NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists, and the New Jersey Devils extended their winning streak to four with a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
Anton Volchenkov, Dainius Zubrus, Zach Parise and David Clarkson also scored for the Devils, who remained perfect since the All Star break while equaling their season-best win streak. Kovalchuk has been the key to the surge with three goals and seven assists in the four games.
Martin Brodeur made 28 saves to improve to 11-2 in his last 13 decisions against Pittsburgh. He also got an assist on Clarkson’s empty-net score in the closing seconds.
The win moved New Jersey within one point of fifth-place Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference.
Matt Niskanen and Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins who had won nine of 10. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was yanked early in the second period after surrendering three goals, ending his nine-game winning streak.
Kovalchuk powered the Devils to a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Cruising all alone in the slot, Kovalchuk whipped a feed from Patrik Elias past Fleury for his team-leading 22nd goal at 2:21.
Kovalchuk was the playmaker on the second tally at 9:33, sending a return pass to Volchenkov in the slot. It was the first goal in 104 games for the defenseman, and his first with the Devils.
Malkin had two quality chances for the Penguins, including one in the closing seconds of the period as Brodeur denied him with a spinning save.
New Jersey increased the lead to 3-0 at 2:28 in the second, getting a short-handed tally from Zubrus that was set up by a terrific effort by Kovalchuk.
The sequence started when Kovalchuk blocked a shot from Paul Martin at the point. Those two battled down the ice for possession with Kovalchuk winning and driving to the net only to be denied by Fleury. Zubrus knocked in the rebound as the Devils scored their league-leading 13th short-handed goal.
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma pulled Fleury at that point, sending in Brent Johnson.
The move helped stem the Devils’ momentum and the Penguins cashed in the remaining power play when Niskanen scored at 3:02.
Parise restored the three-goal lead for the Devils with his 20th goal at 11:33.
In the third, Brodeur maintained the three-goal margin with a stellar stop on James Neal’s shot from the right circle.
Pittsburgh turned up the pressure after Volchenkov was whistled for high-sticking midway through the period, and it paid off when Malkin got his 29th, a power-play goal at 11:43.
NOTES: C Adam Henrique returned for the Devils after missing the last three games with a groin injury. To clear roster space, New Jersey returned D Peter Harrold to Albany of the AHL. … D Adam Larsson (sore back) and C Ryan Carter (hand injury) sat out for New Jersey while RW Cam Janssen was a healthy scratch. … D Ben Lovejoy and RW Colin McDonald were healthy scratches for Pittsburgh while RW Arron Asham missed a ninth straight game with a concussion.
Finally, Game Day! NYC Prepared To Party If Giants Win Super Bowl
Written by ccolton
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) - After the hype, the bragging and the cheesecake-for-chowder bets comes the actual game: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
The last time the teams met in the big game in 2008, the Giants upset the undefeated Patriots 17-14 in one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever. Two days later, massive crowds cheered the Giants as they paraded up Broadway’s Canyon of Heroes.
Giants defensive end Chris Canty told New Yorkers this week to get ready for a parade Tuesday. He even predicted a final score on Twitter before kickoff on Sunday.
Will this year’s team get an ’08-esque party if they win?
“Not if,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg corrected a reporter who asked about a parade Friday.
But he wouldn’t answer the question however it was worded.
“We can’t talk about the future,” Bloomberg said. “We only take it one play at a time.”
Bloomberg spoke at an Upper East Side bar that changed its name in honor of the Giants. The tavern, owned for 50 years by a family named Brady, is called Brady’s. But the name of the Patriots’ star quarterback happens to be Tom Brady. So Bloomberg and owner Dan Brady unveiled the bar’s new name: Manning’s, as in Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Bloomberg will be in Indianapolis for the game but urged New Yorkers who can’t go to the Super Bowl to watch it at Brady’s/Manning’s, already decked out in blue and white balloons Friday.
“Nobody is going to become inebriated, right?” Bloomberg asked, adding, “I’m going to be in Indianapolis and I probably will be inebriated.”
But about the parade: The Giants play in East Rutherford, N.J. If they win Sunday, shouldn’t they celebrate there?
No, say New Yorkers. A Quinnipiac University poll released Friday found that 75 percent of New York City adults believe the victory celebration should be a parade in the Big Apple. Just 14 percent favored a Garden State bash. Conducted last week, the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
“They play in New Jersey,” Christie said. “They train in New Jersey.”
Christie likes to call the team the New Jersey Giants. Many from New Jerseys agree with him, according to another poll released Friday, but not all of them.
The Monmouth University Poll found that 40 percent of New Jersey residents said the team should be called “New Jersey” while 34 percent said it’s OK stick with “New York.” It doesn’t matter either way, said 22 percent who responded to the poll, which had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Wherever the parade, the celebration is sure to spill over state lines. State troopers in New Jersey are bringing in extra patrols on the state’s highways to target drunken drivers, speeders, texters and those who aren’t wearing seat belts.
In 2008, the last time the Giants played in the Super Bowl, there were 176 drunken driving arrests in New Jersey, said state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa. That’s the second-highest total in New Jersey for a Super Bowl Sunday.
Do you think there will be a parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Tuesday? Sound off below…
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
The veteran took it a step farther before Sunday’s kickoff. He predicted on his Twitter account the score by which the Giants would win.
“Giants 28, New England 17″ appeared on “ChrisCanty99″ about five hours before game time.
Canty wasn’t the only Giants player tweeting on game day.
"Good morning everybody just woke up today is Super Bowl damn it's already here. Time to play some Freakin football. Who's with me,” tweeted defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did his own chirping a week ago. The three-time Super Bowl champion told some 25,000 fans at a send-off in Foxborough, Mass., that he hoped there would be more fans for the rally when the team returned.
Are the Giants talking too much trash? Sound off below…
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Owners Robert Kraft And John Mara Started Season, Now They?ll Finish It
Written by joshcolfin
Sunday, 05 February 2012
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NFL season began on time largely because of Robert Kraft and John Mara. So there’s no more fitting way to end it than the two of them facing off for the game’s biggest prize.
The owners of the New England Patriots and New York Giants were instrumental in ending a long labor war that threatened to cancel what turned out to be, by nearly every measure, the NFL’s most successful season. Both men have also held the Super Bowl trophy aloft; Kraft three times and Mara once, in 2007, at the expense of his fellow owner. But the similarities between the two pretty much begin and end there.
When Kraft begins a story, it’s liable to end up anywhere. When Mara does, he gets straight to the point.
