Results tagged “sethwenig”

The Knicks clinched a losing record for the season with their 100-88 defeat Monday, but what happened off the court was much more interesting. Stephon Marbury, the pariah point guard who was reportedly banned from MSG, was supposed to show up tonight. At the morning shootaround Isiah told reporters, “We expect him here tonight,” when discussing Marbury. And, true to form, Marbury made his coach look bad again by not showing up at all.

It's that time of year again - the Westminster Kennel Club will be naming the Best in Show dog tonight. Today is day two (of two) of the Westminster Kennel Club's 132nd Dog show, and the best in group for the sporting, working and toy groups will be determined. Those dogs will face off against the winners of the herding (an Australian Shepherd), non-sporting (a standard poodle), terrier (a Sealhyam Terrier), and the hound (a beagle) groups.

A sparkling new 700-pound ball, tons of confetti, and over a million people helped ring in the New Year from Times Square last night/early today. Mayor Bloomberg and police Police Academy valedictorian Karolina Wierzchowska, who also served in the Iraq War, hit the switch that brought the famous Times Square New Year's ball down. The Daily News called it a "shimmering pole dance," and it was the 100th time Times Square has had a ball drop to welcome the new year.

As violence continues in Pakistan in the wake of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination, New York City's Pakistani population was shocked by the news, watching news coverage and holding vigils. One woman said to the Daily News, "For us, this is like losing [President John] Kennedy. She wanted peace. She wanted democracy. And she lost her life for these things." And a man told the NY Times, “I think there will be a lot of violence after this, and chances are pretty slim for democracy."

Isiah Thomas may want two weeks to save his job, but for most fans have had enough. A group of fans delivered an eight-foot-high pink slip to the steps of Madison Square Garden yesterday calling on Jim Dolan to fire Thomas. And, the “Fire Isiah” chants were heard inside the building last night, despite the team winning easily over the Cavaliers.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a person under a train at East Fordham Rd. and Jerome Ave. in the Bronx, a shooting on Henry and West 9th Sts. in Brooklyn, and a homicide on Roosevelt Ave. in Queens.
• New Yorkers found guilty of repeated incidents of ignoring recycling laws may be required to throw out their trash in see-through bags for easy inspection.
• Ads soliciting the perfect ass might not make it onto city buses, but the company that sells Georgi vodka will put its bikini ads on city taxis.
• A high-end steakhouse and retailers of luxury goods are on slate for Adams St. near the Brooklyn Bridge.
• That's not Che Guevara in Times Square; it's Rambo. John Rambo. A marketing exec at Lionsgate says "You have to scream loud when you're screaming."
• Scaffolding outside the offices of The Observer was dislodged by high winds. A block of Broadway was temporarily closed this afternoon.
• The Daily Show with John Stewart may return to the air as early as January 7, whether the writers guild strike is settled or not.
• Curbed surveys how "hip" Williamsburg, Brooklyn is in the eyes of a PR Newswire release. Its findings: Williamsburg is very very very hip.

• Coyotes 5, Rangers 1: Wayne Gretzky returned to Madison Square Garden, the site of his final game as a player, to coach his Phoenix club to an easy win over the Rangers. His voice was hoarse because of a flu and laryngitis. Similar symptoms sidelined New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist, and Steve Valiquette wasn't up to the challenge of facing the worst offense in the Western Conference. Thanks to the wonders of the unbalanced schedule and the lockout, this was Phoenix's first trip to New York since 2002. At the rate the Rangers played against them, they might not want them back for another five years.
• Devils 4, Flyers 2: What more can be said about Martin Brodeur? He excelled in net again, and the Devils used his stopping of a penalty shot as a morale-booster during their home win over the Flyers. John Madden had two goals and an assist.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Overly Gracious Hosts"

Knicks 113 Utah 109: Now we get it. The plan was to flash some early success and then create more headlines with manufactured drama and a big losing streak. Then, the Knicks would rise off the mat, run of a huge winning streak and make the playoffs. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. Yes, the Knicks are now on a winning-streak with their victory Monday, but that is more a function of bad Utah defense...

Islanders 2, Rangers 1: For all the success the Rangers have had against the rest of the league, they still can't solve the Islanders. Five-game winning streak? Poof! Rick DiPietro made 18 saves and the Islanders won for the third time in three games between the two clubs. Ruslan Fedotenko and Josef Vasicek each scored in the second period, and Michal Rozsival scored a short-handed goal for the Rangers. He now has seven goals...

Rangers 2 Philadelphia 0: These teams really do not like each other and it was evident early on Monday night. The gloves came off just 54 seconds into the game and another fight broke out seven minutes in. That ended the boxing portion of the evening, but both teams continued to hit hard and often in a physical contest at MSG. The Rangers dominated the first period, but would have had nothing to show...

