December 11, 1999
FREEMARKETS IPO UP 583%
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amCapping off a week of sizzling hot IPOs, shares of FreeMarkets Inc. rocketed to nearly six times their initial offering price yesterday, as investors snapped up a piece of the...
AD GIANTS 'NET WAR - OMNICOM, INTERPUBLIC VIE FOR BILLIONS IN INTERNET ADS
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amThe two giants of advertising yesterday plunged into their first head-to-head war over web turfs -- but both stand to reap billions no matter who wins. After slugging it out...
WALKER TAKES A HIKE - HE'S BOOTED AS CO-HOST OF 'NATIONAL ENQUIRER TV SHOW'
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amNATIONAL Enquirer gossip maven Mike Walker has been booted as co-host of "The National Enquirer TV Show" and replaced by James Hill. MGM, which syndicates the show, didn't think Walker...
MATS ENTERTAINMENT: WWF MOVING TO RADIO
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amTHE rock 'em-sock 'em spectacle of wrestling is moving to the radio. Strange as it may sound, six new radio shows on wrestling will start to air nationally in January....
THE REIGN OF SPAIN - THANKS TO A SHOO-IN OSCAR PICK AND A NEW SERIES AT LINCOLN CENTER, SPANISH FILMS ARE HOTTER THAN EVER
December 11, 1999 | 5:00am(-ssq-)ALL About My Mother(-edq-) is not only likely to win the Oscar for best foreign-language film, the Pedro Almodovar flick will dominate many critics(-esq-) year-end top 10 lists. The Barcelona-set...
BRING ON THE SUGARPLUMS!
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amGeorge Balanchine once told me that "The Nutcracker" was his favorite ballet. Whether true or not, the master choreographer certainly owed "The Nutcracker" something. He first danced in it as...
WRAP UP TERRIFIC BUYS IN 'SOFT' MARKET FOR SHAWLS
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amGo ahead, pass the pashmina -- but don't hold back on the bargains. If you're all wrapped up in getting hold of a deliciously soft pashmina shawl, here are a...
GRANDMA'S PLEA TO HELP ECUADOR BABY
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amA desperate and tearful Queens woman is pleading for help in saving the life of her 21/2-month-old granddaughter -- who needs to get into the United States for heart surgery...
HIZZONER TAKES AX TO $80M TWEED REHAB
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amMAYOR Giuliani has ordered cutbacks in the ambitious renovation of the infamous Tweed Courthouse so the price tag doesn't reach the new estimate of $80 million. "It is definitely going...
WOODY'S BOY GENIUS A COLLEGE-CLASS ACT
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amWoody Allen's boy genius son wants to take a full course load next semester -- despite objections from Mia Farrow and the college that he is "just too young," the...
COED, 10, PONDERS QUANTUM PHYSICS & CARTOONS
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amA brilliant 10-year-old Long Island girl has graduated from the fourth grade directly into college, where she is taking advanced physics, alongside 19-year-old science and engineering students. Alia Sabur of...
BIG-HEARTED COP GIVES KIDNEY TO SAVE HER LIFE
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amPolice Officer Christopher Hughes gave his mother a Christmas present she won't soon forget -- the gift of life. The 34-year-old nine-year veteran who works at the 44th Precinct in...
RUSSIA COMMUTES 'DEATH TO GROZNY'
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amRussia -- apparently bowing to Western pressure -- backed down on its "get out or die" ultimatum to residents of the Chechen capital yesterday and said it plans to help...
HILLARY BLAMES SCHOOL WOES ON 'DEADWOOD' -- AND RUDY
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amFirst Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday called for an education upgrade to rid the system of deadwood bureaucrats -- and she hit Mayor Giuliani for slashing school funding and supporting...
RICK DANKO OF 'THE BAND' DEAD AT 56
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amRick Danko, who helped mold the sound of modern rock as a bassist and singer with The Band, died yesterday -- a day after his 56th birthday. Danko, who backed...
CELINE DION'S OLD BIZ SINGS THE TAX BLUES
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amThe Canadian restaurant chain founded by pop diva Celine Dion and husband Rene Angelil is under investigation for tax fraud -- and is charged with owing the government more than...
CITY NAILS BUILDER AT WORK-BAN SITE
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amThe city shut down a hazardous Brooklyn building site yesterday -- but only after a neighborhood resident complained directly to Mayor Giuliani at a town-hall meeting. The Buildings Department halted...
CUBA WON'T DEAL WITH U.S. COURT OVER BOY
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amCuban officials yesterday flatly rejected any legal help in trying to return a 6-year-old Cuban boy to his father -- refusing to resolve the heated international custody battle in a...