Almost two decades after buying the Patriots and transforming them into one of the most successful franchises in any sport, many of the things about the life of an owner - especially the celebrity - still seem fresh to the 70-year-old Kraft. So when a reporter from London asks about the growing popularity of his team overseas, Kraft notes that America’s original “patriots” were transplanted Englishmen, offers a few suggestions how to widen the fan base over there and then ends with this little gem: “And one of my favorite friends, Sir Elton John, is very excited about us being back in the Super Bowl.”
For Mara, 57, a man of many fewer words, the job seems second nature. Small wonder. He was groomed for the role since birth and inherited it when his father, Wellington, died in 2005. The family’s roots stretch back to the founding of the franchise in 1925, when his grandfather, Tim, a New York bookmaker, plunked down somewhere between $500 and $2,500 and gambled on the viability of the then-5-year-old NFL.
“I’m not necessarily happy to be playing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, I’ll tell you that,” Mara said. “But yeah, I’m very happy for Bob. He put his heart and soul into those negotiations during a very difficult time. The success they’ve had is well-deserved.”
A “difficult time” doesn’t tell the half of it. Agreement on a new 10-year labor deal came barely a week after Kraft buried his wife of 48 years, Myra, after a battle with cancer. For much of that time, Kraft shuttled back and forth between her hospital bed and the bargaining table, largely because, like Mara, he was one of the few owners the players felt they could trust.
“They saved me,” Kraft said, gesturing back over his shoulder at the Patriots players on every side of him. “I never understood what the word heartbroken meant. It’s hard for anyone to relate to it. My wife was 19 and I was 20 when she proposed to me. We had five kids right away. Then they left and we became best pals for 25 years. She was 98 pounds, read four books a week and was healthy.
“I thought she would outlive me for 30 years. “This horrible cancer came and it’s wrecked my life. Having this team,” he said finally, “has been a savior for me.”
The close relationship between the short, silver-haired, always-nattily attired owner and his XXL-sized players makes for some interesting scenes. After games, Kraft takes a tour of the locker room, a broad smile creasing his features and hand extended in congratulations. But he rarely gets from one end to the other without disappearing in one massive bear hug or another from a few of the veterans.
“They’re pretty sweaty,” Kraft laughed, “and if you’ve seen pictures, my feet usually aren’t touching the ground.”
“That’s for sure,” chuckled Vince Wilfork, a massive nose tackle who’s one of the longest-serving Patriots. “He still has his kids, but we’re probably his second family. We see a lot more of him since Mrs. Kraft passed on, and you can see how hard he’s hurting. So we have some fun, do things to try and take his mind off of that.
“And Sunday,” he added, “we’ve got the chance to do a little more.”
Mara was around football teams from the time he was just a lad. The family’s internship policy practically required it: Begin as a ballboy, get out to every corner of the organization and learn every phase of the operation from ticket sales to salary-cap. Then, and only after reaching the top, does the reigning Mara have the luxury of getting back down to the field.
“I still remember Wellington Mara coming out to watch us work when I first got here,” recalled offensive line coach Pat Flaherty, who arrived in 2004, a year before the elder Mara died at age 89. “He got a kick out of it, because he knew his stuff. But it also sent a message to our guys. It let them know their work was important.
“When John Mara took over, he continued … that kind of loyalty. It’s almost like a blood transfusion,” Flaherty added. “It let our people know that even with the change at the top, nothing really changed - not the expectations, not the attention to detail, not what it means to play for the Giants.”
Mara is tall and angular, still looking very much like the lawyer he was for a few years before rejoining the Giants in 1991.
“I tried law for a while,” he said, “but even while I was practicing, I knew I’d be back here. It was hard to imagine I’d wind up doing anything else.”
His look is softened this week by polo shirts and team sweaters. But like his father, John Mara is reserved and his even temperament, inherited or not, serves him well as the CEO of a business where the emotional swings of a season like this one can take a severe toll.
“In this business, it’s week by week. You’re on top of the world one week and you lose a couple games and you’re at the bottom. But you can’t let that affect your decision-making. You have to let the season play itself out because a lot of crazy things can happen,” he said.
More than once during his tenure, the back page of the New York tabloids called for coach Tom Coughlin’s scalp, and each time Mara stood firm. He has resisted the urge to say “I told you so,” recalling how a similarly rocky season was rewarded with that improbable Super Bowl win in 2008.
“As long as you believe in the coaching staff, which we do, you have to have the faith to let them do their jobs. Fortunately,” he said, “it’s worked out for us.”
The Patriots only rough patch this season came after consecutive losses to the Steelers and Giants - only the second time New England lost two straight in the last nine years. Like Mara, Kraft views his role as providing stability at the top and over the long term.. He prides himself on being able to identify talent at every level of the organization, then building the kind of relationships that enables those who work for him to take risks.
“You get good people with you, you set the tone, and you encourage them to be bold,” he said. “When they take risks that are in the best interests of the team and they don’t work out, you back them.”
Plenty of that loyalty and more than a little of the love Kraft invested has flowed back in his direction during these tough times. He can barely discuss the “MHK” jersey patches is players donned in tribute to Myra without choking back tears.
Kraft remains first and foremost a businessman, but he concedes it’s never been more difficult than during this season to keep his heart from overruling his head.
“People use the word “family.” In a family, you don’t cut players. The unfortunate part is that you can’t keep everyone that you want. We try to differentiate by creating a family environment. … This team is very special to me,” he continued. “There isn’t one person on this team I wouldn’t have at my dinner table. They’ve shown me, personally, great love, respect and support.
“They helped me get through the hardest period of my life.”
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
NY Lawmakers Will Consider Increased Taxes On Certain Items
Written by mjmontone
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK (AP) –New York’s Legislature will consider taxes at its next public hearing on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget.
The legislative hearings will look at a few measures to raise taxes on loose tobacco and on cigars proposed by Cuomo.
Some legislators also seek propose more taxes as the state’s revenues continue to fall below projections.
But the biggest tax issue was taken care of in December. That’s when Cuomo and the Senate’s Republican majority reversed their campaign promises and approved the Assembly’s millionaire tax.
That adds $2 billion to Cuomo’s budget and uses some of it for a modest but rare tax break about $200 to $400 for most middle class families.
The budget hearing on taxes is Monday in Albany.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
NEW YORK(CBS2) – In this edition of Tony’s Table, host Tony Tantillo and guest Chef Lala cook up some healthy and fresh snacks for Super Bowl Sunday. For more check out the video below.
NEW YORK(CBS2) –Ramona and Tulula are a pair of mellow westie mixes that are looking for a new home.
If you want to adopt either of these adorable dogs, call the Humane Society of New York at 212-752-4842.
Every Sunday morning around 8:20 on CBS 2 HD News, the Humane Society of New York City will feature one of its many great pets up for adoption. Here you can keep track of which furry friends are still looking for homes, and which ones have been adopted by a loving family. The Humane Society of New York is located at 306 E. 59th Street near Second Avenue.
