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OTTER NONSENSE

Dumb Dems claim Zo brought back river critter

PAGE 7

Masked sickos terrorize girls

at posh NYC soccer field

An unhinged gang of vagrants is relentlessly harassing young girls at the soccer field in the $73 million Gansevoort Peninsula in the trendy Meatpacking District. The roughly dirty dozen includes a man in a grotesque penis mask, who was screaming at the kids during a morning practice this week. "It's extremely concerning," said Jason Fernández, whose daughter plays with Gotham Girls Football Club. "Nothing is being done."

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Chell: I'd be pro-police mayor

Retired NYPD Chief of Department John Chell, the highest ranking uni- formed officer at the department un- til his retirement last year, promises cops will hit the jackpot if he's elected mayor in 2029.

"I would make this department the highest paid in the nation," the long- shot candidate, who's running as an independent, told The Post Thursday.

Chell, 57, announced he was running for mayor in a video on X in April.

Public safety is at the top of his

agenda and he vows to raise the total number of police officers in the NYPD closer to 40,000. The number is hovering around 35,000 right now.

Chell (right), who grew up in Brooklyn and lives on Staten Island, also wants to make department train- ing tougher to ensure officers can handle the job — including physically testing those at higher ranks, he said.

"Every rank should be in shape," said the tough-talking 30-year veteran of the force, who retired last year.

"Like every two years, you should be able to run X amount of distance in X amount of time based on your age."

But he's running for mayor to handle more than just public safety, he said.

He's against socialist Mayor Mamdani's pied-à-terre tax, which Chell said is just the mayor's way of pander- ing to his base.

Tina Moore

Stephen Yano

60 machete vics:

NYC is to blame

By SONYA GUGLIARA

Two of the elderly people vi- ciously slashed at the Grand Cen- tral subway station by a machete- wielding maniac who called himself "Lucifer" say the city is to blame for their injuries because cops were nowhere to be found during the attack.

Leila Sumulong, 70, and José Fer- min, 84, are two of the three people attacked by Anthony Griffin, 44, at the 42nd Street-Grand Central sta- tion April 11, before he was shot dead by cops.

Griffin's rampage started after he got off a 7 train and moved to the 4-5-6 line platform, where Sumu- long was sliced across her back and Fermin across his head, leaving them both with PTSD and terrified of ever riding the subway again, ac- cording to court papers.

A 65-year-old man was also left with severe lacerations across his head and a skull fracture.

"This is a classic case of lack of security at a major station in the city of New York," attorney Joseph

Napoli, who represents Fermin and Sumulong, told The Post. "How did the police officers assigned to this station with all the equipment they have not notice 'Lucifer' walking around the platform with a ma- chete?"

Sumulong and Fermin are asking a Manhattan Supreme Court judge for permission to file a late notice of claim against the city, the first

step in pursuing a lawsuit, after missing the 90-day deadline.

"Despite the open and obvious nature of the attack, [Sumulong and Fermin] were forced to search for NYPD officers on the platform and only found officers once they ... went up ... to the general con- course area," the petition alleges.

At 9:40 a.m., cops ordered Griffin to drop his roughly 17-inch machete

over two dozen times, body camera footage released in May shows. Re- fusing to drop the weapon, he screams "Shoot me, please!" before running off.

Griffin then eerily yelled "I am Lucifer!" twice before advancing to- ward one of the officers, who then fired two shots, leaving the perp ly- ing face down on the ground, the footage shows.

The city and its agencies are re- sponsible for the attacks because the assailant wasn't immediately stopped and cops failed to keep the subway platforms safe, the pro- posed notice of claim argues. The victims plan to sue the city, the NYPD and the MTA, among others.

An NYPD spokesperson referred The Post to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch's comments at the time: "Our officers were confronted with an armed individual who had already injured multiple people ... they took decisive action to stop it."

City Hall and the MTA did not re- turn requests for comment. Fermin, Sumulong and an attorney for the city declined to comment.

Medics win on 'merits' in pay fight

EMS workers scored a win in court this week when a judge determined their promotions should be based on "merit and fit- ness" — not decided by a "good old boys' club," a union leader said.

Several municipal un-

ions petitioned the State Supreme Court to force the city to comply with a 2019 state law that re- quires the FDNY to give promotional tests for the positions of EMS captain, deputy chief, division chief or division com-

mander, according to court documents. The unions claimed that for more than five years "respondents ignored the statute and continued to fill vacancies in the high- level, life-critical emer- gency medical ranks"

through an arbitrary pro- cess, the documents show. "It was basically a good old boys' club," Vincent Variale, president of the EMS officers' union Local 3621, told The Post. The larger fight that lies ahead for the union and its

members is getting EMS workers the same pay that FDNY smoke-eaters re- ceive, he said. Mayor Mamdani's press office didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the decision. Tina Moore

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We 'Wonder' about Syd

Hey, Sydney, is your Wonder Woman cosplay a hint that you'd like to join the DC universe? The lovely Ms. Sweeney joins her guy Scooter Braun (dressed as Superman, naturally) in an Insta-snap that left DC devotees wanting more.

Paramount gets 'Ruff'

Paramount clapped back at Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo and accused him of invoking "antisemitic tropes" in an unhinged rant in which he raged against the company's proposed Warner Bros merger.

The media giant swiftly issued a lengthy statement on Friday after the "Hulk"-portrayer spouted off on social media, criticizing the intended $110 billion merger as "crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world."

"We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute. Words like 'genocide' and 'apartheid,' applied to a corporate transaction, aren't just wrong — they're a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe," the company said in a statement, reported by CNN's Brian Stelter.

Shane Galvin

Photographic 'lost' memory

Are you guilty of filling up your phone with photos or screenshots that you never again look at?

Instead of helping jog our memory, it does the opposite: It makes us more likely to forget, Binghamton University researchers found.

They call it "photo-taking impairment effect" and it happens when the person who takes a picture remembers less than a person who simply views it and moves on. Allie Yang

PUNCH DRUNK, MAYBE Calif. UFC fancy

By JEANNE ERICKSON

Avocado-munching, late-sipping lefties in California have officially lost their minds — topping a new survey of states most confident they

could survive or even win a fight against a professional UFC athlete.

A deluded 25% of cocky Golden Staters say they've got what it takes to take a full-force punch from a UFC heavyweight — and remain standing.

The EsportsGG study of 2,000 US adults asked two questions: whether they thought they could withstand a full-force punch from a UFC heavyweight without being knocked out and whether they could knock out a UFC fighter themselves if allowed to land the first punch.

Respondents from California topped the resulting "fighting confidence" ranking with a full quarter of them checking "yes" to the first question, well above the 13.7% national average among qualifying states.

But wait, it gets worse. Some 26.8% of Californians believe they could knock out a UFC fighter with an unanswered first punch.

Lee Mitchell, a personal trainer who has worked with professional MMA fighters, explained why the results show just how off the mark California's veggie-happy fruit loops' opinions of their own strength — along with anyone who thinks they can survive a power-packed blow from a champ — really are.

'Hurt you efficiently'

"A UFC heavyweight's punch isn't just about power, it's about how fast and precisely it's delivered," Mitchell said. "Most people have never taken a real punch in their life, let alone one from someone whose entire career is built around years of training in ways to hurt you efficiently."

He compared the experience of enduring such a blow to "stepping in front of a moving car."

Nevada came in second with 21.7% believing they could take the hit, with another 17.4% thinking they could knock out a pro fighter if given the first punch.

Texas placed third, with 18.2% confident they could withstand the punch and 21.8% believing they could deliver a knockout blow.

Georgia followed at 17.9%, ahead of Colorado at 15.2%, Arizona at 15.1%, North Carolina at 14.9%, Washington at 14%, New York at 13.9% and Louisiana at 12.8%.

Michigan proved considerably more realistic with only 7.1% willing to step into the imaginary Octagon.

sydney/sweeney/houston

New York Post, Sunday, August 23, 2026 nypost.com

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PTA rage at toxins

B'klyn school risk

By SONYA GUGLIARA

Furious Brooklyn parents are demanding Gov. Hochul resign, accusing her administration of forcing their special-needs elementary students to breathe in cancer-causing chemicals near the notorious Gowanus Canal for more than two years.

The PTA at PS 372 is in an uproar over the state's lackluster efforts to mitigate contaminated air, which recent samples found is filled with cancer-causing compounds such as benzene and xylene and seeping into the basement of the school's annex building at 219 First St.

"We are outraged that New York State agencies under your leadership have failed to safeguard the school community from documented toxic chemical threats in our indoor air for two and a half years, even though those same agencies determined that soil vapor intrusion mitigation was mandated," parents told Hochul in the petition, which bore more than 500 signatures Saturday.

"If you cannot protect the children, faculty and staff of PS 372, you do not deserve to be Governor of New York State," the parents said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health have been tasked with the cleanup at PS 372, which hosts roughly 450 students.

Too late to fix

The DEC vowed to address the problem in March 2024, when air and soil sampling revealed alarming levels of toxic compounds.

A sub-slab depressurization system — which removes harmful gases from beneath a building — wasn't installed until a year later.

Parents learned this summer that toxins within the building remain above normal levels, though DOE and DEC officials say it's safe for children and teachers.

In an Aug. 12 letter, DEC officials said they were installing heat-recovery ventilators for additional filtration — but a Friday notice said they won't be ready by the start of the school year. Hochul's office and the DEC did not return a request for comment.

"We are taking this issue seriously and are working . . . to ensure that the appropriate measures are in place," a DOE spokesperson said.

HSer 'free bus' plea

After her letter to City Hall went unanswered, a teenager from Staten Island took to Instagram with a plea for Mayor Mamdani.

"I have only one wish, and that's for me to get free bus rides to school next year," 17-year-old Daeun Kim says in the video Thursday.

Kim is about to start her final year at LaGuardia Arts HS — whose alumni include actor Timothée Chalamet — in Lincoln Square.

She said her parents, working-class immigrants from Korea, have had to shell out $18,270 just in bus fare to send her brother and her to public school over

the past four years. Students get free public transit rides with their OMNY cards, but express buses are excluded. That's what most Staten Island students like her take, she said.

"People bring up the free ferry but for a lot of us, the ferry isn't close. It would mean a 30-minute drive or a 90-minute bus ride just to reach it, and then another subway after that to go to the school," she explained.

Kim, who has a 4.0 GPA, said taking the ferry would double her commute compared with the express bus, which costs $7.25 each way.

Gabrielle Fahmy

STRIKING

By J.C. RICE, ADRY TORRES, HELAYNE SEIDMAN and GABRIELL FAHMY

An unhinged gang of vagrants — including a sicko in a grotesque penis mask and a maniac setting benches ablaze — is relentlessly terrorizing young girls at a multimillion-dollar soccer field in the trendy Meatpacking District.

The Post witnessed the chaotic scenes this week, where the man wearing a revolting mask with a dangling penis for a nose glowered less than 20 feet from the wary kids, stripped and bellowed in an unprovoked outburst at 9 a.m. on a Wednesday.

"Everyone wants to party, but no one wants to pay for party!" the man screamed.

He took off his mask to reveal something passersby said was even more frightening — his face, covered with 30 piercings, including a ring between his eyes and a menacing cluster of tiny metal studs circling his mouth, eyebrows and eyes.

'City becoming worse'

Atop his head was the second part of the mask — a balaclava-type contraption featuring a giant middle finger with the words "sex," "f-k you" and "Mr. Anger" scrawled on it.

The rowdy crew of vagrants — who get drunk at the nearby Mobil gas station on 8th Avenue before trudging over to Hudson River Park according to neighbors across the street — have become a regular presence around the Gansevoort Peninsula Athletic Field, which sits across the West Side Highway from the Whitney Museum, where they harass girls as young as 5 and threaten parks workers.

Parents are mortified. "It's extremely concerning," said Jason Fernández, whose daughter was practicing on the field with Gotham Girls Football Club. "Nothing is being done.

"When it comes to the kids, something has to happen. Today this guy in the mask started waving at the girls. I came back because he gave me a weird feeling," he added. "These men need help, but obviously they're not getting it and because of that everyone else has to suffer. Mamdani is terrible, absolutely terrible."

About a week ago, at least two unknown members of the mob, whose numbers can swell to a dozen, stripped down and had grunting sex on a nearby bench, entirely oblivious to their surroundings, according to an eyewitness.

"The girl was on the top of the guy. It was unbelievable, like 4 o'clock in the afternoon," said eyewitness dog walker Geronimo Silva. "This city is becoming worse."

Silva told The Post he was also harassed by the penis-masked menace — who at one point Wednesday took off his tank top in front of the kids to reveal a "thug life" tattoo plastered across his stomach and more ink on his back that included pistols and skulls.

His buddy, meanwhile, was conked out on a bench right in front of the children, and another man was zonked out right in the goal post.

A fourth man, sporting a "Scarface" T-shirt, asked for money as he flipped the middle finger.

Naked in bathrooms

"I take Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, Zelle — all the electronic payments," he shamelessly declared.

Another dangerous lunatic, some parents nicknamed "Firebug," recently set fires to the benches while the kids practiced, one parent claimed.

"One of the benches, I think it's that one, you could see it burnt," said Fernández, pointing to the burn

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FEAR ON FIELD

Phallic-mask sicko, vagrants terrorizing kids at trendy park

WHAT A D-K MOVE!

Witnesses say a Meatpacking District park has been overrun by a mob of vagrants of late, including one sicko covered in face piercings strolling through wearing a revolting penis mask.

marks on the bottom of the bench.

Since the city opened the $73 million Gansevoort Peninsula in 2023 — a 5½-acre green oasis with a sports field, beach and boardwalk — homeless people wasted little time turning the park in the swanky neighborhood where celebs like Justin and Hailey Bieber, Ben Stiller and Jennifer Lawrence live and where a penthouse recently sold for $18 million into their own personal crash pad and washrooms.

Encampments were twice torn down last summer, but this year

the NYPD told The Post it didn't respond to incidents there, and there were no 311 complaints about them. But petrified parents and parkgoers said the crew has become even more brazen.

"Gansevoort is the worst one because you get crazy homeless people around the field," said soccer coach Saad Aff, who owns Manhattan Football Training and regularly leads practices there.

"Here it's out in the open and you can kind of just walk up . . . a few times I had to step in and tell people to either go away or

tell security."

Vagrants also regularly wash up naked in the park bathrooms even as the kids are using them, parents told The Post.

'They get aggressive'

"There's a lot of things the kids see that they shouldn't be seeing," said the fed up Parks worker, who said he and his colleagues are forced to deal with the drifters, despite the city's Department of Homeless Services tasked with helping and NYPD with public drinking and

disorderly conduct.

DHS told The Post the park was "not a known hot spot" to the department, but that it would "monitor this location and offer shelter and services to any vulnerable individuals" it encounters.

The behavior also frightens nearby food vendors, who said they have been targeted as well.

"They get aggressive and start threatening and intimidating," said a 26-year-old food kiosk worker. "They say stuff like 'I got something in my bag' or 'I'm gonna f-k you up.'"

"It happens about twice a week

almost always the same people. They want free food and unfortunately, it's a business we can't."

On Wednesday, park workers were again called to boot the vagrants.

"Ya buggin the f-k out!" the penis-masked man shrieked as he was escorted away from the field.

Parents are resigned to seeing him and his motley crew again.

"The parks people come around every now and then, but the homeless just leave and come back 10 minutes later," said Lee, whose daughter plays for Gotham Girls Football Club.

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6

Living with terror

HELL HOME: Ivory Thomas (above) and Zephyr Brennan (right) say the woman who allegedly plotted to blow up the Capitol in Albany, Jessica Bowie (below), also threatened to kill them.

Roomies: ISIS suspect wanted to blow us up

Lizine Pena Press for NY Post

By SHANE GALVIN

A converted radical Muslim charged with plotting an ISIS-linked bombing at the New York State Capitol was the roommate from hell who allegedly threatened to blow up their apartment building, her housemates told The Post.

Jessica Bowie, 35, went on a month-long reign of terror in her Albany apartment that only ended when she was kicked out for not paying rent, roommates Zephyr Brennan and Ivory Thomas said.

From January through July, Bowie blasted Islamic prayers at all hours of the night from her bedroom in the Hudson Avenue townhouse and often resorted to violent threats when confronted about her disturbing behavior, the roomies claimed.

"Looking back, the Arabic hymns at 2 a.m. should've been a red flag," Brennan said.

Chillingly, in her last two weeks at the home, Bowie never took off the head-to-toe Islamic garb — and concealed her identity entirely from Brennan, whom she had known for years prior to converting to Islam, the roommate said.

Thomas, 23, told The Post she called police seven times since January on Bowie, including to report death threats, but Albany

City Police did nothing to halt the terrorizing.

"She tortured me for like six, seven months," said Thomas, who moved into the apartment on the same day as Bowie in January. "I could be dead right now."

Thomas recalled what she said was the first time she was threatened by the accused jihadi Jane.

"I was sitting in the living room area, I was on the phone with my boyfriend, and she walks past me and says, 'I'll bomb this whole place down,' " Thomas said.

No action

Terrified by the threat, she said she immediately called the city police and claimed she was told that the issue was a "he-said-she-said" and they were unable to take action.

Another time Thomas called police because of a twisted threat Bowie allegedly screamed when she thought she was home alone.

"[My boyfriend] hears Jessica saying, 'Do you know how easy it is to put rat poison in your food, f—ts?'"

Thomas said she immediately called the cops, who told her that they were unable to do anything about the threat.

In another instance, a squabble over garbage ended with Bowie threatening to kill Thomas, who once again called police. Officers responded to the home but were unable to speak to Bowie, who refused to come out of her room, according to Thomas.

The Albany Police Department declined to comment on any potential calls made to Bowie's home.

Thomas said she also called a child protective service agency once after Bowie's 11-year-old son, who did not live at the house and who she claimed Bowie allowed to smoke marijuana and Black and Mild cigars during his visits, allegedly harmed her cat.

Child protective service agencies that operate in Albany declined to comment on any cases potentially opened involving Bowie or her family.

Shunned by mosque

As tensions between the roommates grew, the building's landlord in May attempted to offer Bowie a room in another apartment nearby, where she would be living with fellow Muslims. Those tenants refused to live with the convert, whom they knew from the local mosque Masjid As-Salam, after claiming that she had exploded with anger after hearing a joke she did not like, according to the landlord.

"She would go down to the mosque and they would turn her away. When does a mosque turn people away?" Thomas said.

Brennan, who moved into the apartment just two weeks before Bowie was asked to leave for not paying rent on July 14, was friends with the alleged terrorist in the years before she converted to Islam.

From 2016 to 2019, Brennan knew Bowie as a talented Schenectady-based prose and poetry writer, visual artist and loving mother of two boys.

She was also a recovering heroin addict who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, said Brennan.

PAUL ROBINSON DUI charge in 2024.

'Drug dad' twist at Penn State

Before being charged in connection to an alleged cocaine operation at Penn State, the father-and-son duo at the center of the fraternity drug bust had already racked up run-ins with the law, The Post has learned.

Thomas Robinson, 23, was among the dozen Delta Upsilon students charged last week. His father, Paul Robinson, 59, was also charged in connection to the scheme.

The elder Robinson, a prominent Pittsburgh attorney, was charged with DUI in 2024 after police stopped him in May and recorded a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, according to court records.

Robinson waived his right to a preliminary hearing and the case was later closed, although court records do not indicate how it was resolved.

As for his alleged drug kingpin son, also known as "T-Rob," he was caught defacing university property in the fall of 2024. He pleaded guilty to vandalism charges and got off paying a $480 fine.

The younger Robinson also faced drug-dealing allegations in December 2024 — a case his father referenced in a since-deleted Facebook post last week while defending his son.

Now the father himself is charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension, concealing evidence and obstructing the investigation into the alleged fraternity cocaine ring.

His attorney, Michael DeRiso, has claimed Robinson did not know the safe he allegedly hid contained cocaine and cash. Gabrielle Fahmy

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Body of missing NY gran is found

The New York City grandmother who went missing in Las Vegas two weeks ago has been found dead in a drainage ditch area near an airport, and cops revealed the final moments of her "collapsing" on the day she vanished were caught on camera.

Alisa Goods, 63, was seen on surveillance footage "falling down an embankment, getting back up and then collapsing on Aug. 8' with "no further movement observed after that," the Las Vegas Metro police told KTNV.

The mother of five's body was found by authorities at around 1:45 a.m. Thursday. It was not visible from the street, cops told the outlet.

The Upper East Side resident was visiting her friend of 20 years, Roger John, in Sin City, and left his home near the Las Vegas Strip to go shopping at a CVS before her disappearance.

John was not considered a suspect in her disappearance and aided in the search effort.

Her family revealed that Goods had recently undergone several surgical procedures on her legs.

"Our hearts are broken. We were notified that my aunt was found — unfortunately, not the way we wanted her to be," Alana Calloway said.

"This is an unimaginable time. Words cannot describe the pain our family is experiencing right now."

Authorities have not yet announced a cause of death. Shane Galvin

Mam fans hail him on return of Bx. critter

By DAVID SPECTOR

Otterly absurd! Dems have fallen so deep under Mayor Mamdani's spell that they're crediting him with the return of an otter to the Bronx River for the first time in about 100 years — despite the decades of work locals have put into restoring the waterway.

A North American river otter was spotted frolicking in the brush beside the Bronx River in June, the first time the animal has been seen in the borough in roughly a century, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo.

Mamdani's legion of online fans quickly rushed to credit the socialist mayor for the small marine animal's return to New York City.

"Under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, an otter has been spotted in the Bronx River for the first time in 100 years," Democrats Deliver — a pro-Democratic social media group — posted on X.

"NYC is healing," lefty Gen Z influencer Harry Sisson wrote while sharing their post.

'You people are weird'

Numerous other accounts wea-seled their way in and posted news of the otter's return juxtaposed with a grinning Mamdani.

"This man is so elite that the otters came back. The otters decided to otter after one century. 100 years. He will be NYC's mayor for LIFE. Mamdani is a superhero and Allah's favorite," posted the X account Erika thee graduate.

Longtime New York environmentalists were outraged that Mamdani's superfans were attempting to steal credit for the otter's return.

"As someone who has been a member of the WCS and a regular patron and supporter of the Bronx

ABSURD: Fanboys are crediting Mayor Mamdani for bringing the otter back to the Bronx River for the first time in 100 years when it's really because of a decades-long effort cleaning up the waterway.

Democrats Deliver @ DemzDeliver

Under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, an otter has been spotted in the Bronx River for the first time in 100 years.

Aug 20

THIS OTTERY RIDICULOUSY

Zoo (where the otter was spotted) for years, I, personally, am more directly responsible for this otter's return than Mamdani is. You people are weird," Craig Mahoney posted on X.

The Bronx River Alliance also quickly threw cold freshwater on the love fest, telling The Post that the otter's return was due to a decades-long effort, not the social media star mayor.

"The communities along the Bronx River have been fighting for over 50 years to bring the river

back to life after decades of pollution and neglect,"

Bronx River Association Outreach Manager Victoria Toro said.

She said that volunteers from the Bronx spent years physically removing piles of trash and debris that actively harmed wildlife from the river.

"People didn't even know there was a river there because it was

piled so high with trash," she said, referring to the sorry state of the Bronx River for decades.

Much of the Bronx River was dammed up for years, Toro ex-

plained, as factories located along its banks flooded it with industrial waste — driving away marine life.

"This is the 25th anniversary of the Bronx River Alliance and we're proud it coincides with the first spotting of an otter in 100 years," she said of the spotting. River otters were once as common in New York City as squirrels or rats, but habitat destruction drove them out of the city.

Environmentalists were not the only ones to bash Mamdani's superfans.

"Typical communist ploy to take credit for anything good that happens even if they had nothing remotely to do with it," said Former New York City Councilman Robert Holden, a Democrat from Queens, who called the attempt to credit Mamdani for the mammal's return "otterly ridiculous."

dspector@nypost.com

Got birthday bug at 'sex spa': suit

A Brooklyn woman who celebrated her birthday at what was once a "sex spa" in Queens went home with a nasty gift that kept on giving, a lawsuit alleges.

Cleopatra Brown spent her 62nd birthday at Spa Castle in College Point on July 30 with her family, enjoying the 22-pool bath-

house with the not-so-family-friendly reputation.

The celebration was soured within days when she developed a serious bacterial infection on her right leg and foot, according to the lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Aug. 14.

Brown suffered from cellulitis — an infection of the

deep layers of skin that causes itching, swelling and pain, she claimed in the filing. Cellulitis occurs when bacteria enters cut, scraped or cracked skin.

She blames the facility for not properly sterilizing its robes and towels, as well as failing to thoroughly clean. Spa Castle has had a

raunchy reputation. During two visits in 2016, The Post observed a frisky free-for-all — with patrons roaming naked, groping each other and having underwater sex.

Brown's lawsuit didn't mention any shenanigans.

Spa Castle did not return a request for comment. Sonya Gugliara

Son wanted in mom's death at Bx. apt.

A woman was found dead in a Bronx apartment on Friday afternoon — and authorities are eyeing her mentally ill son as a possible homicide suspect, according to sources.

Josefa Guzman-DeCarmen, 57, was found unconscious by first responders inside her apartment at 1236 Grand Concourse with trauma to her head and

torso. She was declared dead at the scene.

Her death is being investigated as a homicide.

Sources told The Post that Guzman-DeCarmen's mentally disturbed 33-year-old son is considered a person of interest in the investigation.

No arrests have been made. Tina Moore and Daniel Cody

Erik Pentzsch/Shutterstock

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8

THE RED APPLE

Zo housing hypocrisy. RICH DSA

ZO LONG! Spatial Equity, headed by Teghvir Sethi (left), is moving to evict eight people from the 123-unit Shepherd Glenmore affordable housing complex (above) in Cypress Hills.

Deals for 'eviction' big

By DAVID SPECTOR

Despite his pledge to keep tenants in their homes, Mayor Mamdani has been steering city housing contracts to a developer currently evicting at least eight residents.

City Hall is backing developer Spatial Equity's bid to take over a 38-building, 887-unit distressed property in Harlem formerly owned by Emerald Equity, headed by Isaac Kassirer, who was No. 72 on city Public Advocate Jumaane Williams' 'Worst Landlords List' in 2023.

The property — which has accrued some 2,300 housing violations, with residents complaining of black mold and cockroaches — is in receivership and is set to go on auction in September, City Limits reported.

Spatial Equity's previous bid of $68 million was shot down by creditors who thought it was too low.

Mamdani also tapped Spatial Equity, headed by Teghvir Sethi, along side other developers to build The Aurea, a 131-unit affordable-housing complex in a Lower East Side in space that was formerly an NYPD parking lot.

Spatial Equity, which is seeking the city's backing for a massive Harlem housing takeover, is moving to evict eight people from the 123-unit Shepherd Glenmore affordable-housing complex in Cypress Hills, per court filings.

The $61 million building was completed in July 2025 and is the only property where Spatial Equity currently has residents, according to the company's portfolio.

Mamdani has taken to calling his favored developers 'High Road Landlords,' but Spatial Equity's move to evict several residents goes against his and his administration's repeated pledges to keep derelict tenants in their homes.

'Rules for thee'

'We can keep people in their homes, and we can build the homes that they need to live in,' Mamdani said when he announced his Block by Block housing plan in May.

His housing adviser, Director of the New York City Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants Cea Weaver, has called for the abolishment of all evictions.

'Mamdani has spent years attacking landlords and promising tenants more protections . . . you can't have one set of rules for the landlords you like and another for everyone else,' Councilman Phil Wong (D-Queens) told The Post.

Spatial Equity hails itself as a minority-owned affordable-housing developer, and Sethi appeared alongside Weaver at a Federal Reserve Bank panel in June.

dspector@nypost.com

By GABRIELLE FAHMY

A city socialist and self-described 'Lulu Lenin' said rich people like her have an obligation to help the less fortunate.

Grace Ryan, 25, a chocolate heiress from Ohio who graduated from NYU this spring and worked as an organizer on Brad Lander's congressional campaign, has emerged as one of the most shameless members of the Democratic Socialists of America.

'Everyone's trying to dunk on me for being a progressive from a privileged background but like have y'all never heard of no-blessed oblige?' Ryan wrote in an out-of-touch post on X on Tuesday. 'I have a moral obligation to use my advantages to help those who are struggling.'

The remark, a reference to the phrase Honoré de Balzac used in 1835 to encapsulate the aristocratic notion that privilege comes with a duty to help the less fortunate, in direct contradiction to the DSA's beliefs, came after a slew of DSA leaders were exposed in recent weeks as nepo babies posing as champions of the proletariat.

Lake house, car

Ryan, who attended the $35,000-a-year Columbus Academy, regularly takes to social media to defend both her socialist views and her family fortune.

Her father, Michael Ryan, a registered Republican, made his fortune buying Columbus' Maramor Chocolates and turning it into a $10 million national brand found in almost all candy aisles.

She recently flaunted her summer at a family lake house posting photos on X of herself puffing a cigar on a boat in a $400 Ralph Lauren stars-and-stripes sweater, and posing beside a $15,000 Hummer parked in the driveway.

'I've been very outspoken about coming from a privileged background and being disturbed by income inequality

Her 'duty' to help the poor Yet 'Lulu Lenin' flaunts wealth

HOW NOBLE: City Socialist Grace Ryan claims she has a 'moral obligation' to help 'those who are struggling but poised snaps from her family's lake house as well as a beach club in Montauk on Long Island.

from a young age,' she defended to criticism of the snaps.

The recent graduate from $70,000-a-year New York University with a BA degree also posted about being at a beach club in Montauk last month and attending $50-a-class reformer Pilates in the Big Apple.

But critics of Ryan and her comrades say the problem isn't

being privileged, it's pretending to understand the struggles of the working class and claiming to know what's best for them while preaching from a mountain of gold they show little interest in giving away.

'It's really easy to have all these crazy thoughts about, 'Well policing should work this way and ownership should

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THE RED APPLE

KID A DEADBEAT

Sued for back rent while waiting on townhouse

By GABRIELLE FAHMY and DAVID SPECTOR

Embattled city Democratic Socialists of America Co-Chair Gustavo Gordillo is a deadbeat tenant facing eviction after stiffing his landlord out of months of rent, The Post has learned.

Gordillo, 38, the privileged son of a Florida construction magnate, is being sued in Brooklyn housing court after skipping out on three rent payments of $2,500 for a Crown Heights apartment he leased while the $1.5 million townhouse gifted to him by his rich daddy underwent renovations.

The Yale University-educated sculptor moved into the “stunning” one-bedroom pad on Eastern Parkway in May 2025, according to court records.

From day one, he treated the rent bill like a mere suggestion, dodging payments for months at a time only to cough up one lump sum after he’d racked up three months of unpaid rent, according to the account statement included in the court case.

‘Entitled’

The revolutionary was finally taken to court in March by landlord Shimon Liashi for $5,000 after missing payments in December and January.

Gordillo never filed an answer to the suit, as New York law requires tenants to do within 10 days of being served, and the case is still pending in housing court.

“The entitlement of these rich DSA kids is bottomless,” Councilwoman Vickie Paladino told The Post.

“Even when his parents are paying his bills, he still stiffed his landlord.

“It’s really appalling that these brats are in charge of our city now, when they’re so quick to screw over working people and can’t even manage their own lives.”

Not only is Gordillo a so-called “rent abolitionist” — a move-

Gustavo Gordillo skipped rent payments for his Crown Heights apartment while his million-dollar home gifted to him by daddy is renovated.

ment popularized by Mayor Mamdani housing guru Tracy Rosenthal — the Bolshevik doesn’t even believe in housing court altogether.

“It’s mitigating harm,” he said at a DSA Housing Justice meeting in 2022, according to a transcript obtained by The Post.

“It’s not abolishing landlords and rent which are our long-term socialist goals.”

The apartment was rented to someone else in May, according to records.

Critics slammed Gordillo for masquerading as working-class and stiffing landlords he could clearly afford to pay.

“Gustavo has a luxury home to go with his luxury beliefs,” attorney Maud Maron told The Post. “His DSA activism confers social status on him while the real costs of the DSA anti-landlord policies raise the prices on everyone else without rich parents to pay their rent or buy them brownstones.”

His move to Crown Heights came one year after the Landmarks Preservation Commission gave the go-ahead on the renovation plan for the townhouse. Major work permits were approved in June 2025 when Gordillo’s first rent payment was due, according to city records.

His father, Gustavo E. Gordillo, the founder and CEO of the telecommunications engineering

firm DraftPros, which hauls in an estimated $90 million a year from high-profile clients including AT&T and Verizon, confirmed to The Post he purchased the property for his sons to live in.

Anti-landlord

The home was bought for $935,000 in 2019 and its resale value already has shot up 80% to up to $1.7 million, according to estimates on Zillow.

Gordillo previously called for double-digit returns on real estate investments to be banned as part of his radical Marxist program.

“Landlords in New York have been making a 12% return on their investment on average ... we don’t think that anybody should have a constitutional right to double-digit returns on their investment,” Gordillo told Fox News during an interview last month.

The Gordillos hired Garrison Architects to present the renovation plans for the landmarked townhouse to the community board in 2023, according to a copy of the proposal.

The renovations, totaling at least $1.4 million according to filings with the city, would add a third floor and a rooftop to the two-story home on a gentrifying tree-lined block in Bed-Stuy.

The house is still under construction.

www.gerald.com

work in this way,’ and yet you guys have maximum benefits on a lot of these fronts,” said Stu Smith, investigative analyst at the Manhattan Institute.

“It’s like the Pied Piper leading people to destruction. You are really giving people a disservice as you have a safety net, you could run back to mommy and daddy whenever

you decide to give this up.” The idea of “noblesse oblige” conveniently lets the rich keep their fortunes so long as they deign to share a small portion of it, but the DSA’s own program advocates for a classless society, a goal Ryan, who couldn’t be reached for comment, doesn’t appear to be in any sort of rush to advance.

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10

Getty Images

THE BATTLE FOR IRAN

TOUGH SHIP, IRAN

Hormuz traffic goes up 400%

EASY COME, EASY CARGO: Nearly 200 ships navigated the Strait of Hormuz last week — up from 150 the previous week and just 40 two weeks earlier — after activity had ground to a halt in February.

By GABRIELLE FAHMY

Iran appears to be losing its grip on the Strait of Hormuz while traffic through the critical waterway has exploded by nearly 400% over the last two weeks — as ships increasingly use a US-backed corridor to cross.

Nearly 200 ships navigated the strait last week, up from 150 the previous week and just 40 two weeks earlier, according to data from the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center.

The surge brings total traffic along the passage route to about 20% of pre-war levels, through which roughly 20% of the world's seaborne oil flowed in peacetime.

Activity in Hormuz ground to a near halt after the Iran war began in late February, but vessels are now increasingly navigating

through despite the ongoing standoff between Tehran and the US.

More than 80% of liquid cargoes transiting the Strait of Hormuz over the past two weeks have either taken the Omani route — a US-backed, UN International Maritime Organization-authorized channel Iran rejects — or gone "dark," likely slipping through the same corridor, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler.

Allies

"It increasingly looks like Iran has at least partially lost control of the strait," Homayoun Falakshahi, head of crude oil analysis at Kpler, told CNN this week.

"The Oman route absolutely makes the most sense," added Dan Pickering, founder of Pick-

ering Energy Partners, noting it's a way for vessels to avoid the possibility of paying a toll to Tehran.

Over the past seven days, 103 ships entered the strait and 89 exited it — a 27% jump from a week ago, when 76 ships entered and 75 exited.

The change is even more visible compared to two weeks ago — when just 18 ships entered and 21 ships exited the waterway at the center of the dispute between the warring countries.

Most vessels that passed through were US-flagged allies from Panama and Liberia — though the flags merely indicate where the ships are registered, not where the companies that own them are based. About half of the ships were oil tankers and the other dry cargo.

Five vessels were struck by Ira-

nian projectiles over the past week, leaving two people injured or dead. The ships were reportedly damaged but not lost.

'De-mined & open'

The US has been quietly shepherding oil tankers across Hormuz since May, using shadow fleet tactics like turning off their radars to sneak by undetected and navigating close to the coast of Oman.

A 60-day period for talks to end the war came to a close on Monday, and start-and-stop discussions to negotiate control of the Strait of Hormuz have sputtered.

Earlier this week, President Trump said the strait had been fully de-mined and reopened, in hopes of clearing the way for traffic to gradually resume.

Ayatollah favored US talks: Iran big

Slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was backing a diplomatic solution to end the Islamic Republic's years-long feud with the United States, Iran's president said Saturday.

His successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, is said to be even more extreme than his father, who was killed Feb. 28 in US and Israeli airstrikes.

"I was with the martyred Supreme Leader, and he publicly announced in his speeches that we must get out of this situation of neither war nor peace," President Masoud Pezeshkian (inset) said, according to Iran International.

Pezeshkian has been defending the diplomatic route out of war, with negotiations with the US on life support since the 60-day temporary cease-fire between the two countries expired Monday.

His position has been unpopular within the regime. Pezeshkian has been accused of capitulating for saying Tehran should negotiate an end to the war now from a "position of strength," as Washington prepares to unleash a new set of crippling sanctions next week that could throw Iran's economy even further into a tailspin.

"It is better that we bring the war to an end now as we are in a position of power and dignity," Pezeshkian said in public remarks Friday. Gabrielle Fahmy

Talk like an Egyptian 'mediator'

Egypt is trying to help revive stalled talks between Iran and the United States in hopes of putting an end to the war, its foreign ministry said Saturday.

Top diplomats for Egypt and Iran met to discuss efforts to bring Teh-

ran and Washington back to the negotiating table — after recent talks left the two sides at an impasse and tensions in the region on high alert.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart, Ab-

bas Araghchi, on Saturday, his office said in a statement.

The two discussed resuming the implementation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding — signed in June — with the goal of reaching a "comprehensive and

sustainable agreement." The Pakistani-mediated deal put an end to the fighting, with a 60-day cease-fire to negotiate a final peace agreement between the Trump administration and the Iranian regime. But that window closed

Monday, and talks have been at a stalemate over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The US wants Iran to fully reopen the waterway, while the Islamic Republic wants Washington to lift its naval blockade first. Gabrielle Fahmy

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Michael Goodwin

mgoodwin@nypost.com

NEW Yorkers who pay close attention to such things have long understood why Gov. Hochul deserves her reputation for being the Waffler-In-Chief.

Time and again, she's revealed herself to be the consummate weather vane, shifting her stance on important matters depending on which way the wind is blowing.

For novices interested in seeing a prime example, I recommend an article about an interview the governor gave last week to The New York Times. True to the Gray Lady's political tilt to the left, the resulting article is puffery to the extreme.

So, too, is a longer Saturday article where the paper goes to great lengths to separate Hochul from City Hall's nasty and incompetent roll-out of the pied-à-terre tax.

Despite the Times' obvious efforts to boost her, the lasting image it inadvertently leaves in both articles is that of a shape-shifting governor who pretends to be a moderate but is actually in sync with comrade Mamdani and his socialist radicals taking over the Democratic Party.

But when bad press follows, Hochul rushes to wash her hands of any and all responsibility. Her track record rips the artifice to shreds.

Her main Mam

Recall that she was the only top Dem in New York to endorse Mamdani in both the party primary and the general election last year. Others, including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, were appalled by his anti-Israel bigotry and war on wealth.

But Hochul voiced no worries and apparently has no second thoughts. She has actively encouraged and even helped to fund his explosion of free this and free that by sending him billions in state taxpayer funds.

One result is that state spending under Hochul has rocketed upward by about 30% since she took office five years ago.

Make no mistake, her motive in helping the mayor is strictly business. Mamdani got 1.1 million votes in the city's general election, and if she can get most of those people to turn out for her in the fall, Hochul would probably defeat her Republican opponent, Bruce Blakeman, by a significant margin.

The Times doesn't mention the self-serving politics behind her actions, but instead focuses on portraying her as something of a big sister and the grown up in the room in her dealings with the novice mayor.

Lee Radin / Sipa USA

Kat's double talk on comrade Zo

It quotes her as saying she privately scolded Mamdani several times, including after his latest round of attacks on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

I encouraged him to "focus on the blocking and tackling of city government," the governor told the paper. "That is where I believe the main focus should be."

She said something similar happened after Mamdani outlandishly posted a video of himself taunting Ken Griffin, the billionaire founder of Citadel Securities, about the pied-à-terre tax Hochul shepherded through the Legislature.

She claims to have secretly told the mayor, "There's a better way to do it" and suggested he single out "Saudi Princes and Russian oligarchs" as more fitting targets.

Meanwhile, with many homeowners now up in arms over the city's confusing and threatening letters about the new tax, Hochul again claims she reprimanded the mayor, this time about what she calls "clumsy messaging."

Telegraphed flip-flop

"Absolutely, I said the rollout has to be cleaned up and fixed," she told the Times. Despite the fact that many in the business community have warned that the tax will discourage high end real estate buyers and builders, Hochul is not repentant.

Inadvertently, the examples she cites reveal her idea of what being a moderate means: Raise taxes and spending relentlessly, but ap-

pear to be doing it reluctantly and be sure to do it competently and with a smile.

Hochul's self-puffery aside, the real gold in the interview comes in how the governor opens the door to yet another round of ruinous Albany tax hikes next year if she is re-elected.

The bombshell comes in this paragraph from Times reporter Grace Ashford:

"The governor said that she had 'no intention' of raising taxes or implementing new ones in the coming year, but indicated that could change if there were unforeseen cuts in federal aid to New York."

Paging Bruce Blakeman! The Nassau County executive has been relentless in attacking Ho-

chul's record on sky-high taxes and spending, and she's just revealed a plan to stay the course if she gets four more years.

Her words demonstrate that the governor is effectively repealing her oft-repeated promise not to raise another round of broad income taxes on state residents by advertising that she is open to negotiation.

Rolling over

That is a classic example of the Hochul New Yorkers know. She loudly opposed congestion pricing before an election, but imposed it as soon as the votes were counted and congressional Dems had managed to hold their seats.

Recall, too, that last March, she firmly rejected the huge income tax hikes that Mamdani and the lefty Legislature wanted to impose on affluent families and corporations in the city.

