A man died early this morning after jumping off the Manhattan Bridge, police said.
Police responded to the call of a person jumping off the bridge at around 11 p.m. last night. About an hour later, NYPD Harbor Patrol pulled the man from the East River near the Brooklyn side.
He was taken to Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn where he was pronounced dead.
A political operative who recently left his job at the city Board of Elections was late to work so often that he was in jeopardy of being fired — before he landed a job with mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis.
Robert Hornak was late to his city job 171 times over the past 14 months, according to a time and attendance sheet obtained by The Post.
Only seven of those late arrivals were excused by his bosses in the Queens office, the document shows.
His tardiness spanned his employment on the board, from Jan. 23, 2012, to April 5, 2013, when he resigned to work for Catsimatidis directing his campaign's Queens field operation.
He earned $60,871 and was facing a disciplinary hearing when he quit, sources said. His final check included six days of unused vacation and sick time, a board official confirmed.
"Robert Hornak is another notorious character in the Queens GOP, and the fact that he was a public employee that never showed up on time and was still able to keep his job at a time when so many other New Yorkers are struggling to find jobs or keep the jobs they already have is disgraceful," said City Councilman Eric Ulrich, a Queens Republican who is at war with Catsimatidis.
Ulrich supports Joe Lhota in the mayoral primary.
Hornak blamed his tardiness on "a medical disability that contributed to my being a few minutes late on a number of occasions. I requested and received a reasonable accommodation to my work schedule, and after that was granted, I did not have another unexcused lateness the rest of my tenure."
But one Board of Elections official who requested anonymity said Hornak was often hours late to work.
"Sometimes two hours, an hour and a half," the official said.
A spokesman for Catsimatidis declined comment.
Hornak is embroiled in a civil war in the Queens Republican Party, whose vice chairman, Vince Tabone, was nabbed in the larger bribery scandal that ensnared state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) and City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Queens).
Tabone has since resigned his party post.
Tabone also worked for Catsimatidis, who donated tens of thousands of dollars to the party in the past year.
sally.goldenberg@nypost.com
LOS ANGELES — "Iron Man 3" is the heavy-lifter at theaters with a colossal overseas debut that overshadows a sleepy weekend at the domestic box office.
The superhero sequel starring Robert Downey Jr. got a head start on its domestic launch next Friday with a $195.3 million opening in 42 overseas markets.
Yesterday's studio estimates show director Michael Bay's true-crime tale "Pain & Gain" muscled into first place domestically with a $20 million debut.
The movie, starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie knocked off Tom Cruise's sci-fi adventure "Oblivion" after a week in the No. 1 spot. "Oblivion" slipped to second place with $17.4 million, raising its domestic total to $64.7 million.
He threw away his marriage for a co-ed staffer half his age, and now Dan Halloran, the city councilman already under indictment in an alleged plot to rig the mayoral race, could lose his seat after another seamy office romp.
Halloran, 41, a cocky Queens Republican and a practicing pagan, has been carrying on with 23-year-old Denise Batista since she was an intern in his council office, sources told The Post.
The brunette beauty was seen covering her face at Halloran's Flushing home when FBI agents led him out in handcuffs during his predawn arrest April 2, when he was charged in Democratic state Sen. Malcolm Smith's alleged plot to bribe his way onto the GOP mayoral ticket.
Ellis Kaplan
MORE HOTWATER: Councilman Dan Halloran, facing bribery charges after his April 2 arrest, runs errands at his Queens home with Denise Batista, his second young staffer-turned lover after former aide Meaghan Mapes.
Halloran could be hit with disorderly-conduct sanctions — including dismissal — if found to have violated the council's ethics policy with Batista or a previous deputy chief of staff with whom he had a relationship.
Batista, a student and tennis player at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, first hooked up with Halloran while she was working for him, an "absolute no-no" under city and council rules, a council source said. Batista has since quit her intern gig.
The relationship comes on the heels of Halloran's 2010-2011 romance with Meaghan Mapes, his pretty former $30,000-a-year deputy chief of staff. The affair with Mapes, then 21, was revealed by The Post this month.
That relationship imploded Halloran's marriage. His wife, Cynthia, filed for divorce in 2011. It has not been finalized.
Council Speaker Christine Quinn told The Post over the weekend that she plans to launch an ethics probe into Halloran's extracurricular activities with the two staffers.
"The council takes [potential] sexual harassment and discrimination very seriously," said Quinn spokesman Jamie McShane. "Speaker Quinn will immediately refer [this] to the council's Standards and Ethics Committee."
The council source said: "The council's sexual-harassment policy is clear: It's inappropriate and improper for a supervisor — in this case the council member — to engage in a romantic and sexual relationship with a subordinate. It's an absolute no-no.
"If [Halloran] used his position [to] get girls and uses it to take advantage of girls or hire interns or staff, then it's morally wrong and legally wrong, and the voters deserve better."
Mapes, who started law school in Virginia last year, was long gone from Halloran's office when Batista entered the picture, sources said.
It became clear to other staffers last fall that Batista, who filed and answered phones, was dating her boss.
"There was this 'here we go again' " feeling among staff, said a source close to Halloran.
It's unclear when Batista started her unpaid internship with Halloran — a practitioner of the Theodish religion, a heathenism offshoot in which members wear medieval garb, can be publicly flogged, toss spears and drink whiskey from horns.
Batista and Halloran soon began showing up at events, including last year's Bell Boulevard Christmas-tree lighting, in his white Jaguar.
"Halloran had her resign so it wouldn't be a problem anymore," said a source close to the pol.
When he was courting Mapes, Halloran often spent the night at her off-campus St. John's University apartment, sneaking in a side door.
This time around, Halloran isn't hiding his relationship. He has posted pictures of Batista, a yoga enthusiast, on Facebook and in March changed his status on the site from "it's complicated" to "in a relationship."
On Friday, the couple were spotted leaving his home in his Jaguar and returning an hour later holding Starbucks cups and groceries.
Later that day, Batista declined to comment to a reporter and peeled off in her BMW SUV.
Halloran did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A spokesman for him declined to comment.
Halloran pleaded not guilty on April 23 in the alleged bribery scheme to get Smith on the city's mayoral primary ballot. He could face up to 45 years behind bars if convicted. He has been stripped of his council committee posts, but has said he has no plans to resign.
Additional reporting by Natasha Velez and Jeane MacIntosh
matthew.nestel@nypost.com
Westchester
Belmont Stakes, ninth race. Grade 3. Purse: $150,000. 1 mile, 3-year-olds and up. Post: 4:58 p.m.
LOWDOWN: Big Screen showed enough promise last year at 3 to run in the Peter Pan and Hill Prince, and he seems to have blossomed this year as a 4-year-old. Coming off a six-month layoff for Tom Albertrani, he scored in his return by six lengths going a mile at Gulfstream Park, ran second going 1¹/‚ˆ miles, then ran off the TV screen going a mile at Aqueduct, winning by 9 1/4 lengths to earn a huge Beyer number of 110.
TV: HRTV, TVG, NYRA Channel 1994
SNOW CHIEF
Hollywood Park, ninth race. Purse: $300,000. 1¹/‚ˆ miles, Cushion track, 3-year-old California-breds. Post: 8 p.m.
LOWDOWN: Tiz a Minister is on the bubble, points-wise, to make the field for the Kentucky Derby; instead he stays home for this spot. Fourth last out in the Santa Anita Derby, before that he ran third in the San Felipe, beaten just a length, while outfinishing top Derby prospect Goldencents. All three of his starts over the synthetic surface at HollyPark have been solid.
TV: HRTV, TVG, NYRA Channel 1994
DERBY TRIAL
Churchill Downs, 10th race. Grade 3. Purse: $175,000. 1 mile, 3-year-olds. Post: 10:42 p.m.
LOWDOWN: Capo Bastone appeared to have a big future last year when he was fourth in the Del Mar Futurity and third in the Front Runner (formerly the Norfolk) and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, all Grade 1 races. Transferred by John Sadler's barn to Todd Pletcher's, he won his first start this year at Gulfstream, then didn't fire in the Spiral on Polytrack. Cutting back to a mile for a trainer who's winning nearly every Derby prep race in sight should get him back on the winning track.
TV: HRTV, NYRA Channel 1994.
LAST WEEK: At Keeneland, Cerro (6-1) was fourth in the Lexington; at Hawthorne, Dewey Square (9-1) was eighth in the Illinois Derby; at Charles Town, Game On Dude won the Charles Town Classic paying $2.60, $2.20, $2.20.
ed.fountaine@nypost.com
Jim Brown, arguably the greatest running back in NFL history and certainly one of the most outspoken activists for African American rights, told The Post Friday he did not believe race played a role in West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith's fall to the second round of the NFL Draft
"I don't think there's any racial overtones or anything like that,'' said Brown. 'I think it's simply a matter of this is a year that a lot of people have decided on their quarterbacks.
"I look for everything but that because I find it's too easy to fall back on that,'' Brown said of the race factor. "And I also find that could be a trap. Just because you're African American doesn't mean that you did the right thing and just because you're African American doesn't mean you did the wrong thing.''
Smith, who the Jets took with seventh pick in the second round, put up astonishing stats his senior season, throwing 42 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. He was criticized by a Pro Football Weekly as not being a student of the game.
Former NFL quarterback Warren Moon was one of many who reacted passionately to that assessment.
"It just shows that there are a lot of people in society who have the biases and stereotypes,'' Moon said.