Way Back In The Day: Ye Olde New England Vs. New York
Written by joshcolfin
Sunday, 05 February 2012
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Think this New York vs. New England thing is a product of the modern sports era? Prithee, fuggedaboudit.
“It doesn’t quite go back to the glaciers, but it’s close,” said William Fowler, author and history professor at Northeastern University in Boston.
The regional rivalry long predates the Super Bowl matchup, Giants vs. Patriots, or baseball’s Yankees vs. Red Sox. New York and its neighbors to the east have bad blood stretching all the way back to Colonial America, when New England militiamen viewed “Yorkers” as blasphemous, profane drunks, while their counterparts next door considered the men of the Massachusetts Bay colony to be Puritan-raised prudes who didn’t know how to have a good time, even going so far as to ban Christmas in Boston during a 22-year period in in the 1600s.
“New Englanders, even by middle of the 18th century, are so strictly religious that you find them picking fights for cursing in military camps and ganging up on people and beating them up for not following the Sabbath. That certainly didn’t help relations,” said Stuart Lilie, director of interpretation at upstate New York’s Fort Ticonderoga, near the Vermont state line.
The disdain the colonies held for each other actually had its roots in the 1600s, Fowler said. That’s when the Dutch established their neighboring New Netherlands colony, and from there the profit-driven, liberal-minded Dutch competed with strait-laced New Englanders for dominance of the fur trade with Native Americans, with the two sides backing rival tribes.
Even after the English took over the Dutch colony for good and renamed it New York in the 1670s, the Dutch influence remained strong for generations, especially in the provincial trading outpost the English renamed Albany. Dutch traders sold guns and tomahawks to France’s Indian allies, who used those weapons in raids against New England settlements.
The New England troops carried those bitter memories with them when they mustered by the thousands in Albany during the French and Indian War (1755-63). With its numerous taverns and “camp followers,” the old Dutch settlement along the Hudson River was viewed as a veritable Sin City by pious New Englanders, especially those in Massachusetts, which assigned chaplains to each militia regiment.
“These chaplains were descendants of Puritans, and they were not loathe to condemn sin when they saw it, and they saw it in Albany,” Fowler said.
The regional rivalry even played a role in inspiring the song, “Yankee Doodle.” Historians credit a British physician with writing the lyrics in the late 1750s after he witnessed the comic efforts of some of the ragged New England recruits to perform military drills while mustering outside Albany.
After marching north to British forts, tensions between provincial soldiers stuck in the isolated, squalid conditions of the frontier encampments sometimes boiled over into outright violence, with brawls breaking out between New York and New England regiments.
One such episode rivaled some of the dust-ups known to erupt in the stands at Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium whenever the rival teams are visiting. According to the account of a New England officer serving at Fort William Henry, New York and Massachusetts troops clashed over who would pay for a glass of beer. The Massachusetts officer described the Yorkers swarming from their tents armed with swords and clubs “like hornets out of their nests, swearing and cursing!”
“If the devil and all he could raise had been let loose, it wouldn’t look more dreadful,” the officer wrote.
Two decades later, New Yorkers and New Englanders were able to set aside their differences - most of them, anyway - and go to war again, this time against the British. In the winter of 1775-76, New York aided American Col. Henry Knox’s effort to haul dozens of artillery pieces seized at British-held Fort Ticonderoga to Boston’s Dorchester Heights, a feat that forced the redcoats to evacuate the city on March 17, 1776.
New Englanders returned the favor the following year, when thousands of militiamen from Massachusetts and Connecticut rushed to northern New York to block a force of redcoats and German mercenaries advancing on Albany. The reinforcements played a major role in the American defeat of the British at Saratoga in October 1777.
“There are times when regional rivalries are put aside in favor of survival,” said Joe Craig, a ranger at Saratoga National Historical Park. “They realized it was in their best interest to do it.”
Good luck finding a Giants or Patriots fan willing to forget about the rivalry this Sunday.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Living Large: Massive Mansion Will All The Amenities
Written by mjmontone
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK(CBS2) — In this weeks edition of Living Large CBS2′s Emily Smith goes on a tour of a $43,000,000 mansion. It features a bowling alley, a spa, and even an ATM. For the full tour check out the video below.
Living Large: Massive Mansion With All The Amenities
Written by mjmontone
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK(CBS2) — In this weeks edition of Living Large CBS2′s Emily Smith goes on a tour of a $43,000,000 mansion. It features a bowling alley, a spa, and even an ATM. For the full tour check out the video below.
NEW YORK(CBS2) – CBS2′s Tony Tantillo checks out some game day food at Snap Sports Bar in this week’s Dining Deal.
As you step through the door at snap on west 14th street, you know you’re entering a hard-core sports-food arena, but after sampling some of what’s served here it’s clear that Dining Deal fans won’t be disappointed.
People go to sports bars to do a lot of drinking and to watch the game, but at Snap it’s about the food too. This sunday, they expect to serve more than a thousand wings to sports fans, who will be watching the big game on one of their sixteen TVs.
At nine-dollars an order Snap’s buffalo wings are meaty and full of flavor. But Snap also features other fan favorites like juicy cheeseburgers, hand cut french fries, and grilled cheese.
The grilled cheese is made with pepper jack mozzarella and Gruyère, with caramelized onions, and is served on Texas toast.
New Yorkers Prepare To Chow Down On Super Bowl Sunday
Written by mjmontone
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) — Super Bowl Sunday is reportedly the second highest food consumption day of the year, trailing only Thanksgiving.
In the Tri-State area fans have been loading up on supplies for the big game for several days.
Upper East Side Resident, Peter Huszagh told CBS2′s Mark Morgan, “I didn’t want to come down here and have an empty chicken wingg aisle, so I have my chicken, sausage, corned beef.”
Alex Maybury was stocking up on the basics.
“I’m buying some beers, pretzels, chips, you know standard fare.”
One fan even put his own spin on a classic sandwich.
“We have an Eli Manwich which is a classic Sloppy Joe,” said Jordan Andino.
Dan Brady told CBS2′s Kathryn Brown that he is benching his last name for game day. He has temporarily changed the name of his Upper East Side bar from “Brady’s” to “Manning’s” to bring the Giants a little bit of good luck.
“Me being a huge Giants fan, I had to do it,” he said.
What will you be snacking on for the Super Bowl? Let us know in our comments section below…
Giants Fans Get Ready For The Super Bowl By Enjoying Pre-Game Festivities
Written by mjmontone
Sunday, 05 February 2012
INDIANAPOLIS(CBSNewYork) — The kickoff for Super Bowl XLVI is now just hours away and CBS2′s Karen Brown spoke with Giants fans who promise a win.
