Why Mara’s dad stuck with Parcells after rocky 1st year

As told to Paul Schwartz

Bill called me after he was elected into the Hall of Fame and said, "I'd like to go in as a Giant, if you'll have me.'' I said, "Of course we'll have you.''

You don't go in as anything in particular, but I think that would have been his choice. Certainly this is where he had his most success and where he's best known for, and we welcome that.

My father, Wellington, was very fond of him and even when he had moved on to three and four teams after us they still corresponded and still spoke and still had a warm relationship. You have to remember Bill ended a long, long drought for us and so for that reason alone he'll always have a special place in our hearts, in particular my father's.

AP

WELL DONE: The late Wellington Mara (left) hands coach Bill Parcells the Lombardi Trophy after the Giants won Super Bowl XXI by defeating the Broncos.

My father loved the way he coached, loved the way he drove the players, and no question he was a personal favorite of his. It was a big thing that he was a Jersey guy, he grew up a Giants fan, that meant a lot to my father. Nothing matched the winning. That was the most endearing quality about him.

At the end of the 1983 season, I think we were 3-12-1, we had an inordinate number of players on injured reserve, we just had no team by the end of the year. General manager George Young really was considering firing Bill and actually had been speaking with Howard Schnellenberger at the time. I still remember to this day George saying to my father and me, "I can't get him this year but I might be able to get him next year, so let's go with Bill one more year.''

George was also sensitive to the fact that it was Bill's first year and we had all these guys hurt so maybe he deserves another chance as well. The unknown question is: Had Schnellenberger said yes, what would we have done? Fortunately he didn't say yes.

It was not always easy because Bill and George didn't always see eye-to-eye and my father of course loved George so sometimes that got to be a little difficult, but in the end it all worked.

My first impressions of Bill was when he was an assistant with us prior to '83 and he was just a big, gregarious, personable guy who would joke around, was fun to be around and man, that all changed at the end of the '83 season. I think he'll be the first to tell you when you're about to get fired or sensed you might get fired, it changes something in you. It definitely changed him. He became much more gruff and focused. Hey, that was a fine trade-off as far as I was concerned because it meant we were going to the playoffs and winning Super Bowls.

Bill could be difficult at times. But the greatest thing about him was I went into every game feeling like we had a chance to win and never feeling like we were going to be out-matched by the other coach. I felt like at the very least we were on an even playing field and usually we were already seven points ahead and that's a pretty rare quality.

When he was with Dallas, that was a little tough to swallow. I remember the last game of Eli Manning's rookie season, 2004, I saw Bill on the field before the game and I'm talking to him, we were commiserating a little bit and he said, "How you doing?'' and I said, "Not as good as you,'' and he said, "Hey, at least you got a quarterback.'' He had [Tony] Romo at the time but Romo hadn't played yet, he had no idea what he had. And to me that was kind of Eli's coming out party, he took us down the field at the end of the game and we win the game.

Is he the greatest coach in Giants history? I don't want to get into that. The one we got now is pretty good, too. Steve Owen was a great coach and so was Jim Lee Howell so I'll let the media debate that. Bill's a Hall of Famer.

I remember being in the locker room after the two Super Bowls and being with my father and I knew how much those games meant to my father. I think that's probably the most distinctive memory I'll have, the relationship he and Bill had and the joy they both felt in winning those games.

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Hondo: Go with Gonzo!

Hondo followed up Monday's ultra-painful split by getting slammed with Strasburg and the Nats last night in Detroit, which pushed the accounts payable into four figures at 1,065 larys.

Today, Mr. Aitch will tune into Nat Gio and try a 20-unit play on Washington over Kate Upton's ex. Tonight, he is banking on Bedard and Kuroda to torment their former teams — 20 units apiece on the Astros and Yankees.

-$

Anthony "A-Wad" Weiner, according to sexting chum Sydney Leathers, used to call her as many as five times a day to have phone sex. Medical experts predict the man who calls himself Carlos Danger is headed for some serious issues with carpal tunnel syndrome ... It's now clear that Weiner's unrelenting devotion to his hobby is why so many want him to wash his hands of his political career ... Scientists reportedly have come up with a way to make new teeth from human urine. The only problem is it takes years and years of aggressive brushing to get the yellow out ... From emailer Zach R: "Time Warner is threatening to drop CBS, which means no David Letterman. So how do I sign up?"

hondo@nypost.com

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Pitching Form

		(Game time)	2013			'13 vs OPP		CAREER	LAST 3 STARTS
		LINE	W-L	ERA	*REC	W-L	ERA	vs OPP	W-L	IP	ERA	*AHW
Yankees	Kuroda (R)	(10:10pm)	10-6	2.51	12-9	1-0	2.70	1-0	3-0	19.0	0.95	9.9
Dodgers	Kershaw (L)	8 1/2-10	10-6	1.96	13-9	—	—	0-0	2-1	22.0	2.45	6.1
Mets	Mejia (R)	(7:10pm)	1-0	0.00	1-0	—	—	0-0	1-0	7.0	0.00	9.0
Marlins	Alvarez (R)	Even-6	1-1	2.64	2-3	—	—	0-1	1-0	19.2	0.92	9.2
Reds	Bailey (R)	6-7	5-10	3.77	8-13	—	—	4-0	0-3	19.1	4.19	12.6
Padres	Stults (L)	(3:40pm)	8-9	3.65	12-10	—	—	1-0	1-2	17.0	4.76	14.8
Cardinals	Wainwright (R)	5 1/2-6 1/2	13-6	2.51	15-7	—	—	8-4	1-1	21.0	3.86	11.6
Pirates	Locke (L)	(7:05pm)	9-3	2.15	11-9	1-0	0.00	1-0	1-2	19.2	2.29	11.4
Giants	Gaudin (R)	(7:05pm)	4-2	2.77	4-4	0-0	0.00	0-0	2-1	15.2	4.02	12.6
Phillies	Kendrick (R)	6-7	9-7	3.96	12-9	1-0	2.57	2-1	2-1	18.2	4.82	11.1
Rockies	Chatwood (R)	(7:10pm)	7-3	2.48	8-6	0-0	6.00	1-1	2-1	21.0	1.71	9.9
Braves	Minor (L)	7 1/2-8 1/2	10-5	2.89	14-7	1-0	4.50	2-0	2-1	22.0	2.05	7.4
Brewers	Peralta (R)	(8:05pm)	7-10	4.54	10-12	1-1	3.44	1-1	1-1	18.2	2.89	11.1
Cubs	Jackson (R)	5 1/2-6 1/2	6-11	4.89	8-12	0-3	6.48	3-5	1-1	20.2	2.18	7.0
Blue Jays	Dickey (R)	(3:35pm)	8-11	4.86	10-12	—	—	1-4	0-2	18.0	5.50	13.0
Athletics	Colon (R)	7 1/2-8 1/2	14-3	2.54	17-4	—	—	10-5	2-0	21.1	1.69	9.3
White Sox	Peavy (R)	(7:05pm)	8-4	4.28	8-5	1-0	1.29	5-3	2-1	15.1	7.04	11.7
Indians	Kluber (R)	7-8	7-5	3.74	9-8	—	—	1-1	1-0	18.2	1.45	9.2
Astros	Bedard (L)	(7:05pm)	3-8	4.28	6-13	—	—	1-1	0-3	16.1	2.20	10.5
Orioles	Gonzalez (R)	11-13	8-4	3.69	11-7	1-0	1.50	1-0	2-1	18.0	4.00	11.5
Mariners	Iwakuma (R)	(7:10pm)	10-4	2.87	14-8	0-0	18.00	0-0	3-0	20.0	2.25	9.9
Red Sox	Lackey (R)	7-8	7-8	3.19	8-10	—	—	15-10	1-2	19.2	5.03	12.4
Angels	Williams (R)	(8:05pm)	5-7	4.85	6-8	0-0	0.00	1-0	0-3	13.1	9.45	18.2
Rangers	Perez (L)	6 1/2-7 1/2	3-3	4.37	4-4	—	—	0-0	0-2	15.0	9.00	16.2
Royals	Guthrie (R)	Even-6	10-7	4.27	13-8	2-1	3.32	6-3	2-1	19.0	5.21	14.2
Twins	Correia (R)	(8:10pm)	7-7	4.56	10-10	0-1	5.84	0-2	1-1	13.0	7.62	15.2
Nationals	Gonzalez (L)	(1:08pm)	7-3	2.97	13-8	—	—	1-3	1-0	18.2	1.93	12.5
Tigers	Verlander (R)	6 1/2-7 1/2	10-8	3.99	11-11	—	—	1-0	1-2	18.2	5.79	14.0
D'Backs	Miley (L)	(7:10pm)	7-8	3.86	10-11	—	—	0-0	2-1	19.2	2.75	10.1
Rays	Hellickson (R)	7-8	10-3	4.48	14-7	—	—	0-0	2-0	17.0	3.18	10.6

* REC: Won-lost record of pitcher's team in games he has started.

* AHW: Average total of hits and walks yielded per nine innings.

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Tino mounts defense

Tino Martinez stepped down quietly as Marlins hitting coach over the weekend after accusations of his choking a player, among other incidents, emerged.

Too quiet as it turned out. The former Yankees first baseman decided he could not let his reputation be tarnished by quietly walking away from the game, so he told his side of the story in an interview with FOXSports.com.

"I started thinking about it, thinking I've got to say something, not just let it go away," Martinez, who won four World Series with the Yankees, told the website.