"New Yorkers can't pay anymore. We have to cut their cost of living," she declared, adding that would be "Job number one in this budget."

The same day, she also said this: "There are some patriotic millionaires who want to step up. OK, cut me the checks. If you want to be supportive, the first step would be, OK, go down to Palm Beach and see who you bring back home because our tax base has become eroded."

So she understands that New York's sky-high taxes have driven many wealthy and even middle-class families to Florida and other lower-tax states, but rolled over when Mamdani pushed for more of the same.

Her flip-flop came less than a month later, when she revealed that she supported the pied-à-terre tax. She justified the change with a simple insistence that the rich could afford to pay more.

It sounded like an approach straight out of the Mamdani playbook, as when she declared: "They're all welcome to stay. They're here because this is a great city and it has so much to offer. But those come at a cost and I think it's fair to ask them to contribute."

Notice how she soft-pedals the new tax by calling it "fair" and a contribution. She would soon estimate it could yield $500 million a year for the city, an eye-popping sum that is hardly an insignificant "contribution."

In reality, her coded language is just window dressing designed to make it appear that there are big differences between her and Mamdani. There aren't.

New Yorkers shouldn't be fooled.

11

nypost.com

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12

Markle's big return to England and acting

By SARA NATHAN

MEGHAN MARKLE has never shied away from talking about how miserable life was for her in the UK. The Duchess of Sussex was so unhappy while living there with Prince Harry from 2017-2020 that she considered taking her own life, she has said, and she's railed against members of the royal family and scheming palace courtiers.

Now, with the shock news that the couple will be leaving their $15 million California mansion and returning to the British Isles with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, within mere weeks, Harry is in the unenviable position of trying to keep his wife happy.

But it appears that Markle, 45, may have something to keep her distracted. Page Six this week confirmed the former 'Suits' actress is in talks to appear in Season 3 of director Guy Ritchie's Netflix series 'The Gentlemen,' which is filmed in the UK.

'You wait. They will announce the deal and M will say, 'After being back on set I realized my true passion is and has always been acting,' said an industry source in the know, who told us that Markle is close to signing the deal.

'I thought Harry was driving all of this and Meghan was like, 'Fine, I'll come along,' said an insider who knows the couple. 'Only to find out that she also has this acting gig lined up!'

Season 2 of 'The Gentlemen' premieres Sept. 3, and Netflix sources say Season 3 is about to be green lit.

'So on brand,' a London-based socialite who knows the Sussexes said of Markle's bid to constantly keep reinventing herself and keep herself in the public eye.

And hey, even the royal family apparently knows Markle needs to bring home the bacon.

During the couple's bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021, Harry said of his wife, 'She wasn't going to get security ... members of my family were suggesting that she carries on acting because there's not enough money to pay for her and all this sort of stuff. Like, there were some real obvious signs before we even got married that this was going to be really hard.'

A Sussex rep declined to comment.

Same 'As Ever'

And Markle, we're told, has grand schemes to double down on her As Ever lifestyle brand in her new home — with insiders already predicting she will use the change of scenery and adjacency to the royal family to hawk products.

As Ever launched a new sparkling wine, Napa Valley Reserve Brut, on Friday. She might want to send a couple of bottles to members of the royal family, who will likely need a stiff drink after this week's shocking announcement.

Indeed, many in royal circles fear what lies ahead with the return of the Sussexes, who have yet to reveal just how long they plan to stay in the UK.

For Hugo Vickers, a royal biographer and friend of the family, Harry, 41, and Markle 'will be a distraction with anything they do — even if they don't intend it to be.'

'They will be in competition with the working members of the royal family, or at least that's how it will be perceived and that's how it will be reported. We're in for such in a grisly time,' Vickers added.

MEG'S BEING DRAMATIC

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to stoke 'grisly' times with Harry's family

The couple's move makes things difficult for King Charles and Prince William — who is still not speaking to his brother and sister-in-law. His staff have been told not to even discuss Harry or Markle. The distance will be all the more obvious when they are in the same general area rather than 6,000 miles away in California.

'When you have things like Remembrance Sunday or Christmas, they will have to be invited,' said another source of the Sussexes. 'They are putting themselves close so it will look bad on the family if they aren't invited.'

Vickers predicted, 'I don't think there will be any reconciliation between William and Harry. William is furious — wouldn't you be?'

A shadow court?

Vickers — who once revealed that Markle was told off by the late Queen Elizabeth II for being rude to the gardeners at Windsor Castle — noted, 'There's no reason to invite [Harry, Meghan and their children] to Remembrance Sunday, for that same reason they won't be on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for [the annual military parade] Trooping the Colour: They aren't working royals.'

Both the palace and Sussex reps this week stressed Harry and Markle will not be working royals and will not be allowed to have a half-in, half-out royal life.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have found a house in the English countryside to rent during their UK sojourn, while their

children are enrolled in schools there, we have confirmed.

Their comeback is all the more bizarre because, up until recently Harry had insisted he would not bring his wife and children to the UK until they were given armed security.

They are still waiting for that approval, we are told.

Meanwhile, some royal insiders worry the Sussexes could be gearing up to run a shadow court.

Harry remains passionate about his philanthropy and charity

work, which could pit him against William and his wife, future queen Kate Middleton.

During his heavily publicized July visit to the UK to promote the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, which included a reunion with King Charles, Harry visited Birmingham's Children's Hospital.

He is a natural at meeting the public, just like his mother, Princess Diana, but this is exactly the kind of photo ops William and Kate do all the time.

And if she wants to dip her toe

back into society, Markle may find it hard.

'Where in society will she go?' the insider asked. 'Does she think she'll be sitting in the royal box at Wimbledon — like she once did with Kate [Middleton] — or invited to Ascot?'

After everything — including telling Winfrey that Middleton made her cry before her 2018 wedding to Harry, during a rift over flower-girl dresses — sources said Markle will need to tread carefully to avoid being

seen as the villain, yet again.

'Kate is more beloved than ever,' a royal insider said of Middleton, who announced in 2025 that she is in remission after a scary cancer battle that saw her shrink to a gaunt size and be forced to take off extended time from royal appearances.

'Emotional baggage'

During her last stint in the UK, Markle told Winfrey, she once 'left the house twice in four months.'

While Harry has plenty of pals back home, like Mark Dyer, a former Welsh Guards officer and royal equerry — who has been described as a 'surrogate father' to the reneging royal — as well as childhood friends Charlie van Straubenzee and Archie Manners, Markle has few close girlfriends from her time in the UK.

In October 2019, Markle summed up her struggle as an American in the UK: 'I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a 'stiff upper lip' — I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.'

As we have reported, part of the reason for the return is for Harry and his family to spend more time with King Charles, 77, who is being treated for cancer.

The Sussexes, who remain close to both Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, also want to make sure their children get to know their cousins.

'I've always been a big believer for Harry to reconcile with his father for two reasons,' said Vickers. 'He's the king's son, and Charles is old and not very well. And Harry is carrying around a lot of emotional baggage.'

Harry is close to relatives on his mother's side, the Spencer clan. He took his family to Althorp, the Spencer ancestral home in Northamptonshire, in July to visit his uncle, Charles Spencer, and to see Diana's grave.

'I do know that Harry is close to Lady Jane Fellowes [Diana's sister] in particular,' said Vickers. 'He came over for her husband, Robert Fellowes' funeral [in August 2024]. He's glad he's got her in his life and he's lucky to have her, she's very nice.'

This week, Earl Spencer announced his upcoming book to mark the 30th anniversary of Diana's death next August called 'Swan Song: My Sister Diana.'

While William and Harry joined forces, albeit somewhat frostily, to unveil the bronze statue of their mother, Princess Diana, on July 1, 2021, at Kensington Palace to mark what would have been her 60th birthday, it remains to be seen whether Diana's memory might just bring them together again.

OH, BROTHER: Prince William — second from left, with King Charles, Kate Middleton, Markle and Harry — has no plans to speak with his brother, sources said.

13

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14

Trans rally faceoff

Uproar follows Sophie to Barclays

By MARIE POHL and ELLA MORRISON

Rival demonstrations erupted outside Saturday's New York Liberty game at Barclays Center, as supporters of Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham's comments about transgender players in women's sports came up against opponents before the two teams faced off on the court.

Similar to other rallies that have followed the basketball star across the country, around 60 die-hard Cunningham fans gathered as more than 100 people in support of trans rights massed nearby — and were separated by the NYPD and police barricades outside the Brooklyn arena.

Dr. Elizabeth Fedak, 35, organized the rally in support of Cunningham, who last month caused a firestorm when she told ESPN that she wanted to "protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men."

She was ripped by some for being "transphobic" but gained many followers who thought she was speaking common sense, including Fedak, who said she was "happy with what Sophie did because I'm a women's rights advocate."

"I'm here standing for basic material reality. Women's sports were created for women, and it needs to stay that way to ensure fairness," Fedak said.

Julie Potter, 48, of Bucks County,

Pa., was furious after her paid scoreboard message was pulled less than 24 hours before Saturday's game, for which she'd bought 25 tickets.

Potter's scoreboard message said, "Thank you, Jennifer Sey XX XY Athletics will save the day," — a reference to the former US gymnast whose company campaigns to ban transgender competitors.

"I went back and forth, they issued me a refund, and said what I was saying, 'wasn't in the spirit of positivity,'" Potter said.

New York District 8 congressional candidate Vance Bostic told The Post he came out to the arena where Cunningham was playing because it's important to "support trans people and trans athletes."

"We need to change the way we view trans people in sports and make it more universal for everyone to play," the 39-year-old candidate said, adding that he wants "to replace Hakeem Jefferies."

Sports / Pages 65-66

FERVOR: Trans-rights activists (top) and women-only sports advocates (bottom) gather at the Barclays Center in response to comments made by WNBA star Sophie Cunningham (above).

$100M for MJ jersey?

The owner of Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals Game 3 jersey has predicted it could fetch a jaw-dropping $100 million — shattering the record for the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia sold.

Sports investor and actor Rob Gough is selling the one-of-a-kind game-winning jersey (inset) four years after he purchased it. The Post can exclusively reveal. "I think this will be the first jersey to hit $100 million," he said.

Gough went on a "wild treasure hunt" to get his hands on the jersey — from Jordan's "The Last Dance" season, when he won his sixth and final championship with the Chicago Bulls.

The Indiana native said he always looks "for pieces that sit at the intersection of the greatest athlete, the greatest stage and a defining moment."

"It's not like I knew where it was or it was easy to find . . . this person led to this person, which led to the other person," he said.

Gough, 42, never found out who the original owner was and had to sign an NDA in the deal, so he is unable to disclose how much he paid for the jersey — which he displayed at his house in Puerto Rico for two years before he put it in a vault.

Angela Barbuti

'Dunkin' his feet where we eat Ariz. slash vic's bloody horror

Here's some revolting 'sole' food.

A Dunkin' employee was filmed washing his feet at a kitchen sink at the chain's location aboard a Staten Island Ferry — prompting a city Health Department investigation, The Post has learned.

A witness spotted the em-

ployee lifting his tootsies and using sink water to wash his feet behind the counter and immediately began filming the stomach-churning scene, calling it "disgusting."

"This Is In The Staten Island Ferry DUNKIN DONUTS #statenisland#dunkindonuts," they added.

The footage — posted to TikTok Aug. 11 before it quickly spread across other social media platforms — shows the worker standing in front of the sink on what appears to be an Islamic prayer rug as he suds up his feet. Dunkin' has not responded to The Post's inquiries. Shane Galvin and Jeanne Erickson

The New York City mother of two who was slashed by an ex-con during a hiking trip in Arizona told The Post the attack happened so fast that all she realized was that "everything was bloody."

"All I remember is the neck slice," Alexis Rowan, 27, said of the Aug. 12 attack

allegedly by tribe member Taylor Nardo Paya, 29, on the Havasupai Reservation.

"My clothes [were] covered in blood . . . everything was bloody," she recalled, "All I know is like this is not the way I'm going out."

Fortunately, a neighbor heard Alexis' cries for help. "The lady was that angel

sent from heaven. If it wasn't for her God only knows," Alexis said.

"Her opening the door made this man [run] away, scared him away."

Paya was arrested the day after the attack and was taken into federal custody on Aug. 17. Georgett Roberts and Ella Morrison

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DARLINE GRAHAM Seeking full Senate term.

Graham flub may be good, honestly

Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) may have been crazy like a fox when she delivered what looked like an epic debate flub when she admitted "national security is not my thing," said one state expert who has been watching the fallout.

The comment had shades of a Joe Biden-style collapse when she uttered it Wednesday night in response to a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea during the only debate in the Senate Republican runoff race.

But some political pros say it was a designed ploy to separate herself from her opponent Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). At a minimum, it is something she is incorporating into her final pitch before Tuesday's runoff election to fill the seat long held by her brother Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died last month at 71.

"It might have been a strategic choice to try to get sympathy," one state GOP operative told The Post.

Graham doubled down on the comment after she made it, and has been using the incident to try to make herself relatable while trying to cast rival Norman, who has spent two decades in elective office, as an insider and "career politician."

But Graham, who was appointed to fill the seat by Gov. Henry McMaster last month, is benefiting from her late brother's political machine and millions in spending from outside groups.

Norman has been mostly pulling punches, saying he appreciates what Graham is going through after the loss of her brother. Geoff Earle

Retaliating over new Don tariffs

CANADIAN PRODUCTS!

NO TASTE: Dairy products, including cheese, are part of new US tariffs on Canadian goods, to which Canada will retaliate. US liquor (left) has been off Canadian store shelves since last year when the trade war started.

By GEOFF EARLE

Hours after the US slapped 50% tariffs on Canadian products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Saturday that new retaliatory tariffs will take effect on Sept. 8.

Speaking from Ottawa a day after threatening to impose "dollar for dollar" tariffs on the United States, Carney said, "in the coming days, we will release the details of these new tariff measures, which will come into force the Tuesday after Labor Day."

The threat comes after new 50% US tariffs on Canadian imports — including beer, cheese and electronics — went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, after the Trump administration slapped them on the Great White North following the collapse of trade talks Friday night.

Carney claimed the US "asked too much and offered too little."

"We cannot accept what they've offered and we will not give what

they've asked," he added.

The US is imposing duties on $28 billion worth of Canadian imports, which are set to immediately raise costs of beer, liquor, cheese and other dairy products for Americans.

The tariffs will also raise the prices Americans pay for Canadian lumber and building materials, as well as auto parts that are critical to US manufacturing.

US politics

The trade war could also have an outsized impact in Michigan, whose top export market is Canada. The battleground state also features a key toss-up Senate race between Democratic socialist Abdul El-Sayed and former Republican congressman Mike Rogers that could determine party control of the upper chamber.

Canadian provinces had already yanked US liquor products from their shelves in March 2025 —

after the US imposed tariffs on Canadian exports.

"It is unfortunate that the Canadian provinces' continued refusal to return U.S. spirits products to store shelves has led to this outcome," said Chris Swonger, president of the Distilled Spirits Council in a statement overnight.

"We encourage policymakers on both sides of the border to pursue a negotiated solution that restores market access for U.S. spirits throughout Canada and returns spirits trade to a zero-for-zero tariff framework."

The Trump administration said it had given Canada every chance to cut a deal.

"For decades, Canada has enjoyed the most favorable access to the U.S. market of any country. And from the beginning of President Trump's trade program, Canada has continued to enjoy the best treatment in the world," said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a statement Friday

night announcing the tariffs.

Greer told Fox News Saturday that there were no further talks planned.

Carney said his government would introduce "additional measures" to support Canadian businesses in addition to $25 billion in support already out the door.

Pointing fingers

He said "last-minute changes" proposed by the US led to the breakdown, although Greer blamed Canada for "new demands and walk backs" — and for failing to finalize a "forward-looking" deal with new "supply chain coordination" on aerospace and critical minerals.

Other Canadian exports getting hit by the new tariffs will include cement, electronic equipment, plastic flooring, wood, paper, wine — and even hockey sticks gearle@nypost.com

Maher hits Hunter on Dem hypocrisy

Hunter Biden was brought back to reality during an appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher," being stopped mid-rant by the host to remind him his own father and "every Democrat" swore Iran could

never have a nuclear weapon.

The former first son outlandishly claimed Friday night President Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner "is our unelected, unappointed emissary to the Middle East

for war that nobody asked for. It's absurd!"

Maher pushed back, saying "Not nobody," to which Biden responded, "Oh, that's true. Bibi Netanyahu asked for it," referencing the Israeli prime minister.

"Your father. Excuse me! every Democrat said Iran can't have nuclear weapons," Maher replied.

Trump last week warned that he was planning to impose "economic D-Day" on the Islamic Republic, as the

warring countries continue to clash over control of the Strait of Hormuz

"This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale," Trump posted on Truth Social. Geoff Earle

15

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16

Trudeau love drunk over Perry

IT'S the stuff of a $1 romance novel that's only available on Kindle.

Last week, a video dropped of former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dancing like a fool in the aisle of a Montreal hardware store with girlfriend Katy Perry while holding a plunger.

Have you ever read a more surreal or nonsensical string of words in your life?

Well, that's what actually happened. For we live in a surreal and nonsensical world.

I've stayed silent for a year, but their true patriot love has become more than I can bear.

Trudeau's cringeworthy retail jam session is no less bizarre, really, than Tom Cruise wildly jumping on Oprah's couch 21 years ago to proclaim his love for another Katie.

Except Cruise is a Hollywood actor. They're all loons. Pretty boy Trudeau, despite obviously craving the glamorous trappings of celebrity, is a former world leader who still desires to be taken seriously.

Proving it, four days after he cut the rug with a toilet tool for an Instagram video, suddenly serious Trudeau spoke to news outlets about the ongoing trade negotiations between Canada and the US. He insisted they "will get to the right place."

But who's going to listen to the guy who's so very publicly living his teenage dream?

Fifty-four-year-old Trudeau, who led his country for a decade before resigning last year, and the 41-year-old "I Kissed A Girl" singer have been Canada canoondling since last July.

Something about Justin

Trudeau separated from his wife of 18 years, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, with whom he shares three kids, in 2023. And Perry split from fiancé Orlando Bloom in June 2025. They have a daughter. One month later, she was all about Justin.

Right away, he was seen googly-eyed and singing along to "Firework" at Perry's Montreal concert.

That was strange, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt at the time. With just 21.5% approving of Trudeau's Liberal Party by the end of his run, I'm sure he was feeling like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again.

Around then, a source told People of the duo, "They have a lot in common."

That's an allegation so alarming that Trudeau should've disclosed it before running for office.

In the months to follow, there were sightings galore. The pair was spotted kissing on Perry's yacht off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. And they jetted to Paris for her 41st birthday. They lounged on a boat in Mykonos and got scantily clad in Saint-Tropez. They go on ski trips and post cutesy selfies. They're addicted to being seen.

One appearance was not like the others, though: An official looking meet-up with former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife. The quartet posed for a stiff, ceremonial photo and Trudeau tweeted, "Katy and I were so glad to have the chance to sit down with you and Yuko."

Social media users were furious over Perry's "inappropriate" attire.

The pop star also joined him in Davos at the World Economic Forum in January.

Weird. It all has a whiff of Wallis Simpson to it.

This spring, the couple came to New York for the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Perry's concert movie "Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour — Live from Paris," where, a source told Page Six, they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

On the red carpet, Trudeau told "Entertainment Tonight" that while he had indeed attended the gig, he was too smitten to notice much of it.

"I saw the show three times, but I wasn't really paying attention to anything but Katy," he said. "So I'm looking forward to seeing the show now for the first time."

Undignified

Could you imagine Bill Clinton saying such a thing? Wait — don't answer that.

I can't speak to Canadian precedent (though I'm pretty sure Stephen Harper isn't dating Sabrina Carpenter), but US presidents tend to keep a dignified low profile in post-West Wing life while still making an impact.

Richard Nixon was an informal foreign policy adviser to several commanders in chief. Jimmy Carter became a noted humanitarian. George H.W. Bush and Clinton combined forces to raise money for victims of natural disasters. Barack Obama is a Hollywood producer.

Actually, hold on, scratch that last one.

But I keep coming back to tunnel-visioned Trudeau's red carpet quote: "I wasn't really paying attention to anything but Katy."

Certainly seems that way. Trade talks between the US and Canada, which he said would "get to the right place," dramatically collapsed on Saturday — the same day new 50% tariffs took effect.

But, fear not, Justin and Katy are still going strong!

Miley Cyrus 'a bully'

A former Disney teen pop star is accusing Miley Cyrus of bullying.

Jordan Pruitt — who toured with the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and the Cheetah Girls in the early 2000s — made the claim in a newly surfaced Instagram comment, according to Reddit.

Responding to an old video in which Cyrus is allegedly making fun of Lovato and Selena Gomez, Pruitt commented, "This is how Miley treated everyone back in the day including me lol."

A fan prompted her to share the details of Cyrus' alleged bullying.

"Miley used to call me and leave me nasty voice-mails with her and her friend named Mandy saying I needed a nose job, new teeth, and a choreographer lol," Pruitt claimed.

The singer, 35, ended her comment by calling the "Party In The U.S.A." artist, 33, "relentless."

Cyrus' rep did not immediately respond to Page Six's request for comment.

This isn't the first time Pruitt has dragged Cyrus publicly. In March, Pruitt revealed in an Instagram comment that she wrote her song "Boyfriend" about the "Flowers" singer, according to a screenshot shared on X. Leah Bitsky

Fatal crash into LI pool

A woman died Friday after losing control of her SUV and crashing into a backyard swimming pool on Long Island, police said.

The unidentified driver, 40, left a path of destruction in her wake, striking a tree and a parked car before plummeting into the pool in Hewlett, officials said.

It was not clear what the woman's destination was when the 2023 GMC SUV started careening toward the home on Elinor Road near Woodside Drive.

A Nassau County police rep said officers attempted lifesaving measures before she was pronounced dead.

Daniel Cody

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18

Trump win par for the course

Ian Mohr

imohr@nypost.com

Oli Coleman ocoleman@nypost.com Mara Siegler msiegler@nypost.com Carlos Greer cgreer@nypost.com

Som' one like her

THEY'RE calling it the neopomance of the century. Ray Nicholson, actor-son of Jack Nicholson, is dating Suzanne Somers' granddaughter, Camelia Somers, Page Six hears. A source told us that the loved-up duo, who dated several years ago, were spotted out and about in LA last week and are getting serious after rekindling their romance. Our source says Ray has introduced Camelia to his famous father and "I'm told Jack likes her." The two scions run in the same Los Angeles social circle and have frequently been spotted together in group hangouts and social-media posts alongside friends including Camille Rowe and Devon Lee Carlson. Reps didn't get back to us.

Making 'Land' fall

JOHN Mayer is taking over the East End. The "Your Body Is a Wonderland" singer (above) is performing a SiriusXM concert at the iconic Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett Wednesday. And while not everyone will be able to score one of the coveted tickets, fans will be able to take part in Mayer mania all week, with signature drinks and menu specials at a number of favorite spots. Clam Bar will serve up Mayer's Catch of the Day, while Doubles will offer up the Your Body Is a Blenderland smoothie. Proceeds go to Mayer's Heart and Armor Foundation.

BY golly, he did it again! Just days after winning the club championship at his own Bedminster golf course, President Donald Trump was back at the top of the score sheet at another of his clubs, Page Six hears.

This week, POTUS played in the annual "caddies' day" tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, in which members (or in this case, the owner) and caddies team up to play 18 holes.

And darn if he didn't finish in first place there, too!

It's not clear what the team shot around the 7,300-yard, par-72, Jim Fazio-designed course

in Briarcliff Manor, near Chappaqua and Sleepy Hollow in the Hudson Valley.

We're told the prez also attended an event honoring the caddies after the round.

And he was a big hit with the club-luggers — he gave them a $25,000 bonus to be split among the caddying staff.

A caddy shack insider said, "There's a lot of anti-Trump stuff out there [in the country], but the staff loves him."

The previous week, on Aug. 2, he won both the senior and super senior age classes in the contest held at his New Jersey course, the par-72 Trump National Golf Course

in Bedminster.

After his win, the president posted on social media: "I won with a score of 70, and am so honored in that, unlike the rest of the field, I'm given very little time to practice, because I'm focused on many other things. It's called TALENT, and I have it, and they don't!"

The commander in chief now claims to have won 40 club championships at his courses.

Reps for Trump and the Trump National Westchester didn't get back to us.

Reached for comment, White House assistant press secretary Olivia Wales told us, "Fact check: true. President Trump is a winner."

Getty Images for Megan Moroney

Into the glossy

SOMETHING new is circulating downtown. Scenery members club People's is launching its own magazine, Page Six hears. The rarefied Greenwich Village spot founded by Margot Hauer-King and Emmet McDermott bills it as a seasonal journal devoted to "art, culture, hospitality and the particular pleasures of downtown New York." Called The Quarterly, it's edited by Tim Latterner of the Bowery Review alongside Hauer-King and McDermott. The debut reportedly features conversations with figures including Graydon Carter and power publicist Harrison Vail (People's Sexiest Man Alive, perhaps?). There's plans for The Quarterly to go beyond its initial Instagram-only drop, with ambitions to eventually stock it at New York print institutions including Casa Magazines and McNally Jackson. The salon itself occupies the former home of the Downtown Gallery, the influential 1920s-era outpost that helped champion American modernism and artists including Georgia O'Keeffe, Max Weber and Stuart Davis. For now, however, getting your hands on People's Quarterly is as exclusive as getting through the door: you need to be following the club's private Instagram to snag a copy.

Dolan's tip-in

JUST in the Knick of time. As the New York governor's race heats up, with Republican Bruce Blakeman closing the gap on incumbent Kathy Hochul, Knicks owner James Dolan is bringing some Garden star power to the political arena. Dolan (above), whose Strong and Safe New York PAC is backing Blakeman, is hosting a Sept. 4 Hamptons event where guests will hear about the race — and get a chance to snap photos with the Knicks' freshly minted Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. The gathering comes as Hochul leads Blakeman 49-39% in polling, down from a 20-point lead in June. Meanwhile, Dolan's PAC has already put more than $1 million behind an ad campaign targeting Hochul, titled "Get Outta Town," which is set to run across digital and streaming platforms.

Age-old issues for Katie

KATIE Holmes and her new boyfriend, artist Jason Yarmosky, are mixing work and pleasure. A source tells Page Six the actress and her new beau appeared together on stage for a panel about aging at the 1640 Society's annual Family Office Wealth Forum Monday. We're told Holmes read a paragraph from Richard Dawkins' 1998 book "Unweaving the Rainbow," about being lucky to even be born. A source tells us Yarmosky talked about not peaking in high school and the importance of young people connecting with older generations. The multiday event drew a mix including retired NFL Glam Eli Manning, Related's Stephen Ross, billionaire Marc Lasry, designer Donna Karan, artist Ross Bleckner, "Queen of Versailles" star Jackie Siegel, Sen. Thom Tillis and former envoy Gordon Sondland. We hear there was a kickoff dinner hosted by Impact Wealth Magazine Editor-in-Chief Hillary Latos and publishers Adam Weiss and Angela Gorman at fintech mogul David Rosenberg's estate the night. The morning brought trouble. A source tells us a "neighbor came out screaming at valets" and "cars along one side of the road were ticketed and valet service was temporarily halted," leaving the high and mighty to walk to the event at Josh Fox's Bridgehampton manse.

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19

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20

nypost.com

Gimme Shelter

JENNIFER GOULD

Living like a Kennedy in 'View' York City

ROBERT F. Kennedy's former Manhattan co-op has sold for the first time in more than half a century for $1.99 million following a bidding war, Gimme Shelter can reveal.

The three-bedroom, three-bath residence is at 870 United Nations Plaza, and it still features original details from the time that it was owned by the late Democratic presidential candidate.

RFK (right) bought the co-op in 1965, just before the tower's completion the follow-

ing year, and used it as his official residence as New York Senator while his wife Ethel

and their nine children — they would go on to have 11 — lived on their family farm, Hickory Hill, in McLean, Virginia.

The 14th-floor corner spread first hit the market last fall for $1.79 million, Gimme Shelter previously reported.

An initial bidding war followed, with a signed contract above the asking price for $1.99 million. But the deal fell through and the home was back on the market this past spring asking that same

price, listing broker Mary Barbrack, of Compass, said.

The 2,000-square-foot apartment is a model of late midcentury-modern architecture, and somewhat of a time capsule.

It has 48 feet of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the UN garden — along with kitchen appliances and an oven, as well as marble baths, that have not changed since the building was constructed.

It all opens to a foyer and leads to a corner living area. The galley kitchen features an

eating nook, while the main bedroom overlooks the UN and the East River.

The tower and its twin at 860 UN Plaza were built by Wallace K. Harrison and Max Abramovitz, with a bronze-and-glass curtain wall and a soaring, double-height lobby. Harrison and Abramovitz also built the United Nations complex and Lincoln Center.

Building amenities include a concierge, a doorman, a gym, a lounge and a roof deck with panoramic city views in all directions.

NYC's house of cards

A 189-YEAR-OLD West Village townhouse that once housed the composer of "The Stars and Stripes Forever," a Pulitzer-winning novelist; and Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner (both right) — all before it became the site of an alleged mob-run poker scandal — keeps marching on.

In its latest chapter, the landmarked red-brick Georgian townhouse at 80 Washington Place is the site of this year's blue-chip Kips Bay Decorator Show House.

Twenty-two top designers including Carrier and Company, Marmol Radziner and Nicole Fisher Interiors are transforming the property into a creative dreamscape that opens on Sept. 16.

"When we saw 80 Washington Place, we immediately saw the potential," said Nazira Handal, director of special events and corporate partnerships at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

The residence was most recently on the market for $21 million.

It's slated to return once the showcase ends, listing broker Melissa Olson, of Douglas Elliman, told Gimme Shelter.

Olson added that when the home returns to market, it will be at a new, still-to-be-determined price.

The current owners purchased the six-story spread — replete with exposed brick — for $17 million in cash in 2024 after it lingered on and off the market for 12 years. It originally asked $31.5 million back in 2012.

The townhouse's past lives "make for great cocktail conversation," Olson said.

From 2021 to 2023, the townhouse

was allegedly the site of rigged poker games backed by the Gambino and Genovese crime families, with the Bonanno family sharing in the proceeds after the game merged with one of its operations in 2023. The games were fronted by NBA stars and coach Chauncey Billups to lure victims, according to the accusations that broke last year.

The home's history includes ownership by the American composer and band leader John Philip Sousa. It later became a boarding house, where one of its tenants was the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Willa Cather. In 2021, Scott was renting the townhouse while Jenner, then pregnant with their second child, was mainly residing in LA with their daughter Storni. The now-former couple had no involvement in the alleged poker scandal.

Evan Joseph Snyder

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DISCLAIMER: The written impression provided has been obtained and conveyed from third parties such as the applicable Multiple Listing Service, public records as well as joint sources. All written and verbal information including that produced by the Office of Premier Estate Properties are subject to errors, omissions or changes without notice and no change shall perform their own due diligence. Copyright 2026 Premier Estate Properties Inc. All Rights Reserved. Agent Arena August 2026 rankings are based on last twelve months total MLS sales volume.

21

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22

AP/AP

By DANIEL CODY

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed revenge Saturday for Russia's "cynical and despicable" double-tap drone strike on a shopping center that killed 16 and injured more than 130 while nine others still missing.

The crippling Friday attack — in Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih — was followed Saturday by fresh Russian airstrikes that killed at least six more civilians, including a 12-year-old boy and three children.

"Only Russia is the source of this war, the reason the war is being dragged out, and it deserves all retaliatory strikes and pressure for everything it does against life and people, against diplomacy, against partners," Zelensky wrote on X.

"Our response will be tangible — through our special services, through our intelligence agencies, through political cooperation with our partners, and, in particular, through sanctions."

Oleksandr Hanzha, the head of

Retail center hit by drones

the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, said that 22 children were wounded and two children are missing after the shopping center blitz — while 52 people, including 14 children, were still in hospitals as of Saturday.

"There are 29 people in a serious condition, including five children," Hanzha said, adding that efforts were underway to help children trapped in the rubble, according to the Independent.

"We're doing everything possible to speed up ... the search and rescue operation," he said Saturday on Ukrainian TV.

Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vikul said that Russian drones were flying at low altitudes and

described the assailants as "animals," adding that "there are missing people who are not responding to calls."

The rescue effort will continue for another two days due to the constant threat of further Russian attacks — and the sheer scale of the destruction, which included a 9,000-square-meter fire at the shopping center.

Counterstrike

Ukrainian drones hit three targets deep inside Russia overnight Saturday, setting fire to an Ozon logistics warehouse — a first-ever strike on Russia's second-largest online marketplace — forcing the evacuation

of more than 500 workers.

Kyiv struck an oil refinery in the same region and attacked an airbase in occupied Crimea.

The tit-for-tat strikes came as Zelensky prepared to join the Coalition of the Willing in Paris Monday to discuss post-cease-fire security guarantees, while Russian strongman Vladimir Putin continues to rely on North Korean troops in the war.

Pyongyang's forces now number more than 8,500 in the war, including roughly 400 drone operators, according to Western intelligence assessments.

Putin reportedly could seek another 50,000 troops.

Moscow's forces have intensified ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, taking advantage of Ukraine's consistent shortage of American-made Patriot interceptors — the only tool they have to shoot down the missiles.

"Every day that Ukraine lacks sufficient air defense means casualties that could have been prevented," Zelensky wrote on X.

El Chapo's first dirty hours in jail

Newly released footage shows the first hours of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's captivity — including the notorious drug lord washing his face, being questioned by Mexican authorities and insisting his cartel would not launch a rescue operation

to free him.

Mexican newspaper El Universal published four edited videos showing Guzmán shortly after he and his bodyguard, Orso Iván "El Cholo Iván" Gastelum, were captured after emerging from a manhole in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, on

Jan. 8, 2016.

In one video, El Chapo could be heard asking for soap before a police officer placed his hands under a dispenser.

He then asks the cop, "It won't bother my eyes?"

"It's better not to get it in your eyes," the police offi-

cer replied, before telling him he had permission to remove his mud-soaked tank top.

The footage offers a rare glimpse of the feared cartel boss in the immediate aftermath of his capture — and before his eventual extradition to the US.

Fearing that Sinaloa Cartel members would attempt to track them down, the cops brought El Chapo and Gastelum to a hotel while waiting for backup to arrive before transporting them to a military hangar in Mexico City.

Adry Torres

News of the World®

WALES

They were harry-ed over this.

The construction of a $580 million, 125-mile underground power line connecting the UK and Ireland has been rerouted after hundreds of emotional "Harry Potter" fans called the CEO of the company behind it.

The Potterheads lamented that the proposed project would disrupt a memorial dedicated to the series' character Dobby the house-elf, located on Freshwater West beach in Wales.

ITALY

It's water under the bridge — that's unearthing ancient history.

A 2,000-year-old bridge in Rome was recently exposed due to low water levels in the Tiber River.

Nero's Bridge, believed to have been built by Emperor Caligula around 39 AD, emerged from the 252-mile river, which has fallen below 2,825 cubic feet per second due to a severe drought.

SWITZERLAND

Life is rocky for these Swiss residents.

An unstable rock formation called Spitze Stei could collapse due to thawing permafrost amid climate change.

This would result in a massive landslide, threatening the 1,300 residents of Kandersteg, who have yet to evacuate the area.

CANADA

Ontario's proposed plan to construct one of the world's largest nuclear power plants in Port Hope, a town of roughly 18,000 people, is facing backlash from residents, who are fearful that history will repeat itself.

Port Hope was home to a uranium refining plant, which supplied the US military during World War II.

It also dumped contaminated soil, rocks and other building materials, which were ultimately used for the construction of homes, schools, parks and roads.

MEXICO

They're really going green.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada announced an ambitious campaign this week to plant a million native trees by 2030.

The young saplings will be added to sidewalks, medians and additional "gray" spaces in underserved boroughs at the rate of 200,000 trees per year.

Angela Barbuti, Wires

---

Planned P'hood 'catfish' creep

A Planned Parenthood employee was caught on a live "catfishing" comedy show telling a woman he thought was 19 that he "woke up today wanting to breed."

The exchange unfolded during "Fishin' 4 Luv Live," a touring comedy show in which performers Ivy Wolk, 21, and comedy partner Roey

Rozen, 28, create fake dating profiles on apps Tinder and Field and invite unsuspecting

matches to interact with them in front of a live audience.

The pair create new profiles for each performance but use the same steamed-up photos of Wolk (inset) and pose as a 19-year-old girl named "Lana" — "named after a girl who probably should have been my girlfriend," joked Rozen.

They attracted a man who identified himself as a Planned Parenthood strategist at a show at Roxy Cinema in Tribeca.

"I had an abortion last week. Maybe u were there? U look mad familiar," Wolk wrote, adding that she did not have a good experience at the abortion provider.

"I need to make it up to you somehow," the unnamed Planned Parenthood employee creepily replied to the "teenager."

"Put another baby in me. Let's have a redo. You can play doctor this time," Wolk wrote, drawing gasps and laughs from the live crowd.

"I woke up today wanting to breed," the Planned Parenthood employee responded, drawing shocked responses from the audience of jaded haters.

Dragging the joke even further, Wolk asked the abortion provider for semen.

"It's my duty at this point. Let's make it happen," the 41-year-old said.

That message left the room in shocked silence.

"This is the most insane thing I think we've ever seen," Rozen said during the show. Shane Galvin

By GEOFF EARLE

IndyCar drivers revved their engines and tore up Pennsylvania Avenue Saturday as they prepared to meet in competition in the heart of the nation's capital.

Cars (like one right) were roaring through the 1.7-mile track carved out of streets in downtown Washington, DC, as a tune up for Sunday's race — on a track that runs by the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall and within sight of the Capitol building.

President Trump, who signed an order calling for an Indy car race in DC, is set to drive the course in his armored limo "the Beast" on race day.

He will also wave the green flag to start the race. On Saturday, former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln (above) got in on the action.

Geoff Earle

'Indy' party in DC

SEX, POLS, FANTASY 'Dirty presidents' fill novel by Bezos' ex

By GEOFF EARLE

This billionaire's new book has some 'prime' time presidential debauchery.

Jeff Bezos' ex MacKenzie Scott (inset) has dropped her first post-divorce novel, creating a dystopian nightmare ruled by two leaders — "President priss," who fantasizes about getting "serviced" in the White House and a sex-crazed South African surgeon.

"Last Days in Two Nations (A History in Eighteen Minds)" is the third tome for Scott, 56 — who got $38 billion in Amazon stock after her split with Bezos in 2019 and is now one of the top donors to radical lefty causes.

She began serializing and self-publishing the book Aug. 8 on Substack,

releasing it in dense daily installments. Subscribers can read all 320 pages of it for free — so long as they don't mind the delivery method.

The book assembles multiple perspectives on a fascist partial takeover of the US — while shoehorning her left wing social commentary at every turn.

The tale is partly set in disputed territory called the Dakota Membership in a fictional two-state clash between the "Still United" States and the western stronghold in the Dakotas.

It features a sex-crazed President Damian Paxton in Rapid City who had a taste for "pomp and debauchery" and who manages to

bed 21 women a week.

The South Africa-raised "hotshot surgeon" is one of two rival presidents whose sex romps get mentioned in the book.

"Last night I had three different women in my bed. And that happens to me every night of the week. You can stop asking me how I am in the morning," he quips.

He is also a keen collector of fish and always on guard for KHV — koi herpes virus.

'Priss' and tell

The other leader is an unnamed day-dreamer she called "President priss." "President

priss could probably see him right out the window of her Lincoln bedroom or whatever, big four-poster posts pointing up to God like her toes when her First Man secret serviced her, and her sons up all night talking smack on some smackchat, and what was she doing about it?"

Another hard-to-untangle section deals with a character named Jonah who is traveling to the breakaway territory with a rat in a "biodegradable carrier" — apparently as a way to evade land mines at the border.

At one point he takes a cellphone call from his prying sister, whom he compares to a beagle.

On the television in his room there is a "troupe of dancing nurses in sexy Santa dresses."

The installments has drawn 6,000 subscribers after five excerpts.

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DEATH 'RAGE'

Shots after scooter-car bump

By TINA MOORE, JOE MARINO and SOFIA POZNANSKY

A maniac driver fatally shot a scooter-driving deliveryman in Brooklyn on Friday night, blasting him eight times while repeatedly screaming "I'm gonna kill you!" in what cops and sources described as a road-rage attack.

Shots rang out after a dark-colored Lexus struck the back of the scooter outside of 899 Gourmet, a deli on Crescent Street between Loring and Stanley avenues in East New York at around 10 p.m., police sources said.

The deliveryman, 27, got off his scooter and he and the Lexus driver got into a physical fight, police sources and witnesses said.

During the fight, the gunman repeatedly told the deliveryman he was

going to kill him, the deli's owner told The Post.

"The guy kept saying, 'I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!'" said the deli owner, who declined to give his name. "Well, I don't know if he took the guy as just saying it or what, but he really did kill him, in front of everybody."

Returned with gun

The sedan driver told the deliveryman to leave him alone five or six times before the shooting, the deli owner said.

"He stopped the bike right in front of him, and then he got off the bike and swung at him," the deli owner said.

It wasn't clear if the fight began as a result of the collision or had started while the two men were driving, cops said.

After threatening the deliveryman, the Lexus driver went to his sedan and came back with a gun.

"The gun wouldn't go off at first," the deli owner said. "Then the next thing you know it went off. Once it went off one time, the guy went over and finished."

The Lexus driver jumped back into his vehicle and sped off, heading north on Crescent Street, police sources said.

When police arrived, they performed CPR on the deliveryman to no avail, the sources said.

The victim, whose identity was withheld pending family notification, was taken to Brookdale Hospital and pronounced dead, according to police.

Police were canvassing for video to help identify the killer.

tmoore@nypost.com

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Big Bro is tracking!

Even with no phone

By JEANNE ERICKSON

Think ditching your cell-phone and laptop means nobody can track you? Think again.