“Victory, we’re taking rings home, we’re taking rings home!” said one confident Giants supporter.
But Patriots supporters are confident their team will finish on top.
About a thousand police officers and other law enforcement are helping to keep Indianapolis secure this weekend. It seems to be working. The city’s public safety director says so far the biggest problem has been children who temporarily get separated from their parents.
More than a dozen fans were bumped and bruised when 200,000 people packed into Super Bowl Village for a concert Friday night, but all of the injuries were minor.
Those who live in Indianapolis say the city is showcasing itself well in the national spotlight.
“I’m excited to see all the Hoosier hospitality. I think it’s nice we’ve gotten all the compliments of how kind everyone is and how welcoming we are,” said Jamie Thompson.
The city is cashing in, capturing a chunk of the record $11billion that fans across the country are expected to spend as they enjoy pro football’s greatest game.
What are you doing to get ready for the big game? Let us know in our comments section below…
Giants Coach Coughlin And Son-In-Law Snee, Working Together
Written by joshcolfin
Sunday, 05 February 2012
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Chris Snee has to please his coach every day. His father-in-law, too.
Tom Coughlin is that coach. And that father-in-law.
“It’s been eight years of us working together on the field and we’ll be family off the field, so it’s been a great relationship,” Snee said Thursday as the New York Giants prepared to play the New England Patriots in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Coughlin said matter-of-factly that Snee gets treated like any other player. There is no favoritism.
“He wouldn’t want it any other way, and that’s never been an issue,” Coughlin said. “I never think twice about it. We’ve been able to keep business, business, and family, family. He does a great job of making sure of that.”
In 2004, then-general manager Ernie Accorsi and Coughlin called offensive line coach Pat Flaherty in to discuss drafting the Boston College guard in the second round. They had one piece of information Flaherty needed to know: Snee was Coughlin’s son-in-law.
Flaherty didn’t hesitate.
“Chris Snee, the football player, is worthy of being a first-round pick,” Flaherty recalled telling them. “Their relationship, that was out of my hands.”
Over the past eight years, Coughlin and Snee have shared the highs and lows of the NFL. They won the Super Bowl in 2008, made the playoffs four years running between 2005-08, missed the postseason in 2009 and ’10, and now they’re once again within a victory of a second NFL title in four years.
Neither Coughlin nor Snee, who is married to Coughlin’s daughter, Kate, seem comfortable putting their relationship under a microscope. It’s a job. That’s it. Off the field, Snee can call him “Pops,” or “Dad” or whatever he is comfortable doing.
Giants guard Kevin Boothe said if someone didn’t know Snee and Coughlin’s situation, they wouldn’t be able to tell watching them on the field.
“He is one of the best at his position, so there’s not much to get on him about,” Boothe said. “If they talk, it’s Tom asking about the kids.”
Tackle David Diehl said Snee took some good-natured abuse as a rookie because of his relationship with Coughlin.
“Chris is a blue-collar guy and he’s a quiet guy, he doesn’t have to say much,” Diehl said. “He lets his play and work ethic do the talking for him. And with coach Coughlin, he’s treated everyone the same way. If Chris messes up, he’d yell at him just like he’d yell at any of us.”
While Snee and Coughlin seemingly have perfected the art of having your father in-law as your coach, many players who will take the field Sunday laugh about similar arrangements.
Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty had his father, Joe, coach him in pee-wee basketball when he was 11 or 12 years old in Raleigh, N.C.
“I didn’t like it very much,” Canty said. “He was just very hard on us and very hard on me. I was just: ‘Wow. I can’t wait until I don’t have to play for this guy anymore.’ “
Patriots receiver-defensive back Julian Edelman said his father coached him in football, baseball and basketball.
“If it wasn’t football season, we were hitting baseballs or if it was raining, we were in a gym, shooting free throws or setting up, doing dribbling drills and all that stuff,” he said. “My father has had a key role in my life, helping me get where I am.”
What about getting special treatment?
“There was always a little more pressure on me,” Edelman said. “If you didn’t perform well, you have to go home to him. Mom would have to tell him, ‘Football time is over, or basketball time is over.’ So I would say there was no favoring.”
Patriots safeties coach Matt Patricia was a wrestling coach, but he never competed for him. He would give advice, but let the coaches work with his son.
Patricia said there was one place his father didn’t cut him any slack: the classroom. His father taught mechanical drawing and architecture.
“It was often difficult, there were no mistakes to be made in the classroom,” Patricia said.
Giants assistant line coach Jack Bicknell Jr., loved playing football for his father, Jack, at Boston College, It was the Doug Flutie era and the Eagles were winning a lot.
“It was a little difficult starting out because no one knew what the ground rules were,” Bicknell Jr. said. “They were worried I might be telling my dad what was going on or whether I would be getting favored treatment. But as I got friends and we went to the Cotton Bowl our senior year and had the Miami thing, it was a magical time, and to be able to share that with your dad is special.”
Or with your father-in-law.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
INDIANAPOLIS(CBSNewYork) – Think ticket scalping won’t be a problem at this year’s Super bowl? Think again. In spite of secondary ticket sales sources like StubHub and TicketsNow, scalping is still an issue.
The Record reported that the streets of Indianapolis remain ripe with alleged scalpers leading up to Sunday’s game, asking passersby if they “need tickets”.
Scalpers said that the presence of the Giants in the Super bowl has been good for business,
And scalpers say that they offer a better service than the online retailers.
"They've got to wait two or three weeks to get their money, and there's all those fees they gotta pay," said one particularly impatient scalper. "They'd be better off coming to us."
As game time approaches the scalpers rely on Super Bowl economics to help drive up the price that fans are willing to pay for a seat.
"It will get down nice and low here," said one scalper, "and then we'll get $2,100 [reselling it later]."
How much would you be willing to pay for a ticket to the big game? Let us know in our comments section below…
Human Gridlock Could Cause Crowd Control Problem On Super Sunday
Written by mjmontone
Sunday, 05 February 2012
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Overwhelming “human gridlock” in Indianapolis’ Super Bowl Village is causing police to rethink crowd control just ahead of the big game.
Eleven people were injured Friday night as an estimated 50,000 people flooded downtown streets for a free outdoor concert by the band LMFAO. Two other people were injured Friday separate from the concert-going group. Indianapolis Public Safety Director Frank Straub said none of the injuries were serious, most involving shortness of breath or scraped knees.
Officials are still tweaking their downtown plan as they prepare for more concerts and activities before kickoff, and they seemed to be pleased with the early results.
There was bumper-to-bumper traffic on some streets heading into downtown Saturday, but as of 10 p.m., police had not reported any injuries or arrests.