"I've had a great reputation in this game for years. I walked away from the game with integrity. But now, to have a couple of kids try to ruin my name, I felt I had to say something and fight back."

Martinez went through all of the situations that led to his verbal altercations with players. As The Post reported on Monday, it was mostly over Marlins hitters unwillingness to pick up baseballs in the batting cage. Martinez recalled it getting heated with Derek Dietrich, Chris Valaika, and Justin Ruggiano.

"One day I told Juan Pierre, 'One of these days, he's going to help us pick up the balls. He's a 27-year-old journeyman. You're a 15-year big leaguer. He will help us pick up the balls,' " Martinez said of the disagreement with Valaika.

"So finally after about a month or so goes by, I decide I'm going to tell him something: 'Hey, Chris, help us pick up the balls.' And he goes, 'Why should I? I didn't hit 'em.' And I said, 'Pick up the balls, you're part of this team.' And he goes, 'But I didn't hit 'em.' So, I got in his face and I said, 'Pick up the f------ balls. You're part of this f------ team.' I got in his face and said it kind of angrily. And he picked up the balls."

Martinez said he did feel like he stepped over the line when he questioned an injury to veteran infielder Casey Kotchman.

"That's probably the only one I regret — he's a good guy," Martinez said. "I questioned his injury [strained left hamstring]. I shouldn't have done that. I felt bad about doing that."

Martinez also said Marlins brass repeatedly had questioned him over the choking accusation made by Dietrich and that was one of the reasons why he left the team.

"I resigned because I felt the manager and general manager had lost trust in me somewhat," Martinez said. "They kept asking me, 'Did you grab [Dietrich] by the throat?' And I kept saying no. I felt like I was being isolated by some of the coaches, the manager and the general manager. I felt that they didn't want me around at that point."

jterranova@nypost.com

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Returning veterans must bring pop to this lineup

LOS ANGELES — Don Mattingly, a man who knows all about being a Yankee, was taken aback.

When one of the Yankees buses arrived yesterday at Dodger Stadium, Mattingly was surprised with what he saw.

"The guys were walking down from their bus and I didn't recognize any of them,'' the Dodgers manager said of the 2013 Yankees. "It's a little different. I didn't see [Derek] Jeter or Mariano [Rivera] or [Andy] Pettitte. But the Yankees are hanging in there.''

The offensively challenged Yankees hung in there last night until the ninth inning, when Mark Ellis' two-out single off Shawn Kelley scored Andre Ethier with the winning run in a 3-2 victory for L.A at a raucous Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers scored in the first on a Yasiel Puig double and a two-out single by Hanley Ramirez against Andy Pettitte. The Yankees answered against Zack Greinke with a run in the top of the second on a home run by Lyle Overbay. After a Juan Uribe homer put the Dodgers up 2-1 in the second, Overbay's ground out scored Alfonso Soriano in the fourth.

And that was it for the Yankees offense — once again.

It was been a season filled with injuries and Alex Rodriguez's monster issues as a result of the Biogenesis scandal.

But the lineup is beginning to look more like a major league lineup and the Yankees need to get all they can out of veterans like Soriano, Jeter and Curtis Granderson, who could be back as soon as this weekend in San Diego.

Jeter, to protect his right quadriceps, has been told not to run full speed and that hurt the Yankees' offense when he was thrown out twice on balls he might have beaten out.

Robinson Cano also must do more. With his former agent, Scott Boras, looking on from the front row and his new agent, Jay-Z, perched 30 seats to the left of Boras, Cano tried to put on a show but failed. He singled in the first, struck out in the third, swinging wildly on all three strikes, flied to center to the sixth and struck out again in the eighth.

There is no pop to the Yankees. The Yankees went into the night 29th in slugging percentage with a .371 mark, only the Marlins were worse (.336).

"I understand that we are going to have to win games like this,'' manager Joe Girardi said. "It's not a surprise for me. I understand what we have. I think our guys are trying to get good at-bats so I don't get frustrated with them. I know we have to win close games.''

A large group of Yankees came out for early hitting, four hours before the game. That was a tremendous sign of team unity, but also a desperate comment on the struggling offense.

The 55-51 Yankees now trail the first-place Rays by 8 1/2₂games in the AL East. They are 3 1/2 games back in the race for the second wild card, in fifth place in that race.

So many things have gone wrong for the Yankees, not just A-Rod being A-Rod. There have been the failed signings, notably Kevin Youkilis. Still, it's the end of July and the Yankees have a playoff pulse — even if it is a weak one.

Most of all, these Yankees must prove they can beat the good teams and that is so difficult to do with a weak offense. Against the Red Sox, Orioles, A's Rays, Rangers and Tigers, they are a combined 19-31. That tells the real story of this 2013 Yankees team.

A crowd of 52,447 fans showed up and stayed late, the Dodgers 15th sellout of the season. There were celebrities everywhere. This is a much noisier Dodger Stadium than in past years. The new ownership group has turned up the noise in many ways, making this once again a destination point for fans.

Unlike the Yankees, the Dodgers are a team the fans now recognize.

kevin.kernan@nypost.com

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Yankees on deck at Dodgers

TONIGHT — 10:10

LHP Andy Pettitte (7-8, 4.39) vs. RHP Zack Greinke

(8-3, 3.49)

TOMORROW — 10:10 P.M.

RHP Hiroki Kuroda (10-6, 2.51) vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw

(10-6, 1.96)

Both games on YES, WCBS (880 AM)

INSIDE THE MATCHUPS

YANKEES: Pettitte's previous start was a much needed reprieve from a troubling slew of poor outings, as he scattered eight hits and let up two runs in six innings in a 3-1 loss to the Rangers. It marked his first start since June 8 that he allowed fewer than three runs, a seven-game streak during which he posted a 5.40 ERA.

DODGERS: Greinke is coming off a mediocre outing against the Reds, in which he gave up four runs over seven innings in a loss. But he had tossed three consecutive gems heading into that outing, all three Dodgers victories, as he surrendered just one run in 22 innings (0.41 ERA).

STAT SO?

YANKEES: On Sunday, the Yankees won in a game in which they scored more than four runs, improving to 33-3 this season when scoring five or more. In games in which they produce four or fewer, though, the Bombers are 22-47.

DODGERS: The Dodgers might still be in good spirits after Sunday's emotional 1-0 victory over the Reds, a game in which phenom Yasiel Puig slammed a walk-off home run. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Puig's homer was the first walk-off for a Cuban player in a scoreless game in MLB history.

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After bursting on scene, Hughes’ & Joba’s days in Pinstripes nearly up

Joba Chamberlain was in a Tampa restaurant on May 1, 2007, when Phil Hughes made his second major league start.

Hughes no-hit the Rangers over 6 1/3 innings and Chamberlain, still moving up the Yankees' farm system, tried to put himself in Hughes' shoes.

"I'll never forget watching him that game against Texas," Chamberlain said. "The game was on TV and I saw this young kid, like me, doing something great. I thought, 'Man, I've got a chance to do that.' But I've learned life is never gonna go like it's supposed to."

Hughes and Chamberlain got to the majors only months apart in 2007, a pair of hard-throwing right-handers who seemed capable of remaking the pitching staff for years to come.

Charles Wenzelberg

BETTER DAZE: Joba Chamberlain (left) and Phil Hughes seemingly had bright futures when they celebrated the Yankees' clinching a playoff berth in 2007, but their careers have gone off the tracks and their days in The Bronx could be over by tomorrow's trade deadline.

Six years later, each has battled injuries, inconsistency and failure and could be looking at the end of their careers in The Bronx — either by trade before tomorrow's non-waiver trade deadline or following the season when they become free agents.

While the Yankees continue to search for offensive help, there's been scant interest in either pitcher.

Hughes has struggled with giving up homers once again — with 14 of the 20 he's surrendered coming at home — and Chamberlain has become little more than an afterthought in the bullpen, surpassed by Preston Claiborne and Shawn Kelley.

It's considerably different than when the two were rookies.

"He was setting the world on fire," Hughes said of Chamberlain, who pitched just 24 innings for the Yankees that season, but struck out 34 and had a 0.38 ERA. "They were trying to find a way to make room for him because he was so dominant. He was a rock star, basically. He had that point-whatever ERA and was striking out everybody. I'd never seen anything like that."

Hughes wasn't alone.

"I remember Joba being a big deal in the playoffs that year with that fastball," said CC Sabathia, who was on the Indians when they beat the Yankees in the postseason. "And then the whole thing with the midges. There always seemed to be a spotlight on him. He was a sensation, but you never know what's gonna happen. It's a tough game."

Both have found that out.

"Very rarely is the story written exactly how you'd want it," said Hughes, 4-9 this season, a victim of his own subpar performances and lack of run support. "Sometimes there are things to overcome. You hope it all pays off later."

GM Brian Cashman tried to temper expectations when each pitcher got to the majors, but believed they could both be a significant part of the future.

"We hoped," Cashman said. "They had big arms and so you look at them as potential long-term difference makers. But you realize how difficult it is. Between injuries and the difficulty of trying to perform at a high level, it's almost impossible. Hopefully, we've got more chapters to write with them."

When asked if those chapters could take place in The Bronx, Cashman said: "Time will tell. Their storyline here isn't over."

Chamberlain doesn't spend much time wondering what could have been.

"So much has happened since '07 — good, bad and indifferent," said Chamberlain, who still gets plenty of strikeouts, but gives up considerably more baserunners since returning from Tommy John surgery. "It really all runs together. We've both been through it all, pretty much."

So he looks across town at the Mets' hard-throwing, right-handed phenoms, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, and shakes his head.