Scientists have discovered a chilling way ordinary WiFi networks could work together to identify people with near-perfect accuracy — even when they aren't carrying a phone, smartwatch, Fitbit, laptop or any other connected device, according to Science Daily.

Researchers found that unencrypted signals routinely exchanged among WiFi devices and routers can be used to create radio-based images — akin to a camera — of people and recognize them within seconds.

The finding raises the unsettling possibility that the millions of WiFi routers surrounding us could become a vast, invisible surveillance network — potentially allowing corporations, governments or others to identify people without their knowledge.

Cop bias 'Klue'

A member of New York's police watchdog group once compared cops to the Ku Klux Klan in an outrageous social media message, the NYPD's detectives union revealed, as they called on the city to 'clean house' in the organization.

Civilian Complaint Review Board investigator Amadee Bility implied cops and the KKK are one and the same in a 2020 Facebook post, according to a screenshot of the entry.

'The reason u don't see cops shutting down KKK rallies is the same reason u don't see hannah montana

'The technology is powerful, but at the same time entails risks to our fundamental rights, especially to privacy,' said professor Thorsten Strufe from Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Risk to our rights

The method takes advantage of normal communications produced by legitimate users connected to WiFi networks operating within a home, office, café or similar location. Connected devices routinely send information back to routers to optimize wireless communications. Those signals, known as beamforming feedback information, are transmitted without encryption, researchers found.

That means someone within range could potentially analyze the signals without the person being tracked ever knowing it.

'This technology turns every router into a potential means for surveillance,' warned co-researcher Julian Todt.

and miley cyrus sitting in the same room,' her post read.

Bility also posted a picture of a man in a police uniform kissing another man, under the words: 'Cops when Trump supporters break into the U.S. Capitol building.'

The posts were scrubbed from her page after the Detectives Endowment Association reported them Friday to the CCRB.

DEA president Scott Munro said the CCRB needs to 'clean house.'

CCRB spokesman Dakota Gardner said the agency is investigating the posts.

Tina Moore

---

Alyssa Rosenheck tackles antisemitism from a deeply personal perspective

By SARA NATHAN

ALYSSA ROSENHECK has always been a fighter. In seventh grade, a classmate at her Tulsa, Okla. middle school, lost her wallet and, in front of the entire biology class, exclaimed 'the Jew took it.'

She was pointing at Rosenheck. 'I get up and I knock her down,' the photographer and activist told The Post. 'And I immediately got sent to the principal's office.'

'My dad — who's this big New York Jew — storms in, looks at me, looks at the principal, and says, 'Lissy, let's go.'

'He said, 'My daughter has the right to deck whomever offends her people and her family,' and so I learned to defend.'

Although, she is quick to point out, this was her one and only physical fight.

Rosenheck, 44, has spent the years since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis, defending her people — and fighting against anti-Zionism, arguing it's become a byword for antisemitism.

'I don't like bullies,' she said. 'And I like justice. I like being able to exist in the world and not have repercussions solely for my

immutable characteristics.'

She has written a book, released last week, that is part exploration of her own roots and personal faith and part treaty on why antisemitism has exploded in the US, called 'White. Blonde. Jew.'

She put pen to paper after being targeted with antisemitic threats and traveling to the area of Israel next to the Gaza Strip to interview Israeli combat heroes, hostages and families, including the siblings of Eden Yerushalmi, a 24-year-old Pilates instructor kidnapped and slain by Hamas.

'I look back and I think there are pros and cons to growing up in areas where there's not large Jewish communities,' said Rosenheck. 'You feel a little bit 'othered' immediately, but you also, which I think is a gift, learn how to use your voice.'

Rosenheck, who has grown a large social media presence, had to use her voice again when her book launch at an independent bookstore in her hometown of Nashville, planned for this past Thursday, was canceled.

The event at Bell Bird books was publicized online but immediately met with hate, prompting store owner Mary Ann Weprin to cancel the launch, citing security concerns.

'My concern was whether my small neighborhood bookstore could responsibly host an event that appeared likely to require heightened security,' Weprin said in a statement, insisting she was 'heartbroken' by accusations she was antisemitic.

Rosenheck said she had actually hired private security before the social media backlash, and it was fear and cowardice that stopped Weprin from hosting the event.

Weprin allegedly told Rosenheck, 'It's my peers and my customers. They don't want to be affiliated with a political event, and they're threatening not to shop with me.'

To which Rosenheck countered 'hosting a Jewish author is not a political statement.'

'I have been very clear about this pattern: the institutions we look to hold the line and maintain a moral backbone ultimately fold and kowtow to pressure campaigns designed to intimidate, silence, and exclude Jewish voices.'

'Then they reverse-engineer security concerns as a justification for their decision.'

In the book, Rosenheck ex-

HERITAGE: As part of the book, Rosenheck traveled to Israel and interviewed soldiers, hostages and families directly affected by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. While there, she visited the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, one of the most sacred sites for Jewish people.

plores extremely personal moments of her own.

Her world collapsed when her ex-husband, who was not Jewish, told her, 'I don't want Jewish children.'

'Burn down to rebuild'

The couple were married for 11 years before splitting in 2023, and she writes, 'Everything around me was unraveling, and all I could do was stand there, paralyzed, as the fragments of my life drifted away like autumn leaves, scattering at my feet.'

'He wasn't antisemitic. I knew that for certain,' she notes. 'But had the suffering he'd witnessed overwhelmed him? Did the pain he saw me endure make him shy away?'

'Was it fear, not hate, that shaped his words? Fear that our children will be burdened with the weight of a history they didn't choose but cannot escape? Or had something changed in him, something I had overlooked?'

'You have to burn your life down to rebuild,' Rosenheck told The Post, 'And I think that cracking was a wake-up call for me. I could no longer justify everything else I was trying to put back together in that marriage. And there was no turning back from those words.'

She also details the loss of friends after Oct. 7 when she became increasingly outspoken about Israel and Judaism. 'It's like social Ozempic... You lose a lot of people,' she quipped.

'It's the personal betrayals that cut deeper than I ever imagined,' she writes. 'Half of the women I welcomed into my at New Year's Eve [2019, for a party], the ones who toasted to friendship and celebrated the future, would no longer sit at my table — not because of a falling-out.'

'Ex-friends unfollowed, blocked, gossiped, and abandoned me at our shared virtual table. With nothing else changing except for me being even more openly Jewish online, it's not hard for me to imagine that this was the reason.'

Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 32 had led Rosenheck to reassess her life, which up until that moment, had been spent in 'survival mode.'

'There was a very brief moment with a quick scan that we thought it had spread to my lungs,' she told The Post. 'It did not. But that is when it woke me up... I started to listen to myself really for the first time and understand how unhappy I was in the corporate world.'

'And I picked up a camera as just a healing catharsis... It felt

like warmth, like home.'

Rosenheck is also now engaged to John Spencer, retired US Army major, combat veteran and scholar who serves at the Modern War Institute at West Point, NY. She said of him, 'John is such a beautiful human inside and out and my hero.'

Rise in hate

In May, the Anti-Defamation League released its Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, reporting that 2025 marked one of the most violent periods for American Jews. There were 6,274 incidents of antisemitic assault, harassment and vandalism, an average of 17 incidents per day.

While this total represents a 33% decrease from 2024, it remains considerably higher than the years before Oct. 7 and ranks as the third-highest year for antisemitic incidents (after 2023 and 2024), since Anti-Defamation League began tracking in 1979.

Among the factors contributing to antisemitism, Rosenheck said, is the question of Jews and whiteness.

'We're living at this interesting time where we're either not white or really too white,' she said.

In the book, she cites Dr. Pamela Paresky, who argues that DEI frameworks and critical race theory structurally foster antisemitism by forcing Jews into a rigid 'oppressor-oppressed' binary that classifies them as privileged, hyper-white oppressors.

'Jews are always the barometer of a society's consciousness, the health of a society,' she added.

'This anti-Zionist movement is a hate movement. Jews predate concepts of race and even religion, we are a peoplehood.'

'[Antisemitism] is what happens when our conversations around privilege, around whiteness, around this obsession with oppression in the West, around DEI, continues to be weaponized against us and shuts down conversations,' she stressed.

Moving forward, Jews can and should stand up against the hate, she encourages.

'Hitler and the Talmudic scholars agreed on one thing,' she added. 'And it wasn't that we were a physical threat, [but] we were a moral and physical threat to tyrants, to authoritative regimes.'

'And that gives me hope, because we have so much light within us and we have to lead with it.'

REVELATIONS: Rosenheck's book draws on her own experiences, including her breakup with her husband and many friends ditching her after she made the choice to stand up and be more outspoken about her identity as a Jewish person — something she says she will never regret.

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Karmelo retrial bid fails

Convicted killer Karmelo Anthony's bid for a retrial was shot down by a Texas judge Saturday.

Anthony's lawyers argued that the June trial was compromised due to strict courtroom rules, and improper instructions to the jury. They also clashed with prosecutors over an agreement to focus on events leading up to the fatal stabbing.

Anthony, 19, was found guilty June 9 of stabbing another student, Austin Metcalf, 17, at a high school track meet near Dallas in April 2025, and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

He scored a legal win following his conviction by getting the original judge, John Roach, tossed from the case after he told a WFAA-TV reporter that jurors "got it right" when they convicted Anthony.

The prosecutors and Anthony's defense reached an agreement not to release certain evidence to the jury.

In one text message kept from the jury, Anthony had threatened to shoot at his school.

"Imma shoot the school up tmr," Anthony wrote in a 2023 text that prosecutors revealed during the hearings to determine if he should receive a new trial.

David Spector

'Crazy bug' psycho link

When it comes to detecting psychos, you just gotta go with their gut.

Scientists have found a surprising link between certain microbes and darker personality characteristics, according to a shocking study in Nature.

"We hypothesized that the composition of the gut and oral microbiota may be associated with subclinical psychopathic personality traits," wrote the team, led by Carolina Costa from the University of Porto in Portugal.

Meanwhile, research has proven that psychopaths excel on dating apps and are more likely to hail from New York or Nevada. Ben Cost

Judge gives hoopster 1 more season

By SONYA GUGLIARA

This was one close game.

Pro basketball prospect Vincent Iwuchukwu — who survived going into cardiac arrest and then bravely fought against a controversial NCAA rule keeping him off the court — will get to lace up again this season, a judge has ruled.

In June, the NCAA axed its rule that collegiate athletes had four seasons of competition to use within a five-year eligibility window, known as the "four seasons in five years" rule, replacing it with an age-based model that allows athletes to play an unlimited number of seasons within five years.

But for the 22-year-old Germany-born Nigerian-American Iwuchukwu, the victory was hollow —

the organization did not apply the new rule to his 2022 high school class — which seemed to dash the NBA dreams of the 7-foot-1 forward.

He wasn't about to give up so easily, though. After all, his climb had been uphill from the beginning.

On July 1, 2022, during his first practice as a USC Trojan, the then-incoming freshman suffered sudden cardiac arrest.

"It really happened instantaneously. I wasn't really feeling a particular way before going into that practice," he recalled. "Then I was gone, so I couldn't really tell what was happening."

Doctors don't know what caused the life-changing event, he said. But during his recovery, all he could think about was getting back on the court.

And he did.

Iwuchukwu started playing again in January 2023 at USC but he wasn't out of the woods yet.

He developed back herniations and spasms that required surgery to fix, and underwent a procedure that March.

'Mental battle'

He went on to play another season at USC, the following at St. John's, and then his most recent at Georgetown beginning in 2025, where he averaged 11.6 points per game with 6.1 rebounds.

"I think the biggest battle was probably mentally, telling yourself that, 'You're OK, I can play,' " he told The Post.

At the end of his fourth season, Iwuchukwu's physician, who

serves on the NBA's professional fitness-to-play panel, said he needs one more year playing at the collegiate level to secure medical clearance for the NBA in the 2027-2028 season.

That's where he ran into the NCAA's rule that had excluded his 2022 high school class.

But even that didn't stop him. Iwuchukwu sued the NCAA on Aug. 14 in Queens Supreme Court.

"If he does not play this season, that evaluation will not occur on schedule and cannot be recreated. The harm to Vincent is now," Iwuchukwu's lawyers argued in the suit.

Iwuchukwu is now looking forward to the upcoming season.

He said he is considering return offers from St. John's and Georgetown, as well as offers from other universities.

Beef with Wendy's over $93K med woe

A Chicago woman claims a Wendy's double cheeseburger came with a stomach-churning side she never ordered — a bacterial infection that landed her in the hospital twice and left her with more than $93,000 in medical bills, according to a federal lawsuit viewed by The Post.

Roxie Ellis Douglas, 68, said she contracted Campylobacteriosis after eating the burger from a Wendy's on Chicago's South Stony Island Avenue, triggering a cascade of serious gastrointestinal problems, including acute infectious colitis, dehydration, gastroenteritis, leukocytosis and danger-

ously low potassium levels. Douglas alleges the delivered burger was "contaminated with Campylobacter and other illnesses-producing bacteria" when it left the restaurant's control and it was "unreasonably dangerous and in a defective condition," when it arrived at her doorstep.

The nasty bug can be especially dangerous for people 65 or older.

Douglas ordered the double cheeseburger and a baked potato online on Aug. 5, 2025, according to her complaint.

Nothing appeared to be wrong with her dinner — but Douglas claims trouble

was lurking inside.

Her lawsuit alleges the food was already contaminated when it left Wendy's and was "not fit for . . . human consumption."

She is seeking $50,000 in damages. Wendy's did not immediately respond to The Post.

Jeanne Erickson

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OPINIONS & IDEAS

ASTRONAUT

Can we just kill all the ticks? P. 36-37

F politics required truth in advertising, the Democratic Socialists of America would be forced to rebrand to the Democratic Socialists against America. The far-left insurgents oppose everything that has propelled the United States to a position of global wealth and leadership.

Consider its foreign policy. The DSA has a simple goal: Weaken the country so that it cannot defend itself or its allies. The world's worst regimes will then dominate in America's place.

How? The America envisaged by the DSA will defund its military, shutter

DANIEL J. SAMET

its military bases, stop "economic warfare" against malign actors like Cuba and Iran, cut off all assistance to Israel, "end immunity for U.S. war criminals" and prosecute Americans and Israelis implicated in the Gaza "genocide."

The DSA's central aim, embodied in its new platform, dubbed "Workers Deserve More," is supposedly to elevate the proletariat. If the DSA gets its way, "public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries" will replace capitalism. We know how this movie ends: less growth, innovation and international influence for the United States. How does that benefit the American worker?

In this new iteration of the Democratic Party, the patriotism of Democrats of yore, who wanted America to be strong and do good deeds overseas, is gone. The Democratic Party that supported NATO and Ukraine, opposed tyrannies like Iran and China and voted almost unanimously to avenge the attacks of 9/11, will be no more.

During a Fox News interview last month, Shannon Bream asked national co-chair Megan Romer whether the DSA would defund the Pentagon. "Absolutely," Romer said with alacrity.

Romer agrees with her fellow DSA stalwart, Melat Kiros, the Democratic nominee for Colorado's 1st Congressional District, that America is to blame for everything. Kiros insists that US policy made 9/11 "inevitable." Even illegal immigration is somehow America's fault. Romer says illegal immigration to the United States is due to America "destabilizing countries in order to mine them for resources."

Give Romer and her confreres credit for consistency. It's not just that they abhor pillars of American greatness like personal responsibility, freedom of speech and free markets. They also love the avatars of anti-Americanism in Cuba and Iran and jihadists everywhere. Whenever a regime, no matter how craven, stands against the United States, it can count on their encouragement.

According to the DSA, Israel is the sole country rivaling the United States in its depravity. DSA darling Darializa Avila Chevalier, poised be elected to Congress in November, believes that "Israel doesn't exist." She has never apologized for participating in a pro-Hamas rally in Times Square on Oct. 8, 2023. When pressed by David Rem-

nick of The New Yorker, Romer defended Avila Chevalier and said that she "probably would have" attended the rally herself. Romer also called Hamas' Oct. 7 rampage "largely inevitable."

Some of the DSA's support can be explained by the folly of youth. The DSA, whose average age is about 30, is remarkably young and naïve. Its ranks are full of Millennials and Zoomers who have no recollections of the Soviet Union. They think that socialism will yield abundance rather than destitution.

But 84-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders, the godfather of these ignoramuses, can claim no such ignorance. He lived

through the horrors of Maoist China, the collapse of Soviet Communism, the immiseration of socialist utopias like Cuba and Venezuela and the bloodthirstiness of Islamists in Iran. Sanders' anti-Americanism is rooted in willful ignorance. Like over 80% of DSA members aged 25 or older, he has a bachelor's degree. Yet credentials do not necessarily confer knowledge or wisdom.

When these forever college juniors enjoy their semesters abroad in Barcelona or Paris, they fail to appreciate that the world welcoming them was built by American power. Who polices the global commons? The US Navy. Which country underwrites the finan-

cial system whose ATMs dispense Euros? The United States.

Polling tells us that DSA voters are overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly college educated. They are overwhelmingly not the proletariat. Theirs is the ignorant idealism of Lenin and Trotsky. In case you missed that day in class, this earlier generation of "socialists" did not simply fail to make the Soviet Union great. They destroyed their country, their people and their world.

That's exactly the DSA's agenda for America.

Daniel J. Samet is a Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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nypost.com

POSTSCRIPT Culture Club

IT'S an unlikely thing to wait in line for. Head down a side street, in through an anonymous door, and you'll join a long line people waiting to go upstairs. Open a spiked metal gate at the top, and there you have it: the university jail. I'm in Heidelberg, visiting a series of small rooms covered in graffiti where students were imprisoned for centuries.

In Germany, in fact, the possession of a prison was a distinguishing feature of universities. It was a sign that the institution possessed legal authority over its members. It was also a product of the fact that students often misbehaved. Punishable crimes included the capture and cooking of pigeons, or dressing up like women.

In England, similarly bad behavior among the student body allowed for corporal punishment. Further north, in Sweden's Uppsala University, bad apples could face even more severe sanction: The last student to be sentenced to death there suffered his fate as late as 1772.

These remarkable histories serve an important reminder: At a time when more and more universities are shifting the learning experience online, it can be easy to forget just how much the material structure of a school can affect students. A stroll through the history of the university's shape reveals what mattered to the generations that came before us — as well as how that story shapes our expectations today.

The University of Padua in Italy doesn't have a prison, but in 1595, it opened its anatomy theater. The six-tiered theater hosted dissections that could last for weeks — or at least until the body stank. It was designed not only to further the research of its professors but to lure students. Without such scholars, observed one academic, the town would itself 'be a dead body.'

For 900 years, the structure of a university has shaped students. What happens when school moves online?

Oxford spent so much on its Radcliffe Camera library (left) that it ran out of book money — and Heidelberg University had a student prison (inset).

During the Cold War, the battle for bigness went international: Seeking to outbuild the West, Stalin personally commissioned the monumental home of Moscow State University. With 20 miles of corridors, 5,000 rooms, and crowned by a 12-ton, five-pointed star, there was no doubt about the significance of this institution. Khrushchev, in turn, condemned the soaring height of the sky-scraper. 'Why fly to the sky?' he demanded. 'What's wrong with the ground?'

And it's not just buildings that tell the history of universities. Fabrics and furnishings, food and drink: All have formed the focus of intense debate. In France in the 18th century, arguments about the robes worn by academics were among the factors that tipped the country into revolution. Decades of disputes over who got to wear red gowns — as opposed to the less desirable black — only resolved when the university itself disbanded.

Today, universities are moving increasingly toward the virtual. There is no doubt this will reshape the university, just as the invention of printing did. But even online universities advertise themselves with images of storied buildings. Worries that schools will be unseated by this e-op-tions massively underestimates the continued appeal of the university as a tangible place.

People form universities, but universities form people. The material structure of a campus has no small influence on our history. Over nearly a millennium, the university has acquired a distinguished and material history. It will have a material future, too.

William Whyte is the author of 'The University: A History in Stone, Silk, and Blood' (Harvard University Press).

Chatter

'I get along with [Kim Jong-un], and you know what? The fact that I get along with him — that's a good thing, not a bad thing.'

— President Trump on a planned meeting

'I heard you missed me.'

— First Lady Melania Trump at an event, laughing off talk she's been MIA Trump's second term

'You took a married man away from his family.'

— Aggrieved wife Heather Ammel in a text to ex-Sen. Kyrsten Sinema

'We are going to collapse this regime.'

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Iran

---

SILENT TREATMENT

N his 1919 poem "The Unknown Friends," American poet Edgar Guest wrote that "each one of us has friends that he / Has yet to meet and really know."

But what happens when Americans no longer want to meet and really know each other? And when tech keeps them from doing so?

The data tell us that Americans are quite literally speaking to each other less. A March 2026 study demon-

strated that the number of words the average person uttered fell by 28% between 2005 and 2019. That's a drop of about 330 spoken words a day, or 120,000 over the course of a year.

Silicon Valley is unworried. If anything, they'd like to see those numbers come down even more. In July, tech startup Friend launched a new iteration of its controversial AI necklace, designed to talk back to lonely users. Americans will be talking, but not to other humans.

This is continuation of existing trends. In 2019, research out of Britain showed that digital conversation between Britons outpaced in-person communication.

Then COVID came along. Isolation and loneliness got a lot worse. A recent survey discovered that almost 10% of all Gen Zers say they had zero face-to-face interaction in their daily life.

A 2025 American Enterprise Institute survey revealed that only 40% of Americans report talking to their neighbors regularly (at least a few times a week), down from 59% in 2012. The drop is most pronounced

Americans are saying 28% fewer words to each other — Silicon Valley thinks that is a good thing

Vandals defaced an ad for the tech company Friend's wearable AI device — voicing a valid concern as data show that face-to-face interactions have been plummeting.

among young adults (18-29): in 2012, 51% reported social interaction with their neighbors at least a few times a week. By 2025, that number had dropped to 25%.

On top of that, data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the average time spent socializing per day has fallen from 41 to 35 min-

utes in the last 10 years. That trend, though sharpest in young adults, is evident in every generation.

What's driving these trends? It's not just one thing.

But it's hard to identify any culprit guiltier than our technology habits. Electronic messaging is now our default way to communicate. Every

day, more than 360 billion emails are sent and 27 billion texts are exchanged. Billions of posts and comments are made on social media every day. To make matters worse, this content is increasingly generated by AI bots. All those texts, emails, social posts, videos and comments give us the illusion that we're getting

plenty of human connection.

Even in 2012, just five years into the smartphone era, there was emerging evidence of the adverse effects of virtual communication. A study published that year from researchers at the University of Maryland drew a connection between mobile phone use and antisocial behavior:

"Mobile phone use evokes feelings of connectedness to others, thereby fulfilling the basic human need to belong and subsequently reducing the need to connect with anyone else. This decreased desire for social connection negatively affects concern for other people, which will exhibit itself as reduced desire to help others."

In other words, technology, besides cutting us off from other people, makes us more self-centered. Algorithms and AI seem to serve this very purpose. They are designed to satisfy our preferences and to flatter, affirm and satiate us.

Researchers discovered that AI affirms users' actions 49% more often than humans, "including in cases involving deception, illegality, or other harms." Such affirmation reinforces antisocial behavior.

In his 1952 book "How to Talk to People," speech expert Irving Lee wrote that "people can stand some coaching in the arts of talking together." Almost 75 years ago, Lee hit it on the nail: "Without the means, the capacity, and the will to communicate," community life fails. The means would be the skills needed — like how to begin and end conversations, how to listen well, and how to seek to understand before being understood.

The capacity would be the desire it takes to even want to talk to others. We must be open and humble and remember that every human being before relied on face-to-face interaction. Take time today to share your smile, your intellect, and your beautiful, life-giving voice with someone who really needs it. And these days, that's all of us.

Andrew McDiarmid is a senior fellow and director of podcasting at the Discovery Institute.

BETTER NOT

Fewer Americans say they gamble compared to 10 years ago. Share who say they participated in some form of gambling in the last year:

2016: 64% 2026: 45% Source: Gallup

'I don't speak politician.'

— Sen. Darline Graham explains after a shaky debate performance

'Cutting and packaging cocaine was, for some pledges, an indoctrination into the fraternities.'

— Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday on an alleged drug ring at Penn State frats

'No threat or amount of money could sway my conviction that this baby had a real chance at a full life.'

— Surrogate McKenna West on refusing to abort a child with a rare heart condition

SUMMER JOBS

% of teens who had a summer job in ...

2000: 51.7%

2010: 29.6%

2026: 35.5%

Source: Pew

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36

POSTSCRIPT Nature

By ERIC SPITZNAGEL

THE ticks got an early start this year, and they've been busy.

In April, 105 of every 100,000 emergency-room visits nationwide involved a tick bite, up 52% from the year before. In May, that number reached 112. The CDC has been tracking these visits since 2017, and this spring brought the highest early-season numbers it's ever recorded.

New York has averaged more than 17,500 new Lyme disease cases annually over the past three years. New York City reported 2,928 preliminary cases in 2025, up 15 percent from the year before. Most were acquired outside the five boroughs, particularly on Long Island and upstate.

Lyme infections in California are lower, but that doesn't mean ticks are less pervasive. The western blacklegged tick, California's main Lyme carrier, has been found in 56 of the state's 58 counties.

Even the Bay Area has areas where infected ticks turn up in alarming numbers. In San Mateo County, about one in every 20 young western blacklegged ticks tested in 2024 and 2025 carried the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. At Wunderlich County Park in Woodside, the figure was more than 12 percent.

Now New York's first confirmed human case of Bourbon virus has turned up on Long Island. The rare and potentially deadly infection is spread by the lone-star tick, and there's no vaccine to prevent it and no medication that specifically treats it. The Bourbon virus joins Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus, and red meat allergies as all the ways ticks can ruin your summer. Or your life.

It raises the question, how many diseases does one parasite get to spread before we stop politely coexisting with it? What's stopping us from just killing all the ticks?

Because this is getting tiresome. I'm done with being lectured to wear long pants in August, spray chemicals onto my ankles, and inspect every hidden region of my body because I brushed against a shrub. Last month, I tried talking my wife into adopting an opossum, or at least keeping one in the back yard as a tick exterminator, but then I learned that the famous claim about opossums eating ticks is just an urban myth. My anti-tick marsupial task force collapsed before its first meeting.

Whenever I suggest killing all the ticks, somebody inevitably brings up the food chain. Every creature has a role. Remove one part of the food web and the whole system crumbles. Kill the ticks and Long Island could

ERATICKATE

be overrun by crabs, or the deer could seize control of the Hamptons, or California's coyotes could take over Napa and start charging for tastings. Nature will punish our arrogance in some inventive fashion.

BUT what would really happen if every tick disappeared tomorrow? Maybe some bird raises its chicks exclusively on engorged ticks, or an obscure wasp depends on them for lunch. Do these blood-sucking disease syringes serve a real purpose, or are scientists just nervous with the idea of eliminating an entire species?

"Although a formal ecological risk assessment has not been performed, there is no obvious 'need' for or 'benefit' of ticks in the environment," says Sam Telford III, Sc.D., a professor and epidemiologist at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. "After all, there are many places where there are no ticks and healthy fauna and flora."

Joanna Buchthal, Ph.D., an MIT Media Lab postdoctoral associate who directs research for Mice Against Ticks, says Telford often gets a theological version of the question at public events:

"Why did God make ticks? 'He generally starts with 'beats me,' she says, 'followed by an explanation that almost no animals subsist on ticks alone, and that if that same God decided to vacuum up every tick on Earth, there would be effectively zero environmental consequence.''

Richard S. Ostfeld, Ph.D., a disease ecologist and distinguished senior scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, offered a little more caution. Scientists cannot even eliminate the blacklegged and lone-star ticks from fairly small areas, which makes their ecological impact difficult to test. Still, he said, "I would surmise that, if we could indeed eliminate these two tick species, we would not be able to detect any impact on other organisms."

Ants, spiders, beetles, and birds sometimes eat ticks, but most can find something else for dinner. "Here in New York, ticks seem to be more of your occasional snack," Ostfeld says. African oxpeckers depend on them more heavily, but New York has no known equivalent.

California adds a strange twist. Western fence lizards provide ticks with a blood meal, but their blood can also kill the Lyme bacteria inside a feeding tick. When researchers removed the lizards from test plots, fewer ticks survived. The lizards can make individual ticks safer while helping the larger tick population stay alive.

The danger comes from the weapons available to kill them. "The acar-

acaricides and insecticides we use are broad-spectrum and toxic," Ostfeld says, killing butterflies, bees, pollinators, spiders, and potentially harming wildlife, pets, and people.

Long Island covers about 900,000 acres. At a common application rate, Ostfeld calculates that blanketing it with bifenthrin would require roughly 90 million gallons. "In my opinion, yes, it would be scientifically irresponsible, and also finan-

financially infeasible," he said.

What we need is a weapon with better aim.

America has defeated ticks before. In 1906, federal inspectors quarantined and treated cattle carrying cattle-fever ticks, which spread a deadly livestock disease. By 1943, the ticks had been eliminated from the US apart from a permanent quarantine zone along the Texas-Mexico border.

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THEM

Ticks ruin human lives. Why can't we just kill all of them?

In Southampton, a sign lists various precautions to prevent tick bites and the diseases they carry. While scientists like Sam Telford (inset) say the ecosystem does not depend on ticks, some worry they are too difficult to single out for extermination.

the bacteria, and may eventually bite a person. The idea is to make the mice immune to Lyme, then have them pass that immunity to their offspring.

Her team is also investigating antibodies that would attack the tick itself. The genes could be placed in mice, whose blood would then interfere with a feeding tick and kill it. "The same approach

could absolutely extend to other tick-borne illnesses," she says.

Scientists could instead try to alter ticks so their offspring inherit a trait that eventually shrinks the wild population. But getting that trait into circulation would require breeding and releasing millions of engineered ticks. "Nobody wants us releasing millions of ticks, which will stick around for years, in order to suppress ticks," Buchthal says.

Ticks also reproduce too slowly for a suppression gene drive to spread quickly. "I'd love to eliminate ticks entirely if folks agreed to do so," says Kevin Esvelt, Ph.D., an associate professor of media arts and sciences at the MIT Media Lab and director of its Sculpting Evolution group. "But their long generation time means that any suppression gene drive would take several decades to make a dent, even if we bred and introduced millions of engineered ticks into the environment."

Give Telford $1 billion for a Manhattan Project against ticks and he would combine every available weapon. He'd also hire lawyers.

"My guess is that a substantive proportion of that would be spent fighting lawsuits," he says. Animal-rights advocates would resist deer removal, environmental groups would challenge pesticides, and property owners could refuse access. A serious program might require some version of a "thou shalt not harbor a pest" law.

"Any intervention is not going to make the problem go away overnight," he says. "It took more than 70 years for the problem to emerge. It should not take that long to make it more manageable, but that is the way it is in public health."

Ticks have yet to make a convincing case for their right to exist. They're still here because killing them without killing a lot of other things is nearly impossible.

Any parasite that gives Long Islanders Lyme disease, a red-meat allergy and an untreatable virus, while making Californians inspect themselves after a hike through the redwoods or Sierra foothills, has made a persuasive case for its own removal. We simply need to kill it without taking the butterflies with it.

INSPECTORS still patrol the border because animals occasionally carry the ticks north from Mexico. Cattle-fever ticks spend all three parasitic life stages on one host, which makes them easier to find. Blacklegged and lone-star ticks feed on deer, mice, birds and whatever else comes along, then drop off and disappear. "Just the venue for the battle is very much more complex," Telford says. "The primary obstacles are bio-

logical, life history, diverse animals, diverse habitats; social, densely populated areas; and political will, no economic incentive like cattle production."

Long Island's nearly 8 million residents, dense housing, and moving wildlife rule out a clean island-wide sweep. Telford would begin around homes, then move into parks and environmental reservoirs. Reducing deer can make blacklegged ticks tol-

erable, though birds will keep importing them. Lone-star ticks may prove harder. "We just have not done the studies with lone-star ticks yet to really say anything."

For now, the best strategy seems to be going after the ticks closest to people. Deer can be lured to feeding stations that put pesticide onto their heads and necks. Similar bait boxes treat mice and chipmunks, and a fungus can kill ticks in yards and

wooded areas. All of this brings tick numbers down. Whether it keeps humans from getting sick remains surprisingly hard to prove.

MEANWHILE, researchers at MIT are working on a more unusual solution involving genetically engineered mice.

White-footed mice help keep Lyme disease in circulation. A tick bites an infected mouse, picks up

Peter Lavigne/NY Post Design: Tufts University, Getty Images

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38

POSTSCRIPT Editorial

NEW YORK POST

AMERICA'S OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY PUBLISHED DAILY NEWSPAPER

Dems' El-Sayed Test

How long will Democrats and their media allies keep ignoring Abdul El-Sayed's extremism?

He eked out a win for the Michigan party's Senate nomination, but that doesn't force the likes of Sen. Chuck Schumer to turn a blind eye to his blatant Islamist ties and sympathies.

The latest revelation: El-Sayed's mother, Fatten Fathy Elkomy, worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency, which the Treasury Department fingered as a terror agency allegedly directly funding Osama bin Laden and backing Hamas and the Taliban. To this, the media and Democratic elites offered a collective shrug — again.

Other news apparently unfit to print is that El-Sayed's sister Eman Abdelhadi is a radical left professor who faced felony charges for assaulting an ICE officer. She has called Sen. Bernie Sanders "a disappointment" because he called Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks "horrifying."

Indeed, she celebrates that day, even as she condemns July 4 and Thanksgiving, tweeting: "Excuse me if I don't celebrate the transfer of stolen land from one colonizer to another."

Imagine if a GOP candidate had family ties like this — not that his dubious associates stop there.

Labor Day weekend, El-Sayed is to address the yearly meeting of the Islamic Society of North America. As the Washington Free Beacon reports, other speakers include Yasir Qadhi, a Texas imam who has called the Holocaust a "hoax," and Michigan imam Baqir Berry, who has preached in favor

of a "mighty victory" for the "mujahideen" over the "evil of these Zionists."

El-Sayed will insist he disagrees with these haters, including his sister, but he's still buddies with rabid podcaster Hasan Piker — another Israel-hating, 9/11-cheering extremist that the Democratic establishment welcomes inside its "big tent." And the candidate himself has called to defund the police and end July 4 fireworks.

When a Muslim terrorist in his own backyard tried to slaughter a bunch of Jewish schoolkids, he justified the attack by blaming ... Israel's war against Hezbollah. Yet The New York Times insists complaints about all this are pure Islamophobia; Democrats prefer to rail against the all-American, pro-Israel AIPAC while ignoring the influence of overseas Muslim money in US politics.

Happily, Michigan voters may well reject El-Sayed in November; many Dem voters — including Jews rightly repulsed by his bloodthirsty antisemitism — have already made clear he won't have their vote.

And he's facing normie Republican Mike Rogers — who'll be hard to bash as a Trump pawn when the state's Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has about as warm a relationship with the president.

Let's hope Rogers trounces El-Sayed, not just because it'll help the GOP keep the Senate, but because losing this election might finally inspire the Democratic leaders to openly reject his hate.

The 'Grocery' Drug Dream

Is Mayor Mamdani's farcical city-run-grocery scheme ever going to be more than a facade that simply serves to score cred with Che-loving TikTokers?

Last week, city Economic Development Corp. bigs took prospective bidders on contracts to run the stores on a tour of ... a vacant lot in East Harlem. What a waste: People with real work to do got pony-walked around a patch of asphalt under the Metro North tracks in East Harlem.

Bids to run a Mamdani Mart are supposedly due mid-October, though City Hall has yet to issue remotely enough specs on how the whole thing's going to work. The concept has always sounded like something cooked up in a late-night, stoned college-dorm discussion — and still hasn't been fleshed out much more than that.

Team Mamdani's theorists imagine they'll build five stores for $70 million; industry experts openly laugh at that as vastly above what should cost.

At the absurd Harlem tour, the apparatchik in charge of the grocery project, Waverly Neer, blubbered in NPR-voice about how "excited" the project has gotten the Harlem locals. "Furious" is

probably the better word for the locals who run groceries in the target areas at the idea of city-backed competition. The five blocks just around the Harlem site hold 15 bodegas and groceries.

Neer last week pointed to one possible answer: "grants" to support independent businesses near the Mamdani Marts. The city has "a whole host of levers" it can use "to make sure everyone has equitable and equal access to opportunities here."

Ah, yes: Subsidize the city-owned store, and also its nearby competitors — and, when their competitors come calling, why not them too?

Light up another J. Mamdani brain trust, and keep on theorizing.

All this serves the mayor in one key way: The grocery noise distracts his fans (and maybe his opponents, too) from all his real-world bungling. Mayor snubbed at a soldier's funeral? Pied-à-terre tax mired in confusion? Look over there! Equity! Affordability! Economic justice!

It works because so much of Mamdani's base has always been about vibes and theater, so New York will keep on hearing a lot about these stores, even if we never actually get to see one.

The New York Post is published by N.Y.P. Holdings Inc. 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036

Chair Lachlan Murdoch Publisher Sean M. Giancola Print Editor-in-Chief Stephen Lynch

Chairman Emeritus Rupert Murdoch Editor-in-Chief Keith Poole Editorial Page Editor Mark Cunningham

MY grandfather cofounded Amnesty International. He wouldn't recognize it today.

On July 8, 2026, Amnesty International UK published a report titled "A Growing Threat: The Anti-Rights Movement in the UK." Included in the list of "anti-rights" villains: a rape crisis center in Scotland, various women's rights groups and Christian societies.

They were accused of "undermining human rights protections in law and practice."

ISELUT WHITE Many of the 117 organizations identified in the report immediately pushed back, publishing letters of objection online and sending them directly to the CEO and chair of AIUK. Within 48 hours Amnesty removed the report from their website. On July 31, AIUK issued a public apology stating that the report did not meet their standards.

But their standards have long been much too low.

Amnesty was created to defend human rights. The global brand was built on evidence-led, case-by-case methods. One prisoner, one file, one fact-checked case. In my family, we sat around the kitchen table making Christmas cards for prisoners of conscience and writing letters to the authorities that imprisoned them. I was raised to believe that freedom of expression is a fundamental safeguard in democracy.

My family learned that through bitter

experience. My grandfather Sean MacBride had been a political prisoner himself and cofounded the charity as a "permanent international movement in defence of freedom of opinion and religion."

It saddens me to see how far Amnesty has deviated from these founding values. In 2020, Amnesty International Ireland signed an open letter written by Trans Equality Network Ireland that called on "media, and politicians to no longer provide legitimate representation" for people who believe that biological sex is real and material in law.

I publicly challenged Colm O'Gorman, CEO of Amnesty Ireland at the time. A journalist from a national paper interviewed me but ended up not publishing the article. When I asked why, I was told that O'Gorman refused to comment when asked, which made it challenging for the journalist to represent the full story. This tactic of pretending that those who disagree with them aren't even worthy of debate has had a chilling effect on public discourse. I have watched other major rights organizations — such as the ACLU and Stonewall UK — use the same tactic in publicly contested issues.

These organizations have increasingly

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My grandfather cofounded Amnesty International to protect freedom of conscience. Today, the organization does the opposite

treated contested questions within feminism as matters on which dissent is not merely wrong but an offense against human rights. Their own position is considered a settled truth. The two obvious examples are the decriminalization of prostitution and the expansion of the definition of a woman to include men who identify as women.

Slogans like “sex work is work,” “trans women are women” and “I am who I say I am” become mantras chanted with a fervor bordering on the religious. For many years, the halo effect accrued through their acknowledged good work has meant that they have not faced public scrutiny.

This fervor led to the bizarre situation Amnesty found itself in last month, denouncing Beira’s Place — a sexual-assault support center — as anti-rights. The group was founded and funded by J.K. Rowling to create a women-only space for survivors of sexual abuse and rape. It had to be created as The Edinburgh Rape Crisis Center failed to provide women-only services. The ERRC’s CEO at the time, a transgender woman named Mridul Wadwha, had made headlines for saying rape survivors hoping for such spaces needed to “reframe their trauma” and be reeducated out of their bigotry.

By my count, about half of the 117 organizations identified by Amnesty, like Beira’s Place, believe that sex is material in law. In general, they advocate for the right of LGB people to associate in single-sex spaces, the exclusion of males from women’s spaces and the protection of the women’s category in sports. Some challenge the lack of evidence and safeguarding in youth gen-

der medicine. These are principled positions in a hotly contested public debate.

Even when Amnesty’s interventions have been legally refuted, they refuse to stand down or reevaluate. In 2025, the UK Supreme Court considered a case brought by For Women Scotland. The group argued that the terms “man” and “woman” referred to biological sex, and that those terms mattered when considering issues of legal equality. Amnesty intervened against this argument. The Supreme Court judged that Amnesty’s definitions would make legal protections against sex and sexual-orientation discrimination unworkable. Never deterred, Amnesty included For Women Scotland as one of the anti-rights group in their report.

My grandfather’s approach was a disciplined universality, built on investigated fact rather than ideological assumption. In 2026, Amnesty positions lawful dissent from its ideological orthodoxy as a human-rights violation, adjudicating who deserves legitimate representation and who is cast out as a dissident.

Amnesty’s apology reads as procedural rather than reflective. My question for Amnesty is why an organization founded to protect freedom of expression and belief now takes on the power to decide which lawful beliefs are acceptable. Rebuilding a genuinely pluralist human-rights culture will take time and introspection. It must begin with the simple principle that human rights exist to protect lawful dissent, not to punish it.

Iseult White is an author, psychotherapist and independent director. @iseult

LETTERS

Arday lessons

I am beyond challenged that in this day and age of AI methods to vet people, we repeatedly allow individuals to amp up their résumés and outright tell falsehoods about their lives (“Plagued UK prof, 41, dead,” Aug. 15).

Is no one vetting work the old-fashioned way anymore? Jason Arday needed mental help, not the celebratory acceptance that resulted in apparent untenable humiliation. We need to learn from this while mourning an unnecessary loss of life.

Amy Hendel, Tarzana, Calif.

UESers’ trash-talk

The left-leaning Upper East Side voted overwhelmingly for this mayor, so why not just enjoy the garbage bins that you pass by while looking for a non-existent parking space (“Toss ugly trash-can plan, says UES big,” Aug. 16)?

