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B&H opened their Nikon D4 pre-orders

B&H just opened their pre-orders for the Nikon D4 - first come, first served.

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  • Gilbert

  • Isabel

    Pre-ordered 5 of those for a neat setup I’m looking forward to. 3 remotes and to to carry on a soccer game. Canon can kiss my ass goodbye.

  • tsy

    ouch, close to 50 dollars in shipping to me…

    I guess I wont preorder through them… hopefully either my jr or amazon order pulls through!

    • LGO

      Shipping charge a bummer when Amazon has 2-days shipping for free.

      • Rolf

        But $50 shipping is cheap compared to taxes if you live in WA, or anyplace Amazon collects taxes from. ~9.5% sales tax on $6k is $570, assuming you don’t get any other gadgets as the same time, like a spare battery. THAT’S ouch!

        • tsy

          Agreed, I’m really just saying for my own case (in cali) to which amazon 2day shipping is unbeatable especially when you factor in taxes. That said, J&R offers shipping for 10 bucks and I think adorama was free as well.

          Honestly, BH is pretty smart. why cover shipping when they know most customers will have no issues paying for it given its probable low stock volumes on release.

        • The_Raze

          In Denmark the sales tax is 25% 🙁

          • Kiri

            Yeps 7.531 USD in Danish stores!

    • BornOptimist

      You want to buy a 6000$ camera, and you complain about 50$ for shipping!?

      • Paul

        That is the lamest argument ever.

      • AM

        Why would you throw away $50 if you can save them by ordering from another reputable source?
        If you are the type of guy who likes to give money away, I can give you my address where you can send some checks.

      • tsy

        that $50 dollars can go toward HALF (or about half) of the cost of a spare battery!! haha, I know how petty it sounds but hey, 50 dollars is still a good amount of money… imagine if you were buying a 200 dollars camera, 50 dollars is a quarter of the price.

        As someone else stated… why spend 50 when other reputable vendors either dont charge at all (amazon) or charge much less (J&R).

        • Matt

          mostly because when i order something through B&H i know how they work with cameras. You have issues, you can call them. Ever tried dealing with Amazon? they can be a PIA.

  • blub

    i thought it was a photo camera. but apparently it mutated into a video cam. 🙁

    • Derek

      So? That might turn more people on to Nikon. That’s a good thing. Why should it matter to your photography that other people are using that tool for video?

      • frAnk

        Hello…..I am forced to pay for the stuff you would use and enjoy, but I don’t! That is why I will not buy the D4, period!

        Nikon should come up something like Canon C300, so the video guys can pay for their only stuff!

        • CKbren

          Video on a dslr is some new software coding, a software tweak and some really minor additional hardware. You arent paying thousands more for the video capabilities. In fact, it costs you very little at all.

          Im going to guess that very very very few if any dslrs are going to be released from here on out that only do stills. The ability to shoot video adds lots of value without adding in additional costs.

          here i found a camera for you that only shoots stills, and has more resolving power than any nikon (link to any 8×10 camera).

          • Paul

            Software costs are very expensive–development is a huge factor in the price of many products especially electronics when you’re paying a team of software engineers.

            • Zeke

              R&D that results in more sales pays for itself. The D4 needs video to be competitive.

              It would cost Nikon MORE money to leave those features out.

            • AXV

              a) Ok so a camera costs you to produce it let´s imagine 1000. And you will sell 100 of them at a price of 1400 (revenue per unit 400). But if you add video, the R&D for it would cost 150 per unit, but you will sell 150 at the same base price of 1400.
              400×100= 40000 vs 280×120=42000
              So you get more money!

              b) The same applies but the cost of video is payed in it’s entirety by the costumer, which in turn makes you sell more cameras but not so much; so selling 120 at 1550:

              So no mater how you look at it, nikon wins more if they add video, it’s a business after all…

        • Zeke

          The video features add nearly nothing to the unit cost, just to R&D. The R&D expenses are more than made up for by increased sales.

          You’re not being made to pay for anything you’re not using. The stuff you’re not using just makes the D4 more popular, which is good for everybody with an investment in Nikon lenses and other equipment.

          • AXV

            Oh cock! You beat me to it hahaha.

  • You’ve got to wonder why not all the companies that are big in online sales opened up to pre-orders as soon as the D4 was announced. I understand that with limited supply, having a customer on a waiting list might not mean (s)he will buy with you, but it still some customers might be too lazy to switch to a competitor if the wait isn’t too bad.

    Any insights by people familiar with the business?

    • Similar question. I’ve been with B&H for years, yet Adorama was taking pre-orders well before B&H started. I’d think they’d lose some orders by doing this and perhaps, in the process, lose some fairly profitable customers. People who buy D4’s buy all kinds of profitable stuff.

      • T.I.M

        @Sole Prop
        DSLR cameras and lenses are not “profitable”.
        Acessories (like batteries, filters) are profitable.

        • AM

          Maybe not profitable for Nikon, but I am pretty sure that B&H, Adorama, and the like make good bucks out of them.

          • ZoetMB

            As with most industries, retailer margins these days on primary equipment are incredibly small. Most margins on equipment is around 10%. I can’t say I have hard facts about Nikon’s exact wholesale pricing, but I’ve “heard” that it’s around that number.

            I remember back in the 1970s when I sold audio equipment at retail, wholesale was about 50% and we used to offer the customer 30% off of list if they bought a system. In the early days of software development, Apple used to sell machines to developers for 30% to 50% off.

            Those days are long gone.

            As for the other poster’s question as to why some online retailers didn’t take preorders earlier, they wait until they know they’re going to receive some inventory. That’s actually quite ethical and they will piss off fewer people that way.

            And just as an aside, I don’t quite believe that all the posters above who claim they ordered actually did.

      • Both stores will sell out every single D4 they get in the next 12 months, for them it doesn’t matter when they will start taking pre-orders.

        • frAnk

          No doubt about that. The 1% in US has always maintain their purchasing power regardless

        • PJS

          The real problem is all of the jerks that will order in fifty different places, get one, and cancel the other 49 while an honest buyer is trying like hell to get one. Too bad retailers can’t cross-check preorders to prevent duplicates…

          • I think another problem might be that they may want to have a rough idea of how many D4 cameras they will be getting before they get a list of a couple hundred people.

            People get upset, impatient and angry at a company that has no control over how many D4 cameras they can ship. When people get upset at a business (for a dumb reason no less) they are less inclined to shop there in the future.

            I really dont know, im just guessing.

          • Luis

            I’m not a lawyer but I think that might be called collusion, which is illegal.

            • zoetMB

              No…it’s only collusion if they agree upon the selling price (which Nikon controls anyway) or they agree to split the market.

            • Luis

              Yeah – Nikon’s little gray area “price fixing” is such a delight.

              What would be the legal ramifications if let’s say 10 retailers banded together to prohibit me from pre-ordering a D4 from dealer A if I had already pre-ordered one from dealer B?

          • Rodrigo Ortiz

            Well, if that happens, then those 49 will be available for the next in line, so what’s the bid deal?

      • jeff

        I’m a little annoyed because B&H posted that they would be taking orders starting on 2/16 at midnight. Thus, I didn’t check back and figured I would just place my order then and take my chances. Now I am further down the waiting list than I would have been had they waited (like they originally stated).

    • Luis

      I have had a “D800” on pre-order with Berger Bros for about two years now, but they didn’t require a “hold-payment” until Friday once it seemed virtually certain it was coming soon. The hold-payment was simply to keep my spot in the queue and it is still fully refundable if I do decide to not get the D800 once they are actually shipping. I thought that was more than a fair arrangement. It took that much lead time just to be in the top five of their pre-order list.

      • I pre-ordered mine trough Calumet. I had a verbal request for over a month now, but they said they couldn’t make an official pre-order till Nikon made an official announcement and came up with catalog numbers (or whatever it’s called) for the D4.
        Now it’s official.

  • T.I.M

    The only things I pre-ordered in my life are my kids. (9 months delay but free shipping)

    • Zoot

      And it’s great fun making the deposit.

      • frAnk

        It’s called the lay-a-way plan in US.

    • alvix

      free shipping..but you pay later a hi interest rate 🙂 🙂

    • Luis

      That’s funny! I pre-ordered two at the same time and still had to wait 9 months. I thought I would at least get preferential treatment for my larger order.

    • Bob Your Thing

      Maintenance cost goes up every year.

      Lack of resale value.

      • I keep trying to sell mine. No takers so far.

        • Calibrator

          Have you tried any test labs?

    • RondoX

      Free shipping? I’m sure “delivery” costed a small fortune!

    • conan_leno

      I like pre-ordering from as many vendors as possible.

  • jen

    Ordered…Im shaking..LOL. Still have time to decide. Is this a direct ship for $40 or coming from B&H

    • Neil

      It’ll come from B&H. I’m a NAPP member so I went through that link for free ground shipping. If anyone else is a NAPP member, I’d recommend that route. It pays for half of a year’s membership right there.

  • A. Non

    Thank you! Just snagged one.

  • Franky

    Who are you people?

    Ordering a 6000$ camera like it was the latest DVD release from Paramount!!!

    • Dormant

      What about the soccer-mom ordering 5?

      I guess some people are just lucky – they either have far too much spare cash, or it is a business expense.

      Me? I’m going to wait a year before buying my first FX camera.

      • frAnk

        She sounded she is going to win a Pulitzer……

      • jen

        you are kidding..right?

      • Luis

        I think probably only about the top 5% of lucky people on the planet could even afford an FX camera, let alone a D4.

        Kind of eye-opening.

        • nau

          d700 is still on a market and its still great and FX

        • robUK

          wow, that is eye-opening. Apparently I paid more in tax last year than the top 1% of the world earned. But I still fail to understand how anyone in London can live well on even double the top 1% income given the cost of housing and travel.

          Then in the paper today was the fact that there are about 200 “jobless families” in the UK that are claiming £60,000 each per year (that’s about $90,000USD) in benefits. I’m all for paying taxes to have a welfare state to help the needy, but this seems to be taking the p*ss, when even the top 1% in the world don’t earn anything near that amount.

