Monday, March 12, 2012

Today's Sports on the Air

Baseball

1:30 p.m.

Exhibition: Marlins at Red Sox ESPN

5 p.m.

Exhibition: Diamondbacks at Indians MLBN

Basketball

7:30 p.m.

Bucks at Nets YES, WFAN (660 AM)

8 p.m.

Knicks at Bulls MSG, ESPN, ESPN (1050 AM)

10:30 p.m.

Celtics at Clippers ESPN

Hockey

9 p.m.

Ducks at Avalanche NBCSN

Soccer

3:55 p.m.

EPL: Newcastle at Arsenal ESPN2

9:30 p.m.

MLS: Philadelphia at Portland ESPN2

Horse Racing

12:25 p.m.

Parx Ch. 71

7:10 p.m.

Yonkers Ch. 71

ESPN, Red Sox, Bulls MSG, Diamondbacks, WFAN, Arsenal, Marlins, Clippers, Avalanche

Nypost.com

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Post experts pick the winners

DaSilva

Fountaine

Affrunti

Debbie L.

Vic C.

Consensus

181/582 $966.50

210/582 $1046.70

182/582 $930.80

189/582 $963.90

196/581 $1062.50

210/582 $978.80

1

Isn't She Grand

Isn't She Grand

Isn't She Grand

Major Molly

Isn't She Grand

Isn't She Grand

25

Lady of the Forest

Major Molly

Major Molly

Isn't She Grand

Major Molly

Major Molly

15

Major Molly

Lady of the Forest

Laylaben

Laylaben

Laylaben

Lady of the Forest

4

2

Iconic Song

Malibu Red

Really Bullish

Malibu Red

Iconic Song

Iconic Song

14

On Hold

Really Bullish

Iconic Song

East Side Charley

East Side Charley

Malibu Red

11

Really Bullish

East Side Charley

Malibu Red

Iconic Song

On Hold

Really Bullish

9

3

Perfect Joiski

Oasis of Chance

Big Fearless

Big Fearless

Perfect Joiski

Big Fearless

17

Toccet's Image

Big Fearless

Oasis of Chance

Toccet's Image

Big Fearless

Perfect Joiski

11

Oasis of Chance

Perfect Joiski

Toccet's Image

Gramercy

Gramercy

Oasis of Chance

9

4

Eurosensation

Eurosensation

Eurosensation

Briolette

Eurosensation

Eurosensation

20

Briolette

Briolette

Briolette

City Vice

Briolette

Briolette

17

Little Halo

Style Watch

Style Watch

Style Watch

City Vice

City Vice

4

5

Tropical Jetset

Tatoo Me

Tatoo Me

Tatoo Me

Clean Jean

Tatoo Me

19

By M K

Twillerbee

Twillerbee

Clean Jean

Tatoo Me

Clean Jean

9

Clean Jean

Tropical Jetset

Illgiveyouwattever

Tropical Jetset

Twillerbee

Tropical Jetset

7

6

Cure

No Detour

Cure

Cure

Cure

Cure

21

Bojan

Brazen Kat

No Detour

Brazen Kat

Bojan

No Detour

9

No Detour

Cure

Callmetony

Callmetony

Ex Pat

Brazen Kat

6

7

Summer Sunset

Inflation Target

Inflation Target

Two Seventeen

Antique Wedding

Inflation Target

16

Two Seventeen

Panthro

Two Seventeen

Inflation Target

Inflation Target

Two Seventeen

12

Street Life

Two Seventeen

A Boy Named Em

Street Life

Panthro

Summer Sunset

5

8

Pretty Cozzy

Bailzee

Pretty Cozzy

Pretty Cozzy

Pretty Cozzy

Pretty Cozzy

20

Fiona Storm

Fiona Storm

Bailzee

Fiona Storm

Fiona Storm

Fiona Storm

13

Jackie Mo

Life's Measure

Fiona Storm

Jackie Mo

Bailzee

Bailzee

9

9

Dahlgren Chapel

Dahlgren Chapel

Dahlgren Chapel

Wetzel

Dahlgren Chapel

Dahlgren Chapel

23

Keechi Bullet

Metaurus

Keechi Bullet

Dahlgren Chapel

Metaurus

Metaurus

8

Metaurus

Keechi Bullet

Metaurus

Pressure Point

Wetzel

Keechi Bullet

7

No Questions

No Questions

Wetzel

Leap Day

No Questions

Wetzel

6

Records reflect winners, starters and $2 win-bet total on top selection
Consensus is based on 5-3-1 point system. Extra point given for BEST BET.
Nypost.com