Police made a total of 22 arrests Friday night, mostly for public intoxication.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – MVP quarterbacks on marquee franchises. A rematch of a nail-biter from four years ago, featuring many of the same key characters. Madonna and plenty of Manning; Eli, and Peyton, too.
This Super Bowl certainly has all the makings of another thriller, the perfect finish to a season that began in turmoil and wound up the most successful in league history.
The NFL couldn’t have planned it any better.
“It’s actually been a very fun week here,” said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, seeking his fourth Super Bowl ring in 11 seasons, and doing it in the city where archrival Peyton Manning has worked for 13 years, if not for much longer, given his health issues and disagreements with Colts management. “It’s a bit surreal to be playing in Indy’s home stadium and to be practicing at their facility.”
It’s been even weirder for Eli Manning to have led the Giants here, only to find his superb season and chase for a second championship overshadowed by big brother.
Eli, who will surpass his brother for NFL titles with a victory Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, yes, Peyton’s Place, claims his sibling’s issues are irrelevant to this game, in which New York (12-7) is a 3-point underdog.
“I’m proud of Peyton. I’ve talked to him this week. None of that comes up,” Eli said. “When I talk to Peyton, he does a great job of trying to keep me relaxed. (We) talk a little football and talk about New England some. He’s supported me this week. I know he’s just working hard trying to get healthy and I’m going to support him on that.”
While Eli would own two championships with a victory, to one for Peyton, Brady could tie his childhood quarterbacking hero, Joe Montana, and Terry Bradshaw with four. Coach Bill Belichick would equal Chuck Noll with the same number.
To get it, the Patriots (15-3) must protect their crown jewel. Four years ago, Brady was banged around so much by New York that it turned the Super Bowl in the Giants’ favor.
Yes, they needed David Tyree’s miracle pin-the-ball-against-the-helmet catch, then Plaxico Burress’ touchdown reception to shatter New England’s perfect season. But that victory was built on the relentless pressure applied to Brady.
The formula hasn’t changed. `
“We feel that we certainly have a very strong group of men in the front,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “It’s just the way we play and prefer to play. It’s a pressure group, and we have played better in the back end as well, probably as a result of the ball having to come out faster than it has at certain times during the year.”
The Giants got all over Brady again during their regular season 24-20 win at Foxborough, the last time the Patriots lost. That victory preceded a four-game slide, and New York eventually slipped to 7-7 before turning it around.
Adding to the juicy potential of a down-to-the-wire reprise of 2008, both teams barely made it to Indy. The Patriots needed backup cornerback Sterling Moore stripping the ball from Baltimore receiver Lee Evans in the end zone in the final seconds, then for Billy Cundiff to miss a 32-yard field goal that would have forced overtime.
The Giants went into overtime in San Francisco, using two botched punt returns by the 49ers to advance.
“We feel very fortunate to be here, and I’m pretty sure they do, too,” Patriots Pro Bowl nose tackle Vince Wilfork. “But we also
When they finally kick off Sunday, the two biggest stars will be Brady and Manning, yes, Eli. Not halftime performer Madonna, but the quarterbacks on whose arms, wits and leadership this Super Bowl will turn.
“They are both leaders on the field,” Wilfork said. “I think that position you have to be smart, you have to be intelligent. I think you have to understand what’s going on around you. I think both those guys have that.”
On Sunday, we’ll see which one adds to his championship legacy with another Super Bowl ring.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Giants Look To Eli, D-Line For Super Performance In Indy
Written by mjmontone
Sunday, 05 February 2012
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – MVP quarterbacks on marquee franchises. A rematch of a nail-biter from four years ago, featuring many of the same key characters. Madonna and plenty of Manning; Eli, and Peyton, too.
This Super Bowl certainly has all the makings of another thriller, the perfect finish to a season that began in turmoil and wound up the most successful in league history.
The NFL couldn’t have planned it any better.
“It’s actually been a very fun week here,” said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, seeking his fourth Super Bowl ring in 11 seasons, and doing it in the city where archrival Peyton Manning has worked for 13 years, if not for much longer, given his health issues and disagreements with Colts management. “It’s a bit surreal to be playing in Indy’s home stadium and to be practicing at their facility.”
It’s been even weirder for Eli Manning to have led the Giants here, only to find his superb season and chase for a second championship overshadowed by big brother.
Eli, who will surpass his brother for NFL titles with a victory Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, yes, Peyton’s Place, claims his sibling’s issues are irrelevant to this game, in which New York (12-7) is a 3-point underdog.
“I’m proud of Peyton. I’ve talked to him this week. None of that comes up,” Eli said. “When I talk to Peyton, he does a great job of trying to keep me relaxed. (We) talk a little football and talk about New England some. He’s supported me this week. I know he’s just working hard trying to get healthy and I’m going to support him on that.”
While Eli would own two championships with a victory, to one for Peyton, Brady could tie his childhood quarterbacking hero, Joe Montana, and Terry Bradshaw with four. Coach Bill Belichick would equal Chuck Noll with the same number.
To get it, the Patriots (15-3) must protect their crown jewel. Four years ago, Brady was banged around so much by New York that it turned the Super Bowl in the Giants’ favor.
Yes, they needed David Tyree’s miracle pin-the-ball-against-the-helmet catch, then Plaxico Burress’ touchdown reception to shatter New England’s perfect season. But that victory was built on the relentless pressure applied to Brady.
The formula hasn’t changed. `
“We feel that we certainly have a very strong group of men in the front,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “It’s just the way we play and prefer to play. It’s a pressure group, and we have played better in the back end as well, probably as a result of the ball having to come out faster than it has at certain times during the year.”
The Giants got all over Brady again during their regular season 24-20 win at Foxborough, the last time the Patriots lost. That victory preceded a four-game slide, and New York eventually slipped to 7-7 before turning it around.
Adding to the juicy potential of a down-to-the-wire reprise of 2008, both teams barely made it to Indy. The Patriots needed backup cornerback Sterling Moore stripping the ball from Baltimore receiver Lee Evans in the end zone in the final seconds, then for Billy Cundiff to miss a 32-yard field goal that would have forced overtime.
The Giants went into overtime in San Francisco, using two botched punt returns by the 49ers to advance.
“We feel very fortunate to be here, and I’m pretty sure they do, too,” Patriots Pro Bowl nose tackle Vince Wilfork. “But we also
When they finally kick off Sunday, the two biggest stars will be Brady and Manning, yes, Eli. Not halftime performer Madonna, but the quarterbacks on whose arms, wits and leadership this Super Bowl will turn.
“They are both leaders on the field,” Wilfork said. “I think that position you have to be smart, you have to be intelligent. I think you have to understand what’s going on around you. I think both those guys have that.”
