High salary cap can’t buy Stanley Cup

Larry Brooks
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Blog: Slap Shots

SLAP SHOTS

Just three of the top nine salary cap teams have made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs — the Capitals (first), Flyers (second) and Kings (seventh).

The Western semis feature clubs ranked 22nd, 23rd and 24th under the cap — the Coyotes, Blues and Predators, respectively.

The Sabres (fourth), Flames (fifth) and Maple Leafs (ninth) didn’t make the playoffs.

The Senators’ Little Engine That Almost Did was ranked 26th under the cap.

So we’re waiting to hear someone on Sixth Avenue construct a cogent argument as to why the current collective bargaining agreement needs be amended in further favor of the owners under the guise of giving “everyone a chance to win?”

Yes, it is true the cap charge doesn’t equal payroll, and the franchises that carry the league on their financial backs — such as the Rangers, Canucks and Flyers — can front-load and erase mistakes when other teams cannot, or will not.

But it is a canard that spending ensures success, as Buffalo owner Terry Pegula can attest. It is a myth well managed small-market teams — such as the one in St. Louis run by John Davidson and the one in Nashville directed by David Poile — cannot succeed.

The Ward of the State Coyotes, Blues and Predators have become Exhibits A, B and C for the Players’ Association when the Board puts its hand out for givebacks the league has no legitimate reason to receive.

* A look at the final week or so of the NBA season with myriad teams appearing to tank to gain an advantage in the playoffs, added to the annual farce that occurs in the NFL when teams rest players after clinching playoff spots, only served as yet another contrast to the integrity with which NHL teams conduct their business from Game 1 through 82.

For on the NHL season’s final Thursday, the Devils and Flyers both played to win when losing would have served the best interests of each.

The Devils, who could have locked themselves into the six seed with a defeat, went into Detroit and beat the Red Wings with Martin Brodeur in net.

The Flyers, who could have kept the possibility of sliding to six alive with a defeat to the Sabres, defeated a Buffalo team that needed a victory to stay in the hunt for eighth place.

With all of the criticism heaped on the league, no one can ever question the honor with which its teams and players compete.

And that sets the NHL apart.

* Honestly, with the way the first round was officiated, was anyone on Earth surprised when a series ended on an overtime goal that should have been nullified under Rule 69.1 covering goalkeeper interference?

“If an attacking player enters the goal crease, and, by his actions, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal shall be disallowed,” the rule states.

Guess we missed the part about, “Except when it involves Mike Knuble and Tim Thomas in overtime of Game 7.”

This just in: Brett Hull says the goal was legal.

* Under the NHL’s proposed realignment, the Rangers, Devils, Flyers and Caps all would play in the same conference, meaning two of the four teams that have advanced to the Eastern semis (otherwise known as the Patrick Division Reunion) would necessarily have been eliminated in the first round had they all qualified for the playoffs.

By the way, we’re told two general managers/governors who spoke against the plan when it was presented at the Board meeting cast votes in favor of it under orders from owners getting their marching orders from Gary Bettman.

* Perhaps someone can explain why anyone, let alone seemingly everyone, is in such a hurry to give Brodeur the bum’s rush out of the league, even when the all-time goaltender delivers a 43-save Game 7 victory the way he did against the Panthers on Thursday.

It’s beyond bizarre, this pile-on evaluation of Brodeur, simply because he isn’t exactly the goaltender he was 10 years ago. ...

The Rangers are interested in signing undrafted 20-year-old free agent winger Marek Hrivik, who joined the AHL Whale after playing the last three seasons with Moncton of the QMJHL. ...

When did “skill” become a pejorative as applied to the playoffs?

* The people who thought it was good timing to unveil the 2013 All Star logo in Columbus on Friday — they’re the same decision-makers who thought it was a good idea to schedule Rangers-Caps Game 1 opposite Knicks-Heat Game 1 yesterday, right?

larry.brooks@nypost.com

Flyers, Stanley Cup playoffs, NHL, Coyotes, Martin Brodeur, Sabres, Rangers, Larry BrooksFollow Larry, Rangers, Canucks, the Players’ Association

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Rutgers WR Sanu drafted by Bengals, for real this time

Mohamed Sanu getting the last laugh gave the second day of the NFL Draft a heartwarming angle.

Tormented by an anonymous prankster who tricked the Rutgers wide receiver into thinking he had been drafted by the Bengals in the first round Thursday, Sanu ended up going to Cincinnati after all last night.

The Bengals took Sanu with the 83rd overall pick as the league got through the second and third rounds at Radio City Music Hall, setting up this afternoon’s four-round finale.

Sanu had been heartbroken Thursday when an unidentified Rutgers student called him just before Cincinnati’s first-round choice claiming to be a Bengals representative and telling him he was the choice.

AP

PRO DAY: Wideout Mohamed Sanu will trade in the Rutgers scarlet he wore in last season’s Pinstripe Bowl for the orange and black of the Bengals after getting drafted in the third round.

NFL DRAFT: ROUNDS 1-3

Cincinnati took Wisconsin offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler with that pick instead, but the Bengals made up for it last night by making Sanu the 11th wide receiver to come off the board. Sanu’s stock had fallen during the run-up to the draft because of concerns about his speed.

That was about it as far as drama for the second and third rounds, but then again, it would have been difficult — impossible, even — to top a slugfest of an opening round Thursday that featured more trades (19) than any draft since the 1970 merger.

One of the biggest questions of the entire draft — how far would Janoris Jenkins fall? — was answered quickly on Day 2. The talented but troubled North Alabama (via University of Florida) cornerback was grabbed by the Rams 39th overall with one of the picks St. Louis picked up in the Robert Griffin III trade.

Jenkins was considered such a liability because of positive drug tests and other off-field concerns that some scouts wondered if he would fall all the way to the sixth or seventh round.

Another major character concern, Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams, also found forgiveness on the second day of the draft. Adams, who reportedly tested positive for marijuana at the scouting combine, was taken 56th overall in the second round by the Steelers, a team in dire need of offensive linemen.

Jenkins’ selection followed the successive picks of a couple of names familiar to the Jets and Giants — Coby Fleener and Courtney Upshaw.

Fleener, a tight end from Stanford linked to the Giants, was reunited with Andrew Luck in Indianapolis with the 34th pick, while Upshaw, an Alabama linebacker high on the Jets’ list, went to the Ravens one spot later.

Last night also showed just how top-heavy this year’s class of quarterbacks was in the eyes of many scouts. The first round was filled with passers, but another wasn’t taken until Arizona State’s Brock Osweiler went to the Broncos 57th overall.

The biggest surprise of the night was turned in by the Jaguars, who finished 5-11 last year but took a punter — Cal’s Bryan Anger — with the seventh pick of the third round (70th overall). Even Anger seemed stunned to go that high.

“I guess they liked me more than I thought,” Anger told reporters in Jacksonville.

The second round also was notable for a run of offensive linemen, a seemingly natural response to the flurry of defensive tackles and ends gobbled up the day before. Seven blockers went in the second round, including three in a row starting with the Panthers’ choice of Midwestern State (Texas) guard Amini Silatolu at No. 40.

bhubbuch@nypost.com

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Queens-born safety hopes for Day 3 call

Mark Cannizzaro

Sometimes the players who end up becoming the heart, soul and guts of NFL teams are fall-through-the-cracks guys. This is what the late rounds of the NFL Draft are all about.

Today is Day 3 of the draft, consisting of rounds four through seven. The TV lights are dimmed and the media attention has waned from the flashy first two days of prime-time coverage.

Yet this back end of the draft is often when some of the most productive, long-term players are unearthed. Sometimes stars even emerge.

This is where Jose Gumbs, a long-shot safety out of Jamaica, Queens, who is projected to be picked late in the draft, would like to introduce himself.

AP

SMALL SCHOOL, BIG HEART: Jose Gumbs, an unheralded safety from Jamaica, Queens, blocks a punt during a college game for Monmouth against Bryant. The unheralded Gumbs hopes to be selected in one of the late rounds of the NFL Draft today.

NFL DRAFT: ROUNDS 1-3

Don’t bet against Gumbs who, thanks to kismet, landed in the lap of Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan five years ago.

“He literally dropped out of the skies for us,’’ Callahan said yesterday by phone.

Gumbs, a 5-foot-10, 210-pound ferocious hitter, might just fall from the sky into the arms of the Jets, who took particular pre-draft interest in him, attending his pro day and also inviting him to their training facility for a visit.

If Monmouth seems an unlikely program to produce NFL talent, you might want to consult the Cowboys roster. Check out the kind of impact player receiver Miles Austin has become since he was signed as a free agent out of Monmouth in 2006.

Three years ago, Monmouth tight end John Nalbone, now with the Seahawks, was drafted in the fifth round by the Dolphins.

Now comes Gumbs, who possesses rare physical talent (he ran the 40 in 4.44 seconds and hurts people when he hits them) and smarts that some NFL teams have already taken note of in their scouting.