Better yet, give up your expensive car and take a ride on the “free” bus he promised you. You reap what you sow.

Steven Mendelsohn, Whitestone

Facing down hate

I was touched with Michele Anenberg-Poma’s steadfast pride in her Jewish identity and appalled at the Central Synagogue attack, which is a painful reminder of the antisemitic milieu that continues to saturate

our wonderful city, particularly under Mayor Mamdani (“Jews’ spirit unbroken,” Aug. 17).

The almost cliched characterization that the perpetrator has mental issues doesn’t have the credibility it once had, before the unabated hate for the Jewish population sadly pervaded our once-friendly culture.

Ron Goldman, Brooklyn

Animal attack

It’s pitiful that The Post is now blaming animals and calling them the downfall of the affordable housing market (“Greens Halt Housing,” Robert Verbruggen, PostOpinion, Aug. 15).

Animals aren’t the enemy and shame on you for inciting needless hatred toward them.

Not everyone is jumping for joy over affordable housing, which brings with it its own problems (which you also know about). There are hundreds of Superfund sites all over the country. How about cleaning them up for human use? Or maybe tighten up rental laws.

Why do we have to demolish the environment so that developers can get rich?

Kiley Blackman, Tuckahoe

Contagious bigotry

Carmella Charrington proves the theory that stupidity doesn’t discriminate between color, race or political party (“Zionists’ stole my house: pol,” Aug. 19).

Her thirst to be reelected so she can undoubtedly continue to barely serve her constituents just proves that ignorance is

contagious. The mayor, Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Hasan Piker: Their short stardom of hate and ignorance will end. We will all cheer and relegate them to the ash heap of history.

Lee Fleischman, Stamford, Connecticut

Money-hungry AGs

The only difference between the quartet of state attorneys general pursuing a lawsuit against Meta and the ones bringing endless lawsuits in the private sector is that AGs have the power of the state behind them (“Shaking Down Meta,” Editorial, Aug. 18).

I am sure there are other issues within their states that require their attention, just like Tish James ignoring what’s going on with the West Harlem Development Corp. It’s never about the people they were elected to protect, it’s about filling their pockets.

Robert Sanfilippo, N. Bellmore

Post your comments on stories at www.nypost.com

E-mail letters@nypost.com, or write to:

The Editor, The New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, NY 10036.

Include name, address and daytime phone number. No unverifiable letter will be published. The Post reserves the right to edit all letters.

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POSTSCRIPT Books

REQUIRED READING

By Hailey Eber

Big Little Truths: A Novel

Liane Moriarty (Crown) The sequel to 'Big Little Lies' is here. It's been a decade since the schoolyard drama, murder and a coverup unfurl in an Australian beach town (or a sandy California enclave in the HBO adaptation). The kids are now in high school, experimenting with sex and drugs, and moms Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata and Bonnie are navigating the limits of yoga and marriage, along with aging parents and an annoyingly inquisitive stranger who's been lurking about.

Life of M: A Novel

Rachel Cusk (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) The latest from the author of the acclaimed 'Outline' trilogy is at the center of summer's biggest literary scandal. The book is about a Paris writer and her relationship with a child actor-turned-major Hollywood star, who many have noted bears a strong resemblance to Natalie Portman.

Range: A Novel

Dorthe Nors, translated by Caroline Waight (Graywolf Press) In this Danish novel by a Booker Prize finalist, an astrophysics professor takes leave and moves to the country, where she navigates both the cosmos and her personal relationships.

Heart of Glass: A Novel

Jennifer Hillier (Minotaur Books) When they were teenagers growing up in the Pacific Northwest, a close friend of Barb and Nicolette's was killed by a serial killer they met one night at an amusement park. Decades later, the two women have both managed to move on with their lives, but then the serial killer withdraws his confession and a new body turns up at the amusement park.

Not a Word: A Novel

Linwood Barclay (William Morrow) This new thriller is inspired by the Purdue Pharma scandal. A young man named Reece is shocked to come home and find his mom and dad dead in an apparent murder-suicide. But upon investigation, the deaths are suspicious — and maybe related to unethical pharmaceuticals company that Reece's dad used to work for.

The Sound Of Regret: A Novel

Trey Gowdy and Christopher Greyson (Harper Influence) Fox News host Gowdy and bestselling author Greyson have written a sequel to their 'Color of Death' murder mystery. This time, widowed Assistant DA Colm Truesdale is on the hunt for a killer who took out a confidential informant and a key witness. As he investigates the murders, Truesdale realizes someone from his past very much wants him dead.

MOUNTAIN OF WARDNESS

For over a century, Everest hid the body of a young mountaineer. The rediscovery of his corpse could upend our understanding of the peak

Getty Images: The Warden and Fellows of Morton College, Oxford, AP

By CLARE McHUGH

ONE morning in October 2024, the writer Julie Summers received a call at her home in Oxford conveying astonishing news.

A boot containing the remains of a human foot had been found on the north flank of Mount Everest. A woolen sock tucked into the boot bore a white name tape, with red letters spelling out: A.C. IRVINE. Andrew Comyn 'Sandy' Irvine, a 22-year-old college student who accompa-

nied British mountaineer George Mallory on his ill-fated attempt to summit Everest, had been lost for more than a century. Noel Odell, a fellow Everest expedition member, was the last person to glimpse him and Mallory — as two black spots far in the distance 'going strongly for the top' along the mountain's crenulated ridgeline on June 8, 1924.

When mist moved in, engulfing the pair, they vanished, never to be seen alive again. Only in 1999, when Mallory's mummified body was located in Everest's high-altitude 'death zone,' 2,000 vertical feet be-

low the peak, did investigators begin to piece together the valiant climbers' fate.

NO trace of Irvine had been found — until now. For Summers, the grandniece of Irvine and his biographer ('Fearless on Everest: The Quest for Sandy Irvine' was published in 2000), learning of the find was 'a shocking, extraordinary moment,' she told The Post. She soon felt the desire to revisit her great-uncle's life story, and embed it in all that had been learned in recent years about the 1924 venture

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Andrew Comyn "Sandy" Irvine (right), an Oxford University student who accompanied British mountaineer George Mallory on his fatal 1924 Mount Everest expedition, may have reached the summit before his death — a historical first currently attributed to Edmund Hillary and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay (inset).

and its aftermath. She asked her friend Jochen Hemmleb — the au- thor, climber and mountaineering historian who had been part of the research expedition that located Ma-

llory's body — to collaborate with her. As befits its dual authorship, "The Everest Mystery: Sandy Irvine, George Mallory, and the Truth Still Buried on Everest" (St. Martin's Press, Aug. 25) is two books in one. In the first half, the writers draw a engaging portrait of Irvine, tradi- tionally regarded as somewhat of an "also-ran" on the mission to be first to conquer the mountain. While Ox- ford undergraduate Irvine had scant climbing experience, Mallory, 16 years older, was already famous as

an explorer and alpinist, a veteran of two previous trips to Everest.

WHY did Mallory choose to make the final push to the summit with Irvine as his partner? By delving into Irvine's short life and especially the impres- sions he made on his contemporar- ies, the authors of "The Everest Mys- tery" offer a compelling explanation. Not only was the younger man dar- ing, intent and vigorous — a star oarsman on the Oxford rowing team thanks to his physical stamina — Irvine could boast, too, of keen mechanical aptitude, cru- cial for coping with the ex- pedition's rickety oxygen apparatus.

While Mallory had ini- tially regarded using sup- plemental oxygen while climbing as unsportsman- like, after he failed to reach the top of Everest without it in 1922, he changed his mind. Still, the breathing system available in that era was cumbersome and heavy. Landing in India in March 1924, the team of nine British mountaineers took a month to travel from Darjeel- ing to the base of Everest. The ac- count of their trip is the most magi- cal part of the book: The group trekked and rode ponies through spectacular scenery, with yaks to carry the equipment, and porters hired locally to guide them. During

downtime on the road, Irvine man- aged to reconfigure the oxygen appa- ratus to be lighter and more reliable.

But for Irvine's technical handi- ness, Odell, a geologist and seasoned climber might have been chosen to accompany Mallory for the climb's final leg. Instead, he led the back-up team, and twice ventured high up the mountain looking for the pair after they disappeared. At their final camp he found evidence that Irvine continued to tinker with the oxygen equipment un- til the last minute. "Noth- ing would have amused him more — as it ever had ... with such good results," Odell commented.

No lack of oxygen doomed the pair. But likely a fall did. Mallory's body was found face down on a slope of scree and ice with a badly broken leg, and a snapped rope tied around his rib cage, leading experts to believe he slipped or tripped, perhaps while traversing the treacherous "Second Step," a rock wall just below the summit. As he fell, the rope tethering him to Irvine certainly broke, and the younger man, the authors write, likely ended up alone on the moun- taintop "traumatized, exhausted and perhaps also injured," eventually succumbing to the brutal cold. In the second half of "The Everest Mystery," the authors explore this

theory and alternatives, drawing upon Hemmleb's years of detailed study of the 1924 expedition. The vi- tal question remains: Did the pair reach the top before they died? Were they, rather than Edmund Hillary and Tenzin Norgay in 1953, the first men to survey the world from the sum- mit? It's possible. Artifacts from their climb including an ice axe and an old cramp have been discovered near 28,000 feet. (The peak is 29,031 feet high.) A definitive answer would re- quire photographic evidence. Ma- llory and Irvine had planned to carry Vest Pocket Kodak cameras. But no camera was found on Mallory's body.

THE authors also face the far more vexing questions of what Chinese climbers saw — and did — in the decades after Mallory and Irvine's attempt. The Englishmen as- cended Everest on the northern, Ti- betan side of mountain, controlled by China since 1950 and mostly off limits to foreigners. Several Chinese teams have followed that route to Everest's peak, and the deputy leader of the first successful expedition, in 1960, allegedly saw the body of a Caucasian wearing vintage clothes high on the northeastern ridge. Members of a 1975 trip reported spotting a corpse laying on a snow terrace below where the ice axe was found, suggesting, later, when news of the sighting spread in the West, that Irvine had fallen to his death from that spot.

Official sources in China always denied these reports, and rumors spread that the Chinese had whisked Irvine's body off the mountain, so as to secret away his camera and cover up the possibility that Irvine and Ma- llory, rather than Chinese climbers, were the first to summit on the northern side of the mountain. Ac- cording to another rumor, the body was discarded, thrown down the mountain to remove it from the climbing route, which might explain why Irvine's foot was found on the mountain's Central Rongbuk Glacier more than 7,000 feet below Mallory's body, and 1½ miles down from where Odell last spotted the pair ascending.

But nature could account for the boot's positioning so low on Everest. When the rope tethering him to Ma- llory snapped Irvine may have been sent tumbling down to the glacier be- low, and time and the movement of the ice has carried his remains further down over the years. "We just don't know if he was on the glacier the whole time, since 1924, or whether he was pushed or moved," Summers told The Post. "I prefer to believe the first."

A century on, Summers also prefers to celebrate what the gallant pair ac- complished while alive, not fixate on the circumstances of their death. "It's an extraordinary achievement to get as far as they did then," she said. Summers and Hemmleb, by allow- ing readers to follow along on what was a thrilling and audacious journey, do succeed with "The Everest Mys- tery" in bringing Mallory, and espe- cially Irvine, to vivid life.

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POSTSCRIPT Books

TURNING THE PAGE

ATTORNEY Thomas Kenniff, 51 — who along with his law partner Steven Raiser successfully defended subway Samaritan Daniel Penny in a sensational trial that captivated the nation in late 2024 — is adding another chapter to his career: author.

His debut novel "Tuxedo Park" (Post Hill Press) was released this

past Tuesday. The legal thriller, which centers on a race to bring a president-elect to justice, is already garnering him notable praise.

KIRSTEN FLEMING Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tweeted that Kenniff is the "next Scott Turow" — the lawyer-turned-author who penned the 1999 bestseller "Presumed Innocent."

If anyone knows a good yarn about unscrupulous politicians and unbridled ambition, it's the wildly colorful Blagojevich who served eight years in prison on corruption charges before receiving a pardon from President Trump in February 2025.

But Kenniff found influence from another attorney and famed author. "I read a lot of John Grisham when I was a teen, and I loved a 'Time to Kill,'" he told The Post.

"Tuxedo Park" follows prosecutor John Palmer as he investigates the abduction of his old flame — glamorous former model Susan Sterling — from outside her family home in the old money enclave Tuxedo Park. When she turns up dead in a forest, the trail of evidence leads to Kent Dawson, a charming Kennedy-esque senator with a new title: president-elect.

Courtesy of Thomas Kenniff, Steven Hirsch

In a race against time, Palmer and his mentor, lawyer Don Hagerty, must maneuver through a minefield of stonewalling bureaucrats, black ops and a ruthless political machine hellbent on ensuring their man makes it to the White House.

While much of the story plays out in the

courthouses and government buildings of Manhattan, it all begins in Tuxedo Park, a historic gated village in Orange County, NY, filled with stately homes once occupied by gallivanting Gilded Age luminaries.

"There's an intrigue and suspense about something terrible happening in a place that is supposed to be impervious to bad things happening. It's literally behind the gilded gates," said Kenniff.

Like his fictional hero Palmer, Kenniff was a frequent visitor to Tuxedo Park. His grandmother lived there and his uncle built homes in the area. Regular weekend visits during his childhood not only laid the groundwork for his book but also fed his active imagination.

"I was the quintessential day dreamer. It was the product of being raised essentially as an only child because my siblings were so much older. This was way before iPads and screens. And in my teens, I remember reading Grisham and Nelson DeMille and thinking that I could do this one day," he said.

The story began to take shape just over 20 years ago, when Kenniff entered a writing contest in the New York Law Review.

"I developed a chapter. I didn't have

a middle. I didn't have an end. I had a slightly good beginning," he said.

His premise and storytelling were good enough to earn him a finalist slot.

"Everyone in the contest was a lawyer so they presumably knew how to write. It was a bit of validation," he said. It also inspired the confidence "to not just walk away from it."

It would have been easy to do just that. At the time, Kenniff, who is now a retired major in the Army National Guard in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, was working for then Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

In the time since, he was deployed to Iraq, started and grew a family with his wife, Emily, and spent two decades in private practice, where he's taken on cases in the national spotlight.

"I acquired lots of raw material," he quipped.

The first-time author also took guidance from the late best-selling writer Bart Davis, who advised him to add a more complicated and intimate backstory for Susan. Her and Palmer's relationship ended abruptly with the termination of an unplanned pregnancy. Those events haunt Palmer as he relentlessly pursues her killer.

"I kept [the manuscript] on a shelf. But I would always come back to it," he said calling it "liberating to write fiction" about a world he knew well.

"I am so used to legal writing where you have to qualify every sentence with a citation," he added.

But he worked hard to ensure the story was procedurally sound and compelling to a broader audience.

After all, he had to pass muster with all of his lawyer buddies.

But one of the most best reviews he received was from a Manhattan court officer and longtime friend.

"He told me that I wrote a love letter to New York City."

BUZZ: Book Marks

The Post regularly asks local libraries and bookstores about their top titles. This week, Jocelyn Maningo Kaleita, owner and buyer for A Book Place in Riverhead, NY, shares some of their most popular books.

The Vineyard Secret

Gosia Nealon (Bookouture)

"Set against the lush backdrop of wine country, it's a beautifully layered novel about the stories families tell and the ones they keep hidden," Kaleita told The Post. "Blending romance, mystery, and generations of buried truths, it draws readers into a story where every vintage holds a memory and every secret has its season."

American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed

Isaac Fitzgerald (Knopf)

"Part memoir and part love letter to wandering, Isaac Fitzgerald's latest is filled with grit, grace, and stories that leave you inspired to see what's waiting just beyond the next mile," said Kaleita. "You won't just discover what makes America unforgettable, you'll be there for the journey too."

The Summer I Found You: A Novel

Jennifer O'Brien (Alcave)

"It's full of heart, charm and recognizable moments, this romance is perfect for beach days, backyard lounging, and anyone who believes the best stories arrive when you least expect them," Kaleita said.

— Hailey Eber

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Celebrity Pics of the Week / TV / Horoscope / Puzzles

Sunday Break

"GENERATION X" By Yijing Chen

Across 1 Purple or green herb 6 Discovery org. 10 "Bye-bye!" 15 Electronic music duo — Punk 19 Skybox setting 20 North — Sea: Kazakh lake 21 Finnish tech giant 22 Finnish currency 23 Cowboy boots, saddles, etc.? 25 Linen-lined outerwear? 27 Feed adequately 28 Drama produced in a recording studio 30 Birds associated with the Egyptian god Thoth 31 Part of BTW 33 South, south of the border 34 Broccoli part 35 Child's complaint to Father Time? 42 "So helpful!" 46 Wee bits 47 Backless slippers 48 "Pretentious?" 49 Roman moon goddess 50 Get ready 51 Entourage 52 Transparent layer in the eye 55 Swine 56 Unit of corn 57 "I need to

install brighter lights later"? 60 Reacted to a chill 62 Fragrant chain 63 Unwanted giveaway? 64 D-backs, in box scores 65 Not in favor 69 Printer supply 70 West Indies country also known as the "Island of Spice" 74 Produce, as an egg 75 "Unfortunately, yes" 80 Common finds in a salmon smokehouse? 84 Mender's target 85 Furisode sash 86 Field with a trolley problem 87 Decided 88 Window shade 89 Howler with four legs and teeth 91 Having four sharps 92 Bad look 93 Start of a religious title 94 In hot water? 97 Country known for its devotion to a General Mills cereal? 99 Currency of Vietnam 100 Kung — tofu 101 Sargasso Sea fish 102 Bert's favorite bird, on "Sesame Street" 105 Doozy 110 Icelandic saga 114 Charon?

116 High-strung Latin ruler? 118 Father 119 All fired up 120 "Can't argue with that" 121 Comic-Con event 122 Name in a Chinese American dish 123 Superhero who says, "For the honor of Grayskull!" 124 Some tennis shots 125 Gave one's word

Down 1 Softball clubs 2 Geographic region 3 Exchange heated words? 4 Certain close-up 5 Cantopop star Andy 6 Cabbage variety called "big white vegetable" in Chinese 7 Three-time AL MVP in the 2000s 8 South Asian wrap 9 Palo — California 10 Mass arrival 11 Grinding tooth 12 "All right" 13 Jam 14 Dish served in a sizzling skillet 15 — point 16 Arctic seabirds 17 Available for a meeting 18 Kiddos 24 Grade before

grades, for short 26 Lie for, say 29 Trident-shaped letters 32 Possesses 34 Waxes, maybe 35 "Holy cannoli!" 36 Marine Corps cry 37 Ultrasound targets 38 Be theatrical 39 Can't-miss activity 40 Otherwise 41 Oracle 42 Like favorite jeans 43 Schoolkid 44 "One Piece" medium 45 Pilsner, for one 48 Pluck 51 Green gem 52 Stage signals 53 Like last month's deals 54 Discordant, musically 57 Badger 58 Fallingwater architect Frank — Wright 59 Polynesian carving 61 Converse rival 66 Spot 67 Chef's collection 68 Speedy fish 70 Exhibits brilliance 71 K9 of "Doctor Who," for one 72 Cast out 73 Like post-marathon muscles 76 French brother 77 "This is not a !" 78 Exodus mount

Post SU DOKU

You must put a number, from 1 to 9, in each empty box. Each number must appear once in each horizontal row, as well as in each vertical column and in each of the 3-by-3 grids. Super Su Doku, inside, multiplies the challenge — and your enjoyment. For that one, put a number from 1 to 12 in each empty box, making sure each number appears once in each horizontal row, as well as in each vertical column and in each of the 3-by-4 grids. Tips and in-depth strategies at www.SudokuWiki.org. For more Su Doku puzzles, see tomorrow's New York Post.

© Syndicated Puzzles Inc.

Very Easy #7,379						Difficult #7,169						Challenging #569
1	6	2	5	4	2	1	3	3	6	5	1	2	9	1	2	9	1
5	9	3	8	1	7	5	8	4	1	9	5	1	6	7	3	9	2
2	9	9	4	6	8	4	1	9	4	1	9	4	6	7	3	9	2
3	9	4	6	9	6	5	1	9	4	1	9	4	6	7	3	9	2
7	8	6	9	2	1	2	5	7	9	9	4	1	5	4	8	4	7
1	2	8	3	6	6	8	5	7	9	9	4	1	8	2	7	8	6

All Sunday puzzle answers on Page 52

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All Sunday puzzle answers are on Page 52

Kakuro

Place 1 to 9 in each white cell. To choose the right number, you need to work from the clues in around the edge. The numbers below the diagonal lines are the sums of the solutions in the white cells immediately beneath. The numbers above the divide are the sums of the solutions immediately to the right. Rows and columns do NOT have to be unique.

© Andrew Stuart, Syndicated Puzzles

569

KENKEN

Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

2	2÷	5-	150×	9+
12×		80×		5-
540×			2÷	1-
4-				15+
	6×			5

©2026 KenKen Puzzle, LLC www.kenken.com

Chess Royal exchange

By Andy Soltis

No decision reveals more about your chess personality than choosing whether to exchange queens.

When Black retreated his queen in this week's game he was opting to play a slightly inferior middlegame rather than the nearly equal end-game of 11...Qxd1+ 12 Kxd1.

Black's decision to preserve his most powerful piece forced White to weigh risky-looking moves later

on, such as 16 0-0-0! and 16 Bxb5!.

After White rejected them and the roughly equal 18 0-0!, Black made a good sacrifice of a rook for a bishop.

His initiative kept growing because he could avoid queen swaps. For example, 21 Qxe3 would have been strongly met by 21...Qh5.

White eventually blundered and gave up before 29 Kh1 Ng4!.

SICILIAN DEFENSE Warsaw 2026

Wesley So	Alreza Firuzza
1 e4	16 f47...O-O
2 Nf3	17 Bxb5...Nf6
3 d4	18 Bc57...Ba6!
4 Nxd4	19 Bxf8...Bxb5
5 f3	20 Bc5...e3
6 Nb3	21 Qb4...Qd5
7 Nc3	22 Qd4...Qh5!
8 Nd2	23 c4...Bc6
9 Nxd5	24 O-O7...Qe2!
10 exd5	25 Rf3...Bxf3
11 Nc4	26 gxf3...Qf2+
12 Bc3	27 Kh1...Qf3+
13 Qd2	28 Kg1...Qf2+
14 Na3	29 Resigns
15 bxa3

White to play and win.

V. Keymer-B, Deac

Warsaw 2026

Last week: 1 Bf8! Rxf8 2 Qh6 Rg8 3 Rd8! and mates. Or 1...Qe8 2 Rd8! Qxd8 3 Bg7+.

Sunday Word Force

FAMILIARITY

From the word or phrase above, form at least 19 five-letter words, without using more than one form of the same word. For example, drink or drank, not both.

Bridge

"I'm fed up," Cy the Cynic fumed to me in the club lounge. "From now on, I'm fighting fire with fire."

"I believe the fire department uses water," I said mildly.

"I'm disgusted with these incessant opposing preempts," Cy growled, "that disturb the peace of my auctions."

"There is no defense against a well timed preempt," I shrugged. "Sometimes you must guess what to do. Do some preempting yourself; if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Cy had been today's South in a penny game. When East opened three diamonds, the Cynic reacted with a fired-up leap to six hearts. How he intended to dispose of his diamond losers was unclear, but it was reasonable to hope that North might put down K-J-x-x of clubs or some other useful holding in dummy.

West led a diamond, and Cy

took his ace and drew trumps. He next cashed his A-Q of clubs, led a third club to dummy's king, and returned the king of spades, pitching a diamond when East followed low.

West took the ace, and Cy hoped he would have no more clubs and would have to lead a spade to dummy. But West produced the 13th club, and Cy had to ruff and lose a diamond at the end.

You can confront fire with fire, but you had better be prepared to play the dummy well. How would you handle six hearts?

After South draws trumps, he should lead the queen of clubs and overtake it with dummy's king. South then leads the king of spades and discards a diamond. If when West takes the ace, he leads a club, dummy plays the ten, and South is sure of a dummy entry no matter which defender has the jack.

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BOPH WILTS COOKE A B L M

INSTRUCTIONS: Find as many words as you can by linking letters up, down, side-to-side and diagonally, writing words on a blank sheet of paper. You may only use each letter box once within a single word. Play with a friend and compare word finds, crossing out common words.

BOGGLE POINT SCALE

3 letters = 1 point 4 letters = 2 points 5 letters = 3 points 6 letters = 4 points 7 letters = 5 points 8 letters = 10 points 9+ letters = 15 points

YOUR BOGGLE RATING

151+ = Champ 101-150 = Expert 61-100 = Pro 31-60 = Gamer 21-30 = Rookie 11-20 = Amateur 0-10 = Try again

By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

Boggle BrainBusters Bonus

We put special brain-busting words into the puzzle grid. Can you find them? Find AT LEAST SIX EUROPEAN CAPITAL CITIES in the grid of letters.

BOGGLE is a trademark of Fluders, Inc. © 2026 Fluders, Inc. Distributing Tribune Content Agency, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

JUMBLE CROSSWORDS™

by David L. Hoyt

Sunday Puzzle

ACROSS

CLUE

1. Chicago
2. Music linked to Scott Joplin
3. Written reminder
4. Eat a meal
5. Care for and encourage
6. Security

ANSWER

RITNBUE EMGTRIA EOMM DNIE NUREURT NTAELBK

DOWN

CLUE

2. Prescribed routine
3. Scoop water from a boat
4. Shake
5. Protected by a layer
6. Lover of fine food
7. Mischievous expression

ANSWER

NGIEMER BLIA LEBREMT ROVECDE ECUIRPE RIGN

BONUS

CLUE: Vincent Gaddis coined the term "____" in a 1964 article for Argosy magazine.

© 2026 Tribune Content Agency, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

How to play Complete the crossword puzzle by looking at the clues and unscrambling the answers. When the puzzle is complete, unscramble the circled letters to solve the BONUS.

SCRABBLE GRAMS

Hasbro and its logo, SCRABBLE®, associated logo, the design of the distinctive SCRABBLE brand game board, and the distinctive letter life designs are trademarks of Hasbro in the United States and Canada. © 2022 Hasbro. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

PAR SCORE 265-275 BEST SCORE 329

FIVE RACK TOTAL TIME LIMIT: 25 MIN

Super Su Doku

	7		6	3	11	4	10	9
			1					2
10		4					6		5
9		7			2	11			6
	2				4	6			7	10
		3		7	10		12		11		2
1		8		10		2	4		3
	4	10			5	7			12	2
		11			6	3			9		7
		9		6					2		5
			4					6
			12	4	7	5	2	11		8

Wonderword

First read the list of words, then look at the puzzle. The words are in all directions - vertically, horizontally, diagonally, backward. Circle each letter of a word found and strike it off the list. The letters are often used more than once, so do not cross them out. It's best to find the big words first. When you find all the words listed in the clues, you'll have a number of letters left over that spell out the Wonderword.

Ages, Air Show, Annual, Arcade, August, Automotive, Band, Barbecue, Better Living, Booth, Burger, Carousel, Churros, City, Concert, Contests, Convention, Corn Dog, Crafts, Dance, Darts, Donuts, Downtown, Encore, Enercare, Family, Ferris Wheel, Food Truck, Friends, Fun House, Funnel Cakes, Games, Grand, Harvest, Heat, Horse, Jugglers, Lake Shore, Lemonade, Lights, Magic, Maps, Market, Midway, Music, Ontario Place, Parade, Pizza, Poutine, Princes' Gate, Prize, Rides, Shop, Slushie, Stage, Strachan, Summer, Thrills, Tiny Tom, Tokens, Tradition, Vendors, Visit, Waffles, Waterfront, Weekend, Whac-A-Mole, Winner

TORONTO'S CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION

SOL: 11 LETTERS

E	K	Y	A	S	B	L	H	Y	T	B	M	O	T	Y	N	I	T	H	S
L	C	T	A	A	T	T	A	S	L	A	U	R	T	T	P	P	O	E	R
E	U	A	N	W	O	R	E	K	P	I	I	R	S	I	O	R	R	T	O
S	R	D	L	O	D	V	A	S	E	D	M	U	G	U	S	A	I	C	D
U	T	O	B	P	R	I	N	C	E	S	G	A	T	E	C	I	O	Z	N
O	D	W	C	A	O	F	M	S	H	U	H	I	F	R	R	N	V	M	E
R	O	N	H	N	S	I	R	R	A	A	N	O	E	E	C	N	A	D	V
A	O	T	U	E	E	D	R	E	E	E	N	N	R	E	E	G	T	D	I
C	F	O	R	L	D	O	N	A	T	N	E	Y	R	E	I	R	R	N	T
O	U	W	R	O	A	N	P	E	T	A	N	T	I	C	H	A	S	E	O
N	N	N	O	M	C	U	O	A	I	N	W	I	S	R	S	N	R	K	M
V	H	R	S	A	R	T	H	R	O	R	O	C	W	A	U	D	E	E	O
E	O	E	N	C	A	S	S	I	S	C	F	T	H	F	L	C	L	E	T
N	U	M	E	A	P	H	T	E	K	R	A	M	E	T	S	O	G	W	U
T	S	M	K	H	O	I	M	P	A	R	A	D	E	S	I	R	G	A	A
I	E	U	O	W	D	A	Z	S	E	K	A	C	L	E	N	N	U	F	N
O	O	S	T	A	G	E	N	Z	T	H	R	I	L	L	S	D	J	F	N
N	B	A	R	B	E	C	U	E	A	S	T	S	E	T	N	O	C	L	U
B	E	T	T	E	R	L	I	V	I	N	G	U	S	S	E	G	A	E	A
H	D	A	R	T	S	T	H	G	I	L	E	M	O	N	A	D	E	S	L

www.wonderword.com

© 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication

45

---

46

STARS

By NY Post staff

A catch with a catch! Jessica Biel flaunts her fish to husband Justin Timberlake behind the camera.

SHE'S

A REEL ONE

justintimberlake@Instagram

GOOF'ING AROUND

R&B singer SZA sports an appropriate hat for her visit to Disneyland in California.

halleberry/Instagram

TOURIST TRAP

Actresses Hunter Schafer (in orange) and pal Havana Rose Liu have a rocky start to their Icelandic getaway.

hunterschafer/Instagram

sza/Instagram

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Sunday Break

47

STRAIGHT SHOOTER

SWISH 'REAKS

GO Images

David Benthal/BFA.com

Actress Rebecca Gayheart ends her summer with a bang in Los Angeles.

BKNYC / BACKGRID

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48

Snap

ICED,

ICED BABY

Alix Earle satisfies her caffeine fix at a Dunkin' pop-up in Midtown.

---

Sunday Break

COBRA TEAM / BACKGRID

49

nypost.com

SEA AND BE SEEN

Brooks Nader and fellow model Jack Lumsden cool off with a swim while on an Italian vacation.

nicolekidman/Instagram

REFLECTING POOL

Nicole Kidman gets pensive in the hot tub while on a getaway in Iceland.

nicolekidman/Instagram

You can bat that Kelly Osbourne and her 3-year-old son, Sidney, are having a great time.

HERE'S DOUBLE TROUBLE

Spouses Justin and Hailey Bieber share a smooch at a Brewers vs. Dodgers game in LA.

bieber/Instagram

ON FIRST BASE

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50

nypost.com

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---

Sunday Break

51

DECIDE

8 THINGS TO WATCH WHEREVER YOU WATCH

For more on your favorite TV and films, visit decider.com

1 DANCING WITH THE STARS: THE NEXT PRO New episodes air Mondays 8 p.m. on ABC, stream next day on Disney+ and Hulu

By KAREN KEMMERLE

Witney Carson loves that "Dancing With The Stars" is getting the "resurgence" it deserves. The beloved reality competition series has been nominated for the Outstanding Reality Competition Program Emmy, which has not happened since 2016. Carson and her fellow pros couldn't be prouder. "Dancing With The Stars" embraces everyone's differences," said Carson. "We're all about positivity. We try not to harp on the drama and instead focus on the transformation of each of these celebrities." As Carson prepares to embark on her 15th season on the series, she's recently made a big announcement. She and her husband Carson McAllister are expecting their third child! Carson will make history as the first pro to be pregnant at the start of a season. Carson is clearly no stranger to hard work, which is why she believes "Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro" is a "brilliant idea for a show." The series allows audiences to see the "sacrifice" the pros make for their craft.

Last week's "DWTS: The Next

Pro" episode—entitled "But Can You Teach? Coaching Superfans with Witney Carson"—features Carson mentoring the contestants who will be tasked with training a non-dancer for a routine. Carson believes this challenge is one of the most important in the competition because part of a pro's job is to make their partners "look the best that they possibly can." Carson also got to reunite with her

"DWTS" Season 34 partner (and fellow Mirrorball champion) Robert Irwin, who hosts the series. "He is like my little brother," said Carson. "The camaraderie and connection we have are the best." Not only did Carson get to "choreograph something new" for Irwin, but she also "got to co-host with him in the finale." "He brought me into his world a bit," said Carson.

DECIDER: What's so wonderful about "The Next Pro" is

that audiences get a glimpse of how much work goes into being a pro, which is a lot! Are you glad that fans have a better understanding (and new appreciation maybe) for your job?

WITNEY CARSON: We pros really do sacrifice a lot. We leave our families; we are choreographing 24/7; we're always strategizing. We go through a lot mentally and physically to make these celebrities shine. Plus, we let them have all the credit! Our job is to uplift them and to make them look the best that they possibly can. The fact that we are

getting some appreciation for what we do feels really good. "DWTS: The Next Pro" allows people to get to know us and what we love about this process.

Besides winning the whole damn show, what was your favorite part about working with Robert Irwin on Season 34?

He texted me the other day while I was doing press. He's like, "You better be saying nice things about me!" [Laughs] Obviously, come on! The best thing about working with Robert is he is just so kind and a really good person to be around. He is like family to me, and my kids absolutely adore him. He supports us no matter what, and we've got his back as well. The camaraderie and connection we have are the best.

You were at the ESPYs recently and got to see future "Dancing With The Stars" contestant/ Savannah Bananas star Jackson Olson in action! What did you think of his moves?

Honestly, I was pretty impressed. He memorized all his choreography; he was totally on beat; and, he had rhythm. He's going to be a contender, for sure. I actually went up to [Olympian] Alysa Liu and I was like, "Please do 'Dancing with the Stars.'" I want her to be on so badly! For now, she replied, "I'm not going to do it." Still, I am putting my dream of her competing on our show someday out into the universe.

2 THE LAST SUNRISE

Wednesday, Prime Video Based on Anna Todd's 2025 novel of the same name, this film stars Maia Reficco (right) as Ry, a college student with a chronic illness who, while on a trip to Mallorca with her mother (Eva Longoria), falls for Julián (Fernando Lindez).

4 BEAUTY IN BLACK

Thursday, Netflix Season 3 of Tyler Perry's drama finds Kimmie (Taylor Polidore Williams, left) with "a seat at the Bellarie table," though "a deadly family feud" pushes her into "an uneasy alliance with Mallory" (Crystle Stewart).

7 ADULTS

Thursday 9 p.m., FX/FXX/Hulu The gang's all here! Season 2 of the hit comedy from Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw reunites fans with this lovable group of twenty-somethings living together in New York.

3 TOTALLY '90S HOUSE

Wednesday 9 p.m., HGTV Hosted by Jaleel White (center), this new series features two teams of nineties TV idols competing to transform homes that are stuck in the '90s.

5 BLUE MURDER MOTEL

Monday, Acorn TV A married Australian couple of detectives retire to New Zealand to run a hotel in this mystery series, which sees them navigate a death that takes place on their property.

6 DARK MATTER

Friday, Apple TV Season 2 of the sci-fi series based on Blake Crouch's 2016 novel of the same name returns with weekly episodes. Series newcomers this season include Chris Diamantopoulos and Margo Martindale.

8 MUCH ABOUT LOVE

Saturday 8 p.m., Hallmark Channel In this modern retelling of "Much Ado About Nothing," Ashley Williams (far right) plays a TV director who bumps into her former flame (Niall Matter, right) at a Shakespeare festival.

---

52

Sally Brompton Daily Horoscope

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS AT SALLYBROMPTON.COM

LEO (July 24-Aug. 23)

You don't usually spend much time weighing up the pros and cons before making a decision, but you should do so now the Sun has left your sign. You may look and feel confident but most of all you need to be confident of the facts.

VIRGO (Aug. 24-Sept. 23)

Any disagreements you may have with family and friends and people you work with will mean nothing once Mercury enters your sign on Tuesday, so between now and then try to dial down the overly aggressive atmosphere. It's no longer needed.

LIBRA (Sept. 24-Oct. 23)

Too often in the past you have made things difficult for yourself by aiming for perfection when you don't need to. However, with Venus in your sign you can relax and not worry so much about end results. Focus instead on

having fun.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

The cosmic picture is changing rapidly and in a matter of days you will be more optimistic about your prospects and more inclined to take a chance or two. What you do as part of a team is guaranteed to work out for the best.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)

The Sun's entry into the career area of your chart will be enhanced early next week by Mercury moving there too. What that means for you on a professional level is that you will find your voice so you can sing your own praises. Sing loud!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)

If you start making plans for the

weeks and months ahead you will set off a chain reaction of ideas that could take you on an interesting journey before the end of the year. Be adventurous — follow a new path rather than an old one.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)

If you are tempted to splash out on a major purchase over the next few days, it is essential that you do your homework so you don't regret the decision later on. Make sure what you buy is insured and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20)

As one of the more emotional signs of the zodiac, you sometimes get worked up about things that are not worth the tears, and that's something you will need to guard against over

the next few days. If you must cry, make them tears of joy.

ARIES (March 21-April 20)

You have never been the sort to brood on the past and as new challenges arise over the next few days, your focus will be on meeting them rather than wishing things had somehow been different. It's that attitude that makes you such a winner.

TAURUS (April 21-May 21)

If you find yourself caught between rival factions over the next 24 hours, your best course of action by far will be to declare your neutrality and refuse to get personally involved with either side. That's not cowardice, it's plain common sense.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21)

It is of the utmost importance

now that you don't let people who are more powerful than you scare you away from asking the right questions. They may be a bit intimidating but the facts are all on your side, so speak up.

CANCER (June 22-July 23)

You may be tempted to focus on small matters you know you can deal with, but that would be a waste of your talents. Instead, look at the bigger picture and decide if there is anything you can do to help change it for the better. Then act.

BIRTHDAY SUNDAY

Opportunities to move up in the world won't be in short supply over the coming year, but will you have the courage to take advantage of them? The message of your birthday chart is that you need to believe in yourself as much as the universe does.

Sunday Break puzzles answers

Su Doku

Kakuro

KEN KEN

SCRABBLE GRAMS SOLUTION

Sunday Word Force

Wonderword answer: ATTRACTIONS

---

PostBusiness

THE WEEK'S WINNERS

MODERNA & MERCK Drugmakers' shares jump after an experimental mRNA-based vaccine succeeded in preventing skin cancer from returning or spreading.

TARGET Retailer once again raised its fiscal-year outlook as new CEO's turnaround plan to reverse sluggish sales draws in more customers.

FERRARI A charity auction of the widely panned Luce, the automaker's first EV, fetches a whopping $40 million.

LOSERS

MARK ZUCKERBERG A former Meta engineering director testified that the boss prioritized growth and profit over child safety as a massive trial kicked off.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI New York City's socialist mayor spurs another Wall Street giant to flee to Texas as Morgan Stanley selects Dallas for a major expansion.

CHRISTOPHER KUBASIK Defense contractor L3Harris ousts chairman and CEO after a probe finds he violated the company's code of conduct.

'MAESTRO' MASTRO

Legendary legal eagle vs. loony lefty Mamdani

RANDY Mastro relishes a good legal fight — and Mayor Mamdani is providing plenty of opportunities to mix it up. Mastro, the veteran New York litigator who famously prosecuted the Teamsters for racketeering and helped clean up Mob corruption at the old Fulton Fish Market during the Giuliani years — now finds himself locking horns with Mamdani's fledgling and competency-challenged administration.

In addition to repping homeowners targeted by Mamdani in his botched rollout of the pied-à-terre tax, Mastro has challenged the mayor's plans to freeze the rents of stabilized apartments.

He's representing an investigative reporter — pro bono — whose information requests into alleged antisemitism in City Hall have allegedly been stymied.

"I've got five lawsuits and counting," Mastro recently told me. "If [Mamdani] is still breaking the law there may be more."

The pied-à-terre tax — a levy on second homes worth more than $5 million and condos worth more than $1 million when the owner isn't a so-called primary resident of NYC — is illegal, Mastro claims, because Mamdani put the onus on homeowners to immediately prove they didn't owe the tax.

"That's not how the tax system is supposed to work," according to Mastro.

Not only has Mamdani erroneously sent threatening notices to homeowners who live in the city — something that is easily verifiable — City Hall has idiotically published their names.

"I even got one of those notices and I have been living here as a primary residence for years," Mastro said with a chuckle.

As for the rent freeze, it's bad on economic terms (it de-incentivizes both upkeep and creating new apartments) but it, too, is illegal. Under the City Charter, the Big Apple's constitution, an independent Rent Guidelines Board is supposed to decide such actions.

Yes, the mayor gets to appoint the board's members. But Mastro

said Mamdani and his people literally rigged the system against landlords, gaming public hearings without proper representation of both sides of a complicated issue.

"It's illegal because the Rent Guidelines Board is an independent, fact-finding body and is supposed to make this determination, and Mamdani stacked the board with his people," Mastro said. "The public never had a true hearing of the costs faced by landlords, whether they can even afford the rent freeze or whether it's better just to keep these apartments vacant."

Relishing the fight

If you know Mastro — as I do, as a reporter covering the intersection of government and finance for the past three decades — you also know he relishes legal jujitsu and doesn't care whom he goes up against. His signature mane of combed-back brown hair and beard have gone silver with age, but his temperament remains about where it was when he first chewed me out.