But Brown pointed out that last year the 49ers promoted a Colin Kaepernick over Alex Smith, though Smith was third in the league in passer rating and completed 70 percent of his passes.
Brown will be honored as a hometown hero on Monday at his alma mater, Manhasset High School on Long Island, by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Alltate. He said his message to the students there will be one they can relate to.
After moving to Long Island when he was eight, Brown, 77, grew up without a father figure and a mother who worked domestic jobs to make ends meet. But the support of the community and the opportunities afforded by athletics gave Brown a chance to play at Syracuse and then the NFL where he rushed for 12,312 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
The first two quarterbacks taken were African America. FSU's E.J. Manuel was the 16th player taken by the Bills. Buffalo immediately gave Manuel an NFL-ready receiver in USC's Robert Woods with the ninth pick in the second round.
Alabama's Eddie Lacy was the most highly publicized running back in the draft but North Carolina's Giovani Bernard was the first running back taken by Cincinnati with the fifth pick. He immediately will push former Patriot BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
The Eagles came up with best early pick of the second round by snagging Stanford tight end Zack Ertz. Eagles tight end Brent Celek had one touchdown catch last season.
lenn.robbins@nypost.com
Jets area scout Jay Mandolesi watched all of Alabama's games from last year, studying cornerback Dee Milliner. When he finished, Mandolesi did not need to know much more.
"I didn't have any questions," Mandolesi said. "He made a lot of plays on the ball. You could see all the athletic ability. As far as the player goes, I didn't have any doubts."
The Jets met with Milliner at the scouting combine in February, attended his pro day and had him in for a pre-draft visit a few weeks ago. On Thursday night, they took him with the ninth overall pick to bolster their secondary.
DEE MILLINER
Jets' top pick.
It completed a long study of Milliner by the Jets, who were convinced he could make an immediate impact. Mandolesi had no questions about Milliner as a player, but began to dig into the player's character after Milliner declared for the draft in January.
Mandolesi asked about Milliner's toughness. "Off the charts," he was told.
Later, he would find out Milliner had four surgeries and needed another one but had missed just one game. The strength coach told him Milliner would be waiting for him in the morning to open up the weight room. The video staff told him Milliner would ask for cutups every week to study.
As the draft approached, questions about Milliner's health surfaced. He had shoulder surgery in March that will keep him off the practice field for a while.
"It wasn't that bad," Milliner said about playing through the pain. "My arm isn't hanging off or anything like that or broke. Just go out there and do something."
Milliner and Sheldon Richardson, the Missouri defensive tackle the Jets took with the 13th pick Thursday, appeared at ease with their new surroundings at the Jets' training center yesterday.
Richardson, a 292-pound athletic freak, appears to have a personality suited for New York.
"I want to start," the player from Missouri said. "They didn't draft us to come sit behind anybody."
It was that attitude that was part of what impressed the Jets. Area scout Kevin Kelly said he believes Richardson will become a leader on their defense.
"You can feel his energy and his passion for the game and he doesn't turn it off," Kelly said. "It's rare to find defensive leadership from the middle linebacker or safety. ... This guy has infectious passion for the game."
It is a bit of a mystery how he will fit the Jets defense, but Kelly said Richardson played all over at Missouri. He even played middle linebacker against Texas A&M last year, mirroring Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel.
"He was an easy evaluation because he was so impressive," Kelly said.
Mandolesi basically echoed that sentiment about Milliner. The Jets believe they hit on two picks Thursday night. Check back in a few years to see if they were right.
brian.costello@nypost.com
Francisco Cervelli's fast start came to a screeching halt Friday night when he fractured his right hand after taking a foul ball off the bat of Rajai Davis in the first inning of the Yankees' 6-4 win over the Blue Jays.
Cervelli will undergo surgery Saturday and be out at least six weeks, leaving the Yankees to hope another young catcher can exceed expectations, with Austin Romine expected to help fill in behind the plate during Cervelli's absence.
"It's disappointing with all the things he's been through," manager Joe Girardi said.
Cervelli left his hand exposed as Ivan Nova delivered just his fifth pitch of the game.
"A lot of guys have it out there," Girardi said. "It happens once in a while. It must have hit it just perfectly."
Cervelli came into the season splitting time with Chris Stewart, but his solid work defensively and his .877 OPS allowed Girardi to play him on a more regular basis.
Romine was pulled from in the middle of an inning during Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's game and will be with the team today. After 13 games with SWB, Romine was hitting .341 (14-41) with an OPS of .815. He didn't have an extra-base hit until homering Thursday. His lack of power at the plate wasn't a concern to SWB manager Dave Miley.
"He's been having solid at-bats and doing well behind the plate," Miley said by phone. "It's just a matter of time before the extra-base hits come."
Romine, 24, played nine games with the Yankees in 2011 but was sidelined much of last season with a back injury.
"He's got a lot of talent," Stewart said. "It's just a matter of getting experience up here and getting a feel for our guys again. I don't think it's going to take long."
The former second-round pick was limited to 31 minor league games a year ago, stunting his development. And while he was once considered the organization's catcher of the future, some feel he has been surpassed by Gary Sanchez.
As for Cervelli, this latest injury is another of example of his inability to stay healthy. Previously, he had suffered a broken foot, as well as a concussion.
After being sent down at the end of spring training a year ago and spending most of the season in the minors, Cervelli had come back and showed vast improvement both offensively and defensively. His performance was one of the main reasons the Yankees have been able to stay in the hunt despite their rash of injuries.
Romine's turn could begin as soon as today.
— Additional reporting by George A. King III
dan.martin@nypost.com
All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook will have surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee and will be out indefinitely, dealing a harsh blow to the Thunder's championship chances.
General manager Sam Presti said yesterday the Thunder had not yet scheduled Westbrook's surgery and would not have an accurate time line for his return until after the procedure was done.
No one would rule out Westbrook's possible return if Oklahoma City keeps advancing in the playoffs, and All-Star teammate Kevin Durant only said his teammates "hope" Westbrook can play again this postseason.
"We're not trying to rush him or bring him back ahead of schedule. We want to make sure he's healthy and his knee is right," Durant said. "That's our only concern with it right now. ''
The three-time All-Star was hurt in Game 2 of the Thunder's playoff series against the Rockets on Wednesday night. Rookie Patrick Beverley lunged for a steal in the second quarter and his hip collided with Westbrook's knee.
Backup Reggie Jackson figures to move into Westbrook's starting spot for Game 3 tonight in Houston.
Warriors 110, Nuggets 108
In Oakland, Stephen Curry played through a sprained left ankle to score 29 points and hand out 11 assists as Golden State took a 2-1 series lead over Denver.
Jarrett Jack added 23 points and seven assists, and Harrison Barnes and Carl Landry each scored 19 points to help the Warriors rally from 13 points down in the third quarter. Golden State still had to sweat out Andre Iguodala's missed 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.
Spurs 120, Lakers 89
In Los Angeles, Tim Duncan had 26 points and nine rebounds, and San Anton io pushed the Lakers to the brink of first-round playoff elimination with their worst home playoff loss in franchise history.
Dwight Howard had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Laker, who played without their top four guards due to to injuries.
TODAY — 1:10
RHP Jeremy Hefner (0-2, 7.07) vs.
LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu
(2-1, 4.01)
Game on SNY, WFAN
(660 AM, 101.9 FM).
Three-game series
at home vs. Phillies begins tomorrow.
INSIDE THE MATCHUPS
METS: Hefner has struggled out of the gate this season. After a solid first start April 5 in a loss to the Marlins (one run in six innings), he has given up a combined 10 runs in 12 innings across three appearances, including one inning of relief. He is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in three career appearances, all in relief, vs. the Dodgers.
DODGERS: The rookie Ryu has been progressively less effective in his first four major league starts, giving up (in order) one run, two runs, three, then five. He has gone at least six innings in every start, but no more than 6 1/3 in any.
STAT SO?
METS: Hefner has given up at least one home run in every appearance and a total of seven in 14 innings.
DODGERS: Ryu has struck out 26 to just five walks so far this year — a 5.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio that ranks in the top 15 in the majors.
Unless you're a connoisseur of line play, this year's NFL Draft isn't exactly going to be must-see TV.
The intrigue of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III has been replaced by the less-than-scintillating questions of which offensive tackle the Chiefs will take No. 1 overall and how many guards will go in the top 10 when the process kicks off with the first round tonight at Radio City Music Hall.
The second and third rounds are tomorrow night, followed by the final four rounds Saturday.
What turned out to be one of the best quarterback drafts in a long time last year has been replaced by a passer class almost universally described as dreadful and a draft as a whole that's bereft of marquee names and playmakers.
At least the identity of the No. 1 overall pick by Kansas City — or if it will be the Chiefs making the choice — remains a mystery, though Texas A&M left tackle Luke Joeckel vs. Central Michigan left tackle Eric Fisher is hardly the stuff of future ESPN "30 for 30" documentaries.
The Chiefs are expected to go for Fisher, though new coach Andy Reid — knowing this draft is unlikely to turn around his misbegotten franchise — has made his feelings known about the quality of the overall class by all but renting a Times Square billboard to advertise his desire to trade down.
"It's like throwing a bunch of darts against the wall," an AFC personnel director told The Post yesterday. "I bet no two [draft] boards are anywhere alike, and nobody knows where anybody's going to go. I haven't seen a draft like this in a long time, and not in a good way."
The bigger storyline and source of intrigue is a perverse one: Will even one quarterback be taken in the first round?