Callahan, who has coached Austin and Nalbone during his 20 years at Monmouth, said he believes Gumbs “has everything those guys had’’ to make it to the NFL.

“I believe he will make a seamless transition into the NFL,’’ Callahan said. “Jose is just scratching the surface. His best football is in front of him. His ability to retain and process information and understand the big picture is going to be a huge asset to him in the NFL because he understands concepts, he understands the game, the positioning and where people are.

“These are things that sometimes great athletes struggle with. They have the athletic ability, but they don’t have that dimension. The teams that have sat Jose down and talked with him really understand that.’’

The Jets are one of those teams. So, too, are the Falcons, Saints and Chiefs, who flew Gumbs to their respective facilities before the draft.

The beauty of Gumbs’ story is his journey.

He was a poor kid from Queens playing on a Pop Warner football team called the Queens Falcons that had Geoff Bigley as a volunteer assistant coach. Bigley was affiliated with the program “Run to Daylight,’’ which helped facilitate some of the kids attending New England prep schools on scholarships.

Bigley helped get Gumbs to Hebron Academy, a prep school in Maine, which might as well have been Mars to Gumbs given his background.

Callahan recalled watching a DVD of Gumbs at Hebron.

“It looked like they were playing football in someone’s backyard,” he said. “There were no stands. There were houses along the sideline.’’

Nevertheless, Gumbs excelled at Hebron and was recommended — again via Bigley — to Callahan at Monmouth, where he was a walk-on before becoming the star of the team.

By today’s end, Gumbs might be a member of the NFL, which will highlight the journey but not end it.

“I just want my chance,’’ Gumbs said. “What I did here [at Monmouth] doesn’t count until you prove yourself at the next level. I’m not high on people’s radar, but at least I’m somewhere in the shadows.’’

From those shadows late in the draft sometimes emerge stars.

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

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Hondo: Have a Niese day

Hondo, who has been struggling mightily this week, salvaged a split with the Pirates yesterday but succumbed with the D’backs so his deficit dipped below the dreaded Hondoza Line at 525 mendozas.

Today, Mr. Aitch will take a 10-unit stab with Niese and the Metamucils. As they say in Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathon. Tonight, he is going coastal with the Nats in San Diego -- 10 units of action on Jackson.

-$

White House crasher Tareq Salahi announced yesterday he will run for governor of Virginia. Some will point to the way he evaded the Secret Service as a sign of how shrewd he is, but it could be the agents assigned to the White House that night were on their hooker break. . .Dr. Adam Ostrzenski claims in the Journal of Sexual Medicine that he found the G-spot on an 83-year-old cadaver. Congratulations, doctor, but aren’t there laws against doing that sort of thing with the dead?

hondo@nypost.com

Tareq Salahi, Goodluck Jonathon, Hondoza Line, White House, Nats, the Secret Service, governor of Virginia, Niese

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NYC boys volleyball rankings

A big week solidified some teams’ spots and changed others.

Academy of American Studies remains the undisputed No. 1 after beating Bronx Science in a non-league match and winning a second straight John F. Kennedy tournament. No. 2 Science rebounded by winning a loaded Robert Kronisch Memorial Tournament at Tottenville, knocking off No. 3 New Utrecht in a three-set thriller. Cardozo took home the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament trophy.

For much more, check out below:

1. Academy of American Studies (8-0) (Last week: 1)

There’s no arguing American Studies’ spot atop these rankings, especially after last week. Led by Michal Kasza, the Eagles swept Bronx Science in a best-of-five non-league match Wednesday and then looked dominant in winning a second straight John F. Kennedy tournament on Sunday.

Denis Gostev

Cardozo's Tyler Gaugler helped his team win the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, moving the Judges up to No. 4.

Next: @ Newcomers (April 25, 5:30 p.m.)

2. Bronx Science (7-0) (2)

Even without star middle hitter Alex Barbulescu, Bronx Science was able to win the Robert Kronisch Memorial Tournament at Tottenville on Saturday, led by MVP setter Jerry Henriquez. The Wolverines are still looking up at Academy of American Studies, which beat Science in non-league Wednesday.

Next: @ Bronx Leadership (April 25, 4:30 p.m.)

3. New Utrecht (8-0) (3)

The Utes are a favorite of coaches and players around the city – one of the best and most versatile teams around. New Utrecht had a chance to get that signature win.It actually beat Bronx Science in total points in the Tottenville final Sunday, but fell in three sets in the match.

Next: Lincoln (April 26, 4:30 p.m. @ Grady)

4. Cardozo (7-1) (5)

What a way to bounce back from a loss to Francis Lewis in league play. Isaac Hwang won the MVP and Tyler Gaugler was named to the all-tournament team en route to a championship at the Judges’ host Coaches vs. Cancer event Saturday in Oakland Gardens.

Next: @ Townsend Harris (April 26, 5:30 p.m.)

5. Regis (5-0) (7)

Tom McLaughlin was named to the all-tournament team and Regis advanced to the championship match in the Cardozo Coaches vs. Cancer tourney Saturday. The Raiders get a tough matchup in CHSAA league play this week when they welcome top contender Cardinal Spellman.

Next: Cardinal Spellman (April 25, 4:30 p.m.)

6. Brooklyn Tech (8-0) (9)

The Engineers are nothing if not consistent. Brooklyn Tech has taken care of business against the teams it is supposed to and that was the case again Saturday when Noreen Begley’s team advanced to the semifinals of the Robert Kronisch Memorial Tournament at Tottenville.

Next: Erasmus Hall (April 25, 4:30 p.m.)

7. McKee/Staten Island Tech (8-0) (6)

There were ups and downs Saturday at the Robert Kronish Memorial Tournament at Tottenville with McKee/Staten Island Tech making it out of pool play, but not into the semis. If the Seagulls can beat Susan Wagner again in league play Thursday they should be looking at a division title and high seed.

Next: @ No. 10 Susan Wagner (April 26, 5:30 p.m.)

8. Bryant (8-0) (4)

Steve Hagenlocher was not pleased with his team’s performance Saturday at the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament at Cardozo. Bryant, the PSAL defending champion, made the semifinals only to fall to CHSAA power Regis – the longtime coach blamed plenty of unforced errors.

Next: @ Forest Hills (April 26, 5:30 p.m.)

9. Hunter College HS (8-0) (10)

The Hitmen are right there, one big victory away from really breaking into the elite group of teams near the top of these rankings. The best news for coach Jason Dibelius is he has just three seniors on the roster – and 11 sophomores who could make Hunter a force to be reckoned with in 2013.

Next: East Harlem (April 25, 4:30 p.m. @ A.P. Randolph)

10. Susan Wagner (7-1) (8)

The Falcons are hoping they didn’t peak early – they won the first Seward Park tournament, but struggled Saturday at Tottenville’s Robert Kronisch Memorial Tournament. This is a big week to bounce back with a grudge match with McKee/Staten Island Tech coming up Thursday.

Next: McKee/Staten Island Tech (April 26, 5:30 p.m.)

New: None

Dropped out: None

On the bubble: Midwood (6-0), Francis Lewis (8-1), Clinton (7-0), Richmond Hill (7-0), Stuyvesant (8-0), Cardinal Spellman (4-1), Cleveland (7-1), FDR (8-1), Seward Park (7-1) and Newcomers (6-2)

mraimondi@nypost.com

Bronx Science, Academy of American Studies, Tottenville, Tottenville, Tottenville, John F. Kennedy tournament, New Utrecht, Susan Wagner, Cardinal Spellman, Francis Lewis, Memorial Tournament, Memorial Tournament, Memorial Tournament, Tyler Gaugler, American Studies, Brooklyn Tech

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GAMETRACKER: Yankees at Rangers

The Yankees and Rangers boast two of baseball's most prolific offenses.

They could be on full display Tuesday night, when a pair of Japanese pitchers off to shaky starts square off at Rangers Ballpark.

Rangers Ballpark, The Yankees, Rangers

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St. John's women's coach to Michigan

St. John’s head coach Kim Barnes Arico has been hired to coach the Michigan women’s basketball team.

Barnes Arico coached the Red Storm for the past 10 seasons and guided them to a second-place finish in the Big East this past year, including a victory at Connecticut in February that ended the Huskies’ 99-game home winning streak.

The 41-year-old coach, who has the most wins in program history and was BIg East coach of the year this season, built St. John’s into a perennial NCAA tournament team.

Kim Barnes Arico, the Red Storm, Big East

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NYC non-'AA' girls basketball honors

It was a season of heartwarming stories in non-‘AA’ girls basketball.

Bayside advanced to the PSAL Class A semifinals as the No. 38 seed in a 40-team bracket playing for beloved coach Steve Piorkowski, who is battling a form of cancer that attacked his C6 vertebra.

Preston was also playing for a cause en route to its first CHSAA Class B city title. Former player Margaret Donnelly, a school guidance counselor, was tragically killed in a car accident over the holidays and the Pathers competed the rest of the season with a heavy heart.