"It sounds so familiar," said Chamberlain, who is friends with Harvey. "I've lived through all that, so I know sometimes, things happen. You try to do too much and you get in your own way and you end up trying to get back to where you were."

dan.martin@nypost.com

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A-Rod attorney: Appeal will shred documents, Bosch’s credibility

TAMPA — While Alex Rodriguez spent time hitting yesterday, we learned considerably more about his defense.

Major League Baseball isn't impressed. And baseball is so offended by A-Rod's alleged behavior it might try to keep him off the field immediately.

With MLB set to bring down the suspension hammer on Rodriguez and other Biogenesis suspects as soon as tomorrow, his attorney, David Cornwell, offered a glimpse yesterday of how the beleaguered Yankees' third baseman intends to appeal such a penalty. The Post reported Sunday that MLB is leaning toward suspending A-Rod for the duration of the 2013 season and all of 2014, as it would be difficult to defend a life sentence in front of arbitrator Fredric Horowitz.

Reuters

HERE'S THE CATCH: Alex Rodriguez works out in Tampa yesterday while his attorney laid out his defense plan.

Cornwell, who made his name in baseball by successfully defending Ryan Braun's positive drug test last year, told Stephen A. Smith of ESPN NY Radio he expects Rodriguez to challenge his imminent suspension and focused his criticism on the documents (featuring the names of Rodriguez and other ballplayers) that appeared originally in the Miami New Times.

"What's been made public are various documents that a disgruntled ex-employee of Biogenesis allegedly stole," Cornwell said, referring to Porter Fischer. "I would imagine we'll spend some time talking with the arbitrator about the documents and things of that nature. Their authenticity, their relevancy, the reliability — all of the things that typically arise in an adversarial proceeding will be the basis of our defense of Alex in his appeal hearing."

While the New Times' publication of these documents publicized the Biogenesis case, MLB officials believe that they have gathered enough other, superior evidence from Biogenesis owner Anthony Bosch — most notably direct communication between Bosch and Rodriguez — that Fischer's credibility is a moot issue.

Asked yesterday what would constitute a victory, Cornwell replied, "No discipline."

Of Bosch, Cornwell said, "Obviously, they [baseball officials] believe that he's credible. I have my concerns. But what's most important is whether or not arbitrator Horowitz will believe that he's credible or not. And that's something we will present in a hearing room, not through the media."

The Associated Press reported last night that baseball could look to suspend A-Rod, who is suspected of obstructing MLB's investigation into Biogenesis, under baseball's collective bargaining agreement, rather than its Joint Drug Agreement. Unlike the JDA, the CBA doesn't allow for automatic stays under suspensions, and since obstruction in and of itself isn't a drug-related penalty, this could be a viable avenue that would spare MLB the embarrassment of Rodriguez playing with the Yankees while a suspension hangs over him.

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Mets on deck at Marlins

TONIGHT — 7:10

RHP Zack Wheeler (4-1, 3.72)

vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi

(2-1, 3.54)

TOMORROW — 7:10 P.M.

RHP Jenrry Mejia (1-0, 0.00)

vs. RHP Henderson Alvarez (1-1, 2.64)

THURSDAY — 12:40 P.M.

RHP Matt Harvey (8-2, 2.11)

vs. RHP Tom Koehler

(2-6, 4.67)

All games on SNY,

WFAN (660 AM, 101.9 FM)

INSIDE THE MATCHUPS

METS: Wheeler gritted through six innings in his last start, letting up four runs (three earned)

in a 7-4 victory over the Braves on Thursday. The young righty has had his share of growing pains — especially in the control department — but has not surrendered more than three earned runs in a four-game span in which he is sporting a 2.78 ERA.

MARLINS: Eovaldi, a 23-year-old Texan, has shown consistency in seven outings, notching a quality start in six of them. Last Thursday, he turned in a six-inning, three-hit, no-run performance in a win over the Rockies.

STAT SO?

METS: Batters are hitting a solid .312 against Wheeler with the bases empty. But with runners on, opponents are hitting .162 against the rookie, and that number drops to .114 with runners in scoring position.

MARLINS: Eovaldi has a 6.19 ERA in three nighttime starts, compared to a 1.82 ERA in four afternoon starts.

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Cannes gem thief took only a minute to steal $136 million in diamonds

PARIS — Wearing a scarf to mask his face, the gunman held up at least three security guards and then fled the luxury Cannes hotel roughly a minute later with $136 million in diamond jewelry, more than twice the initial estimated worth of the loot.

The simple, speedy theft is the biggest jewelry heist in years. Police had previously said Sunday's theft at the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel had netted $53 million worth of treasure — even at that level a major haul.

But reached by The Associated Press, Philippe Vique, an assistant prosecutor in the Riviera town of Grasse, said the Dubai-based organizer of the diamond show had since raised the value based on a more complete inventory.

TO CATCH A THIEF:Cops (above) start probing the lightning-quick jewel heist at the luxury Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes, France.

TO CATCH A THIEF: Cops start probing the lightning-quick jewel heist at the luxury Carlton Intercontinental Hotel (above) in Cannes, France.

Vique described a canny, but quick and logistically simple, break-in. The suspect somehow got in through the hotel's locked French doors, which open onto Cannes' famed Croisette promenade, then held up the participants of the show with a handgun and ran off. The hold-up itself took about a minute, all with three private security guards, two vendors and a manager of the sale exhibit on hand, he said.

No customers were present at the time.

"He took a bag containing a briefcase and a small box, and then fled by another French door on the inside," Vique said.

"He left on foot . . . it was very fast."

The bag contained rings, earrings and pendants, Vique said. As the suspect began his getaway, a few jewels spilled out of the bag of loot and were quickly recovered.

"I wouldn't say it was easily done — opening a locked door," Vique said. "He found a way to open it. Why was he able to open this door?"

The jewelry was part of a display centering on the prestigious Leviev diamond house, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev. The show was scheduled to run until the end of August.

A Leviev spokesman declined to comment. A day earlier, the company issued a statement saying its officials were cooperating with authorities and were relieved that no one was injured in the robbery.

The hotel, in a statement, confirmed the robbery and said none of its employees or guests "were involved in or affected by the incident." The Carlton said it was cooperating with police and would not comment further on the criminal investigation.

Jonathan Sazonoff, US editor for the Museum Security Network Web site and an authority on high-value crime, told the AP on Sunday that police were likely to probe whether the heist was linked to recent jail escapes by alleged members of the Pink Panther jewel thief gang.

Vique said authorities were pursuing all possible leads and reviewing surveillance footage,

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Food-stamp-‘scam’ slam

Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. yesterday called the food-stamp fraud scheme exposed by The Post a "slap in the face" to taxpayers.

Vallone (D-Queens) blasted the shady practice of New Yorkers filling up barrels of goods purchased on their EBT cards then shipping them to the Dominican Republic to be sold.

"We pay our taxes here because we understand that the money is necessary to fund essential services and provide a safety net," Vallone said.

"But for New York City taxpayers to now find out that their hard-earned money is being used to make a profit in other countries is a slap in our face."

Vallone, who has supported a crackdown on welfare fraud in the past, said legislators must stop such flagrant abuses:

"It's up to our leadership to stop making it easier to obtain benefits and ignoring welfare fraud."

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Italy bus crash kills 37

A tour bus plunged into a ravine in southern Italy outside Naples yesterday after it smashed into several cars that were slowed by heavy traffic, killing at least 37 people, authorities said.

Reports said as many as 49 Italian tourists returning home from an excursion had been aboard the bus when it ripped through a guardrail after slamming into several cars, then plunged some 100 feet off the highway and into a ravine near a wooded area.

Firefighters said that they had extracted 37 bodies. State radio said 11 people were hospitalized with injuries, two in critical condition.

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Stick a fork in iconic eatery

Famed Upper West Side hamburger spot Big Nick's served its final patties yesterday, closing its doors after a half-century.

The owner of Big Nick's Burger Joint said he couldn't afford a proposed monthly rent hike from $42,000 to $60,000 and opted to shut down, despite 51 years of serving hamburgers and fries at 77th Street and Broadway.

"It's very sad. My whole life is here," owner Nick Imirziades said.

"We have a lot of regulars. This is a destination place. People come from all over the world. I care about the business, and a lot of people know that. Customers are crying. I have to bring handkerchiefs for them."

Imirziades said he's looking for new locations in the West 90s, perhaps for a Nick's relaunch.

Regular customer Richard Weiss said he'll miss Nick's, because the burger joint represents a dying breed of local businesses.

"When I moved to New York City, I decided I have to be close to Nick's. When I would look at an apartment, the Realtor would tell me about the school districts and I would tell them, 'I just want to live by Nick's,' " said Weiss, a 56-year-old Upper West Side dentist.

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The lone arraigner

What do you get when you take the former No. 2 man in the NYPD, make him a judge and ask him to reform the way arraignments are handled citywide?

You get "CourtStat," the name that the Honorable George Grasso has given to his new multi-agency system designed to streamline how roughly 360,000 defendants a year are processed through city courts.

"This is not rocket science," said Grasso, the former first deputy police commissioner and now New York's supervising judge for arraignments.

"It's accountability and communication," Grasso said of CourtStat, which he created as the courthouse counterpart of CompStat, the NYPD's revolutionary system of tracking and attacking crime trends.

George Grasso

CourtStat has cut the average time from booking to appearing before a judge from 27.58 hours in January 2012 to 20.09 hours in December, according to statistics from Chief Clerk Justin Barry.