On Sunday, we’ll see which one adds to his championship legacy with another Super Bowl ring.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
NYC Shelter Pets To Star in ?Kitten Halftime Show? on Animal Planet
Written by Susan Richard
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) They’re cute, they’re cuddly, and they’re ready for their close up! Nearly two dozen kittens from Animal Care & Control of New York City will be featured in today’s “Kitten Halftime Show” as part of the 8th Annual Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet.
According to Animal Care & Control Executive Director Julie Bank, the New York City kittens got their big break on national television because of their “stellar personalities and natural acting abilities”, but they’re also bringing attention to the fact that AC&C rescues nearly 34,000 animals each year and there are plenty more in need of loving homes. In fact, the kitten halftime show was taped a while ago, and Bank says all of these cats have been adopted. To find out more about adding a cat, dog or rabbit to your family, visit www.nycacc.org.
Family Of Bronx Man Shot By Police Joins Rev. Sharpton
Written by wcbsmark
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — There’s growing pressure on the NYPD after officers fatally shot an 18-year-old suspect in the Bronx. His grieving family and members of the community are demanding answers.
Survelliance video shows 18-year-old Ramarley Graham entering his Bronx home Thursday. NYPD officers follow and appear to try to break down the door. Moments later, Graham was dead, fatally shot by police.
“Let’s have all the facts and evidence come out until we reach any conclusions,” said Jeffrey Emdin, attorney for the Graham family.
Officers were said to be acting on reports he had a gun, but a gun was never recovered.
Saturday, Graham’s family joined Reverend Al Sharpton at his National Action Network headquarters. They let their attorney speak for them.
“They can’t believe this happened. We love him. We miss him,” said Emdin.
According to police, officers thought Graham was acting suspiciously on the street.
“The observation team reported, over the tactical radio they observed the butt of a gun in the waistband of Ramarley Graham,” said NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.
When Graham sees the cops, according to police, he runs. Police sources say by running, that may have reinforced the mistaken idea he had a gun.
Police cornered him in the second floor bathroom of what turned out to be his own house.
Graham’s grandmother and 6-year-old brother were in the home, police said.
“He said, ‘I saw them shoot my brother, I was crying’,” said Emdim.
Officers went to meet with the community. “They just reminded us this was an ongoing investigation,” said NY Assemblyman Carl Heastie.
The NYPD has not identified the officers involved. They have since turned in their badges and guns and were put on desk duty.
A memorial has been set up outside Graham’s home. The investigation as to whether the officers broke the law is being handled by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
Giants Fans Counting Down To Kickoff In Indianapolis
Written by skschust
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Indianapolis is doing its best to relieve the crush of human gridlock as a sea of transplanted New Yorkers in Super Bowl Village counts down the hours to kickoff for Super Bowl XLVI.
“It’s just amazing. We’ve never been to one. It’s my first SuperBowl and hopefully it will be a memory for Michael forever,” said Evan Schwarzwald of Old Westbury.
The Schwarzwalds predict a Big Blue victory Sunday, according to 10-year-old Michael, “35-30 Giants.”
Thousands of families jammed into the NFL experience, kicking field goals, zipping passes, and snapping photos of the elusive Lombardi trophy.
The Drechsels from Livingston, New Jersey believe in hexes but discovered good karma.
“The best thing that happened is driving here, I passed a river called the Big Blue River, and that’s it. We’re winning,” said Doug Drechsel.
LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ Glen Schuck reports
“We are season ticket holders. They’ve been in my family forever and we said we have to go this one, no way we’re missing it,” Matthew Pirozzi said.McLogan.
Matthew Connell from Bergenfield, New Jersey flew in for the Super Bowl.
“I’ve been going to Giant games for 50 years and in those 50 years, I’ve missed five,” he said. “My first season ticket was $27.50.”
While Indianapolis is jammed with millions, only some 80,000 fans will actually get inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday to see the game in person.
Driving to Indy in Giants style, Dennis Connelly and his buddies arrived to rave reviews . Who else has actual Giants autographs on their RV?
“So Eli signed it, so a lot of people thought no way,” said Dennis Connelly.
He brought the proof: photos of his heroes signing his RV at training camp in Albany.
“We had 26 players sign it,” he told CBS 2′s Jennifer McLogan. “And here we have Michael Strahan, and Justin Tuck right below him, and he wrote ‘All time sack leader’!”
Connelly had the RV outfitted with a Giants helmet and custom painted evil eyes. And inside, the Giants bus is filled stem to stern with memorabilia.
“What did you spend on this? Um, my wife will see this, so I don’t know if I can explain it to you at this point,” Connelly joked. “Wasn’t much dear don’t worry.”
Smiles overwhelm Super Bowl Village as kids walk the turf, footballs are tossed, bean bags are thrown with acrobatics above as
brothers from Brooklyn and Boston battle it out over Brady and Manning.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — For many, the Super Bowl is equal parts cheering and stuffing.
For some, their Super Sunday menu is meager.
“Guacamole, dip,” said Eric Kossen of the Upper East Side.
“Some pretzels, some chips, standard football fare,” said Alex Maybury of the Upper East Side.
For others, it’s magnificent.
“We’re going to make the beef carbonnade which is a Belgian stew and mashed potato pie,” said Mark Eisner of the Upper East Side.
No matter what you make, just make it fun. One way is giving an old dish a new name.
“We have an Eli Manwich which is a classic sloppy joe,” said Chef Jordan Andino of Little Town on 15th Street. “For tomorrow we’ll have people gorging, not caring that they are consuming 3,000 calories in one sitting.”
“I have to say two thumbs up for that,” said Heather Feeney of Little Falls.
However, she hopes Eli Manning’s performance is not at all like this sloppy sandwich. Give us a neat win, with every Giants fan leaving a party stuffed and satisfied.
NYPD Releases Surveillance Footage Of Bronx Robbery Suspect
Written by wcbsmark
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance in finding a man wanted in connection with two commercial robberies in the Bronx.
Police say the suspect entered a grocery store at 1274 Bronx River Avenue, jumped over the counter and demanded money from a store employee while claiming he had a gun.
The suspect then punched the victim in the face and removed an unknown amount of cash from the register before fleeing.
The victim, a 37-year-old Hispanic man, sustained minor injuries to his face and nose as a result of this incident, which took place on Friday, January 27, at 8:15 a.m.
Police say the second robbery happened at 10:11 a.m. on the same day. They say the suspect entered Caps Unlimited at 962 Southern Boulevard, went behind the counter and again demanded money from a store employee while once again stating he was in possession of a firearm.
The suspect then removed an unknown amount of cash from the register before fleeing.