NYC non-‘AA’ girls basketball Player of the Year: Jenny Ramirez, Lab Museum United

An Rong Xu

Lab Museum United's Jennifer Ramirez is The Post's non-'AA' girls basketball Player of the Year.

William Thomas

Bayside's Steve Scharf is The Post's non-'AA' girls basketball Coach of the Year.

There was a lot of pressure on Ramirez heading into this season. As the only PSAL Class A player with a Division I scholarship in tow, the athletic 5-foot-4 guard was expected to prove her worth and lead Lab Museum United to big things.

She was successful in both regards. Ramirez dropped in 34 points in the ‘A’ quarterfinals to avenge a previous loss to Tottenville and almost led LMU all the way back from a big deficit against Goldstein in the semifinals. She was also an excellent playmaker and a very good rebounder for her size.

“She’s in a different element at this point in her game,” Lab Museum United coach Katie Jungers said after the quarterfinals. “I’ve never seen her play so smart.”

NYC non-‘AA’ girls basketball Coach of the Year: Steve Scharf, Bayside

Amid tragedy and uncertainty, Bayside played its best basketball of the season. Beloved coach Steve Piorkowski was sidelined in late January when he contracted a form of cancer that attacked his C6 vertebra. Piorkowski ended up with a broken neck and was confined to a wheelchair. In his place stepped a host of Bayside coaches, from Scharf, the boys JV basketball coach, to football coach Jason Levitt to boys soccer coach Joe Corrado to athletic director Joe Capuana.

It was an inspirational story of family and support – and that was even before all the winning. Bayside finished fifth in PSAL Queens A East and received the No. 38 seed in a 40-team playoff bracket. The Commodores went on to upset No. 27 Clara Barton, No. 6 Beacon, No. 11 Lafayette and defending champion No. 3 Wings Academy en route to the semifinals.

FIRST TEAM

F Bethany Claps, Staten Island Academy

Claps was the Tigers leading scorer for the second straight season and will graduate as the school’s all-time leading point getter. The Smith College-bound forward helped SIA win the ACIS crown and earn a return trip to the NYSAISAA tournament.

Next >

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Steve Piorkowski, Steve Piorkowski, Steve Scharf, Jenny Ramirez, Lab Museum United, Jennifer Ramirez, Lab Museum United coach Katie Jungers, girls basketball, basketball, Former player Margaret Donnelly, Bayside, PSAL, Rong XuLab Museum United, Piorkowski, Lab Museum UnitedAn

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Norman Thomas ace commits to Division II power Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce University is a quaint New England school in Rindge, N.H., on 100 acres of land overlooking a body of water, Pearly Pond. To Jeffrey Ledesma, it’s Shangri-La.

The Norman Thomas righthander liked everything about the place on his official visit – from the coaching staff to his future teammates to the sprawling campus and the Ravens’ immense baseball facility, Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field.

“There’s no other place I wanted to be,” he said.

Early this week, after receiving the necessary qualifying SAT score, Ledesma committed to the Division II power and coach Jayson King.

Denis Gostev

Norman Thomas' Jeffrey Ledesma has committed to Division II power Franklin Pierce.

“College baseball was always my goal since freshman year,” said Ledesma, who also drew interest from Concodia and a few junior colleges. “My brother played college baseball [at Baruch College]. It’s an experience I Know I had to have. I can pursue my dreams [at Franklin Pierce]. … Before I committed, I kept picturing myself on that mound. I felt like I could be there for the next four years. I couldn’t wait. It’s a great feeling.”

Ledesma was sold during his visit. He got to know King, his staff and the program’s players. He felt like a part of the team that weekend, like he would be with Franklin Pierce in the coming season just by hanging out with the team in their dorm rooms and attending a few practices.

“Everything looked so organized, so perfect,” he said.

Unlike many of his PSAL contemporaries, Ledesma was looking for a four-year school, not a junior college where he could go pro in a few years. Sure, that’s the eventual goal, Ledesma said, but not now. He’s interesting in gaining his degree in sports recreation and contributing to Franklin Pierce’s success.

Under King, the Ravens have won at least 31 games each season since 2002, have reached two NCAA national semifinals, five NCAA Regional titles and four Northeast-10 Conference championships. In addition, the club captured the ECAC Division II Championship in both 2002 and 2004.

“It’s a good place to develop as a player,” Ledesma said.

Ledesma has built on a solid junior year at Norman Thomas, going 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA to lead the Tigers to a 6-0 start in Manhattan A East. He’s been clocked at 88 mph, coach Luis Monell said, he’s worked extremely hard on his offspeed pitches and has emerged as one of the team’s leaders. Monell, who pitched for St. John’s, thinks Ledesma will succeed at Franklin Pierce.

“Maybe the first year or two there will be a learning curve, he’ll go through bumps and bruises, but he’ll learn from that,” Monell said. “He’s the type of kid who will work at something until he gets it right. By junior or senior year, he’ll excel.”

Monell is particularly proud of Ledesma, who has gotten it done in the classroom as well as on the diamond. Too many PSAL players, the coach said, are thinking about the quickest route to pro ball, kids who may not be good enough to begin with. Ledesma didn’t fall into that trap.

“It’s going to be a real good fit for Jeffrey, he’ll learn a lot at a program like that,” Monell said. “They get kids drafted, he’ll better his skills, become a lot smarter and take his game to the next level.”

zbraziller@nypost.com

Franklin Pierce, Jeffrey Ledesma, Norman Thomas, Norman Thomas, Ledesma, Luis Monell, Baruch College

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Obama campaign launches Spanish-language ads in Latino vote push

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A screen capture from a new Obama television ad airing in Florida shows volunteer Lynnette Acosta at the campaign's Orlando office. (YouTube / April 18, 2012)

President Obama's reelection campaign today ramps up its outreach to a key sector of its 2008 voting coalition, with the launch of Latinos for Obama and the first Spanish-language advertising.

Obama won 67% of the Latino vote four years ago, a historic margin that the campaign hopes to sustain in the 2012 race against Mitt Romney, a candidate they branded on Wednesday as "the most extreme nominee" in the Republican party's history on the issue of immigration.

"For Hispanic Americans, this November offers a very clear contrast between two candidates, and a clear choice about their future where the consequences are very great," said Julian Castro, the mayor of San Antonio and a national co-chair of the Obama campaign.

The television and radio ads launched Wednesday in battleground states Colorado, Nevada and Florida feature campaign volunteers talking about how the president's policies on education have helped the Latino community.

The campaign also addressed what they see as Romney's vulnerabilities among Latinos on other issues, including both immigration and the economy.

Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey invoked Romney's time as the head of Bain Capital, a venture capital firm, while discussing the latter.

"His idea of moving the economy forward was to take companies, strip them down, un-employee people, take others to bankruptcy. That hurt many Latinos along the way," he said. "And so it is impossible to believe that selling snake oil now is going to sell in our community."

The GOP this week also took steps to reach out to the Latino community. The Republican National Committee announced a "Hispanic Outreach Program" that included dispatching state directors to Florida, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia and North Carolina.

Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said he feels "very sorry" for those organizers who he said would be struggling to explain the party's record on immigration reform, the DREAM Act and healthcare reform.

"They're naming one person per state ... whereas we've had operations on the ground for over a year and are working every single night hitting the doors," he said.

Romney campaign spokesman Albert Martinez said the new Obama efforts "can't erase President Obama's record of failure on the issues most important to Latinos."

"Hispanics have been hit especially hard as a result of three years of President Obama's record of high unemployment, soaring debt, and skyrocketing gas prices. President Obama will do everything possible to make this election about anything other than his failed record," he said.

michael.memoli@latimes.com
twitter.com/mikememoli

 

Original source: Obama campaign launches Spanish-language ads in Latino vote push

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High-ranking banker brothers raided Bank of America as they left for UBS and VTB Capital

LONDON -- A pair of high-ranking banker brothers have hit Bank of America Merrill Lynch hard, by leaving and taking a team of trusted staff with them to foreign rivals UBS and VTB Capital.

Italian-born Andrea and Riccardo Orcel -- who have joined the Swiss and Russian institutions, respectively -- raided the US bank upon their departures, the Financial Times reported.

Andrea Orcel, who has taken the post of co-head of investment banking at UBS and will commence work this summer, hand-picked Spanish and Italian staff to join him, as his brother was also removing talent to join him at VTB Capital.

Among those lured away from Bank of America were its Spanish investment banking boss Javier Oficialdegui, equity capital markets head Javier Martinez-Piqueras, Italian Emilio Greco and emerging markets deal-maker Alberto Palombi, people familiar with the movements said.

Riccardo Orcel's hires from Bank of America are believed to have been more junior.

"This is a smash and grab. This will really rile the Merrill management," one former Bank of America staffer said.