          Just did a quick google, and in the UK you need to be in the top 5% income bracket to earn £60,000. The top 1% in UK equates to about £150k/annum ($232k USD) based on latest figures (for 2007/8). At that level of income about £53k is deducted for various taxes if you are PAYE. Still not enough to pay for one of those “jobless families”, and at last count there were only about 300,000 people earning this top 1% figure. Out of a population of about 60m, about 26m pay tax.

          I saw an interesting figure once, which gave a “worth” for the average UK tax payer – so you could take any amount of government spending and work out how many average working taxpayers are needed to support the spend. I can’t remember the figure, but I’m sure it was aorund the £5k mark. Which means it would take 12 average working people to support one of those families.

          • AXV

            And that is exactly why the UK is heading towards a major economic crisis (as is most of the rest of the world).

    • frAnk

      The ones pre-ordered $6K toys should have paid more tax. They are the 1% in US.

      • Neil

        I’d venture to guess nearly every single person who visits this site is 1% of the world.

        • dude im strugglin to save some cash to buy a little 35 1.8 dx -.-
          damn south america 🙁

          • Neil

            I saw the other day that worldwide a person is considered “1%” if they have an income more than $1200 US per year.

      • neversink

        Don’t be an idiot…. I know a lot of people, including myself who aren’t the one percent (I wouldn’t mind being in the one percent though, and I am sure neither would you…..) I just pre-ordered and I am clearly not in the one percent, just a pro who needs a new camera to make more money… My other bodies are shot to death….

        What I see by your comment is jealousy for those who have what you don’t have. Maybe they should pay more taxes… But this is a PHOTOGRAPHY SITE, not a political site. Take your complaints to congress….

        • I’d say the same thing. A professional uses the equipment because he or she needs to, their income (and ability to complete) would fall without it. For those of us who are not professionals, but who spend many hours every day shooting, for whom photography is more an obsession than a past time, an expense such as this is daunting, but one we’re willing to (save for) and make. This 1% business is b.s.

  • Can’t believe I did it but I preordered, too.

  • Rye

  • Gino
  • Steve Starr

    Pre-order is a good way to determine how many they will order with a percentage overage for in-store or other online sales. Many will bail, and it usually is quite high, maybe 20-25% when it comes down to the wire to cough up.

    They always run out of D3x as they don’t order many of the expensive ones. It’s a big guessing game at times. Plus, the first of most anything has bugs that they would be best not to have at all, and just restock and sell the bug-free ones later.

  • BartyL

    $6999.00 (incl GST) through CameraPro in Australia.

    • Kirk

      Still 530$us cheaper then in Denmark 🙂

  • Pads

    Yay! Go and preorder the D4! I am picking which D3s to buy – prices have gone to a record-low for very slightly used ones 🙂

    • Mr. Presley

      I am going to upgrade my d7000 to a d400. When they release the D500.

      • RW

        That sounds like a good plan. I have a D7000 and it is way to early for me to think about buying another camera. Now if I made my living through photography, I would have no problem plunking down my Visa. I should be ready to head to full frame in a few years.

        • Mexecutioner

          How will you know when you are ready? What determines that?

  • Magnus

    I have pre-ordered one (at Swedish retailer http://www.cyberphoto.se).
    Was among the first and will thus get mine on the date of launch.

    Will be shooting 7Mp until I can afford to update my DX-glass (all f2.8) to FX.

    • Magnus

      55.000 SEK = $7.900 USD

  • neversink

    Pre Ordered!!! from B& H…. Yes… Now let’s hope they come out with a better battery like they did with the D3…. Otherwise I am happy…. And although I have been a still pro shooter since the 1970s, it will be incredible to be able to use Nikon glass for stunning video.

    This is probably the last pro camera I ever buy….

    AmI thriller with everything about the D4… Nope!!! Will I be thrilled by the photographs. I am sure I will be….

  • frazi
  • FX DX

    I am not a pro and photography is my hobby. It took me a while to shell out $2000 for a used D700, but here a lot of people are buying $6000 D4 as it is no big deal. Is Pro photography really that profitable? If yes, I need to quit my day job and become a pro photographer.

    • broxibear

      “Is Pro photography really that profitable?” not for most of us FX DX.
      Of all the friends I went through photographic college there are very few of us left still working in photography, if you’re in it for the money forget it.
      We’ve all given up a lot for our photography, yes we might be able to pay £5000 for a D4, but that’s because we don’t spend money on other things that “normal” people do and upgrading usually involves selling older gear.
      There are different types of photographer, some see it purely as a business and the photographic part is not as important as the money making part, others will do a shoot for free because they want to take images of a particular person and it’s all about the photography. The only wealthy photographers I’ve ever met are those who were wealthy before they became photographers.
      It’s not easy being a freelancer.

      • Luis

        Yeah – like I haven’t spent any money on cable TV since 1991. So that’s got to be worth about $12K right there, not including interest earned. Two D4s saved up for…

        People usually don’t consider that some of use are “upgrading” like broxibear mentioned. A D3 sold now for $2500 will lower the D4 cost down to $3500.

      • AXV

        Yes, if you have such a hard time buying a tool for your job priced so cheaply then photography is not a good business, you can never even dream to buy a sportscar then, or a nice house. Want expensive toys? Cars are expensive toys or yachts or planes.

        Then you start seeing people who buy a 6000 camera as a poor person. Even driving your own taxi is more expensive because a car costs 10,000 to 20,000 (or millions for the elite cars).

    • choob

      Think of it like this – if photography is your business then this $6000 is an expense on capital for that business. Which in the context of other businesses is not a lot of money – 2 bodies and a full set of lenses will set you back about 18k. In terms of startup costs that makes the equipment cost of a photography business quite low. Having the talent to make it pay, however, is another story.

      Also, most people are selling off old bodies which effectively cuts the 6k to about 2k in terms of cost of the camera.

      • robUK

        Plus (at least in UK) you can depreciate the asset over its useful lifetime and offset a capital allowance against pre-tax profit thus reducing corp tax. So that 6k camera (£4800 in UK) could actually end up costing you a lot less.

  • Because of Nikon’s pricing policy, it does not make much difference who you get if from. However, in the US we can avoid sales tax by ordering from a seller in a different state. All walk in sales are subject to sales tax, except for Oregon which has no sales tax.

    • Technically speaking we are suppose to pay taxes for that.

      • next2you

        It’s calleld “use tax” and somehow not really enforced.

        • Luis

          Some states are starting to gear up on it though:

          “The amnesty goes into effect Oct. 1 and runs until May 2013. It requires all businesses that voluntarily enter into an amnesty program to remit use taxes going back to Jan. 1, 2009. Any taxes that would have been due before that will be forgiven.
          There will be no penalties or interest. The state can set up payment plans if the liability tops $1,000.”

          ” There is no similar enforcement plan in the works by the state that targets individuals, however.”

          So if you are a company and end up not getting into this amnesty deal and they audit you you are probably screwed for use tax even before 1/1/2009 with hefty penalties. That might bring more companies into compliance going forward.

          As an individual I guess if you do end up getting audited by your state then unpaid use tax might get discovered and you’ll be liable for it. Dunno how that would play out.

          • RW

            I live in Washington State right across the border from Oregon. Most people buy big ticket items across the river in Oregon because you save 8.7% sales tax. But Washington is really starting to watch and recently went after a mattress company with multi locations. They were using a third party to deliver to customers in Washington without charging the required sales tax. They got caught and owed 2 million dollars in taxes. They closed up shop.

      • Technically, you are correct. Some states now put a line on their income tax forms to report use tax. Where I live there is no state income tax, so this particular approach is not applicable. Most use tax issues involve very big ticket items like yachts, vehicles and aircraft.

  • Ray J

    I called B & H this morning at 9 am and asked why they were not offering a pre-order. I told Howard that I wanted to buy from only B & H but I may be forced to pre-order from another site. He spoke to a manager and took my number and said he would call me when pre-orders started. I didn’t believe him and kept checking the site and right after noon, pre-ordering was available and I ordered. Howard did call me around 1:30 and I thanked him. It is this kind of customer service that is keeping me buying at B & H. I am also a NAPP member but didn’t go through that link as I was too excited to get my order placed. I have seen may times on a hot product that supply get taken very quickly and ordering is stopped. I wonder if I could call and give them my NAPP membership info and the frt be deducted?

  • broxibear

    5th Notice on the damage from the flood in Thailand

    This is to advise you of the latest situations of Nikon (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a consolidated manufacturing subsidiary of Nikon Corporation in the Rojana Industrial Park in Ayutthaya Province located in Central Thailand, which is suffering damages from the flood.
    1. Latest situations
    Operations at the Nikon Thailand had been suspended since October 6. After completion of water pumping-out on November 26, we have been putting all our energy into restoring infrastructure and production equipment. We are now pleased to announce that partial operation at the factory resumed on January 3, earlier than expected, and production of certain digital SLR cameras and interchangeable lenses has started on the same day.
    2. Recovery and latest estimation
    Manufacture of production equipment and some parts is already being carried out at our Group facilities in Japan, and alternative and limited production of digital SLR cameras and interchangeable lenses is also continuing at our partner factories in Thailand since the end of November. With partial operation restart at Nikon Thailand, our plan remains unchanged to resume production of digital SLR cameras and interchangeable lenses to the normal level of volume by the end of March 2012.
    Estimated impact on business results for the financial period ending March 31, 2012 remains unchanged from our announcement on November 4, we assure you to immediately advise new findings once it is judged there will be an important change for it.
    We deeply apologize for your inconvenience caused by the disaster such as short supply of our products.

  • M.H.

    Preordered mine. NPS priority!!! We’ll see how well that works! haha

    • Michael

      M.H. I see you preordered with NPS… I thought you had to order through a local store and pick it up when it arrives at that store location. I am NPS and these were the instructions sent to me. But did you order through BH and it is supposed to ship to your house as well? Thanks.

  • Forget the D4, I want a full-frame camera phone!

    You think I’m joking, but I’m not… 😉 Google WVIL @ CES

    • Daniel

      No one cares what you think.

