Seriously, do you want to attend ESPN High School? If you live in New York City and you are approaching high-school age, then you'll have that chance. ESPN is teaming up with the NYC Department of Education to open a sports-themed high school. Now, that's not as absurd as it sounds on the surface.
The school will focus on the business side of sports, and will include internships with companies involved in sports like VitaminWater. Let's face it, the sports industry is one of the most lucrative in the country right now, so this has the chance to be a great idea.
The New York Giants' season is over, and when they look back on this year, Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg will stand alone as the moment that transformed them from defending champs and No. 1 team in the league to just another postseason also ran.
But that doesn't mean the Giants are done with Burress. In fact, Giants general manager Jerry Reese said it's "absolutely" possible that Burress could be a Giant in 2009, and he told the New York Daily News that he thinks Burress is a huge part of the offense.
I guess this counts as politicians doing their part to give back during these trying economic times. But New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his administration, against a backdrop of economic turmoil, are giving up their luxury boxes in both the new Yankee Stadium, and Citi Field.
Senior Bloomberg aides had fought hard to get the luxury boxes, describing the perk in internal e-mails as "a big issue to the mayor" during negotiations with the teams in 2006. (...)
Bloomberg spokesman Andrew Brent said the new agreement means the city will receive cash payments for the use of its Yankees box. Future mayoral administrations will have the option of using the box or being paid for it. (...)
State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, who accuses the city of conducting the stadium negotiations behind closed doors, said the Bloomberg administration is clearly worried about how it looks to be haggling over luxury boxes now that the city is grappling with dramatic budget cuts, job losses and tax hikes.
"This whole thing has been an embarrassment," Brodsky said. "I think they were scared about the public reaction to this entire fiasco."
Any chance that money the city is getting could be put towards a halfway decent transit system so my fare doesn't go up to five bucks per round trip? Yeah, I thought that might be too much to ask. With my luck, that money will probably go towards a new flat screen television so the mayor can enjoy baseball in the comfort of Gracie Mansion so he doesn't feel so bad about losing his luxury box.
Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter comes off as a smack-talking buffoon, but it's all an act. He's sort of like Tony Kornheiser in that respect; he plays dumb for the crowd, but the reality is that he's a pretty sharp dude. So with that in mind, I was interested in his comments on the whole "Plax blew a hole in his own leg?!" fiasco that has since earned the Giants wideout a suspension for the rest of the NFL season and, if New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets his way, a three-plus-year stint in the slammer for, well, shooting himself in the thigh without a permit.
"Everybody has their mistakes, but that's exactly what they are ... Until you've been in that situation, when you've been robbed at gunpoint or you've had a gun waved in your face or had your house broken into before or been carjacked, you really don't know what it's like."
Or been shot in the butt while fleeing a night club.
On Wednesday, [Giants general manager Jerry] Reese, who helped engineer last season's Super Bowl run, said that if Burress survived a blizzard of legal issues, he could be a Giant in 2009. "Provided he plays by Giants rules," Reese said.
Without going into detail, Reese said the Giants' front office was on the same page about Burress's possible future with the Giants - namely that he had one - provided he was not in jail and provided he had a 180-degree attitude adjustment.
In the aftermath of the Harris Smith incident, Michael Bloomberg -- the mayor of New York City -- is on a rampage, and the hospital where Harris Smith checked himself in is next on the mayor's hit-list. After stating that it would be an "outrage" if Harris Smith isn't given at least the minimum prison sentence for his concealed weapon and ensuing cover-up attempt, the mayor went after the hospital.
The mayor also lashed out at New York Presbyterian Hospital for failing to inform police about the incident. He called on the state attorney general to "go after" the hospital for a "chargeable offense."
The district attorney's office said the hospital is under investigation. The hospital said it also is investigating the incident and promised to cooperate with authorities.
The hospital reacted swiftly, no doubt trying to make an individual take the fall rather than the entire operation.
"We can confirm that the individual at New York Presbyterian Hospital, who was responsible for failing to report the incident, has been suspended," hospital spokeswoman Robinson said.
As George Costanza once said, "this is like an onion, the more layers you peel, the more it stinks."
"It's pretty hard to argue the guy didn't have a gun and that it wasn't loaded," said Bloomberg, lashing out at the Super Bowl receiver. "You've got bullet holes in and out to show that it was there." ...
"And I don't think that anybody should be exempt from [three-and-a-half years in the slammer for illegally carrying a loaded handgun]," he added. "And I think it would be an outrage if we don't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."
NBC New York's Josh Alper writes that Bloomberg also "excoriated New York Cornell Hospital for not reporting the gunshot wound to 'Harris Smith' ... after he went there for treatment and slammed Plax's employers as well. Contrary to previous reports, Bloomberg said the team did not notify the NYPD about the shooting."
Bon Jovi is giving away all kinds of free stuff these days. First, he handed out all those free Philadelphia Soul tickets. Now, in more exciting news (no offense, Arena League), he's performing a free concert in Central Park as a celebration for the All Star Game in New York City.
At a press conference from City Hall on Monday, [NYC Mayor Michael] Bloomberg, along with Major League Baseball and the event's sponsor, Bank of America, announced that a free Bon Jovi concert will be held on July 12 at 8 p.m. in conjunction with the 79th All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium.
No more than 60,000 fans will be allowed to attend the event, which Bloomberg said he hoped would be the largest concert in the history of Central Park's Great Lawn.
"My kids will be particularly thrilled," Bloomberg joked. "This will be a performance by one of the biggest rock bands ever, revered by millions around the world, Bon Jovi.
"I have been a fan of Bon Jovi since I had the same haircut in the '80s."
Guh, Bloomberg. Not that you can hide the photos, but don't go around telling anyone that -- you don't hear David Stern talking about his mustache from the mid-80's, do you? Bloomberg made up for it though, when he dropped a "Blaze of Glory" joke. You know, because song-title-puns are always hysterical.
NYC residents can start picking up their tickets in about eight hours, first come first serve style (9 a.m.), although MLB.com will be giving away plenty of free tickets later. Follow the link above for locations, NYC folks, and you'll be halfway there. Trying to win tickets is just like ... living on a prayer. (You may now boo my puns heartily in the comments.)
If you thought New Yankee Stadium was only going to cost tax payers around $446 million -- the 2006 estimate -- think again, chap. A recent study by Good Jobs New York is placing the cost somewhere in the $663 million ballpark. The study also claims ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and current Mayor Michael Bloomberg are to blame for part of it.
Giuliani's firm, Giuliani Security and Safety, was listed as a stadium security consultant in 2006 court documents, the group said. And the ex-mayor approved a $21 million rent reduction for the team when he was in office.
"Public faith in government is eroded when private corporations hire former government officials and use their expertise and influence to evade participatory planning and established economic development principles," the report said.
Wait, so you're telling me a company a government official has a hand in got business from an entity and gave them a nice little discount elsewhere as a favor? I've never heard of this before. My faith in the democracy has been shaken. Someone please come hold me tight.
Seriously, do you want to attend ESPN High School? If you live in New York City and you are approaching high-school age, then you'll have that chance. ESPN is teaming up with the NYC Department of Education to open a sports-themed high school. Now, that's not as absurd as it sounds on the surface. 
I guess this counts as politicians doing their part to give back during these trying economic times. But New York Mayor 
On Tuesday, the New York Giants washed their hands of 
In the aftermath of the 
Applebee's favorite son
If you thought New Yankee Stadium was only going to cost tax payers around $446 million -- the 2006 estimate -- think again, chap. 