He's a former federal prosecutor and deputy mayor for Rudy Giuliani's transformational administration where he served as a policy enforcer. He returned to City Hall under Eric Adams, and since has resumed his role as one of the more feared private litigators around at the Dechert Law Firm.

The 70-year-old registered Dem was working for Adams as first deputy mayor when Mamdani — a 34-year-old former assemblyman with a paper-thin résumé that included a stint as a rapper — pulled his upset mayoral victory on a platform of far-left socialism and radicalized grievances against Israel that can easily be mistaken for antisemitism.

Immediately, Mastro set the table for the confrontation now unfolding. He made headlines declaring he wouldn't "work for a socialist."

Veteran litigator Randy Mastro is fighting Mayor Mamdani's allegedly illegal actions and regulations that push a harmful leftist agenda.

Not that our Marxist mayor had any plans to use the services of someone who fits firmly in the middle of the ideological spectrum and is a huge supporter of the Jewish state.

Still, a good case could be made that maybe Mamdani should have at least offered an olive branch given what happened next. Since Mamdani took office in January, Mastro has been the go-to-guy for people who believe they can fight City Hall.

Or, as Mamdani recently quipped, "There are few things more certain in New York City than death, taxes and Randy Mastro filing a lawsuit against this administration."

Don't expect him to go away without a fight. Mastro's prosecution of dirty dealings at the old Fulton Fish Market during the Giuliani years made him a target of the then-still potent La Cosa Nostra. He survived that, of course, and much more including his time with

"I've got five lawsuits and counting. If he's still breaking the law there may be more."

— Randy Mastro

the hapless Adams administration. During his many decades in government and private practice, Mastro also has taken on government corruption and has represented top corporate clients and even former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the "Bridgegate" scandal.

One other thing is certain if you follow Mastro's career: He wins more than he loses, including a recent case to prevent the building of subsidized housing in lower Manhattan.

And now he's emerged as Mamdani's top private-sector antagonist.

"Listen, Randy isn't my cup of tea. He can be a real a-hole," one former colleague told me. "But make no mistake, this guy is an excellent litigator and he doesn't care about people's feelings no matter how powerful they are."

The former colleague added this warning to his current adversaries at City Hall: "Your incompetence will be exposed going up against Randy Mastro."

53

---

54 New York Post, Sunday, August 23, 2026 nypost.com

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Third Round

Wyndham Clark 64-64-65 193 -17 Patrick Cantlay 67-65-66 198 -12 Rory McIlroy 64-69-65 198 -12 Chris Gotteng 64-67-68 199 -11 Gary Woodland 64-65-70 199 -11 Collin Morikawa 68-65-67 200 -10 Sungjae Im 67-64-70 201 -9 Eric Cole 67-68-67 202 -8 Ryo Hiatsune 65-70-67 202 -8 Maverick McNealy 67-66-69 202 -8 J.J. Spain 64-66-72 202 -8 Michael Brennan 69-65-69 203 -7 Russell Henley 67-65-70 203 -7 Jacob Bridgeman 66-72-66 204 -6 Akshay Bhatia 67-68-70 205 -5 Ryan Gerard 70-66-69 205 -5 Robert MacIntyre 68-69-68 205 -5 Alex Morris 71-69-65 205 -5 Scottie Scheffler 72-65-68 205 -5 Justin Thomas 67-67-71 205 -5 Cameron Young 71-65-69 205 -5 Ludwig Mertz 66-70-69 205 -5 Sam Burns 71-67-68 206 -4 Matt Fitzpatrick 65-72-69 206 -4 Viktor Hovland 71-63-72 206 -4 Aaron Rai 68-71-67 206 -4 Sepp Straka 73-68-69 206 -4 Matthew McCarty 70-67-70 207 -3 Xander Schauffler 70-66-71 207 -3 Adam Scott 68-68-71 207 -3 Alex Smalley 69-68-70 207 -3 Michael Thortjorsen 66-66-75 207 -3

LIV Golf Indianapolis Par Scores

Saturday

At The Club at Chatham Hills

Westfield, Ind.

Purse: $2RM (Individual); $1RM (Team) Yardage: 7,273 yards; Par: 70

Third Round

Michael La Sasso 71-60-66-197 -12 Laurie Canter 62-68-68-198 -12 Thomas Deity 66-64-68-198 -12 Cameron Smith 63-68-67-198 -12 Richard Bland 66-67-65-199 -12 Bubba Watson 64-68-67-199 -11 Sergio Garcia 64-69-66-199 -11 Jose Luis Ballester 66-68-65-199 -11 Young-Han Song 67-67-65-199 -11 Matthew Wolff 66-65-69-200 -10 Thomas Pieters 66-65-69-200 -10 Dean Burmester 64-68-68-200 -10 Bryson DeChambou 65-68-67-200 -10 Scott Vincent 66-68-66-200 -10 Jon Rabin 67-67-66-200 -10 Lee Westwood 64-67-70-201 -9 Joaquin Niemann 64-67-70-201 -9 Abraham Amer 66-65-70-201 -9 Brendan Steele 64-68-69-201 -9 Marc Leishman 66-67-68-201 -9 Brandon Gray 67-67-67-201 -9 Harold Varner III 68-66-67-201 -9 Richard T. Lee 63-66-71-202 -9 Caleb Surratt 64-69-69-202 -8 Tyrrell Hatham 67-67-68-202 -8 Ian Poulter 68-66-68-202 -8 Tom McKibbin 67-69-66-202 -8 Min-Kyu Kim 69-67-66-202 -8 Carlos Ortiz 68-67-68-203 -7 Adrian Menzuk 66-71-66-203 -7

PGA/Champions Tour - Rogers Charity Classic

At Campus Meadows (SACC, Calgary, Alberta; Purse: $2.5 million; Yardage: 7,068; Par: 70

Second Round

Ryan Armour 65-63 128 -12 Steven Alter 68-61 129 -11 Michael Bloch 65-65 130 -10 Brian Gay 66-64 130 -10 Richard Green 63-67 130 -10 J.J. Henry 68-62 130 -10 Miguel Angel Jimenez 64-66 130 -10 Zach Johnson 68-62 130 -10 Rob Liberty 63-67 130 -10 Bo Van Pelt 68-62 130 -10 Michael Wright 66-64 130 -10

LPGA Tour - CPKC Women's Open

At Royal Mayfair Golf Club; Edmonton, Alberta; Purse: $2.8 million; Yardage: 6,452; Par: 70

Third Round

Miyu Yamashita 62-64-65 191 -19 Gina Kim 66-67-64 197 -13 Yuri Yoshida 65-66-66 197 -13 Jennifer Kupcho 66-68-64 198 -12 Somi Lee 69-65-65 199 -11 Aphrodite Deng 70-67-63 200 -10 Sei Young Kim 68-68-64 200 -10 Klara Romero 64-67-69 200 -10 Ruoning Yin 65-67-68 200 -10

DP World Tour - Huso Championship

At Trump International Golf Links; Aberdeen, United Kingdom; Purse: $3.5 million; Yardage: 7,353; Par: 72

Third Round

Shaun Norris, S. Africa 72-69-66 207 -9 Matthew Jordan, England 72-69-68 209 -7 Scott Jamieson, Scotland 70-71-69 210 -6 Keita Nakajima, Japan 70-72-70 212 -4 Matthew Southgate, England 70-70-72 212 -4 Andy Sullivan, England 71-73-69 213 -3

NFL Preseason

Thursday, Aug. 20- Week 2

Las Vegas 22, Houston 20 San Francisco 41, L.A. Chargers 17

Friday

Jets 17, Pittsburgh 0

Carolina 34, Jacksonville 17

Green Bay 33, Denver 13

Saturday

Giants 26, Miami 3

Detroit 17, Washington 13

Atlanta 34, Indianapolis 6

Baltimore 13, Minnesota 3

Buffalo 31, Cleveland 7

L.A. Rams 34, New Orleans

Cincinnati 27, Chicago 9

New England 24, Philadelphia 21

Tampa Bay 16, Kansas City 15

Dallas 34, Arizona 13

Sunday

Seattle at Tennessee, 8pm

Thursday, Aug. 27- Week 3

Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7pm

New England at Cleveland, 8pm

San Francisco at Las Vegas, 8pm

L.A. Rams at L.A. Chargers, 10pm

Friday, Aug. 28

Giants at Jets, 7:30pm

Washington at Baltimore, 6pm

Atlanta at Miami, 7pm

Houston at Carolina, 7pm

Tampa Bay at Jacksonville, 7:30pm

Arizona at Green Bay, 8pm

Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 8pm

New Orleans at Dallas, 8pm

Seattle at Kansas City, 8pm

Minnesota at Denver, 9pm

Saturday, Aug. 29

Detroit at Indianapolis, 1pm

Chicago at Tennessee, 6pm

WNBA

East W J. Pct. GB

Atlanta 24 13 .649 —

Indiana 24 14 .632 ( \frac{1}{2} )

Liberty 23 15 .605 ( \frac{1}{2} )

Washington 21 15 .583 ( \frac{2}{3} )

Chicago 15 22 .405 9

Toronto 11 25 .306 12( ^{1/2} )

Connecticut 9 27 .250 14( ^{1/2} )

West W J. Pct. GB

x-Minnesota 31 7 .816 —

x-Golden State 25 11 .694 5

x-Las Vegas 25 13 .658 6

Dallas 21 16 .568 9( ^{1/2} )

Portland 15 21 .417 15

Los Angeles 13 24 .351 17( ^{1/2} )

Phoenix 13 24 .351 17( ^{1/2} )

Seattle 7 30 .189 23( ^{1/2} )

x-clinched playoff spot

Saturday

Liberty 109, Indiana 102

Los Angeles 77, Connecticut 68

Atlanta 99, Phoenix 89

Sunday

Seattle at Dallas, 4pm

Indiana at Chicago, 7pm

Las Vegas at Toronto, 7pm

Washington at Portland, 7pm

Monday

Golden State at Minnesota, 8pm

Atlanta at Los Angeles, 10pm

Tuesday

Chicago at Connecticut, 7pm

Portland at Dallas, 8pm

Washington at Phoenix, 10pm

Monday

Atlanta at Los Angeles, 10pm

Tuesday

Chicago at Connecticut, 7pm

Portland at Dallas, 8pm

Washington at Phoenix, 10pm

NFL Exhibition

Giants 26, Dolphins 3

Giants 7 13 3 3 - 26

Miami 0 3 0 0 - 3

First Quarter

Nyg: Winston 11 run (Zvada kick),

9:50.

Second Quarter

Nyg: FG Zvada 43, 11:14. Nyg: Singletary 13 run (Zvada kick),

5:06.

Mia: FG Patterson 53, 1:12.

Nyg: FG Zvada 32, :00.

Third Quarter

Nyg: FG Sauls 27, 4:00.

Fourth Quarter

Nyg: FG Sauls 37, 9:23. A: 60,836.

NYG Mia

First downs 26 3

Total Net Yards 39 102 102

Rushes-yards 36-133 18-50

Passing 257 52

Punt Returns 3-42 2-0

Kickoff Returns 2-60 6-157

Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0

Comp-Att-Inf 31-42-0 8-16-0

Sacked-Yards Lost 1-9 2-9

Punts 3-41 0 7-45.429

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 4-2

Penalties-Yards 4-35 8-59

Time of Possession 41:00 19:00

Individual Statistics

Rushing: FG Giants, Singletary 8-

40, E.Gray 10-33, Tracy 6-26, Austin

1-21, Winston 1-11, Bankston 7-5,

Haener 3-(minus 3), Miami, Miller 2-18, Gronowski 2-9, Wright 6-9,

Gordon 4-8, C.Washington 3-5, Atwell 1-1.

Passing: N.Y. Giants, Winston 15-

21-0-150, Allen 13-18-0-101, Haener

3-3-0-15, Miami, Miller 6-11-0-60,

Gronowski 2-5-0-1.

Receiving: N.Y. Giants, E.Gray 6-37,

Slayton 4-58, Falone 4-29, Cambre

3-26, Tracy 3-22, Austin 2-24,

Beckham 2-17, Bankston 2-2,

Hodgins 1-17, Johnson 1-12, Gipson

1-11, Conner 1-7, Singletary 1-4,

Miami, Coleman 2-32,

T.Washington 1-12, Gordon 1-10,

Henning 4-6, Kacmarek 1-3, Traore

1-3, C.Washington 1-(minus 5).

Missed Field Goals: None.

Liberty 109, Fever 102

Indiana

Mia FG FT 0-0b A PF

Hull 12:20 0-1 0-0 0-2 1 1

Timpson 18:57 5-6 0-0 1-6 0 6

---

NEW YORK POST ACTION

Post Time: 1:10 p.m. vcangialos@nypost.com

Saratoga

Analysis by Vic Cangialosi

Lock of the Day And The Runner Is (2nd) Lock Record: 15 for 22 (47%) Meet Record: 01/335 $521.12

1 1/16 miles(T): $78,000; clm($50,000); 4up

Look for ICE CHOCOLAT to rebound in the Sunday opener. Scored 2 back then 3rd racing for 8th at Woodbine. Won the Grade 3 Poker wire-to-wire at Saratoga under J Ortiz last summer. SECURED LANDING MTO. Has 3 wins over the wet. PRESIDER (Kantarmaci) and BELOUNI (Abreu) ran home 2-3 at this distance in July.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 Clear Conscience(L),121	E Zayas	6-5-6	Kantarmaci	8-1
2 Ice Chocolate(BRC),123	J Ortiz	3-1-3	Casse	2-1
3 Sara's Shaman(L),121	S Gonzalez	6-3-4	Kantarmaci	20-1
4 Belouini(FR),121	F Prat	3-8-2	Abreu	3-1
5 Conman(L),121	R Santana, Jr	4-11-3	Morley	5-1
6 Presider(L),121	M Franco	2-7-8	Kantarmaci	5-2
7 Classic Creation(L),121	J Velazquez	4-4-5	Terranova II	10-1
8 Secured Landing(L),123	K Carmouche	2-1-9	Rice	9-5
9 Bernin Hot(L),121	R Santana, Jr	3-5-3	Morley	5-2
10 Alternate Reality(L),121	M Franco	2-4-7	Kantarmaci	2-1

2 1/16 miles(T): $115,000; mdn; 2YO

Two-year-olds making two turns on the turf. AND THE RUNNER IS debuted 2nd after racing wide. Wins at 2nd asking, J Ortiz helps Casse sweep the early double. MUTAWAAI was 3rd after a troubled trip. Moves forward if we're off turf. Casse also enters HARBAUGH. Went dirt to turf and ran well for 2nd. Not sure he holds off stablemate. HYPERSCALER (Brown/Prat Macfield) and BROADCAST (Clement/Franco/into Mischief) make career debuts.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 Harbaugh,123	J Ortiz, Jr	2-5-4	Casse	5-2
2 And the Runner Is,123	J Ortiz	2-4-4	Casse	8-5
3 Chief of Peace,123	R Santana, Jr	4-4-4	Clement	10-1
4 Songremainthessame,123	C Elliott	4-4-4	Ryerson	20-1
5 Hyperscaler,123	F Prat	4-4-4	C Brown	6-1
6 Obliterated,123	J Lezcano	4-4-4	Ryerson	12-1
7 Broadway Guy,123	R Gutierrez	4-4-4	B Brown	20-1
8 Broadcast,123	M Franco	4-4-4	Clement	4-1
9 Motawaali,123	J Alvarado	3-9-4	Mott	2-1
10 Warrior At Heart,123	F Prat	6-4-4	Beckman	5-1
11 Gold On Black,123	L Saez	4-4-4	Mott	5-2

3 5 fur; $120,000; alw; 3up(f)

Weaver ships VEKOMAS DIVA from Oaklawn. Debuted with a W, then 3rd after a yielding trip. Blinks on. Saez was aboard for the win. HOT CURRENCY moved lower and responded with an open length victory. Speed on the rail. CHATTER is 1 for 10 after turning in 6th of 9. Runnerup previous 3 starts. Carmouche subs for J Ortiz who moves to MEGS FOXY GIRL.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 Hot Currency(L),122	M Franco	1-2-1	Rice	9-5
2 Chatter(L),126	K Carmouche	6-2-2	Joseph	4-1
3 Meg's Foxy Grey(L),126	J Ortiz	1-6-5	Nevin	8-1
4 Vekoma's Diva(L),122	L Saez	3-1-4	Weaver	5-1
5 My First Dinah(L),122	R Gutierrez	1-1-4	Jones	30-1
6 Tagdeer(L),126	R Santana, Jr	2-4-1	Jacobson	10-1
7 Tennessee Belle(M),122	F Prat	8-1-2	Pletcher	2-1

4 1 mile; $115,000; mdn; 3up

Saez again. GADGET PLAY reported home 2 lengths short, both starts. Soft given him another furlong to get there. COMMITMENT FUND finished a fast closing 2nd in his opener. Sprint to route for Chad Brown. And Alvarado rides first-time starter VEBLEN, a Tapit colt for Mott.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 Veblen(M),121	J Alvarado	4-4-4	Mott	8-1
2 Sidearm(L),126	K Carmouche	5-2-3	Barker	10-1
3 Sir Duke(L),121	R Santana, Jr	4-3-4	Kantarmaci	10-1
4 Ice a Runner(L),121	M Franco	5-4-4	C Brown	4-1

5 Commitment Fund(L),121	F Prat	2-4-4	C Brown	5-2
6 Gadget Play(L),121	L Saez	2-3-4	Stall	9-5
7 Chili Palmer(L),121	D Davis	3-4-4	Summers	6-1

5 1/2 fur(T): $120,000; alw; 3up

A pair of 4th place finishes (both stakes) for RUN CURTIS RUN. Neck shy with optional claimers previously. Last-to-first winner under Prat here last summer. Hasn't won since. Today? OIL CAPITAL MTO. 3rd in the slop last out. ALDER is 1 for 11 on grass. Raced wide, but finished well in defeat before shipping from Indiana. Jacobson gives him more ground. Value's up; Saez up; COLD-FEET brings a 3 race winning streak from Monmouth. Competitively spotted for a 4th. BOLTAGE won narrowly, then 2nd best at this longer distance. Rebound in cards.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 Run Curtis Run(L),126	F Prat	4-4-2	Maker	5-2
2 Twisted Filigree(L),126	M Franco	3-4-7	De Paz	3-1
3 Alder(L),126	L Saez	4-8-7	Jacobson	12-1
4 Billionaires Row(L),126	E Zayas	4-6-11	Kantarmaci	10-1
5 Gold Luck(L),126	D Davis	7-6-6	Atras	12-1
6 Cold Feet(L),126	J Lezcano	1-1-2	Ramirez	8-1
7 Antares(L),126	J Ortiz	8-6-9	Maker	7-2
8 Boltage(L),126	R Santana, Jr	2-1-7	Jacobson	5-1
9 Oil Capital(L),126	J Lezcano	3-7-4	Rice	2-1

6 7 fur; $84,000; clm($62,500); 4up

Late lead for TWO EAGLES RIVER but he was outkicked. Claimed by Gustavo Rodriguez who keeps him at the same distance. Prat a good sign. EMIRATES ROAD surged from off the pace to win here last month. Now 2 for 2 at the Spa. Distant 3rd last time he ran this distance. Rice trains the M/L fave. BOMB moved lower and won by a neck. Capable, same distance off the Joe Sharp claim. REDDINGTON was 3rd behind top pick and may be better 2nd off the layoff.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 Twenty Four Mamba(L),123	R Santana, Jr	5-1-3	Abreu	9-2
2 Paradise Valley(L),123	E Zayas	4-6-6	Kantarmaci	12-1
3 Two Eagles River(L),121	F Prat	2-5-7	Rodriguez	4-1
4 Barb(L),123	J Ortiz	1-10-1	Sharp	4-1
5 Reddington(L),121	K Carmouche	3-3-3	Giangiulo	7-2
6 Emirates Road(L),123	M Franco	1-2-6	Rice	3-1
7 Lunar Module(L),123	J Ortiz, Jr	7-1-2	Sharp	6-1

7 1/16 miles(T): $110,000; alw; 3up(f)

ALL OF IT took a perfect 2 for 2 record to the Suzie O'Gain and ran home a disappointing 5th. Rebound chance for Clement. NINA KAY MTO. 2 for 4 over the wet. STARSHIP PEGASUS was 4th. SWEET ANNIVERSARY was 2nd and MOMMY'S TURN was 3rd here in July. All 3, noses apart in the place photo.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 All of It(L),121	M Franco	5-1-1	Clement	9-2
2 Can't Fool Me(L),126	R Santana, Jr	5-4-5	Abreu	15-1
3 Dividend Recap(L),126	D Davis	1-2-4	Clement	6-1
4 Starship Pegasus(L),126	J Castellano	4-1-6	Nevin	3-1
5 Sweet Anniversary(L),126	J Ortiz	2-4-3	Ferraro	6-1
6 Saratoga Snow(L),126	L Saez	7-3-2	Dini	12-1
7 Mommy's Turn(L),126	J Ortiz, Jr	3-4-1	C Brown	7-2
8 Brokealltherules(L),126	F Prat	1-1-4	R Dutrow	4-1
9 Nina Kay(L),126	J Lezcano	3-2-3	Rice	7-5
10 Royal Bobbie(L),126	F Prat	4-2-3	Rice	5-2

8 1 mile; $45,000; clm($16,000); 4up(f)

Love KYLES MOM. Close 3rd after a wide trip. Won back-to-back races, same distance at Aqueduct earlier this year. Davis rides for Noda. TOUGH STREET was 2nd behind a runaway winner racing for 4th. Has now made the board all 15 starts at a mile; but 0 for 6 over the last 2 years. PENS STREET was 2nd in front of the compromised Kyles Mom. Moved higher and ran 4th of 7 next out. SUMMER FLOWER rallied to win twice (on dirt/turf) before shipping from Monmouth. Lezcano gets a pace to chase.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 Moon Gate(L),123	C Elliott	1-3-2	Friedman	10-1

2 Bourbon Serengeti(L),123	R Santana, Jr	4-6-4	Jacobson	6-1
3 Always Angels(L),121	J Castellano	5-5-2	Potts	8-1
4 Tough Street(L),121	M Franco	2-3-2	Barrera III	7-2
5 Summer Flower(L),123	J Lezcano	1-1-4	Dini	4-1
6 That's Funny(L),123	K Davis	1-4-7	Clarke	20-1
7 Kyle's Mom(L),123	D Davis	3-5-1	Noda	3-1
8 Pens Street(L),121	E Zayas	4-2-4	Abreu	5-1
9 Luna Moth(L),121	R Gutierrez	2-5-3	Friedman	20-1

9 1/8 miles; $200,000; Albany; 3YO

The feature is the Albany. TALK TO ME IMMY won the Withers by open lengths at this distance in February. Placed 2nd in the Peter Pan in May but returned to the winners circle by taking the NY Derby at Finger Lakes. ONEBIGBEAUTIFULBILL is 2 for 2, winning both by this much. Stretches longer to make stake debut for Brad Cox. SUNDAY BOY loads off a wire-to-wire allowance win. 3rd of 5 in the Mind Your Biscuits in love stake start. Has also never raced this far. TUNING IN fast forwards to the stake off a debut 4th at a mile. TRICKY BUSINESS was 5th behind Sunday Boy, then 2nd behind Onebigbeautifulbills.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 Tricky Business,120	F Prat	2-5-4	Weaver	6-1
2 Sunday Boy,124	J Ortiz	1-4-3	Ryerson	9-2
3 Minoriconvenience,124	R Santana, Jr	4-6-3	Green	8-1
4 Onebigbeautifulbills,122	J Ortiz, Jr	1-1-4	Cox	3-1
5 Sociably Johnny,120	J Lezcano	2-3-3	Rice	20-1
6 Talk to Me Jimmy,124	M Franco	1-2-8	Rodriguez	8-5
7 Tuning In,120	E Zayas	1-4-4	James Bond	5-1

10 1/16 miles(T): $62,000; mdn clm($55,000); 3up

VIVALDI Outrun after getting parked wide at Churchill. Chad Brown takes him lower. Runnerup 4 of previous 5. Gets Prat back. SALVATION MTO. Pletcher FRANKLIN DELANO exits a midpack 6th. Ran 2nd lone start at this longer distance. 1st time gelding. Santana subs for Johnny V who moves to CEBEEREBEG.

PN Horse Wt.	Jockey	Last 3	Trainer	Odds
1 Vivaldi(L),126	F Prat	10-2-7	C Brown	9-2
2 Visible(L),121	C Elliott	4-5-4	Gargan	10-1
3 Cederberg(L),121	J Velazquez	6-5-8	Hennig	12-1
4 Melody Man(L),126	J Ortiz	4-2-2	Sweezy	8-1
5 Cuban Cowboy(L),126	K Carmouche	7-2-5	Gargan	12-1
6 Instanty(L),121	E Zayas	4-7-6	Kantarmaci	10-1
7 Franklin Delano(L),121	R Santana, Jr	6-4-5	Pletcher	3-1
8 Endemite(L),121	R Gutierrez	5-4-4	Donk	15-1
9 Tamaric(L),121	M Franco	9-4-4	Clement	10-1
10 Alley Oop(L),121	L Saez	8-8-4	Morley	20-1
11 War and Majesty(L),126	J Alvarado	8-2-3	Romans	5-1
12 Thatboyain'tright(M),121	D Davis	11-4-4	Handal	30-1
13 Daunting(FR)(L),121	Rider TBA	9-9-4	Pletcher	15-1
14 Salvation(L),126	J Lezcano	4-2-2	Rice	6-5
15 Holding Power(L),121	Rider TBA	10-4-4	Clement	10-1
16 Evenly Alert(L),121	F Prat	2-4-4	C Brown	5-2

PLAY OF THE DAY

Nothing to see here, folks. Silver Talent (6-1) never got us out of our seat. Heavily favored Segesta (4-5) finished off the board in the Ballston Spa. Loss of -$34.

And the winner is ... And The Runner Is in Race 2. Play $30 to win and in a $4 double with Vekoma's Diva in Race 3.

— Vic Cangialosi

Saratoga Results

FIRST-1 mile; $100,000; mdn spl wt; 3up 7 Bubster (Sambin) 6.68 3.18 2.80 8 Term Premium (Prat) 3.70 3.44 9 Uncle Barrie (Gonzalez) 10.82 10 Big Frost, Toothsdale 11 ExaTa (7-8) $12.57 ● $0.1 Superfecta (7-8-5-6) $32.75 ● $0.5 Trifecta (7-8-5) $98.03

SECOND-1 mile 3 fur; $125,000; alw; 3up 1 Rothschild (Saez) 10.10 4.32 2.90 2 Asbury Park (GB) (Prince) 3.28 2.42 3 Arkhipco (Prat) 2.36 ● $1 Daily Double (7-1) $15.58 ● $1 ExaTa (1-6) $15.16 ● $1 Quintila (1-4) $7.95 ● $0.1 Superfecta (1-4-7-3) $11.14 ● $0.5 Trifecta (1-4-7) $15.19

THIRD-6's fur; $115,000; mdn spl wt; 2YO 6 Amron Hstry (Vizaz) 21.22 8.76 5.66 8 Art Museum (Prat) 6.50 4.44 9 Shocked (Saez) 15.12 ● $1 Pick 3 (7-1-6) $194.11 ● $1 Daily Double (1-6) $39.90 ● $1 ExaTa (6-6) $59.48 ● $0.1 Superfecta (6-8-7-1) $44.53 ● $0.5 Trifecta (6-8-7) $474.51

FOURTH-5's fur; $58,000; cl$40,000; 3upf 2 Hills n Bob (FRI) (Prince) 9.12 4.14 2.80 1 Amercosprison (Sintin) 3.26 2.46 6 Five Dozen Beans (Davis) 2.74 Scr: Tralee Girl, So Vain, Amelia's Echo, Sunshine Lily ● $1 Pick 3 (1-6-2) $104.60 ● $1 Daily Double (0-2) $18.51 ● $1 ExaTa (2-1) $11.94 ● $1 Quintila (2-1) $6.44 ● $0.1 Superfecta (2-1-6-1) $16.95 ● $0.5 Trifecta (2-1-6) $21.16

FIFTH-1 1/16 mile; $62,000; md cl$55,000; 3upf 1 Prvt Prpty (Crmch) 8.90 6.24 3.90 4 Outro (Lezcano) 12.10 8.00 7 Raging Bloom (Elliott) 11.68 Scr: Kiff, Tavern Talk, Majestic Moonlight, Lose the Blues, Lil Tracy, Key Actress ● $1 Pick 3 (6-3) $21.00 ● $0.5 Pick 4 (1-6-2-1) $61.15 ● $0.5 Pick 5 (7-1-6-2-1) $49.91 ● $1 Daily Double (2-1) $17.34 ● $1 ExaTa (1-4) $6.82 ● $0.1 Superfecta (1-4-7-6) $62.44 ● $0.5 Trifecta (1-4-7) $49.36

SIXTH-6's fur; $115,000; mdn spl wt; 2YO 5 Forever Cm (Ortiz) 5.18 4.16 3.64 1 Classic Nora (Prat) 10.40 8.60 1 Lucero (Carmouche) 7.88 ● $1 Pick 3 (2-1-5) $87.42 ● $1 Daily Double (1-5) $16.20 ● $1 ExaTa (5-1) $34.26 ● $0.1 Superfecta (5-1-3-1) $39.79 ● $0.5 Trifecta (5-1-3) $146.77

SEVENTH-6 fur; $138,000; alw; 4up 2 Cat On Time (Saez) 7.72 4.12 2.94 5 Over and Oller (Prat) 5.64 3.52 4 Acoustic Ace (Lezcano) 3.16 Scr: Tarantino, Sacrosanct ● $1 Pick 3 (1-5-2) $87.27 ● $0.5 Pick 4 (2-1-5-2) $18.12 ● $0.5 Pick 5 (6-2-1-5-2) $476.67 ● $1 Daily Double (5-2) $12.13 ● $1 ExaTa (2-5) $18.75 ● $0.1 Superfecta (2-5-4-6) $18.92 ● $0.5 Trifecta (2-5-4) $41.37

EIGHTH-5's fur; $105,000; alw; 3up (f&m) 6 Fry Godmire (Prat) 10.96 6.42 4.28 7 Scorch (Lezcano) 18.46 10.92 8 Varnon Valley (Goffalone) 14.30 Scr: Lightning Strike, Mela Jane Hathaway, Moonlight Road ● $1 Pick 3 (5-2-6) $73.85 ● $1 Daily Double (2-6) $19.99 ● $1 ExaTa (6-7) $12.75 ● $0.1 Superfecta (6-7-5-1) $139.68 ● $0.5 Trifecta (6-7-5) $87.87

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AL Standings

East W L Pct. GB *WGB L10 Streak Home Away Tampa Bay 76 53 .589 - - 3-7 L-3 43-23 33-30 Yankees 73 56 .566 3 +9½ 6-4 L-1 32-28 41-28 Boston 70 59 .543 6 +6½ 6-4 W-2 33-32 37-27 Toronto 64 67 .489 13 ½ 6-4 W-1 33-33 31-34 Baltimore 63 67 .485 13½ 1 5-5 W-2 34-33 29-34

Central W L Pct. GB *WGB L10 Streak Home Away Chicago 67 62 .519 - - 5-5 L-1 38-26 29-36 Cleveland 64 66 .492 3½ - 6-4 W-3 31-34 33-32 Minnesota 63 67 .485 4½ 1 4-6 L-2 35-31 28-36 Detroit 61 68 .473 6 2½ 2-8 L-4 32-31 29-37 Kansas City 57 74 .435 11 7½ 8-2 W-7 35-30 22-44

West W L Pct. GB *WGB L10 Streak Home Away Houston 65 65 .500 - - 4-6 L-1 33-34 32-31 Texas 64 66 .492 1 - 4-6 L-1 35-29 29-37 Seattle 62 68 .477 3 2 6-4 W-2 35-29 27-39 Los Angeles 52 78 .400 13 12 6-4 W-1 29-36 23-42 Athletics 50 80 .385 15 14 3-7 W-1 23-40 27-40

*WGB: Games behind third-place team in wild-card race

Saturday Toronto A, Yankees 3 Mets 10, White Sox 5 Kansas City 3, Detroit 1 L.A. Angels 3, Texas 0 Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 2, 10 inn. Seattle 5, Cubs 4 Athletics 4, Houston 3 Boston 3, San Francisco 2 Cleveland 4, Colorado 3 San Diego 7, Minnesota 5 Sunday Toronto A, Yankees 1:35 Mets at White Sox 2:10

Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 1:35 Athletics at Houston, 2:10 Detroit at Kansas City, 2:10 L.A. Angels at Texas, 2:35 Cleveland at Colorado, 3:10 San Francisco at Boston, 3:15 Cubs at Seattle, 4:10 Minnesota at San Diego, 4:10 Monday Boston at Miami, 6:40 Tampa Bay at Detroit, 6:40 Texas at White Sox, 7:40 Cleveland at L.A. Angels, 9:38 Minnesota at Athletics, 9:40 Philadelphia at Seattle, 9:40

AL Standings

East	W	L	Pct.	GB	*WGB	L10	Streak	Home	Away
Tampa Bay	76	53	.589	-	-	3-7	L-3	43-23	33-30
Yankees	73	56	.566	3	+9½	6-4	L-1	32-28	41-28
Boston	70	59	.543	6	+6½	6-4	W-2	33-32	37-27
Toronto	64	67	.489	13	½	6-4	W-1	33-33	31-34
Baltimore	63	67	.485	13½	1	5-5	W-2	34-33	29-34
Central	W	L	Pct.	GB	*WGB	L10	Streak	Home	Away
Chicago	67	62	.519	-	-	5-5	L-1	38-26	29-36
Cleveland	64	66	.492	3½	-	6-4	W-3	31-34	33-32
Minnesota	63	67	.485	4½	1	4-6	L-2	35-31	28-36
Detroit	61	68	.473	6	2½	2-8	L-4	32-31	29-37
Kansas City	57	74	.435	11	7½	8-2	W-7	35-30	22-44
West	W	L	Pct.	GB	*WGB	L10	Streak	Home	Away
Houston	65	65	.500	-	-	4-6	L-1	33-34	32-31
Texas	64	66	.492	1	-	4-6	L-1	35-29	29-37
Seattle	62	68	.477	3	2	6-4	W-2	35-29	27-39
Los Angeles	52	78	.400	13	12	6-4	W-1	29-36	23-42
Athletics	50	80	.385	15	14	3-7	W-1	23-40	27-40
*WGB: Games behind third-place team in wild-card race
Saturday
Toronto A, Yankees 3
Mets 10, White Sox 5
Kansas City 3, Detroit 1
L.A. Angels 3, Texas 0
Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 2, 10 inn.
Seattle 5, Cubs 4
Athletics 4, Houston 3
Boston 3, San Francisco 2
Cleveland 4, Colorado 3
San Diego 7, Minnesota 5
Sunday
Toronto A, Yankees 1:35
Mets at White Sox, 2:10
Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 1:35
Atlanta 1:35
Atlanta 1:35
Atlanta 1:35
Atlanta 1:35
Atlanta 1:35
Atlanta 1:35
Atlanta 1:35
Atlanta 1:35
Atlanta 1:35

NL Standings

East	W	L	Pct.	GB	*WGB	L10	Streak	Home	Away
Atlanta	75	55	.577	-	-	3-7	L-2	42-23	33-32
Philadelphia	72	58	.554	3	+2	8-2	W-8	37-30	35-28
Miami	66	64	.508	9	4	5-5	W-2	40-25	26-39
Washington	61	70	.466	14½	9½	2-8	L-3	27-36	34-34
Mets	59	71	.454	16	11	6-4	W-1	30-35	29-36
Central	W	L	Pct.	GB	*WGB	L10	Streak	Home	Away
Milwaukee	81	49	.623	-	-	7-3	W-3	45-23	36-26
Chicago	74	56	.569	7	+4	4-6	L-3	38-27	36-29
St. Louis	66	65	.504	15½	4½	5-5	L-2	32-34	34-31
Pittsburgh	63	68	.481	18½	7½	5-5	L-2	34-32	29-36
Cincinnati	62	68	.477	19	8	4-6	W-1	32-36	30-32
West	W	L	Pct.	GB	*WGB	L10	Streak	Home	Away
Los Angeles	79	51	.608	-	-	7-3	W-5	39-26	40-25
San Diego	70	60	.538	9	-	7-3	W-2	39-26	31-34
Arizona	68	62	.523	11	2	4-6	L-1	37-28	31-34
San Francisco	52	77	.403	26½	17½	3-7	L-3	29-33	23-44
Colorado	50	79	.388	28½	19½	4-6	L-5	27-37	23-42
*WGB: Games behind third-place team in wild-card race
Saturday
Mets 10, White Sox 5
Milwaukee 4, Atlanta 1
Miami 4, Washington 2
Philadelphia 12, St. Louis 3
Seattle 5, Cubs 4
L.A. Dodgers 4, Pittsburgh 3
Boston 3, San Francisco 2
Cleveland 4, Colorado 3
Cincinnati 1, Arizona 5
San Diego 7, Minnesota 5
Sunday
Mets at White Sox, 2:10
St. Louis at Philadelphia, 1:35

Blue Jays 4, Yankees 3

Toronto	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Bateman rf-cf	3	0	2	0	1	0	321
Guerrero 1b	5	1	2	0	0	0	264
Kirk c	4	1	1	0	1	0	283
Springer dh	5	0	3	1	0	0	240
Okamoto 3b	5	1	1	0	0	2	230
Clement ss	5	0	2	0	0	0	286
Cameron f	2	0	0	0	0	1	308
Lukes ph-rf	3	1	2	2	0	1	260
McAdoo 2b	4	0	1	1	0	2	262
Straw cf-lf	4	0	1	0	0	0	213
Totals	40	4	15	4	2	6
Yankees	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Grisham cf	4	0	0	0	1	2	221
Rice dh	3	1	0	0	0	1	248
Ramos f	4	0	0	0	0	3	240
Garcia 1b	3	1	1	2	1	1	279
Jones rf	3	0	0	0	1	1	224
Lombard ss	3	1	0	0	1	1	273
Chisholm 2b	4	0	2	0	0	0	217
Wells c	3	0	1	1	1	2	177
Caballero 3b	3	0	0	0	0	1	235
Totals	30	3	4	3	5	12
Toronto	100	110	010	-	4	15	0
Yankees	000	000	120	-	3	4	2
E: On los Santos (2), Lombard (3), LOB: Toronto 12, New York 7, 2B: Okamoto (19), Straw (14), Clement (23), Chisholm (15), HR: Lukes (8), off Hanner, Garcia (26), off Rogers, RBIs: Springer (41), McAdoo (10), Lukes 7 (26), Wells (18), Garcia 2 (82), SB: Grisham (9), Jones (8), Chisholm (34), S: Bateman. Runners left in scoring position: Toronto 4 (Lukes, Kirk 2, Springer, McAdoo, Clement, Guerrero 2); New York 5 (Grisham 3), Garcia, Wells, RSF: Toronto 4 for 18; New York 1 for 12. DP: Toronto 1 (Clement, McAdoo, Clement); New York 2 (Chisholm, Lombard, Garcia, Jones, Garcia, Jones).
Toronto	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP ERA
Cease, W, 8-5	6.2	2	1	1	5	8	111.2 37
Miles, K, 4	6.1	0	0	0	0	0	8.3 02
Rogers, H, 27	1.0	1	2	0	2	2	14.1 82
Yarland, S, 29-30	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	21.1 22
Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP ERA
Weather, L, 5-8	3.1	8	2	2	0	3	72.3 60
De los Santos	2.2	3	1	1	2	0	44.1 08
Hamer	1.2	3	1	0	1	1	34.6 75
Cruz	1.1	1	0	0	0	2	21.2 85
T: 3:15. A: 46.231 (47,309).

Mariners 5, Cubs 4

Chicago	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Crow-krmstrong cf	4	0	1	0	0	0	279
Suzuki dh	4	0	1	0	0	1	267
Bregman 1b	4	1	1	0	0	2	258
Busch 1b	4	1	1	1	0	2	244
Hoerner ss	3	1	1	0	0	0	263
Taylor rf	2	1	1	1	2	1	249
Ramirez 2b	4	0	1	0	0	1	276
Alcantara lf	1	0	0	1	0	1	208
Happ ph-lf	1	0	0	0	1	1	215
Amaya c	4	0	0	0	0	1	232
Totals	31	4	7	4	3	11
Seattle	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Arzazema lf	4	2	3	3	1	0	275
Canzone rf	4	0	0	0	0	1	256
Redriguez cf	4	0	0	0	0	2	250
Naylor 1b	4	0	0	0	0	2	265
Ward dh	4	0	0	0	0	2	236
Raleigh c	3	0	1	0	1	0	158
Young 2b	4	0	0	0	0	1	253
Wilson 3b	4	2	2	0	0	1	208
Rivas ss	3	1	2	1	0	0	152
Totals	34	5	8	5	2	10
Chicago	000	013	000	-	4	7	0
Seattle	100	010	001	-	5	8	0
Two outs when winning run scored. LOB: Chicago 5, Seattle 6, 2B: Crow-krmstrong (26), Hoerner (27), Taylor (10), Rivas (3), Wilson (4). HR: Bregman (19), off Anderson; Busch (16), off Anderson; Arzazema (10), off Peterson; Arzazema (19), off Webb, RBIs: Alcantara (6), Bregman (67), Busch (65), Taylor (30), Arzazema 3 (57), Canzone (56), Rivas (9). SB: Taylor (2), Hoerner (21). SP: Alcantara; RSF: Chicago 2 for 4; Seattle 2 for 7. DP: Seattle 1 (Wilson, Young, Naylor).
Chicago	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP ERA
Peterson	6.0	4	2	2	8	98	5.17
Thornton, H, 1.1	1.0	0	0	0	1	18	2.43
Rolson, H, 7	0.2	0	0	0	1	6	2.82
Webb, L, 6-3,	0.2	3	3	0	0	15	2.65
BS, 9-14
Seattle	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP ERA
Anderson	5.2	5	3	3	5	81	4.76
Vargas	1.1	2	1	1	2	31	6.75
Dominguez	1.0	0	0	0	3	15	4.73
Rucker, W, 14.0	0.0	0	0	0	1	14	4.30
T: 2:37. A: 45.681 (47,929).