  • I got my D4 pre-order in under the wire at B&H just before 6pm ET as I see that the pre-order link is shut down now and are now “temporarily out of stock”. As for the $50 shipping charge, I think most will find it worth paying B&H the shipping since they tend to get a bigger piece of the Nikon allocation. Many of these other retailers will have free shipping but will have a much smaller allocation of production and as a result, a much longer wait.

    By the way, I am a NAPP member and paid $0 shipping from B&H.

    • Shasta_D

      That $50 shipping fee at B&H actually goes to shipping materials, peanuts and such. If you ordered from Amazon, you’d get your D4 in a big box with a couple of air filled bags that have popped and your D4 would be flopping around 😉

      Though the above is in jest, I’ve had my share of lenses from Amazon with poor shipping packaging. B&H and Adorama pack things in a much more protective way.

    • Jacob

      How is it you are so certain that B&H will “get a bigger piece of the Nikon allocation” ?Why does everyone immediately look to the “Walmart” of the photo industry when a new camera is announced? Nikon is committed to their smaller dealers and they will most likely get their fair share of new product. Keep smaller local dealers in mind!

  • oppio

    D800 will be 16 mp 25600 ISO

    • 16mp and 25600 does not make any sense for a D800 in the context of what we have been hearing around here.

      • Pads

        Well, if the rumors are right, where there’ll be 2 versions of it coming out, then one will be a lower pixel and the other at around 36MP.

    • Orilla

      Which Source?
      I still wait for the D800 =(

  • jen

    ordered my d4 yesterday ! I’m Kinda torked about the $150f xqd cards . Is this card geared for video?? why not 2 cf’s . I dont know much about it.

  • Now that the follow-up of the D3s is here: Are there any public data on D3s sales numbers around? I’d be very interested to see some (even ball park) numbers, to get a bit of a feel for things like Nikon’s sales strategy, demand and supply issues etc.

    I know Amazon has their top sellers list etc and that Nikon produces general sales reports and market share numbers, but I couldn’t find specific (D3s) numbers.

  • fixemon

    D800 is 16 mp and latter will be d810 with 36 without AA and without dust removal

    • Zen- Tao

      That would be terrible. Mind that the next year or two more Nikon will release D4x with 36 mpx with 60 fps progressive video an a lot more features. That happaened with D3 an the following D3x. Currently lot of user pro or not are expecting the famous D800 but I wonder if Nikon is waiting to sell a lot of expensive D4 before to launch an affordable model for studio photographers not Olimpic Games photoghrapher to show off their gears.
      Let’s wait and see how the prices and new launches run. By chance I´ve been checking D3x price an all wholesalers are digging in their heels about the price, They haven’t lowered the 7999 USD even a cent. Is that a collusion or they know there wouldn’t be a new camera for studio photographers?. They know a lot of things. When we were theorizing about D4 the knew exactly all the specks, prices, etc even though the arranged the price of the camera. Is this a collusion or not?

      • Shasta_D

        I wish there was an Olympics or World Cup every year to push Nikon to release great new equipment ahead of time.

        • Zen-Tao

          On 2013 World Cup you would make a fool of yourself with your shinning D4 whe you meet a bragging photographer with his super D5 gear.
          I’d like a camera with better quality and imaging perfomances than my current D7000 and that will be difficult to achieve.

  • nikonfan

    can we have an entry level d3100 with full frame sensor????

  • broxibear

    So much for the Japanese magazine that predicted the D4 would look like this https://nikonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/nikon-d4.jpg
    It looks nothing like it, although they did get the text right, it does say “Nikon” and “D4” lol ?
    Onto the D800…

    • robUK

      I hadn’t seen that before, really did make me LOL.
      Looks like it was drawn by a 12 year-old (apologies to any real 12 year-olds out there).
      To be fair, the real D4 IS black (Nikon could easily have pulled a surprise red makeover).

  • lollo
  • Nathan

    For those that are saying that video adds almost nothing to the cost of the D4, I would say that’s wrong. The D3 didn’t have video and it was $4700 when it came out. The D3s had 720p and the price went up to over $5100. Now that the D4 is introduced with 1080p. The specs are similar to the D3s except it has worse battery life and higher video performance yet costs $900 more than the previous model. At least some of that cost is coming from video. If you say it isn’t then you’re kidding yourself.

    • Luis

      You are overlooking how much the USD has devalued against the Japanese Yen during that time period:

      9/2007 = 1USD to 115 JPY

      9/2009 = 1USD to 91 JPY

      1/2012 = 1USD to 77 JPY

      $1000 USD from 2007 is only worth $770 today against the Yen, that’s a good 23% drop. That has contributed to the rise in the price of Nikon gear, so you’ll need to recalculate with that in mind. The D3S should have actually been priced higher than it was to equate to the same exchange rate adjusted USD price, but Nikon priced that before the big Nikon price hike kicked in. Given the drop in the exchange rate from 117 to 91 from the D3 to the D3S, the D3S was actually priced lower than the D3. With the drop from 91 to 77 the D4 is actually priced about the same as the D3S.

    • neversink

      And correct me if I’m wrong…. But don’t forget that when the D3 first came out the battery life was also called into question. It didn’t take long for Nikon to develop a better and longer lasting battery… Let’s hope history repeats itself….

  • martin balo

    i already hav a D4 with me!!

    • proof is in pudding

      proof? or are u fanatical dear sir?

  • martin balo

    nope! physical !! and its looking good! it feel lighter and the vertical grip is more comfortable!

  • B!

    I’m going to throw this in…just because I can.

    If you are a smoker living and buying cigarettes in NYC, and are willing to drop this nasty habit…..you can buy a D4 level camera every 2 years with money left for extra batteries, flash, cards, bag etc at every swap. Yep, do the math. Oh my god, suddenly the D4 seems super cheap in grand scheme of things.

  • Andy

    Excellent comparison to savings on cigarettes. Life is all about choices. D4 is great new choice.

  • I wonder why B&H hasn’t listed accessories yet (like the battery)…

  • 14 years ago I moved to NYC and was shooting products and such as well as some industrial stuff upstate. I was using my Mamiya RZ system which was about $2,500 for the camera and the lenses were more than the Nikon lenses for similar focal length equivalents. I was paying about $12.00/roll of 120 E-6 film and about $10.00 at Duggal or one of the other labs to process it for a total of $22.00/10 photos plus a lot of Polaroids. I would take in about 2 rolls per day; with the film, processing and Polaroids that had to be $200/week. And then I’d drum scan the chromes (which I did charge extra for, but it was a battle to be sure) on my $15,000 Howtek drum scanner. Then I still needed my Nikon F4 for sports, events and other outdoor work. So to me 6K seems like a bargain. You’re getting a killer camera, life-time supply of film and an awesome scanner.

    When you consider the time spent in buying film, processing or going to the lab and then scanning, it is truly a good time to be a photographer. Imagine what the wedding shooters were spending on film and processing for their Hasselblads. And then they had Nikons for the reception anyway.

  • paul

    “the wrong camera too late” this is a very honest technical review of this model, but I am fascinated by the suggested features. http://www.photography-factory.co.uk/photographyreviews/2012/01/nikon-d4-review-the-wrong-camera-too-late-16mp-1080p-30-hd-video-iso-12000-xqd-is-that-it-v-canon-5d-hasselblad-h4d-pentax-d645/

    • Mike

      That was an interesting overview. The things they wanted in the camera, from what i remember, were usb 3.0 and thunderbolt, swivel screen, more slow motion options in video, bluetooth for wireless headphones, gps… I am sure there are more.

      Then they discuss how it is hands down better AF, low light, metering, image quality, pixel quality, skin tones, better built, more reliable, than any other camera on the market… but it is a waste of money and they aren’t impressed and are going to get canons… which in their opinion are lesser quality, but since they are cheeper, make more sense.

      I believe in giving my clients the best, which is why I use top of the line gear. So this camera makes sense.

      • paul

        The parts I found genuinely fascinating were their suggestions for very sensible future features that are not even being considered at all by existing camera manufactures.
        a)voice recognition, while shooting.
        b)the idea that the LCD could use facial recognition to tell if you were looking at it and turn on or brighten up (i think this is genius not just for cameras)
        c)the camera should take two frames in the same one shutter actuation to make a HDR type wide latitude image.
        d) huge rear LCD – touch screen.
        These guys are smarter than the whole camera industry put together. I wish they could make that camera!

  • anElectricCameraGuy

    laughing so hard my balls tickled LMFAO!
    Matthew Saville
    Posted January 10, 2012 at 4:27 am | Permalink

    Forget the D4, I want a full-frame camera phone!

    You think I’m joking, but I’m not… 😉 Google WVIL @ CES

    Read more on NikonRumors.com: https://nikonrumors.com/2012/01/09/bh-opened-their-nikon-d4-pre-orders.aspx/#ixzz1jHEGuQHy

  • These guys will be waiting months!! Go to your local dealer and pre-order. You will get it twice as fast and it is under the MVP program and will be the same price EVERYWHERE forever….I guarantee my customers are going to get them much faster than these poor guys!! Nikon has already told us that everyone is going to get the same amount of these cameras for the first two months or more no matter how big the dealer..

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National Network of Libraries of Medicine
English Arabic Chinese (Simplified) French Hindi Japanese Korean Persian Portuguese Russian Spanish

Health Issues in the Headlines: Learning to Read Between the Lines

Class Details

This November session of "Health Issues in the Headlines" is a free asynchronous class on the Moodle learning platform. The class will be available starting November 1 and will close at the end of the day on November 30. The readings and assignments are all in Moodle and will take about 4 hours of your time depending on such factors as your familiarity with Moodle, your knowledge of the subject, or additional reading you may want to do. Assignments involve participating in discussion forums which attendees are expected to participate. Contact me if you have any questions.

Class Date:
Region/Office: National
Nov 1, 2017 to Nov 30, 2017
Carolyn Martin, MLS, AHIP, Consumer Health Coordinator
Continuing Education Credits:
This class is eligible for Consumer Health Information Specialization continuing education credit awarded by the Medical Library Association.
This class is now closed to registrants.