Andrea Orcel, whose departure from Bank of America after 20 years was on bad terms, has a strong relationship with Santander and UniCredit that is expected to see the banks' business move to UBS with him.

Bank of America, Riccardo Orcel, VTB, Italian staff, investment banking, Italian Emilio Greco, Orcel, Javier Oficialdegui, equity capital markets, Andrea

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Trustee aims for MF execs

The trustee tasked with clawing back money for burned customers of MF Global is training his sights on the brokerage firm’s executives — a list that likely includes former CEO Jon Corzine.

In a statement yesterday, trustee James Giddens said he is considering pursuing claims against “certain responsible individuals” who worked for MF at the time customers’ trading accounts were improperly tapped.

Kent Jarrell, a spokesman for Giddens, declined to name names but said the trustee is considering civil suits against “officers, directors or other employees” of both the brokerage firm and the holding company.

Reuters

Jon Corzine

Giddens said his investigation into $1.6 billion in missing client funds supports claims based on “breach of fiduciary duties,” suggesting that he could file suits against anyone who knew, or should have known, about what happened to customer cash in the days leading up to the firm’s Oct. 31 collapse.

That could include Corzine, the ex-New Jersey governor who was heading the brokerage firm when the $1.6 billion went missing, as well as Laurie Ferber, the company’s current general counsel, and CFO Henri Steenkamp.

Authorities have said that $200 million was improperly removed from customers’ accounts on the Friday leading up to the bankruptcy to cover an overdraft in a JPMorgan account in London.

During his testimony last year, Corzine fingered the company’s Assistant Treasurer Edith O’Brien for approving the transfer.

But lawmakers recently pulled an e-mail from O’Brien, in which she said the transfer was “per JC’s direct instructions.” Corzine maintained that he never authorized the money to be transferred from customers’ accounts.

On Thursday, the day before the transfer, an audit by the CME Group, MF’s clearing firm, found that MF had just $116.16 million in so-called “excess” customer funds as of the previous day.

By the next day, MF told CME it had excess segregated funds of $200 million — the same amount that was then transferred from customers’ funds.

kwhitehouse@nypost.com

James Giddens, MF Global, Edith O’Brien, customer funds, Laurie Ferber

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Bernanke stresses importance of regulation

The financial crisis stemmed from fundamental breakdowns in both markets and regulation, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday, highlighting the importance of pressing forward with an important overhaul of banking regulations.

The stability of the financial system is even more important in the current environment of super-low interest rates, Bernanke said at an event in New York held by two research organizations, the Russell Sage Foundation and the Century Foundation.

"Going forward, particularly in situations where interest rates are low for a period, as they are today, we must be particularly attentive to systemic stability and make sure there's nothing happening that gives us pause," Bernanke said.

Echoing points he has made in a number of previous addresses, Bernanke defended the Fed's actions taken to mend markets and the economy during the financial meltdown and worked to explain why the crisis caused so much damage relative to other financial implosions.

"Dependence on short-term funding, high leverage, and inadequate risk management were critical vulnerabilities of the private sector prior to the crisis," Bernanke said, listing the failures in the private sector.

Financial firms' inadequate risk controls magnified the problems associated with the housing and mortgage markets' slump, he said. When home prices started to slide, losses were concentrated at "key nodes" in the financial system, including highly leveraged banks and broker dealers.

Contrasting the aftermaths of the popping of the technology stock bubble at the start of the last decade and the recent financial crisis, Bernanke said the two episodes differed because "the problems in housing and mortgage markets interacted with deeper vulnerabilities in the financial system in ways that the dot-com bust did not."

Bernanke also highlighted the failings of government agencies.

"The public sector also failed to appreciate or sufficiently respond to the building vulnerabilities in the financial system, both because the statutory framework of financial regulation was not well suited to addressing some key vulnerabilities and because some of the authorities that did exist were not used effectively."

Gaps in the regulatory structure before the crisis prevented officials from seeing all of the system's vulnerabilities and gathering enough information, he said. If another asset bubble emerges, changes to monetary policy shouldn't be the first response, he said.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, financial crisis, financial crisis, Russell Sage Foundation, financial regulation, the financial system, mortgage markets, Bernanke, financial system, vulnerabilities

Nypost.com

CHSAA baseball roundup: Moore's Baggs shuts out All Hallows

Two days, two games against Bronx teams, two wins. Not a bad start to the season for Moore Catholic.

John Baggs was brilliant, tossing a three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts for Moore in a 6-0 victory over All Hallows in CHSAA Class AA baseball Wednesday at Heritage Field in the shadow of Yankee Stadium.

Chris Wolf went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Joe Todaro, Shea Spitzbarth and Bobby Drake all had RBIs for the Mavericks (2-0 ‘AA’). All Hallows, the intersectional runner-up last year, falls to 1-2.

St. Francis Prep 11, Christ the King 0: Nick LoPrinzi only allowed three hits in five innings and Gabe Gonzales had three hits, including a home run and two RBIs, to lead St. Francis (2-1 ‘AA’) which bounced back from a loss Monday to Holy Cross. Christ the King is 0-2.

Archbishop Stepinac 4, Cardinal Hayes 3: Daniel Hoffer tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with a pinch-hit double and Frankie Giuliano won the game with a walk-off single with the bases loaded for Stepinac (3-0 ‘AA’). James Decker gave up just two runs on four hits in six innings, while Skylar Mercado picked up the win in relief. Joe Signore had an RBI and Mercado added two hits Hayes is 2-2.

Monsignor Farrell 11, Mount St. Michael 0: Joe Cannatella went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and Mike Camerada and Peter Kennedy each had two RBIs for Farrell (1-0 ‘AA’). Mike Murphy gave up just three hits and struck out seven in six innings. Mount is 0-3.

mraimondi@nypost.com

Joe Todaro, All Hallows, Francis Prep, St. Francis, Bobby Drake, Shea Spitzbarth, Cardinal Hayes, CHSAA Class AA baseball Wednesday, Daniel Hoffer, Nick LoPrinzi, Skylar Mercado online, Gabe Gonzales, Frankie Giuliano

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Damon near deal with Indians

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians are close to signing former Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon to help awaken their struggling offense.

The club has been in talks to finalize a deal with the 38-year-old, who is 277 hits shy of 3,000.

In a text to the Associated Press, Damon said: “It should be done soon.”

Damon played with Tampa Bay — his sixth AL team — last season, batting .261 with 16 homers and 73 RBIs in 150 games. Damon would probably need some time to get ready after not being in a spring training camp. If Damon signs, the Indians would be his fourth team in four years.

Cleveland is off to a 1-4 start and entered Thursday batting .178, the majors’ lowest average. The Indians begin a three-game series in Kansas City on Friday.

A career .286 hitter, Damon has also played for Kansas City, Oakland, Boston and Detroit.

Cleveland Indians, Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon

Nypost.com

Bob Marley documentary to stream on Facebook while in theaters

The Bob Marley documentary "Marley" will stream on Facebook simultaneously during its theatrical opening, a signal that social media may also play a role in shifting movie release windows.

Such day-and-date releases have become increasingly common in recent years for smaller independent films. But this will be the first such U.S. film to stream concurrently on the social media behemoth while opening in theaters.

The film, directed by Kevin Macdonald, will be available for a $6.99 rental beginning April 20th, which is the day it opens in theaters. A portion of the proceeds from Facebook sales will benefit Save the Children, the charity for needy children.

"Marley" is also being released via video-on-demand on April 20th.

Facebook began hosting movie rentals in March 2011. Digital delivery of new releases and older films has been a highly competitive frontier, particularly among Google Inc.'s YouTube, Apple Inc.'s iTunes and subscription service Netflix.

Facebook, social media, Kevin Macdonald, The Bob Marley documentary, movie release, Google Inc., Apple Inc.

Nypost.com

Sloppy game ends Mets perfect start

You only had to see last night’s Mets lineup to have a good idea the team’s four-game winning streak to start the season was in serious jeopardy.

But surprisingly, the likes of Ronny Cedeno and Justin Turner weren’t as much the problem for the Mets as the rest of the lineup in a 6-2 loss to the Nationals at Citi Field.

Cedeno was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Turner delivered an RBI single on a night the rest of the Mets lineup accounted for only three hits. Lost was an opportunity for the Mets to tie a franchise record with a fifth straight victory to start the season.

BOX SCORE

It came on a night the Mets discovered they may lose David Wright for an extended period because of a small fracture at the middle joint of his right pinky. Cedeno replaced Wright in the starting lineup while Ike Davis and Josh Thole sat against Nationals lefty Ross Detwiler.

“With Ike not in there and David wasn’t in there, it changes some things, obviously,” manager Terry Collins said. “Against a guy like [Detwiler] your right-handed hitters have got to produce for you.”

The ugliness extended to defense, where Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda had lapses as part of a three-run sixth inning for the Nationals.

