Mets’ 17-run display ends 4-game losing streak

CHICAGO — If the Friendly Confines were any friendlier to them yesterday, the Mets would have each needed a postgame cigarette.

This was a much-needed laugher, allowing the Mets to forget about errors, bullpen woes and base-running blunders for a day.

By the time it ended, manager Terry Collins’ crew had a season high in homers and runs scored in a 17-1 demolition of the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The victory snapped a four-game skid and allowed the Mets (40-36) to avoid the indignity of getting swept three games by the worst team in the majors.

Scott Hairston’s sixth-inning grand slam made the loudest noise in the Mets’ four-homer barrage, but Daniel Murphy homered twice and Ike Davis hit his fifth home run since June 12.

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TWICE IS NICE: Daniel Murphy is greeted at home plate by Ike Davis in the fourth inning after Murphy hit the first of two home runs in yesterday’s 17-1 Mets rout over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The homers were Murphy’s first of the season.

After going 352 at-bats without a homer, Murphy got pitches to drive in consecutive plate appearances and hit two. Murphy’s first homer, a two-run shot against Jeff Samardzija, gave the Mets a 3-1 lead. In the fifth, Murphy hit a solo blast against Casey Coleman to give the Mets their 10th run.

BOX SCORE

“I feel like I’m swinging the bat better and it’s nice to get rewarded for that today,” said Murphy, who entered in a 4-for-21 (.190) skid over the team’s previous 10 games. “But it’s still a long season and I’ve got a long way to go.”

Murphy was asked if he was relieved to finally end his home-run drought.

“It was a relief to help the team win,” he said. “If we win ballgames and we make the playoffs, I don’t need to hit another one this year.”

David Wright was 2-for-3 with five RBIs as part of the Mets’ 17-hit attack. The Mets took a 10-0 lead after scoring six runs in the fifth.

Jon Niese (6-3) held the Cubs to one run on eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts over seven innings. The lefty is 3-1 with a 1.89 ERA in June after a rough May.

“He had a terrific June and as we get into this summer I think there’s going to be some great competition among our starters to outdo each other,” Collins said. “Jon Niese is going to be right in the mix of it.”

Niese deflected talk of him stepping up as a stopper yesterday.

“The offense did more than anything,” Niese said. “They scored 17 runs and that just makes the pitcher’s job a lot easier. Fortunately, the offense was on the top of their game today.”

The Mets made it a runaway in the fifth, with Davis’ three-run homer making it 9-1. Wright’s two-run double earlier in the inning and Murphy’s solo blast after Davis’ homer accounted for the other three runs in the inning.

Next stop is Los Angeles for four games against the Dodgers, who lost Andre Either to an oblique injury yesterday. Matt Kemp remains on the disabled list with a strained hamstring.

“They are in first place so we are used to that,” Collins said. “We are used to playing those teams sitting atop the standings. Ethier got hurt so that doesn’t help them.

“But we’ve got to go and play our game. Not that we’re going to score 17 runs, but swing the bats like we’re capable of and use that as a stepping stone to move forward.”

Collins said the Dodgers without Kemp and Ethier would seem vulnerable.

“This is when you’ve got to take advantage of them,” he said. “Because the next time we play them they’ll have those guys. So we’ve got to go in and pitch — I like the way our rotation is set up going in there — and we’ve just got to play well.”

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Mets lacking Chicago fire

Ken Davidoff
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Blog: Baseball Insider

CHICAGO — Tired. Irritable. Sloppy. Pick your favorite negative adjective, slap it on the Mets right now and you won’t be wrong.

Yeah, when you hear manager Terry Collins use “stinking,” you know what’s going on with this Mets season.

“It’s not his fault,” the fiery manager said, referring to first-base umpire Manny Gonzalez, “that we didn’t hit with stinking guys all over the bases.”

Gonzalez ruled Steve Clevenger safe, incorrectly, on an attempted eighth-inning pickoff. When Ike Davis challenged the call, touching Gonzalez with his glove in what looked accidental, he earned an immediate, automatic ejection.

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PLANE OLD TIRED: Dillon Gee — reacting in the second inning of last night’s 5-3 loss — and the Mets have played terribly since arriving in Chicago early Monday morning following a Sunday night game.

It marked the low point within the greater low point for the Mets, who lost their fourth straight game Tuesday night, 5-3 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. They have now lost their second straight series, this one to baseball’s worst team, and Collins wondered afterward if the team was fatigued following a killer, 25-game stretch — all against winning teams — that concluded Sunday night with a tough loss to the Yankees at Citi Field.