Class Instructors

Carolyn Martin, MLS, AHIP, Consumer Health Coordinator

Dark chocolate, red wine, and stem cells - what do these have in common? All have been reported in the news as having health benefits. Often the first place your patrons will hear about health issues is in the media. This interactive, hands-on CE course will introduce participants to the environment of health reporting. Participants will learn about how health is reported in the news as well as how to evaluate the accuracy and validity of science and health stories. The impact of celebrity illness will also be discussed. By the end of this course, participants will be better equipped to help their patrons look more critically at health issues that are being reported in the news media. Actual news articles and research reports will be included for critique.

Original Author: Gail Kouame, Former Public Health Outreach Coordinator, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region

At the end of this class, participants will be able to:

  • describe the environment of medical reporting;
  • gain a deeper level of knowledge of the origins of health news stories, including the impact of celebrity illness;
  • gain an understanding of the responsibilities of scientists in conducting and describing their research to the public; and
  • know how to critically evaluate health news stories and the research reports on which they are based.

Class Handout (November, 2017): Health_Issues_Headlines_handout.pdf

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One Day At A Time

How do you handle stressful situations?

This year has been off to a somewhat stressful start for our family. My job has evolved and I’ve taken on more responsibility. My oldest picked up new classes and is feeling the stress of higher demands on his abilities and performance. And we got a cat (but you already know that).

Early in January, I was having moments where the new responsibilities were too many and coming at me too fast. In those moments I’d feel overwhelmed, and experience a wide range of emotion from fear–can I handle everything that is being given to me? to anger–why is this happening me? to hope — okay, I think I can do this; only to find myself repeating this loop over and over. It was exhausting.

My oldest was going through the same. Taking on assignments that were pushing his comfort level. Due dates that seemed aggressive. Grades hanging in the balance. He too was dealing with a range of emotion from fear — how am I doing to do this? to anger — why are they asking me/making me do this? to hope — okay, maybe I can figure this out. The same loop repeating over and over, and just like his mom, he was finding it exhausting.

In moments of stress, we seek out coping mechanisms. All my former coping mechanisms were not having the intended affect. Food — no thanks, no appetite — I’m too stressed. Meditation — okay I’m meditating, but I’m only slightly less tense after doing so. Giving myself a break — too tense and overwhelmed to even consider it. I had a moment of clarity when I was discussing my situation with a peer. “I’ve got to just take it one day at a time,” I said. I don’t know where it came from, but it was like a light turned on. Part of my struggle was that I kept jumbling everything I had to do today, tomorrow, next week, next month, etc. into the ‘have-to-do’ compartment of my brain which was setting off my ‘help-I’m-overwhelmed’ alarm bells. When I said it outloud, I could almost immediately feel the stress diminishing. One day at a time. I can handle this. Just focus on today. Not tomorrow or the day after that. Just today.

After having this ephiphany I shared it with my son. When he next shared how stressed he was, I asked him what he had to get done that day — not the next or the following, just that day. When he replied with items he had to do he had a similar reaction. He even smiled and said, “I can do that, mom.”

His relief matched mine. I’ve heard the phrase “one day at a time” a million times, but never really took it to heart, until now…when I had to.

How do you cope with stressful situations? How do you help your child cope when they are stressed?

Competition for 1

With the start of the summer Olympics, I’m reminded how much value we place on competition.

My sons are taking lessons this summer to help strengthen their swimming skills. My oldest shared how nervous he was prior to the first lesson. “Mom, what if I don’t do well and they send me back to the beginners class with the little kids?” I could understand his anxiety, he hadn’t really swam much since the prior summer and needed to re-acclimate himself with being in the pool. His stress waned once he started swimming and he did well enough to stay in the advance class. He wasn’t the most advanced and needed instruction from his teacher on several of the strokes, but he listened and was able to do what his teacher asked.

Before a lesson several weeks later my son once again expressed his concern. “Mom, I’m not as good as the other kids. They’re all better than I am.” I understood how he could feel this way, but thought he might be looking at this all wrong. “This isn’t a competition,” I said, “the only one you are competing with here is yourself. Instead of comparing how good you are against the other swimmers, compare yourself to how you did last week. Did you improve on any of your skills? Were you able to do something better than you did before?” I could tell I had got him thinking. “Thanks, Mom,” he said and headed off to get into the pool.

I wasn’t sure if I had really gotten through to him, or if he was saying thanks to end the conversation. 🙂 Following the lesson we were walking back home when he said, “Mom, I improved on some things today!” He was very excited, and I was too — he actually had taken what I’d said to heart. He shared how he had improved on his kick and how we’d learned how to turn his body so he could stroke and kick at the same time. He was very proud of what he had done, and so was I.

There is much competition in the world. It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. We learn this as a child and often cling to it as an adult as a measure of our worth. Talking to my son about this made me rethink how I compare myself to others., and that life really is a competition for one.

How do you deal with competition? How are you helping your child?


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Truly Sickening Imagery

, , , , , , | Working | February 12, 2018

(I don’t think this series of text messages from an employee — who didn’t last too long, by the way — to our boss needs much commentary.)

Employee: “I can’t come into work today. My dog is really sick, and I need to take her to the vet.”

Employee: *texts photo of a pile of dog vomit*

1 Thumbs


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Review + Giveaway: Touching the Moon by Lisa M. Airey

Touching the Moon by Lisa M. Airey

Paperback, 272 pages
Published November 11th 2012 by Aakenbaaken & Kent
Source: Author for honest review
A gifted healer with a genetic secret and a haunted past, Julie Hastings takes her new veterinary degree to South Dakota hoping to bury memories of a physically abusive stepfather and unprotective mother.
Although intending to lead a quiet life, she finds herself relentlessly pursued by two unwelcome suitors: the Chief of Police and a powerful member of the Sioux Indian Nation.
The man she chooses shatters her world-view.Her stepfather taught her that not all monsters run on four legs. Now Julie must face another truth—some beasts are good. – Goodreads
My Opinion: I really enjoyed the book. I read it in two days. Julie was a pretty good character. She is someone that you can to because of how she towards animals and the way that even though she is afraid of  Gray because of her stepfather she still trusts him enough to keep her alive, on numerous occasions. I love how she is vet and that she helps so many animals.
I also really enjoyed the way the mystery of the murders worked around her locations and where she was at. I found the “stalking” moments that she felt with her suitors sometimes really funny. I loved how they both tried to be what she needed, without actually trying to  listen to what she wanted from them. I really really really liked Gray in his wolf form. He was so cute the way he protected her and the way that he was just there for her.
Something that I really liked was the way that the twist happened at the end. I did not expect that to happen. I think it worked really well. I was surprised after the “kidnapping” what happened. I didn’t expect that those people would be involved in her kidnapping from the kidnapper. Overall, the story was fast-paced and it was a good mystery and thriller. I enjoyed reading it.
Overall: 4 out of 5
Also if you want another chance, Goodreads is also hosting a giveaway: GO HERE!!!

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CITY firefighters are seeing red over “NYPD Blue.”

The ABC-TV show’s most recent episode depicted New York’s Bravest as corpse robbers — prompting their fired-up union to call for a nationwide boycott of the series.

“‘NYPD Blue’ and the ABC network have spit in the face of every New York City firefighter and our comrades nationally,” fumed Matthew James of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, which has more than 9,000 members.

“Each and every day, these brave men and women risk life and limb for the citizenry of New York City — and ABC and ‘NYPD Blue’ have the audacity to portray us as idiots, criminals and, worse yet, those who would pillage from a corpse.”

Bill Clark, one of the show’s executive producers, apologized for the flap — but insisted the show takes its cues from reality.

“These are based on true stories,” said Clark, who’s with Steven Bochco Productions. “It was the first time we portrayed firemen in a bad light.”

He added that since the show started in 1993, “we’ve locked up probably 10 cops on the show … I’ve never had the police union call me to boycott.”

Even the city’s fire commish, Thomas Von Essen, dismissed the hoopla.

“‘NYPD Blue’ is a program that is pure fiction,” Von Essen said.

The controversial show, which aired Tuesday night, depicted a firefighter stealing a Rolex watch and ring from a corpse.

UFA spokesman Tom Butler said more than 100 firefighters called his office to gripe about the segment.

James noted that while the show was airing in New York, five firefighters were hurt in a Brooklyn apartment fire that killed two residents.


text:
Nearly 60 supporters of Amadou Diallo who couldn’t get seats at the trial protested outside yesterday, crying “Amadou! Amadou!” so loudly, they could be heard in the fourth-floor courtroom.

And at least one supporter of the cops charged with murdering the unarmed street vendor wasn’t in the courtroom either — paralyzed Officer Steven McDonald was barred by the judge.

One of the Diallo supporters, Jim Cuffey, 76, of Manhattan, said: “I came to see for myself what justice or injustice is being done here. I will come here every day until the verdict.”

Supporters of the four cops stood defiantly a few feet away, with their heads and signs held high. Their signs read simply: “Free the Bronx four.”

A black man who said he supported the cops was heckled as he argued with supporters of the Diallo family, who carried signs that read: “Amadou, what have they done to you?”

“I appreciate the sentiment against police brutality, but I don’t think [this is] a brutality case,” said Tom Chandler, 43, a landscaper from an Albany suburb.

“They’re calling these people bigots and racists, but if four black officers shot a white man in the same circumstance, I don’t think those people would be here.”

The cries died down in late afternoon, when the prosecution began its closing arguments.

The Rev. Al Sharpton sat with Diallo family supporters in an adjacent room to watch on closed-circuit TV.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi formally barred McDonald from attending the trial — saying the hero officer’s presence would sway jurors.

It was the second time McDonald, who was shot 14 years ago in Central Park, had been kept out of the courtroom.

“I’m very upset,” he told The Post. “I feel I’m being denied my rights.”

Teresi said McDonald’s wheelchair would have to be placed in clear view of the jury, where he would be a “distraction” that might be “prejudicial” to the case.