Dillon Gee trailed only 1-0 heading into the sixth, but his night soon unraveled. Jayson Werth stroked an RBI single before Xavier Nady’s single put runners on the corners and ended Gee’s night. Roger Bernadina greeted Bobby Parnell with a grounder Murphy flubbed, allowing a run to score, before Wilson Ramos’ double — a ball Duda misjudged on the warning track in right — made it 4-0.

“If we make a couple of plays behind [Gee] he leaves here with an outstanding outing,” Collins said.

Gee’s final line included four runs allowed, three earned, on eight hits and one walk over 5 1/3 innings. The righty struck out six in a 104-pitch effort.

“I felt pretty good and I thought I threw the ball well,” Gee said.

The Mets didn’t score until the seventh, when Turner delivered an RBI single after Jason Bay had smacked a leadoff double. Cedeno’s RBI double in the eighth added another run.

Ian Desmond’s homer leading off the game was the only run for either team through five innings. Gee fell behind 2-0 in the count before leaving a fastball over the plate that Desmond hammered into the left-field seats.

Ronny Cedeno, Mets, the Mets, Justin Turner, David Wright, the Nationals, Daniel Murphy, Ike Davis, manager Terry Collins, Lucas Duda, Nationals, Jayson Werth

Nypost.com

Nightmare 4th breaks Mickelson

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- This was Phil Mickelson’s Masters to win.

A fourth Green Jacket, which would have tied him with Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer and left him two behind Jack Nicklaus’ record of six, awaited.

Until the par-3 fourth hole yesterday.

That’s where Mickelson, who began the day one shot off the lead, had the jacket ripped from his back when his sailed tee shot landed some 25 yards to the left of the green. The ball caromed off the grandstand and into some heavy bushes.

From there, it got uglier, with Mickelson, a lefty, twice trying to chip out right-handed because of the awkward stance. When it was all over, Mickelson carded a triple bogey and his chances to win were over.

FINAL MASTERS LEADERBOARD

In 73 career rounds at the Masters, Mickelson had never tripled No. 4 and he had only one double bogey on the hole. The triple was the only blemish on Mickelson’s card for the day.

“Tactically, I hit that shot where I had to hit it, which is at the [left] bunker,’’ Mickelson said. “Anything left of the pin is fine. Unfortunately, it was just a bad break. If [the ball] goes into people and stops right there, no problem. If it goes into the grandstand, no problem.

“[But] it hit the metal railing and shot in the trees. Not only was it unplayable, but I couldn’t take an unplayable. There was no place to go other than back to the tee. So I took the risk of trying to hit it a few times.’’

Asked why he didn’t go back and re-tee, Mickelson said he would simply be going back to hit the “hardest’’ tee shot again.

“I felt like it was worth the risk,” he said, “and it may have cost me, what, half a shot at most?’’

Mickelson said he practices the chip from the left side of the green “over and over, because you can’t go at that pin. You go in the bunker or you go right of the pin on the green and you are not going to make par. Usually I can get that up and down and make par. If not, I make a 4. The worst I would have made was 4, but unfortunately it hit the metal railing.’’

Mickelson lamented his chances after the fourth hole, saying: “Even after that triple, I birdied the three par 5s, had many chances to make birdies and wasn’t able to get the ball to go in. They were just coming right up to the edge and just not quite peaking in.’’

Asked what he’ll take from the day, he said: “Third place. It’s not what I was hoping for.’’

“It’s disappointing that I didn’t grab that fourth Green Jacket,’’ Mickelson said. “It was a great opportunity to collect another Green Jacket. It’s disappointing that I didn’t make it happen on the back nine and get the putts to fall. I gave them all good chances, I just couldn’t quite get them to go.’’

Mickelson’s wife, Amy, and their three children had flown in to see the final round in hopes of seeing him make history.

“I’m certainly not satisfied just being in contention,’’ he said. “I love having the opportunity to win, to compete on Sunday, to come down the back nine with a chance to win the Masters. That’s what’s fun. It’s certainly disappointing not getting it done.’’

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

Green Jacket, Green Jacket, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, AUGUSTA, Ga., Mickelson

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Affrunti’s Turf Paradise Grade

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Nypost.com

Knicks defeat Bulls in OT; Anthony hits game winner

Owner James Dolan broke up the Knicks to get Carmelo Anthony 14 months ago for moments like this. Dolan will expect more of them in the playoffs, perhaps against the same club Anthony gunned down heroically in yesterday’s Garden matinee thriller.

Living up to his rep as one of the game’s best late-game assassins, Anthony was fearless in the final seconds and shot down the mighty Bulls. It is a trait LeBron James wished he owned.

With two right-wing 3-point daggers, Anthony saved Easter just as he saved Christmas against Boston with late-game heroics. This one was better, particularly since a loss would have put them out of playoff position. Instead, the victory launched them into seventh place.

SWEET MELO-DY:Carmelo Anthony is pumped up after making a shot in the final minute of regulation, just a prelude to his game-tying and game-winning 3-pointers.

In racking up his season-high 43 points, Anthony bagged his two 3-pointers with the clock running down — a game-tying bucket with 11.2 seconds left in regulation and the game-winner with 8.2 seconds left in overtime as the Knicks pulled off a 100-99 thriller against Chicago.

“This is one of the top,’’ Anthony said regarding career highlights. “Overtime. Easter Sunday. Everybody’s watching. This ranks as one of the top. At that point, I was thinking something had to go. If I take the shot and we make it, we win. If we don’t, we lose the game.’’

No fear. After he bagged the game-winner, Anthony hooted, “This is my house!’’

“It was mine today,” he said. “They were just talking some trash a little bit.’’

Not only did the Knicks (29-27) move one game ahead of the ninth-place Bucks, but they now are tied with the Sixers for the seventh seed, own the tiebreaker and would face Miami in the first round if the season ended today. If the Knicks finish eighth, it will almost certainly be Knicks-Bulls in Round 1. The Knicks play in Chicago tomorrow, then Milwaukee on Wednesday.

“It was a great atmosphere,’’ Anthony said. “That’s how the Garden is supposed to be. This was a playoff-type game. We might play these guys in the playoffs if we keep going and get that [No. 8] seed. So this was a big statement game, big win for us.’’

Anthony hit his first five shots when the Knicks built a ridiculous 27-6 lead late in the first quarter. He cooled off, the Bulls rallied, but he wound up shooting 16-of-31 — 4-of-5 from 3-point range — and being the hero.

“Unbelievable,’’ said Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson, who is now 11-3. “They refused to give in.’’

The first heroic Anthony triple — rattling in a 25-footer over Taj Gibson — capped a Knicks comeback from 10 down with 3:30 left. The Knicks got help as the Bulls missed four straight free throws in the final 34 seconds — two by Luol Deng, two by Derrick Rose, whose return from a groin injury was filled with rust (29 points, 8-of-26)

With the Knicks down 99-97 in OT, Anthony elected against driving on Deng for the tie. Instead, he lofted it up again from the right side — 8.2 seconds left and it was bliss.

The possession was kept alive by irrepressible center Tyson Chandler, who had 16 rebounds, 10 on the offensive glass. He batted another J.R. Smith brick out to the perimeter. Smith made a good save in tapping the ball over to Steve Novak, who then found Anthony on the right wing.

“That was probably the best shot I was going to get,’’ Anthony said. “If I drove, I probably would have gotten bumped and had to take a messed-up shot. I didn’t just want to go to the hole and throw something crazy up. My best shot was to pull up for three. They were playing for me to drive, so my best shot (in OT) was to pull up.’’

They needed every one of Anthony’s 43 — his regular-season high in a Knicks uniform. Amar’e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin are out and Smith’s shot was pitiful as the club survived his 6-of-22 shooting day.

Novak, with his parents making their first trip to the Garden, had an off game, too, missing a huge left-wing 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and the Knicks down 3. The ball seemed to be down before rimming out. Novak had his worst game since getting in the rotation, going scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting.

“Back and forth, we’re out of it, then we’re in it,’’ said Novak, the NBA’s leader in 3-point percentage. “The way we got it is why this is so big.’’

marc.berman@nypost.com

Carmelo Anthony, Knicks, Bulls, Steve Novak

Nypost.com

POST GAMES TO WATCH: April 9-April 15

The Post’s high school staff looks ahead to the most intriguing matchups in boys basketball and girls basketball for the week of April 9 through April 15.

BASEBALL

St. Joseph by the Sea @ Iona Prep (Tuesday, 4 p.m.)

To say Iona Prep is busy this week would be a rather large understatement. The Gaels are playing in the Monroe Tournament, which commences with the final Friday, and they also have league games against St. Joseph by the Sea and Monsignor Farrell. Sea is back in the city after a trip to Myrtle Beach, which featured a scary bus fire on the way down there.

Moore Catholic @ All Hallows (Wednesday, 4 p.m.)

It has been mixed results for All Hallows thus far, starting the league season with a big win over Cardinal Hayes only to follow it up with a tough loss to Iona Prep. Tulane-bound shortstop Stephen Alemais should be back for this game after a suspension by coach Ed Gutierrez. Moore Catholic will likely throw ace Shea Spitzbarth, who is coming off a great 2011 season.