Arrest-to-arraignment times were still averaging close to 30 hours when the state's chief judge, Jonathan Lippman, told the city's top Criminal Court administrator, Judge Barry Kammins, to fix the problem.

Early last year, Kammins chose Grasso as the perfect hybrid — both a judge and an ex-cop — to start whipping the clunky, multi-agency arraignment system into shape.

Grasso says he "sat everybody down," including judges, court clerks, defense lawyers, correction officials and the borough police chiefs.

After the meeting, the cops formed a Prisoner Transport Unit — a fleet of police vehicles comparable to the old-fashioned paddy wagons — to drive precinct to precinct, picking up defendants and bringing them to Central Booking, freeing the precinct cops from transporting them one by one.

He also changed every arraignment judge's first half-hour on the bench, turning those 30 minutes into a productive powwow.

"The police supervisor, the DAs assigned to the court, the court officers, Legal Aid, corrections — everybody has to come to the bench and talk to the judge and go over potential problems, looking at the oldest cases, where the logjams are, and how to fix the problems," he said.

"This sounds so simple, but before this it was so haphazard," he said.

In one courtroom, the light bulb burned out in one of the two rooms where defense lawyers hold pre-arraignment meetings with clients, "and no one was fixing the problem" for days, Grasso remembered.

"Now, before the court session starts, Legal Aid will tell the judge about the light bulb, and the judge will make sure it will get fixed," he said.

"Before, everyone would blame each other," he said. "Now, it is b.s.-proof. If there is a logjam, we know who is responsible and we work on fixing the problem."

larry.celona@nypost.com

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Weird but true

An Oregon man allegedly armed himself with a baseball bat to rob a gun store — so you already know how that ended up.

When Derrick Mosley, 22, smashed a display case, the manager of Discount Gun Sales in Beaverton pulled his own firearm, officials said.

Sheriff's deputies found Mosley cowering on the floor — at gunpoint.

***

A 9-year-old Canadian boy turned a lemon of a bad break into lemonade!

Neighbors complained that Corbin Potter was selling lemonade without a permit on their block — to raise money for a children's hospital. The cops shut him down.

But now Baton Rouge, a restaurant in Whitby, Ontario, says it will let Corbin put up his stand there on Aug. 13, with all the proceeds going to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

***

Maybe, baby, with the public's help, Pennsylvania cops can nab a hardware-store thief.

State police and Lowe's loss-prevention officers are looking for a "Buddy Holly look-alike" — with dark hair and thick glasses — who walked off with $1,700 in power tools from stores in Greensburg and Latrobe.

***

Can't fool Mom!

A 20-year-old Florida man allegedly punched and kicked two store employees after stealing a 99-cent bag of chips, authorities said.

When deputies arrested Benjamin Barber of DeBary, Fla., he told them his mother had predicted that he'd end up behind bars.

***

Her cups runneth over!

A 23-year-old Briton convinced her doctors that she needed taxpayer-funded breast-enhancement surgery to boost her sagging mental health, according to The Sun newspaper.

Now the Leeds woman is unhappy with having gone from a 32A to a 36DD — and wants to sue the doctors for making them too big.

"I was rushed through the process. I didn't actually ask for 36DD. I would have been happier with a B cup," she said.,

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The rumble

Widely accepted as the pinnacle of harness racing, next Saturday's Hambletonian at The Meadowlands will have a throwback flavor to it as heat racing returns for the first time since 1996.

Heat racing in the Hambletonian has provided plenty of thrills over the years, including the exciting stretch drive of Continentalvictory and Lindy Lane in 1996. In 1997, the Hambletonian eliminations were moved to a week before the race to provide a week of festivities and maximize the wagering at the racetrack.

"In many instances heat-racing gives a great combination of the two," Jason Settlemoir , CEO and General Manager of the New Meadowlands Racetrack LLC, told The Rumble. "It lengthens the drama of the Hambletonian and provides a thrilling afternoon for harness racing fans, especially those joining us on-track at The Meadowlands."

AP

But will fans be confused by this return to the old format of heat racing? Moira Fanning, director of publicity and operations for the Hambletonian Society, said she doesn't think the confusion will last long.

"In 2013, information dissemination is instant," Fanning said. "There are so many more ways to transmit information — the Internet and all the social media platforms available are a boon to a heat racing format."

* The New Meadowlands has announced the Nat Ray Free For All trot will be known as the John Cashman, Jr. Memorial beginning with the 2013 race on Hambletonian Day, in honor of the late father of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.

Mets p.r. chief

gets big head

One of the biggest heads in baseball belongs Jay Horwitz, the long-time public relations director with the Mets. Fans can get a close look at Jay's head on Aug. 23.

A Jay Horwitz Bobblehead will be part of the giveaway on Social Media Night when the Mets play host to the Tigers at 7:10 p.m. A portion of the tickets sold that night will go to "Hope Shines for Shannon." Shannon Forde, a Senior Director of Media Relations for the Mets, has been battling Stage 4 Breast Cancer since last August.

There will be a Third Eye Blind post game concert that night. For tickets and information:

Mets.com/jaybobble.

Papa Artest debuts

call-in radio show

Ron Artest Sr., the father of newest Knick Metta World Peace, debuted a new kids radio show yesterday, the Artest Foundation Community Show, on WWRL (1600-AM), from 1-2 p.m. The call-in show focuses on topics for young adults and children, regarding gun violence, financial literacy (learning how to read stock market information) and mental health. Artest, who runs a kids foundation, is co-hosting the show with Jennifer Edwards. World Peace is expected to be a guest in mid-August.

Local diamond

squads in RBI event

Two local youth baseball and softball teams have advanced to the 2013 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series, being held in Minneapolis and Saint Paul from Aug. 3-14. For the first time since 1997, Harlem RBI is sending a baseball team to the international tournament of the RBI program, and Hoboken RBI is sending its softball team for the fourth consecutive year.

The RBI World Series championship games in both teams' divisions (senior baseball, ages 16-18; softball, ages 19 and up) will air on MLB Network. The baseball championship game will be played at Target Field, the home of the Twins.

Olympian takes on

Wall St. in Decathlon

Wall Street athletes will compete with 1996 Olympic gold medalist Dan O'Brien in The Decathlon today at Columbia's Wien Stadium.

This decathlon is more like the NFL combine. It consists of a 400-meter run, bench press, 40-yard dash, pull-ups, 500-meter row, 800-meter run, vertical jump, agility drill, football throw and dips.

The event originated in 2008

by Dave Maloney (not the ex-Ranger) and Marc Hodulich and later used it as a way to raise money to help the fight against cancer, which at afflicted both of their mothers.

"I'm in decent shape. I'm not in outstanding shape, but a lot of the events are involved with strength." O'Brien said.

"I'm just looking forward to everything except for the half-mile," the 47-year-old former Olympian added jokingly.

Last year, The Decathlon raised $1.3 million for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Maloney is hoping to match that this year.

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Nationals’ HR show puts Mets back at .500 since the break

WASHINGTON — At last, the Mets are a .500 team.

But considering that measurement is only since the All-Star break, all is not peachy for the Mets, who nine days ago believed a great second-half start was paramount to making a legitimate run at breaking even for the season.

The Mets still are mostly a feast-or-famine team offensively, and were left picking at crumbs Saturday in a 4-1 loss to the Nationals that was interrupted by rain in the eighth inning.

Dillon Gee rebounded from a shaky stretch early in which he allowed three homers, but the Mets' lineup wasn't about to issue the right-hander a mulligan.

Getty Images

NAT'S ALL, FOLKS: As David Wright looks on, Bryce Harper of the Nationals rounds the bases following a two-run home run in the third inning of the Mets' 4-1 loss yesterday in Washington that dropped them to 5-5 since the All-Star break.

Dan Haren (5-11) caused most of the frustration by limiting the Mets to one run on three hits and one walk over seven innings. The Mets fell to 5-5 since the All-Star break and are nine games below .500 for the season (46-55).

The Mets will try for a split in the four-game series when Carlos Torres faces Taylor Jordan on Sunday at Nationals Park. The road trip then continues with four games in Miami beginning Monday. Since the All-Star break, the Mets have won two of three games against the Phillies, split four with the Braves and were 1-2 against the Nationals.

After getting only one run against Ross Ohlendorf and the Nationals bullpen in the nightcap of a doubleheader on Friday, the Mets managed just three singles against Haren and two relievers. The game resumed after a rain delay of 62 minutes in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Ike Davis had a rough afternoon, with an 0-for-4 performance that included two strikeouts and hitting into a double play.

Gee (7-8) lasted seven innings and allowed four earned runs on six hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Ian Desmond, Denard Span and Bryce Harper homered against him in a span of four at-bats beginning in the second inning and spilling into the third, accounting for the Nationals' runs.

Previously, Gee had gone five starts without allowing a homer, dating to June 22 in Philadelphia, when he surrendered three. But Gee received a no-decision that day thanks to a late Mets rally.

After the homer barrage Saturday, Gee allowed only two harmless singles over five innings. Entering the game, Gee was 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA in his 10 starts beginning on May 30 against the Yankees.

In his previous appearance against the Mets, on June 5, Haren was torched for five runs over four innings, including two homers by Marlon Byrd. But the veteran right-hander had better command of his pitches yesterday.

David Wright's RBI single in the sixth sliced the Nationals' lead to 4-1, but the Mets couldn't launch a sustained rally.

Eric Young Jr. singled and stole second in the inning. The stolen base was Young's 13th since joining the club on June 19. Offensively, he began the day stuck in a 5-for-29 (.172) rut over his previous 10 games.