Mets 10, White Sox 5

Mets	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Elderh c	2	1	0	0	0	0	306
Aranda 1b	3	0	0	0	1	1	280
Simpson f	4	0	1	0	0	0	268
Caminero 3b	4	0	1	1	0	0	276
Hicks c	2	1	1	1	0	0	283
Walde ph	1	0	0	0	0	1	263
Piper c	1	0	0	0	0	0	250
Deluca f	4	0	2	0	0	1	268
Palacios 2b	4	0	0	0	0	1	237
Mullins cf	3	0	1	0	1	0	208
Walls ss	3	0	0	0	1	0	220
Totals	34	2	8	2	3	4
Baltimore	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Holliday 2b	4	1	1	0	0	0	233
Alonso dh	4	0	2	0	0	1	273
Mayo 1b	3	0	2	0	0	1	214
Basallo ph-lb	1	1	1	2	0	0	239
O'Neill rf	4	0	0	0	0	0	212
Henderson ss	4	0	1	0	0	1	222
Arzazmacion-
Strand 3b	4	0	0	0	0	2	237
Franklin f	3	0	0	0	1	1	160
Taveras cf	4	1	0	0	0	1	228
Navalez c	3	0	0	0	0	2	265
Beavers ph	1	0	1	1	0	0	244
Totals	35	3	8	3	1	9
Tampa Bay	010	001	000	0	-	2	8
Baltimore	000	000	020	1	-	3	8

Orioles 3, Rays 2, 10 inn.

---

Athletics 4, Astros 3

Atletics	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Boite cf	3	0	0	0	2	2	264
McNeil 2b-1b	5	1	2	0	0	0	262
Geof 3b-1f	3	1	0	0	1	1	262
Cortes f	2	0	1	0	1	0	262
Williams ph-ss	0	0	0	0	0	0	261
Butler rf	3	1	2	1	1	1	219
White 2b-3b	4	0	3	0	0	0	265
Heim c	4	0	0	1	0	1	204
Walton ss-2b	4	1	1	0	2	2	283
Muncy dh	4	0	1	0	0	1	214
Totals	32	4	10	3	5	8
Houston	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Peña ss	4	0	1	1	0	3	283
Alvarez dh	3	0	0	0	1	1	319
Paredes 3b	4	0	0	0	0	1	260
Altave 2b	4	0	0	0	2	2	245
Walker 1b	3	1	1	0	1	0	234
Varsho cf	4	1	2	1	0	1	232
Diaz c	4	0	1	1	0	3	254
Smith rf	4	0	0	0	0	2	216
Wade f	3	1	1	0	0	1	222
Trammell f	1	0	0	0	0	0	210
Totals	34	3	6	3	2	14

Atletics	001 000 030 — 4 10 1
Houston	000 100 200 — 3 6 0

E: Gelof (8). LOB: Athletics 7, Houston 6. 2B: White (3), Diaz (10), Wade (5). HR: Walton (4), off Brown; Varsho (9), off Medina. RBIs: Walton (18), Butler (37), Heim (40), Diaz (29), Varsho (30), Peña (41). S: Williams. Runners left in scoring position: Athletics 3 (Walton, Heim 2); Houston 2 (Wade, Smith, Paredes). RISP: Athletics 2 for 11; Houston 1 for 6. DP: Houston 3 (Peña, Walker; Walker, Peña, Walker; Walker, Peña).

Atletics	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Lopes	6.0	3	1	1	1	9	91	4.98
Medina, W.5-3	1.0	3	2	2	1	2	26	3.77
Harris, N. 11	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	11	3.72
Alvarado, S.3-4	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	13	4.29

Houston	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Brown	5.2	7	1	1	3	4	101	3.51
Blubaugh	1.1	0	0	0	0	2	19	3.29
Sousa, L.1-2.	0.1	2	3	3	1	0	12	4.86
BS, 0-1	1.2	1	0	0	1	2	22	4.07

T: 2:50. A: 31,009 (41,000).

Royals 3, Tigers 1

Detroit	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
McGonigle ss	4	0	0	0	0	0	281
Torres 2b	4	0	0	0	0	0	262
Keith dh	3	0	0	0	1	1	270
Dingler c	3	0	1	0	0	1	253
McKinstry rf	3	0	0	0	1	1	222
Callahan f	4	0	1	0	0	2	294
Torkelson 1b	3	0	0	0	0	2	222
Clark cf	3	0	0	0	0	1	250
Lee 3b	3	1	1	1	0	0	278
Totals	30	1	3	1	2	8

Kansas City	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Jensen c	4	0	0	0	0	2	219
Witt ss	4	0	1	0	0	1	288
Caglianone rf	4	1	1	0	0	2	276
Perez dh	3	1	1	1	0	0	220
Pasquantino 1b	3	0	0	0	0	0	244
Lofito 1b	2	0	1	0	1	0	230
Massey 2b	3	0	0	0	0	0	275
Tollert f	3	0	0	0	0	2	294
Isbell cf	3	1	1	1	0	1	236
Totals	29	3	5	2	1	8

Detroit	000 010 000 — 1 3 0
Kansas City	001 101 00x — 3 5 0

LOB: Detroit 5, Kansas City 3. 2B: Callahan (1), Caglianone (23). HR: Lee (7), off Wachs; Isbell (6), off Anderson; Perez (17), off Anderson. RBIs: Lee (31), Isbell (20), Perez (57). SB: Witt (34). Runners left in scoring position: Detroit 3 (Callahan, McKinstry, Clark); Kansas City 1 (Perez). RISP: Detroit 0 for 4; Kansas City 0 for 3. Runners moved up: Perez.

Detroit	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Anderson, L.	5.0	5	3	3	1	4	75	4.09
4-5	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	14	0.00
Sommers	2.0	0	0	0	0	4	21	3.12

Kansas City	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Wachs, W.7-8	7.0	3	1	1	6	6	96	3.49
Lange, N.3	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	11	5.86
Kimbrel, S.1-2	1.0	0	0	0	1	2	20	4.15
T: 2:06. A: 23,156 (38,427).

Dodgers 4, Pirates 3

Pittsburgh	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Gonzales 2b	4	0	0	0	0	2	2.309
Valdez rf	3	1	2	0	1	1	251
Cook pr rf	0	0	0	0	0	0	188
Reynolds dh	4	1	1	0	0	2	263
Cruz cf	4	1	1	2	0	3	266
Flores 1b	4	0	0	1	0	2	268
Manquim f	4	0	0	0	0	3	294
Yorke 3b	4	0	1	0	0	1	222
Triolo ss	3	0	1	0	0	0	237
Davis c	2	0	0	0	0	1	168
Totals	32	3	6	3	1	15

Los Angeles	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Ohtani dh	3	0	0	0	2	2	289
Freeman 1b	3	0	1	0	1	1	300
Bettis ss	3	1	0	0	0	1	236
Muncy 2b	3	2	3	0	1	0	258
Edman 2b	3	0	0	0	1	1	270
Tucker rf	4	1	1	2	0	0	230
T.Hernández If	4	0	1	1	0	3	247
E.Hernández If	0	0	0	0	0	0	235
Thomas cf	4	0	1	1	0	2	284
Rortvedt c	4	0	0	0	0	0	150
Totals	31	4	7	4	5	10

Pittsburgh	300 000 000 — 3 6 1
Los Angeles	000 229 000 — 4 7 0

1-ran for Valdez in the 8th. E: Gonzales (14). LOB: Pittsburgh 4, Los Angeles 3. 2B: Valdez (11), Muncy 2 (31). 3B: Cruz (1). RBIs: Cruz 2 (51), Flores (13), T. Hernandez (44), Thomas (11), Tucker 2 (57). SB: Tucker (8). S: Davis. Runners left in scoring position: Pittsburgh 3 (Valdez 2, Cruz); Los Angeles 5 (Thomas, Betts, Ohtani, Freeman 2). RISP: Pittsburgh 1 (Vicki; Los Angeles 3 for 12. Runners moved up: Flores. GIDP: Tucker. DP: Pittsburgh 1 (Flores, Triolo, Flores).

Pittsburgh	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Jones	4.0	3	2	2	5	5	87	4.76
Ramirez, L.6-4.1	0	2	2	2	0	2	21	3.29
Doval	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	15	3.99
Yates	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	12	3.41
Kelly	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	18	5.40

Los Angeles	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Skubal, W.8-7.7	0	5	3	3	1	11	106	2.91
Phillips, H.5	0.2	1	0	0	0	2	18	4.70
Dreyer, H.10	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	5	2.91
Scott, S.19-21	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	11	2.24
T: 2:44. A: 53,417 (56,000).

Reds 11, Diamondbacks 5

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
De La Cruz ss	6	4	4	1	0	1	263
Stewart 1b	6	2	3	1	0	1	262
Bieday ff	6	2	4	3	0	1	224
Stephenson c	4	0	2	3	0	2	242
Suarez dh	3	0	0	0	2	0	265
McLain 2b	4	1	1	2	1	2	198
Myers cf	5	0	0	0	0	1	251
Rodriguez rf	3	2	2	1	1	0	162
Hayes 3b	4	0	0	0	1	0	152
Totals	41	11	16	11	5	8

Arizona	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Nordhaar ff	5	0	2	1	0	0	225
Carroll rf	5	0	2	0	0	0	250
Moreno c	5	0	2	0	0	1	307
Perdomo ss	5	0	0	0	0	1	246
Annado dh	3	3	1	1	1	1	243
Tawa 1b	4	1	2	2	0	0	245
Vargas 2b	3	1	0	0	1	0	259
Fernandez 3b	3	0	1	0	1	0	265
Waldschmidt cf	4	0	1	1	0	1	279
Totals	37	5	10	5	3	4

Cincinnati	102 311 220 — 11 16 1
Arizona	000 112 010 — 5 10 0
E: Stephenson (4). LOB: Cincinnati 11, Arizona 9. 2B: De La Cruz (20), Bieday (14), Stephenson (17), Nordhaar (10), Moreno (27). 3B: Bieday (2). HR: De La Cruz (21), off Littell; Bieday (21), off Littell; Rodriguez (1), off Littell; McLain (11), off Santana; Annado (21), off Lowder; Tawa (8), off Lowder. RBIs: Bieday 3 (51), Stephenson 3 (43), Stewart (97), McLain 2 (35), De La Cruz (58), Rodriguez (3), Annado (65), Nordhaar (20), Tawa 2 (32), Waldschmidt (18). SR: Stephenson 2. RISP: Cincinnati 4 for 14; Arizona 1 for 14.
Cincinnati	IP H RER BB SO NP ERA
Lowder, W.5-8 6.0 6.4 3 1 1 92 513
Mey 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 18 3.26
Santillan 1.0 1 1 1 2 0 22 5.34
Antone 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 16 3.43
Arizona	IP H RER BB SO NP ERA
Sonoka, L.6-4 3.1 6.6 3 3 84 3.40
Littell 3.2 8 4 4 2 1 63 521
Santana 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 13 5.89
Ginkel 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 17 3.79

T: 2:56. A: 36,405 (48,359).

Guardians 4, Rockies 3

Cleveland	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Asanti ff	5	0	0	0	0	0	262
DeLauter dh	3	1	0	0	1	2	284
Ramirez 3b	4	1	1	0	0	0	235
Adell rf	4	2	2	3	0	1	240
Lowe 1b	4	0	1	0	0	0	266
Genao ss	4	0	1	0	0	0	315
Bazzana 2b	4	0	1	0	0	0	242
Bailey c	3	0	1	1	1	1	194
Halpin cf	3	0	0	0	1	0	212
Totals	34	4	7	4	3	4

Colorado	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
McCarthy cf	4	0	2	0	0	0	294
Moniak rf	4	1	1	1	0	0	264
Carrigg ss	3	0	0	0	1	1	278
Rumfield 3b	4	0	0	0	0	1	288
Karros 3b	2	0	0	0	0	1	263
Norby 2b	2	1	1	1	0	1	215
Costro 2b-3b	4	1	1	0	0	2	264
Johnston dh	4	0	2	1	0	0	283
Sullivan c	4	0	0	0	0	1	233
Yeron f	3	0	0	0	0	2	227
Totals	34	3	7	3	1	9

Cleveland	000 301 000 — 4 7 0
Colorado	000 110 001 — 3 7 0

LOB: Cleveland 6, Colorado 5. 2B: Johnston (30). HR: Adell (30), off Hughes; Moniak (21), off Bibe; Norby (5), off Smith. RBIs: Adell 3 (77), Bailey (30), Johnston (45), Moniak (60), Norby (18). SB: McCarthy (23). Runners left in scoring position: Cleveland 2 (Halpin 2); Colorado 3 (Sullivan, Veen, Karros). RISP: Cleveland 2 for 6; Colorado 0 for 4.

Cleveland	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Bibee, W.5-13	6.0	5	2	2	1	6	96	3.97
Sabinski, H.20	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	12	3.16
Gaddis, H.20	1.0	1	0	0	1	1	9	3.30
Smith, S.33-38	1.0	1	1	1	1	1	11	2.33
Colorado	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Hughes, L.0-5.5	0	4	3	3	2	2	86	6.54
Frasso	1.0	3	1	1	0	0	13	5.14
Bernardino	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	16	2.77
Meja	2.0	0	0	0	1	1	24	5.63

T: 2:27. A: 39,327 (50,144).

Red Sox 3, Giants 2

San Francisco	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg
Berezola ff	4	0	0	0	0	1	238
Hill ff	0	0	0	0	1	0	250
Bowers dh	4	0	0	0	1	0	243
Adames ss	4	1	2	1	1	2	229
Eldridge 1b	3	0	1	0	2	1	248
Basabe 2b	4	0	1	0	0	1	236
Lee rf	4	0	1	0	0	1	291
Koss 3b	4	0	0	0	0	1	196
Gilbert cf	4	0	0	0	0	0	237
Krizner c	4	1	3	1	0	0	280

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58

NEW YORK POST ACTION

The POST Line

MLB Sunday
Favorite	Money Lines	Underdog
YANKEES	$119-144	Blue Jays
Mets	-106-114	WHITE SOX
Rays	$100-120	ORIOLES
Tigers	-105-115	ROYALS
ASTROS	$153-186	Athletics
Angels	$135-163	RANGERS
PHILLIES	$163-199	Cardinals
MARLINS	$135-163	Nationals
DODGERS	$239-301	Pirates
D'BACKS	$113-136	Reds
BREWERS	$109-132	Braves
Interleague
Guardians	$144-175	Rockies
RED SOX	$184-220	Giants
Cubs	-110-110	MARINERS
PADRES	$118-142	Twins

WNBA Sunday
Favorite	PTS (O/U)	Underdog
WINGS	6.5 (173.5)	Storm
Aces	10.5 (183.5)	TEMPO
Mystics	3.5 (166.5)	FIRE
Fever	4.5 (186.5)	SKY

NFL Preseason

Sunday
Favorite	PTS (O/U)	Underdog
TITANS	4.5 (37.5)	Seahawks

Home team in CAPS

College Football

Saturday, Aug. 29

Favorite	PTS (O/U)	Underdog
*Tcu	7.5 (47.5)	North Carolina
USC	38.5 (60.5)	San Jose State
N. DAKOTA ST.	7 (46.5)	Jacksonville St.
VIRGINIA	5.5 (53.5)	Nc State
STANFORD	6 (49.5)	Hawaii
E. MICHIGAN	8.5 (52.5)	Sacramento St.
FLORIDA ST.	31.5 (53.5)	New Mexico St.
UNLV	5.5 (57.5)	Memphis

*game held in Dublin, Ireland

Home team in CAPS

SPORTS SHORTS

MLB: Cincy's Bleday hits for cycle

JJ Bleday hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats, Elly De La Cruz also had four hits and the Reds routed the Diamondbacks 11-5 on Saturday night in Phoenix.

Bleday doubled in a run off Arizona starter Michael Soroka in the first inning, tripled to score another in the third and greeted reliever Zach Littell with a single in the fourth. He led off the sixth with a line drive over the fence in right field for the fourth cycle of the season and the eighth in Reds history dating to 1890.

● Tarik Skubal struck out 11 to earn his first win as a Dodger, Kyle Tucker singled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the fifth inning, and host Los Angeles rallied to beat Pittsburgh 4-3. Also, the Dodgers are expected to be without All-Star outfielder Andy Pages for at least a month after he was hit by a pitch on his left hand Friday and came away with a fracture.

● Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff says his latest shoulder injury won't require surgery, a notable change of plans for a two-time All-Star who has dealt with multiple arm issues. This development creates at least a slight chance Woodruff could pitch again this season, though the prospect remains unlikely.

● In Boston, the Red Sox scored all three of their runs in the ninth inning — including Wilyer Abreu's walk-off RBI — to beat the Giants 3-2.

● In Seattle, Randy Arozarena hit a walk-off two-run homer as the Mariners beat the Cubs 5-4. Kade Anderson made his much-anticipated MLB debut for Seattle, yielding three earned runs across 5 2/3

innings. Anderson, the third overall pick in 2025, became the first player from his draft class to make his major league debut.

GOLF: Clark takes 5-shot lead at BMW

Wyndham Clark shot 5-under 65 to expand his lead at the BMW Championship in St. Louis. Clark, the U.S. Open champion earlier this year, moved to 17-under 193 for a five-stroke advantage over Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy at Bellerive Country Club.

NHL: Texas expansion near approval

The NHL is hoping to award an expansion franchise to Texas as soon as the end of this year, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic this week. In an interview at the NHL's European media tour in Munich, Daly told the publication that he's expecting the league to get an update from a group working with Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin within the next few weeks.

ETC: Red Bulls rally for draw

Cameron Harper scored late in the second half after subbing in a minute earlier and the Red Bulls rallied for a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire in Harrison, N.J.

Ethan Horvath had four saves for New York (7-9-5) to help end a two-match skid. ● Former world boxing champion Zolani "Last Born" Tete was shot dead outside his home in South Africa's Eastern Cape province Friday, police said.

The 38-year-old was arriving at his residence in Mdantsane Township when two armed men wearing balaclavas got out of a vehicle and opened fire. "I will not speculate about who did this or why," sports minister Gayton McKenzie said in a statement.

TOP PLAY

Goal is a Yamal Score

By MIKE TURAY

With the World Cup concluded, the European soccer season is underway as both the Premier League and La Liga launched their campaigns this month. Two-time defending La Liga champ FC Barcelona will face Elche on Sunday.

History is not on Elche's side, as they have not defeated Barcelona in 12 straight matches, a streak dating back to 1974.

Hansi Flick and Barca recorded 19 home wins en route to their second consecutive La Liga title under the German manager. Their lineup boasts talented returners Lamine Yamal and Pedri, along with the transfer addition of their fellow Spain teammate and World Cup winner Rodri. Yamal will undoubtedly draw the most

attention from Elche, and deservedly so. The international star is fresh off a breakout season, for which he received player of the season honors.

The teenager lived up to the hype by scoring 16 goals and providing 12 assists, stepping up during high-pressure moments when the Catalan giants needed him the most. During the last meeting, it took the young winger only six minutes to strike. Now that he has moved past the hamstring issues that plagued his fitness, seeing Yamal at +110 to score is a price too good to pass up.

With Yamal spearheading a potent Barca front line featuring Raphinha and Fermin López, expect the giants to open their championship defense with a definitive win.

THE PLAY: Lamine Yamal to score (+110, bet365).

Pitching Form

	(Game time)	2026		'26 vs OPP		CAREER vs OPP		LAST 3 STARTS
		W-L	ERA	*REC	W-L	ERA	vs OPP	W-L	IP	ERA
Blue Jays	Soriano (R)	10-6	3.23	15-10	0-0	0.00	0-0	1-0	16.1	2.76
Yankees	Rodón (L)	4-2	3.22	6-4	0-1	1.80	2-4	1-0	14.1	2.51
Mets	McLean (R)	9-8	3.34	12-13	0-0	0.00	0-0	2-1	17.0	3.71
White Sox	Newcomb (L)	1-3	2.44	2-1	0-0	0.00	3-3	0-0	5.1	0.00
Guardians	Griffin (L)	14-4	3.18	19-6	0-0	0.00	0-0	2-1	15.0	4.20
Rockies	Sugano (R)	12-6	4.70	14-8	0-0	0.00	1-0	1-2	16.0	6.19
Giants	Wilkinson (L)	0-0	0.00	1-0	0-0	0.00	0-0	*0-0	2.0	0.00
Red Sox	Bennett (L)	7-6	3.46	7-7	0-0	0.00	0-0	1-2	15.0	6.60
Cubs	Imanaga (L)	8-9	3.77	13-12	0-0	0.00	1-0	1-0	15.2	4.60
Mariners	Miller (R)	4-7	3.71	4-11	0-0	0.00	1-0	0-2	15.2	8.04
Twins	Ober (R)	7-4	4.62	12-7	0-0	0.00	0-0	0-1	16.1	5.51
Padres	Buehler (R)	7-6	4.79	17-8	0-0	0.00	0-0	1-1	16.0	2.25
Rays	Martinez (R)	12-4	3.05	18-6	0-0	0.00	0-3	2-1	18.1	4.91
Orioles	Baz (R)	4-13	4.02	6-19	1-0	1.38	1-0	0-3	17.1	5.19
Athletics	Basso (L)	0-0	3.91	0-2	0-0	0.00	0-0	**0-0	4.2	0.00
Astros	Javier (R)	1-4	6.44	1-6	0-1	14.73	4-4	0-3	15.0	5.40
Tigers	TBD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Royals	Lynch (L)	4-4	2.83	1-2	1-0	3.00	4-3	0-2	8.0	7.88
Angels	Klassen (R)	2-1	3.74	4-1	1-0	3.00	1-0	2-0	17.0	1.59
Rangers	Quantrill (R)	5-4	3.13	4-5	0-0	1.12	1-1	1-1	18.0	1.00
Cardinals	Leahy (R)	10-4	3.24	12-12	1-0	1.80	2-0	3-0	15.0	1.80
Phillies	Sánchez (L)	16-4	2.50	19-7	0-0	0.00	2-0	2-0	17.0	1.59
Nationals	Kent (L)	0-1	9.39	0-2	0-0	0.00	0-0	0-1	7.2	9.39
Marlins	Junk (R)	6-8	4.37	8-10	0-0	6.00	1-1	1-2	14.0	3.21
Pirates	Młodzinski (R)	6-6	4.03	6-6	0-0	9.82	0-0	0-3	8.1	14.04
Dodgers	Snell (L)	1-1	3.60	2-1	0-0	0.00	1-3	1-1	15.0	3.60
Reds	Abbott (L)	6-8	4.07	13-13	0-0	1.80	0-1	1-1	17.1	5.19
D'backs	Bratt (L)	1-2	4.17	4-4	0-0	0.00	0-0	1-1	16.0	2.81
Braves	Mahle (R)	4-10	4.53	7-14	1-0	0.00	2-3	1-1	18.2	1.45
Brewers	Drohan (L)	6-4	3.86	8-6	0-0	0.00	0-0	1-0	16.1	6.06

REC: Won-lost record of pitcher's team in games he has started. One start in '26. **Two starts in '26.

STITCHES

Nationals hit Janson's Junk

The unconscious Nationals visit the semiconscious Marlins. Yes, a Sunday treat. The Nats rookie Jackson Kent (who?) has made two starts, allowing eight runs over 7 2/3 innings. Miami's Janson Junk didn't look too good, losing to Philly. And Junk gave up four runs to the Nats back in May. Play $50 on the road dog Nats.

The Yankees had won five in a row, but the combination of Dylan Cease's gem and the Bombers being the Stitch

pick put an end to their streak. Cease took yet another potential no-no into the seventh inning before allowing two hits. The Blue Jays spanked the Yanks 4-3. The Yankees were out of 15-4. Luis García Jr.'s homer gave the Stadium crowd and the crowd at Casa de Stitches false hope. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. dangling off third base, Trent Grisham struck out to end it. Start sreadily the blues. Loss has us at -528 joeppitones. stitches@nypost.com

---

NEW YORK POST ACTION

Home Team Lineups		HOME	AWAY
	TODAY Aug. 23	MON Aug. 24	TUE Aug. 25	WED Aug. 26	THU Aug. 27
	Toronto 1:35 YES 660 AM 101.9 FM	NO GAME	Houston 7:05 YES 660 AM 101.9 FM	Houston 7:05 Prime Video 660 AM 101.9 FM	Houston 7:05 YES 660 AM 101.9 FM
	White Sox 2:10 SNY 800 AM	NO GAME	Milwaukee 7:10 SNY 800 AM	Milwaukee 7:10 SNY 800 AM	Milwaukee 7:10 SNY 800 AM
	NO GAME	NO GAME	NO GAME	NO GAME	Golden State 8:00 My9 Prime Video

Friday	Friday
Preseason: Jets 7:30 WNBC 4 101.9 FM	Preseason: Giants 7:30 WCBS 2 104.3 FM

Saturday	Today	Today
Phila. Union 7:30 Apple TV	New England Revolution 4:30 Apple TV	Angel City FC 8:00 ION

Today's Sports on the Air

MLB BASEBALL
1:30 p.m.	Cardinals at Phillies	MLBN
1:35 p.m.	Blue Jays at Yankees	YES, 660 AM, 101.9 FM
2:10 p.m.	Mets at White Sox	SNY, 800 AM
3 p.m.	Giants at Red Sox	NBC, Peacock
4 p.m.	Reds at Diamondbacks	NBCSN, Peacock
7 p.m.	Braves vs. Brewers	ESPN
NFL FOOTBALL
8 p.m.	Preseason: Seahawks at Titans	Fox
MLB'S SOCCER
9 a.m.	English Premier League: Aston Villa at Brighton & Hove Albion	NBCSN
9 a.m.	English Premier League: AFC Bournemouth at Manchester City	USA
11 a.m.	Spanish La Liga: Villarreal at Atletico Madrid	ESPN2
11:30 a.m.	English Premier League: Liverpool at Newcastle United	USA
3:30 p.m.	Spanish La Liga: Barcelona at Elche	ABC
4:30 p.m.	NYCFC at New England Revolution	Apple TV
NWSL WOMEN'S SOCCER
2 p.m.	Racing Louisville at Chicago Stars	CBSSN
4 p.m.	Orlando Pride at Washington Spirit	ESPN2
6 p.m.	Houston Dash at Bay FC	CBSSN
8 p.m.	Gotham FC at Angel City FC	ION
WNBA BASKETBALL
4 p.m.	Storm at Wings	NBATV
7 p.m.	Fever at Sky	NBC, Peacock
GOLF
Noon	PGA Tour: BMW Championship, Final Round	Golf
2 p.m.	PGA Tour: BMW Championship, Final Round	CBS
2 p.m.	LIV Golf League: Final Round	FS2
3:30 p.m.	LIV Golf League: Final Round	Fox
5 p.m.	PGA Tour Champions: Rogers Charity Classic, Final Round	Golf
7 p.m.	LPGA Tour: CPKS Women's Open, Final Round	Golf
TENNIS
2 p.m.	ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open: Singles Final, Doubles Final	Tennis
AUTO RACING
9 a.m.	Formula 1: Dutch Grand Prix	Apple TV
9 a.m.	NTT IndyCar Series: Warmup, Streets of Washington	FS1
Noon	IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champ., Michelin GT Challenge at VIR	NBC
1 p.m.	NTT IndyCar Series: Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.	Fox
3 p.m.	NASCAR Cup Series: Dollar Tree 301	USA
LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES
9 a.m.	U.S. Bracket: Henderson, Nev. vs. Tacoma, Wash.	ESPN
11 a.m.	Intl. Bracket: Leon NCA vs. Tijuana, MEX	ESPN
1 p.m.	U.S. Bracket: Bayonne, NJ. vs. Davenport, IA	ABC
2 p.m.	Intl. Bracket: Willemstad, CUW vs. Seoul, KOR	ESPN
WOMEN'S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
1 p.m.	SMU vs. Texas A&M	ESPN2
4 p.m.	Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky	ESPN
HORSE RACING
1 p.m.	Saratoga Live	FS1
4 p.m.	Saratoga Live	FS1
4:30 p.m.	FanDuel Racing	MSGSN

ODDS & ENDS

FOOTBALL

Favorites to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2027 NFL Draft

PLAYER	ODDS
Arch Manning	28%
Darian Mansah	14%
Dante Moore	14%
CJ Carr	12%
Jeremiah Smith	11%
LaNorris Sellers	10%
Dylan Stewart	5%
Drew Mestemaker	4%
Julian Sayin	4%
Sam Leavitt	3%
Trinidad Chambliss	3%
Jayden Malava	2%
John Mateer	2%
Jordan Seaton	2%

Favorites to qualify for 2026 College Football Playoff

TEAM	ODDS
Notre Dame	82%
Oregon	75%
Ohio State	75%
Indiana	74%
Miami (Fla.)	74%
Georgia	69%
Texas Tech	67%
Texas	66%
LSU	42%
Oklahoma	41%
Alabama	40%
Texas A&M	39%
Ole Miss	35%
USC	32%
BYU	30%
SMU	28%
Penn State	27%
Michigan	26%
Florida	20%
Louisville	20%
Utah	19%
Tennessee	18%
Auburn	16%
Iowa	16%
Missouri	16%
Washington	16%
Houston	15%
South Carolina	15%
James Madison	13%
Kansas State	13%
Arizona State	12%
Clemson	12%
TCU	12%
California	11%
Miami (Ohio)	10%
Virginia Tech	10%
Arizona	10%
Florida State	9%
Georgia Tech	9%
Oklahoma State	9%
Illinois	8%
Tulane	8%
Pitt	6%

BET SMART

By MICHAEL LEBOFF

So much was going on at Ole Miss in 2025.

The Rebels entered the campaign as a trendy pick to chase a College Football Playoff spot but were left for dead when starting quarterback Austin Simmons went down with an injury after just two games. Instead of falling apart, Ole Miss rallied around transfer QB Trinidad Chambliss, went 11-1 and qualified for the tournament.

Oh, and Lane Kiffin abandoned the program right before the CFP to take the LSU gig.

Kiffin's replacement, Pete Golding, guided the team to wins over Tulane and Georgia in the CFP, and nearly took down Miami in the semifinals. Despite all the chaos, Ole Miss was one play short of getting a crack at the national championship.

Things should be quieter in Oxford in 2026, as Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy try to guide the Rebels back to the dance.

Oddsmakers at bet365 Sportsbook think it's more likely than not that they fall short of that goal, as they're +170 to make the CFP and -220 to miss.

Chambliss, meanwhile, is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Only CJ Carr and Arch Manning have shorter odds than the Ole Miss signal-caller — who is at 11/1 along with Darian Mensah, Dante Moore, and Julian Sayin. Not bad for a player who was a relative unknown at this time last year.

If the sixth-year senior can make good

on those projections, there's no reason why Ole Miss won't be among the elite teams in the SEC, especially since Lacy projects to be a game-winner out of the backfield.

The argument against Ole Miss is the same as it is for plenty of teams in the SEC: The schedule is relentless. Not only do the Rebels open with a tricky contest against Louisville, but they will welcome Kiffin and the Bayou Bengals to Oxford in Week 3 as part of a gauntlet that sees them take on Florida, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Texas, Auburn, Georgia and Oklahoma.

Getting out of that stretch relatively unscathed would be a massive achievement and likely would put the Rebels in the running for the SEC title.

If you think that Ole Miss is good enough to climb that ladder, the 10/1 odds on the Rebels to win the SEC Championship may look appealing, as would the similar price on Chambliss winning the Heisman, but I'd suggest going in a different direction.

For the Rebels to contend in the SEC, against this schedule, Chambliss will need to take another step forward after a massive leap in 2025. If he does that, he will put himself in contention not just for the Heisman, but to be the first overall pick in 2026.

He's a massive long shot (3 percent) at Kalshi to do it, and I think that's a pretty tempting bet on a player with his profile.

Recommendation: Trinidad Chambliss to be No. 1 overall pick in 2027 NFL Draft (3 percent, Kalshi).

mleboff@nypost.com

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60

THE PIRATES acquired Luke Weaver from the Mets at the trade deadline presumably to take the ninth-inning gig from the closer-by-committee grouping of Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery.

It was supposed to be a big boost to Weaver's fantasy value. (Key words: Supposed to be.) It has not been, as he entered Friday without even a save opportunity in his first four appearances.

Since Weaver's arrival in Pittsburgh, Montgomery is the only pitcher who has recorded a save — and he has looked good doing it. The left is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, three saves, a 65 percent strikeout rate, 150 opponents' average and an insane 25.3 percent swinging-strike rate in his first six outings this month.

Montgomery, who owns a 3.40 ERA (2.52 xERA) and 39 percent strikeout rate for the season, may not be racking up saves but that doesn't make his production any less valuable — especially when he has been one of the most dominant relievers over the past two-plus months.

Since June 29, Montgomery allowed two earned runs over 20 appearances (none in his past nine) while collecting five saves, three wins, a 1.02 ERA (0.86 xERA), .097 opponents' average, 0.62 WHIP, 55.2 percent strikeout rate and a 16.1 percent swinging-strike rate.

Among qualified relievers during that stretch, Montgomery ranked 17th in ERA, 14th in swinging-strike rate, seventh in groundball rate and fourth in WHIP. He also had the best strikeout rate, the lowest xERA and was tied with David Bednar for the lowest opponents' average.

Montgomery entered the weekend leading all relievers in strikeout rate (54.2 percent) and was fifth in opponents' average, eighth in WHIP (0.65) and 12th in swinging-strike rate (16.7 percent) in the second half.

SAVE A BUG

Pirates reliever might not give up closer role to Weaver

The 6-foot-2 Pirate also entered the weekend ranked in the top 3 percent of the league in expected batting average (.183, lower than his .193 mark), xWOBA and xERA (2.52, well below his 3.40 ERA), and ranked in the top 1 percent of the league in strikeout rate. He was also in the 90th percentile or better in extension, groundball rate (56.1 percent), whiff rate (32.9 percent) and fastball velocity (98.4 mph).

Montgomery, available in more than 85 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues, should be considered Pittsburgh's primary closer. Even if the saves don't pile up, there is nothing but positivity in his expected stats, and his production should only benefit your staff.

Whether you're looking for saves or ratio boost, there are plenty of widely available bullpen arms capable of providing valuable production.

In his first six appearances, Ben Joyce (8.2% ESPN, 21% Yahoo) collected three saves and owned a 0.00 ERA (0.69 xERA), 42.1 percent strikeout rate and .056 opponents' average. Opponents were hitting .077 against his fastball,

which averages 101.7 mph, according to Statcast. If the 6-foot-5 Angel qualified, he would rank in the 95th percentile or better in xERA, xBA, fastball velocity, average exit velocity, whiff rate, strikeout rate, walk rate, barrel rate and hard-hit rate. The Halos aren't competing for anything, but Joyce can help your squad.

The White Sox's Grant Taylor (16.6% ESPN, 30% Yahoo) entered Friday having not allowed an earned run since July 2. In 15 appearances since (seven of which lasted more than one inning), he recorded five saves, a 26.6 percent strikeout rate, 0.80 WHIP and a .141 opponents' average.

In his first six outings since the trade deadline, the surging Mets' Kodai Senga (10.9% ESPN, 28% Yahoo) recorded four saves in four chances while striking out 10.5 per nine and owning a 1.50 ERA.

jwill@nypost.com

Gary Bates

D'backs star seen at casino during absence

By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has been candid throughout star Ketel Marte's mysterious absence, and his love for the player didn't lessen his frustration as the situation unfolded.

"Once I saw what was unfolding, I became extremely frustrated," Lovullo told reporters Friday night. "I felt betrayed. And that's a whole different type of pain and frustration. But I'm through that."

The three-time All-Star went AWOL for the team's game at Boston on Monday and left the team searching for answers.

The Diamondbacks placed Marte on the 10-day injured list with left knee inflammation Thursday after he met with Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen.

Lovullo initially said Marte was dealing with a personal issue before his injury was revealed.

Team CEO Derrick Hall described the situation Thursday as a "complete mystery" and "bizarre."

Marte was not in the clubhouse Friday, but he was spotted at the Talking Stick Resort casino in nearby Scottsdale for four hours while his team beat the Reds 9-0 at Chase Field, according to Arizona Sports' John Gambadore.

Lovullo didn't seem to have a problem with it as long as Marte was showing up for his rehab work at the team's spring training facility, as he did earlier Friday.

"He's free to do whatever he wants. That's how I look at it," Lovullo told reporters postgame. "As long as he wakes up tomorrow morning ... and gets his work done at Salt River [Fields], which I am certain he will, that's all that matters to me right now."

Marte received an injection for left knee inflammation, per MLB.com. The team's hope is the slugger can return in a minimum of 10 days.

"There's right ways to handle things and wrong ways to handle things," Lovullo said. "I think the conclusion that was drawn up yesterday was that we could have been better. Ketel could have been better, specifically. Admittedly so."

The drama is happening at the worst possible time for Arizona as the team tries to secure a playoff berth with 34 games to go.

BIG HITS

Pete Alonso 18, Orioles

The former Met entered Friday on a 12-game hit streak, going 22-for-53 (.478) with six homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.460 OPS. He hit .319 with eight homers and a .976 OPS in his first 31 second-half games.

Sandy Alcantara SP, Marlins

Allowed more than three earned runs in just of his past nine starts while owning a 2.07 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and a .199 opponents' average.

Gabriel Moreno C, Diamondbacks

Entered the weekend second in RBIs (30) for the second half while hitting .319 with four homers, 21 runs, a 10.1 percent walk rate and .922 OPS.

Payton Tolle SP, Red Sox

No losses since July 1 and is 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA (1.91 xERA), 11.8 strikeouts per nine and a 15.2 percent swinging-strike rate in seven starts since.

BIG WHIFFS

Landen Roupp SP, Giants

Allowed three earned runs or more in four of his past five starts, going 0-5 with a 6.20 ERA, 16.2 percent walk rate and a .229 opponents' average.

A.J. Ewing OF, Mets

Hit .169 with no homers or RBIs, 20 strikeouts and .501 OPS in his first 17 games this month. Struck out 38 times in his first 30 second-half games.

Cal Raleigh C, Mariners

Hit .169 with 91 strikeouts and a .581 OPS in the first half, but hit .120 with 34 strikeouts and a .538 OPS in his first 29 second-half games.

Framber Valdez SP, Tigers

Issued 20 free passes (3.7 per nine) over his past nine starts while going 4-3 with a 5.14 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and a .279 opponents' average. He has walked two or more in each of his past six outings.

CHECK SWINGS

• Reid Detmers picked up just one win over his past six starts, but the Angels lefty owned a 1.83 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 34.6 percent strikeout rate and .160 opponents' average.

• Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs (in consecutive at-bats) in his first career game, an unforgettable performance. His next six games were forgettable as he went 1-for-21 (.048) with eight strikeouts and .240 OPS.

• St. Louis' Kyle Leahy has not allowed more than three earned runs in a start since June 12 and has not allowed more than two earned runs to score in any of his past 10 — going 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA, 8.9 strikeouts per nine, 4.5 percent walk rate and a .215 opponents' average.

TEAM NAME OF THE WEEK

Seager Beaver

Submit to jwill@nypost.com

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Kicker Zvada shines

By PAUL SCHWARTZ

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Is there anything for head coach John Harbaugh — with all his special teams background — to critique about the NFL preseason debut for rookie kicker Dominic Zvada?

"I don't think so," Harbaugh, smiling, told The Post after Saturday's 26-3 victory over the Dolphins. "Those balls were kicked straight and well."

GIANTS NOTES

The two kicks Harbaugh was referring to were field goals of 43 and 38 yards by Zvada. Ben Sauls took over in the second half and hit his two field goal attempts, from 27 and 37 yards.

"Ben did well, too," Harbaugh said.

This was Zvada's first crack at the NFL kickoff strategy and there were no issues whatsoever.

"Our experience with rookies and that kick is, it takes a while," Harbaugh said. "He was good, probably better than I expected him to be. That's something those guys have to work on."

► WR Braxton Berrios had a soft tissue situation and that is why he was not in uniform. "He'll be back this week," Harbaugh said.

... WR Darnell Mooney told Harbaugh a few months ago that he was the best man at his brother's wedding. Harbaugh gave him permission to miss this game.

► The Giants went with two starters on their offensive line: center John Michael Schmitz Jr. and left guard Jon Runyan. The other starters were rookie J.C. Davis at left tackle, Aaron Stinnie at right guard and Marcus Mbow at right tackle, Rookie RG Sisi Mauigoa left Thursday's joint practice with a stinger injury.

Harbaugh said Mauigoa would have been a game-time decision if this were the regular season and stated this will not be a long-term deal with Mauigoa.

CRACK THE CODY: Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger said he will be activated from the injured list Sunday after playing in a pair of rehab games. The former National League MVP has been sidelined for four weeks while recovering from an injured hamstring.

Robert Sabo

Bell' is on the way. LF set to return Sunday from hamstring injury

By MARK W. SANCHEZ

On a dark Saturday afternoon for the Yankees, who revealed Giancarlo Stanton had again strained a calf, there was a Cody Bellinger silver lining.

The left fielder said he will be activated Sunday after two rehab games, including playing six innings in the outfield for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday.

Bellinger said his hamstring was tested on a few plays and passed each.

"For me, come in, help the team win as much as I can and play my

YANKEES NOTES

best ball," Bellinger said before Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays in The Bronx.

After being sidelined for four weeks, Bellinger will return to a club that has been changed by the trade deadline and Spencer Jones' emergence as a useful player. The Yankees have been playing Heliot Ramos — a righty hitter brought in to do damage against lefties — most days in left and the lefty-hitting Jones most days in right.

It is possible that the two be-

come a right field platoon tandem until and if Aaron Judge returns, though manager Aaron Boone did not want to tip his hand regarding right field.

"Wait and see," Boone said, and it is at least possible that Jones gets optioned to the minors if the club decides it prefers Max Schuemann's versatility.

► Judge's rehab is going "well," Boone said, and the team's captain continues to hit. He graduated Friday to tee-and-toss and has not yet faced machine or live pitching.