“We played two bad baseball games here,” Collins said. “You can only go on the circumstances in front of you. We’ve got to get out of this.”

It wasn’t just Davis’ accidental ejection — he was due up third in the ninth inning — nor the Mets going 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 12 men on base overall. There also was what Collins called Dillon Gee’s worst start in a long time; the right-hander allowed four runs in five innings. There was Lucas Duda’s critical baserunning error in the third inning, when he didn’t pick up third-base coach Tim Teufel’s send and stayed at third on Davis’ double.

There was Ruben Tejada’s throwing error in the eighth on Reed Johnson’s infield single, following Davis’ ejection, which allowed Darwin Barney to score an insurance run.

A brutal night in all, against a starting pitcher, Randy Wells, who didn’t seem particularly interested in sticking around. Cubs manager Dale Sveum lifted Wells after just three-plus innings, with the Cubs holding a 3-2 advantage, and Sveum earned a win for his aggressiveness, though he needed six innings of bullpen help to get it done.

Collins shrugged off Monday night’s mailed-in, 6-1 loss to the Cubs. Tuesday night, he appeared far more upset when speaking with reporters, though he then ate at a table with some players and cracked some light jokes. Later, he and Duda spoke calmly in Collins’ office, surely about Duda’s baserunning transgression.

This is still a young, developing team, and Collins knows he needs to push different buttons at different times. Yet this is a club that had itself believing it would contend for the duration of the summer.

That belief must fuel a Mets resurgence now. The team has enjoyed enough time to rest, even with Wednesday’s day game following a night game.

“There’s all kind of different elements. Travel is one of them,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said before the game. “The bottom line is, you have to do it. Day games after night games. You build your roster around people that can handle all of that stuff.Once you get between the lines, you don’t know that you’re traveling or flying or whatever.”

Sveum can speak particularly well to this issue because he took part in one of the most remarkable regular seasons in recent memory. He served as a backup infielder on the 1998 Yankees from April through July and hung around even after the team released him.

“We had a pretty unbelievable group of guys,” Sveum said. “The ultimate professional team. Very talented, but very focused on what they had to do every day.”

Now, to be clear, no one is confusing the 2012 Mets with the 1998 Yankees. These Mets could be robot versions of themselves, immune to human conditions, and they wouldn’t sniff the results of the ’98 Yankees.

What we’re discussing is the need to maximize each and every day. To possess the self-awareness Collins did and figure out a way to overcome the emotional and physical fatigue.

To not lose close games to bad teams because of execution errors.

To wake up soon, before this Mets season loses its dream-like quality.

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Checks in the mail!

Talk about a summer bonus!

Bernie Madoff’s investors could finally see fat checks after the US Supreme Court yesterday greenlighted the bankruptcy trustee’s plan for calculating payouts to victims of the huge Ponzi scheme.

The court declined to hear an appeal by lawyers opposing Madoff trustee Irving Picard’s method for determining victims’ losses — a decision that frees up as much as $2.3 billion for burned investors, based on The Post’s calculations.

Picard said that only investors who withdrew less than they invested with Madoff should be entitled to a slice of the recovery pot. He went after so-called net winners who he said took out more than they put into the scheme.

But some investors argued that his loss formula should be based on their final account statements from Madoff — even if those turned out to be bogus.

By declining to review the case, the high court sided with Picard and the lower-court decisions that have upheld his method.

Picard claimed victory yesterday and promised to follow up with another round of distributions. But he stopped short of giving any details about how much might be available in the next round.

According the trustee’s website, $6.5 billion of the total $9.1 billion recovered so far is “unavailable” due to appeals and reserves. Subtract the $344 million that Picard distributed in the first round, and that leaves $2.3 billion.

Assuming the same 1,230 accounts that received checks in the last go-round, the average payout is in the ballpark of $1.8 million.

A spokeswoman for Picard declined to comment on the funds available for distribution or the number of accounts that could be eligible.

What’s more, Picard said $5 billion from a settlement with Madoff’s deceased pal Jeffry Picower could be freed up by a July 16 deadline, if there are no additional objections to that settlement. That would swell the average check to $5.9 million.

According to the trustee’s website, Picard has approved 2,434 claims, which would cut the amount of the average distributions in half.

Picard has doled out just $344 million since he was appointed the trustee in 2009, while his law firm has reaped $554 million in fees over the same period. That has led to skepticism among some Madoff victims.