Haren pitched three hitless innings before Wright singled leading off the fourth. But after Byrd struck out, Davis hit into an inning-ending double play.

Harper's two-run homer in the third extended the Nationals' lead to 2-0. Haren doubled leading off the inning before Harper cleared the fence in center for his 15th homer of the season.

Desmond and Span homered successively with two outs in the second to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead. Gee had opened the game by retiring the first five batters before Desmond's blast.

mpuma@nypost.com

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A Niese & easy start to lefty’s rehab

WASHINGTON — Jon Niese took his first significant step in returning from a partially torn left rotator cuff, with a rehab appearance yesterday for the Mets' rookie-level team in the Gulf Coast league.

The left-hander, who hadn't seen game action since hitting the disabled list on June 21, allowed four runs, two of which were unearned, on three hits over two innings against the Nationals' affiliate.

The Mets are hopeful Niese can rejoin the rotation within 2-3 weeks.

"I don't know how many more [appearances] he's going to go," manager Terry Collins said before the Mets' 4-1 loss to the Nationals. "We've got to get him up, [get] some endurance. The one thing we don't need is to have a pitcher come here this time of year and be a five-inning guy. We've got to make sure we build up his pitch count to where he can at least go 100."

* Kirk Niuewenhuis' demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas left the Mets without a lefty bat on the bench, but Collins said that is tolerable given the proficiency Justin Turner and Josh Satin have shown against righty pitchers. Turner was available for pinch-hitting duty yesterday, a day after he collided with Andrew Brown on a pop up and later left the game, but didn't get an at-bat.

* Jeurys Familia, who had surgery in June to remove bone spurs and loose bodies in his right elbow, isn't necessarily finished for the season, according to Collins. The righty has begun throwing at the Mets' minor league complex and "made fast strides after surgery." Familia is a potential September call-up.

mpuma@nypost.com

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Granderson, Nix making progress in rehab games

TAMPA — Curtis Granderson is on his way back to The Bronx — again.

The power-hitting outfielder — who started the season on the disabled list with a broken right forearm, returned and played just eight games before getting hurt again — appeared in his second minor league game with Single-A Tampa Friday night at Steinbrenner Field, going 0-for-3 with an RBI and handling his lone chance in left field in six innings in the Yankees' 4-3 win over Charlotte.

Granderson said his broken left pinkie finger feels fine, though his timing at the plate isn't where he would like it to be. He has been out since May 24, after getting hit by a pitch on the left hand.

"Body-wise, everything is still good. Hand, fingers, legs, all that stuff is good," Granderson said. "But I'm only six at-bats in, and I can't expect to be locked in two games playing. We're hoping to get closer and closer. That's it."

Granderson said he doesn't expect to use all 20 days of his rehab assignment to rejoin the Yankees, but doesn't want to rush, either.

"I'm looking to accelerate it as fast as I can," Granderson said. "Exactly how many days? Not 100 percent sure. I'm not expecting it to be 20."

Granderson said he likely will play six or seven innings again today for Tampa, at 5:30 p.m. against Charlotte, in left field.

***

Infielder Jayson Nix (hamstring) appeared in his third game, second with Tampa, and went 1-for-4 with an RBI double, committed an error and made one nice play in seven innings at third base.

Nix said he ran 100 percent and felt no ill effects of the strained right hamstring. He will be at third against for Tampa Saturday night and could play as many as eight innings.

zbraziller@nypost.com

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Newkirk commits to be new Hawk

Shavar Newkirk had a future in the Big East if he wanted it. But rather than get wooed by the big conference, the dynamic 6-foot point guard chose the best fit, orally committing to Saint Joseph's University yesterday.

A solid student, sharp as he is talented, Newkirk is coming off a solid junior season at Cardinal Hayes, leading the Cardinals to the CHSAA Intersectional semifinals, and an even better spring and summer with local AAU powerhouse Team SCAN, which competed against the nation's best with Newkirk more than holding his own.

"Perfect, literally perfect," Team SCAN director Terrence "Munch" Williams said of Newkirk, who held scholarship offers from Seton Hall, Providence, Manhattan, Iona and UMass, among others. "Great conference, Hall of Fame coach, close enough distance his family can come see him all the time, opportunity to play right away and play his natural position. He's got a coach who extremely believes in him. He got everything he needed."

Newkirk, indeed, has the opportunity to play right away at St. Joe's, as the Hawks are light at his position, but that's not why he chose the Philly school, he said. At each of his games he saw a St. Joseph's coach. Whenever his phone rang, and a college coach was on the other line, it was someone from the Atlantic 10 program. The school weren't actively recruiting other players at his position.

And typically, it was head coach Phil Martelli watching him or talking to him on the phone — not an assistant, which was the case with the other schools involved.

"I was the main priority, I was a must-get point guard for their school, and they felt I was the best fit for them," Newkirk said.

* Holy Cross rising junior guard Jermaine Bishop picked up his first scholarship offer, from Fairfield, this week. Boston University, Columbia, Norfolk State and Columbia have expressed interest.

Wings Academy point guard Desure Buie added scholarship offers from Fairfield and UW-Milwaukee, to go along with existing ones from Fordham, Iona, Manhattan and Seton Hall.

St. John's made the cut in the final 10 schools for top New England duo Jared Terrell and Abdul Malik-Abu, highly ranked forwards who may go to college together. Other schools that are on both players' lists include Providence, UConn, UCLA, Miami and Florida.

Archbishop Molloy rising senior guard C.J. Davis announced a final seven of Stanford, Columbia, Lehigh, Boston University, Miami, Seton Hall and Davidson.

zbraziller@nypost.com

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Dozens killed in pro-Morsi clashes in Egypt

AP

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi carry an injured man to a field hospital following clashes with security forces at Nasr City.

CAIRO — Overnight clashes between security forces and supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in east Cairo left at least 38 protesters dead on Saturday, a doctor at the demonstrators' field hospital said. They followed a day of massive pro-military rallies backing a tough hand against Morsi's backers and the Muslim Brotherhood group from which he hails.

The violence close to the Morsi supporters' month-old sit-in near the Rabaah al-Adawiyah Mosque in east Cairo is one of the deadliest bouts of violence in Egypt's turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising. It also comes almost three weeks after more than 50 people, mostly demonstrators, died in a similar outbreak of violence outside a military installation near the same sit-in.

Doctor Yehia Mikkia said Saturday's casualties — mostly gunshot and birdshot wounds to the upper part of the body — have overwhelmed the hospital operating from the sit-in. He said the number of death is likely to be higher because other casualties were transported to different hospitals.

The state news agency MENA quoted an unnamed senior security official saying that the security forces had not used gunfire against the protesters, only tear gas. He said security forces tried to prevent fighting between residents of the area and the protesters, and that eight members of the security forces were wounded, including some by birdshot.

The bodies of over 12 men were shrouded in white clothes, lying in pools of blood, were laid on the floor of the field hospital in images broadcast by Al-Jazeera Mubashir Misr TV. Mikkia said hundreds were wounded.

Health ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.

MENA said clashes continued into the morning, albeit at a lower intensity. It said Morsi supporters pelted security forces with rocks and firebombs, while security closed off the road with barbed wire and responded with tear gas.

The clashes started after police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Morsi supporters who tried to extend the sit-in outside the Rabaah al-Adawiyah mosque into a major boulevard.

Morsi's Brotherhood and other Islamist groups had called for a rally in the area to counteract other protests called by the head of the armed forces Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi , who urged Egyptians to give him a mandate to stop "potential terrorism" by supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood

The military's supporters dwarfed those of the former president, and appeared to be the largest crowds yet on Egypt's streets during the country's two-and-a-half years of turmoil. They filled the streets of some cities that had previously seen next to no street demonstrations.

As crowds gathered, authorities announced that Morsi was formally placed under investigation on a host of allegations including murder and conspiracy with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Late Friday night, hundreds of Morsi supporters marched out of their main sit-in. The protesters set up tents on an adjoining boulevard, where they had intended to stay for at least three days, said Mahmoud Zaqzouq, a Brotherhood spokesman. Others marched out of the area toward an overpass. They were met with police tear gas. The police push was met by resistance from the protesters who lobbed rocks and stones at the forces.

Police spokesman Hani Abdel-Latif said earlier in the night that a group of pro-Morsi protesters tried to block a major overpass from the area, and were "dealt" with because the forces were trying to restore law and order.

But the clashes quickly turned bloody. At first, doctors said half a dozen were killed in the clashes, mostly by birdshots and some live ammunition. At the crack of dawn, the intensity of casualties increased and Mikkia said the field hospital was unable to cope with the influx.

A statement by the pro-Morsi sit-in, called the Anti-Coup Coalition, said el-Sissi's call was "inciting violence and hatred," and " is used as a cover for such heinous crimes of killings."

The rival demonstrations in Cairo were mostly peaceful into the evening, but clashes between supporters and opponents of Morsi left seven killed in the coastal city of Alexandria.

Rallies have often turned violent, with more than 180 people killed this month. The Morsi supporters and opponents blame each other for the bloodshed, and people in both camps have been seen carrying weapons.

The unrest, as well as claims that Islamist groups are stockpiling weapons and escalating attacks against troops in the Sinai, were used by the country's new military-backed rulers as a basis for demanding popular support.

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Hondo plays his Card

Hondo ended up running in place again yesterday when he hit with the Yankees, was rinsed with the Rays and missed with the Dodgers, leaving the deficit holding at 605 vuckoviches.