There were no injuries sustained to the employee, a 19-year-old Hispanic woman, as a result of this incident.
The suspect is described as an Hispanic man between 25 and 30-years-old, standing 5’5″ to 5’8″ and weighing between 200 and 220 lbs.
Anyone with information should call police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or text their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
STORRS, Conn. (AP) - The Connecticut Huskies have rededicated themselves to defense. It’s been a huge problem for their opponents.
Third-ranked UConn held No. 13 Rutgers to a season-low 34 points in Saturday night’s 66-34 victory.
“I thought defensively we were really, really, really good,” Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said. “One thing that doesn’t maybe get as much notoriety is the scouting reports our (assistants) come up with. They take it real seriously. They make sure the players are really into it. By game time there is very little our players don’t already know.”
UConn leads the nation in points allowed, giving up just 45 a game. This week they held No. 5 Duke to 45 points Monday night and now stymied Rutgers.
“We had a couple games where coach wasn’t pleased with our defense, so I think we’ve been definitely stepping up our defense just to prove to him and everyone else that our defense is the best in the country,” said Stefanie Dolson, who led the Huskies with 16 points.
Tiffany Hayes added 14 points and seven assists for UConn, which won its 98th straight game at home.
The Huskies (21-2, 9-1 Big East) grabbed control with a 17-0 run midway through the first half. Hayes got the run started with eight straight points. Then Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis took over, hitting three straight 3-pointers. All three of the freshman’s shots barely even moved the net.
“When Kaleena came in and we went on that run, the defense got fueled as well,” Auriemma said. “We started rebounding better and playing better.”
Rutgers (17-6, 6-4) scored seven straight to cut it to 10, but UConn closed the half with 14 of the final 18 points to lead 37-19 at the break.
It only got worse for the Scarlet Knights in the second half as they had only three baskets in the first 17 minutes, including a 7-minute stretch without a field goal.
“It’s a lot of aggressiveness on our part,” said Mosqueda-Lewis. “We’ve got to make sure we take some risks, we’ve got to make sure that we’re getting into the lanes. We’ve got to make sure we’re being as aggressive as coach is asking us to be.”
It’s been so long since the Huskies lost at home that no player on the roster has seen a defeat in Connecticut.
“I don’t think we’ve lost at home since we’ve been here,” Hayes said.
The senior guard didn’t even know the last team to knock off the Huskies at home was.
The answer is Rutgers, which beat the Huskies in the Big East tournament title game in 2007 that was played in Hartford. The NCAA recognizes Connecticut’s postseason games played in Hartford or Storrs as home contests.
The team that beat UConn and the one that played Saturday night were very different.
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer started four freshmen and Monique Oliver for the second straight game. Just like in their loss to No. 2 Notre Dame, the talented young group held their own for the first few minutes before Hayes and UConn took control with the huge run.
It was the 11th time in the past 12 games that Hayes has scored in double figures. The senior guard set a UConn record for points in consecutive games last week when she had 68 total in wins over Syracuse and South Florida.
Rutgers tried playing a deliberate plodding style, constantly working the shot clock down to the final few seconds before attempting a shot. The Scarlet Knights just couldn’t convert many of their opportunities on offense.
Rutgers finished with 13 baskets, 21 turnovers and 19 fouls. The Scarlet Knights had only hit three baskets in the first 17 minutes of the second half, going nearly 7 minutes without a field goal at one point as UConn extended its advantage to 33 points.
The Scarlet Knights have dropped three straight games, getting blown out by No. 20 Georgetown, second-ranked Notre Dame and now No. 3 UConn.
“I’m happy this all happened,” Stringer said. “I’m not too stressed out, I’ll be critical to our team, but on the other hand my challenge is much more clear. Either you step to it or you don’t want to be here.”
Oliver scored 15 points to lead the Scarlet Knights .
Rutgers was once again without senior guard Khadijah Rushdan, who suffered a concussion in the first half of the loss to the Hoyas. She didn’t travel to Connecticut with the Scarlet Knights so she could continue to recover.
Rushdan is the second-leading scorer on the team and had been playing well before getting hurt. She rescued the Scarlet Knights from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat DePaul. She scored the final 11 points of that game, including the winning lay-in with 1.5 seconds left.
The Scarlet Knights have eight days off until their next game when they host St. John’s. Rutgers’ schedule does get a bit easier; it currently has no more games left against Top 25 teams.
“Now we get a chance to take a breather and hopefully get some ice baths and let our bodies heal a little bit,” Stringer said. “I’m grateful that we had an opportunity to play someone who would pin us. If we didn’t we’d be stunned first round of the NCAA tournament.”
Komen Loses Some Supporters Over Planned Parenthood Controversy
Written by wcbsmark
Sunday, 05 February 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — When Dorothy Twinney first saw a Race for the Cure walk for breast cancer — “a sea of pink” traveling through her hometown of Plymouth, Mich. — she was so moved she sat in her car and wept.
This week, after watching The Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer charity announce plans to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, then abandon those plans amid a public furor, Twinney decided she was done with the organization for which she raised thousands of dollars on three-day, 60-mile walks that left her feet bloodied and blistered, but her spirits high.
“It just feels like it’s all tarnished now,” the 41-year-old mother of two said. “Honestly, I’m not sure what they can do to change that.”
At week’s end, many longtime Komen supporters were feeling similarly conflicted. Some, depending on where they stood on the hot-button issue of abortion, called it more of a betrayal. Those who supported Komen’s grants to Planned Parenthood for breast-cancer screenings called the initial move to cut them politically motivated; those opposed to the grants said the same thing about the reversal.
The outrage clearly stunned Komen, the country’s most widely known breast cancer organization. “I think (Komen) has been horrified to be so caught up in this culture war,” said Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League.
Many women described feeling caught in the middle when The Associated Press first reported on Tuesday that Komen had adopted criteria excluding Planned Parenthood from future breast screening grants because it was the subject of an investigation launched by a Florida congressman at the urging of anti-abortion groups. The grants totaled $680,000 in 2011.
Alyce Lee-Walker was one of them. A longtime Komen supporter, she’d never given money to Planned Parenthood. But when she learned of the funding cut, she immediately went online to donate $188 — the 88 signifying good luck in Chinese.
She didn’t stop there. The small business owner from Pinehurst, N.C., went about removing all the pink-ribbon stickers, a Komen symbol, that she’d affixed to her belongings.
“I took them off my personal car, the business car, off the doors in the office,” she said. And that pink chef’s knife she bought at Williams-Sonoma, with some of the proceeds going to Komen? “I’m done with that, too,” she said.
When she worked on Wall Street, Lee-Walker once prowled the trading floor soliciting donations “from anyone who loved a sister, mother, wife — or who was a fan of breasts,” she quips. She raised $15,000. But now, Komen’s reversal as well as its original move left her disgusted, she said: “It’s all political.”