Last week, Teresi denied barring McDonald after the cop said someone turned him away on the judge’s order.

“Al Sharpton is allowed in there. He holds press conferences every day. Doesn’t that prejudice the jury?” McDonald asked.


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PORTLAND – In preseason, Kendall Gill was by far the Nets’ most reliable shooter. Back at his two-guard position, Gill, who was trying to respond from the three worst shooting seasons of his career, seemed to be laying the groundwork to do just that, hitting .623 on his shots.

Then someone scratched his cornea. That was followed by his knee acting up with bolts of tendinitis pain. Grudgingly, Gill acknowledged yesterday that he is playing in pain, a claim supported by coach Byron Scott.

“Truthfully, I haven’t felt healthy yet,” said Gill, who entering last night’s 86-84 defeat to the Blazers here, was the Nets’ second-leading scorer (11.8 points per game), but his 39 percent shooting had been offset to a large degree by his defense (he’s again among the league leaders in steals).

But on the four-game road trip, Gill was just 19-of-55 (.345) from the floor. And Gill missed a 17-footer at :01.7 that could have tied last night’s game.

“Kendall, I think is 90 percent of being Kendall Gill,” Scott said. I think his knee bothers him. He’s not 100 percent healthy. He’s another guy like Steph (Marbury). He’s a warrior. If he can walk, he wants to play.”

“The knee is better but it hasn’t been 100 percent in a while,” Gill admitted. “It really affects what I try to do laterally. Going side to side has been a problem. I think in another couple of weeks it’ll be back totally healthy.”

After playing for the first time in four games on Friday, Sherman Douglas was a “Did Not Play” performer again last night. Douglas had admitted he was surprised he was used Friday.

“I was surprised I got called but you have to be ready. No matter when you get called upon you have to be ready to produce and do something,” Douglas said.

Douglas played five minutes and looked a little rusty. He committed two turnovers and passed for an assist and helped the Nets get a nine-point deficit to six. Douglas exited when Scott re-inserted Stephon Marbury to counteract John Stockton. Behind Stockton’s direction, the Jazz pulled away toward a 97-85 victory. Scott said he was trying something different and hoping Douglas’ experience would help.

“It was a little bit of both at that particular time,” said Scott, who went back to Kevin Ollie last night in a move that hurt at a critical time: Ollie committed a traveling turnover with 5:51 left when the Nets, down five, were out on a break with numbers.

Shawn Kemp played nine minutes for Blazers. He had five fouls and three points. … Nets return home for just one game, against the Jazz on Tuesday, before heading right back out on the road for games at Detroit and Orlando. …

First thing Nets will work on in practice tomorrow? “Pick-and-roll defense,” said Scott. “We were late on a lot of our rotations, especially against Phoenix and a few times against Utah. Like I told the guys, it goes back to the principles taught you in high school: ‘See ball, see the man.'”


text:
NBC confirmed reports yesterday that it will lay off as many as 600 employees in an effort to cut costs.

In an internal memo sent to all NBC staffers, NBC Chairman Bob Wright said, “It is now clear that we must go beyond belt-tightening and take the additional step of reducing the size of our work force.”

Wright said the company is expecting to lay off approximately 5 to 10 percent of its work force of 6,000. He said the cuts will be felt across the board – “with some of the reduction achieved through attrition.”

It is believed every division will feel the cutbacks, including news and entertainment, as well as MSNBC, CNBC and NBC-owned stations.

The network will begin announcing the layoffs within the next few weeks.

An NBC spokeswoman added the cuts “will be invisible to viewers.”

“We are looking very closely at every process and function to see how digitization can lead to improved quality and lower costs,” Wright added.

Insiders say the company is looking at centralizing the operations of its stations, in a process called “hubbing.” Ad sales jobs – as well as marketing and promotions slots – are believed to be the first to go.

“It is no secret that the current economic climate is affecting our business,” Wright wrote in his memo.

He said he had asked all the division heads to begin cutting costs last fall – in an effort to combat the soft advertising market. But he came to the realization that job cuts were necessary as a result of the depressed ad market.

But NBC is not alone.

The world’s largest media companies have been bracing for an economic slowdown. ABC, NBC and News Corporation, which owns Fox as well as The Post, have announced hiring freezes across all their divisions. CNN is expected to lay off between 500 and 1,000 employees in an effort to cut costs.

While it is not the first time NBC has been forced to slash its work force, this round is believed to be the steepest in recent history.

NBC laid off between 200 and 300 staffers in 1998, due to the high costs of producing such pricey shows as “Friends” and “ER.”

Still, the new round of layoffs comes amid a corporate restructuring both inside the network and at its parent, General Electric. Wright recently promoted the network’s beloved Jeff Zucker, former producer of the profitable “Today Show,” to head NBC Entertainment. In addition, GE is undergoing a realignment with the retirement of GE Chairman Jack Welch.


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“I want to be somewhere where I’m wanted, and if that’s not here, then that’s fine.”DREW HENSON

OAKLAND – Because he has struggled with the Columbus Clippers the past two seasons and the Yankees acquired third baseman Aaron Boone this week, Drew Henson understands his time as a Yankee could be running out – even though he is owed $12 million across the next three seasons.

In the wake of GM Brian Cashman’s summation of the third baseman’s lack of development after the Boone trade, Henson told the Columbus Dispatch it may be time to move on.

“I want to be somewhere where I’m wanted, and if that’s not here, then that’s fine,” Henson told the paper Saturday. “But I’ve still got a month left to the season. I’m going to try to finish strong regardless of what my future is with the Yankees.”

Hours after acquiring Boone from the Reds on Thursday, Cashman was very pointed in discussing the effect the deal had on Henson, who is batting .228 with 12 homers and 58 RBIs at Triple-A.

“Drew Henson hasn’t developed to the point where he is in consideration for the major league side,” Cashman said. “By this move we recognize there is a position of need for the organization and we can improve upon it now. The move for Aaron Boone speaks volumes as to Drew Henson in terms of his development at this time.”

Henson responded to that by saying: “I work my [butt] off here every day and everyone that’s around me knows that. I couldn’t care less about what people think about me. The important thing is how I feel about myself, my teammates and my family. If anything, it gives me more motivation to keep going.”

Henson, a former Michigan quarterback, steadfastly denies he is thinking about chucking baseball and taking a shot at the NFL. Houston owns his rights after taking him in the sixth round of the draft.


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Marion Jones is considered to be the world’s fastest women. Yesterday she was the most defiant.

Jones, who won gold in the 2000 Olympics in the 100 and 200 meter and the 4X400 relay, has been linked to the BALCO drug investigation that has tarnished the reputations of Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, among others.

But unlike major leaguers, Jones faces the threat of being barred from competing. The United State Anti-Doping Agency has the power to ban an athlete, even if it doesn’t have a positive test for a banned substance.

USADA has never taken such action. But Jones, who was in New York yesterday for the Olympic Summit, said if that scenario unfolds, she will sue.

“If I make the Olympic team, which I plan to do in Sacramento, and I’m held out of the Olympic Games because of something that somebody thought, you can pretty much bet there will be a lawsuit,” said Jones.

“I’m not going to sit down and let someone or a group of people or an organization take away my livelihood because of a hunch, because of a thought, because somebody who’s trying to make a show of power,” Jones continued.

The USADA was created after the Sydney Olympics and given full control by the USOC over drug testing. The idea was noble – an independent organization to prove to the world that U.S. athletes are clean.

But USADA’s powers are worrisome to Olympic athletes who can be banned by the agency for what it terms a non-analytical positive. It is an ambiguous concept that would allow USADA to ban an athlete with a positive test for a banned substance such as steroids.

When Jones was one of 27 athletes who reportedly used a chemically altered steroid manufactured by BALCO, a San Francisco-based nutritional supply company, one paper reported that Jones had e-mail correspondence with BALCO.

When asked about that yesterday, she cut the questioner short with a “No.”

“I have always been drug-free,” said Jones. “I will continue to be drug free.”

Even USOC officials are concerned about the muscle USADA might try to flex. Herman Frazier, the U.S. team leader and a former sprinter, stood off to the side in a ballroom at the Marriott Marquis hotel while Jones answered questions, most of them drug-related.

Frazier, who said the U.S. must submit its list of Olympic athletes by July 21, said he did not see how an athlete who has not tested positive could be banned. If an athlete named to the U.S. team is banned by USADA after the 21st, he or she can’t be replaced.

“I think we have to have some pretty concrete evidence to ban athletes from the team,” said Frazier.


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Post columnists George Willis and Steve Serby slug over whether the today’s NFC winner has a prayer in the Super Bowl against the AFC champ

George Willis: Steve, I know you’ll do your best impersonation of Don King today and dump the loser of the AFC Championship Game and promptly claim the winner was your team of choice all along, but to think the Steelers or the Patriots are going to own Jacksonville in two weeks is foolish. I’m sure you were probably too busy driving the Big Green Bus during the Jets’ failed Super Bowl run to see much of the Eagles and you probably think Dan Reeves is still coaching the Falcons, but trust me, neither of these two teams will lie down for the AFC representative.

Steve Serby: Only in America would you compare me with Don King. I’ve seen enough of the Eagles to know they’re a much lesser team with Terrell Owens flapping his wings in civvies. If he were to return to play in the Supe, the timing and chemistry he had enjoyed with Donovan McNabb simply would not be there. Seems to me Big Ben did a number on the Iggles early in the season, too. The Falcons? Nice little story. Reeves has done a terrific job there (a joke, George). But I’m sorry, Mike Vick won’t scare Bill Belichick, and Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett won’t run on the Steel Curtain.

Willis: For one thing Jim Mora Jr., is no chip off the block. His old man never won an NFL playoff game, but his kid saved the family name by building the Falcons from an 5-11 goat last year into a team that is so much more than Vick. They led the league in rushing and their best-kept secret is a defensive line that’s as good as any in the league. They may play their games in a dome, but there’s a nasty edge to this team that even you – a lover not a fighter – can appreciate. And I shouldn’t have to tell you, the Birds from the city of Brotherly Love will be playing with a chip on their shoulder, three chips in fact, having lost three straight NFC title games. They are the hungriest team in this tournament and usually the hungrier team prevails.