Tonight, Mr. Aitch has pulled an ace out of the deck — 20 units on Wainwright and the Cards to cut down Los Braves (as Carlos Danger likes to call them).

-$

Anthony Weiner's former sext buddy, Sydney "Fine Corinthian" Leathers, said his staying power during their phone sex sessions was all of about 30 seconds. Maybe he should have scrapped "Carlos Danger" as his alias and gone with "Speedy Gonzalez." ... Just as The Most Interesting Man in the World signs off with: "Stay thirsty, my friends," rumor has it Carlos Danger, The Most Perverted Man in the World, has his own signature signoff: "Stay horny, my friends." ... According to a survey, more than 60 percent of British women check their cells while having sex. Carlos Danger claims they're all looking for junk mail from him.

hondo@nypost.com

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Pitching Form

		(Game time)	2013			'13 vs OPP		CAREER	LAST 3 STARTS
		LINE	W-L	ERA	*REC	W-L	ERA	vs OPP	W-L	IP	ERA	*AHW
Rays	Hellickson (R)	(7:05pm)	9-3	4.62	13-7	1-0	2.77	4-2	2-0	18.0	3.00	10.0
Yankees	Sabathia (L)	5 1/2-6 1/2	9-8	4.37	12-9	1-2	7.29	11-11	0-2	18.0	6.50	15.0
Mets	Mejia (R) (Game 1)	(1:35pm)	---	----	---	—	—	0-0	---	----	----	----
Nationals	Zmmermann (R)	8 1/2-10	12-5	3.01	15-5	0-1	1.38	3-3	0-2	13.2	7.90	15.8
Mets	Harvey (R) (Game 2)	6 1/2-7 1/2	8-2	2.23	12-8	1-0	1.29	1-1	1-1	20.0	3.60	9.9
Nationals	Ohlendorf (R)	(7:05pm)	2-0	2.02	1-0	0-0	4.50	0-0	1-0	6.0	1.50	6.0
Pirates	Locke (L)	7-8	9-2	2.11	11-8	—	—	0-1	2-1	18.2	2.41	10.1
Marlins	Alvarez (R)	(7:10pm)	0-1	3.28	1-3	—	—	0-0	0-1	19.2	2.75	13.3
Cardinals	Wainwright (R)	5 1/2-6 1/2	13-5	2.44	15-6	—	—	6-1	2-0	21.0	3.00	10.7
Braves	Minor (L)	(7:30pm)	9-5	2.98	13-7	—	—	0-0	1-1	21.1	2.11	9.3
Brewers	Peralta (R)	(8:40pm)	7-9	4.30	10-11	0-1	6.75	0-1	2-0	24.0	0.38	7.5
Rockies	Chatwood (R)	6 1/2-7 1/2	6-3	2.48	7-6	—	—	1-0	2-1	20.2	1.74	10.9
Padres	Stults (L)	(9:40pm)	8-8	3.45	12-9	1-1	2.93	4-3	2-1	21.0	2.14	9.9
D'Backs	Delgado (R)	6-7	2-3	3.43	4-3	—	—	0-0	1-1	17.2	3.06	13.8
Reds	Bailey (R)	(10:10pm)	5-9	3.84	8-12	—	—	3-2	0-3	18.0	5.50	16.0
Dodgers	Kershaw (L)	7 1/2-8 1/2	9-6	2.01	12-9	—	—	1-1	2-1	22.0	2.45	5.3
Cubs	Jackson (R)	(10:15pm)	6-11	5.03	7-12	0-0	6.75	2-2	2-1	19.2	1.83	7.3
Giants	Cain (R)	8 1/2-10	6-6	5.00	9-11	0-0	2.57	6-2	1-2	8.0	14.63	25.9
Rangers	Perez (L)	(7:05pm)	3-3	3.40	4-3	—	—	0-0	1-2	18.0	5.50	12.0
Indians	Kluber (R)	5 1/2-6 1/2	7-5	3.69	8-8	1-0	1.13	1-0	1-0	19.0	0.95	9.0
Red Sox	Lackey (R)	(7:05pm)	7-7	2.95	8-9	0-1	8.10	12-7	1-2	20.1	3.54	10.2
Orioles	Tillman (R)	Even-6	12-3	3.84	15-5	1-0	1.59	2-1	2-1	19.1	4.66	14.0
Astros	Lyles (R)	(7:07pm)	4-4	4.78	5-10	—	—	0-0	0-1	17.0	7.94	14.3
Blue Jays	Dickey (R)	10-12	8-11	4.75	9-12	—	—	2-2	0-3	19.0	5.68	12.3
Royals	Shields (R)	Even-6	4-7	3.24	11-10	0-1	2.37	3-4	1-1	19.0	3.32	12.3
White Sox	Quintana (L)	(8:10pm)	5-2	3.61	9-11	0-0	4.35	0-1	2-0	19.2	3.20	11.9
Angels	Williams (R)	(10:05pm)	5-6	4.73	6-7	0-1	3.21	3-4	0-2	11.1	11.12	21.4
Athletics	Colon (R)	8-9	13-3	2.52	16-4	1-0	0.00	11-6	2-0	22.1	1.21	8.5
Twins	Diamond (L)	(10:10pm)	5-9	5.53	6-12	1-0	0.00	1-1	0-2	12.2	7.82	18.5
Mariners	Hernandez (R)	10-12	11-4	2.43	12-9	—	—	6-5	3-0	21.0	0.86	8.6
Phillies	Hamels (L)	(7:08pm)	4-12	4.16	6-15	—	—	0-0	1-1	21.0	3.00	10.3
Tigers	Fister (R)	7 1/2-8 1/2	8-5	3.90	10-10	—	—	0-0	2-0	18.0	4.50	13.0

* REC: Won-lost record of pitcher's team in games he has started.

* AHW: Average total of hits and walks yielded per nine innings.

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Pitching Form

		(Game time)	2013			'13 vs OPP		CAREER	LAST 3 STARTS
		LINE	W-L	ERA	*REC	W-L	ERA	vs OPP	W-L	IP	ERA	*AHW
Rays	Archer (R)	(7:05pm)	5-3	2.76	7-3	1-0	1.50	1-0	3-0	22.0	0.41	7.0
Yankees	Sabathia (L)	6-7	9-8	4.37	12-9	1-2	7.29	11-11	0-2	18.0	6.50	15.0
Mets	Mejia (R)	(1:35pm)	---	----	---	—	—	0-0	---	----	----	----
Nationals	Zimmermann (R)	8 1/2-10	12-5	3.01	15-5	0-1	1.38	3-3	0-2	13.2	7.90	15.8
Mets	Harvey (R)	6 1/2-7 1/2	8-2	2.23	12-8	1-0	1.29	1-1	1-1	20.0	3.60	9.9
Nationals	Ohlendorf (R)	(7:05pm)	2-0	2.02	1-0	0-0	4.50	0-0	1-0	6.0	1.50	6.0
Pirates	Locke (L)	7-8	9-2	2.11	11-8	—	—	0-1	2-1	18.2	2.41	10.1
Marlins	Alvarez (R)	(7:10pm)	0-1	3.28	1-3	—	—	0-0	0-1	19.2	2.75	13.3
Cardinals	Wainwright (R)	5 1/2-6 1/2	13-5	2.44	15-6	—	—	6-1	2-0	21.0	3.00	10.7
Braves	Minor (L)	(7:30pm)	9-5	2.98	13-7	—	—	0-0	1-1	21.1	2.11	9.3
Brewers	Peralta (R)	(8:40pm)	7-9	4.30	10-11	0-1	6.75	0-1	2-0	24.0	0.38	7.5
Rockies	Chatwood (R)	6 1/2-7 1/2	6-3	2.48	7-6	—	—	1-0	2-1	20.2	1.74	10.9
Padres	Stults (L)	(9:40pm)	8-8	3.45	12-9	1-1	2.93	4-3	2-1	21.0	2.14	9.9
D'Backs	Delgado (R)	6-7	2-3	3.43	4-3	—	—	0-0	1-1	17.2	3.06	13.8
Reds	Bailey (R)	(10:10pm)	5-9	3.84	8-12	—	—	3-2	0-3	18.0	5.50	16.0
Dodgers	Kershaw (L)	7 1/2-8 1/2	9-6	2.01	12-9	—	—	1-1	2-1	22.0	2.45	5.3
Cubs	Jackson (R)	(10:15pm)	6-11	5.03	7-12	0-0	6.75	2-2	2-1	19.2	1.83	7.3
Giants	Cain (R)	8 1/2-10	6-6	5.00	9-11	0-0	2.57	6-2	1-2	8.0	14.63	25.9
Rangers	Perez (L)	(7:05pm)	3-3	3.40	4-3	—	—	0-0	1-2	18.0	5.50	12.0
Indians	Kluber (R)	5 1/2-6 1/2	7-5	3.69	8-8	1-0	1.13	1-0	1-0	19.0	0.95	9.0
Red Sox	Dempster (R)	(7:05pm)	5-8	4.28	10-10	0-1	2.13	1-1	0-0	15.0	5.40	17.4
Orioles	Tillman (R)	5 1/2-6 1/2	12-3	3.84	15-5	1-0	1.59	2-1	2-1	19.1	4.66	14.0
Astros	Lyles (R)	(7:07pm)	4-4	4.78	5-10	—	—	0-0	0-1	17.0	7.94	14.3
Blue Jays	Dickey (R)	10-12	8-11	4.75	9-12	—	—	2-2	0-3	19.0	5.68	12.3
Royals	Shields (R)	Even-6	4-7	3.24	11-10	0-1	2.37	3-4	1-1	19.0	3.32	12.3
White Sox	Quintana (L)	(8:10pm)	5-2	3.61	9-11	0-0	4.35	0-1	2-0	19.2	3.20	11.9
Angels	Williams (R)	(10:05pm)	5-6	4.73	6-7	0-1	3.21	3-4	0-2	11.1	11.12	21.4
Athletics	Colon (R)	8-9	13-3	2.52	16-4	1-0	0.00	11-6	2-0	22.1	1.21	8.5
Twins	Diamond (L)	(10:10pm)	5-9	5.53	6-12	1-0	0.00	1-1	0-2	12.2	7.82	18.5
Mariners	Hernandez (R)	10-12	11-4	2.43	12-9	—	—	6-5	3-0	21.0	0.86	8.6
Phillies	Hamels (L)	(7:08pm)	4-12	4.16	6-15	—	—	0-0	1-1	21.0	3.00	10.3
Tigers	Fister (R)	7 1/2-8 1/2	8-5	3.90	10-10	—	—	0-0	2-0	18.0	4.50	13.0

* REC: Won-lost record of pitcher's team in games he has started.

* AHW: Average total of hits and walks yielded per nine innings.

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Royals rip O’s

Jeremy Guthrie pitched six solid innings and Billy Butler homered and the Royals beat the Orioles 7-1 yesterday in Kansas City, Mo.

Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (8-4) lasted just 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season and snapping his streak of eight straight quality starts. Gonzalez, who lost for only the second time since May 21, allowing a season-high six runs and eight hits.

Nationals 9, Pirates 7

In Washington, Bryce Harper delivered the first game-ending homer of his career, a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth that lifted the Nationals to a victory over the Pirates, ending Washington's losing streak at six.

Blue Jays 4, Astros 0

In Toronto, Mark Buehrle (6-7) pitched a two-hitter and the Blue Jays ended a season-worst seven-game losing streak, beating Houston.

Cardinals 3, Phillies 1

In St. Louis, Lance Lynn allowed one run over seven innings and the Cardinals scored three times in the third in a win over the Phillies.

White Sox 7, Tigers 4

In Chicago, Jake Peavy pitched into the eighth inning and the White Sox beat Justin Verlander and Detroit as the Tigers again played minus Miguel Cabrera (hip flexor) for the third straight game.

Angels 8, A's 3

In Oakland, Calif., Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo each drove in two runs to power the Angels.

Padres 10, Brewers 8

In Milwaukee, Carlos Quentin and Jesus Guzman homered and the Padres outscored the Brewers.

Reds 5, Dodgers 2

In Los Angeles, Mat Latos threw 7 2/3 innings and the Reds got home runs from Jay Bruce and Xavier Paul to beat the Dodgers, ending the NL West leaders' six-game winning streak.

Marlins 5, Rockies 3

In Denver, Rob Brantly scored on a wild pitch to break up a scoreless game in the eighth inning to ignite the Marlins.

Diamondbacks 3, Cubs 1

In Phoenix, Aaron Hill drove in two runs with a homer and double, propelling the Diamondbacks.

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Sports Shorts

MLB: Braun will speak when he is legally allowed

Suspended slugger Ryan Braun released a statement yesterday stating he will speak to the media once he's allowed.

It was the first comment made by Braun since being suspended Monday for the remainder of the 2013 season for violations of Major League Baseball's drug policy.

"When I am able to, I will speak," the statement read. "I know it was difficult for everybody, but I was not, and still am not, legally allowed to say anything yet."

ETC: O.J. pleads for leniency to parole board

In Carson City, Nev., O.J. Simpson went before a parole board and pleaded for leniency on his armed robbery and kidnapping sentence as he expressed regret for his actions and described being an upstanding inmate who earns pennies an hour keeping gym equipment sanitized and umpiring and coaching games in the prison yard.

In Oakville, Ontario, Brendan Steele topped the Canadian Open leaderboard at Glenn Abbey with at 7-under 65. Matt Kuchar, Scott Gardiner and Scott Brown are a stroke back.

In Southport, England, Gene Sauers shot a 3-under 67 at Royal Birkdale to take the first-round lead in the Senior British Open. Bernhard Langer, the 2010 winner, was a stroke back along with David Frost, Peter Senior and Frankie Minoza.

Don'tyouforgetit has been installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite from Post 4 in the $450,000 Yonkers Trot, the first jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown tomorrow night at Yonkers.

In Las Vegas, Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving had 23 points to lead the White team to a 128-106 win over the Blue in the USA Basketball Showcase at the Thomas and Mack Center.

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Sports Shorts

MLB: Liriano outduels Strasburg

In Washington, Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, and Pedro Alvarez homered off an otherwise-dominant S tephen Strasburg, leading Pittsburgh past Washington, 4-2.

In Boston, David Price pitched a five-hitter for his third complete game this season and the surging Rays won for the 19th time in 22 games, topping the Red Sox, 5-1.

In Anaheim, Calif., Jered Weaver outpitched ex-Met Mike Pelfre y with eight innings of two-hit ball to lead the Angels to a 1-0 win over the Twins.

In Kansas City, Mo., Eric Hosmer hit two home runs and Alcides Escobar drove in the winning run in the ninth to lift the Royals to a 4-3 victory over the Orioles.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge sustained what the club called a "very mild stroke," but he was released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

The red-hot Dodgers, 8-3 winners over the Blue Jays in 10 innings, placed Matt Kemp on the 15-day DL with a sprained left ankle and activated left-hander Ted Lilly.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera was not in the lineup for the second straight night against the White Sox. Detroit beat Chicago, 6-2. Cabrera left Monday's game in the bottom of the fifth inning with a left hip flexor injury.

NBA: Durant back for USA; LeBron doubtful

Thunder forward Kevin Durant and Timberwolves center Kevin Love said they will be returning to play for Team USA.

The two NBA stars made the announcement in an impromptu news conference alongside team managing director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski. LeBron James, who will be 31 in 2016, is "doubtful" to join the team for a fourth time, a source told Yahoo! Sports. ... Yahoo! Sports also reported the Wizards and John Wall are nearing a five-year, $80 million contract extension.

Etc.: Red Bulls sign Wright-Phillips

The Red Bulls signed striker Bradley Wright-Phillips. The English attacker will be added to the team's roster pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate. —Brian Lewis

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Pitching Form

		(Game time)	2013			'13 vs OPP		CAREER	LAST 3 STARTS
		LINE	W-L	ERA	*REC	W-L	ERA	vs OPP	W-L	IP	ERA	*AHW
Yankees	Kuroda (R)	(2:05pm)	9-6	2.65	11-9	0-0	2.70	1-2	2-0	19.0	0.95	8.5
Rangers	Holland (L)	7-8	8-5	3.10	13-7	1-0	0.00	1-5	2-1	21.2	2.91	12.9
Braves	Wood (L)	(12:10pm)	0-2	2.45	0-1	0-1	3.00	0-1	0-1	3.0	3.00	15.0
Mets	Wheeler (R)	Pick	3-1	3.58	4-2	1-0	0.00	1-0	2-0	16.2	2.16	13.5
Pirates	Burnett (R)	(12:35pm)	4-7	3.07	7-10	1-0	1.29	8-3	0-1	16.1	2.76	15.4
Nationals	Gonzalez (L)	6-7	7-3	2.89	12-8	1-0	3.00	2-0	2-0	19.2	1.83	10.5
Padres	Volquez (R)	(2:10pm)	7-8	5.73	8-13	1-0	0.00	4-3	1-2	15.1	8.80	15.8
Brewers	Gallardo (R)	7-8	8-8	4.58	9-12	1-0	4.05	4-2	2-0	18.1	3.44	10.8
Marlins	Eovaldi (R)	(3:10pm)	2-1	4.15	3-3	—	—	1-2	1-1	16.2	6.48	14.6
Rockies	Nicasio (R)	7 1/2-8 1/2	6-4	4.72	9-9	—	—	0-1	2-1	14.1	4.40	14.4
Phillies	Kendrick (R)	(7:15pm)	9-6	3.94	12-8	0-0	3.00	5-1	2-1	17.2	6.11	15.3
Cardinals	Lynn (R)	8-9	11-5	4.13	13-7	1-0	0.00	1-0	1-2	16.1	6.61	15.4
Cubs	Villanueva (R)	(9:40pm)	2-6	4.16	4-7	0-0	0.00	1-1	0-2	14.0	6.43	14.8
D'Backs	Miley (L)	8-9	6-8	4.03	9-11	0-1	9.00	1-1	2-1	20.0	2.70	9.0
Reds	Latos (R)	(10:10pm)	9-3	3.53	13-7	—	—	2-6	2-1	15.0	7.20	17.4
Dodgers	Greinke (R)	6-7	8-2	3.36	12-3	—	—	4-0	2-0	22.0	0.41	7.0
Tigers	Verlander (R)	6-7	10-7	3.69	11-10	0-1	6.43	14-11	1-2	19.2	4.58	13.3
White Sox	Peavy (R)	(2:10pm)	7-4	4.19	7-5	—	—	3-5	1-2	12.1	10.22	16.1
Astros	Bedard (L)	(7:07pm)	3-7	4.41	6-12	—	—	2-4	0-3	17.2	3.57	12.7
Blue Jays	Buehrle (L)	9-11	5-7	4.83	11-9	—	—	1-0	1-2	20.0	4.95	12.6
Rays	Hellickson (R)	(7:10pm)	9-3	4.62	13-7	1-0	2.77	4-2	2-0	18.0	3.00	10.0
Red Sox	Lackey (R)	6-7	7-7	2.95	8-9	0-1	8.10	12-7	1-2	20.1	3.54	10.2
Orioles	Gonzalez (R)	Even-6	8-3	3.34	11-6	—	—	0-0	2-0	19.1	1.40	10.7
Royals	Guthrie (R)	(8:10pm)	9-7	4.41	12-8	1-0	1.50	1-0	2-1	19.2	5.03	13.7
Angels	Wilson (L)	(10:05pm)	10-6	3.15	11-9	2-0	2.61	9-7	2-1	22.0	0.82	8.6
Athletics	Straily (R)	Even-6	6-3	4.14	10-5	0-1	6.17	1-1	2-1	20.1	1.33	7.5
Twins	Correia (R)	(10:10pm)	7-6	4.17	10-9	0-0	5.40	0-1	1-1	17.1	4.67	14.0
Mariners	Iwakuma (R)	7 1/2-8 1/2	9-4	2.99	13-8	1-0	0.00	3-0	2-0	17.0	5.82	13.2

* REC: Won-lost record of pitcher's team in games he has started.