FAA ONCE LIFTED THE LICENSE OF CRASH PILOT
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amChip Brierre was so nervous about using his pilot's license that he enlisted a friend -- whose plane once ran out of fuel and crashed -- to fly him and...
CREW READIES AX FOR TEST-CHEAT TEACHERS
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amSchools Chancellor Rudy Crew -- reacting to a sweeping report on test-tampering in city schools -- said yesterday he wants to fire 20 teachers and assistants implicated in the scandal....
CROWD SOBS AS CARDINAL HAILS ED ON TAPE
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amAn ailing John Cardinal O'Connor delivered an emotional birthday message to his longtime pal Ed Koch that left dozens at a gala celebration in tears. O'Connor -- who's recovering from...
HEART SCARE SENDS BRADLEY TO HOSPITAL
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amWASHINGTON -- Surging Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley abruptly checked himself into a California hospital yesterday for an irregular heartbeat. Bradley, 56, the former Knicks star who has refused to...
FEDS FINALLY SLAP CUFFS ON CHINA NUKE-SPY SUSPECT
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amWASHINGTON -- Fired Los Alamos National Lab scientist Wen Ho Lee was charged yesterday with swiping top U.S. nuclear weapons secrets -- but prosecutors conceded they can't prove he was...
EMPIRE STATE BLDG. IS STILL OUR RISING STAR
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amEach day until Jan. 1, The Post will look at a New York landmark on the eve of the new millennium. We'll talk to people who work or visit here...
JFK BLAZE GROUNDS SCORES OF TRAVELERS
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amHundreds of weary travelers were left stranded at JFK Airport last night after an electrical fire abruptly shut down a major terminal there. The fire started in an electrical closet...
BRONX TEEN FINDS HER LOVED ONES MURDERED
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amA beloved elderly couple was found brutally murdered in their Bronx apartment yesterday by their horrified 13-year-old foster daughter after an apparent botched robbery, cops said. The bodies of Carlos...
RUDY VOWS TO $TRIKE BACK - SAYS HE'LL SUE TRANSIT UNION FOR $25M A DAY
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amMayor Giuliani warned transit workers yesterday he'll wage war if they go on strike by suing their union for up to $25 million a day in penalties. The mayor said...
SPEEDING AMBULANCE KILLS GRANDMA, HURTS KIN IN BX.
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amA Manhattan grandma was killed and her two grandsons seriously injured last night when a city ambulance responding to an emergency hit their car in The Bronx, police said. Police...
NEW GI TRAGEDY AS 3 DIE IN KUWAIT CRASH
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Three U.S. soldiers died and 16 others were injured when an Air Force plane belly-landed in fog and rain in Kuwait - the second military air crash in...
CONN. KILLER GETS MAX, STILL FACES KID-SLAY RAP
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amA Connecticut man accused of killing an 8-year-old boy and his mother was sentenced to a maximum of 105 years in prison yesterday for a murder in which the boy...
IRAQ CANCELS POPE'S TRIP AND BLAMES U.N.
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amIraq has abruptly canceled a controversial visit by Pope John Paul II - blaming the U.N. sanctions and the no-fly zone over the country, the Vatican announced yesterday. John Paul...
NDUR TO LEARN HIS FATE TODAY
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amRumun Ndur's short career as a Ranger is likely to come to a conclusion at noon today. That's when the NHL will reveal whether the 24-year-old defenseman, placed on waivers...
PROSPECT OF BENCHING FIRES UP NIEDERMAYER
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amEnigmatic Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer is hotter than he's ever been, which may not be surprising considering the fire that was lit beneath him. The Devils' top offensive defenseman brings...
VICK WILL WAIT HIS TURN - TECH QB SHOULD BE BACK FOR HEISMAN FETE
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amWisconsin running back Ron Dayne almost surely will leave the Downtown Athletic Club tonight with the Heisman Trophy tucked under his arm. But Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick is liable...
QUEENS COUNTY ON TAP AT BIG A
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amFew sires have stronger off-track credentials than Relaunch. A son of In Reality, one of the all-time great slop sires, Relaunch also produces runners who relish the goo. One of...
CHUDNEY'S TURN TO STEER STORM
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amNIAGARA -- Chudney Gray has never complained about his role at St. John's. When he played a total of 134 minutes in 16 games as a freshman, Gray never uttered...
CHAVEZ IS OUT; HUSBANDS IS IN
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amThe shuffle in the jockey colony continues as Jorge Chavez announced he is leaving town after tomorrow. Chavez, who is currently tied with John Velazquez as the leading rider in...