There are no definitive updates

regarding Judge, who has said he will return this season from his fractured rib.

"He's throwing, running, lifting," Boone said. "He seems to be in a good place and moving. For him now, it's about just getting the body built up."

► Max Fried threw a bullpen session for the first time since landing on the injured list Monday with a recurrence of his elbow bone bruise.

There was no immediate update from the Yankees regarding how the session went.

Bills D-lineman's 2-year-old son drowned: report

By THOMAS GAMBA-ELLIS

New details have emerged in the tragic death of Bills defensive lineman Ed Oliver's 2-year-old son.

Oliver's son reportedly drowned in a swimming pool at the defensive tackle's Texas home nearly two months ago, TMZ Sports reported Saturday.

Local officials responded to a life-in-danger call at Oliver's home June 28, with first responders being told upon arrival that Oliver and his wife found their son unresponsive in their pool, per TMZ.

The toddler was then rushed to a nearby hospital before being pronounced dead at 7:18 p.m.

Oliver, 28, was also re-

portedly seen speaking with officials outside his home before breaking down into tears, TMZ reported.

There is an ongoing investigation into what exactly occurred, but seemingly nothing has been resolved, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

News of the child's tragic death initially broke Saturday

morning, with ESPN and NFL Network insider Cameron Wolfe reporting that a source close to Oliver said he is asking for "privacy and prayers at this very difficult time."

"On behalf of the entire Buffalo Bills organization, we want to publicly express our condolences to Ed Oliver and his family on the devastating loss of his son," Bills general

manager Brandon Beane said in a statement. "It's an unthinkable tragedy for any parent.

"We will continue to support Ed and his family as we all grieve this tragic loss."

First-year Bills coach Joe Brady said Oliver missed Thursday's joint practice with the Browns because of an unspecified injury.

tgamba-ellis@nypost.com

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62

2026 U.S. Open

SERBY'S SUNDAY Q&A WITH ...

Patrick McEnroe

Patrick

ESPN tennis analyst and former player Patrick McEnroe takes a swing at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby ahead of the start of the U.S. Open later this month.

Q: How does Jannik Sinner (knee) withdrawing from the U.S. Open change your overall view?

A: It's opportunity for the rest of the field. [Carlos] Alcaraz hasn't played a tournament since early in the spring, so to expect him to go all the way would be I think a bit of a stretch, although he's certainly capable of doing that. But if you're Ben Shelton, or Taylor Fritz, or Alexander Zverze or any of these other guys that are sort of second-tier guys, you got to be licking your chops right now that this could be [their] one chance.

Q: Your updated prediction?

A: I think I'm going to go with Ben Shelton now. ... He's had the best summer, winning Canada, he's got the most upside I've been talking about of all the American men for a couple of years now. With Alcaraz being a little bit suspect, he could get upset, he could lose early, and I think Shelton has a decent game to match up with him. Clearly, if they played late in the tournament, that would mean that Alcaraz is feeling pretty good and would likely be the favorite if they do play, but I think if ever there were an opportunity for Big Ben to kind of put it all together, this would be the spot, this would be the place. He's going to have a very high seed, he probably will be seeded 4 or 5 or 6, so if he can stay away from Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, I just think it's a great opportunity, and I think he's going to revel in the New York crowd.

Q: Andy Roddick was the last American to win the U.S. Open and Grand Slam singles title in 2003. So you're predicting the first American winner since Andy Roddick.

A: That is absolutely correct. You heard it clearly right from my mouth (laugh). I'm going with it.

Q: Describe the state of men's tennis.

A: Alcaraz is the most electrifying player in tennis. He moves the needle as an individual player more so than

IN THE FAMILY: ESPN tennis analyst Patrick McEnroe is the brother of former tennis great John (above).

any other player since Rafa [Rafael Nadal] and Roger [Federer] retired. Sinner's obviously an unbelievable player, and those two have completely dominated the men's game for the last call it three years now. I knew Sinner and Alcaraz were going to be great, I didn't know they were going to be this great this quickly. ... I like to see the best players in the biggest tournaments. The reality now after the utter domination from those two for the previous two calendar years where they pretty much won every major and played in almost every major final, there's only one major this year now where both of them played, and that was the first one of the year, Australian. There's been a lot of talk this summer about players getting injured and the tours having to do something about the schedule, so that will make that discussion even louder because these are two young players, two extremely fit players, athletic players, and both of them now missing significant time this year due to injury.

Q: Who is a sleeper pick to make a lot of noise?

A: For people that are going to be reading your piece and don't really know tennis, I'm going to say it's [Rafael] Jodar. I love his game, he's got an all-court game, he's Spanish, but he doesn't play really a traditional Spanish game, he's got an unreal two-handed backhand, really good serve, lanky. He can kind of beat you from any part of the court. The other guy is [Joao] Fonseca, the Brazilian who's been on the scene a little longer. Fonseca's a guy who's got massive firepower, but he just hasn't quite got control of the game yet.

Q: Describe the state of women's tennis.

A: Women's tennis is more wide open than men's tennis. I think you've seen [Aryna] Sabalenka, [Elena] Rybakina kind of distance themselves a little bit, [Iga] Swiatek's starting to play well again this summer, having won the Open before and multiple majors on clay. Coco Gauff's won two majors despite the fact that her serve and forehand can break down at times under pressure. Sabalenka's No. 1 in the world, and clearly the best hardcourt player and two-time defending champ of the Open, but she hasn't won a major this year. The pressure's on her to try and do that again. But you can make a case of [Mirra] Andreeva, the young Russian who won the French. She can be the next great player. Marta Kostyuk — I could probably give you double-digit number of women that could win the tournament.

Q: Sleeper pick?

A: Iva Jovic, who's a young American from southern California. She hits the ball actually similarly to [Jessica] Pegula, like pretty flat. She's young, so she hits the ball I'd say a little bit bigger. She's not that tall so she doesn't have a big serve, but man, she's feisty. She's a great ball striker. I'm not sure she can win yet because I'm not sure she

Getty Images / USDA

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2026 U.S. Open

has enough just pure firepower, but I think that she's going to win some majors. And I think she's someone that is going to be really energized by the New York crowd, she's got a lot of spunk to her game. The other American woman to watch for is [Amanda] Anisimova. She's been a little up and down this year because she had some injuries, but she's starting to play well.

Q: What was the most electric U.S. Open crowd?

A: [Pete] Sampras-[Alex] Corretja, the Sampras-[Andre] Agassi match-ups were incredible. Federer beating Agassi in the final. Serena [Williams] had her moments, both and good and bad, right? Over the years, certainly some of the most memorable moments. Serena-[Jennifer] Capriati when those terrible calls went against Serena's way. That was like the onset of why we got electronic line calling. [Novak] Djokovic has had his moments where he was going for the Grand Slam and lost in straight sets to [Daniil] Medvedev in 2022. That was the biggest ovation he's ever gotten — losing — in the U.S. Open Final.

Q: What was the 2007 Davis Cup like, beating the Russians in Portland when you were captain?

A: My brother [John] did it for a year and hated it because that wasn't his thing, he wanted to be playing. For me it was sort of a dream of mine to be the captain, so when I got the job at the end of 2000, to me it was like this is a job I want to keep as long as I can which I ended up doing for 10 years. ... I focused my energy on the younger guys and building a team. To me, 2007 was like the culmination of five or six years. I relished that whole journey.

Q: Winning the doubles at the 1989 French Open?

A: I graduated from Stanford in '88, and I wasn't really sure, first of all, if I should try to play pro tennis. I was

a good college player, but not a great player. My brother was No. 1 and so I had to deal with that, and my mom was like, 'Oh, you sure you want to play tennis? You're not going to be as good as your brother.' And I'm like, 'Mom, he's No. 1 in the world, no one's as good as him.' Anyway, doubles was my way into the tour initially. I was basically a doubles specialist. But I realized midway through '90 that I wanted to attempt to become a legitimate singles player.

Q: Your 1995 U.S. Open quarterfinals match against Boris Becker.

A: I had a new coach that I'd hired earlier that year, and his whole premise to me was, 'We got to try and get you believing that you can beat these top players.' So one of the things he actually did was he had me start practicing with all, like, top-10 players. I was playing about as well as I could play. And I looked up at the scoreboard, and I was down two sets to love. ... So I'm sitting there in the changeover, this is my dream, to play in the quarterfinals of the Open, all my friends are there, my family's there, I'd been hoping to have this moment for myself for years. And I looked up and I said, 'You know what, F-k it, I'm just going to go for it.' So I just started playing kind of the way I'd been practicing, and I won the third set. That was the most electric match I ever played. I do admit that I have the one regret which is, 'What if I started the match that way?'

Q: You were up two sets on Jimmy Connors in the first round at the '91 Open.

A: I was up two sets and he was serving at ... love-40, but who remembers the details, right? ... It was brutal, absolutely brutal. I think it took me about six months to recover. I remember thinking to myself, 'I got Connors beat.' He just got the crowd going. You talk about electrifying the crowd, what he did at that tournament was up there with one of the all-time runs in the U.S. Open history. That's about as loud as I've ever heard it there.

Q: Losing in a '91 Final to your brother in Chicago.

A: It was actually the only time where I legitimately had a chance to beat him, because he was kind of at the end of his career, and I was like in the prime of my career. ... I didn't have that thing that I really wanted to beat my brother. I looked up to my brother, he's seven years older than me. The last thing he wanted to do was lose to his brother, like he would never have been able to deal with it. He ended up beating me 6-4 in the third set. That actually ended up being the last tournament he ever won in singles.

Q: You've been with ESPN since 1995. When did you know you wanted to go into broadcasting?

A: I was pretty shy as a kid to be honest, and then because of being John's brother and John bursting onto the

scene as a teenager — about 10, 11 years old — I'm going around playing junior tournaments and everybody wants to interview me because I'm John's brother. So I sort of like developed a comfort level with talking to reporters, being on TV, and then when the opportunity came when I had shoulder injury after I had my best year in '95, ESPN was looking for somebody new to join Fred Stolle and Cliff Drysdale, Mary Carillo had been part of that team as well. And right away I just loved it.

Q: You've been president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame more than three years now.

A: I'm a sucker for history and for stories, and the Hall of Fame encompasses all that in addition to celebrating the champions ... the impact of players like Althea Gibson, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe had not only on tennis, but on society. This is all leading to our induction this coming week, where Mary Carillo and that other guy named Roger will go into the Hall of Fame.

Q: Douglaston, Queens. A: My junior high school basketball coach said to me — I went to Buckley Country Day School in Roslyn [LL] — he said, 'There's something about the water there,' because we were around the water there. And Mary Carillo and her family were from there, the McEnroes were from there, and we just kind of fell into getting in tennis at the local club, the Douglaston Club.

Q: Describe your brother Mark. A: I call him 'Man in the Middle.' ... I started beating Mark when I was like 8 or 9. He's like, 'Screw this.' He became a lawyer, like my dad. He's taken over a lot of the stuff that my dad used to do for me and John career-wise.

Q: Your 'Mac Daddy Show' — which will drop new episodes on YouTube on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — debuts Wednesday.

A: I'm a little more, I would say, of a seasoned broadcaster at this point than 'Big Daddy' [Rich Salgado] is, but that makes it a little bit different. I can sort of take the lead on most of the interviews, and when it comes to guys like [Michael] Strahan and Mike Eruzione and Bernard Hopkins, Big Daddy has a relationship that goes back years and years, so I think that brings a comfort level that we seem to be getting from the guests that you normally don't get. I've always wanted to do a show like this.

Q: Three dinner guests? A: [Nelson] Mandela, George Washington, Margaret Thatcher. ... I'm still bummed that we haven't had a female president.

Q: Favorite movies? A: 'Shawshank Redemption,' 'Cad-dyshack,' 'The Sting.'

Q: Favorite actor? A: Matt Damon.

Q: Favorite actress? A: Meryl Streep.

Q: Favorite entertainer? A: My wife [Melissa Errico].

Serena, Alcaraz to play mixed doubles in her return to Open

By BRIAN MAHONEY

Serena Williams will team up with Carlos Alcaraz to create a powerhouse mixed doubles pair in her return to the U.S. Open.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Saturday that Williams and Alcaraz had been given a wild card into the tournament. The mixed doubles main draw begins Tuesday, with the winning team sharing $1 million.

It will be Williams' first time playing at the U.S. Open since 2022. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion returned to tennis this summer.

'Let's gooooo!' Alcaraz posted on X, with a fire emoji and tagging Williams.

Williams is not planning to play singles in New York. The USTA had been holding one women's wild card, presumably in case Williams wanted it. However, the tournament announced Saturday that it had been given to American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.

Williams played singles at Wimbledon but sustained a knee injury in her first-round loss. She played doubles with older sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open, and they could still opt to play together at the U.S. Open.

Alcaraz announced this week he would return to defend his U.S. Open singles title after being sidelined since April with a right wrist injury.

Serena Williams won a mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open even before winning any of her six singles titles there. She teamed for the 1998 championship with Max Mirnyi, who now works with top-ranked woman Aryna Sabalenka.

The mixed doubles tournament is far different now, as the USTA revamped it last year to make it a two-day, 16-team event it hoped would draw top singles players.

Few are bigger than Williams and Alcaraz, the two-time U.S. Open men's champion who is ranked No. 2.

The USTA also announced a number of updates to the field after some players withdrew from the competition.

Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz will team up, after their previous partners, Jack Draper and Elena Rybakina, pulled out with injuries. The teams of Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, along with Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, were given the remaining two wild cards into the main draw.

Also, Diana Shnaider remains in the field and will be given a chance to find a new partner after Daniil Medvedev withdrew. — AP

SERENA WILLIAMS

CARLOS ALCARAZ

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64

Mike Vaccaro

OPEN MIKE

mvaccaro@nypost.com

A BRONX ALL

BILL WALTON'S eyes got misty. The smile — that million-watt smile that lit up every room, every gym, every Grateful Dead venue he ever walked into — dimmed. This was the one subject that could always harsh his mellow, no matter how good a mood he was in.

I'd asked him about his feet. When he was young, and when he was right, those feet made him a one-of-one marvel among big men in the history of basketball: quick, nimble, highly coordinated. But they were also his fatal flaw. In truth, if we ever wanted to modernize the term "Achilles' heel," we could do worse than "Walton's Wheels."

"Every game I had to sit out in my life because of injury," he told me that day in 2004, "it felt like someone ripped my heart out, stomped on it, and handed it back to me."

Walton won two NCAA championships at UCLA. He bookended those with two NBA titles, one in 1977 with the Blazers when he was among the five best basketball players on planet Earth, one in 1986 with the Celtics after he'd endured almost seven straight years of unimaginable pain and loss due to his weakening feet.

"I loved basketball," he said. "I still do. I dream of it still, and when I do I have two healthy legs and I don't ever want to wake up."

Before he had his splendid final act with the Celtics in '86 — when he played 80 out of 82 games and won the Sixth Man of the Year Award — Walton was routinely plagued by whispers about his inability to get on the floor. From the 1978-79 season through 1984-85, Walton only played in 249 of 574 games. He missed three entire seasons. He'd signed a seven-year, $7 million contract with the Clippers, making him one of the first million-dollar men.

And couldn't stay on the floor. Some accused him of take-the-money-and-not-run.

"However angry people might

FEEL THE STRAIN: Giancarlo Stanton, whose latest injury is a left calf strain, has played in just 606 of 1,194 possible games since his second year with the Bombers. Charles Wenzelberg / NY Post

have even [been] at me," Walton said. "I was even angrier. I'll never get those games, those years, back. It killed me. Little by little."

I thought of Walton early Saturday afternoon as the word began to filter that Giancarlo Stanton's comeback from his latest injury setback ended when he fell while running the bases. It seems likely he will miss the rest of the season, ending his season at 24 games.

Similar to Walton, that will make

just 606 out of 1,194 possible games that Stanton will have played in since his second year with the Yankees, 2019. And similar to Walton, there seems to be just as much snark as sympathy every time Stanton lands on the IL, or extends his time there.

That's something I've never understood. I do get the frustrations fans feel when athletes aren't available to play. And look, on those rare instances when they put themselves

in unnecessary peril — looking at you, Cam Skattebo — then all bets are off.

But the notion that athletes don't want to play? I'll never be able to understand that. Ben Simmons, for one notable exception, just took his ball home one day and never came back. That's puzzling in its own way, but it's an outlier.

Think about where Stanton was in 2017: 28 years old, MVP in the National League, 58 homers and a 1,007 OPS. When the Yankees acquired him that winter to pair with Aaron Judge, it was fair to wonder if there'd ever been a 3-4 in a lineup (no matter how you batter them) quite like that since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig 90 years before. And it's hard to remember but he had a fine first year as a Yankee — 38 homers, 100 RBIs, a top-20 MVP vote.

And then ... Well. Then. Then he started getting hurt and never really stopped. Bicep. Knee. Quad. Hamstring. Quad again. Calf. Achilles. Hamstrings again. (And again. And again). Elbow. Calf again.

In 2017-18, Stanton's bWAR was 12.5. In the years since? It's 6.7, combined. This is a sure fire Hall of Fame player who we've seen disintegrate physically before our eyes. He has become Baseball Bill Walton.

You hope maybe Stanton has Walton's 1986 in him before he's done, and that 2024 — the seven homers and 1,048 OPS that helped fuel the Yankees to the World Series — wasn't the last gasp. Right now, that feels the only way to root. After all the misery, he does deserve one final pain-free walk in the sun. Some year.

VAC'S WHACKS

I KNOW I should know better than this. And it's an exhibition game. And yadda-yadda-yadda. But I can't help it: 17-0 is 17-0, and the Jets actually look ... not terrible so far.

► Bob Ahrens died this week. You might not know his name, but he was the longtime sports director at WFUV radio at Fordham, and his unceasing work advocating for young people in the media industry was unparalleled. Also a very nice man and a gentleman. He will be missed.

► Five 2001 Mets — Mike Piazza, John Franco, Al Leiter, Robin Ventura and Todd Zeile — will be at Citi Field on Sept. 10-11 for events commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Bobby Valentine, their manager, is hoping to join the group despite undergoing scheduled surgery later this month. "If I can walk, I plan to be there," he says. "This is a special year and we had a special group. Our motto has been the same all these years: Never forget the thousands of people who died that day."

► Instead of the NBA Cup in December, can't we have, like, a summer weekend tournament or something every year? It feels like six years since Game 5.

Elliot Levine: George Lombard Jr. certainly appears to be an exceptional ballplayer. However, forecasting a future career based upon 11 games is the proverbial crapshoot. If he had continued his production after 11 games, Gary Sánchez would already have a plaque in Monument Park. Vac: It would appear that

WHACK BACK AT VAC

Sánchez has become the new Kevin Maas among Yankees fans seeking cautionary tales. John Stanolevich: I certainly remember those names and many from years before Derek Jeter you cited. I can make a list

of Jets QBs since Joe Namath, too. That will be even longer. Vac: That one might stretch longer than "Lonesome Dove." @Keninof: I had season tickets and saw all of Wayne McKoy's home games. Always loved his

game, and loved that he was a good human being, with human frailties. @MikeVacc: I was overwhelmed by the response to my McKoy tribute this week. He would have been so moved to know how

many lives he touched. Richard Siegelman: Tommy John himself may have won "only" 164 games after his famous surgery, but many other MLB pitchers have won far more games after Tommy John surgery. That's reason enough to elect Tommy (and Dr. Jobe) into the Hall of Fame. Vac: Co-sign!

EVERY SUNDAY MIKE VACCARO RESPONDS TO READERS' QUESTIONS AT MVACCARO@NYPOST.COM AND @MIKEVACC ON X

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SPEAKING THE PEACE

By MADELINE KENNEY

Breanna Stewart wanted to wait.

After Friday's practice, with Saturday's Liberty-Fever showdown already carrying the usual weight of a marquee WNBA game, Stewart was asked about the competing rallies planned outside Barclays Center ahead of tipoff.

"I honestly would love to weigh in tomorrow," Stewart said.

Saturday morning, she did. Less than 24 hours later, Stewart gathered with a small group of reporters, including The Post, for an in-depth conversation about the scheduled demonstrations, the WNBA's approach to transgender inclusion and what she believes the league should protect as its audience continues to grow.

Her central message was less about choosing a side than refusing to let the debate fracture what she views as one of the league's defining qualities, which is its ability to make people feel they belong.

"The inclusivity [of the league] is the big thing for me," said Stewart before scoring a team-high 22 points in the Liberty's 109-102 win over the Fever. "I don't want to turn anyone away at the door because that's not right either. But I know for a fact that people have safe space here when they come to these games, and that's something that ... is really precious, and you have to hold on to and make sure that doesn't change."

Fever star Sophie Cunningham's comment in an ESPN article published last month, in which she said she wants "to protect ... young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men," ignited a firestorm that put the WNBA on center stage of a contentious political debate.

In the subsequent weeks, rallies in support of Cunningham and "protect girls in sport" have been scheduled outside Fever games, including in Seattle, Dal-

Stewart calls out 'stunts for attention,' league's lack of trans policy

las and Chicago. Counterprotests supporting transgender inclusion have also been planned.

Outside Barclays Center on Saturday was expected to be the next host site of both demonstrations.

"Knowing that rallies are happening on both sides shows the platform that the W has," Stewart said, "and the stunts for attention are just continuing to try and ride the wave that we have."

Earlier this month, former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White announced they were planning to enter the 2027 WNBA draft because the WNBA's stance on transgender athletes' participation remains unclear.

The WNBA created an anti-hate task force to address multiple issues facing the league, but it hasn't established a definitive policy addressing transgender athlete eligibility.

The league issued a statement last week, saying, in part, "There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others."

Stewart said the absence of that policy, though, has left room for controversy to fester.

"Of course, if the league kind of had the rules set in place on inclusivity, it would kind of make it a cleaner picture for everyone else," Stewart said. "With that, I'm definitely deferring to the WNBA and the task force. ... Hopefully they were thinking about this beforehand ... [and] didn't come up just now."

More on protests Page 14

There should be a distinction between league policy and individual belief.

The WNBA has long been far more outspoken compared to other major American professional sports leagues on issues of social justice and equality.

"That's our superpower," Stewart said. "The ability to kind of come together."

Stewart believes that willingness to use its collective voice remains a strength, even as the league attracts new fans who may not share the same politics.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion," Stewart said. "This league is incredibly inclusive, in what we continue to fight for and stand up against. So we don't want to take that platform away. We just want to make sure that everyone is still educated and knowing that the things that brought this league together between the fight and the grit and like the camaraderie, we can't let that take us apart by outside hate."

Stewart, who identifies as an ally of the transgender community, doesn't have all the answers, and she didn't offer a clear-cut resolution to a divisive issue. She expressed her desire for the league to preserve room for disagreement without allowing disagreement to become division.

"There's so many different ways to be," she said. "And you see there's so many different personalities and people in our league, and who they love and what they stand for, and all these different types of things. And that doesn't have to mean that we have to pick one."

For Stewart, that point is worth protecting as the WNBA enters a new era of visibility.

STEWART SAYS: Liberty star Breanna Stewart says the lack of a policy by the WNBA regarding transgender athletes is one reason for such chaos and fervor. There were protests — for and against the league allowing transgender players in the women's league — at the Liberty's 109-102 win over the Fever on Saturday at Barclays Center.

©Sylva/Shutterstock.com

65 New York Post, Sunday, August 23, 2026 nypost.com

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66

LIBERTY BREAK

FEVER

Show they can be WNBA title contenders with convincing win over Caitlin Clark & Co.

By MADELINE KENNEY

The Liberty's 109-102 win against the Indiana Fever on Saturday wasn't just another regular-season victory.

LIBERTY FEVER 109 1002 Besscore Page 54

Amid a season in which there have been continuous questions about the Liberty's ceiling, New York proved it can not only hang with the best, but beat them.

"It's big, especially for us as a group," Rebecca Allen said. "Is it a statement to the league? I think it was more something for ourselves."

Saturday not only had standings implications in a tight race for playoff seeding, but it was also a chance to send a message.

At least that was the talk out of practice Friday.

But there seemed to be a deeper layer to Saturday's marquee matchup against the Fever.

The Liberty's pride was on the line, especially after Indiana beat them in each of their past two meetings.

The Liberty, playing on national television and in front of a sold-out Barclays Center crowd, almost lost it late. But they ultimately held off a late Fever push for the win.

"I wouldn't say we needed it, but it definitely felt good to get it tonight," said Jonquel Jones, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds. "I

think we've had really tough matchups with them and they've been able to kind of have our number in the previous matchups so far as to be able to come in tonight and really kind of set the tone and I think really put a great 40 minutes together."

The Fever-Liberty matchup, billed as the greatest game of the weekend, lived up to the hype.

Each basket generated raucous cheers.

The Liberty led the entire sec-

ond half, but the Fever never backed down.

"It was fun," Allen said. "It was a good atmosphere. You got a lot of fans from both teams there, too, so you felt like there was that battle going on and it was a close game. ... Both teams, we had our pushes and then we had to sort of constantly weather them."

That included in the fourth quarter when a 7-0 Fever run led by Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark cut the Liberty's lead to one

point with 4:08 left in the fourth.

A Sophie Cunningham steal led to a Mitchell 3-pointer that tied the game at 100 apiece with under two minutes left, though the Liberty ultimately regained the lead for good.

Barclays Center started to fill up well before tipoff.

Aside from the gray court with seafarm accents, one would have thought this was a Fever home game during warmups.

On the Liberty end, a modest

number of fans gathered in the lower rows to try to snag autographs.

On the other end, though, was triple the number of spectators. Iowa and Fever jerseys hung over the railings, with fans eager to get autographs.

One fan said she flew from Spain to watch Clark play. Another young fan in Fever gear held a sign that said she drove 901 miles for the game.

But this was the Liberty's house. And the team — as close to full strength as it had been in seven weeks with Leonie Fiebich and Jones back — wasn't going to get embarrassed on its home floor.

"I mean [the Fever fans] weren't loud for very long," said Sabrina Ionescu, who had a quiet night with 12 points, four assists and five turnovers. "I'm happy our cheers overpowered their cheers, but that's something that we knew."

New York looked nothing like the team that got embarrassed in Indiana twice this season.

Liberty fans should savor this win. Maybe it even absolves a few of the bad losses New York suffered when Fiebich was out.

The Fever are legitimate title contenders. If New York can build off Saturday's victory, the Liberty are, too. mkenney @nypost.com

By MADELINE KENNEY

Leonie Fiebich is usually quite stoic on the court for the Liberty.

But playing her first game in seven weeks Saturday, Fiebich let down her guard and let it out.

She roared to the crowd after converting an and-1 layup that gave the Liberty an 81-72 lead.

"I don't know what happened there," Fiebich said

Reserved Fiebich shows rare fire making her

after the Liberty's 109-102 win over the Indiana Fever. "Honestly, doesn't happen often ... I just had some, it's just a natural reaction. Really happy that it was going well for us, I feel like we needed a little bit of energy to just lay it out."

Fiebich, who hadn't

LIBERTY NOTES

played since July 3 because of a left foot injury, said she was "suffering a lot" over the past week when she felt like she could play but was held

out by the team's performance staff.

But Fiebich's presence was felt throughout Saturday's game. She was the connective tissue the team needed on both ends.

To be honest, Fiebich didn't anticipate having as big a performance as she ultimately did.

"I knew that I wanted to have an impact defensively," she said, "because that's what we need and just help the team in whatever way."

Fiebich did that and more.

She scored or assisted on 32 of the team's points. She also limited Caitlin

Clark to 2-for-7 shooting when Fiebich was the primary defender.

"It sucks to not be on the court, to have to watch," said Fiebich, who finished with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. "It was good to actually be on the court and help the team. That's all I want to

---

return to court from injury

do. So I was really happy that I could do that today."

► The Liberty may have allowed 102 points to the league's best offense. But New York still felt it was one of its better defensive efforts of the season.

Fiebich's return aided the team's defensive ef-

forts. But the team felt it was more in sync on defense.

"We were all really locked into it today," Rebecca Allen said. "That connected piece is huge for us and it's something we really need to maintain."

Overall, Breanna Stew-

art said she didn't learn anything about the team's defense against the Fever.

"I knew what our defense could be like," Stewart said. "I'm just excited to continue to build. Better late than never, I guess. But now it's just really important how we finish this season."

Cavs banking on Watson getting them over hump

By BRIAN LEWIS

Peyton Watson has never started a playoff game or come close to being an All-Star. But his trade from Denver to Cleveland could have a butterfly effect that ripples through the postseason and impacts titles down the line.

Could it open the Cavaliers' championship window and shut it for the aging Nuggets — and Nikola Jokic?

The Knicks' wings helped them sweep Cleveland en route to winning the title, and now the Cavs hope Watson is the 3-and-D answer they've spent years and assets searching for. But far more fascinating is watching Denver's steady erosion around Jokic from 2023 champions to first-round exit, and whether their refusal to ante up will finally drive the league's most patient superstar to lose that patience.

For the young Spurs and Thunder, getting older is a good thing. For the aging Nuggets, not so much. With Jokic already 31, their championship window was shrinking, and this just made it smaller. In a vacuum, signing DeMar DeRozan for $3.9 million is solid, but managing a contender isn't done in a vacuum.

Jokic has a player option for 2027-28, meaning he can be an unrestricted free agent next summer. While he hasn't given any indications that he wants out, the Nuggets letting their roster get worse and their only recent draft success walk because they opted not to pay (not couldn't pay, mind you) isn't a good look. Or a good plan.

A three-time MVP refusing to sign a four-year, $278 million extension would usually mark a five-alarm fire, but Jokic has suggested he'll be a free agent more for contractual reasons to get an extra year, more money and a no-trade clause. But make no mistake, teams are paying close attention and preparing just in case.

Whether or not Cleveland's core is good enough to win, the Cavs have doubled down on it. It certainly would have behooved Denver to do the same around Jokic.

The problem is they overpaid Christian Braun (five years, $125 million) and not only traded Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for a worse player (Cam Johnson), but got fleeced out of an unprotected 2032 first-round pick in the bargain.

It meant that keeping Watson for what the restricted free agent got from the Cavaliers — or bringing back equal salary in trade — would've pushed Denver's payroll near $450 million. Yes, it would've been a league record, but it might have been worth it considering owner Stan Kroenke is worth $24.3 billion per Forbes and has gotten years of extra value from Jokic.

Now, after Watson bucked a trend of recent dodgy drafts — they've gone through Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson and Bones Hyland — they've traded him essentially for a first-round pick after early reports saying their initial ask had been two firsts and two swaps. Now they've lost their lone high-upside prospect for a return unlikely to be impactful during Jokic's tenure.

And the Cavaliers were the beneficiaries. Athletic two-way wings are the hardest archetype to find in the league, and after spending a top five pick on Isaac Okoro, making a trade deadline move for DeAndre Hunter and giving a hefty deal to Max Strus, they finally traded the latter away to land Watson in hopes he ends their search.

The Knicks paid OG Anunoby handsomely, paid the Nets handsomely for Mikal Bridges, and both helped them athletically dominate Cleveland on the wings. Watson, with his 7-foot wingspan, is their response, a big bet on a small sample size.

After losing Strus, Dean Wade, Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis — with defensively deficient James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt — Watson is going to have to guard one through three. On the other end, does he solve the issue of Mitchell's ball dominance and lack of creation?

The Knicks are the champs and class of the East. The 76ers have loaded up with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, the Heat got Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Celtics and Pacers got healthy. The Raptors got Kawhi Leonard (maybe?).

With the East making moves, the Cavaliers did the same. And for someone who isn't an All-Star, this one could have an outsized butterfly effect league-wide.

brian.lewis @nypost.com

67

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68

In the fourth of our six-part draft preview series, Fantasy Insanity takes a look at running backs. Next week: wide receivers.

REMEMBER in the movie "Jaws" when you had to wait for much of the movie before you ever saw the shark? Of "Batman Begins," when Batman didn't show up until halfway through? Or basically any horror movie when the monster is hidden for much for the flick?

Ladies and gents, this is the portion of our fantasy football preview series when we start revealing the monsters. No more tight ends and kicker character development. No more quarterbacks thickening the plot. We're into the meat of the story now, when the most important roles become the focus.

Look, the top of the board is easy. Maybe you have a strong preference of Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson with the first overall pick. Perhaps you want Jonathan Taylor a little more than you do Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry.

It gets a little more hazy after that first group of 12-13 — basically the tier cliff after Kenneth Walker III and Josh Jacobs, and before Kyren Williams and Javonte Williams.

It is in this area that you might have injury (Breece Hall) or game script concerns (Quinshon Jundkins). There could be some workload questions (Does Blake Corum steal too much from Kyren? Does Javonte maintain a premier bellow workload?). Are the Texans telling the truth about their intent to use David Montgomery as their feature back, or will Woody

MAGIC SLIPPERS

Falling draft stocks let you have ball with cheaper Skattebo, Tuten prices

Marks eat into that production? Bucky Irving, Jadarian Price, Jeremiah Love, D'Andre Swift, Travis Etienne Jr., Tony Pollard ... all have potential, but also reservations, and none are so exciting that you pump a fist when landing them in your fantasy draft.

Whether you are drafting here for volume or talent, there are real or potential roadblocks to an ideal fantasy tally. Whether one is better than another in this group is, to some degree, chance. Which starter, or committee member, gets hurt? Which has a good or bad game at the wrong time of the season, prompting a shift

in offensive role? Who ends up mired in a surprisingly dysfunctional offense?

The best you can do is play the odds, and maximize the draft value. Like, Bhayshul Tuten has slid down draft boards this summer as coach

Liam Coen and others have touted Chris Rodriguez Jr.'s short-yardage prowess — stoking fears of a touchdown vulture culture.

Tuten's ADP has dropped lower than Jeremiah Love, a rookie on a bad Cardinals offense who is dealing with a high ankle sprain. Did we mention the Cardinals also added Tyler Allgeier this off-

season? The same Allgeier who used to steal from Bijan Robinson?

Even if Tuten's TDs do take a hit, he can be had with a pick in the fifth round, which is a steal for a guy who still could be a true RBI in a good offense.

He might not be the only one to benefit from a slide. Cam Skattebo has seen his stock rise into the third round as worries about his health have ebbed in the absence of any setbacks during camp while returning from last season's broken leg.

Third round is a bit rich, and then comes news of the Giants signing Najee Harris. No one really knew if Tyrone Tracy Jr. was going to eat into Skattebo's workload significantly, but a healthy Harris? That might be a different story.

At least, that is what many will think or assume. But we aren't so sure. Harris is coming off an Achilles injury and might not be in game shape until just before the season. He has to learn a new offense, gel with new teammates, who are also learning a new offense. All while fending off Tracy for backup carries, not to mention Devin Singletary as well (assuming he doesn't get cut).

Maybe Harris finds a role in this offense, eventually. But we are not convinced that role would be a IB to Skattebo's IA. More likely, we envision his role being closer to what we have in mind for Tracy.

That means you might be able to profit on the panic of others. We don't expect his production to slip, but we do expect his draft stock will. If that happens, what used to be a ho-hum pick in the third round becomes a fist-pump pick in the fifth.

dloftis@nypost.com

Insanity insider The Madman's DVQ rates the top running backs:

Rank. Player	TM	POS	DVQ	ADP
1. Jahmyr Gibbs	DET	RB	1.0	1.4
2. Bijan Robinson	ATL	RB	1.5	2.1
3. Ashton Jeanty	LV	RB	18.6	12.4
4. De'Von Achane	MIA	RB	19.3	15.4
5. Jonathan Taylor	IND	RB	26.3	7.9
6. Saquon Barkley	PHI	RB	34.4	16.0
7. Chase Brown	CIN	RB	35.8	16.6
8. James Cook	BUF	RB	35.8	10.8
9. Omarion Hampton	LAC	RB	40.6	18.4
10. C. McCaffrey	SF	RB	42.2	6.4

DVQ identifies the pick in the draft at which each player's projected point value meets his draft value.

Rank. Player	TM	POS	DVQ	ADP
11. Derrick Henry	BAL	RB	42.7	21.2
12. Kenneth Walker III	KC	RB	49.0	18.9
13. Josh Jacobs	GB	RB	49.4	36.4
14. Javonte Williams	DAL	RB	52.3	35.3
15. Quinshon Jundkins	CLE	RB	52.5	50.8
16. David Montgomery	HOU	RB	53.1	55.4
17. Kyren Williams	LAR	RB	54.4	34.8
18. Breece Hall	NYJ	RB	54.9	34.1
19. Cam Skattebo	NYG	RB	55.8	42.2
20. Bucky Irving	TB	RB	56.7	53.5

Rank. Player	TM	POS	DVQ	ADP
21. Jadarian Price	SEA	RB	60.7	66.1
22. Tony Pollard	TEN	RB	62.7	85.6
23. D'Andre Swift	CHI	RB	63.7	54.9
24. Travis Etienne Jr.	NO	RB	65.6	45.6
25. T. Henderson	HE	RB	67.1	59.9
26. Bhayshul Tuten	JAX	67.2	60.5
27. R. Stevenson	NE	RB	67.3	82.1
28. Jaylen Warren	PIT	RB	68.2	78.6
29. Jeremiah Love	ARI	RB	69.0	27.5
30. J.K. Dobbins	DEN	RB	77.0	99.6

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By DREW LOFTIS

Sometimes the best option, even when fighting the good fight, is to give up. No, we're not going to ease up on our anti-PPR campaign, and of course we still give thunderous backing to SuperFlex formats.

But maybe our battle of nomenclature that pits the Madman against the term "sleepers" ... maybe we should give that a rest. Because every time we try to write about "value picks," we have to take a circuitous route to explain why we're not just saying "sleeper."

Yes, all our previous points stand (the term is outdated, doesn't really apply, no one really qualifies anymore, etc.). But it is common, it is universally understood, and it is just so bloody easy.

So you win, World. We give up, and instead of fighting, we will give "sleeper" a loving embrace. But we're still on the march to bring the word "swell" back to popularity.

Now, on with some running back sleepers!

What few reliable running backs there are get gobbled up quickly in drafts. The questions start to emerge fairly early. So when looking in the middle to late rounds for usable RBs in Week 1, you're just not going to find "reliable." But what you might find are guys who could realize their upside at some point in the season.

Jonathon Brooks is unlikely to begin the year as the Panthers feature RB. Yet, we saw last season that Chuba Hubbard's grasp on the role is tenuous — he lost his job to Rico Dowdle by midseason. That could be Brooks this year.

Note, he has an injury history. Like, a "War & Peace" type injury history — he has missed almost all of his first

two seasons after two different ACL tears. But he has a clean bill of health heading into this season.

Brooks was routinely available sometimes as late as Round 10 but has risen to around the eighth round in recent weeks. There are others in this general range to consider as well.

Jeremiah Love is dealing with a high ankle sprain. That puts a spotlight on off-season addition Tyler Allgeier.

We would classify this as a bad team scooping up another team's scrub, but Allgeier previously was robbing Bijan Robinson of work. We're not defending that coaching decision by the Falcons staff, but it wasn't made in a vacuum. Somebody liked Allgeier for a reason. We should get to see why in the coming weeks.

Everyone is in love with Blake Corum, who could vulture a big chunk of Kyren Williams' work, but we look at him more as a super handcuff option than a sleeper. We prefer someone who can actually wrestle away the top job. Like Jordan Mason.

Remember when we dissed Aaron Jones earlier? Well, this is one reason why. Reports out of Minnesota have Mason easily outperforming Jones this summer. Considering this was thought to be largely a split backfield from the start, Mason gaining ground is basically the same as him pulling ahead. If we can get the top RB in a Kevin O'Connell lead offense in Round 8-9, we'll gladly take it.

There seems to be shyness around Bucky Irving, which is valid. But the reason for that seems to be largely ignored. Kenneth Gainwell will eat up most of the passing down work. And in PPR leagues, he should be much more valuable than a ninth-round pick.

Now, go figure out which of these sleepers you like best. If you pick among the guys we mentioned, well, that is just swell.

Associated Press

Patriots backup quarterback Tommy DeVito tossed a 69-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams and host New England beat Philadelphia 24-21 in a preseason game Saturday night in which Eagles running back Ja'Quinden Jackson was taken off the field in an ambulance.

NFL ROUNDUP

Jackson was injured on the opening kickoff after tackling New England's Lan Larison. The Eagles announced that Jackson had strength and movement in his extremities and had been taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

Projected starters for both teams sat out after participating in two days of joint practices earlier in the week.

DeVito played the first half, going 8-for-15 for 151 yards while also running for 44 yards. Larison had a 2-yard TD run.

Eagles backup quarterback Andy Dalton went 3-for-10 for 44 yards in three series of work.

Buccaneers 16, Chiefs 15

In Tampa, Fla., rookie Jalon Daniels led three second-half scoring drives to help the Buccaneers rally past the Chiefs.

Baker Mayfield, entering a contract year after leading the Bucs to the playoffs two of the past three seasons, started and played two series in his first preseason action since 2024.

With three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes sitting out, Justin Fields opened at quarterback for the Chiefs, who have not said whether Mahomes will play in next week's preseason finale against Seattle. The two-time league MVP is coming back from a knee injury suffered last December and has been a full participant in training camp practices.

Lions 17, Commanders 13

Joshua Dobbs ran for a 50-yard touchdown and Detroit held on for a preseason win against visiting Washington.

Dobbs, expected to back up quarterback Jared Goff this season, was 7-for-12 for 74 yards with an interception and a fumble. He had two carries for 53 yards.

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels started, but he and much of the starting offense left after going three-and-out on the first series. Daniels was sacked

LAND AND AIR: Not only did Tommy DeVito have 151 yards passing, he also ran for 44 yards in the Patriots' preseason win against the Eagles. Getty Images

Tommy Cutlets strong-arms Philadelphia with 69-yard TD pass

once and threw an incompleteness on his only pass attempt.

Falcons 34, Colts 6

Cooper Rush and Jack Strand picked apart Indianapolis' pass defense, and visiting Atlanta cruised to a preseason win.

Rush, who was signed last month, and the undrafted rookie Strand completed 16 of their first 17 throws while leading the Falcons to scores on five of their first six drives.