With considerably less fanfare than Diddy or Lance Armstrong, Katie Holmes ran the NYC Marathon in 5 hours, 29 minutes, and 58 seconds. She wore an FDNY baseball cap, black pants and a purple tank top - and was possibly surrounded by a security detail who might have been running alongside her. Mega-star husband Tom Cruise and child Suri Cruise, as well as her parents and mother-in-law, were on hand to give the former...

The Fire Department is investigating whether standpipes failed to bring firefighters water to help fight a seven-alarm fire that broke out on the 17th floor of the Deutsche Bank building on Saturday. The cause of the fire, which spread between the 14th and 26th floors of the lower Manhattan building, is also unclear, though the FDNY suspects it may have been caused by a cigarette or a faulty electrical panel.

Smoke is once again drifting across the skyline of downtown Manhattan near the World Trade Center site as the Deutsche Bank building on Liberty St. has caught fire. Initial reports said that scaffolding was falling from the building, which is under deconstruction. The fire was recently upgraded to 5 alarms 7 alarms and multiple firefighters have been injured. Two firefighters were triaged and designated in need of immediate care with a life-threatening condition and at least one reportedly was receiving CPR on the scene. Another five were designated as needing urgent care. We'll report more when additional information becomes available. Yesterday The New York Times featured a slide show about the deconstruction of the Deutsche Bank Building.

Quick, call the locksmith! Before Thursday's Yankees-Tigers game, Mayor Bloomberg gave away yet another key to the city. Just last week, Bloomberg gave a ceremonial key to Mets pitcher Tom Glavine for winning his 300th career game. Thursday's key was for Alex Rodriguez hitting his 500th career home run. Rodriguez said that the key "will be something I hold dear to me for the rest of my life." In addition to receiving the key...

Maine improved to 11-4 Tuesday with seven solid innings of pitching and a home run while batting. Lastings Milledge went 3-for-3 with a home run as well and every Met except David Wright had a hit. (Maybe Wright was tired from filming commercials?)

During the Wednesday-night rush hour, a steam pipe at 41st Street and Lexington Avenue exploded, sending steam, mud, and pieces of the street hundreds of feet into the air. One person died and at least 20 people were injured.

The hot dogs were barely digested when Takeru Kobayashi threw down the proverbial gauntlet for next year's Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. After being handed defeat by Joey Chestnut in this year's contest, Kobayashi looked at Chestnut, pointed and yelled, "I will definitely beat him next year." Chestnut broke his own world record and Kobayashi's Coney Island record yesterday by eating 66 HDB (hot dogs and buns) and brought the Mustard Belt back to the United States. Kobayashi finished with 63 HDB and wasn't disqualified despite what looked like a reversal of fortune. George Shea said, "If it were to come out of his mouth or out of his nose and fall on the table, it would have been considered a reversal of fortune." Ah ha! Liquid which clearly squirted out of Kobayashi's mouth and then through his hands does not count. The contest was so close that judges had to count the scraps left on the plates of Kobayashi and Chestnut for the final count.

• Mets 2, Cardinals 1 (11 innings): No matter how many times the Mets beat the Cardinals in the regular season, the sting from last year's loss in the National League Championship Series won't disappear until New York takes a pennant. Going 4-0 in their first four games against the Cardinals this season doesn't hurt, though. Shawn Green hit a 3-2 pitch off the scoreboard in right field to give the Mets a walk-off win. The Cardinals won the World Series last year, but the Mets can take solace in not hitting someone like Scott Spiezio in the cleanup spot. Jorge Sosa and the Mets bullpen combined to shut down the Cardinals lineup, which consisted of Albert Pujols and not much else.
• Staten Island 7, Hudson Valley 3: Luis Nunez went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and the Baby Bombers scored in every inning from the second through the sixth.
• Brooklyn 5, Aberdeen 4: Down a run entering the eighth, the Cyclones rallied when Will Vogl singled in the tying run and scored the go-ahead one at home. David Koons threw three innings of one-run ball for the win in relief.

Oh no! Could it be? Is the rematch between Takeru 'Tsunami' Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut in doubt? Last year at the Nathan's annual 4th of July Hot Eating Contest, Kobayashi narrowly defeated Chestnut to win the Mustard Belt for the sixth year in a row. Defending his title next week may not be possible for Kobayashi. First, his mother passed away in March, causing the Tsunami to take a sabbatical from training. Now, news comes from Kobayashi's blog (bad translation) that he's got a bout of jaw arthritis! Apparently Kobayashi can only open his mouth big enough to fit a finger and the injury happened just a week into training.

Law enforcement officials held a press conference Saturday to outline the details of the thwarted terror plot directed against JFK airport. The group of four men, three of whom were arrested yesterday, were planning on exploding the pipeline that carries aviation fuel to JFK. Their hope was that it would set off a chain reaction along the length of the pipeline, which is 40 miles long and runs through several residential neighborhoods, in a bid to kill thousands of people. They also wanted to plant explosives aboard an aircraft and in or near one of JFK's terminals.