Serby: The Eagles have been hungrier than Refrigerator Perry at an all-you-can-eat buffet and still haven’t gotten over that NFC Championship hump. I’ll bet you a year’s supply of cheesesteaks that if they survive the Falcons today, they’ll be happy to be there in Jacksonville. You want hunger? Try Bill Cowher and the Steelers trying again to win One For The Thumb. Try Belichick and Tom Brady trying to secure a dynasty. Try Big Ben trying to notch an undefeated rookie season. Try The Bus rumbling towards his first championship ring. Try Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel trying to get one more ring before they leave for greener pastures.

Willis: Knowing how much you like bandwagons, you probably had the Colts over the Jets in Super Bowl III, the Hoyas over Villanova in 1985, the Rams over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI and the Lakers over the Pistons in last year’s NBA Finals. The beauty of sports is everybody has a puncher’s chance and the Eagles and Falcons have plenty of punch to beat the AFC champ. I know you love Brady, but I’ll take McNabb and Vick any day and let your team receive. Now if only the game were played somewhere better than Jacksonville.

Serby: OK, you got me, I never met a bandwagon I didn’t like. But get your head out of the sand, George. If Lombardichick – and that’s what I’ll be calling him soon – can get inside Peyton Manning’s head, he can sure play havoc with Vick or McNabb. And allow me to remind you that Brady would be 8-0 in the playoffs if he wins today. There’s a reason he’s compared to Joe Montana. And what’s helped Brady even more is the presence of Corey Dillon, who reminds me of a young Ottis Anderson. If the Steelers are in Jacksonville, it will mean that they are the most physical team in the league. Which means they would maul the smaller Falcons, and beat up little Dunn or Brian Westbrook. As for Jacksonville, next year we’ll be in Detroit, so stop whining.


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An off-duty firefighter was arrested yesterday for slugging an off-duty cop in a crowded Manhattan movie theater, police said.

Firefighter David Gonzalez, 25, of Staten Island, hit the police officer several times in the body and face, police sources said.

The cop was moonlighting as a guard at the Loews E-Walk on 42nd Street.

Gonzalez, who works at Engine 76 on the Upper West Side, and three friends, were in the crowded theater at about 1:45 a.m. to see “The Ring Two.”

They had been sitting in an aisle rather than in seats because they all wanted to sit together.

The cop, who was not identified, asked the group to find seats, but they angrily refused. They were asked to leave and offered refunds.

When the officer began escorting them out, Gonzalez started hitting him, inflicting minor injuries, the sources said.

Gonzalez was charged with first-degree assault.


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Vice cops shot a body-armor-clad gunman dead in The Bronx yesterday morning after he walked into an illegal after-hours joint they were busting up and opened fire on the officers as he tried to run off, police said.

The pistol-toting man sauntered into Jaritza’s Bar and Restaurant on Webster Avenue just before 6 a.m. and bolted when he saw cops had raided the early-morning booze bazaar, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

Three officers chased him, and as the man rounded the corner onto East 167th Street, he pulled a powerful .357-caliber Magnum handgun and fired three shots at them, Kelly said.

None of the officers was hit.

A witness, Lisette Diaz, 25, said she looked out her window when she heard screams and saw the gunman pull the firearm from his waistband and shoot first at the pursing cops.

“As he’s shooting, he’s backing away,” she said.

The cops then responded with a 30-shot fusillade, striking the man several times in the torso, legs and head, killing him.

“I saw the guy lying on the floor face down and the officers handcuffing him,” said Luis Diaz, 30, who was awoken by the frightening firefight.

“He was dead – dead as a doornail.”

After determining the man was dead, cops made a startling discovery – he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

They also found, in his wallet, a photocopied page from the penal code detailing one’s “legal rights to wearing a bulletproof vest in public,” a police source said.

Police were not immediately able to identify the man because the ID he carried in his wallet was either fake or belonged to somebody else, police said.

The vice squad had gone into the Morrisania bar after spotting a man enter at 5:50 a.m. – nearly two hours after bars must legally close in New York. Once inside, the officers found 12 people sitting among several drinks and mounds of cocaine out in the open, Kelly said.

As the cops were arresting three of the men for cocaine possession, the gunman walked in and shoved a sergeant before darting off, prompting the chase that led to the fatal shootout, police said.

Neighbors said the bar is a known illegal after-hours hangout that attracts a shady clientele.

In 2004, a man was shot dead and another wounded in a gunfight at the bar.

Additional reporting by Perry Chiaramonte


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Angels 4

Yankees 1

ANAHEIM – The Dead Bat Society was supposed to be extinct. Adding Johnny Damon to the incumbent muscle in the Yankee lineup was designed to avoid the Yankees’ bats going limp.

Well, four games into the season, that is officially off to a poor beginning The DBS has reared its ugly head.

For the third straight game, the Yankees turned into Men Without Bats on their way to a 4-1 defeat to the Angels in front of home opener crowd of 44,221 at Angel Stadium.

In the last three games (all losses) since they plated 15 on Opening Day, the Yankees have scored eight runs runs and are 4-for-26 with runners in scoring position. Gary Sheffield was the biggest culprit last night, going 0-for-3 in the clutch and grounding into a bases-loaded, one-out double play that ended the seventh.

Alex Rodriguez didn’t help either, going 0-for-4.

“We are flat right now,” Joe Torre said. “I don’t know if it’s pressing, but we are getting opportunities and not coming through. When you want something bad, you try too hard.”

Not even J.C. Romero and Scott Shields walking the bases loaded with one out in the seventh helped the Yankees score a run because Sheffield banged into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.

“The day I stop expecting good things to happen with the bases loaded, I shouldn’t be here,” Torre said. “It’s surprising when we don’t score, but it happens.”

Shawn Chacon absorbed the loss. In 42/3 innings he allowed four runs, eight hits and walked four (one intentional). The bullpen held the Angel bats in check the rest of the night, but the offense didn’t take advantage.

“It stinks, especially with this offense,” Damon said about the dismal run production. “The pitchers have done their job. When you give up four runs, we should be winning. We could be 4-0. We feel we should be, but for the offense.”

Kelvim Escobar went six innings for the win. He allowed a run and six hits. Most impressive was Escobar stranding one runner in every inning.

Orlando Cabrera, the second batter Chacon faced, hit a two-run homer.

Chacon walked No. 9 hitter Adam Kennedy to start the fifth and watched Chone Figgins bounce a single to right before Orlando Cabrera fanned.

With Vladimir Guerrero at the plate and the count full, Kennedy and Figgins were on the move, and it kept the Angels out of a double play when Guerrero hit a sharp grounder to Jeter. His only play was to first. With runners on second and third, Joe Torre opted to walk the left-handed hitting Garret Anderson intentionally.That loaded the bases for ex-Yankee Juan Rivera, and his single to deep short that Jeter made a diving stop on plated Kennedy for a 4-1 lead.

The Yankees put a runner on base in each of the first four innings. Not only didn’t they score, they only had one at-bat with a runner in scoring position.

Jeter’s one-out single in the first didn’t develop into anything. Nor did Jorge Posada’s two-out hit in the second. Jeter singled with two gone in the third and stole second. Sheffield left him there with a grounder to third. Rodriguez reached on an Orlando Cabrera throwing error to start the fourth, but Jason Giambi popped up, Hideki Matsui forced A-Rod at second and Posada fanned.

The players aren’t panicking yet, but they realize they need to show more pop at the plate.

“People say this is the greatest offense ever,” Jeter said. “But let us play a while. Names don’t win games. You have to play the games.”


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Keeping up with the Jones’ will be a whole lot easier on Nov 3.

That’s when a Welsh town is holding a televised reunion for all people called Jones to try to break a world record.

They want to knock the Swedish Norbergs from the Guinness Book of World Records. The Swedes had previously gathered 583 people with the same surname.

The show – dubbed “Jones! Jones! Jones!” – will be held in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Two Irish guys who were too late for their ferry refused to miss the boat – even though it wasn’t theirs.

They stole a fishing trawler from a Welsh port and headed home to Ireland.

But their lack of sailing skills caught up with them and they ended up lost on the British coast for hours.

Eventually, they were rescued – and arrested.

An English TV channel has aroused a lot of anger with its plans to raise money for HIV charities by televising hundreds of people publicly performing solo sex.

Horny contestants will be sponsored for every moment they keep going. Prizes will be given to the man or woman who lasts the longest and who has the most orgasms.

“This is an appalling program which is bound to offend,” said one critic.

TV exec Andrew MacKenzie begs to differ, saying, “This is exactly the type of provocative and mischievous programming that Channel 4 should be covering.”

This is about the one that got away – and then got hooked again.

Angler Bob Watton reeled in an 11-pound sea bass only to have the slippery catch break the fishing line.

When the English fisherman caught a sea bass three days later, he recognized his black line and hook still sticking in his catch.

A kangaroo is roaming the green hills of Ireland after escaping a circus near the picturesque port of Kinsale.

“This kangaroo broke loose just before the show while they were bringing him from the cages to the arena. He decided to take a walk,” said local farmer John Walsh on whose land the 2-year-old male, named Sydney, made his break for freedom.

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Chris Colombo got “touchy-feely” with a wired-up gambler, striking fear in the man as he suspiciously groped for signs of a hidden recording device, an investigator testified yesterday.

State Police investigator Anthony Vanturini told a Manhattan federal jury that gambler John Sitterly reported Colombo had “repeatedly touched [him] as if checking for a transmitter” during a Jan. 19, 2001, meeting.

The terrified Sitterly escaped detection, as the recorder had been placed near his groin – an area Colombo’s dared not frisk, the investigator said.

Sitterly owed Chris Colombo tens of thousands of dollars in gambling debts when he agreed to cooperate with authorities in 2000, and is expected to testify as a victim in the case.

Colombo and his brother Anthony, sons of murdered mob boss Joseph Colombo, are on trial for racketeering charges.