George Washington Tournament final (Thursday, 3 p.m.)

There are six teams in this six-day showcase, but it would be surprising if the title isn’t decided by Cardozo and George Washington. The two title contenders have met twice this year and split the matchups. GW won the first encounter, 15-12, on March 13 after nearly blowing an 11-run lead. Cardozo rallied for a 5-4 victory in the last meeting in the tournament on Saturday. A rubber match would be a lot of fun as the two teams have begun to develop a rivalry.

Monroe Tournament final (Friday, TBA)

The prestigious showcase began Saturday with some interesting results such as Curtis upending defending CHSAA Class AA champion Xaverian and Morris topping Norman Thomas and William Bryant. Look for the cream to rise to the top this week and powers such as Iona Prep, Grand Street, Xaverian and Monroe to decide the prestigious showcase.

Poly Prep @ Fieldston (Friday, 4 p.m.)

Poly Prep ace Andrew Zapata against Fieldston slugger Kevin Fich is worth attending on its own. Throw in Fieldston was the last Ivy Prep League team to beat Poly and both teams are coming off impressive league wins and this showdown could be special.

SOFTBALL

Mary Louis @ Preston (Tuesday, 2 p.m.)

The Hilltoppers are playing a good brand of softball right now after wins over Christ the King and Fontbonne Hall. Runs may not come easy against the Panthers pitching staff of Kristie Davidow, Megan Kelly and Julianna Orrico. There are plenty of rankings implications in this one.

Fontbonne Hall @ Archbishop Molloy (Wednesday, 3:45 p.m.)

The last time these two teams met Fontbonne Hall sent ripples through the softball world with a thrilling upset win. Defending CHSAA state champions Molloy will certainly be looking to avenge the defeat and retake control of the division it’s owned in recent years.

St. Joseph by the Sea @ Moore Catholic (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

The two old rivals meet for the first time. Moore Catholic won the CHSAA Archdiocesan title without having to beat Sea in the playoffs and want to repeat. The Vikings are out to regain that crown and it starts with a possible win over the Mavericks on the road.

LACROSSE

Xaverian @ Tottenville (boys) (Tuesday, 12 p.m.)

Tottenville has established itself as the likely team to beat in the PSAL behind a balanced offense and stingy defense. It can earn the PSAL some bragging rights against a talented Xaverian team that already owns an 8-4 win over Cardozo.

Poly Prep @ Fieldston (boys) (Friday, 4 p.m.)

Fieldston has talked about again becoming the top dog in the Ivy League and a win over the defending NYSAISAA champions would be a big step in the right direction. A Blue Devils victory could mean they righted the ship after a season-opening loss to Riverdale.

Horace Mann @ Riverdale (girls) (Friday, 4:15 p.m.)

Riverdale’s NYSAISAA title defense got off to a rocky start with a loss to Poly Prep in its Ivy League opener. It could really build momentum with a win over a quality Horace Mann team. The Lions can announce their arrival with a win.

Iona Prep, Moore Catholic, Moore Catholic, Fontbonne Hall, Poly Prep, Poly Prep, Fieldston, Fieldston, St. Joseph, boys basketball, girls basketball, George Washington, All Hallows, Xaverian, Xaverian, Monroe Tournament, Monsignor Farrell

Nypost.com

Creative Cause favored in Santa Anita Derby

ARCADIA, Calif. -- Creative Cause gets a chance to solidify his status as the West’s leading Kentucky Derby candidate when he runs as the 6-5 early favorite in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby.

The gray colt drew the No. 1 post in the field of 10 for tomorrow’s 1 1/8-mile race at Santa Anita.

Creative Cause has four wins in seven career starts, including the San Felipe Stakes last month. He’s never finished worse than third and even then he’s never been more than a length behind at the finish line.

“Good horses overcome adversity and he’s had some, but I guess he likes to run,” trainer Mike Harrington said, “Horses that like to run, they perform every time.”

Trainer Bob Baffert, recovering from a heart attack suffered last week in Dubai, entered three horses in an attempt to win his seventh Santa Anita Derby and third in the last four years.

Kentucky Derby, Creative Cause, Santa Anita Derby, Trainer Bob Baffert, Santa Anita, ARCADIA, Calif., Mike Harrington, San Felipe Stakes

Nypost.com

Mets outfield center of attention after Torres’ injury

The Mets now must find a starting center fielder and replace their leadoff hitter, with uncertainty surrounding both spots.

Andres Torres, acquired in the offseason from the Giants, strained his left calf in the Mets’ 1-0 Opening Day win over the Braves. It’s the same injury he had in spring training, and it will force him to the disabled list.

In fact, it will force him back to where he just came from — Port St. Lucie, for rehab.

“I feel terrible that this happened,” Torres said.

Torres got hurt while pursuing Tyler Pastornicky’s liner in the seventh inning, a ball he misplayed into a triple. Torres appeared to break in on the ball, then had it sail over his head. He strained the calf while running.

Jason Bay had a feeling Torres was hurt.

BOX SCORE

COMPLETE METS COVERAGE

“Andres is kind of the Energizer bunny,” Bay said. “When I saw him stop, I figured that’s not something he would do.”

So now what do the Mets do? Manager Terry Collins said Ruben Tejada will hit leadoff.

Tejada, who went 0-for-2 with a walk yesterday in his first game as Jose Reyes’ shortstop replacement, delivered an impressive .360 on-base percentage last year in his 328 at-bats. If he can do that again, the Mets are in fine leadoff shape.

Tejada’s career minor league OBP, however, is just .339.

Who plays center field is even more unclear. As of late yesterday afternoon, the Mets hadn’t determined who was going to be recalled for Torres.

It figures Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who has spent time at Triple-A the last two seasons, is a candidate.

Matt Den Dekker also could be a possibility, though he hasn’t played above Double-A and isn’t on the 40-man roster, so the organization would have to lose a player to accommodate him.

The Mets also have Scott Hairston, who filled in for Torres in center yesterday. Hairston, who dealt with a strained oblique in spring training, said he’s healthy now. He played 10 games in center last season.

In regards to whether Torres’ spring calf injury ever totally healed, Collins said he “passed every single test he had to pass to get ready to play.”

Torres, too, said he was fully recovered. Either way, there was pregame talk with Collins about the manager finally being able to have his desired 1-through-8 lineup on the field. It’s unknown when he’ll be able to have it again.

mark.hale@nypost.com

The Mets, Manager Terry Collins, Ruben Tejada, Port St. Lucie, spring training, spring training, leadoff hitter, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Scott Hairston

Nypost.com

Absent Pineda, Pettitte loom large

Joel Sherman
Blog: Hardball

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Michael Pineda played catch with Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild in shallow left field yesterday inside Tropicana Field, slowly working his precious right shoulder back into shape.

Earlier in the day, Andy Pettitte was informed by Rothschild he would throw two innings Monday in a Class-A game, slowly working his left arm back into shape.

The Yankees’ season opens today without Pineda or Pettitte and it is very likely the whole first month will be played without them. But out of sight should not be equated with out of plans.

Paul J. Bereswill for The New Yo

Phil Hughes

A rebirth of pitching dominance has been building in recent years and last season the impact was seismic: Homers were at a 14-year low: OPS and runs were at a 19-year low.

The very early returns in 2012 suggest more of the same. Oakland and Seattle, two bad offensive clubs, went to Japan and scored nine runs combined in two games. In the domestic opener Wednesday, Kyle Lohse held Miami hitless for six innings. And on the first significant day of play yesterday, there were just 25 total runs scored in six afternoon games, including a pair of 1-0 outcomes. In the first nine games of this season, only one winning team exceeded four runs and only one losing team managed more than two runs. That happened in the Blue Jays’ 7-4 win over the Indians and it took those teams 16 innings to do it.

Cynics would suggest this is all about illegal performance enhancers dropping in use within the game. But talk to hitters, hitting coaches and scouts and you will hear something different; that they have never seen so many good arms in such volume before.

Heck, the Yankees need only look across the field today where the Rays, despite the AL’s third-lowest payroll, are viewed as a World Series contender. That is because they have five starters so good — none worse than a No. 3 — that Wade Davis was moved to the bullpen.

So when it comes to the starting rotation, quality and depth is going to matter, especially in the top-heavy AL, particularly in a ferocious East Division. Which is why the work of Pineda and Pettitte is vital, even if it mostly remains unseen.

Look, last year, the Yankees produced a 4.02 rotation ERA, which was fifth best in the AL. Rothschild used the word “overachieve” to diplomatically describe the effort. But when I suggested a bit of baseball good fortune — particularly in the relatively good health of Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia and the 16-4 emergence of Ivan Nova — general manager Brian Cashman did not disagree. The Yankees were thin and dubious, yet pitched much better than expectations from the rotation.