First Lady Laura Bush visited a school on the Lower East Side with Mayor Bloomberg and other city officials yesterday. The first lady, a former school librarian, announced a $1.3 million grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for school libraries across the country to update their book collections. Twenty-eight schools in the city will get grants up to $5,000, including the the Island School on East Houston. The Post reports that the Island School's head librarian Lewis Lhana, who conducts puppets shows, had one of the puppets "gentle dragon Qualia" tell Mayor Bloomberg he smelled "like a rocket ship."

The skies cleared Sunday in time for instructors at the Upper West Side's Claremont Riding Academy to take horses out for a final ride through Central Park's bridle trails. It marked the end of an upsetting week for many riders and horse lovers, after Claremont's owner quickly announced his decision to close the oldest continuously operated stable in the United States. The New York Sun describes a sentimental and somewhat melancholy scene:

Scores of New Yorkers looked on yesterday afternoon as about a dozen Claremont instructors on horseback made their way out of the building for a final ride through Central Park to mark the end of its 115 years as a stable and riding school. Some watching the procession cheered; some wept; some snapped photographs. One woman called out to the riders: "God bless y'all."

Yesterday was Good Friday, and Christians in the city remembered the day that Jesus Christ was crucified. One group, Communion and Liberation, carried a cross across the Brooklyn Bridge to St. Peter's Church on Barclay as part of the Way of the Cross reenactment. One of the Christian organization's members told NY1, "It always has a special significance that we commemorate that day also as part of Good Friday, because it's the idea of redemption, which is basically what we’re looking at here today."

A true sign that spring is here: Inspectors from the Department of Buildings were at Astroland Amusement Park in Coney Island yesterday, checking rides (like the Water Flume), before this weekend's opening. Opening day is April 1, and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will be there at 11:30AM to perform the ceremonial christening with a bottle of chocolate egg cream.

Apparently, putting a wall in the middle of your home because you hate your spouse so much isn't enough to convince a jury you should be granted a divorce. A jury told Chana and Simon Taub, a Borough Park couple who were squabbling over a separation and divorce to the point where Simon Taub, who refused to move out of their plush home, built a wall in the middle in the December, they couldn't separate.

Yes, it appeared that Dwight Howard committed a goaltending violation on Stephon Marbury’s subsequent drive, but Nelson came down and hit another 3, part of the 10-2 run the Magic used to seal the game.

Looking past that and other fisticuffs, this is the latest chapter in the Rangers' recent upturn. They outscored their opponents 14-1 on their now-completed three-game homestand and saw Brendan Shanahan, the their best player for much of this season, return and assist on two goals. (He was hurt on an accidental collision the last time these teams met.) For a club that needed to make up ground just to be in the playoff picture just games ago, being one point out of the sixth position isn't too shabby. Of course, they're only three points above the cutoff line, so they need to keep it up.

Mayor Bloomberg has been denying that he will run for President in 2008, steadfastly maintaining that he will be Mayor for two full terms. Except yesterday, the billionaire mayor told Fox News "You never know", which instantly sprinkled fuel on the "Is he or isn't he running?" fire.

After yesterday's "shocking" revelation that his ancestors were slaves owned by ancestors of Senator Strom Thurmond, the Reverend Al Sharpton held a press conference to discuss the news. It turns out that a Daily News reporter asked Sharpton if he'd like research his family history with genealogy website Ancestry.com - the NY Times reports that Ancestry.com "approached the Daily News seeking to publicize its African-American ancestry database" and the ball got rolling from there. At the Daily News offices, Sharpton told reporters:

"It's important for America, because in the story of the Thurmonds and the Sharptons, there's the story of the shame and the glory of America. The shame is that people were owned as property, and the shame is that every time I write my name now, I will think about how I got that name. The shame is that I am the heir of those who were property to the Thurmond family.

Continue reading "Sharpton Discusses Ancestral Ties to Thurmond"

The odds were with Dandie Dinmont Harry, but James is truly the top dog. For the fifth time in 100 years, an English Springer Spaniel won “Best in Show” beating out a number of beautiful dogs. While Harry stole the hearts of fans on Monday, it was the Pettit Basset Griffon Verdeen (PBGV) named Fairchild who seemed to have the support of the crowd Tuesday night. Fairchild received a lot of vocal support from the crowd, but judge Dr. Robert Indeglia, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Rhode Island, ignored their cheers and went with James. Indeglia explained to the NY Times how he selected James, ranked second in the country, "I had a lot of great dogs to choose from. But this one stood out. He had that look in his eye that said, ‘It’s my night.’ He had great temperament. It was an honor to judge him.”