Ravens 13, Vikings 3

In Minneapolis, J.J. McCarthy had an erratic start for Minnesota, completing 5 of 10 passes for 81 yards in a preseason loss to Baltimore, after undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano threw a touchdown pass to LaJohn-tay Wester for the Ravens.

McCarthy played four series with the second-team offense before yielding to 11th-year veteran Carson Wentz, leaving the picture unclear about who will be the No. 2 quarterback behind Kyler Murray in the regular season.

Bills 31, Browns 7

Shedeur Sanders threw a touchdown pass and made good decisions in perhaps his last chance to convince coach Todd Monken he should be Cleveland's starting quarterback in the Browns' preseason loss to visiting Buffalo.

Sanders, competing with Deshaun Watson to be the No. 1 QB, completed his first eight passes. The Bills rested Josh Allen and most of their starters.

Rams 34, Saints 0

In Inglewood, Calif., Stetson Bennett passed for 181 yards and rushed for two TDs while leading the Rams to a 20-point halftime lead, and Los Angeles cruised to a preseason victory over New Orleans.

Bengals 27, Bears 9

With Joe Burrow, Joe Flacco and the rest of Cincinnati's starters and key backups watching in street clothes, 40-year-old journeyman Josh Johnson led the Bengals to a preseason victory over visiting Chicago.

69

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70

PITTSBURGH — It's Hope Season in the NFL right now. That's what this time of year is. Fans of all 32 teams are searching for reasons to believe. For some teams, it's reason to believe they can win the Super Bowl. For others, it is: Can their team break through and become a playoff team? For the Jets right now, it is: Can this team be a normal, functional NFL team that does not leave its fans embarrassed to go to work or school on Monday?

On Friday night, they gave you hope.

The Jets looked like a professional football team when their starters were in the game. Geno Smith led a 10-play drive that no one is going to remember like Joe Montana in the Super Bowl, but it was significant for this beleaguered fanbase who endured last year's 3-14 embarrassment. On defense, the Jets flew around and did not let the Steelers do much.

Now, it's August and the Steelers did not play starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers or star defensive player T.J. Watt. But remember, this is only about hope right now, and the Jets provided some.

Maybe this team can raise the bar with a solid start, but right now I put the goal as "no longer being embarrassing." Last season left fans red-faced with an offense that could not score points, a defense that could not get a takeaway, and a coaching staff that looked over-matched and underprepared.

The bar is low. That's why watching Smith convert two third downs and move the offense 69 yards in 10 plays was so encouraging. That's why seeing new offensive coordinator Frank Reich actually design a play in the red zone to get a tight end open (what a concept) was so refreshing. That's why seeing Demario Davis fly around and provide energy to a de-

GUNNER OF HOPE

Glenn's Jets give fans reason to believe they're on path to respectability

fense that barely offered any resistance at the end of last season gives belief that maybe 2026 can be different.

Fans should not be booking hotels in Los Angeles for February's Super Bowl. Even the playoffs are a long-shot dream right now. No, this season is about regaining respectability, about no longer being everyone's Homecoming opponent, no longer being the team that everyone sees on their schedule as an easy "W."

Along the way, we need to find out about Aaron Glenn. We need to learn whether the Jets legend is the right coach to guide this team into 2027 when the rebuild accelerates with three first-round picks, loads of salary-cap space and the

dream of finally getting the quarterback decision right.

I think most Jets fans feel good about general manager Darren Mougey right now as the man to make the call on which quarterback to take. I don't think there is the same level of belief in Glenn and his staff as the ones to develop that quarterback.

Glenn needs to convince us — and more importantly, owner Woody Johnson — that he is that guy. Glenn has had a good offseason. He was not stubborn after a dismal rookie coaching campaign. He acknowledged his mistakes. He made sweeping changes to his coaching staff. He took over defen-

sive play-calling, a skill that helped him land the head coaching job in the first place.

I would not say that Glenn seems more confident.

The confidence that made him a Pro Bowl cornerback never left last year. But he does seem more comfortable.

Glenn also now has a quarterback who can help him look good. No one is going to compare Smith to Joe Burrow or Josh Allen, but he is a competent NFL starting quarterback, something the Jets lacked last year. All you have to do to confirm that is look at the three men

who played the position and where they are now. Justin Fields is the backup in Kansas City. Tyrod Taylor is the backup in Green Bay. Brady Cook is the fourth quarterback on the Jets depth chart.

It was a brief 10-play appearance on Friday for Smith, but he made good decisions, showed mobility on a third-down conversion and found five different receivers.

Preseason games are forgettable by nature, and we won't be talking about an August drive in Pittsburgh when the regular season gets here. But that is still three weeks away. Right now, we're in Hope Season, and the Jets gave you a little on Friday night. That's something.

brian.costello@nypost.com

Belton, Cisco 'fighting it out' for spot as starting safety

By BRIAN COSTELLO

The Jets have a decision to make at safety.

The team does not have many position battles this summer, but the starting safety spot next to Minilah Fitzpatrick is a big one, and it was on center stage in Friday's preseason win over the Steelers.

Dane Belton started the game, indicating he has a leg up in the competition. Andre Cisco had an interception, giving him a splash play. Cisco had been ahead of Belton entering training camp, but Belton has

been a playmaker all camp and looks like he has taken the lead.

"Listen, we've said it was a competition from the very beginning, and those guys know it," coach Aaron Glenn said. "Man, it's always good when you have those guys fighting it out, guys making play after play, because we have to make tough decisions. As a coach, you want to be in that position. Even though it's hard to make those decisions, you want to be in that position because that lets you know the guys are playing well. "It was a really good pick by Cisco.

Dane made a hell of a play on special teams, and we know that's a strong point for him. We're going to let it play out and see what happens."

Belton was signed as a free agent after he stood out on special teams for the Giants. He is expected to be one of the Jets' core special-teamers and play on several units. That might be tough if he is playing 60-70 plays on defense every game. Cisco was underwhelming last year, but the team re-signed him and he seems to be a coach favorite.

► DE Nate Lynn impressed teammates with his two-sack performance against the Steelers. The Jets only signed Lynn on Tuesday, and there he was Friday making plays. Lynn had been a free agent since the Titans cut him in April.

"It's crazy," DT Harrison Phillips said. "I thought he was like a six-year veteran guy who's been in the league and played a ton of snaps, just the way he handles himself, the way he was able to pick up the playbook, his energy. It's crazy to me that a player like that was on the couch. It's incredible."

ANDRE CISCO

SOARING: Not only does Aaron Glenn (inset) appear more comfortable as head coach, but he has Geno Smith under center to help give Jets fans hope they can regain respectability.

Getty Images, Imago Images

---

Phil Mushnick

EQUAL TIME

$ODER REALITY

FOR THOSE who enjoyed 1930s cinematic comedies, there is much familiar to attach to this tempest in a table spoon as per Tony Romo's DUI bust and status of his $180 million contract.

For starters, Romo, even on his best days, has a bemused look on his face, a distant, vacant grin. But this mugshot, taken by Milwaukee police, as most of us have seen, makes him look even more as if he's doing a Stan Laurel impersonation.

Then there's the W.C. Fields connection. Fields starred in the 1933 short, "The Fatal Glass Of Beer."

Romo's one-too-many bust wasn't fatal to Romo or to any innocent victim, but it could cost him — if CBS successfully pursues the contract nullification it appears to be preparing — the balance of his 10-year, $180 million deal to call six months of NFL telecasts. CBS outbid other networks to have Romo wear a CBS blazer on the air.

Then there was another W.C. Fields entry, a legal angle. While nearing his death at 66 on Christmas Day 1946, visitors to his bedside were surprised to see Fields reading the Bible. What was that about? they asked.

"Just looking for loopholes," Fields said.

So, too, apparently, is CBS in trying to stop payment to Romo — though CBS remains its own

key witness for Romo's defense as it was CBS, not Romo, that chose to pay him that kind of dough despite zero evidence that big-name game analysts add even one rating point.

Regardless of this outcome, this episode should — should — awaken TV executives from acts of checkbook abuse in the hunt

for cures to nonexistent diseases.

Tom Brady's Fox deal defies the furthest boundaries of preposterous — $375 million over 10 years for him to find something, anything, to say over a football game. And he can't make us watch what we're already watching.

No one has ever said or ever will say, "Gotta go. Tom Brady's calling the Lions-Saints!" Yet Fox believes it "won" the race to sign him.

And now Romo and CBS are left to provide Fox with, perhaps, the only way out: Hope that Brady is arrested for a DUI and has a lousy lawyer.

The network knee-jerkers all suddenly bought into a losing game:

NBC re-signed unpopular blowhard Cris Collinsworth at quadruple his pay, $12.5 million.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman left Fox for ESPN, Aikman paid $90 million over five years to say, "Heckuva play right there." Buck signed for $75 million over five.

Kirk Herbstreits's ESPN and Amazon Prime deals pay him roughly $18 million annually.

And Roger Goodell is stuck with his claim that PSLs are "good investments."

So will Romo's bust, and CBS' apparent ensuing legal mechanizations to avoid paying him what he's owed, put an end or badly curtail spending fortunes to employ those who can't possibly provide even equal value in return?

Is, say, $2 million plus expenses per year an insulting offer to work weekends for six months?

Finally, to return to 1930s comedic cinema, we quote from the wisdom of Stymie: "I don't know where we're going, but we're on our way!"

In NFL, crime does pay

HERE'S the difference between Roger Goodell and I:

Goodell continues to indulge the criminal conduct of a growing number of NFL players, as if there's nothing better he can do than pretend it doesn't exist.

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice was suspended for six games last season following his guilty plea to felony charges involving the serious injury of an innocent driver during a high-speed road-racing, multi-vehicle crash in Dallas. (Imbecilic teammates wore T-shirts reading "Free Rashee.")

This offseason, Rice spent 30 days in a Dallas jail for a parole violation.

Under Goodell, Rice is scheduled to play in this year's opener.

Under Mushnick, Rice would be suspended for this year and next year.

And if the NFLPA doesn't like it — if it wants to defend Rice as worthy of continuing his professional career beside worthy, law-abiding co-unionists — I'd politely tell its leaders to go to hell.

Under Goodell, the Seahawks are able to pursue the signing of CB Terrion Arnold dumped by the Lions in February after he was charged with robbery, kidnapping and the beating of a man erroneously accused of stealing $250,000 in "items" from him.

In that case, multiple incidents involved several suspects, two of whom have already pled guilty to felonies.

Under Mushnick, no team can go near Arnold until his case is adjudicated. It's not a matter of guilty until proven innocent, but a matter of too much smoke to be no fire.

Credit ESPN for the inability to never run low on bad ideas.

Friday, five panelists stood on a set that carried the Cowboys season scheduled in date order on a large screen. Then each of them went through that schedule, game by game, to finally land on the Cowboys' final record this season — in their opinion.

None of their opinions, some strongly stated, mattered as none held any game-day insights or info weeks before the first game was played.

So I turned it off and listened to "The Best of Yoko Ono."

Longtime reader Don Costello notes that "If you had Prince Harry returning to England before Giancarlo Stanton returned to the Yankees, you won!"

MushnickPhilip@gmail.com

FUNNY how the word "disgraced" placed before standout athletes' names doesn't serve TV execs as a deterrent to hiring them as first-team members of national broadcasts.

MLB telecasts now include "Steroid Era" performers of the highest suspicion, evidence and proof: Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. So much for "disgraced."

Sports loves its 'disgraced' stars

After Urban Meyer left college football in disgrace, Fox was eager to hire him to add very little. His last stop at Ohio State, where he was suspended to start his final season, was to teach a course in "Leadership and Character." Satire can't compete with reality. Last week Bob Baf-

fert, the noted thoroughbred trainer known for great success despite — or because of — many episodes of dark, horse drugging/abuse (including deaths), was named an advising member of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. In 2021, Baffert received a two-year suspension from Churchill Downs

after Medina Spirit, winner of that year's Kentucky Derby, failed a post-race drug test.

Then there's University of Houston's celebrated basketball coach, Kelvin Sampson, who left Indiana "in disgrace." Despite heading a national coaches council on recruiting integrity, Sampson was found

to have violated many serious recruiting restrictions, resulting in a five-year NCAA ban from coaching.

His ban served if not his lesson learned, he was hired by Houston. Seems that for some, "disgraced" is a wash-off tattoo, a temporary sentence. Then again, it's all a con.

71

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72

Oh no, Odell! Ugly TD drop

By PAUL SCHWARTZ

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — This was what all those Odell Beckham Jr. fans were waiting for.

Perhaps it was what head coach John Harbaugh was waiting for, as well: a chance, a real opportunity to turn back the clock with a vintage highlight to allow all of Beckham's many supporters to cry out, 'See, he's still got it!'

It was late in the second quarter of Saturday's 26-3 preseason victory over the Dolphins, and the Giants fans on the scene at Hard Rock Stadium let out an audible gasp when James Winston looked into the end zone from the Miami 14-yard line. Beckham got behind cornerback Miles Battle and Winston put the ball where it needed to be.

It was about to happen. Beckham leaped into the air at the back of the end zone. A touchdown felt imminent, and that would have been something to rekindle those OBJ memories. Alas, it did not happen. The ball sailed between Beckham's hands and deflected away, as he could not make a grab that would have been fairly routine for him years ago during his heyday with the Giants.

Beckham, clearly frustrated, went to his knees and bent backward as far as he could, his helmet nearly scraping the ground. It was a tough moment for the 33-year-old, who did not play in the NFL last season and is looking to make a come-

back with the franchise that made him a first-round pick in 2014.

'He was in the air a long time,' Harbaugh told The Post. 'He got up — way up. I know he would say, 'I wake up at 4 in the morning and I'm making that play.' He knows he can make that play, and it's a really tough play to make.

'Making it would have just been spectacular. I looked at that play as a positive in his favor. I thought it was impressive where he was at, going to get the ball. I think he's capable of still making that play.'

Beckham feels the same way.

'I'm pissed,' he said. 'This is the one that keeps me up at night. It's a play I know I can make. I just felt like I was hanging so long. You take it on the chin like a man. The confidence is still there. I know I'll make that play the next time.'

Harbaugh has called Beckham one of his favorite players — they were together in 2023 with the Ravens — but personal feelings will not dictate roster spots. Beckham has stayed healthy and on the field — a major prerequisite — but has yet to make a play to separate himself from the other wide receivers in the room.

'I don't care if it was higher, lower, wherever it was at, that's on me,' Beckham said. 'I feel like if the ball is anywhere near me, if it touches my fingertips, I'm supposed to catch it.'

GIANT STUMBLE: Tyrone Tracy Jr. had a few nice runs against the Dolphins, but they were overshadowed by a noncontact fumble — the latest blunder by the Giants running back this preseason as he looks to carve out a role on a crowded depth chart.

Latest gaffe has Tracy running out of time to prove himself

By PAUL SCHWARTZ

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — With so many starters sitting, the Giants on a steamy Saturday in South Florida were more interested in figuring out various roster spots than they were getting their marquee players tuned up for the real season.

This was going to be an afternoon for some to rise and others to fall.

Consider Tyrone Tracy Jr. as having stumbled, again.

The third-year running back, a productive player on bad teams the past two years, continued to struggle in a summer to forget. Just as it looked as if he hit his groove, he hit a wall. And where this goes from here is anyone's guess.

Veteran Devin Singletary started at running back, with Cam Skattebo on the sideline with most of the other frontline players on offense, including quarterback Jaxson Dart. Tracy came in on the second series and stayed in for the third series and that is where it all went wrong for him as the Giants

had no trouble beating the Dolphins 26-3 in a preseason game at Hard Rock Stadium.

Tracy ran for 11 yards and then, bottled up, made a strong cut to his left for a 12-yard pickup. On the Dolphins 10-yard line, Tracy got it again and that is where disaster struck. He lost control of the ball without any contact for a brutal turnover.

As the first quarter expired, Tracy stood on the sideline, by himself, looking skyward, clearly upset with himself.

'There's a lot of guys fighting for jobs on this team,' head coach John Harbaugh said afterward.

Tracy is currently losing that fight. Harbaugh said, 'I'm not commenting on that' when asked how the fumble might affect Tracy's chances to make the team.

Singletary was on the field the next time the Giants had the ball and he ran through the Dolphins, finishing off a 71-yard drive by bursting to the right for a 13-yard touchdown scamper. The 28-year-old veteran has had an im-

pressive training camp. He ran it eight times for 40 yards.

'He played like he always plays,' Harbaugh said. 'One of the most consistent players you're ever going to see.'

Harbaugh cannot say the same right now about Tracy. In the preseason-opening loss to the Vikings, Tracy blatantly missed a blitz pickup and Dart got crushed. The Giants did not sign veteran running back Najee Harris as a direct response to Tracy's blunder but that Tracy has not wowed the new coaching staff cannot be ignored.

The signing of Harris changed the dynamic of the running back room and upped the ante on the competition. Skattebo is safe, of course, and it certainly appears Singletary is, as well. On Thursday, Harris was given snaps in the joint practice with the Dolphins but he did not play in this game; he is coming off surgery to repair a torn Achilles suffered Sept. 21 when he was with the Chargers. Before that, he started his NFL career with four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons

---

Giants takeaways

■ What more can you ask of a rookie kicker than what Dominic Zvada has shown this summer? The 22-year-old made his preseason debut — Ben Sauls got the assignment in the opener — and handled everything that came his way. He hit field goals of 43 and 32 yards and both his extra points in the first half. He also looked comfortable on kickoffs, getting the ball to the goal line. Sauls hit two field goals (27 and 37 yards) in the second half.

■ John Harbaugh has said he considers Micah McFadden a third starter at inside linebacker, along with Tremaine Edmunds and rookie Arvell Reese. McFadden has a nose for the ball, that's for sure. He was on the spot to recover a fumble by WR Jaylen Wright (forced by Dru Phillips) and later came away with a sack of QB Cam Miller. It looks as if the Giants have depth at this spot.

■ Cornerback Deonte Banks did not start — Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II, likely the starters on Opening Day, were on the field — but he continued to make progress toward earning a spot on the roster. On the first play of the second quarter, Banks had a strong pass breakup on Kevin Coleman Jr., using his physicality to force the incompletion. Banks did the same in run support, tackling running back Ollie Gordon II for a 1-yard gain.

— Paul Schwartz

DOWN

with the Steelers. If healthy, it feels inevitable that Harris will be on the team and have a role on offense. Harbaugh has said Eric Gray "has really had a good camp." Where does that leave Tracy? At this point, he is on the outside looking in.

In 32 games the past two seasons, Tracy — a 2024 fifth-round draft pick — rushed for 839 and 740 yards, respectively, and surpassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage both years. This, however, is a new beginning for the Giants with Harbaugh running the show and everyone has to prove his worth to him.

Tracy finished with six carries for 26 yards and three receptions for 22 yards.

The first half was all Jameis Winston at quarterback for the Giants. Dart was superb in the joint practice two days earlier and that was enough in the heat of South Florida for him. "Certain guys, I'm sure, got enough work," Harbaugh said Thursday, and Dart was one of those certain guys.

Winston was 15-for-21 passing for 150

yards and an 11-yard rushing touchdown.

"You expect Jameis to play just like that," Harbaugh said. "He was in control, he ran the show, he's poised in the pocket, he was very accurate with his passing, he played at a high level just like you'd expect him to. It's a great thing to have a quarterback like that as your No. 2."

Darius Slayton, coming off surgery to repair a sports hernia, has been fairly quiet this summer but broke out with four receptions for 58 yards against a Dolphins defense also resting several starters.

"That was big," Harbaugh told The Post. "So big. Honestly, I needed to see that."

"I mean you have to do it every year, you have to come back and keep doing it. He's been battling through those injuries so to see him step up like that and make those plays was really good."

pschwartz@nypost.com

Giants notes / Page 61

relayation

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73

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74

DO NOT believe in hexes, linxes and curses.

Yet, I am not at peace with why seasons like the current one keep stacking up on the Mets; why great expectations dovetail into large despair.

If I did believe in hexes, etc., I would wonder if they are the "Damn Mets."

That their soul was sold in 1986 to honor then manager Davey Johnson's spring proclamation — "Not only will we win this year, we will dominate." Were all the baseball miracles used up in two fortune-heavy Game 6s: the three-run ninth and 15th-inning NLCS Game 6 win in Houston that enabled the Mets to avoid Mike Scott in Game 7, and the Russian novel World Series Game 6 triumph over the Red Sox?

Because in four decades since, the Mets have not approached dominance or sustained winning, and have incurred their greatest failures when there were the largest expectations.

The Johnson Mets after 1986 failed to honor their dynastic forecast. The 1992 Worst Team Money Could Buy was about building expectations with famous names and big money;

same as 2002 when Roberto Alomar, Mo Vaughn, etc., brought hope, then anguish.

The 2007-09 Mets and now three Steve Cohen clubs (2023, 2025 and 2026) went for it huge

and incurred an equivalent fall. The closest to meeting expectations were the 2000 Mets adding Mike Hampton, but ultimately losing a World Series to the Yankees, and the 2006 Mets, who were probably the majors' best team, but lost an NLCS Game 7 to the 83-win Cardinals. No Mets fan is going to call success a season that ended with losses at Shea Stadium — to the Yankees and to a Cardinals team that had 14 fewer wins.

Often with the Mets — 1969, 1973, 2015, 2024 stand out — success has come when expectations were low and/or they had seemed to fall hopelessly out of a playoff race. The 2026 Mets are a microcosm — great optimism, a tear down and suddenly a few weeks of thriving. Should this be informative? That there is something cooked in with the Mets' damned culture that winning the offseason has not proven worth it. That David Stearns' comfort zone is more the Brewers model and maybe should be embraced.

Cohen is leaning into this, telling reporters last week: "We have to look at some other areas to make this team better as opposed to just writing big checks to get the best players."

Cohen offered that Stearns "took too much risk" for 2026. Risk usually translates to big names, big dollars and big January excitement. Cohen has harped on free agency being a negative value proposition.

The championship rosters in Mets history (1969 and 1986) were stable for a while with homegrown spines and acquisitions that mainly had been with the team before the title years (in most cases for multiple years). The only significant outside contributor that came during 1969 for the Mets was first baseman Donn Clendenon at the then-earlier June 15 trade deadline. The only players added from 1985 for the 1986 roster came via off-season trades for vital complementary pieces Bob Ojeda and Tim Teufel while Lee Mazzilli returned to his original organization off waivers in August.

There was stability and cohesiveness, plus a group sense of purpose. Tom Seaver, in his third season and already obviously the best player in franchise (The Franchise) history, famously shut down celebration in May 1969 when the Mets reached .500 the latest they ever had at 18-18,

insisting, "We're .500 — that's mediocre. I don't want to be mediocre. I don't come here to be satisfied with a .500 record. I'll celebrate when we win."

Johnson had familiarity with most of the excellent homegrown Mets while managing in their system before becoming the big league skipper and nearly reaching the playoffs in 1984-85 prior to making his statement about dominating.

Stearns blew up a mainly homegrown and/or long-standing Mets group as Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo exited after last season. He was concerned about over-committing long term to players in their 30s who collectively had not brought enough winning.

His response was to problemsolve with Cohen's cash — betting big on Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., Marcus Semien, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, and the first (and so far only) trading of significant prospects for a player (Freddy Peralta).

Only Weaver worked. When I have asked, Stearns has insisted these are his moves and not instigated by having Cohen as an owner and a title-hungry fan base demanding anti-Wilpon moves of substance. But it is not the lane he operates in best — at least not yet. The roster-building excellence from Milwaukee was

about thoughtful craft rather than answering every issue with Daddy's wallet. More like Jared Young and the current bullpen crew.

It might turn out that a salary cap will force these kinds of decisions moving forward. But with or without payroll-restriction rules, Cohen/Stearns should accept what works best in franchise history is roster stability and (besides 1986) not over-inflating expectations.

Look, if the Mets land Tarik Skubal in free agency — great. I like covering stars, both their pursuit and performance. But the Mets were not just Johan Santana away from thriving after the 2007 season or Francisco Rodriguez after 2008. This was not Gary Carter after the 1984 season leading to the Damn Mets. And these Mets are not one more huge Cohen investment from heaven.

The buildups under Cohen had Fangraphs giving them a preseason 77.1 percent chance to make the playoffs in 2023, 62.9 in 2025 and 80.4 this year — three of the most disappointing seasons in team history followed. It was 29.9 percent in 2024, Stearns' first season after a more low-key offseason. That ended in the NLCS.

Stearns' comfort zone probably will anger fans who want more and more. But it is the right road for the franchise.

joel.sherman@nypost.com

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76

BENCE WATCH

By MIKE PUMA

CHICAGO — Carson Benge forged quite a relationship with the right-field fence on Saturday. One moment, the Mets rookie was face-planting into that fence, attempting to catch a ball hit by Tristan Peters that caromed off his glove for a home run. Before long, Benge would clear that same fence, with a shot mightier than the one he failed to catch.

"I like playing the game. I don't want to be taken out unless it's anything too serious," Benge said after his three-hit night — four if you include his face's collision with the chain-links — led the Mets' 10-5 victory over the White Sox.

The win was the Mets' 12th in 17 games since the trade deadline and added another molecule of oxygen to the team's microscopic hope of a late-season magic trick to reach the playoffs.

Benge's big week has included contributions from his right arm (he nailed two runners at the plate in the same inning on Monday) and a bat that won't quit. He began the day with a .905 OPS in August that included a .308 batting average for the month.

And his homer after hitting the fence two innings earlier was just his latest Mets moment.

"Carson said he was even for the day," interim manager Andy Green said. "He tipped one over the fence and hit one over the fence. He's a special guy. It's a lot of fun watching him play baseball."

The Mets hit five homers on this night, including two by Luis Robert Jr., who is playing in his first series against his former team.

Hot rook powers Mets as Amazin's surprising August surge continues

Benge's two-out RBI single against Luis Castillo in the first inning gave the Mets a fast run after A.J. Ewing singled on the game's first pitch and stole second.

Bo Bichette's second homer in as many games extended the Mets' lead to 2-1 in the third inning. Bichette cleared the left-field fence for his 14th homer this season and continued his torrid month — he entered play with a .947 OPS in August.

Robert delivered a two-run homer later in the inning, following Benge's second single of the game. It was a homecoming moment for Robert — who heard boos as he circled the bases. Robert spent the first seven seasons of his major league career with the White Sox before he was traded to the Mets in January. Castillo didn't survive the in-

ning. The right-hander, acquired from the Mariners at the trade deadline, allowed eight hits and four earned runs over 2 1/2 innings with one walk and three strikeouts. The start was his third in four since the trade in which he failed to complete at least five innings.

Braden Montgomery's homer in the second inning accounted for the first run of the night against Christian Scott. In the fourth, Benge face-planted the fence pursuing Peters' shot to right that caromed off his glove for a home run. Benge was briefly shaken up and received a visit from the trainer, but he remained in the game.

"I saw it hit, and I didn't get the best read on it," Benge said. "Went back on it, fast toward the wall, kind of caught it in my glove and it popped out as I hit that fence."

Benge's homer leading off the fifth was the start of a three-run inning. Before it concluded, Eric Wagaman and Marcus Semien each stroked an RBI single that increased the Mets' lead to 7-3.

Scott slogged through 4 3/4 innings and allowed four earned runs on five hits and four walks with six strikeouts.

"I just didn't have it today, especially with the offspeed stuff, I didn't really locate in the zone very well," Scott said. "I thought the bullpen did a really good job coming in there, cleaning it up."

Jonathan Pintaro got a huge out in the bottom of the frame, replacing Scott with the bases loaded and striking out Colson Montgomery to end the frame. The White Sox pulled to within 7-4 in the inning on Braden Montgomery's walk with the bases loaded.

Austin Warren escaped trouble in the sixth after the White Sox had pulled to within 7-5 against Pintaro.

But Robert created breathing room with his second blast of the game, a solo shot in the seventh. Luis Torrens' pinch-hit, two-run blast in the eighth was the Mets' fifth homer of the game.

mpuma@nypost.com

Robert revenge: Ex-Chisox OF slugs 2 HRs at

By MIKE PUMA

CHICAGO — Luis Robert Jr.'s visit to his old stomping ground undoubtedly will be remembered as a highlight of his season.

Saturday night, the veteran outfielder blasted two homers against his former team to help the Mets beat the

White Sox 10-5. Robert heard boos from the home crowd after hitting both homers.

"It feels good to hit homers against any team at home," Robert said through an interpreter. "But I will say it felt good to hit the home runs here, just because it was a stadium I played so many games over my career."

METS NOTES

Robert, who spent seven seasons with the White Sox, hit a two-run homer in the third that gave the Mets a 4-1 lead. He also delivered a solo blast in the seventh. Overall, the Mets hit five homers. "[Friday] it felt a little

weird here and a little strange," Robert said. "Today, it was pretty normal."

► Francisco Alvarez snapped an 0-for-14 with a single in his first at-bat, but his frustration level has mounted lately in inverse proportion to his OPS. The Mets catcher had an

outburst on Friday after a strikeout, returning to the dugout and snapping his bat in half. Alvarez finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. "The frustration was from [Friday], because it only matters the day we played," Alvarez said before the game. "What happened before is in the past."

Alvarez began play 8-for-52 (.154) in August with an anemic .536 OPS. He had strikeouts in 25 of those at-bats. "He's incredibly passionate — he wants to be great for the team," interim manager Andy Green said of Alvarez's emotional display. "He wants to be great because he puts a lot of work in."

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Insult added to injury as Yanks bats, gloves flail

By MARK W. SANCHEZ

The way the afternoon was going, it would have been apt for Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s liner to right field to hit a rock, ricochet back toward first base and go down as one more out.

No, that did not happen, and Chisholm's drive touched grass and went as the first knock of the game for the Yankees, who did not get no-hit.

BLUE JAYS YANKEES

4 Boxscore 3 Page 56

But virtually everything else went wrong on a Saturday that might not have been historically terrible for the Yankees but was plain terrible nonetheless.

The losses on a sunny weekend day that featured a comfortable breeze: Giancarlo Stanton, Ryan Weathers and a game, falling 4-3 to the Blue Jays in The Bronx in front of 46,231 who at least could take heart that they witnessed the Yankees lineup avoid ignominy.

The Yankees (73-56) saw their five-game win streak snapped and fell to 3½ games behind the Rays before Tampa Bay's late game, though the division race — given an added spotlight Friday, when manager Aaron Boone's group closed to within three games for the first time in weeks — felt immaterial by the end of this comedy and tragedy of errors.

"This game does not hold anybody's hand," Chisholm said from a quiet Yankees clubhouse after a long and trying day, which started with Boone revealing Stanton, a Hall of Fame-type bat when healthy and a clubhouse deity, had strained a calf for a third time this year.

The bleakness turned to darkness in the fourth inning, when Weathers — amid his first season in pinstripes and the best season of his career, having allowed one or zero runs in five straight outings entering play — threw a sweeper to Myles Straw and immediately betrayed that something had gone wrong.

He circled the mound, looked uncomfortable and soon enough exited with a trainer with what the Yankees called left forearm discomfort, which required immediate imaging.

"Obviously, you never want significant pieces to go down, but again, that's part of it," Boone said of Weathers, whose prognosis he did not want to speculate about. "I feel like we're throwing the ball incredibly well and expect to continue to do that. In the short term, that creates an opportunity for someone else."

If the Yankees plug in a call-up to their late August and September rotation, he would not be as strong as Weathers, who has been increasingly excellent as the season has gone on, pitching his way to a rotation spot even with an October bullpen job a possibility.

"He's been incredible for us the whole

GROWING PAINS: Yankees rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. commits a fielding error — his second in as many days — during the eighth inning of Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays in The Bronx. Jason Szenes

year," said his catcher, Austin Wells. "Obviously, hoping for good news. Hopefully, he doesn't miss any time.

"But yeah, saying some prayers for sure."

The hits keep on coming for the Yankees, who already are notably without Aaron Judge, Max Fried, Ryan McMahon and (briefly) Cody Bellinger. But the actual hits were harder to come by.

The Yankees did not record a hit against Dylan Cease until there were two outs in the seventh inning, when Chisholm's single did not find a trampoline and bounce back toward the infield.

Cease then served up an RBI single to Wells before he was lifted after 111 pitches and just those two hits.

Luis García Jr. added a two-run home run against Tyler Rogers in the eighth, but that was as close as the Yankees would get.

Toronto used a flurry of hits — 15 in total, including three of the first four batters Weathers faced — to score single runs in the first, fourth, fifth and eighth in a game that should not have been as close as it was.

There were defensive miscues from

the Yankees, including George Lombard Jr.'s second error in as many days, García allowing a pop foul to drop, Yerry De los Santos throwing a would-be pickoff into center field and Chisholm nearly allowing an unearned run to score before recovering from a booted ground ball.

And there were offensive issues, innings in which they were bulldozed by Cease mixed in with a few backbreakers.

Like the first two innings, when the Yankees put a runner on third with one out and came away with zero runs.

In the ninth against Louis Varland, Chisholm led off with a double to put the tying run on second and later stole third. But Wells, Caballero and Trent Grisham were retired in order, ensuring a day that started poorly ended poorly, too.

Asked about the lineup's struggles, Chisholm asked whether reporters had seen the list of Yankees injuries.

"The IL team is great," Chisholm said. msanchez@nypost.com

Yankees notes / Page 61

former home

Green said Alvarez's issue simply hasn't just been chasing pitches outside the strike zone.

"I think chase usually shows up after you have missed your pitch," Green said. "He's had some pitches to hit but he hasn't necessarily squared up. When that happens he's found himself outside of the strike zone."

► Mark Vientos, who began a minor league rehab assignment as the DH on Friday for Double-A Binghamton, will see action at first base and third base before returning to the Mets, according to Green. Vientos is rehabbing a right-hand fracture that has kept him sidelined since July 10.

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78

By MARK W. SANCHEZ

In a development that was at once startling, familiar and somber, Giancarlo Stanton yet again reached the precipice of a return before suffering yet another setback that jeopardizes his potential return season.

For a third time this season, the prodigious Yankees slugger attempted to run the bases and strained a calf. The initial two strains, in April and June, occurred in his right leg. This week Stanton fell and sustained a strain in his left calf, manager Aaron Boone said Saturday.

Just like in June, Stanton had built up his calf carefully and reached the final stage of his progression — rounding the bases, which typically precedes a rehab assignment or immediate activation — before disaster struck.

“Just feel terrible for him,” said Austin Wells, essentially speaking for the whole clubhouse.

Boone, who spoke with emotion in his voice, said Stanton’s strain is moderate, and thus the designated hitter will continue to work toward a 2026 return. Many players can make it back from such a graded strain within a month or two, but the 36-year-old Stanton, who has a long history of leg problems and is chiseled like few in the game, is not like many players. His first calf strain, April 24 in Houston, was deemed “low grade,” according to the club, and he was sidelined until the second strain two months later.

“He’s just a substantial piece for our team. It sucks,” Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “We really want him back and kind of need him back.”

There will be implications for the 2026 Yankees, who may have lost a key reinforcement (if one redundant with others on the roster) and arguably for the 2027 and beyond Yankees.

But Boone wanted to focus on the implications for a deeply respected, 17-year veteran who has the makings of a Hall of Fame case and zero World Series titles.

“I admire him so much and who he is and the way he goes about things, and the same rings true for everyone in that [clubhouse],” Boone said before a 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays in The Bronx. “They look up to him. They respect him. When he speaks, you listen.

“It means a lot to him to be able to go do this. And he understands who he is and what he means to the

FAHLEN STAR

Stanton suffers new calf injury, putting ’26 return in jeopardy

team when he’s in there. He has the utmost respect and admiration of everyone in that room, and especially me.”

Stanton was not expected to address reporters Saturday. The Yankees are obligated to pay $15 million of his salary next season, which is the final guaranteed year of a 13-year, $325 million pact originally signed with the

Marlins. Forty-four home runs shy of 500 and a ring missing from his résumé, Stanton has reason to continue to attempt to play, but there will be wonder whether his legs will allow what they have not allowed this year.

“It’s been a tough road,” Boone said of Stanton’s season, which to this point consists of 24 games in March and April. “Tough news. Just feel for G because I know how bad he wants to be in there with us.”

Without Stanton, the Yankees would lose one proven, big-time October bat, though one who did not fit well within a

group that is filled with DH types. Will Aaron Judge, who is again hitting as he recovers from a rib stress fracture, return to the outfield? The Yankees would prefer to use Ben Rice at designated hitter rather than at first base, where Luis García Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt could platoon in the postseason.

But such lineup questions were not front of mind Saturday.

“We all know what he’s capable of and especially what he does in the playoffs,” Chisholm said.

“Obviously bummed for him,” Boone added. “Been working his tail off every single day here trying to get this thing right.”

msanchez@nypost.com

THE PAIN EVENT: After Aaron Boone announced Giancarlo Stanton (left) suffered a left calf strain while running the bases, Ryan Weathers exited his start on Saturday in the fourth inning with forearm discomfort.

Jason Szenes (2)

Montefiore Einstein

Official Hospital of the New York Yankees

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Yanks must find way to Weathers yet another storm

THIS WAS the Yankees' Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. You know it is miserable when the third-worst thing that happened was spending most of Saturday being no-hit by Dylan Cease and, thus, helping the Blue Jays ace's AL Cy Young case against Cam Schlittler for good measure. Before what would be a 4-3 Blue Jays victory, Aaron Boone revealed that Giancarlo Stanton recently had fallen while running the bases and injured his left calf, just as he was approaching a return from what had been multiple injuries to his right calf. The chances of the slugger playing again this season are now low.

Then, during the fourth inning, Ryan Weathers walked off the mound with what the Yankees termed "left forearm discomfort."

As bad as the Yankees lineup is, the setback to Stanton is painful (literally and metaphorically). And as good as Yankees pitching has been, the injury to Weathers is far more devastating.

The Yankees can cover DH, especially with Cody Bellinger due back Sunday to deepen the positional group and Aaron Judge increasing his rehab activity. The Yankees are not announcing any projections for his return, but somewhere on the Sept. 8-13 homestand against either the Rockies or Mets is a probable target. And Boone told me that the plan is for Judge to play right field mainly and not be limited to DH when he returns from the fractured rib.

But from the moment the Yankees left the trade deadline earlier this month without adding to their pitching staff, they were walking out on a tightrope while juggling flaming axes. They might get across the rest of the season, but the degree of difficulty was going to be tough considering the workloads and injury histories of so much of the staff. An injury or two to the wrong arm would leave the Yankees woefully exposed — and greatly diminish their championship opportunity.

Then Max Fried went to the IL on Monday with a recurrence of an elbow bruise, and now might be joined by Weathers.

Fried threw a bullpen session Saturday with positive results. So it seems like the kind of IL stint the Dodgers have mastered the past few years — there is pain that probably can be pitched through. But why risk it when the playoffs are all but assured and Max-impling Fried in October is most vital? Still, this is a recurring injury and assuming health is risky. The same with Gerrit Cole in his first year back after Tommy

John surgery, two IL stints this year for Carlos Rodón and Schlittler in an innings region never reached before — just like Weathers.

In the pen, David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick have all been heavily used, in part because the offense has not opened up leads and Boone has felt compelled to use his best over and over in close, winnable situations. What is the price tag on that — especially for Blackburn and Headrick who have never been full-season relievers before?

Brian Cashman said a combination of using a lot of prospect collateral the past few years and the lack of tantalizing options at acceptable prices kept the Yankees from acquiring pitching at the deadline. The hope, instead, was that the Yankees pitching could stay healthy and get healthier. That would give them one extra starter to displace into the pen, Weathers or Will Warren. And it would bring back Clarke Schmidt (Tommy John surgery) and perhaps Luis Gil (shoulder) in time to help the pen.

But it was all a gamble. The big-picture vision not long ago was to have Carlos Lagrange and Weathers go to the pen for power righty and lefty arms. But in the transition from starter to pen, Lagrange sprained his shoulder. Are Schmidt and Gil off arm injuries going to seamlessly move from career-long starters to relievers? Even if they do, that is not tomorrow.

In the short term, the Yanks likely will have to summon an arm and they are not well-stocked in the upper levels. They recently signed journeymen Eli Morgan and Justin Topa, but there is a reason those veterans are available for nothing in August. Brendan Beck and Elmer Rodriguez have pitched well as starters at Triple-A, and far less when called on this year in the majors.

The Yankees mainly lost because of their offense again Saturday. They did not have a hit until Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled off Cease with two outs in the seventh. The Yanks squandered a runner on third with one out in the first and second innings en route to going 1-for-12 with men in scoring position.

Toronto squandered much, too, managing four runs despite 17 base runners. But the last two runs came against Yerry De los Santos and Bradley Hanner, the kind of pitchers Boone has shunned in close games. But that has left an eroding effect on his circle of trust — a circle that might now tighten if bad news comes with Weathers; and a forearm injury plus a pitcher hardly ever equals good news.

The Yankees will try to weather what came out of a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. joel.sherman@nypost.com

Montefiore Einstein Official Hospital of the New York Yankees

■ Giancarlo Stanton suffered his third calf strain of the season, this time to his left leg. The moderate strain does not necessarily knock Stanton out for the year, but a return would be a surprise.

■ Max Fried (elbow bone bruise) returned to a mound and threw a 26-pitch side session he deemed successful.

vs. Blue Jays Sunday, 1:35 p.m., YES, WFAN (660 AM, 101.9 FM)

Montefiore Einstein

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CURE FOR FEVER

LIBS TURN BACK CAITLIN & CO.

PAGES 67-68

RB FUMBLES CHANGE

TRACY LOSES GROUND IN POSITION BATTLE

PAGES 72-73

SUNDAY NEW YORK POST Sports AUGUST 23, 2026

New calf problem puts Stanton return in serious doubt

STRAIN WRECK

Giancarlo Stanton was nearing a return from a calf strain that initially occurred in April. But manager Aaron Boone revealed Saturday that Stanton fell while rounding the bases and sustained a new strain. Considering his recent history and age, it likely means the season is over for the 38-year-old. PAGES 78-79, 61

YANKEES STREAK SNAPPED

PAGE 77

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