Unlike last year, when Luck and Griffin were the first two players off the board (and the Redskins mortgaged their franchise to get the latter), scouts, analysts and team executives have practically made a pastime this offseason of criticizing this year's passer crop.
West Virginia's Geno Smith is considered by most to be the best of the quarterbacks, but neither he nor Florida State's E.J. Manuel are anywhere close to wearing the can't-miss label.
Reports yesterday the Bills might reach for Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib with the eighth overall pick were a source of angst in Buffalo instead of excitement.
"Worst group of quarterbacks I've seen in a while," an NFC general manager told The Post recently. "It's all projects and good athletes who could very easily [turn out to] be busts."
Aside from the quarterbacks, the only offensive playmaker creating any excitement is West Virginia slot receiver and return ace Tavon Austin, who could be headed to the Jets with the second of their two first-round picks (13th overall). But Austin's 5-foot-8 height makes him a huge question mark.
It also wouldn't surprise any scout if the first round passes tonight without a single running back being selected. Alabama's Eddie Lacy is considered the top back, but his stock has fallen dramatically after he didn't work out at the combine because of a hamstring injury and subsequently ran a 4.9 40-yard dash at his pro day last month.
What this draft has instead is plenty of quality offensive linemen, a top-heavy class of pass rushers, some promising cornerbacks and what one scout described as "a lot of depth in the later rounds."
The offensive-line class is so strong that not one but potentially two guards — Chance Warmack of Alabama and North Carolina's Jonathan Cooper — could be taken in the top 10. That's unheard of for that position, considering no guard has been among the first 10 picks since Chris Naeole by the Saints in 1997.
As a result, look for a lot of trades — perhaps starting with the Chiefs at No. 1. Several teams at the bottom of the first round are thought to be very interested in moving up to the 13-14-15 range, especially if a cornerback such as Alabama's Dee Milliner starts falling.
bhubbuch@nypost.com
The Mets held an All-Star press conference yesterday at City Hall for the July 16 game at Citi Field. On the cover of the Mets' 2013 yearbook are the 48 players in Mets history who have been All-Stars. Matt Harvey would make it 49.
There is something about The Matt Harvey Show that brings out the best in the Mets, and last night's wild, 7-3 10-inning victory over the Dodgers at Citi Field was no exception.
David Wright's two-out single in the ninth scored Mike Baxter to tie the game at 3-3 and kept Harvey from getting the tough loss. Jordany Valdespin won it in the 10th with a walk-off grand slam, posting the Mets first walk-off grand slam since 1991 when Kevin McReynolds turned the trick.
Paul J. Bereswill
Matt Harvey
These Mets are a different team with Harvey on the mound. They are 5-0 in his starts and 5-9 in all other games.
It's all about winning for Harvey and that rubs off on the rest of the team.
"It was awesome,'' Harvey said of the Valdespin's moon shot over the right-field wall off Dodger reliever Josh Wall. "I was sitting next to [Valdespin] during that inning and [bench coach] Bob Geren came up to him and said, 'They are going to walk [Lucas Duda] and you are going to go out there and win the game.' And sure enough he did.''
Valdespin came into the game in the eighth as a pinch-hitter and remained calm in his game-winning at-bat.
"They teach me to be patient and hit my pitch hard; that's what I did,'' Valdespin said.
The Mets need more offense and that means more at-bats for Valdespin.
Harvey surrendered an opposite-field two-run home run to Matt Kemp in the sixth that just cleared the wall in right.
Because of that hit, Harvey was hard on himself.
"In my mind I [stunk] and I have to do better," he said. "Tonight was about winning that game and we did that.''
Harvey still has one more win than the rest of the starting staff combined. His four wins are tied with the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright for most in the NL. His ERA is 1.54.
He owns 109 strikeouts over his first 15 career games. The only Mets with more strikeouts over their first 15 games are Dwight Gooden (113) and Nolan Ryan (112).
Good company.
Mets broadcaster and former first baseman Keith Hernandez has seen a lot of dominant pitchers, and though he is not fond of making comparisons, he did put Harvey in the same sentence as Tom Seaver.
Earlier this week in a phone conversation I asked Seaver about Harvey and Tom Terrific said he really doesn't know that much about Harvey but added, "I'm a voracious readers of the box scores and his numbers have been pretty impressive.''
Last night's line for Harvey read: Six innings, three runs, four hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. He wasn't Superman, but in the words of Terry Collins, "He pitched another very, very good game.''
Harvey also doubled and scored the Mets' first run. He showed a tremendous change-up, meaning his fourth pitch is becoming a major weapon.
Noted thinking-man's catcher John Buck: "They came out swinging aggressive and we both recognized that and went to the secondary pitches early. He pitched rather than threw and that's what makes him so good. He has the ability to throw the curve ball, slider, change-up along with the fastball, whatever he wants. He reminds me of Zack Greinke because he throws 98 when he wants, throws a slider at 90-91 like Zack and Zack threw curve ball and a change-up whenever he wanted.
"There's not many people that can throw that hard and pitch as well.''
"Matt Harvey expects a lot of himself,'' Collins added. "He's as prepared as anyone I've ever been around. He's been planning for this.''
If he continues to pitch like he has over his first five starts then come July 16 plan on The Matt Harvey Show being on the mound for the All-Star Game.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com
The game was playing out just like the season — Matt Harvey was cruising and Matt Kemp was struggling.
The Mets and Dodgers were tied at one in the sixth inning of Wednesday's game at Citi Field and Harvey had retired 16 of the previous 17 batters he faced when he walked Adrian Gonzalez. Kemp came to the plate, 0-for-2 with a strikeout, and cracked a fastball from the 24-year-old phenom high into the dark, windy sky, the ball slicing sharply toward the foul pole in right field.
The ball sailed over the glove of an outstretched Marlon Byrd and landed near the top of the fence, bouncing back onto the field, as Gonzalez scored and Kemp sprinted around the bases, settling at third base.
Confusion kicked in. Was it a home run? The umpires went to review the video, but Mets security guard Paolo Neto already knew, the ball having bounced off his hands while sitting in the chair of his usual post.
"It was over the fence," Neto told The Post. "I was just sitting there when I saw the ball. I didn't even think it was going to reach me, but it came right at me. I was just trying to protect myself and it hit me in the hands."
The umpires reviewed the film for more than two minutes, reversing the original call on the field, giving Kemp his first home run of the season and the Dodgers a 3-1 lead, which was not enough in the Mets' 10-inning 7-3 comeback win.
Neto, who has been working security at Mets games for 14 years, had his chair located several feet beyond the fence, well beyond anyone outside of Stretch Armstrong's reach to pull a Jeffrey Maier. But Kemp couldn't know that. He was on third base.
Kemp, who hit 12 home runs last April, had gone his first 75 at-bats of the season without a home run, entering his third meeting with Harvey, and ended the night 1-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs.
Harvey would face just one more batter after being pulled for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the inning. The young right-hander is 4-0 and now has a 1.54 ERA, having allowed three runs, four hits and one walk, along with seven strikeouts in the no-decision.
In his fifth start of the season, Harvey failed to reach seven innings and allow more than one run for the first time this season, but the bullpen, of LaTroy Hawkins, Scott Rice, Scott Atchison and Bobby Parnell combined for four scoreless and hitless innings.
howard.kussoy@nypost.com
Steve Serby
It's John Idzik's show at the NFL Draft tonight. The pressure is on the rookie general manager to dramatically remake the laughingstock Jets, and with the ninth and 13th picks of the first round, we get our first real clue as to whether Woody Johnson has picked the right man for the massive rebuilding job that confronts him.
Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson would have parlayed these picks into a veritable bounty, and long-suffering Jets fans would be delighted if Idzik shows up as Trader John, manipulating the draft board to accumulate value picks to address the many holes on the Good Ship Woody. Former GM Mike Tannenbaum liked to trade up (Darrelle Revis, Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene, Dustin Keller), but Idzik would be better served to trade down in a draft short on blue-chip difference-makers. If he stays put, he must hit back-to-back home runs.
AP
Luke Joeckel
If quarterback Geno Smith falls in his lap, would Idzik take him? Would he take Ryan Nassib or E.J. Manuel later in the round? Tonight's first round won't inspire comparisons to the great Quarterback Class of 1983 (John Elway, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino) nor the Class of 2012 (Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson). That doesn't mean three or maybe four quarterbacks couldn't squeeze their way into the round once quarterback-desperate teams start to panic for the likes of Nassib, should Buffalo's Doug Marrone pass on his former QB at Syracuse, Manuel or Matt Barkley.
High drama inside Radio City Music Hall, where the cynical Jet draftniks always steal the show. GM Jerry Reese and the Giants will do what they always do, pick the highest-rated player on their board with their 19th pick, and probably make it count.
I've finished navigating through the NFL smoke, and now, back by popular demand or sports editor assignment, I present the Serby Mock Draft:
steve.serby@nypost.com
Before Eddie Jordan took the podium for his introductory press conference Tuesday afternoon at Rutgers, it was clear the program's remaining players were in his corner.
The nine student-athletes sat front row, all wearing red Rutgers gear, as Jordan was introduced as their next coach at "The Barn" on Rutgers' New Brunswick campus.
Jordan, a Rutgers alum in its glory days — he was on the 1975-76 Final Four team — met with each of them, two at a time, last week after agreeing in principle to replace Mike Rice, fired April 3 after video was released of him abusing players. Jordan didn't try to sell them on his own merits. Instead, their new coach impressed the players with his knowledge of them. And in each instance, he said, "if you're in, you're in; if you're out, you're out," but he stressed they needed to fully invested if they wanted to remain at the school.