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THE ISSUE: Poverty in America and John Edwards’ presidential campaign.

Obviously the government’s idea of poverty and true poverty are completely different (” ‘Poverty’ in America,” Robert Rector, PostOpinion, Aug. 30).

When poverty stricken people own their own homes and two cars, I wouldn’t consider them impoverished.

As Robert Rector states, in many countries in Europe that would be considered a better life than most of the middle class have. And, in many real poverty-stricken countries, they would be living as kings.

So, before the John Edwards of the world bemoan poverty in America, they should know all the facts.

Most poverty is a self-inflicted disease, curable by hard work and better lifestyle choices.

Charlie Honadel
Staten Island

Poverty in the United States is so small that it’s hardly noticeable, and it can be traced to a few outlying areas in Appalachia.

This country is a land of plenty. How else can the taxpayers be forced to spend $600 billion in anti-poverty social programs?

There is no need for the government to continue squeezing taxpayers out of this money when there are plenty of jobs available for the welfare class, whether it’s in a McDonalds or in auto sales.

There is something for everybody to do here. All one has to do is apply himself.

Here’s an idea for Congress: With their last welfare check, mail each welfare family a copy of the book, “Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life: A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life,” by Larry Wingett.

Lee Anthony Nieves
Charlotte, N.C.

The statement that people are poor because they don’t work enough is insulting to all women and men who have children.

Rector flat out calls women receiving welfare who are caring for their own kids “idle.”

How does he think that these kids get fed, changed, clothed and bathed? How does a kid make it from birth to 18 years old without someone doing the work of keeping him alive?

I wonder if the welfare-reform “experts” would be willing to call the stay-at-home wives of their well-off Washington colleagues idle and suggest those women need to go work. I doubt it.

These experts should do time in a poor mother’s shoes before they go judging.

Diane Pagen
The Bronx

Rector puts a crimp in the anti-poverty campaign of Edwards, one of a passel of Democratic presidential prospects.

Edwards, so smug he can strut while sitting still, has based his electioneering on the old Democratic standby of class envy.

Sporting $400 haircuts and preparing to occupy a custom-built, 28,000-square-foot residence, Edwards continues to mislead voters about poverty in America, its causes and its relative significance.

While Rector has set the record straight with his fact-based presentation, we can expect Edwards to be unimpressed and continue to push the snake oil that greases his chances.

Paul Bloustein


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Clark ready for super role

When you win the Super Bowl and do it with a punishing force, outsiders take notice.

“I just want to be a part of this defense that is just tearing people apart,” Danny Clark said.

Clark is the newest addition to the Giants championship defense, today signing a two-year, $4 million contract to compete at outside linebacker and to work on any and possibly every special teams unit. âHe is a veteran linebacker who can play all three spots,â general manager Jerry Reese said. âHe has been an outstanding special teams player. He is going to create competition in both areas, special teams and at linebacker. He fits the New York Giant mold.â

Clark was drafted by the Jaguars and Tom Coughlin back in 2000.

“He is a very physical, very versatile player,” Coughlin said. “Clark is a veteran guy with an outstanding work ethic. He will fit in well with our players in the locker room. He will have an opportunity to compete for a position.â

Clark turns 31 on May 9 and is entering his ninth NFL season, the first four in Jacksonville, two in Oakland, one in New Orleans and last year with the Texans. His best season was 2004, when he had 130 tackles for the Raiders. Primarily a strong side linebacker, Clark (6-2, 245) had 51 tackles in seven starts last season.

With the losses in free agency of linebackers Kawika Mitchell and Reggie Torbor, the Giants were thin at that position. Figure Clark will slide in as a backup to Mathias Kiwanuka on the strong side or possibly challenge Gerris Wilkinson for the weak side spot vacated when Mitchell signed with the Bills.

The signing leaves the Giants about $9 million under the salary cap.


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Report: Brewers bypass Willie

If Willie Randolph is going to be a manager next season, it won’t be with the Brewers, according to a report in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The team is on the verge of hiring former Athletics manager Ken Macha to take over the team next season. Randolph, along with Macha and Bob Brenly, was considered one of the frontrunners for the position after the Brewers let go of interim manager Dale Sveum.

Macha managed the A’s from 2003-’06 and was 368-280 during that time. Macha took over the A’s job from Art Howe, who left to manage the Mets. Macha was fired by Oakland after the 2006 season.


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Why would anybody wonder why the ratings of politicians are in the sewer (“Flip-Flopping With Kirsten,” Editorial, Feb. 10)?

Judging from the 180-degree turnaround by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, she almost makes Sen. Chuck Schumer look principled.

No one really expected her to stick to every one of her convictions – politicians almost never do – but the switch-a-roo she did was unbelievable.

Just when the people of New York thought they had a decent replacement for Sen. Hillary Clinton, they wind up with another self-serving hack.

Who cares about what I believe in or what my constituents put me in office for? What matters is what the party wants, even if that means open borders and opposing the Second Amendment.

Chris Michaels

Morganville, NJ

Gillibrand’s “flip-flopping” on the issues should come as no surprise.

Most troubling is her current stance on gun control.

She apologized for not being a “leader” in fighting gun violence and promised to introduce legislation in the Senate to combat illegal guns.

For those law-abiding citizens who choose to exercise their rights under the Second Amendment, that means more restrictions and regulating the right out of existence.

When some idiot who has no business possessing a firearm uses it maliciously or otherwise irresponsibly, why blame and punish gun owners who obey the law?

When will these so-called representatives get it through their heads that the right to keep and bear arms is not solely limited to hunters?

Unfortunately, with Gillibrand’s constant attempts to appeal to the liberal New York City crowd while screwing over her Upstate constituency, those who voted for her and the rest of us have no idea what she stands for.

Daniel Morley

Saratoga Springs

While most politicians move toward the center to reach a larger audience, I find it absolutely disgusting that centrist politicians in New York have to move to the left.

Residents here in New York are never going to escape our financial quagmire as long as we cater to the lunatic fringe.

Charlie Honadel

Staten Island


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Update: ‘FNL’ Pickup Official

It’s good!

We told you that “Friday Night Lights” was getting renewed for two more seasons, and now it’s official.

NBC and DirecTV have confirmed the favorite football drama has been renewed for the fourth and fifth season for a total of 26 episodes (13 episodes per season).

“Not only do we know the show is staying on, but we know exactly how many episodes we are going to do,” said executive producer Jason Katims. “We’ll be able to think about where we might want to lead to … what kind of stories we want to tell.”

Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) and Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly), who was recently cast in CW pilot “Body Politic,” have been reduced to part-time gigs, joining the ranks of former starters Brian “Smash” Williams (Gaius Charles) and Jason Street (Scott Porter), who both returned this season to wrap-up their respective storylines.

As for the format, the show will again be shown on DirecTV’s 101 Channel first, followed by NBC.


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Chants for Nate fall on deaf ears

The loudest, brief “We want Nate” chant came midway through the third quarter, after Al Harrington committed a 24-second violation in a moment illustrative of the Knicks’ sagging offense.

There were scattered chants for Nate Robinson as the Knicks’ offense mustered just 54 points through three quarters. During the first, coach Mike D’Antoni could be seen smirking. But D’Antoni would not budge on his pledge not to play Robinson, even if it was Christmas.

The 93-87 loss to the Heat was the 11th straight game Robinson failed to see any action. The club is 7-4 since Robinson was benched.

Asked if it was annoying to hear the chant considering the Knicks’ turnaround since Robinson’s banishment, D’Antoni made a cryptic but telling remark.

“There’s also a chance of showers,” D’Antoni said, indicating Robinson’s chances of getting off the bench yesterday were worse than slim.

During this recent stretch, Robinson and Eddy Curry, who received his fourth straight DNP, have bonded. They now always leave the locker room together — “The DNP Boys.”

➤ The 7-foot Jonathan Bender, who was questionable to play because of a strained hip, entered with 3:05 left in the first quarter and looked disjointed. He finished 1-for-4 shooting with two turnovers in eight-plus minutes. Bender said before the game he was “skeptical” on whether he would play, but he decided to try it out.

Bender’s first shot missed the rim entirely and the ball cracked off the backboard. His next attempt was blocked. Bender said he felt “a little off balance,” but he expected to play again tomorrow versus the Spurs. Bender injured his hip in Tuesday’s win over the Bulls and shut it down in the second half.

Bender said he feels a tightness in the area but no pain.

➤ Danilo Gallinari is starting to lose his 3-point stroke — he’s made eight of 33 in the past four games. Gallinari shot just 3-of-11 yesterday.

“I don’t know where it is — I think I lost it,” Gallinari cracked. “We’re trying to improve it, watching them in the video room with the coaches. If you ask me if my shot is going in right after I shoot it, I tell you it’s going in.”

Gallinari has hit 14 straight free throws.

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City appeals on school closures

The city has appealed a court decision that’s forcing school officials to keep open 19 public schools that had been slated to begin closing in June.

The appeal, filed late last week in Manhattan, argues that a Supreme Court judge applied the wrong legal standard in her determination that the public had not been properly included in the closure decisions.


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Judge gives go-ahead for defamation suit against Roger Clemens

A federal judge ruled today that a defamation lawsuit against baseball pitcher Roger Clemens may proceed to trial, rejecting arguments that the case be dismissed.

Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr. in Brooklyn federal court made the ruling on a civil suit filed by the former Yankees’ trainer, Brian McNamee, charging Clemens with allegedly waging a defamatory campaign “intended to deceive the public and Congress into falsely believing that McNamee is a liar.”

The action followed McNamee’s testimony before a Congressional committee accusing Clemens of using steroids and human growth hormones during his professional baseball career.

McNamee’s civil suit, filed in 2009, is asking for at least $75,000 in damages, blaming Clemens for destroying his career and causing him “cataclysmic economic damage.”

“This is a clean-sweep victory for us,” Richard Emery, McNamee’s attorney, said after the hearing. “We have an entirely viable case in front of this judge. I view it as a home run.”

The Brooklyn civil case is not expected to go to trial until a criminal case against Clemens in a Washington, D.C. federal court is adjudicated. Federal prosecutors have charged Clemens with lying to Congress about using performance-enhancing drugs.