“It’s certainly in his [Picard’s] interest to drag this out for as long as he can milk it and make money,” said a 68-year-old Great Neck resident, who lost $5.6 million to Madoff and asked to remain unnamed. “I think all the victims would like to have a clearer handle as to when these distributions will be made.”

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The Post's All-City boys volleyball honors

It was the year of the Eagle in boys volleyball.

Academy of American Studies rolled through the city almost untouched to win its first city championship – and the first-ever boys title of any kind for the small Long Island City school. The scary part is almost the entire core returns next year.

In the CHSAA, Regis continued its run of success, winning a fourth city crown in the last five years. The Raiders were competitive against the top PSAL teams, which hasn’t happened often for teams in the fledgling Catholic league.

All-City boys volleyball Player of the Year: Michal Kasza, Academy of American Studies

Denis Gostev

Academy Of American Studies' Michal Kasza is The Post's All-City boys volleyball Player of the Year.

Denis Gostev

Academy Of American Studies' Joshua Yang is The Post's All-City boys volleyball Coach of the Year.

Unstoppable swings at the net. Ferocious serves. Pinpoint passing. Relentless defense.

There wasn’t a phase of the game that Kasza didn't excelt in as he led Academy of American Studies to its first-ever PSAL boys volleyball championship. The 5-foot-11 junior had 14 kills in the final against Bronx Science after not being happy with his performance in the semifinals. Kasza left little doubt who the best player in the city was.

“He is just a phenomenal talent,” Academy coach Josh Yang said.

All-City boys volleyball Coach of the Year: Josh Yang, Academy of American Studies

Yang had all the talent for a city title run in the preseason, but had to meld it together to make all of American Studies' pieces work. He moved Conrad Zajkowsk to middle hitter from the right side and had former libero take over at outside hitter. The fiddling proved to be the right recipe for success – and at the end of the day Academy of American Studies was hoisting the PSAL championship banner.

FIRST TEAM

OH Tyler Gaugler, Cardozo

At one point, there was a fear that Gaugler would miss the entire playoffs with an ankle injury. But fighting through the pain and wearing a brace, the hard-hitting junior ended up leading Cardozo all the way to PSAL semifinals to cap a big year.

S Jerry Henriquez, Bronx Science

Possessing all the tools to be a college setter, Henriquez led Bronx Science to its second PSAL championship match in three years. The junior’s size at 6-foot-1 put him a step above other players at his position and his pinpoint setting was exceptional.

S Piotr Kasza, Academy of American Studies

Just a sophomore, Kasza was praised time and time again by coach Josh Yang for being a leader and the general out on the court. His brother, Michal, gets most of the attention, but Piotr was just as vital to American Studies' championship run.

OH Dukhyun Ko, Brooklyn Tech

The senior waited his turn and watched as other stars took Brooklyn Tech deep into the playoffs. This year, it was Ko’s time, the hard-hitting, athletic outside hitter pounding the upstart Engineers past the opposition and into the PSAL semifinals.

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Garden City Hotel to be sold

The renowned Garden City Hotel, owned by the Nelkin family, is under contract to be sold to Fortuna Realty Group’s Morris Moinian, sources said.

The 272-room, nine-story hotel sits on 8.5 acres of manicured grounds in the posh Long Island community. It is topped by a distinctive clock tower and boasts a popular and extensive catering and event space.

No price was disclosed. The hotel had been marketed in 2008, but a deal for nearly $100 million was never completed. Moinian did not return a call for comment.

The hotel, where high society, diplomats and celebrities have long hobnobbed, opened in 1874 and has been refurbished several times, most recently in 1983 by the late Myron Nelkin. His daughter, Cathy Nelkin Miller, is the current president of the hotel, which is now a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

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Yankees give parting gift for Braves' Chipper Jones

Chipper Jones spent much of his career tormenting Mets fans by drilling balls all over Shea Stadium, but a few games against the Yankees to give him a new appreciation of The Bronx.

“I love this ballpark,” Jones said of the homer-friendly stadium. “It’s my new favorite stadium. It only took me taking BP in it one time to realize that. If you can’t get up to play on that stage right there, man. I told the guys this morning, ‘If I could play on that stage every day, I’d never quit.’ ”

But the 40-year-old is retiring at the end of the season, which is why the Yankees had Derek Jeter and former teammate Andruw Jones present the Atlanta third baseman with third base from Tuesday’s game.

“That base was nice to get,” Jones said after the Braves’ 10-5 victory over the Yankees yesterday at the Stadium. “I’m going to have some great stuff in my Man Cave. The teams have been great to me. It’s been awfully touching. I’d be hard-pressed to find another time when a New York crowd was so good to me.”