They all decided to come back — led by star sophomore guard Myles Mack, sophomore forward Kadeem Jack and junior forward Wally Judge.
"With a guy like that, he has a lot of [professional] ties, he knows how to coach obviously," Jack, a Queens product, said. "It made my decision a lot easier to stay here."
Said Mack: "He's a calming influence. He's talking to us about the times he was here, how everybody doubted them, how we can do the same thing if we play together and just be fundamental."
Since Rice's dismissal, five players had asked for and received their release from their scholarships. But on Tuesday, one of them — wing Malick Kone — was at the press conference, and all signs point to his return. Junior wing Mike Poole committed to Iona, but Jordan is working on sophomore guards Jerome Seagears and Eli Carter, the team's leading scorer.
A former NBA head coach with the Kings, 76ers and Wizards, Jordan is hitting the ground running. Tuesday night, he visited top New York City senior guard Jon Severe of Christ the King, who will pick a school on Wednesday, and he plans to attend a few AAU showcases this weekend to scout prospective talent.
Jordan has retained assistant coaches Van Macon and David Cox, who was serving as the head coach on an interim basis, to aid in his recruiting efforts. The duo's presence has helped make sure the cupboard isn't completely barren for Jordan. They played a role in the program's current players staying put.
"Those guys went through the things we went through with us," Judge said. "They've been here for us. Him keeping them around is a great thing."
The players resisted comparing Jordan to the fiery Rice, but the differences are glaring. When Jordan took to the podium, his voice cracked from his joy of landing the job. He likes to speak softly in the huddle, to force the entire team to gather closer together, and he doesn't curse, a habit he picked up years ago.
"The way he coaches, he talks to you more than he yells," Mack said. "I really haven't heard him yell yet. He comes up to you and tells you what you did wrong, instead of screaming at you."
zbraziller@nypost.com
Cordarrelle Patterson never has been to New York before this week, but he might need to get used to the place.
Patterson, a wide receiver from Tennessee, is a possible target for the Jets in tomorrow's first round. Patterson is a classic prospect that has a ton of potential but a high possibility of being a bust as well.
The 6-foot-2, 216-pounder ran the 40 in 4.42 seconds and is explosive with the ball in his hands. He has return ability and even played some in the backfield in his one year with the Volunteers.
JETS 2013 SCHEDULE
"I think I bring a lot to the table because of my size and my speed," Patterson said in a phone interview this week. "When I get that ball in my hands, I'm explosive with it. I feel like I can score. When I get the ball in my hands no one is going to stop me. I will do whatever it takes to get in the end zone. I have that mindset on every play. I just try to be a freak out there and not let anybody get in front of you and stop you from doing what you know you can do."
Patterson had an official visit with the Jets last week in New Jersey. He said they seem interested, but he admitted it is hard to decipher what any team is really thinking.
The biggest question mark for Patterson is his ability to learn an NFL offense. He spent just one season at Tennessee after playing in junior college. There are questions about his understanding of route running and intricacies of playing receiver.
The Jets desperately need to upgrade the receiver position. Santonio Holmes is coming off left foot surgery and probably will be released after this season.
Patterson bears some similarities with Stephen Hill, the receiver the Jets took in the second round last year. Hill, like Patterson, has freakish athletic ability but had limited experience in college. Hill struggled last season with the Jets.
At Tennessee last fall, Patterson had 46 catches for 778 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran the ball 25 times for 308 yards and three touchdowns and returned 24 kickoffs, averaging 28 yards a return. He scored a 98-yard touchdown on a kickoff return.
Patterson said he's not worried about learning an NFL offense.
"I feel like I'm ready for the next level," he said. "I'll do whatever it takes to get out on the field. I expect big things from myself."
One hurdle Patterson has had to overcome is the leaking of his Wonderlic score. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported he scored an 11 on the test teams give at the combine. Patterson said he has told teams not to judge him off what they hear.
"They go off what they hear from news reports or whatever," he said. " 'He ain't willing to do this or that. He's lazy.' I just sat down and told the teams if you know who I am you won't say anything like that about me. I'm a good person and I'm willing to work hard. I'll do whatever it takes. You can't believe what you hear. You have to find out who I am."
Jets fans might get the chance soon.
brian.costello@nypost.com
TAMPA — The conversation took place last Wednesday.
Darrelle Revis was at the Jets' Florham Park, N.J., facility rehabbing his surgically repaired left knee when he bumped into new Jets general manager John Idzik.
This is how Revis recalled the conversation:
"Do you want to be a Jet?'' Idzik asked.
"Why would you ask me that question?'' Revis responded, adding he made it clear to Idzik he wanted to remain a Jet.
That is when, Revis told New York reporters yesterday shortly after he was introduced in a Tampa press conference as the newest member of the Buccaneers, Idzik assured him he wasn't going anywhere.
AP
PARTING SHOT: Darrelle Revis is all smiles as he sits with Bucs GM Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano at his introductory press conference. But later he said Jets GM John Idzik lied to him and owner Woody Johnson never talked with him. Post columnist Mark Cannizzaro writes the Revis saga didn't have to end in such an ugly fashion.
Four days after that conversation, Idzik traded Revis to Tampa Bay for the Buccaneers' 13th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday, and a conditional 2014 fourth-rounder that could become a third-rounder.
So minutes after Revis smiled for the cameras and answered questions from Tampa-area reporters he was sitting in a quiet hallway with three familiar New York faces and he painted a picture of lies and deception he believes he was subjected to from the franchise he hoped to play the rest of his career with.
"I definitely feel like I haven't gotten the truth [from the Jets],'' Revis said. "Anyone can sit there and tell you to your face, 'Yeah, you're going to be a Jet.' But what's the truth out of it? It was more from Idzik. He told me I was going to be a Jet. He said it then when we first talked and he said it last week, too. I know it's a lie.
"They give you the corporate answer instead of the truth,'' he went on. "Just tell the truth, because people want to know what's going on. I want to know what's going on with my career, whether you're going to trade me or you're not. Whatever you're doing, just let me know.
"I just don't get that part of not telling me what you're going to do with me when I come to you and ask questions and say, 'Hey, what's going on?' ''
Sure, Revis and his agents, who had a contentious relationship with Jets management over the years, could be a pain in the Jets' butt with the holdouts and constant desire for a better contract.
But even if the Jets didn't believe he was worth the $16 million a year he desired (and got from the Bucs), Revis, always a gamer on the field and never a problem off of it, was owed the truth. That would not have cost Idzik and the Jets a dime.
Revis, who dodged questions about his recovery from a torn ACL though the Bucs made it clear they expect him ready for their opener against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, said he felt deceived since the moment Idzik was hired and the rumors of the Jets' desire to trade him began to surface.
"I wake up one day in January going to rehab and I hear I'm getting traded and nobody even called me,'' he said. "I'm supposed to be the best player on the team and all of a sudden they're letting me go.''
Asked if he has spoken to team owner Woody Johnson, who it has been widely reported had no intention of paying Revis the big money he was seeking, Revis said, "Noooo. Woody don't want to talk to me, man. Let's just be real, man. Woody don't want to talk to me. He stayed as far away as he could.''
Revis also insisted the Jets never made any effort to sign him to a new long-term contract to keep him, even indicating that he would have been willing to take the same non-guaranteed deal he signed with Tampa Bay.
"The Jets never contacted my agents about a long-term deal or even a short-term deal,'' he said. "They never even approached us, so that's that. The truth is the truth.''
That the Jets never made an effort to negotiate with Revis' agents is as preposterous as it is bad business. At least make an effort to keep your best player — even if you know it's likely futile. Idzik did not return calls to comment on Revis' claims.
"It's over now,'' Revis said. "They knew I wanted to be there and obviously I'm somewhere different. This is a new chapter in my life. This is my new home, man. I'm in Tampa now. I'm a Buccaneer.''
Revis was willing to look at what he left behind, including his biggest supporter in Rex Ryan.
"As a friend, yeah, I feel for Rex," he said. "Rex played a big part in my career, and yeah I feel for him. I feel for him — not just because of my situation, but a lot of the things that have happened in the offseason. It's a whole new team up there."
There was a hint of melancholy to Revis' voice, because he wanted to remain in New York.
But there he was yesterday, dressed in a grey suit with a shiny Tampa Bay Buccaneers pin attached to the left lapel of his jacket, sitting in front of a bright red and pewter banner.
It just didn't look right. So much for being "a Jet for life.''
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com
SOCCER: Suarez fined for biting foe
Liverpool star Luis Suarez was charged with violent conduct by the Football Association after biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic Sunday in a Premier League match. Suarez could be in line for a lengthy suspension after the FA said a three-match ban would be insufficient.
Barcelona did not say for sure if Lionel Messi (hamstring) will start against Bayern Munich today in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals.
Robin van Persie scored a first-half hat trick as Manchester United clinched its 20th Premier League title with a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa.
MLS' disciplinary committee has doubled the suspension of Juninho to two games and fined the Red Bulls midfielder who kicked a ball at Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen during a dead-ball situation last Wednesday.
MLB: Dickey to start despite soreness
R.A. Dickey expects to make his scheduled start tonight for the Blue Jays against the Orioles despite being bothered by soreness in his neck and back. The 38-year-old former Mets right-hander was forced to leave his last start on Thursday after throwing six shutout innings against the White Sox.