* AHW: Average total of hits and walks yielded per nine innings.

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Mets prospect Travis d’Arnaud back on the field

After a three-month injury hiatus, Travis d'Arnaud is back in action.

The Mets' prized catching prospect had been out since April 17 because of a broken left foot, but yesterday d'Arnaud played for the Gulf Coast Mets in rookie ball, his first game since the fracture. He caught five innings, going 1-for-3.

D'Arnaud eventually will work his way back to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he played before getting injured. He has played 12 games this season, posting a .901 OPS in 49 plate appearances.

Outfielder Lucas Duda also began his rehab assignment yesterday, also for the Gulf Coast Mets. Duda, out with a strained left intercostal muscle, played left field for five innings, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.

Before the Mets fell 8-2 to the Braves at Citi Field last night, Mets manager Terry Collins said Jon Niese (partially torn rotator cuff) has thrown a bullpen session and could pitch in a GCL game soon.

* Johan Santana, out for the season after left shoulder capsule surgery, is "doing well" in his rehab, according to agent Chris Leible.

Santana feels better after this capsule surgery than he did after his initial one in September 2010, Leible said. Santana has not begun throwing yet and does not have a date to start. The 34-year-old lefty wants to be ready for the beginning of the 2014 season.

"Everything to this point has been good," Leible said.

* Right-hander Jenrry Mejia, who will start the first game of tomorrow's doubleheader in Washington, was in the Mets clubhouse yesterday. The 23-year-old still thinks of himself as a starter but said, "I'm here, and I'll do whatever they want me to do."

Mejia dealt with elbow inflammation this season, but has started six games at three minor league levels this year, ranging up to Double-A. He is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings.

"I'm 100 percent," he said.

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UCLA, USC revive battle for L.A.

Lenn Robbins

ROBBINS' NEST

HARTFORD, Conn. — Los Angeles is a town where a lot of talking is done yet often nothing is said. So it was surprising to hear UCLA football coach Jim Mora deliver as dead-on an assessment of the importance of the annual crosstown game with USC as any coach has ever said about a rivalry.

"It's a big-ass game,'' Mora said.

Cue Sir Mix-A-Lot — the Bruins and Trojans got back.

You never heard Bo Schembechler say that about Ohio State or Woody Hayes say it about Michigan. Don't recall Bud Wilkinson saying that about Nebraska or Tom Osborne saying it about Oklahoma.

UCLA-USC had lost a lot of luster because the Bruins kept losing to the Trojans. Losing big, too. The 2011 regular season ended with a 50-0 beatdown.

But last season, Mora's first in Westwood, UCLA beat USC for the first time since 2006. The Trojans, one of the premier programs in college football over the last decade, hadn't cast a shadow over UCLA — it was an eclipse.

So last year's 38-24 UCLA win has set the stage for a tantalizing story line in college football:

Can UCLA supplant USC as the Kings of L.A., a city with two big-time college football programs and no NFL franchise?

"What have you done for me lately?'' said USC coach Lane Kiffin when asked about a possible power shift. "That's sports nowadays and that's L.A. for sure.

"We've just seen that in other sports in L.A. I think I read one day that the Clippers coach [Vinny Del Negro] had the best record in the history of the franchise, and he's no longer there. And the other team [Lakers], the coach [Mike Brown] was there for about seven games or something.

"So welcome to L.A. At one point, a month ago they wanted to fire [Don] Mattingly. Things change fast. That was 12 months removed from a 50-0 win but nobody remembers at that point.''

At this point, the only rivalries of import in college football — aside from Army-Navy, the best rivalry in college football and will be forever — are in the SEC, which has won seven straight BCS titles.

Oklahoma-Texas is old, featuring two very respectable coaches whose programs have lost their edge. Notre Dame-USC has had some moments but the two haven't recently played when both are highly ranked and intact. Michigan-Ohio State is lopsided, with the Buckeyes winning 10 of the last 12.

Having a live rivalry in the second-biggest media market in the nation is welcome, even needed. The battle for L.A. could be sexy and testy.

Suddenly UCLA has the more highly touted quarterback in Brett Hundley and the NFL defensive stud in linebacker Anthony Barr.

The Trojans still are dealing with sanctions and UCLA is committed to building a new football-only facility.

Certainly, new life has been breathed into the rivalry.

"Bragging rights,'' Mora said. "And I hate to use that word, 'Bragging.' But the ability to go to work, and there's a Trojan sitting in the next cubicle and say, 'We got you this time...' ''

"I like Jim,'' Kiffin said. "So we spotted him 24 points last year. Welcome to L.A.''

Welcome, indeed. It's going to take a few more UCLA wins before the nation catches on. But no city offers two big-time programs with the potential of Los Angeles.

"If UCLA could get the support, if they would finance the expectations that USC finances, I think you'd have two monster programs,'' former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said.

Cue Sir Mix-A-Lot.

lenn.robbins@nypost.com

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Fever cough up lead, libs capitalize

INDIANAPOLIS — A reminder of Cappie Pondexter's impressive shot in the final minute against Indiana didn't even draw a shrug from coach Bill Laimbeer.

He's seen similar shots from New York's All-Star guard many times.

Pondexter's contested fadeaway 3-pointer with time running out on the shot clock gave the Liberty control late and helped New York cap a comeback in a 77-72 win over the Fever last night.

"She's always made big shots throughout her career," Laimbeer said. "She's not afraid of taking it. I wish we'd got a little bit better shot, but overall, I'll take the ball in her hands every day of the week."

Pondexter scored 15 of her 24 points in the second half to help the Liberty overcome a 16-point deficit. Plenette Pierson had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Kelsey Bone scored 12 points and Alex Montgomery added 11 for the Liberty (7-10), who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Briann January scored a season-high 21 points and had four assists for the Fever (7-9). Tamika Catchings scored 16 points but made just 5-of-17 field goals. She became the fifth player in league history to pass the 6,000-point career milestone, which she reached in the fourth quarter.

Karima Christmas scored 10 points and Erlana Larkins added seven points and a regular-season career-high 16 rebounds for Indiana.

"We didn't have the same desperateness that they did," Fever coach Lin Dunn said.

The Fever had won six of seven and were on their way to another win before their shooting failed them. Indiana made just 12 of 39 shots in the second half.

"I think our defense was solid," Laimbeer said. "We're a pretty sound defensive ballclub. We started to get the rebounds, which helped us. I think overall, we kept their team perimeter in the second half especially, and they didn't make the shots."

Indiana led for the entire second half until Pondexter's 3-pointer from the corner with 2 minutes to play gave New York a 65-64 lead.

Pondexter struck again with the spectacular shot that gave the Liberty a 70-65 lead with 40 seconds left.

Catchings made two 3-pointers in four seconds to cut New York's lead to 74-71 with 21 seconds remaining, but Katie Smith's free throws with 8.4 seconds left sealed the win for the Liberty.

Indiana trailed for most of the first half, but a mid-range jumper by first-time All-Star Shavonte Zellous gave the Fever a 35-33 lead. The Fever held the Liberty scoreless for the final 3:39 of the second quarter to lead 42-33 at halftime. January scored 11 points in the first half, and Indiana led despite Catchings and Zellous shooting a combined 2-for-13 from the field in the first 20 minutes.

Indiana continued its run in the second half. January made a jumper, then Catchings made a field layup to give the Fever a 46-33 lead. January found a cutting Larkins for a basket and a foul. Larkins made the free throw to give Indiana its biggest lead. The Liberty didn't score until 6:23 remained in the third quarter — a total scoring drought of 7:16.

New York quickly rallied, and a bucket by Bone cut Indiana's lead to 53-46. The Liberty finished the third quarter on a 10-0 run and trimmed Indiana's advantage to 53-48 by the end of the period.

The Fever shot 22 percent in the third quarter and went scoreless for the final 5:14. Pondexter scored seven points in the period to lead New York's charge.

January hit a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth quarter and Karima Christmas followed with a layup to bump Indiana's lead back to eight points.

New York continued to build momentum, and a jumper by Pierson chopped Indiana's advantage to 62-61 and set up the hectic final minutes.

Laimbeer said it was important to build some momentum as the season approaches its midpoint.

"Right now, in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference, two teams have to make the playoffs, and we're right there," he said. "We just have to figure out how to move forward on a more consistent basis."

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