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Chill factor

Most popular songs

1. We Are Young, fun.

2. Part of Me, Katy Perry

3. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), Kelly Clarkson

4. So Good, B.O.B.

5. Set Fire to the Rain, Adele

6. Somebody That I Used to Know, Gotye

7. Glad You Came, The Wanted

8. Rolling in the Deep, Adele

9. Someone Like You, Adele

10. Turn Up the Music, Chris Brown

Tivo favorites

1. Academy Awards

2. Red Carpet

3. The Big Bang Theory

4. Modern Family

5. American Idol: Semifinalist boys perform

Top video downloads

1. Pedestrian revenge

2. Overweight guy asks for help

3. Setoguchi shootout fail

4. Annoying Orange vs. Mortal Kombat

AP

Actress Lindsay Lohan

AP

Adele

5. Obama responds to heckler over Iran war

Google trends

1. Valley fever

2. Lindsay Lohan SNL

3. Kowloon walled city

4. AIPAC

Hedy Lamar

NY Post hot topics

1. Obama’s force-ful message

2. My life as a Colombo hit man

3. Lindsay Lohan stumbles through SNL

4. Citi Field revenues down 30 percent

5. A-Rod using new workout

Lindsay Lohan, Rolling in the Deep, Katy Perry3, Chris BrownTivo

Nypost.com

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Uptown spot is Parry nice

British actress Charlotte Parry has had a long courtship with New York. She first became aware of its charms 12 years ago, when she spent four months performing in David Leveaux’s Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of “The Real Thing,” but it took much longer for her to make a full-time commitment.

“I came over again with Peter Hall’s company for “As You Like It” in 2005, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll stay,’ but then I was homesick,” Parry recalls. It wasn’t until she was back in New York City for the 2006 revival of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” starring Lynn Redgrave, that she decided it was time to make the move.

FIT FOR A BRIT: Actress Charlotte Parry, currently starring in “Look Back in Anger,” lives in a cozy two-bedroom condo. She likes to paint there when she has some free time.

Christian Johnston

FIT FOR A BRIT: Actress Charlotte Parry, currently starring in “Look Back in Anger,” lives in a cozy two-bedroom condo. She likes to paint there when she has some free time.

“I didn’t think I’d stay, but I guess now it’s home,” Parry says, standing in her bright two-bedroom condo that she moved into three years ago.

Parry, who’s now starring in yet another revival, John Osborne’s classic drama “Look Back in Anger,” began her search for a place in 2008, when she inherited some money with the condition it be used for a down payment. She started out looking at one-bedrooms, but then her two best friends urged her to look in the building they lived in, a restored prewar development (dating back to 1910) on the border of Morningside Heights and Harlem. Parry ended up buying an apartment with the same layout as her pals, just three floors above them.

“I didn’t think I could afford anything more, but the building really needed to sell the units — it was when the housing market was at its lowest — so I got a really great deal,” she says.

After a little bargaining, she ended up paying just shy of $500,000 for what she estimates to be 650 square feet, though it feels larger.

“It’s called SoHa, which I think is so funny,” Parry says of the neighborhood, just south of Harlem and steps from Central Park, where Parry runs and bikes.

She decorated her home with photos and paintings that remind her of the seaside town of Southold, England, where she grew up. She also hung posters of the theatrical shows in which she’s appeared.

Many of these, including a photo of her parents’ house and a poster signed by her fellow cast members from the Bridge Project’s inaugural production of “The Winter’s Tale,” are hung in her second bedroom, which also contains a daybed and easel for the painting she does in her spare time.