Clemens had sued his former trainer for defamation — alleging that McNamee lied about injecting him with drugs — but that action was dismissed.

In his ruling today, the judge threw out two elements of McNamee’s suit, dismissing claims that Clemens had intentional inflicted emotional stress on him and had waged a malicious prosecution against the former trainer.


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Pols to fed tax cheats: Pay loot or get boot

WASHINGTON — Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

Nearly 300,000 federal workers dodge federal income taxes and have shortchanged the government more than $3 billion in 2009 alone, the IRS reports.

Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) have a simple solution: pay up or get sacked. The bipartisan duo introduced a bill yesterday that would require all federal employees to be current on their federal income taxes or get fired.

They called it a “common sense bill” with which they say most Americans will agree.

They also said it is surprising that the pay-to-stay tax policy was not already standard practice throughout the government.

“While millions of Americans continue to send back portions of their hard-earned wages to Washington, many federal employees are failing to contribute their share,” Coburn’s office said.

Coburn and McCaskill estimated the legislation would save taxpayers about $3 billion, and they said the legislation carefully reaches only federal workers who have willfully neglected to pay their income taxes.


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Right now, CC not automatic

They love CC Sabathia here, and for good reason. The big lefty has been pretty much everything the Yankees hoped they were getting when they signed him to a mammoth contract in December 2008.

It’s one thing to be loved in The Bronx, however, and another to be trusted. Games like yesterday, which the Yankees lost to the Red Sox, 8-6 at Yankee Stadium, don’t help Sabathia’s case for the latter.

“It’s tough. It [stinks],” Sabathia said, after allowing a season-high six runs over six innings and escaping with a no-decision. “Not being able to go out and pitch the way you want. Especially against a team in your division.”

Though the Yankees lost, just their second in eight games with the Red Sox this season, they maintained an 81⁄2-game lead in the AL East. They have shown little indication that they’re about to collapse. Nor has any of their four division neighbors displayed the potential to go on a run.

Therefore, Yankees fans have plenty of time to look ahead to the postseason. To cultivate those largely unfounded Sabathia concerns.

Sabathia pitched very well (4-1, 3.04 ERA in eight starts) against the Red Sox in his first two years as a Yankee. Since the start of the 2011 campaign, though, he now has a 1-4 record and 6.81 ERA in six starts opposing Boston. Yesterday, the key culprit was first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who began the day 5-for-25 lifetime off Sabathia and delivered a run-scoring double in the first (off a fastball) and three-run homer in the fifth (off a cut fastball).

“I think they’re just being patient, making me throw a lot of pitches, fouling off some good pitches,” Sabathia said of the Red Sox. “It’s a case of me not making pitches and them having good at-bats.”

When you combine that data with Sabathia’s 5.84 ERA in the prior two postseasons, you get … a total of 61 1⁄3 innings pitched, which is about one-quarter of a standard regular season for the 31-year-old. Nothing over which you should generate much worry.

Many of you will, though. Because Sabathia, despite living up to his staff ace salary, despite winning Most Valuable Player honors in the 2009 ALCS, hasn’t yet established full-time residence in the Bronx circle of trust.

It’s not Sabathia’s fault. Beyond his overall excellent pitching, he has become a leader in the Yankees’ clubhouse and a respected figure in the greater community, thanks to his PitCCh In Foundation. In most places, he would carry on without a whisper of doubt.

And really, it’s not Yankees fans’ fault, either. What do you expect from a group that has enjoyed five World Series titles, three more than anyone else, in the wild-card era? Through a pinstriped prism, they look at Sabathia, one of the finest pitchers of his era, and hold him up against the rehabilitating Andy Pettitte, the man with the most postseason victories in baseball history.

As we creep toward Tuesday’s non-waivers trade deadline, the Yankees don’t appear likely to acquire an impact starting pitcher. They were interested in Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels, who wound up signing a six-year, $144-million extension with the Phillies, and not interested in Milwaukee’s Zack Greinke, whom the Angels acquired on Friday. They’re unlikely to wind up with Miami’s Josh Johnson or Tampa Bay’s James Shields because they’re protecting their prospects, and old pal Cliff Lee of Philadelphia costs too much money as the Yankees aim to get their payroll to $189 million for the 2012 season.

Today, you would project the Yankees’ postseason starting rotation to be Sabathia, Pettitte (assuming he heals his fractured left ankle in time), Hiroki Kuroda and either Phil Hughes or Ivan Nova. That group is perfectly capable of pitching its way to a parade up the Canyon of Heroes. Nevertheless, because Sabathia, Kuroda, Hughes and Nova can’t match the jewelry of Pettitte and his retired teammates Roger Clemens, David Cone and Orlando Hernandez, fans can find questions if they look hard enough.

“He’s pitched very well over the four years he’s been here,” manager Joe Girardi said of Sabathia. “I’m not concerned about it.”

Sabathia has earned that benefit of the doubt. Then again, Yankees fans pay ultra-high ticket prices to hold ultra-high expectations. The only thing both sides have in common is a resolution must wait until October.

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Mayor blasts Chick-fil-A critics, says trying to shutter store undermines Constitution

Critics trying to shut Chick-fil-A because its CEO opposes gay marriage are undermining the very essence of the Constitution, Mayor Bloomberg declared today in a stirring defense of the embattled fast food chain.

“It isn’t the right thing to do and it isn’t what America stands for,” Bloomberg said on his weekly WOR radio show. “And those people who don’t like (Chick-fil-A) don’t understand their rights were protected by people who took a difficult position in the past and stood by it. They stood up so everybody else would be free.”

The mayor, a staunch advocate of marriage equality, argued that Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy has as much right to his views as does the Catholic Church, which also opposes same-sex marriage.

“I don’t agree with this guy. I don’t agree with the position of the Catholic Church. That doesn’t mean I don’t have an enormous amount of respect for the two Cardinals we have here and the clergy and the people who are Catholic,” said Bloomberg.

“What’s for sure is that government cannot in the United States, in America, under the Constitution, be run where you have a litmus test for the personal views of somebody when they want something in the commercial world.”

The mayor extended his views to Walmart, which hasn’t been able to open an outlet here because of pressure from unions that oppose its labor policies.

“As long as they don’t break any laws and government — the City Council included — should not be out there criticizing because all that says to other companies that want to lcoate here is ‘what do I need that aggravation for?'”

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Silva to attend UFC 154, ‘maybe to challenge’ St-Pierre

Anderson Silva rarely attends events that he’s not participating in, but he’s making an exception for UFC 154 on Nov. 17.

The UFC middleweight champion and pound-for-pound king is scheduled to be in Montreal for the return of Georges St-Pierre, “maybe to challenge GSP if he beats [Carlos] Condit,” Silva’s manager Jorge Guimaraes said on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight (via

St-Pierre, the UFC welterweight champion, has been out for a year and a half with a torn ACL. A matchup with Silva has long been rumored and Silva has spoken about his desire for it quite a bit lately. At one time the two were regarded as the Nos. 1 and 2 fighters in the world, though GSP has fallen down the list due to his injury.

Silva has never lost a fight in the UFC and St-Pierre has not been defeated since 2007. A bout between the two would be one of the biggest ever in company history and could take place in front of upwards of 80,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium. It would likely be at a catchweight of somewhere between Silva’s 185 pounds and St-Pierre’s 170.

The caveat here is that St-Pierre has to beat Condit to make this superfight alluring – and that will be no easy task, especially coming off an injury and long break from the Octagon. If he does win, it looks like Silva-St-Pierre will be even closer to becoming a reality.

“There’s no doubt that Anderson Silva showing up to cheer Georges St-Pierre on … he wants him to win this fight, and he wants to fight him after,” UFC president Dana White told

St-Pierre wasn’t as forthcoming considering he has a fight next week against another man.

“I don’t care about Anderson Silva,” GSP said. “He can do whatever he wants. He can go to Florida or stay in Brazil if he wants. I’m focused on Carlos Condit right now. That’s all that matters to me.”


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Our Favorite Podcast: Mike and Ming’s “I Sell Comics”

Mike Zapcic and Ming Chen – known together as Mike and Ming – are two of the stars of AMC’s TV series “Comic Book Men,” which runs during seasons of “The Walking Dead.”

The show is based at filmmaker Kevin Smith’s comic book store in Red Bank, N.J.: Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash. (We interviewed Kevin for Gotham Post on Tuesday, by the way!).

The guys will be back on TV this fall but they also have a weekly podcast called “I Sell Comics” – the unofficial podcast of Parallel Worlds.

This is subject to change, natch, but here’s what’s planned for this week’s show, courtesy of Monsieur Zapzique:

“1. Parafest — at the Sands in Bethlehem PA, September 6, 7, 8. Ming and I are guests and will go through the lineup, including Walking Dead folk, Ernie Hudson and SyFy Channel personalities. We’ll also give a rundown of other upcoming appearances, such as ComicCONN.

“2. ‘Man of Steel.’ Ming and I will have seen this, and will give our spoiler-free review.

“3. Pod-Wars. ISC, Tell’em SteveDave, and PuckNuts vied for ultimate supremacy in the Smodcast Pod-o-Sphere. We’ll give hints as to who emerged victorious.

“4. Comic Universe Travelogue. Ming and I discuss the best fictional places to visit.

“5. Asbury Park Comic Con. Cliff Galbraith from Crucial Comics, will be on hand to talk about the con’s explosive growth, the upcoming lineup and what it takes to pull off a successful con.”

Sounds like a good one to me. Of course, that’s also because they’ll be talking about this very blog, as usual! And Cliff Galbreath is an awesome dude, by the way. He’ll be popping up in these parts before you know it.

“I Sell Comics” is broadcast live every Thursday at 2:15p.m. ET at smodcast.com/sir. It’s released later in the day as a podcast on smodcast.com and at iTunes. It can be listened to and downloaded at http://smodcast.com/channels/i-sell-comics.

Email us at parallelworlds@nypost.com.

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NYPost_PW and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYParallelWorlds.