity producers have experienced “ unprecedented losses , ” Perdue said , who hoped checks could be sent by the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in direct payments to farmers and ranchers will include $ 9.6 billion for the livestock industry – with $ 5.1 billion for cattle , $ 2.9 billion for dairy and $ 1.6 billion for hogs , according to a statement released late Friday by U.S .
Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota , chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee .
In addition , $ 3.9 billion will be paid to row crop producers , $ 2.1 billion for specialty crop farmers and $ 500 million for other crops , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 250,000 per individual farmer or entity .
The Renewable Fuels Association ( RFA ) , which represents corn-based ethanol producers that have suffered due to lack of demand for motor fuels as Americans stay home , was quick to criticize the package .
“ USDA missed a crucial opportunity to lend a helping hand to an industry that is suffering the worst economic crisis in its history , ” RFA President Geoff Cooper said in a statement .
Perdue acknowledged that constituents may consider the direct payments “ insufficient ” and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farmers as well as larger farmers.
” Funding for the immediate aid program will be pulled together from a number of sources , including recent coronavirus-related aid laws passed by Congress and other funding authorities that USDA has access to , according to Perdue .
But going forward , he said , “ I anticipate we will need additional money .
”

CHICAGO — President Donald Trump on Friday announced a $19 billion relief program to help U.S. farmers cope with the impact of the coronavirus, including $16 billion in direct payments to producers and mass purchases of meat, dairy, vegetables and other products.
The U.S. Agriculture Department is partnering with regional and local distributors to purchase $3 billion in such farm goods to be distributed to food banks, churches and aid groups as millions of Americans face unemployment with much of the economy shut down.
“American agriculture has been hard-hit, like most of America, with the coronavirus, and President Trump is standing with our farmers and all Americans to make sure that we all get through this national emergency,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said at a White House news conference.
The agency said it will make monthly purchases totaling about $100 million each of fresh produce, dairy products and meat products. Perdue said USDA will work with companies like Sysco Corp to help procure, package and distribute food boxes.
Long lines have formed at U.S. food banks in recent weeks.
Farmers and ranchers have struggled to get their goods to market because of disruption caused by the pandemic, forcing some to throw out food and call for government help.
“Having to dump milk or plow under vegetables ready to market is not only financially distressing but it’s heartbreaking as well for those that produce them,” Perdue said.
Direct payments will be sent “as quickly as possible” as farm commodity producers have experienced “unprecedented losses,” Perdue said, who hoped checks could be sent by the end of May.
The $16 billion in direct payments to farmers and ranchers will include $9.6 billion for the livestock industry – with $5.1 billion for cattle, $2.9 billion for dairy and $1.6 billion for hogs, according to a statement released late Friday by U.S. Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee.
In addition, $3.9 billion will be paid to row crop producers, $2.1 billion for specialty crop farmers and $500 million for other crops, according to the statement. The payments are capped at $250,000 per individual farmer or entity.
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), which represents corn-based ethanol producers that have suffered due to lack of demand for motor fuels as Americans stay home, was quick to criticize the package.
“USDA missed a crucial opportunity to lend a helping hand to an industry that is suffering the worst economic crisis in its history,” RFA President Geoff Cooper said in a statement.
Perdue acknowledged that constituents may consider the direct payments “insufficient” and said USDA is trying to cover “small farmers as well as larger farmers.”
Funding for the immediate aid program will be pulled together from a number of sources, including recent coronavirus-related aid laws passed by Congress and other funding authorities that USDA has access to, according to Perdue.
But going forward, he said, “I anticipate we will need additional money.”


newyorkpost--2020-04-17--Regular exercise can help protect from severe coronavirus complication

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic .
When it comes to fighting the coronavirus , exercise is preventative medicine , according to one new study .
Regular cardiovascular workouts may help protect future coronavirus patients from developing a severe complication and major cause of death known as acute respiratory distress syndrome , according to research from Zhen Yan of the University of Virginia School of Medicine .
Yan , the director of the Center for Skeletal Muscle Research at UVA ’ s Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center , recommends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help ward off the respiratory disease .
“ We can not live in isolation forever , ” he said .
“ Regular exercise has far more health benefits than we know .
The protection against this severe respiratory disease condition is just one of the many examples.
” Humans naturally produce the antioxidant , known as “ extracellular superoxide dismutase ” ( EcSOD ) — and exercise ramps up the production , Yan said .
Yan told Newsweek a session of biking , rowing or any other aerobic exercise can help prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lung disease ( ARDS ) .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated between 20 and 42 percent of all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 will develop ARDS .
Research predating the pandemic suggested that approximately 45 percent of patients who develop severe ARDS will die , according to a news release from the University of Virginia Health System .
“ EcSOD set a perfect example that we can learn from the biological process of exercise to advance medicine , ” Yan said .
“ While we strive to learn more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of regular exercise , we do not have to wait until we know everything .
”