DECIMATED GIANTS BOXED INTO CORNER
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amQuick quiz: Who's lining up at cornerback for the Giants tomorrow against the Bills? "I don't know who's back there or who's going to be back there," defensive end Cedric...
ISLES LACK KILLING INSTINCT
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amOn the charge of first-degree penalty killings, the Islanders were found not guilty Thursday night. After all, everyone knows they don't kill penalties. Continuing a season-long trend that has helped...
RUTGERS' STEPHENS GETS CALL
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES An impression, no matter how far back it came, can make a difference. That's what Reggie Stephens learned this week. Stephens, an undersized but spirited cornerback from Rutgers,...
PINCAY IS RIDING HIGH AFTER TOPPING THE SHOE
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amOvercoming a lifelong battle with weight, injuries, personal tragedy and a riding slump in the twilight of his career, 52-year-old Laffit Pincay Jr. finally reached the top of the pyramid...
KNICKS TAKE YET ANOTHER LOOK AT WEIS
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES The next several days will be major in determining the future of the Knicks' center position. And this has nothing to do with watching Patrick Ewing's celebrated return...
PHILS' SCHILLING TO MISS FIRST MONTH OF SEASON
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amANAHEIM -- A feel-good offseason for the Phillies was rocked yesterday when it was revealed their ace Curt Schilling needs to undergo shoulder surgery. The arthroscopic procedure is scheduled for...
JUDGES FALL SHORT BUT CONVINCE COACH
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amBefore the season started, Cardozo head coach Ron Naclerio called his squad "the all-time immature team." Then, it took three games for him to admit that he might have been...
SAME OLD PATRICK
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amTHE YEAR was 1985. The Knicks had conveniently won the lottery and Patrick Ewing. The Post dispatched me to three pre-season games to sit down with Ewing for one of...
GAELS MAKE RAMS TAKE NOTICE
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amWith the hiring of Bob Hill, Fordham had grabbed much of the attention in New York's college basketball community. But with their gripping 83-80 win over Fordham in front of...
CAMBY FIRES FIRST GRIPES FROM BENCH
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amPatrick Ewing was back in the starting lineup last night. Larry Johnson was back in the starting lineup last night. Marcus Camby, perhaps their most dynamic player this season, was...
METS GET BALL ROLLING WITH DEAL FOR OROSCO
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amANAHEIM -- Mets GM Steve Phillips arrived to the hotel of the Winter Meetings in mid-afternoon yesterday and just about had time to put down his suitcases before he was...
CHI BOPS NETS IN REAL STINKER
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amCHICAGO -- Every generation or so a game comes along so mesmerizing in its excitement, so monumental in its importance that it leaves an indelible mark on the soul for...
SPREWELL'S IN CHARGE IN THIS OFFENSE
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amThe letters on the backs of the Garden fans still read "Sprewell," not "Ewing," and there were lots of No. 8's peppering the crowd on the heralded return of No....
MISSIN' ACCOMPLISHED - DESPITE HIS 0-FOR-8, EWING CONTRIBUTES TO KNICKS' VICTORY
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amHe still can get rebounds and shoot foul shots. Eventually, maybe Patrick Ewing will get back the touch on his trademark turnaround nowhere to be found last night in his...
FORDHAM'S EARLY SUCCESS WELL-GUARDED
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amIt was a fairly short time ago "maybe a year or two " when the words "Fordham basketball" and "best" could hardly be put in the same sentence without some...
PATIENT SHERM SITS & WAITS
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amCHICAGO - Sherman Douglas is a little confused. He has a right to be. See, Douglas had been a spectator for three straight games entering the Nets' meeting with the...
NETS' BIG BODIES COME UP SHORT
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amCHICAGO - Want proof you can never have enough height? Just check the Nets. They spent much of the offseason signing and re-signing big bodies. But for last night here...
BACK ON CENTER STAGE - EWING GIVEN A NICE HAND IN HIS DEBUT
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amThe Garden crowd responded with a partial standing ovation as Patrick Ewing was announced into the starting lineup last night during player introductions. It's a matter of time how his...
SAME OLD PATRICK: NO CLASS, NO RING
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amTHE YEAR was 1985. The Knicks had conveniently won the lottery and Patrick Ewing. For a change, all was right in their world. The Post sent me to three different...
SIXERS NIX IVERSON'S BID FOR EARLY RETURN
December 11, 1999 | 5:00amLess than an hour before game time, the Sixers' locker room had a discreet bustle about it. Allen Iverson wanted to play. The official team stance was denial. "The doctor...