Felix Hernandez (2-2) pitched six scoreless innings for his 100th career win as the Mariners beat the Astros 7-1. ... Mike Napoli hit a grand slam and drove in five runs in the Red Sox's 9-6 win over the Athletics. ... A.J. Pierzynski hit a tiebreaking homer with two outs in the ninth inning, and Texas rallied for a 7-6 win over the Angels.
Brandon Belt hit a game-ending single to left-center with one out in the ninth as the Giants rallied to beat the Diamondbacks 5-4. ... Jimmy Rollins hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth as the Phillies beat the Pirates 3-2.
The A's bought outfielder Casper Wells from the Blue Jays and transferred infielder Scott Sizemore to the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
The Twins pre-emptively postponed their game against the Marlins, due to approaching inclement weather. The game will be made up today as the second half of a day-night doubleheader. Four of Minnesota's last eight scheduled games have been wiped out because of weather problems.
HOOPS: Niagara hires Casey
Niagara University hired Long Island University Post's Chris Casey as the Purple Eagles coach. The Division II Pioneers from Brookville went a combined 62-25 in three years under Casey, including an 18-9 finish last season. He replaces lJoe Mihalich, who left to take over at Hofstra.
The Suns parted ways with general manager Lance Blanks after Phoenix went 25-57, the second-worst season in franchise history. ... Paul George of the Pacers has won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, sources said.
ETC.: Bowler rolls three straight perfect games
Joe Scarborough, a 50-year-old self-employed electrical contractor from Charlotte, on Sunday rolled the first 900 series in Professional Bowlers Association history — three straight perfect games. He said his previous high three-game series was an 838 and he had bowled 14 prior 300 games.
The last time the Jets had a pass rusher with double-digit sacks in a season, Herm Edwards was still the head coach.
You have to go back to 2005 when John Abraham had 10 1/2 sacks to find a pass rushing force on the Jets. The team famous for the Sack Exchange in the 1980s desperately needs to find someone to make Tom Brady and other quarterbacks uncomfortable.
That could lead to LSU's Barkevious Mingo coming to the Jets on Thursday night with one of the team's first-round picks. No player has been associated with the Jets by draft experts more than Mingo over the last few months.
JETS 2013 SCHEDULE
With Darrelle Revis gone, Rex Ryan's defense needs a pass rusher more than ever. The 6-foot-4, 241-pound Mingo may be gone by the time the Jets are on the clock at No. 9, but if he is available the Jets might grab him.
Mingo is going to scare some Jets fans. He is small and had a fall-off in production last year. His sack total dropped from 8 in 2011 to 4 1/2 last year. The scars of Vernon Gholston in 2008 remain with the Jets' fan base, and there will be comparisons.
Mingo said the drop in production is because of how the Tigers played defense last year.
"I don't know about overall stats," Mingo said at the scouting combine in February. "I know I had more sacks [in 2011]. Like I said, we kind of contain rushed a lot of teams to not let them get outside the pocket. It kind of took away from what we wanted to do, but it helped the team and helped us win."
The questions about Mingo are not just about his production, but also his size. He is light to be a 3-4 outside linebacker. The Jets did not bring Mingo in for a predraft visit, but that could be a smoke screen to downplay their interest. Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar attended Mingo's pro day at LSU.
One fan of Mingo is former Raiders and Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden.
"I love Barkevious Mingo at LSU," Gruden, now an ESPN analyst, said. "He's one of my favorite players in the draft. He could convert to the outside linebacker position and be an every-down force rushing the passer. I've seen him drop in coverage. He's got an electrifying inside move. I really think he's got a huge upside."
The Jets defense has lacked speed in recent years. Mingo would bring an explosive element the team has lacked.
"I think my speed separates me from every other guy in this draft. I'm a fast guy and I've got a quick first step and I like getting to the quarterback," Mingo said.
Mingo is known as "Keke" to his friends. His mother, Barbara, created his first name by taking the first three letters of her first name and adding them to the letters "kevious." He has a brother named Hughtavious after his father Hugh.
Jets fans won't care what his name is if he is sacking Brady this fall.
"With Rex, the pass rusher is necessary," ESPN Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. "Barkevious Mingo from LSU could still be there [at 9]. … They've got a ton of areas of need. You worry about filling needs, just take the best player. If you've got so many need areas, you can take the best player on the board and don't force anything.
"I think for the first-round pick, though, the pass rusher — if Mingo is there at 9, he's worthy of being the ninth pick overall."
brian.costello@nypost.com
Joakim Noah can barely walk due to the case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. But it was the Nets who limped out of Barclays Center last night.
The Bulls All-Star center outworked the Nets at both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter, leading the Bulls to a 90-82 Game 2 victory over the Nets in front of a sellout crowd of 17,732 and evening the best-of-seven series at one game apiece.
"I was just trying to find a way," Noah said. "Just trying to find a way."
That's exactly what the Nets were unable to do, and after a dominant effort in virtually all phases of play in the opening game of the series Saturday night, the Nets gave away a golden opportunity to take control of the series on their home floor.
Reuters
NOT TWO BE: Brook Lopez (rear) and Deron Williams show their frustration during the Nets' Game 2.
"We said we needed to come out and play the same way, and play with the same desperation, but we didn't," said Deron Williams, who went 1-for-9 from the field and finished with eight points. "I think they did, and we didn't.
"We just have to try to go win one in Chicago. This series isn't over."
PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
PHOTOS: BEST PLAYOFF MOMENTS
It's far from over, after the Nets ruined any chance they had of taking a 2-0 lead to Thursday night's Game 3 in the Windy City by shooting like they were playing outdoors in a hurricane. The Nets shot a dreadful 35.4 percent from the field, including 19 percent (4-for-21) from 3-point range, and committed 12 turnovers that led to 16 Bulls points.
Those shooting numbers included a dismal 2-for-19 performance in the third quarter, as the Nets saw themselves go from down one at halftime to down 12 heading into the fourth quarter, digging themselves a hole they were never able to recover from.
"We just didn't execute," interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "Their defense was very good, but our execution was not as good as it needs to be."
It certainly wasn't good enough from his backcourt, one the Nets have touted among the league's best since they put it together last summer. Williams finished with 10 assists, but never got his shot going after having his way with Chicago's defense in Game 1.
Joe Johnson, on the other hand, went 3-for-5 for seven points in the first quarter, then didn't score again until the fourth quarter, and finished with 17 points on 6-for-18 shooting. He missed a key 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining that would have cut Chicago's lead to one.
"We couldn't get over the hump," Johnson said, "and we weren't able to come up with the stops we needed."
But even once the Nets finally got themselves in gear after falling behind by 14 early in the fourth quarter, going on an 11-2 run to cut Chicago's lead to 73-68 on an Andray Blatche jumper with 7:45 remaining, they simply couldn't handle Noah, as he proceeded to make a series of plays that decided the game.
After forcing Blatche to miss a runner in the lane, Noah slipped through the Nets' defense at the other end to throw down a ferocious dunk to push the lead to seven.
On Chicago's next offensive possession, Noah somehow got his hands on an errant Carlos Boozer jump shot, and then found Nate Robinson for a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 78-68 and gave the Bulls enough of a cushion to hold off the Nets.
"I wasn't really thinking too much," Noah said. "I was just hooping, trying to make plays."
He made more than enough to beat the Nets last night, who gave up home court and now find themselves with a series on their hands.
tbontemps@nypost.com
Brooklyn
* A pregnant woman got whipped into a furious rage by her little brother and attacked him with dessert toppings in East New York, authorities said.
Crystal Rosario, 25, allegedly smashed her 11-year-old brother in the face with a can of whipped cream and left him bloodied after an argument inside their sixth-floor apartment on Loring Avenue near Eldert Lane at around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, law-enforcement sources said.
Their mother wasn't home at the time, so the boy called cops, sources said. The big sister ended up in cuffs on assault, menacing and weapons-possession charges, the sources said.
The boy suffered a cut under his right eye, but did not require medical treatment, the sources said.
* A man was found dead inside a group home in Brooklyn Heights yesterday, and law-enforcement sources said police have a suspect in custody.
Cops were called to the Institute for Community Living for an assault in progress at around 6:30 a.m. and found the 45-year-old victim with head trauma, police said.
The victim was rushed from the home at 50 Nevins St. to Long Island College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The victim's name has not been released. The man in custody had not been charged as of yesterday.
* She would have been better off just taking the ticket.
A corrections officer pitched a fit when cops pulled her over for talking on her cellphone in Flatlands — and ended up with a slew of additional charges, law-enforcement sources said.
Sandra Brewster, 46, was yakking while driving on Flatbush Avenue near East 53rd Street at around 8 p.m. Saturday, the sources said.
After being pulled over, she refused to give cops her license or registration, police sources said. She also allegedly balked at getting out of the vehicle.
She was charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and driving while using a mobile phone.
* A 47-year-old man pulled out a boxcutter on a crowded, southbound N train in Coney Island and waived the weapon in front of terrified passengers, sources said.
John Handy, who's originally from Indiana, allegedly flashed the blade at around 9:30 p.m. Friday.
He was arrested moments after exiting the train at Pacific Street and Fourth Avenue, the sources said.
* Police say a man raped one woman and molested another in Bushwick.
The man first tailed a 39-year-old woman walking on Woodbine Street at 1:15 a.m. Feb. 1, shoved her to the ground, grabbed her buttocks and breasts and then fled when the victim fought him off, according to police.
The same creep then placed an object against a 37-year-old woman's back at around 5 a.m. April 6, demanded cash and then raped her inside of a building, police said.