That’s probably because Jones was part of two Braves teams that lost to the Yankees in the World Series, though he did hit .340 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 103 regular season at-bats against the Bombers.

* After the Yankees failed to land Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, who signed with the Cubs last week, they were able to agree to terms with left-hander Omar Luis Rodriguez yesterday, according to a source.

The deal for the 19-year-old is expected to be worth $4-5 million as the team tries to build up the pitching in its farm system. Like Soler, it was important to sign Rodriguez before July 2, when restrictions included in the new collective bargaining agreement limit how much teams can pay international players.

* Clay Rapada struck out all four batters he faced and has now held batters hitless in each of their last 20 at-bats against him, matching a career high, according to Elias. ... Robinson Cano homered for the third time in four games with his sixth-inning shot. He has hit six home runs in his last 11 home games.

Bernie Williams will manage the World Team at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on July 8 at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City. George Brett is set to manage the US team. ... The Yankees will begin HOPE Week Monday. The team has players participating in initiatives for various individuals and organizations.

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Knicks' Smith sues Chinese team to recoup $1M in fines

Knicks guard J.R. Smith is disputing he missed 80 practices with his Chinese team — virtually all of them — in a lawsuit filed with FIBA to recoup the $1,078,500 withheld from his salary.

In the complaint obtained by The Post, a four-page list of other alleged transgressions depict a player who had blatant disregard for the Zhejiang Chouzhou rules during his short tenure. Smith did not attend a series of pregame team meetings and took trips to Shanghai, Bejing and the United Kingdom during practice days without telling the club. Every missed practice was denoted by date from Oct. 25, 2011-Feb. 15, 2012.

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JR Smith

The Chinese team also alleged it requested Smith’s sister Stephanie be sent home to the U.S., claiming she was “abusive’’ and “the root’’ of Smith missing virtually every practice because she had him take her shopping. (Stephanie reportedly choked a Chinese fan during a game).

The case will be ruled upon in the coming weeks by a FIBA arbitrator in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Chinese team, which claims in documents Smith “breached’’ his contract, has until Monday to answer Smith’s complaint. The contract states FIBA would rule on a dispute.

Smith was scheduled to make $2.88M — signing Sept. 13 during the NBA lockout. The Chinese club agreed to pay all his taxes. The complaint alleges Smith received just $1.82 million of his wage and didn’t pay him $18,500 in bonuses based on victories.

Smith’s offcourt behavior has been an issue in the NBA, but the Knicks are leaning toward bringing him back even if he opts out by Tuesday’s deadline and becomes a free agent July 1.

Smith has had his shaky moments since signing in February, including the NBA fining him $25,000 for tweeting a partially naked photo of a woman in his Milwaukee hotel room. Last month, he was arrested in Miami Beach on an outstanding bench warrant for driving a scooter without a license.

“It is not possible in the reasonable course of things the player did not attend so many practices [most probably all], held by the club,’’ Smith’s complaint reads. “On the contrary, the player attended many practices and he has presented his excuse for any non-attendances.’’

The complaint argues Smith did not miss a single game — playing all 32 — and led the club in scoring average (36.4) and hence “showed outstanding performance.’’

Smith’s attorneys also contest the Chinese team did not give him any formal notice they were bothered by any missed practices nor did they issue any fines until after the season, after which they prepared a list of his alleged mishaps which totaled well over $600,000 in fines. The complaint said the Chinese team had a right to terminate his contract if he missed multiple practices and chose not to.

However, the Chinese team states in documents it tried to terminate his contract but was thwarted for vague reasons.

“We were delighted to terminate our agreement with J.R. Smith early on in the season but was asked not to by the agent involved because it would jeopardize the image of the player for NBA purposes,’’ the team wrote.

After his Chinese experience ended. Smith signed with the Knicks a one-year deal with an option for a second year at $2.6 million. Smith has until Tuesday to inform the Knicks he wants to exercise the option. His market value in the new CBA is a mystery because of his baggage and playoff disaster in which he shot 31.6 percent against. Miami, including a 5-of-28 showing from the 3-point line.

While other clubs may deem him a big risk, the Knicks, desperate at guard with Iman Shumpert’s injury, are likely to take advantage of CBA rules and give him a 20-percent raise that would allow him to re-sign without the club using any of their $5 million midlevel exception.

Smith is represented by CAA, but the case is being assisted by a Turkish law firm. CAA lawyer, Jennifer Duberstein, did not return phone calls.

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