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.
When it comes to fighting the coronavirus, exercise is preventative medicine, according to one new study.
Regular cardiovascular workouts may help protect future coronavirus patients from developing a severe complication and major cause of death known as acute respiratory distress syndrome, according to research from Zhen Yan of the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Yan, the director of the Center for Skeletal Muscle Research at UVA’s Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, recommends 30 minutes of cardiovascular training every day to help ward off the respiratory disease.
“We cannot live in isolation forever,” he said. “Regular exercise has far more health benefits than we know. The protection against this severe respiratory disease condition is just one of the many examples.”
Humans naturally produce the antioxidant, known as “extracellular superoxide dismutase” (EcSOD) — and exercise ramps up the production, Yan said.
Yan told Newsweek a session of biking, rowing or any other aerobic exercise can help prevent or at least reduce the severity of the lung disease (ARDS).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated between 20 and 42 percent of all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 will develop ARDS.
Research predating the pandemic suggested that approximately 45 percent of patients who develop severe ARDS will die, according to a news release from the University of Virginia Health System.
“EcSOD set a perfect example that we can learn from the biological process of exercise to advance medicine,” Yan said.
“While we strive to learn more about the mysteries about the superb benefits of regular exercise, we do not have to wait until we know everything.”


newyorkpost--2020-04-17--Shear madness: Botched home grooming amid coronavirus turns dog into ‘mini alpaca’

A post shared by HERMIONE OLIVIA .
( @ hermioneolivia ) on Apr 13 , 2020 at 3:54am PDT Howl he ever go out in public !
With lockdowns closing nonessential businesses , an Australian dog owner was forced to groom her Pomeranian on her own — and later posted hilarious photos of the aftermath on Instagram .
“ Take it from @ bossmash and wait until the professionals are back , ” wrote Hermione Underwood in the Instagram caption .
Underwood , founder of jewelry company Atelier Romy , told the outlet Pedestrian.TV about the experience of grooming Mashi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pet Barn and bought a shiny new pair of clippers to cut the pup ’ s fur — but apparently , the blades were too wide , the outlet reported .
“ Now he takes the back streets on his daily walk , ” Underwood told the outlet .
Commenters have shamed the good boy for looking like a kangaroo , the Easter Bunny and even a mini alpaca .
But a haircut Mashi got last year is starting to get just as much attention — with people making “ Tiger King ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own Instagram account , @ bossmash , where he slammed Underwood ’ s cutting skills , “ And you thought you were having a bad hair day .
# myhoomanscantcutgood .
”

A post shared by HERMIONE OLIVIA. (@hermioneolivia) on Apr 13, 2020 at 3:54am PDT
Howl he ever go out in public!
With lockdowns closing nonessential businesses, an Australian dog owner was forced to groom her Pomeranian on her own — and later posted hilarious photos of the aftermath on Instagram.
“Take it from @bossmash and wait until the professionals are back,” wrote Hermione Underwood in the Instagram caption.
Underwood, founder of jewelry company Atelier Romy, told the outlet Pedestrian.TV about the experience of grooming Mashi.
The fashionista took a trip to Pet Barn and bought a shiny new pair of clippers to cut the pup’s fur — but apparently, the blades were too wide, the outlet reported.
“Now he takes the back streets on his daily walk,” Underwood told the outlet.
Commenters have shamed the good boy for looking like a kangaroo, the Easter Bunny and even a mini alpaca.
But a haircut Mashi got last year is starting to get just as much attention — with people making “Tiger King” references.
The fashionable pup Mashi has its own Instagram account, @bossmash, where he slammed Underwood’s cutting skills, “And you thought you were having a bad hair day. #myhoomanscantcutgood.”


newyorkpost--2020-04-17--Retired players being hurt by baseball’s coronavirus hiatus

Five innings .
Three hits .
One run , earned .
Two walks .
Five ...

The dominoes moved swiftly — instantaneously, really — upon the shutdown’s execution.
“When Major League Baseball postponed the start of its season on Thursday, March 12, my phone rang like the ‘Sell!’ scene in the movie ‘Trading Places,’ ” Andrew Levy wrote in a text message, “with just about every client either postponing or canceling the player appearances that had been scheduled.”
Without games or group get-togethers, there sure as heck wasn’t a need for your favorite retired ballplayer to liven up an event. Hence this contingent of guys who make a living off their name long after their final appearance in uniform has, like so many others, taken a hit from the coronavirus.
“My living is baseball camps, clinics, appearances at the ballpark. Everything is baseball,” Dwight Gooden said. “Everything’s on hold. I’ve got seven kids, six grandkids and two ex-wives. They don’t want to hear that. They just want to know where their check is.”
Gooden, to be clear, laughed heartily as he said this.
“There’s no self-pity,” he declared, a sentiment echoed by everyone interviewed on this topic. Yet the ex-players’ wide-open calendars illustrate just how deep this pandemic drills into so many different walks of life.
“Do I enjoy my appearances? Absolutely. It keeps my head above water,” Hall of Famer Goose Gossage said. “Being with the fans and doing some things, it allows my baseball life to keep giving.”
Levy owns Wish You Were Here Productions, a sports marketing agency based in Manhattan that arranges personal appearances for athletes — some active, some retired like Gossage and Gooden — broadcasters and sports personalities like front-office executives. The company also offers a luxury suite at Yankee Stadium for Yankees games and other events, another sidelined revenue stream. To date, all booked appearances through June 1 for the people he represents have been either postponed or canceled, Levy said.
For retired baseball players, the majority of Levy’s group, the timing of this shutdown couldn’t have been much worse.
“October to March are the lean months to tighten the belt,” Levy wrote. “So when that annual routine is broken and that time frame is extended, it becomes very difficult to manage.”
Many retired players possess the earning power to pull down six figures annually, and only the imagination — and, now, the pandemic — can limit the range of activities. For instance, before the world changed, Gossage had committed to an appearance with Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation in Tampa, corporate executive breakfasts and golf outings in South Carolina and California, a 75th birthday party in New Jersey, a corporate dinner in Denver and an autograph show in Virginia.
“I’ve got a nice pension,” Gossage said. “I just think of the poor people that this is affecting day to day, like the restaurant people. … Whenever I start feeling sorry for myself, that doesn’t last very long.”
Gossage’s long-ago Yankees teammate Mickey Rivers, also represented by Levy, spoke more about his loss of social life than his loss of income. In good times, he goes out in Florida with former ballplayers like Lou Piniella, Mike Torrez, Joe Rudi and Rennie Stennett, or plays cards with them.
“Now, we’re just talking,” said Rivers, whose legendary talking makes him a popular guest at in-season parties.
In this new environment, Levy has booked a handful of virtual appearances for some folks. Yet he and those he represents largely find themselves on an unwanted break, waiting and hoping for the dominoes to be rearranged and stabilized.
“We control what we can control in baseball, just like life,” Gossage said. “… We control what we can in our lives, and we deal with the crap that comes at us like this coronavirus.”
“I’m confident when this ‘reset’ is over, individuals and companies will go back to incorporating a sports celebrity or suite into their marketing plans,” Levy said. “It will once again add a feel-good” element to their events, and when we get past this national crisis, everyone is going to need to feel good … more than ever before!”


newyorkpost--2020-04-17--Cole Anthony would welcome being drafted by Knicks: ‘Pretty cool’

The dream began over a decade ago .
Cole Anthony was ...

The Knicks need a point guard and there is a highly rated one who lives just a few subway stops from the Garden. It could be a perfect match, one that Cole Anthony — the son of former Knicks guard Greg Anthony — would welcome.
“It would be pretty cool,” the Upper West Side native and one-and-done former North Carolina star told The Post in an exclusive interview. “I was a fan for a good amount of time. I do like the Knicks. I think they definitely can use a guard, a good scoring point guard. If that happens, it would be pretty cool to play in front of my little brother.”
The gifted 6-foot-3 Anthony declared for the NBA Draft on Friday and is signing with Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, who also reps Celtics guard Kemba Walker, a fellow New Yorker.
Since his junior year of high school, he has regularly trained with Chris Brickley, who used to work for the Knicks and is a trainer to several NBA stars including Carmelo Anthony. Mock drafts have a wide range for Anthony, known for his relentless work ethic, rebounding ability for a guard and shot-making prowess, ranging from the top five into the low teens.
“What pick you’re drafted at doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “I’d rather be drafted 17th in a really good situation for myself, then go seventh in a terrible situation for myself where I’m behind two other lead guards. It’s really all about fit.”
His one season in Chapel Hill was uneven. The fourth-ranked prospect in the 2019 class according to 247Sports.com, he needed arthroscopic knee surgery in December after partially tearing his meniscus and averaged a team-high 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 22 games. His shooting percentages — 38 percent overall and 34.8 from 3-point range — were criticized, but he performed his best after returning from surgery, notching 17.5 points, 4.5 assists and shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc over his final 11 games. As a senior at powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, Anthony averaged a triple-double. Before that, he was a star locally at Archbishop Molloy in Queen, the school’s first point guard to start as a freshman.
Anthony attended a lot of Knicks games growing up, before his own career took off and that became his focus. He’s watched less of them in recent years.
“I still got love for them,” he said.
If the Knicks did take Anthony, he would join a young core that includes RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox. A lot of pressure would come with staying home, expectations to get the once-proud franchise back on track. But Anthony has dealt with pressure for most of his life, as the son of Greg Anthony and an elite recruit dating back to his freshman year of high school.
“Could he handle it? Cole’s pretty tough, and he has a level of sophistication and has some great wins and some tough losses in New York City as a high school player,” his mother, Crystal McCrary-McGuire, said.
She added: “As a family we would love to have him home. As much time as we can get with him.”
Anthony said he likes the idea of playing in his hometown and being part of a young nucleus he can grow with.
“It would be pretty cool to be able to step into a situation like that and try to help contribute, but I don’t get to choose where I’m drafted,” he said. “If they were to consider drafting me, I would be super grateful and excited for the opportunity.”


newyorkpost--2020-04-17--Local combat sports facing major fan-less fights dilemma

UFC president Dana White is trying his hardest to have ...

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.
Sports organizations around the world are investigating ways to hold events halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes the UFC, Top Rank, the Premier Boxing Champions and other major MMA and boxing promotions looking to resume their lucrative television and live-streaming deals.
While May seems to be the month targeted for such events to begin taking place, that doesn’t help local combat promoters such as Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing, who count on the revenue from a live gate to produce their bouts.
“Some of the other major sports are talking about doing it without fans, but for us, the fans are an integral part of the game,” DeGuardia told The Post. “We make most of our money to put on these shows from the gate. Even in some of our small television shows, the television fees aren’t sufficient to cover the cost of the show. We generate our dollars from our audience.”
In business since 1992, Star Boxing has held regular shows at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, N.Y. It’s a so-called local show “that doesn’t have the financial backing of a television network or streaming service. Lou DiBella’s “Broadway Boxing” series and DeGuardia’s “Rockin’ Fights” have nurtured and developed some of the metro area’s best talent. But those shows are dependent largely on ticket sales to produce the revenue needed to rent buildings, pay insurance fees, and pay fighters.
“Fights can be put on in a studio, but the reality is we have tons of guys that we take care of that are dependent on the gate,” DeGuardia said. “We’re looking at options and trying to figure out a course of action. But ultimately when it’s all said and done we have to put on events.”
All eyes are now on Las Vegas where Mayor Carolyn Goodman on Wednesday called the shutdown of the city “total insanity.” She asked Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak to reopen nonessential businesses in Las Vegas that have been closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Should the state open its casino doors to large crowds, it will be interesting to see if, when and how the Nevada Athletic Commission allows combat sports to resume. That could be a prelude to what might happen in New York.
DeGuardia, who is spending these days at his home in Westchester, said he isn’t optimistic events with a live audience will be allowed anytime soon in New York.
“I don’t know how long it will be until we can put on live events with a crowd,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be as quick as other businesses will be back. We’re not necessarily one of those businesses that can open so quickly.”
Eddie Cotton, a New Jersey native and one of boxing’s most recognizable referees, has died from COVID-19. Cotton, 72, was the third man in the ring for the 2002 heavyweight championship fight between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis at the Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn.
Cotton had his hands full that night, forcing his way between the two physical fighters to break up multiple clinches, including 12 in the first round alone. Lewis would win by eighth-round knockout and Cotton holding a beaten and bleeding Tyson is one of the night’s most enduring scenes.
Cotton, an avid golfer, traveled the world as a referee but gave much of his time to help the citizens of Paterson, N.J., where he served as a member of the Paterson City Council and director of public works. His wife Ruby is a sitting Council member.


newyorkpost--2020-04-17--4 Tyson Foods workers in Georgia dead from coronavirus, company says

More than two dozen US food industry workers have died ...

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Four employees of a major poultry producer’s operations in rural southwest Georgia have died after becoming infected with the coronavirus, a company spokesman said Friday.
Tyson Foods spokesman Gary Mickelson said three of the employees worked at the company’s chicken processing plant in Camilla, while the fourth person worked in a supporting job outside the plant. He declined to say how many workers there have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus.
American workers who process the nation’s meat have proven especially susceptible to the new virus, as they work shoulder-to-shoulder on production lines. Several US plants have closed because of outbreaks, including a large plant owned by Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that produced roughly 5% of US pork before it was shut down after more than 500 workers became infected.
Mickelson said two other Tyson Foods workers have died from the virus at its plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa.
“We realize everyone is anxious during this challenging time and believe information is the best tool for combating the virus,” Hector Gonzalez, Tyson’s senior vice president for human resources, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re encouraging our team members to share their concerns with us, so we can help address them.”
Gonzalez said the company has improved safety measures at the Camilla plant by checking employees’ temperatures, requiring workers to wear face coverings, installing dividers at work stations and providing more space in break rooms. He said the company in March had “relaxed our attendance policy to encourage workers to stay at home when they’re sick.”
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents 2,000 workers at the Georgia chicken plant, identified the three plant employees who died as women who had worked there for 13 to 35 years. A statement from the union said many plant employees are “sick or in quarantine.”
“It’s too little too late here,” Edgar Fields, president of the union’s Southeast Council, said in a statement Friday.
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported Friday that at least 668 deaths statewide have been linked to the virus. Infections have been confirmed in more than 17,400 people. About 20% of them were hospitalized.
In Georgia’s rural southwest corner, where the Camilla plant is located, the rate of coronavirus infections and deaths have outpaced far more densely populated regions of the state. The union said many plant employees live in neighboring Dougherty County, which leads Georgia with 91 coronavirus deaths.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that usually clear up within weeks. For some, it can cause severe illness and be life-threatening.
The union has called on poultry processors to require employees to quarantine themselves for 14 days, and pay them sick leave, when they’re exposed to co-workers testing positive for the virus. It also wants individual departments to be shut down for 72 hours and cleaned after a worker tests positive.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Jaguars talking Leonard Fournette trade after his Cam Newton lovefest

It doesn ’ t seem like Leonard Fournette is fully embracing Minshew ...

There is possible tension building between Leonard Fournette and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jacksonville has had trade talks with other teams regarding the 25-year-old running back ahead of next week’s 2020 NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Jaguars have until May 4 to exercise a fifth-year option on Fournette, who rushed for a career-high 1,152 yards and was sixth in the NFL with 1,674 yards from scrimmage last season. He is expected to make $4.16 million this year in base salary. Jacksonville already has 12 picks in this year’s draft.
The Jaguars’ openness to dealing Fournette comes after a rocky week between the two parties over the running back’s longing to bring Cam Newton to Jacksonville.
During an appearance Thursday on ESPN’s “First Take,” Fournette made a pitch for Newton. The running back said he has known him for “a minute now” and felt it would be ideal for the Jaguars to sign the free-agent quarterback.
Fournette said he was not trying to speak ill of Gardner Minshew, the second-year quarterback who is likely to become the full-time starter after the Jaguars have traded Nick Foles to the Chicago Bears.
“Like I told some people that talked to me, it’s no disrespect to Minshew. I’m just trying to get into the best position as a team [so] we can win,” Fournette said on ESPN. “That’s all that was about. Just friendly competition, because [it] brings out the best in people.”
Those comments came after Fournette deleted an Instagram post last month in which he wrote to Newton asking when they would be teaming up together in Jacksonville.
The remarks on ESPN led Jaguars coach Doug Marrone to say Minshew and Fournette might have to iron things out to ease any tension his words may have caused, not wanting it to spill over into the locker room. Minshew was drafted in the sixth round last year out of Washington State and had some good moments in his rookie campaign with 21 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 12 starts.
“I mean, we all talk about men are all men and everything, when you are in that locker room, you’ve got to say, ‘Hey, listen, I said this because I really think this is best for the team,’ and if you can’t say this is what’s best for the team, then you’re going to have issues. … It’s not like a coach can get in between two players and fix something,” Marrone said on NBCSN’s “Lunch Talk Live.”
”You know, these things have to be fixed among each other at times and the coach can go in there and try to guide it through.”
That conversation could be a moot point if the Jaguars deal Fournette.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Red Bulls’ Sean Davis details his life during coronavirus pause

Red Bulls midfielder Sean Davis takes Post readers behind the scenes as he tries to not only stay prepared for the resumption of the 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic , but — as captain and player rep — also keep his teammates informed and prepared .
As told to Brian Lewis .
For Red Bull fans , first and foremost , I hope everyone ’ s doing well .
I hope everyone is safe , I hope everyone is healthy , and I hope we ’ ll continue to look out for each other .
Secondly , we miss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arena , we miss their support .
But there ’ s a light at the end of the tunnel .
It ’ s a complicated time , but thankfully my family , my friends and everyone at the club are healthy as far as I know .
On my end , everybody is good , so I ’ m thankful for that .
I live in Jersey City , which is very close to New York , and obviously New Jersey has a lot of cases as well .
My decision was to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I haven ’ t been home because I don ’ t want to put my parents at risk .
It wasn ’ t worth it .
They are in a high-risk group .
But I FaceTime them pretty much every day .
And fortunately my brother is at home .
He ’ s done a great job taking care of them .
Unfortunately , I haven ’ t been able to see them , but it ’ s the right decision in the long run .
From an individual perspective , I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t too long ago I was in New York City , in February to help negotiate the CBA on the players ’ association side sitting across the table from MLS .
But things shifted quickly .
The world changed .
When I was named captain , I was really proud , excited .
My first thought was : How can I get this team to be the best we can be ?
How can I get the most out of my teammates ?
I was thinking purely from a sports perspective .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ month .
Instead of soccer , now we ’ re talking about health and wellness — that ’ s the most important thing .
Personally I ’ ve tried to stay as informed as possible on what ’ s been going on .
I ’ ve been watching Gov .
Murphy and Gov .
Cuomo every day so I could relay that information to my teammates to try to keep guys as informed as possible .
The player rep from each team has been able to get on a conference call with commissioner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot on his plate , but he took time to chat with us .
It was great to hear from him .
It was great to know he ’ s thinking about us .
The goal right now is still to play the whole 34-game regular season .
But there ’ s lots of unknowns , a lot of ifs , lots of uncertainty .
We ’ re all going to have to be flexible .
Hopefully we can play a full season , but you never know how it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to take time .
I don ’ t want to give anyone false hope .
That ’ s obviously a best-case scenario .
We have to see how this plays out .
We have video chat workouts on Zoom with our fitness coaches where we ’ re all together , showing our faces .
We have film sessions for attackers , defenders , specific positions like center midfielders .
Every Friday we have video chats , randomize it in groups of three and just catch up with each other .
We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , our fitness coach is doing an excellent job , he ’ s looking at a lot of data .
The health and wellness app records sleep , our moves , any sickness we may be feeling and anything else .
We also log our training data .
We have a GPS tracking running app .
We do the workout that our fitness coach Tony provides , and then screenshot that to him so he can put it in his database , track how we ’ re maintaining our fitness as an individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position .
So there ’ s a lot of ways that we ’ re trying to stay engaged .
The most important thing is to stay safe and stay healthy , but maximize our time away from each other so that when we finally get together that we can hit the ground running as a team .

Red Bulls midfielder Sean Davis takes Post readers behind the scenes as he tries to not only stay prepared for the resumption of the 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic, but — as captain and player rep — also keep his teammates informed and prepared. As told to Brian Lewis.
For Red Bull fans, first and foremost, I hope everyone’s doing well. I hope everyone is safe, I hope everyone is healthy, and I hope we’ll continue to look out for each other.
Secondly, we miss the fans showing up at Red Bull Arena, we miss their support. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
It’s a complicated time, but thankfully my family, my friends and everyone at the club are healthy as far as I know. On my end, everybody is good, so I’m thankful for that.
I live in Jersey City, which is very close to New York, and obviously New Jersey has a lot of cases as well. My decision was to avoid going home to Holmdel, so I haven’t been home because I don’t want to put my parents at risk. It wasn’t worth it. They are in a high-risk group.
But I FaceTime them pretty much every day. And fortunately my brother is at home. He’s done a great job taking care of them. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to see them, but it’s the right decision in the long run.
From an individual perspective, I’m a player rep. It wasn’t too long ago I was in New York City, in February to help negotiate the CBA on the players’ association side sitting across the table from MLS. But things shifted quickly. The world changed.
When I was named captain, I was really proud, excited. My first thought was: How can I get this team to be the best we can be? How can I get the most out of my teammates? I was thinking purely from a sports perspective. But that shifted quickly in the last month. Instead of soccer, now we’re talking about health and wellness — that’s the most important thing.
Personally I’ve tried to stay as informed as possible on what’s been going on. I’ve been watching Gov. Murphy and Gov. Cuomo every day so I could relay that information to my teammates to try to keep guys as informed as possible.
The player rep from each team has been able to get on a conference call with commissioner Don Garber. He’s got a lot on his plate, but he took time to chat with us. It was great to hear from him. It was great to know he’s thinking about us.
The goal right now is still to play the whole 34-game regular season. But there’s lots of unknowns, a lot of ifs, lots of uncertainty. We’re all going to have to be flexible.
Hopefully we can play a full season, but you never know how it’s going to unfold, and this is going to take time. I don’t want to give anyone false hope. That’s obviously a best-case scenario. We have to see how this plays out.
We have video chat workouts on Zoom with our fitness coaches where we’re all together, showing our faces. We have film sessions for attackers, defenders, specific positions like center midfielders. Every Friday we have video chats, randomize it in groups of three and just catch up with each other.
We have different individualized fitness programs. Tony Jouaux, our fitness coach is doing an excellent job, he’s looking at a lot of data. The health and wellness app records sleep, our moves, any sickness we may be feeling and anything else.
We also log our training data. We have a GPS tracking running app. We do the workout that our fitness coach Tony provides, and then screenshot that to him so he can put it in his database, track how we’re maintaining our fitness as an individual but also as a team based on position. So there’s a lot of ways that we’re trying to stay engaged.
The most important thing is to stay safe and stay healthy, but maximize our time away from each other so that when we finally get together that we can hit the ground running as a team.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Free jazz legend Giuseppi Logan dead of coronavirus at 84

Jazz legend Giuseppi Logan died of the coronavirus at a Far Rockaway nursing home , according to a report .
He was 84 .
Logan , who became an icon in New York ’ s free jazz movement in the 1960s , died at the Lawrence Care Center , his friend Matt Lavelle told jazz radio station WBGO .
The multi-instrumentalist taught himself how to play alto and tenor saxophone , bass clarinet , flute , piano and Pakistani oboe and collaborated through the Swinging Sixties with other avant-garde musicians including Archie Shepp , Pharoah Sanders and Bill Dixon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mental health issues , disappeared from the music scene in the 1970s .
He alternated between homelessness in New York and being institutionalized in Virginia , The New York Times reported in 2012 .
“ Guys like Giuseppi , they ’ re a story to study , ” percussionist Milford Graves told the outlet at the time .
Logan finally made a major comeback in 2009 with Lavelle ’ s help .
The trumpeter and clarinetist helped Logan land his first show in decades , a chance to play at the Bowery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an album featuring François Grillot , Warren Smith and a former collaborator — Dave Burrell .
“ The Giuseppi Logan Quintet ” album was “ surprisingly well received , ” said Josh Rosenthal , founder of Tompkins Square Records .
“ The main thing for me , to be honest , was just to make Giuseppi feel good and to give him some money and some CDs to sell in the park , ” Rosenthal told WGBO .
Logan is survived by two sons , Joe and Jaee , who is also a @ @ @ @ @

Jazz legend Giuseppi Logan died of the coronavirus at a Far Rockaway nursing home, according to a report. He was 84.
Logan, who became an icon in New York’s free jazz movement in the 1960s, died at the Lawrence Care Center, his friend Matt Lavelle told jazz radio station WBGO.
The multi-instrumentalist taught himself how to play alto and tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, piano and Pakistani oboe and collaborated through the Swinging Sixties with other avant-garde musicians including Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders and Bill Dixon.
But Logan, who suffered from addiction and mental health issues, disappeared from the music scene in the 1970s. He alternated between homelessness in New York and being institutionalized in Virginia, The New York Times reported in 2012.
“Guys like Giuseppi, they’re a story to study,” percussionist Milford Graves told the outlet at the time.
Logan finally made a major comeback in 2009 with Lavelle’s help. The trumpeter and clarinetist helped Logan land his first show in decades, a chance to play at the Bowery Poetry Club.
The two then recorded an album featuring François Grillot, Warren Smith and a former collaborator — Dave Burrell.
“The Giuseppi Logan Quintet” album was “surprisingly well received,” said Josh Rosenthal, founder of Tompkins Square Records.
“The main thing for me, to be honest, was just to make Giuseppi feel good and to give him some money and some CDs to sell in the park,” Rosenthal told WGBO.
Logan, who had 11 children, is survived by seven of them.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--One of Drake’s favorite painters pulled wild diss on art dealer

Sun worshippers jammed newly-opened beaches in Florida Saturday at the ...

Back around 2015, Robert Blumenthal did not expect to be legally entangled with Derek Fordjour — a rising art star whose works are now collected by Drake and Beyoncé.
That’s when, the art dealer told The Post, Fordjour gave him a painting, “Bob and the Recruit,” that depicts Blumenthal with his hand on the shoulder of a basketball player symbolizing the artist himself.
“He would call me ‘Coach,’” Blumenthal, 39, said. “I’d tell him that he is not yet Michael Jordan, but I am still proud of him. It was an inside joke.”
Now, no one is laughing.
In a lawsuit filed in February, Blumenthal claimed that six years ago he and Fordjour entered into an agreement in which the artist would sell him 20 art works for $20,000 all told. Blumenthal alleges his old friend has not delivered seven of the pieces — and he wants the rest of the art or $1.45 million. When reached for comment, Fordjour’s attorney claimed the artist has delivered 15 of the pieces.
Fordjour has a different take on their relationship.
“[‘Bob and the Recruit’] is not the portrayal of an equitable and friendly relationship,” he told The Post. “This is a portrait of exploitation and inequity. This is art imitating life.”
A collector and dealer, Blumenthal regularly scouts art students in search of new talent. In May 2014, he checked out the Tribeca studio of Fordjour, a Harvard grad then enrolled in Hunter College’s MFA program.
Taken by Fordjour’s figurative style, Blumenthal offered to buy one or two pieces. But, he claimed, Fordjour “said he needed to get the number to $20,000. I told him it was more than I was willing to spend but, if he gave me a fair deal, I would jump in.”
That deal — 15 paintings and five works on paper, to be delivered over five months — was confirmed via email in July 2014, according to the lawsuit. Blumenthal alleges in the lawsuit that he also shelled out on an installation — depicting the prayer room of Fordjour’s mother — presented at his now-closed Madison Avenue gallery. The show promoted Fordjour but provided no direct remuneration to either man.
“I invested in Derek’s career,” said Blumenthal. “If he does well, I do well.”
But what Blumenthal saw as a friendly partnership, Fordjour apparently viewed as something more sinister.
“Success often breeds resentment, and there is usually someone who believes they have received less credit than they deserve. In this case, that someone is Robert Blumenthal,” reads a court filing by Fordjour’s lawyer.
Over the next couple years, Blumenthal claims, in court papers, he received 13 of 20 pieces.
“I paid for some paintings and I want [them],” Blumenthal claimed. “But [Fordjour] didn’t want to live up to his end of the agreement. His attitude was, ‘I’m an artist. What can you do about it?’”
In the meantime, Fordjour had become a star: three galleries (including Petzel Gallery in Manhattan) represent him, he’s created an outdoor mural for the Whitney Museum of American Art and his paintings, now collected by Jay-Z, among others, go for as much $170,000 on the secondary market.
In a court document, Fordjour’s lawyer, Maaren Shah, maintained that the arrangement was for Blumenthal to sell the work, not to keep it. “This was a predatory relationship, and New York law protects artists against predatory practices by art dealers,” Shah told The Post.
Blumenthal denied the allegations that the relationship was predatory.
He’s grateful to have “Bob and the Recruit” to enjoy. “I bring it everywhere with me. Right now it’s in Florida,” Blumenthal said. “I considered Derek to be a friend and value it tremendously.”
Previous 1 of 5 Next Advertisement Derek Fordjour said that his painting "Bob and the Recruit" -- seen here hanging in Robert Blumenthal's home -- is a "portrait of exploitation." Derek Fordjour. "Camelot," 2018 Acrylic, charcoal, oil pastel and foil on newspaper mounted on canvas 90 x 42 inches. Derek Fordjour Advertisement "Haberdashery," 2018 Acrylic, charcoal, oil pastel and foil on newspaper mounted on canvas 72 x 94 inches. Derek Fordjour Advertisement
But he might feel differently after hearing Fordjour’s take.
“There is a well-established tradition of artists expressing displeasure with their patrons within painted portraits,” the artist said. “Famous examples include Michelangelo painting the face of Pope Julius II onto the prophet Zachariah in the Sistine Chapel.”


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Florida residents hit the beach while Texans protest coronavirus restrictions

WASHINGTON — Several US states are moving towards reopening by ...

Sun worshippers jammed newly-opened beaches in Florida Saturday at the same time demonstrators crowded the Texas Capitol building demanding an end to coronavirus restrictions.
Beaches in some Florida towns were filled with those trying to cure their cabin fever by walking on the sand, swimming or fishing — but stationary sunbathing in a chair or hanging out with a cooler was still prohibited.
In Jacksonville, crowds flocked to the beach as soon they were opened Friday night. Hundreds were seen swimming and strolling on the sand, many not wearing masks. Images of people flocking to Florida beaches Friday had the hashtag #floridamorons trending on Twitter Saturday.
The state’s death toll from the coronavirus climbed past 700.
The easing of some restrictions in Texas was not enough to hold off protesters who converged on Austin. Some chanted “Let us work!” at the rally organized by “Infowars” host Owen Shroyer.
Texas residents will be allowed to return to state parks Monday and retailers can reopen but only for pick up or delivery. Hospitals will be able to resume non-essential surgeries.
Previous 1 of 5 Next Advertisement Protesters against the state's extended stay-at-home order to help slow the spread of coronavirus demonstrate at the Capitol building in Austin, Texas today. Reuters Wesley Weaver and his brother Coby Weaver of Dallas join protesters in Austin today. Reuters Advertisement Owen Shroyer, an Infowars host and conspiracy theorist, speaks to protesters today. Reuters Advertisement
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state’s opening had to occur in stages and named a panel of medical and economic experts to help plan it.
The state has seen more than 18,200 cases of COVID-19 and at least 453 deaths.
In Minnesota, golfers rushed to the links after Gov. Tim Walz re-opened some parks and shooting ranges.
“We went from shelter-in-place to full-go mode in about 10 minutes,” golf pro Don Berry told the StarTribune newspaper. “The phone has just been ringing off the hook.”
Minnesota has had 121 deaths from the virus.
In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers said golf courses would be open. More than 200 people there have died from the bug.
Mississippi, which has seen 140 deaths, is relaxing some rules beginning Monday, allowing some retailers like clothing stores and florists to open for delivery or curbside pickup.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US stood at 694,296 Friday with 31,456 deaths.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--Trump: US doing better than Europe when it comes to coronavirus death rates

President Trump pushed back on reports that have cast the United States as the world ’ s worst coronavirus hot spot — and pulled out the charts to prove it .
“ The United States has produced dramatically better health outcomes than any other country with the possible exception of Germany , ” Trump declared at a White House briefing Saturday .
“ On a per capita basis our mortality rate is far lower than other nations of western Europe , ” he said .
While the US has reported a higher absolute number of deaths than the UK , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others , the rate of deaths per 100,000 people is considerably lower .
“ Spain , for example has a mortality rate approximately four times that of the United States , ” Trump said .
“ But you don ’ t want to report it , ” he told the reporters in the briefing room .
White House coronavirus coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx backed the president with a bar chart that showed alarmingly high per-capita death rates throughout the European Union .
Belgium currently leads the world in this grim category , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain , 22 people per 100,000 have died of COVID-19 thus far .
The US , with 11 deaths per 100,000 , is far back in the pack .
“ With these numbers you realize how great the care has been for every American who has been hospitalized , ” Birx said .
The chart also showed figures for Iran and China — both of which have admitted to relatively few deaths , despite suffering major outbreaks of the disease .
“ Does anybody really believe this number ?
” Trump asked , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries and breaking into Birx ’ s presentation .
“ I put China on there so you can see how basically unrealistic this can be , ” Birx said .
“ This is why the reporting is so important.
” “ We saw more bags on television than that , ” Trump scoffed .
Both Birx and Trump cited declining hospitalization numbers in hot spots nationwide , including New York , Louisiana , Michigan and Rhode Island .
“ We continue to see a number of positive signs that the virus is past @ @ @ @ @ @ @

President Trump pushed back on reports that have cast the United States as the world’s worst coronavirus hot spot — and pulled out the charts to prove it.
“The United States has produced dramatically better health outcomes than any other country with the possible exception of Germany,” Trump declared at a White House briefing Saturday.
“On a per capita basis our mortality rate is far lower than other nations of western Europe,” he said.
While the US has reported a higher absolute number of deaths than the UK, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and others, the rate of deaths per 100,000 people is considerably lower.
“Spain, for example has a mortality rate approximately four times that of the United States,” Trump said.
“But you don’t want to report it,” he told the reporters in the briefing room.
White House coronavirus coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx backed the president with a bar chart that showed alarmingly high per-capita death rates throughout the European Union.
Belgium currently leads the world in this grim category, with 45 coronavirus deaths per 100,000. In Britain, 22 people per 100,000 have died of COVID-19 thus far.
The US, with 11 deaths per 100,000, is far back in the pack.
“With these numbers you realize how great the care has been for every American who has been hospitalized,” Birx said.
The chart also showed figures for Iran and China — both of which have admitted to relatively few deaths, despite suffering major outbreaks of the disease.
“Does anybody really believe this number?” Trump asked, pointing to the bars representing those two countries and breaking into Birx’s presentation.
“I put China on there so you can see how basically unrealistic this can be,” Birx said. “This is why the reporting is so important.”
“We saw more bags on television than that,” Trump scoffed.
Both Birx and Trump cited declining hospitalization numbers in hot spots nationwide, including New York, Louisiana, Michigan and Rhode Island.
“We continue to see a number of positive signs that the virus is past its peak,” Trump said.


newyorkpost--2020-04-18--NYC restaurant owner delivers hundreds of meals to hospital workers

Brendan Creegan , owner of Jack Doyle ’ s , The Tailor Public House and John Sullivan ’ s restaurant-taverns @ @ @ @ @ his part to recognize the unsung heroes in the trenches amid the coronavirus crisis .
@ @ @ @ @ 100 lunches at the Bellevue Hospital emergency room Thursday and more than 700 meals to @ @ @ @ @ feed out-of-state nurses .
Cops from the Midtown South precinct helped deliver the delectable meals @ @ @ @ @ of wraps , sandwiches and salads .

He’s setting the bar high.
Brendan Creegan, owner of Jack Doyle’s, The Tailor Public House and John Sullivan’s restaurant-taverns in Manhattan, is doing his part to recognize the unsung heroes in the trenches amid the coronavirus crisis.
Creegan dropped off more than 100 lunches at the Bellevue Hospital emergency room Thursday and more than 700 meals to the New Yorker Hotel to feed out-of-state nurses.
Cops from the Midtown South precinct helped deliver the delectable meals, which included a variety of wraps, sandwiches and salads.