The man is believed to be in his 20s, about 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds.
He was wearing a gray hoodie and black jeans.
Staten Island
* Police are investigating the death of a man found hanging inside a jail cell in St. George.
The victim, whose name was not released, had been taken into custody after a caller complained that the man had fallen asleep inside the El Tenampa Deli and Restaurant on Castleton Avenue at around 10:50 p.m. Thursday, police said.
The man was hit with a trespassing charge and placed inside a holding cell. He was found hanging from his belt at around 3:15 a.m. Friday, police said. The NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating.
Manhattan
* A corrections officer was arrested for allegedly shoplifting at Macy's in Herald Square — three months after promising never to return when he was caught doing the same thing, sources said.
Michael Crowe, 48, was charged with stealing seven pieces of clothing worth $186 from a display case, hiding them and leaving, the sources said.
In January, the Northport, LI, man had signed a promise never to go on the store's property again after being caught allegedly taking $1,815 worth of clothing.
He was packing heat in both incidents, the sources added.
Crowe was charged with burglary for returning, as well as criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny, the sources said.
A woman cruising on the back of a motorcycle was seriously hurt yesterday when the bike went out of control on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Greenpoint, cops said.
The man operating the motorcycle tried to cut in front of a car near Broadway at about 3:30 p.m., lost control and hit a divider, sending the woman flying off the bike, cops said.
The victim suffered severe head trauma and was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition.
The man suffered minor injuries, cops said.
No criminality was suspected as of last night.
Fredric U. Dicker
EXCLUSIVE
Gov. Cuomo has come up with yet another excuse for delaying a decision on allowing fracking for natural gas in New York's Southern Tier: He's afraid the Legislature will stop him, The Post has learned.
At least that's what Cuomo told a high-level meeting of state business leaders at the Executive Mansion just a few weeks ago, when he was pressed on why he wouldn't green-light a process that even his own state Health Department said was safe and that his Environmental Conservation Department said will create tens of thousands of jobs in one of the poorest areas of the state.
Getty Images
'The governor was pressed on why he's waited nearly 2½ years.' —State Business Council insider
"The governor was pressed on why he's waited nearly 2 1/2 years and still hasn't made a decision,'' said one of the participants at the luncheon meeting, during which Cuomo hosted the leaders of the Business Council of New York State, the state's largest business organization and one that endorsed him for governor in 2010.
"Cuomo said he was afraid of the Legislature, that if he gave the go-ahead to hydrofracking then the Legislature would pass a moratorium and try to ban it, and that they'd probably do it with enough votes to override his veto,'' the source continued.
Reached for comment, Cuomo spokesman and Chief of Staff Josh Vlasto insisted that the source was wrong and that the governor had never told business leaders that he feared the Legislature would impose a moratorium or override a veto.
"Totally false,'' Vlasto told The Post.
But Business Council President and CEO Heather Briccetti told The Post that Cuomo had, in fact, made the statement to members of the council's board of directors.
"The governor basically told our group that he was concerned that if he moved forward and allowed hydrofracking to take place, the Legislature would pass a moratorium, which would further complicate moving forward in the future," Briccetti said.
"And he said he was concerned they would do it with enough votes to override a veto if he issued one.''
Cuomo has offered many excuses for not making a decision on fracking since taking office in January 2011 — even as he's privately told business leaders and others he intended to allow fracking to go forward.
Most recently, he's claimed to be waiting for a new, last-minute health review on fracking's possible hazards from Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah, even though Shah's department concluded last year that the natural-gas drilling, already being used in nearly 30 states, could be safely done.
Cuomo never mentioned Shah or any concerns about potential health hazards at the Business Council meeting, Briccetti said.
Sources said Cuomo had also told associates that he's decided to put off a final decision until the end of next year because he wants to get through his 2014 re-election campaign without being harassed by anti-hydrofracking protestors who have dogged him during several public appearances.
Publicly, Cuomo has repeatedly insisted since running for election in 2010 that he would allow "the science and engineering'' to decide whether fracking could be safely done, but he's also contradicted that position by claiming public opposition had become a factor.
He's also shown himself able to get the Legislature to go along with highly controversial proposals that he favors, such as same-sex marriage, the tough new gun law, a new Tier 6 pension system, and ending pork-barrel "member items."
fdicker@nypost.com
AP
A Washington State Patrol trooper directs a driver away from the scene of a shooting that police said left five people dead.
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Gunfire erupted at an apartment complex in a city south of Seattle and five people were shot to death, including a suspect who was shot by arriving officers, police said early Monday.
Officers responding to an emergency call at 9:30 p.m. Sunday at the apartments in Federal Way found two injured men on the ground in a parking lot.
"When we arrived, there was a lot of gunfire already being fired and multiple calls, 911 calls of gunfire," said Federal Way police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock. One of the men reached for a gun as police moved in to assist the two, she said.
At that point, other officers opened fire. The suspect died but police said it wasn't immediately clear if it was from their gunfire.
The other man one the ground and a third man in the parking lot were found dead.
In a search of the complex, police found a fourth man dead in one apartment and a slain woman in another unit.
Schrock said police were trying to determine if the woman was accidentally hit by gunfire.
There was no immediate word what set off the shooting.
"We're gonna continue to go door to door in hopes that we can find some additional witnesses, and hopefully we won't be finding any more victims." Schrock said.
After police flooded the scene and carried out searches of the area, authorities said they did not think another shooter was on the loose or that there was an immediate threat to the public.
There were no reports of any officers being injured, and the names of the five people who were killed were not immediately available.
Federal Way is about 20 miles south of Seattle.
Rutgers already has lost five current basketball players, and it lost a recruit Saturday night.
Point guard Shane Rector of The Bronx verbally committed to Missouri after his official visit to the SEC school, his father Deshon told The Post.
Known as a pure scorer with explosive athleticism, Rector committed to then-coach Mike Rice in late January, but opened up his recruitment when Rice was fired in the wake of a video showing the coach abusing players was released. Rector said he kept Rutgers on his list, but without a new coach in place, he went in another direction.
Butler, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh and Western Kentucky were also involved.
The 6-foot-1 standout, who had a big year for prep powerhouse South Kent (Conn.), led local Catholic school St. Raymond to the CHSAA Class AA city title last season. He recently played in the Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a showcase for the top local prospects from New York and New Jersey.
He could receive minutes at the point immediately as Missouri graduates elite floor general Phil Pressey after losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
zbraziller@nypost.com
MIAMI — LeBron James typically cannot sleep much before the first game of a postseason. Even after 10 years in the league, three MVP awards and a championship, Game 1 still kicks his anxiety level into high gear.
"Like the night before Christmas," James said.
Makes sense, because the Heat have been waiting about a year for this.
The eight preseason outings, the 82 regular-season contests, it's all forgotten now by the Heat — who, from the moment last season ended amid a championship celebration, have been fixated on the challenge that awaits in this postseason. For them, Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the Bucks tonight may as well be Game 1 of their season, since to the Heat, this is all that matters.
The Heat are overwhelming favorites to steamroll Milwaukee, after finishing 28 games ahead of the Bucks in the standings, though Miami coach Erik Spoelstra wants no part of that sentiment.
"For some ill-informed people, this series probably doesn't draw enough interest in their eyes," Spoelstra said. "That couldn't be further from the truth from our perspective. This is a team that's challenged us and we struggled against them in our first two games, where that speed and quickness got to us. ... I believe our guys have the right respect and perspective for this team as a dangerous team."
For Milwaukee, the road back to the playoffs after a two-year absence was not without some bumps. The Bucks endured a midseason coaching change, with Scott Skiles departing after 32 games. And the man who replaced him, Jim Boylan, acknowledged that there was a couple of times Milwaukee's season might have seemed on the cusp of slipping away.
Milwaukee went 6-1 between Feb. 26 and March 10, then 6-15 the rest of the way — yet still got into the eighth and final playoff spot, four games ahead of the Sixers and Raptors.
"We've had ups and downs, two weeks where we play great, two weeks where we don't play so great," Boylan said. "But we've played well enough, so here we are. And I want the guys to feel good about it, and I think they do." Added guard J.J. Redick, speaking to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "We have nothing to lose. They're one of the greatest teams ever assembled."
One of his guys apparently feels better about it than anyone else.
Bucks guard Brandon Jennings averaged 23.8 points against the Heat this season, and put up 30 in the last meeting between the clubs. And he raised some eyebrows in recent days when he said that he wanted to see Miami in the postseason.
"I asked for this matchup, actually, a while back, just for the fact that I think we match up well against them," Jennings said. "Every time we play the Heat it's either a close loss or we probably blow them out or something happens. I'm real confident in this, I'm sure everybody's writing us off, but I see us winning the series in six."
That's at least the second time Jennings has been quoted saying he thinks Milwaukee matches up well with Miami. When Jennings said it not long before the teams' final head-to-head matchup in the regular season, as it became obvious that Miami-Milwaukee would be a first-round matchup, James found his opinion to be a bit amusing.
"That's OK," James said. "If they feel that way, they have us in the first round. And we'll see how well we match up."
Other Milwaukee players seemed to take a slightly less aggressive approach than their loquacious teammate when it came to series predictions.
"I think whoever wins the series is going to win the whole thing," Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy said, with the slightest bit of a smile. "Feel pretty good about that. It's a team that's lost four games in the last 40 or 50. We've got to do it in seven. So I think our best approach will be try to get one game. You get one game, try to get another game."
TORONTO — It has been a pretty easy trip "home" in more ways than one for Vernon Wells this weekend at Rogers Centre. The former Blue Jay not only collected five hits (including two homers) over the first two games of the series, he also had a free route to home plate while scoring the game-winning run in the Yankees' 5-3 victory yesterday.
With the game forced into extra innings due to David Robertson's meltdown in the eighth, Wells sparked the Yankees by leading off the 11th with his third hit of the afternoon, a single to center. After advancing to second on a single by Francisco Cervelli, Wells took off for third on Ichiro Suzuki's sacrifice bunt attempt. Pitcher Aaron Loup tried to get Wells at third, but there was nobody covering the bag, leaving Loup's throw sailing into foul territory as Wells and Cervelli both scored on the play.
Wells said he was "shocked" Loup tried to make the tough out at third.
"Guys get in the moment and you make an aggressive play like that and sometimes it works out," Wells said. "You look great when it works out and bad when you don't. That's the nature of this game."
Call it good fortune, comfort in familiar surroundings or simply being welcome to a fresh start, but Wells' series in Toronto has been a continuation of his success since joining the Yankees in late March. Following two mediocre seasons with the Angels, Wells' career was thought by many to be virtually over before the Yankees acquired him to help fill the outfield void left by the injured Curtis Granderson.
Wells, 34, has found new life as a Yankee, hitting .310 with five home runs in 15 games with the team.
Wells is appreciative of being given a chance by the Yankees and he believes his adjustment was made easier since this was his second time switching teams. Before he was dealt to the Angels prior to the 2011 season, Wells had already put down significant roots as a Blue Jay, playing with the team from 1999 to 2010.
"Guys are honored to have the opportunity to put this uniform on and we want to take full advantage of it," Wells said. "It helps when you've been to another team before this. That's a huge change and to have gone through it already you know what to expect. That makes it a little easier coming to this organization and fitting right in."
You could have predicted a big game for Wells on Saturday given that Mark Buehrle was on the mound for the Jays and, sure enough, Wells homered and singled in three at-bats against the veteran left-hander. Wells is now hitting a whopping .489 (23-for-47) against Buehrle over his career, with two homers and nine RBIs.
"He's a guy that throws strikes and I'm usually a guy who's swinging often. I've gotten a few to fall in," Wells said. "We're two old guys that have been around a long time and who have had to face each other several times so we have fun with it."
Wells almost had another hit in the eighth inning when he hit a hard grounder down the third base line, but Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie made a diving play to catch the ball and throw out Wells at first.
FIRST: mile pace; $14,000; claiming
| 5 | Ideal Gift (LStalbaum) | 8.20 | 4.00 | 2.70 |
| 1 | Cam's Oracle (M Kakaley) | 4.50 | 3.20 | |
| 4 | All Star Dragon (B Holland) | 2.50 | ||
* Exacta (5-1) $33.00 * Triple (5-1-4) $108.00Scr: Cutty Shark.
SECOND: mile trot; $23,000; cond
| 1 | MasterPne(JPntleno) | 2.90 | 2.60 | 2.20 |
| 5 | Adonis B (J Stratton) | 13.40 | 5.20 | |
| 4 | Stand Guard (M Kakaley) | 5.40 | ||
* Exacta (1-5) $52.50 * Triple (1-5-4) $175.00 * Daily double (5-1) $13.60
Exacta picked by Bill Smith
THIRD: mile pace; $14,000; claiming
| 5 | DllenbchHnovr(TButr) | 24.20 | 8.40 | 3.10 |
| 1 | Myflowrmoonshn(LStlbum) | 5.30 | 2.50 | |
| 6 | Mr Salming (B Sears) | 2.10 | ||
* Exacta (5-1) $85.50 * Triple (5-1-6) $390.00 * Superfecta (5-1-6-4) $1,739.00
FOURTH: mile pace; $40,000; Bluechip
| 1 | Ramalama (Y Gingras) | 5.80 | ||
| 5 | Anndrovette (T Tetrick) | 5.80 | ||
| 2 | Warrawee Koine (J Bartlett) | 5.80 | ||
* Exacta (1-5) $10.40 * Triple (1-5-2) $26.40 * Pick 3 (1-5-1) $76.00
FIFTH: mile trot; $20,000; cond
| 4 | SpeedBomb(YGngrs) | 9.00 | 6.00 | 2.90 |
| 7 | ManAboutTown(LStalbum) | 19.80 | 4.70 | |
| 1 | Perfect Picture (B Sears) | 2.20 | ||
* Exacta (4-7) $317.00 * Triple (4-7-1) $601.00 * Superfecta (4-7-1-2) $2,440.00
SIXTH: mile pace; $40,000; Bluechip
| 3 | Feeling You (T Buter) | 5.50 | 3.10 | 2.20 |
| 2 | Handsoffmycooke(TTetrck) | 6.10 | 2.80 | |
| 1 | Rocklamation (Y Gingras) | 2.10 | ||
* Exacta (3-2) $16.60 * Triple (3-2-1) $37.80 * Pick 4 (5-1-4-3) $1,188.00
SEVENTH: mile trot; $23,000; cond
| 5 | SpecalEdde(YGngras) | 12.20 | 5.30 | 3.40 |
| 4 | Super Manning (B Sears) | 3.10 | 2.10 | |
| 1 | Force Nine (T Tetrick) | 3.00 | ||
* Exacta (5-4) $41.20 * Triple (5-4-1) $230.00 * Triple () $0.00 * Pick 3 (4-3-5) $281.00 * Pick 3 () $0.00
EIGHTH: mile trot; $38,500; Open
| 8 | ImperlCount(TButer) | 7.70 | 4.10 | 4.00 |
| 7 | Calchips Brute (T Tetrick) | 4.10 | 5.20 | |
| 6 | Monsignor Flan (B Holland) | 7.70 | ||
* Exacta (8-7) $27.80 * Triple (8-7-6) $191.50 * Superfecta (8-7-6-5) $373.50
Exacta picked by Bill Smith
NINTH: mile pace; $40,000; Bluechip
| 5 | RmonDsomm(DDube) | 6.90 | 6.40 | 2.70 |
| 4 | Keepers Destiny (B Sears) | 5.30 | 2.30 | |
| 1 | Darena Hanover (Y Gingras) | 2.10 | ||
* Exacta (5-4) $27.40 * Triple (5-4-1) $48.80
Exacta picked by Bill Smith
TENTH: mile trot; $26,000; cond
| 1 | PrfctRndton(LStlbum) | 8.70 | 4.10 | 3.10 |
| 2 | Justa Rebel (M Kakaley) | 5.20 | 4.00 | |
| 5 | Sugar Queen Gabby (T Tetrick) | 2.30 | ||
* Exacta (1-2) $44.80 * Triple (1-2-5) $129.00 * Superfecta (1-2-5-3) $465.50 * Pick 3 (8-5-1) $128.50 * Pick 4 (5-8-5-1) $3,056.00
ELEVENTH: mile pace; $23,000; cond
| 5 | TropcalBreeze(BSers) | 6.70 | 3.90 | 2.20 |
| 6 | Campanile (M Kakaley) | 5.20 | 4.10 | |
| 4 | Your Beautiful (T Tetrick) | 3.00 | ||
* Exacta (5-6) $36.20 * Triple (5-6-4) $128.50 * Superfecta (5-6-4-2) $365.50 * Late double (1-5) $28.20
Winner picked by Bill Smith
Attendance: Unavailable.
Total Handle: $574,141.
Thomas J. Kelly, the retired Hall of Fame horseman whose 65 stakes winners included champion sprinter Plugged Nickle, died Friday in Hialeah, Fla., at age 93.
From a racetrack family of trainers that included his brother, Eddie, and sons Timothy, Patrick and Larry, Kelly took out his trainer's license in 1945 after receiving two Purple Hearts during World War II.
Besides Plugged Nickle, winner of the 1979 Remsen and the Florida Derby, Wood Memorial, Jim Dandy and Vosburgh in 1980, Kelly's major stakes winners included King's Bishop, Topsider, Globemaster, Salt Marsh, Small Raja, Storm and Sunshine, Colonel Moran, Noble Dancer II and Sauce Boat.
Kelly also is credited with launching the career of Hall of Fame jockey Bill Hartack, and he was co-breeder of Evening Attire, the gallant gelding who earned $2.9 million while winning 10 stakes, including the 2002 Jockey Club Gold Cup while trained by Pat Kelly.
"He was the quintessential horseman who lived for the game," said son Timothy, currently the clerk of scales for the New York Racing Association. "In addition to being a great horseman, he was a great husband and great father and grandfather."
Kelly is survived by his wife Francis, to whom he was wed for 67 years, four sons, two daughters and numerous grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.
ed.fountaine@nypost.com
Lexington
Keeneland, ninth race. Grade 3. Purse: $200,000. 1 1/16 miles, Polytrack, 3-year-olds. Post: 5:13 p.m.
LOWDOWN: Though the Irish-bred colt Cerro has won on dirt, chances are he's better on turf, which suggests he can excel over a synthetic surface. He has been training well over the surface at Keeneland for this final Derby prep, which will be his first start since the Feb. 23 Fountain of Youth, when he was in the thick of things to the turn for home before fading late.
TV: TVG, NYRA Channel 1994
ILLINOIS DERBY
Hawthorne, eighth race. Grade 3. Purse: $750,000. 1¹/‚ˆ miles, 3-year-olds. Post: 6:15 p.m.
LOWDOWN: After winning his first two starts last year by a combined 15 lengths, Dewey Square completed his 2-year-old campaign finishing third in the Kentucky Jockey Club. In two starts this year, he has failed to follow up on that promising beginning, finishing off the board in the Holy Bull and Palm Beach against some pretty stiff competition. The son of Bernardini has trained well since, however, and is taken to rebound for Dale Romans at a big price.
TV: TVG, NYRA Channel 1994
CHARLES TOWN CLASSIC
Charles Town, 12th race. Grade 2. Purse: $1,500,000. 1¹/‚ˆ miles, 4-year-olds and up. Post: 10:30 p.m.
LOWDOWN: Game On Dude has won all three of his starts since Mike Smith signed on as his jockey, including a 7 3/4-length romp last out in the Santa Anita Handicap. There's some question over how he will handle shipping East, but in his current form, while only giving away from 5-to-7 pounds to his six opponents, he should prevail.
TV: HRTV, TVG, NYRA Channel 1994.
LAST WEEK: At Keeneland, Centre Court won the Jenny Wiley paying $5.40, $3, $2.40; Java's War won the Blue Grass paying $11.20, $5.60, $4; at Oaklawn, Texas Bling (14-1) was eighth in the Arkansas Derby.
MLB: Red Sox, Bruins postpone games
The Red Sox and Bruins postponed their games last night while authorities searched for the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. No makeup date was announced for the Red Sox-Royals while the Bruins-Penguins game is set for today.
In Pittsburgh, Wandy Rodriguez faced the minimum while throwing seven innings of 1-hit ball to outpitch Tim Hudson and help the Pirates beat the Braves 6-0. Hudson was seeking his 200th win. ... In Cincinnati, Justin Ruggiano hit a solo homer off Reds closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning, sending the Marlins to a 2-1 win. ... In Philadelphia, Roy Halladay tossed a two-hitter over seven innings and the Phillies beat the Cardinals 8-2 in a rain-shortened game to snap a four-game losing streak.
GOLF: Rain suspends second round of RBC Heritage
Kevin Streelman, Charley Hoffman and rookie Steve LeBrun were tied for the RBC Heritage lead when second-round play was suspended because of rain in Hilton Head, S.C. Seventeen players were unable to finish.
In Hawaii, Suzann Pettersen shot a 4-under 68 to maintain a one-stroke lead after the third round of the LPGA Lotte Championship. ... In Duluth, Ga., Bart Bryant shot a 4-under 68 to take a share of the first-round lead in the Champions Tour's rain-delayed Greater Gwinnett Championship.
Peter Uihlein of the U.S. shot a 4-under 68 to take a one-shot lead after the second round of the Spanish Open in Valencia, Spain.
ETC.: Carter's transfer from Rutgers official
Eli Carter, Rutgers' leading scorer last season, has received his official release and will transfer. ... Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison agreed to a two-year deal with the AFC North-rival Bengals.
Seton Hall's hiring of former Rutgers head coach Fred Hill as an assistant paid immediate dividends.
As in hours.
Wednesday morning, Hill was officially named an assistant coach and by the afternoon, elite New Jersey point guard Jaren Sina of Gill St. Bernard's verbally committed to head coach Kevin Willard and plans to sign today.
The sharp-shooting Sina, who was released from his national letter of intent by Northwestern after it fired head coach Bill Carmody, had scheduled a visit to Indiana for next week but instead opted to join the Pirates.
"I decided this is where I want to go," he told The Post. "I didn't want to waste my time and Indiana's time. This is what I wanted to do. I thought Seton Hall was a better fit for me. I'm excited to play for Coach Willard. I want to play for my state. That's huge."
Sina will form a potent one-two all-Garden State backcourt with Texas transfer Sterling Gibbs, a pair of interchangeable guards who can light it up from the perimeter and also run a team. The two talked frequently the last two weeks, and Sina said Gibbs helped sell him on the Hall.
"You got a two-headed monster, two kids who really know the game," said Mergin Sina, Jaren's father and high school coach. "As a coach and a former player, I know the value of having a guard who knows how to play. You find ways to win games with smart guards. I'm a believer in that."
Sina, who averaged 21 points and nine assists per this past season, also considered Northwestern and Alabama.
Hill, an assistant under Carmody at Northwestern who also served as an assistant under Tommy Amaker at Seton Hall, was Sina's lead recruiter when he committed to the Big Ten school. Sina credited the work done by assistant Dan McHale and said Hill didn't exactly make his decision.
"Either way, Seton Hall would've been a good option,'' he said. "Coach Hill was a huge factor."
Landing Sina is a major coup for Willard, who lost out on top Baltimore recruit Aquille Carr after the dynamic guard opted to play professionally overseas for the coming season. The Pirates also inked junior-college wing Stephane Manga of Monroe College.
"I think it was about timing," Mergin Sina said. "Things happen for a reason, I believe that. We're glad to have Jaren play at home. As a family, you can't get better than that."
zbraziller@nypost.com
Unlike many other teams around the NBA who rested their key players in their season finales, the Nets opted to give all of their players a chance to get some work in last night's 103-99 victory over the Pistons in Brooklyn.
The logic behind the decision interim coach P.J. Carlesimo made to give his players some playing time in an otherwise meaningless game was understandable. After the Nets lost their chance to move up to the third seed in the East Sunday when they lost to the Raptors in Toronto, they rested Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Keith Bogans, Reggie Evans, Brook Lopez and Jerry Stackhouse in Monday's win over the Wizards.
Neil Miller
JAM SESSION: Gerald Wallace, who played just 27 minutes, slams one home during the Nets' 103-99 victory over the Pistons last night at Barclays Center. The Nets will face the Bulls in the first round of the NBA playoffs starting Saturday.
If Carlesimo had opted to hold them all out of last night's game, as well, it could mean they would be out of action for an entire week before the Nets began their first-round series against the Bulls at Barclays Center on Saturday.
"There's a possibility that we might not play again until Sunday, so there's a lot of days off," Williams said before finishing with eight points and six assists in 21 minutes. "So I think just the reps, and going out there and getting a good sweat in and just working on us, [and] not coming out there and just taking the night off because the game doesn't really mean anything, as far as the standings go."
Carlesimo said he would play his starters 18-24 minutes, and that's what he did. Williams, Johnson (10 points) and Lopez (20 points and nine rebounds) all finished with 21 minutes played, while Reggie Evans (seven points and 11 rebounds) played 24 minutes.
The only starter who played more was Gerald Wallace, who had five points and three assists in 27 minutes.
Carlesimo had hinted that Wallace, who returned to the floor Monday for the first time in two games after suffering a lower left leg contusion last Wednesday in Chicago, might get some extra minutes in order to try to improve his conditioning level.
Stackhouse finished with six points in 14 minutes, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, while Andray Blatche and Kris Humphries had 15 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench.
AP
The nation's deadliest industrial accident happened in April 1947 in Texas City, Texas - killing more than 500 people.
Texas has experienced the thick smoke plumes and twisted carnage before.
The images emerging from Wednesday's fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas are reminiscent of the Texas City disaster - an April 16, 1947 explosion that killed more than 500 people.
That tragedy involved a ship filled with ammonium nitrate fertilizer. A fire broke out, and crew members - who didn't want to ruin the cargo with water - decided to suppress the flames by fastening the ship's hatches, keeping oxygen from fueling the flames.
But due to the ammonium nitrate, the fire didn't need oxygen. The flames grew and eventually a massive explosion occurred, turning the town into instant debris - and sending a shock that was felt 250 miles away, according to the Moore Memorial Public Library in Texas City. A second explosion occurred the next morning, causing further damage for the devastated area.
The Texas City disaster remains the nation's deadliest industrial accident. Now, nearly 66 years to the day, another industrial tragedy has befallen Texas - leaving another community leveled, shocked, devastated.
Texas City disaster
While their frontcourt had been a mess, the Knicks' backcourt actually had been healthy until last night. But now starting guard Pablo Prigioni's playoff status is in doubt.
Prigioni sprained his right ankle in the final game of the regular season — a meaningless one for the Knicks — and could play only 11 minutes in a 98-92 win over the Hawks. Prigioni's X-rays were negative, but with the playoffs beginning Saturday, will his ankle be sturdy enough to play? And play effectively?
"Don't know," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said of Prigioni's Game 1 availability. "I really don't know."
AP
PAINFUL EXIT: With Rasheed Wallace, who announced his retirement yesterday, looking on from the bench, Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni sprains his ankle in last night's 98-92 victory over the Hawks in the regular-season finale at the Garden.
The 36-year-old Prigioni isn't an indispensable player, but he has started the last 18 games, with the Knicks 16-2 during that stretch. In the 18-game span, the Argentinian rookie has averaged 4.1 points and 3.4 assists, shooting 52 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range.
If Prigioni can't play Saturday against Boston, the Knicks would presumably re-insert Jason Kidd into the starting lineup.
"To lose [Prigioni] and his energy and his defense and just his vision on the court would be huge," Steve Novak said, though he added, "I don't think that's the case."
Prigioni wasn't supposed to start last night, but Raymond Felton was scratched before the game, with Prigioni replacing him. He joined a unique starting lineup that included James White, Chris Copeland and Earl Barron (who signed with the Knicks yesterday).
Copeland, who had a career-high 32 points on Monday, poured in 33 last night and said he was OK despite his left shoulder popping out. Barron racked up 11 points and 18 rebounds, while Iman Shumpert had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds before suffering a cramp. The Knicks only used seven players.
mark.hale@nypost.com