Many shared that skepticism. “I’m wondering, is this really what they believe now, or is it just all the bad press that made them do it?” asked Mary Gauvin, a 27-year-old mother from Fort Drum, N.Y. “I doubt their motivation a bit.”
Gauvin, a supporter in the past of both Planned Parenthood and Komen, said that now, if a friend asked for sponsorship in a Race for the Cure event, she would offer to give money instead to the American Cancer Society.
Also switching allegiance was Suzanne Strempek Shea, a novelist and college writing teacher in Northampton, Mass. “If someone asks me to sponsor them,” she said, “I’m going to say, ‘I wish you well, but I’m going to give the amount I’d have given you to Rays of Hope,” another breast cancer support group.
The issue was particularly painful to Shea, 51. She is a breast cancer survivor who discovered early warning signs at a Planned Parenthood breast screening (the group does screenings and refers some patients for mammograms).
“They found the cysts that led to the diagnosis. I don’t think people realize all the good they do,” Shea said. Horrified that a crucial women’s health issue had become entwined with the abortion debate, she said that despite the reversal, “I’m still angry.”
Even angrier about the reversal were anti-abortion advocates who’d applauded Komen’s original move.
“We were very happy to see (Komen) discontinue funding to Planned Parenthood,” said Tony Lauinger, state chairman for Oklahomans For Life. “For an entity … that’s trying to prevent breast cancer across the world, it’s directly counterproductive that the organization would be giving funds to Planned Parenthood, which is the largest provider of abortions in the country.”
Scheidler, of the Pro-Life Action League, sent out emails and social media messages Friday aimed at “tens of thousands” of abortion foes, urging them to withhold donations to Komen. Days earlier, when the original decision was reported, he’d urged people to donate to Komen.
Renee Wiesner, a mother of nine who opposes abortion, said she had been encouraged by Komen’s original decision.
“I had known about the grants, and that’s why I had avoided supporting Komen in the past,” said Wiesner, of Aurora, Ill. Now, she said, she will wait for the furor to die down before deciding where to contribute.
She said she suspected the reversal was simply a PR move by Komen: “They need to keep a good public image if they want to be as successful as they’ve been.”
Not everyone was beating up on Komen. “They made a bad call, but they rethought their position,” said Katie Ferdinand, 46, of Basking Ridge, N.J. “I’d consider supporting them going forward.”
Before the reversal, Ferdinand had gone on Facebook and urged friends to join her in contributing to Planned Parenthood. The organization said it received $3 million between Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon, funds it said would be used to expand its breast health services, which now provide nearly 750,000 breast exams each year.
That made Planned Parenthood supporter Cindy Froggatt happy. “I am grateful to Komen for the unintended consequence of their misguided decision,” said Froggatt, of Philadelphia. She especially admired the actions of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who himself made a $250,000 gift.
The controversy was rawest, it seemed, for breast cancer survivors, especially those, like Joyce Miller, who’d donated many hours of time to Komen. After her first breast cancer treatment, Miller spent an hour a day manning Komen’s phone lines, for nearly two years.
“I do not forgive them,” the 70-year-old Dallas woman said Friday, after the reversal. She said she was also thinking of her daughter, Twinney, the Michigan woman, who spent years on the breast cancer walks. “Those bloody feet,” Miller said. “The aching back!”
As for Twinney, she didn’t try to hold back the tears as she spoke of the years of fundraising, which included bartending stints to get cash together, and the three-day walks, buoyed by supporters including her two sons, who even agreed to dress in pink.
“Those weekends, on those walks, were some of the most special times of my life, next to the birth of my children,” she said. “You met the best people in the world. This organization began for such a special reason. And I am just so disappointed right now.”
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(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
NEW YORK (AP) - Jeremy Lin scored a career-high 25 points and the New York Knicks salvaged the finale of a back-to-back-to-back set by beating the New Jersey Nets 99-92 on Saturday night.
Lin came off the bench to control a struggling offense, adding seven assists while outplaying Nets All-Star point guard Deron Williams.
Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler each added 17 points for the Knicks, who won for just the third time in 14 games. They fell just short in losses to Chicago and Boston over the last two nights before picking up a much-needed victory Saturday.
Williams had 21 points and 11 assists for the Nets, while Kris Humphries added 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Lin, who played at Harvard, was the catalyst for the Knicks, who have been desperate for production at point guard while they wait for Baron Davis to finally become available. Lin was a hit with the fans practically from the moment he checked in, and some of the loudest cheers of this disappointing season roared through Madison Square Garden when his three-point play made it 95-86 with 2:03 remaining.
He scored on the next possession to make it an 11-point game, and teammates hugged him at center court after the buzzer as Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” blasted through the arena.
Carmelo Anthony had just 11 points on 3 of 15 shooting, perhaps tired on the third straight night of games.
The losing has created speculation that Mike D’Antoni’s job could be in jeopardy, especially if the Knicks had dropped this one and fallen behind the Nets in the Atlantic Division standings. But he said before the game there was no reason to panic and that he still believed in his players.
He had noted how much they struggled to score beyond Anthony and Stoudemire, needing someone else to step up. He found that someone in Lin, the first American-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.
The second-year pro has hardly been a factor and even was sent to the NBA Development League recently, where he had a triple-double. But D’Antoni gave him a chance last Saturday while searching for a spark at the end of a road trip, but it’s hard to imagine he saw this coming.
Lin drove along the baseline and fed Stoudemire for the tiebreaking basket, then scored on his own drive for an 86-82 lead with 4:59 left. Stoudemire scored again, and after a jumper by Williams, Chandler converted a three-point play for a 91-84 lead and Lin put it away from there as “Jeremy! Jeremy!” chants broke out.
Anthony Morrow had only 11 points on 4 of 12 shooting for the Nets, one night after scoring a career-best 42 points and making an NBA season-high eight 3-pointers.
The Nets raced to a 17-7 lead and were ahead 30-20 after one quarter behind 10 points from Williams. But with Lin playing the entire second quarter in rare first-half playing time, the Knicks seemed to get a spark on both ends of the floor.
Lin had team highs of six points and three assists in the second quarter, including a lob to Chandler that allowed the Knicks to tie it at 46 with 1:32 remaining. New Jersey took a two-point lead into the half after a basket by Jordan Williams.
Notes: Humphries was booed loudly on a few occasions, as he was when the Nets played here in the preseason and in a number of other arenas after his brief marriage to reality star Kim Kardashian. … Nets starters Shawne Williams and Shelden Williams both finished last season with the Knicks. … The teams play only three times this season, once more at Madison Square Garden and once in Newark.
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