But to expect that two straight years would be folly. Which explains the Yankees’ behavior this winter. They made keeping CC Sabathia from opting out of his contract their offseason priority and since he is starting Opening Day, you know how that worked out. Cashman convinced owner Hal Steinbrenner to expand the payroll to sign Hiroki Kuroda, who starts tomorrow. And the payroll was expanded yet again to reunite with Pettitte.

In addition, the Yankees finally used the chip that was Jesus Montero to obtain Pineda. He did not have his good fastball in spring training. But Rothschild reasons now that a combination of shoulder weakness and deviation from a streamlined delivery were making the ball cut and robbing life from his velocity. He expects to see 98 mph when Pineda returns to the majors.

And the Yankees expect Pettitte to return, as well. Manager Joe Girardi admitted he has never been more interested in a player not currently on his 25-man roster than he is in his former teammate.

All of this sets up an intriguing story within the season for the Yankees: A rotation derby as they try to determine when to use who and how. Nova, who had a shaky spring, is instantly vulnerable. So is Garcia, whose $4 million contract and one-year commitment mean the Yankees do not have a significant financial or emotional investment with the righty.

“I feel good about the rotation and great about the depth,” Girardi said. “We are going to have tough decisions what to do.”

He should hope that is the case; that Pineda, Pettitte and, perhaps, even a few promising arms at Triple-A create difficult choices. Because, as the 2012 season begins, there is an arms race in full blossom and it is as clear now as any time in major league history that it is far better to have too many starting pitching options than too few.

joel.sherman@nypost.com

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Dow Lays an Egg on Week

Stocks mostly edged lower, ending the biggest weekly drop of 2012, as investors weighed steady domestic-labor data and concerns about Europe's economy and looked ahead to jobs-market data. Brendan Conway has details on The News Hub. Photo: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Stocks mostly edged lower, capping the biggest weekly drop of the year, as investors weighed steady domestic labor data against concerns about Europe's economy.

Spanish bond yields rose to a four-month high, adding to fears about that country's finances that had sparked a selloff Wednesday. On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 14.61 points, or 0.1%, to 13060.14, extending its retreat to a third-straight day.

U.S. stocks edge lower as rising borrowing costs in Spain and concerns over slowing growth elsewhere in Europe weigh on sentiment, Chris Dieterich reports on Markets Hub. Photo: AP Photo/Seth Wenig.

More Markets News

SNB Euro Floor Breached

Gas Futures Shed 2.4%

Crude Rebounds Above $103

Gold Snaps Two-Day Losing Streak

Borrowing Costs Soar for Spain

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index ticked down 0.88 point, to 1398.08. Telecommunications stocks lagged behind. Constellation Brands tumbled $3.08, or 13%, to $21.61, leading the index lower, after the alcoholic-beverages maker gave a cautious forecast for the year.

The Nasdaq Composite added 12.41 points, or 0.4%, to 3080.50, as Apple extended its advance to an all-time high, up 9.37, or 1.5%, to 633.68.

"What we're seeing is people trying to square positions ahead of the long weekend, particularly in light of the fact that there's a major economic number tomorrow when the market's closed," said Steve Sosnick, equity risk manager at Interactive Brokers LLC's Timber Hill unit. The stock market is closed for Good Friday, when the government is set to release nonfarm payroll data. On the week, the Dow fell 1.1% and the S&P 500 dropped 0.7%, their worst weeks since December.

Concerns over Europe's sovereign-debt crisis mounted as yields on 10-year Spanish government bonds hit a high of 5.81%, the highest mark since December. In the U.S., new applications for jobless benefits fell to the lowest level in nearly four years, the Labor Department said, further evidence that U.S. employers likely added a healthy number of workers in March. Earlier, data provided by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas showed that planned job cuts fell in March to a 10-month low.

Can the stock market sustain its gains, or are investors facing a pullback? We'll discuss the outlook for the financial markets with Russell Investments Chief Market Strategist Stephen Wood on The News Hub. Photo: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Meanwhile, U.K. manufacturing production fell in February from a month earlier, while economists had been expecting a flat reading. On an annual basis, production dropped 1.4%, the biggest decline since December 2009. In addition, German industrial production slid in February. Separately, the Bank of England left key interest rates and the target for its bond-buying program unchanged.

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European markets erased earlier losses to finish with a small gain. The Stoxx Europe 600 advanced 0.1%, helped by the U.S. jobless data, but fell 1.6% on the week. European markets are closed on Friday.

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Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday.

Asian bourses were mostly lower. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.5% for a third-straight day, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index shed 1%. But as investors returned after a three-session holiday, China's Shanghai Composite rose 1.7% after Beijing raised the amount foreigners would be allowed to invest in financial markets.

Crude-oil prices gained 1.8%, to settle at $103.31 a barrel, while gold prices tacked on 1%, to settle at $1,628.50 a troy ounce. The dollar rose against the euro, but lost ground against the yen.

In corporate news, Bed Bath & Beyond jumped 5.62, or 8.5%, to 71.85, the biggest climb in the S&P 500, after posting fiscal fourth-quarter revenue and same-store sales that topped its expectations.

Facebook has chosen to list its initial public offering on Nasdaq OMX Group's exchange, according to people familiar with the matter. The listing would bolster Nasdaq's reputation as the favored venue for high-tech companies and represent a symbolic win against archrival NYSE Euronext . Nasdaq rose 30 cents, or 1.2%, to 25.52.

Polycom slid 3.63, or 20%, to 14.56, after the videoconferencing company indicated first-quarter earnings and revenue would fall short of expectations, the result of sales weakness in the Asian-Pacific and North American regions.

Allos Therapeutics soared 39 cents, or 27%, to 1.82, after the biopharmaceutical company said it agreed to be acquired by Spectrum Pharmaceuticals for a 27% premium to Wednesday's closing price. Spectrum slumped 1.15, or 9.4%, to 11.06.

Ruby Tuesday fell 1.61, or 18%, to 7.27, after the restaurant chain reported fiscal third-quarter earnings that beat estimates but revenue that missed, and said it planned to close 25 to 27 underperforming restaurants during the current quarter.

Several retailers reported same-store sales for March that topped analysts' forecasts. Macy's slid four cents, or 0.1%, to 40.87, even after it beat expectations and projected same-store sales for March and April combined will be higher than previously anticipated. Target declined 10 cents, or 0.2%, to 57.72, after topping views for March and boosting its fiscal first-quarter earnings forecast.

Costco Wholesale fell 39 cents, or 0.4%, to 88.65, after the wholesale club operator said March same-store sales rose less than expected.

Retail Properties of America gained 75 cents, or 9.4%, to 8.75, on its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The shopping-center operator's initial public offering priced at $8 a share, below its expected range of $10 to $12.

Write to Matt Jarzemsky at matthew.jarzemsky@dowjones.com

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INSIDE SOFTBALL: Fired Madison coach watches team for first time

Jeff Meltzer stood behind the backstop in a black hat and shirt – just without the James Madison yellow across any of it.

The former Knights coach was just a few feet away from the dugout he had planned on being in for his third season at the helm of the Brooklyn school's softball team. Instead he was fired by Madison in late October for allegedly stealing a key for the lock on the gate adjacent to the softball field. Madison’s 13-2 win over Telecommunications on Wednesday was the 2010 PSAL ‘A’ city championship winning coach’s first look at his old team in a game this season.

Philip Hall

Former Madison head coach Jeff Meltzer watched his old team play a game for the first time this season Wednesday.

“I miss them,” Meltzer said. “I expected nice things because I worked out with the girls in the fall. I was the one who actually put the team together. … It’s strange.”

He said he stayed away for so long to give new coach Brian Freidman, who he wished all the best, some space and knew Telecom would be the Knights toughest league test to date. It was hard for Meltzer to just sit back and watch. He occasionally gaved words of advice and encouragement as the players came back to the dugout.

“I’ve been good,” Meltzer said. “Brian is 23. I’ve been doing this more years than he’s been alive. … It’s a different approach.”

Friedman, a former Madison baseball player and assistant baseball coach, said he had only met Meltzer once in passing at the school. The former coach did reach out to ask if he wanted to talk about the team or wanted any general advice. Meltzer joked that if Friedman wants him to be his assistant coach he would gladly accept.

“This is the first time that we ever talked,” Friedman said of Meltzer. “He’s a great guy. I have only heard good things about him [from the girls]. … I will be calling him up. I will be asking him for some help.”

Meltzer believes the school put Freidman in a tough situation leaving him little time to schedule top-level non-league games the team needs to improve as it looks to make a fourth straight trip to the PSAL final. Madison has already fallen to Susan Wagner and St. Francis Prep. Some coaches, who did not know he had been fired, called Meltzer looking to schedule non-league game earlier this season.

The players said they appreciated Meltzer’s presence and said that he and Friedman have different styles. They have adjusted and junior Victoria Slavik praised Friedman’s willingness to work with his players to make them better. When the game ended, Meltzer told the girls he was proud of them.

“It was nice to see him here,” senior shortstop Gina Gerone said. “It was a surprise. We looked up and he was here.”

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PSAL baseball roundup: Clinton thumps Taft for first league win

Raphael Pichardo and Ranjel Guzman each drove in three runs and Hansel Castillo had three hits and scored twice as Clinton picked up its first league win with a 13-4 shellacking of Taft in Bronx A East baseball on Monday.

Brandall Bernal also had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run, Jordan Aquino tripled, doubled and drove in two runs and Raul Sweeney struck out six in six innings of work for the Governors (1-2). Taft is also 1-2.

George Washington 10, Brandeis 3: Wesley Rodriguez homered and drove in three runs, Nelson Rodriguez and Henry Rodriguez each had two RBIs and Kevin Torres earned the win for GW (1-0) in Manhattan A East. Brandeis is 0-1.

Fort Hamilton 10, New Utrecht 0: Mitchell Hillert tossed a no-hitter over six innings and struck out five, Jonathan Maldonado had three hits and scored three runs and Isaih Polanco doubled in two runs for Fort Hamilton (3-0) in Brooklyn A West. New Utrecht is now 3-1.

James Madison 15, Bushwick Campus 0: Mike Fitzpatrick had two hits, scored twice and drove in four runs, Johnathan Ho had two hits and three RBIs, Chris Vasquez scored three runs and Joe Cali went the distance on the mound for Madison (2-0), which plated six first-inning runs, in Brooklyn A East. Bushwick is 1-2.

Midwood 6, EBC/Bushwick Leaders 0: Danny Kaye tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out 12, Mike McCann scored twice and Joe DiLeo also scored two runs and drove in another for Midwood (2-1) in Brooklyn A East. EBC/Bushwics Leaders are 0-3.

McKee/Staten Island Tech 17, Petrides 6: Mike Ahr had a two-run triple, James Sinodinos had three hits, scored a run and drove in two, Ian Parisi added two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs and Stephen Ippolito fanned four in four innings of work for the win for MSIT (2-1) in Staten Island A. Petrides is 1-3.

Tottenville 4, New Dorp 1: Mike Sullivan fanned 10 in six innings for the win, Joe Sessa had two RBIs and John Giakas scored a run and drove in another for Tottenville (3-0) in Staten Island A. New Dorp is 1-3.

Curtis 7, Port Richmond 3: Daniel Murray had two hits, scored twice and notched four RBIs, Matt Silberman had two hits and two RBIs and Michael Piccirillo scored twice for Curtis (3-0) in Staten Island A. Port Richmond is 0-4.

CLASS B

Prospect Heights 2, Banneker 0: Walfi Regalado tossed a four-hit shutout and struck out nine and Jorge Vargas and Abismael Candelario each scored a run for Prospect Heights (2-2) in Brooklyn B Central. Banneker is 1-1 in Brooklyn B North.

Erasmus Hall 12, Cobble Hill 3: Luis Sanchez scored three runs, Glenn Acosta had two hits and scored twice and Juan Natera fanned nine in five innings of work for E-Hall (2-0) in Brooklyn B Central. Cobble Hill is 2-1 in Brooklyn B North.

WHEELS 14, East Harlem Pride 5: Junior Cruz had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs, Alvin Valdez had three hits, scored twice and notched two RBIs and Jesus Guzman picked up the win on the mound and also knocked in two runs and scored twice for WHEELS (3-0) in Manhattan B North. Derick Estrella homered and had four RBIs for East Harlem Pride (0-3).

Health Professions 4, School of the Future 1: Anthony Espinal went the distance and struck out nine and Ricardo Pinales doubled and drove in two runs for Health Professions (2-1) in Manhattan B South. School of the Future is 1-2.

Lab Museum 11, Bread & Roses 0: Daniel Hadad, Basil Lyons and Lucas Ortega each had two RBIs, Jesse Dembo scored three runs and Jacob Bader fanned 11 in five shutout innings of one-hit ball for Lab Museum (3-0) in Manhattan B Central. Bread & Roses is 0-3.

Chelsea 7, Bayard Rustin 4: Musa Matiwane doubled twice and drove in two runs, Nobel Coste scored twice and added two RBIs and Louis Sosa went 6 2/3 and struck out 11 for the win for Chelsea (1-2) in Manhattan B Central. Bayard Rustin is 0-3.

Queens HS of Teaching 22, Far Rockaway 0: Yoldalyn Canela Vargas homered, scored three runs and drove in five, Jonathan Morales had four hits, scored four runs and knocked in three and Jason Zamora scored twice, homered and notched three RBIs for QHST (1-0) in Queens B South. Far Rockaway is 0-3.

Beach Channel 19, August Martin 6: Chris Bonilla had two hits, scored three runs and knocked in four, Kely Aponte had five hits, scored three runs and drove in three more and John Claudio Bil and Lonsdale Hall each scored three runs for Beach Channel (3-0) in Queens B South. August Martin is 0-3.

OTHER SCORES

Construction 14, Robert F. Wagner Jr. 2

Robert F. Kennedy 23, Arts & Business 5

Global Studies 5, Thomas Jefferson 4

Lehman 7, Columbus 1

zbraziller@nypost.com

Brooklyn, Mike Fitzpatrick, Brooklyn A East, East Harlem Pride

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Pettitte about to pitch in game for Yankees

Andy Pettitte is ready to take the biggest step in his comeback effort.

And while Pettitte talked of it happening Thursday, manager Joe Girardi didn’t rule out the veteran lefty throwing tomorrow against the Mets.

After a 25-pitch bullpen at George M. Steinbrenner Field yesterday, Pettitte is preparing for a possible minor league assignment.

“I plan on pitching somehow Thursday, for sure,” said Pettitte, whose biggest workload has been simulated games. It is possible Pettitte could continue on the simulated path, but there was excitement in his eyes talking about a minor league game and he was very aware of the Single-A Tampa Yankees schedule.

With the Tampa Yankees opening the Florida State League at GMS Field Thursday night, there is a chance Pettitte could work.

“It’s an option, anything is an option right now,” Pettitte explained. “Thursday is my day, but I wish I could tell you exactly.”

Girardi left the exact date wide open.

“I believe he’s going to pitch in a game for us. We are going to have to see the exact date on that. There hasn’t been anything to tell me that we need to take a step backwards or that he’s not going to be on the schedule but I still want to talk to him when I see him,’’ Girardi said. “He could pitch in a minor league game. There’s no guarantee he won’t pitch Wednesday. I want to talk to him, see how he feels [today] and then decide. ... We’re definitely running out of games. He signed a minor league deal, so there is no clock.’’

Pettitte is anxious to face different uniforms, but is attempting to avoid taxing a 39-year old body that wasn’t active last season.

Following a simulated game Saturday morning Pettitte said his legs were heavy. Yesterday, Pettitte said his legs will progress at their own pace.

“We are not going to try and push it. I am leaving that part up to Dana [Cavalea],’’ Pettitte said of the Yankees’ strength and conditioning coordinator.

Even though yesterday’s workout was short, Pettitte could tell his body is making strides toward being a bigleague pitcher again.

“I bounced back really good after my last outing,’’ Pettitte said. “My legs were gassed [Saturday] and that was good. That’s the point I want to get it to. It’s going to be a work in progress.’’

For most of yesterday’s exercise, Pettitte worked from the stretch. And in true Pettitte form, he found something that didn’t please him.

“I am trying to get my timing. Obviously you saw me out there. I had some horrible pitches out of the stretch when I tried to slide step,’’ Pettitte said. “You cannot duplicate a hitter being in the box and a runner on second base, you can’t duplicate that. I can try to do all these things in a simulated game. I was quick on slide steps. All of that is timing and I have to get back. I do that during the course of a [big league] game and you hope and pray you don’t get hurt.’’

* Michael Pineda was at GMS Field yesterday where he participated in conditioning exercises but didn’t throw. Pineda was diagnosed with tendinitis in the rear of the right shoulder Saturday after pitching Friday night and will start the season on the disabled list.

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New York Cosmos legend Giorgio Chinaglia passes away due to complications from heart attack

New York Cosmos legend Giorgio Chinaglia has passed away due to complications from a heart attack in Florida.

Chinaglia, the NASL’s all-time leading scorer with 243 goals, was 65.

Chinaglia was a star with Lazio in 1976 when he decamped for New York. Considered the greatest player in Lazio’s history, his move to the States was controversial and he was arguably the first player to join the NASL while still in the prime of his career.

Chinaglia played alongside greats such as Pele and Franz Beckenbauer in New York. He became famous for his prolific scoring touch and fiery demeanor.

A Hall of Fame inductee in 2000, Chinaglia was one of the most recognizable faces of American soccer in the 1970s and 1980s. He once scored seven goals in a single NASL match, was player of the year in 1981 and a four-time golden boot winner. He appeared 14 times for the Italian national team, scoring four goals.

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