But she hasn’t had much spare time since “Look Back in Anger” opened on Feb. 2 at the Laura Pels Theatre. This pared-down production (one character and nearly an hour of dialogue have been cut) focuses on the discontentment of four 20-somethings in 1950s England. Parry plays an uptight churchgoing lady who begins to emerge from her shell when she shacks up with her friend’s husband, Jimmy (Matthew Rhys).

“When we were first doing it, I would feel a little grim afterwards,” Parry admits, but bonding with her castmates over drinks has helped.

In SoHa, the locavore restaurant Community, on Broadway and 112th Street, is Parry’s go-to hangout, but many newcomers are poised to give it competition.

“There are all these places popping up on Frederick Douglass now, like this place called Bier. It’s the new Broadway. Give it 10 years,” she says.

But Parry might not be there that long.

“My dream before I ever thought I’d live in America was to have a little cottage. And I still want to have a cottage by the sea in Southold,” she says. “I still sometimes think that sounds like a simpler life. Whether I’m working or not, there’s still this desire to change my life completely and become a school teacher.”

For now, she makes do with a framed painting of a Southold landscape in her living room, a patchwork bedspread her mom made her and an English tea kettle given to her by a lifelong friend. There’s a painting of a cat on the kettle that bears a striking resemblance to her own cat, Rufus, a rescue from the Urban Cat League.

“We always grew up with cats,” Parry says. “I think when I finally realized I’m living here and not going home — and I do miss my family a lot — I thought if I get a cat, it might make me feel there’s a bit of home here.”

Charlotte Parry’s

FAVORITE THINGS

* A patchwork bedspread made by her mother

* Her foster cat, nicknamed Roo

* Her easels and oil paints

* A teapot and cups from England (right)

* An antique trunk (from a show she did) she uses as a coffee table

* The sheepskin rugs

* The photos and art on the walls that remind her of home and her family on the English seaside

Charlotte Parry, Charlotte Parry, Broadway revival

Nypost.com

Friday, March 2, 2012

PSAL boys basketball playoff roundup: Conway leads Evander to 'A' quarters

Jaquan Conway’s latest stellar performance lifted Evander Childs to the PSAL Class A quarterfinals.

The senior guard surpassed the 1,000-point plateau with 30 points and added six rebounds and five assists as the No. 5 Tigers topped 12th-seeded Banneker, 58-42, on Thursday. Conway also limited Banneker star Marquis Roberts to eight points.

“He was great from the start,” Evander Childs coach Dave Fonfa said. “He came down court and started scoring right away, making great moves. It seemed like he couldn’t miss three quarters of the game.”

Romaine Thomas added 10 points, 18 rebounds and 8 blocked shots and Devan Garrett had 11 rebounds for the Tigers. Fonfa loaded up his non-league schedule with Class AA teams such as Transit Tech, Manhattan Center and Eagle Academy from the PSAL and Mount St. Michael and St. Francis Prep from the CHSAA. While Evander (20-7) only beat Manhattan Center, it realized what it took to beat top competition.

“I felt we proved we can compete against anybody and defensively we still played the same defense,” Fonfa, the fourth-year coach, said. “The only team that really hammered us was Mount St. Michael. It was a learning experience for us.”

Evander Childs will now face one of the top ‘A’ teams in the PSAL next Wednesday when it visits No. 4 Bedford Academy. This is already the best season the Tigers have had in quite awhile. Fonfa researched the last few decades and no boys basketball team has reached the quarterfinals in any classification as far as he’s aware.

“We spend as much time in the gym as any team and it’s paid off,” Fonfa said. “We’re very pleased, we’re happy to go to the quarterfinals and we’re happy to go to Brooklyn [to face Bedford Academy]. We want a chance to redeem ourselves. We lost by 11 to [eventual PSAL Class A champion] Midwood in the Round of 16 last year. We’re very excited about the opportunity.”

No. 4 Bedford Academy 72, No. 20 John Adams 60: Darren Thomas had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists, Sean Snagg added 18 points and seven rebounds, Iran Duncan had 10 points and five assists and Darien Best chipped in 10 points and five rebounds for Bedford (23-5), which hosts No. 5 Evander Childs in the quarterfinals March 7 at 5 p.m. Paul Johnson scored 19 points and Ahmed Kone had 18 points and 10 rebounds for John Adams (13-5).

No. 6 Springfield Gardens 58, No. 27 Brooklyn Tech 56: Greg Williamson scored 17 points, Jason Deochan had 12 points and four assists, Eghosa Osagie had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Dupree McBrayer had 11 points and six assists for Springfield Gardens (18-4), which meets No. 11 DeWitt Clinton in the second round March 2 at 5 p.m. Brooklyn Tech wraps up its season at 11-9.

CLASS B

No. 3 Newcomers 82, No. 19 Metropolitan 73: Newcomers (17-0) will face No. 11 Leon Goldstein in the quarterfinals March 7 at 5 p.m. Metropolitan finishes the year at 14-6.

No. 7 WHEELS 81, No. 10 August Martin 76 OT: Eulogio Medina had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Junior Lora added 17 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, Raymer Leonardo notched 13 points and 10 rebounds and Tyshawn Myles had 11 points and 20 rebounds for WHEELS (19-2), which rallied from a double digit deficit. The Wolves meet the No. 2 Eleanor Roosevelt/No. 15 Bathgate winner March 6 at 5 p.m. Jameik Riviere had 32 points and Aaron Swanson added 24 for August Martin (14-5).

No. 11 Leon Goldstein 55, No. 27 NEST 43: Lucas Savage had 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Daniel Finkelstein scored 14 points and Jacob Berardi had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Leon Goldstein (17-4), which takes on No. 3 Newcomers in the quarterfinals March 7 at 5 p.m. NEST finishes the year at 12-5.

zbraziller@nypost.com

Evander Childs, Bedford Academy, PSAL, quarterfinals, Brooklyn Tech, Leon Goldstein, Mount St. Michael, Manhattan Center, Tigers, John Adams, assists, assists, Banneker, St. Francis Prep

Nypost.com

Pitching prospect Harvey out to alter Mets’ plan

headshotKevin Kernan
Follow Kevin on Twitter

PORT ST. LUCIE — The plan is for Matt Harvey to start the season at Double-A Binghamton. Harvey’s plan is to re-write the plan.

“The biggest goal is to get to the big leagues, whether it’s when I want to, in April, or hopefully a month or two after that,’’ the Mets’ young right-hander told The Post Thursday. “That’s my goal.’’

While all eyes have been on Johan Santana as he put another brick in the wall in his comeback from shoulder surgery, Harvey has quietly gotten off to an impressive start in camp. After Jason Bay stood in against Harvey the other day, Bay asked Terry Collins: “We’ve got five guys better than this?’’

CHANGING MINDS? While <a href=the Mets see Matt Harvey starting the season at Double-A Binghamton, the youngster is holding out hope that he can impress management enough to alter those plans and allow him to start the season in the majors." title="CHANGING MINDS? While the Mets see Matt Harvey starting the season at Double-A Binghamton, the youngster is holding out hope that he can impress management enough to alter those plans and allow him to start the season in the majors." width="300" height="300" src="/rw/nypost/2012/03/02/sports/web_photos/02.1s069.Kernan1c--300x300.jpg" />

Anthony J. Causi

CHANGING MINDS? While the Mets see Matt Harvey starting the season at Double-A Binghamton, the youngster is holding out hope that he can impress management enough to alter those plans and allow him to start the season in the majors.

To be clear, that was not a negative comment aimed at the Mets’ starting rotation. That was a positive comment aimed at Harvey’s stuff.

When asked to elaborate, Bay said: “I have a hard time believing that this guy can’t help us at some point and Terry was like, ‘I agree.’ He’s got electric stuff. His curve ball is impressive, when he puts his pitches in the right spots, unreal.’’

You don’t get much better than “unreal’’ when it comes to pitching reviews from hitters. When Harvey makes it to the majors he plans on staying for a long, long time.

Mets management will likely stick to the plan, but if Harvey has an eye-opening spring, anything is possible and the same goes for right-hander Jeurys Familia. The Mets want to keep the carrot of the major leagues in front of Harvey and Familia. The Mets believe both still have work to do in the minors and considering the state of the team, there is no harm in letting them develop at that managed pace, but Collins, to his credit, is keeping an open mind on the young arms.

“Ultimately, they dictate where they go,’’ Collins said. “Go pitch your way here. If [Harvey or Familia] pitch really well, we have to move you.’’

Harvey turns 23 this month. Familia is 21. Harvey stands a solid 6-foot-4, 235. The Mets should not worry one bit about expectations getting to Harvey because Harvey has the greatest expectations for himself. When I visited him last summer in A-ball, it was obvious he was the most determined person on the field.

This winter he became even more determined, working in the offseason in Atlanta and perfecting a two-seam fastball. Mets backup catcher Mike Nickeas caught Harvey during that time and was wowed by his stuff and his approach.

“He’s a very mature kid, tremendous stuff and he’s very ambitious, he has a huge desire to get up to the big leagues and stay there,’’ Nickeas said. “I was impressed with his two-seamer. I was surprised that he just started throwing it. The ball is heavy; his fastball command, so far in camp, has been very solid. He has a really good curve ball, a solid changeup and his slider is developing, but I think his curve ball is fantastic.’’

Harvey made 26 starts for Single-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton last year, turning in a 13-5 record with a 3.32 ERA over 135 ²/ innings. He struck out 156 batters while walking 47. His fastball ranges anywhere from 92 to 97.

“I’d like to get up near 200 innings this year,’’ said Harvey, the seventh pick of the 2010 draft. Getting to Double-A last year was a learning experience.

“I learned not to put so much pressure on myself from a mental approach,’’ he said of facing Double-A hitters.

Harvey said the higher the aspirations for him, the better it is.

“It’s what makes me want to be better,’’ he said. “It’s something inside that I feel I need to prove and not just for a year or two but for 15 years. That’s what keeps me going every day.’’

Those are impressive words. Matt Harvey is a keeper and you can be sure that sooner, rather than later, he will be one of five in the Mets’ rotation.

kevin.kernan@nypost.com

Matt Harvey, Matt Harvey, the Mets, Mets, ST. LUCIE, Binghamton, Binghamton, Kevin KernanFollow Kevin, Terry Collins, online

Nypost.com

Business briefs

Red Fannie

Fannie Mae, the biggest backer of US home loans, reported a $2.4 billion net loss for the fourth quarter and sought nearly $4.6 billion from the Treasury Department to balance its books.

Video cuts

Activision Blizzard, the largest US video publisher, said it was cutting 600 jobs globally in the unit that makes Internet games including the company’s most profitable property, “World of Warcraft.”

Lemon Juicy

Liz Claiborne reported a lower profit from its continuing businesses for the holiday quarter, as its largest brand, Juicy Couture, continued to struggle. Total sales fell 2.6 percent to $447.1 million.

Ford’s in a fix

Lewis Booth, retiring April 1 as Ford’s CFO, said that the automaker may lose $500 million to $600 million this year in Europe.

Hammered

Sotheby’s, the arts auctioneer, said fourth quarter profit fell 26 percent. The New York company’s net income fell to $71.5 million from $96.2 million a year earlier.

Reuters

Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click For Restrictions

Juicy Couture, Red FannieFannie Mae online, Treasury Department, video publisher

Nypost.com

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Unemployment applications dip to a four-year low

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to the lowest point in four years, a further sign that the U.S. job market is improving.

A seasonally adjusted 351,000 people sought unemployment aid, down from 353,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. That matches the four-year low reached three weeks ago.

The improving numbers show that steadily fewer people are being laid off and suggest that some companies are stepping up hiring.

The four-week average of applications, which smooths out weekly fluctuations in the data, also fell last week, to 354,000. That’s also the lowest in four years.

Applications for unemployment aid have fallen steadily since the early fall and are now down nearly 15 percent since October. When applications drop consistently below 375,000, it usually signals that hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate.

John Ryding, an economist at RDQ Economics, said the drop in unemployment applications can be attributed to a “marked improvement in the pace of job creation.”

Economists expect another strong month of hiring for February, similar to the average net gain of about 200,000 jobs in each of the previous three months.

The economy added 243,000 net jobs in January, the most in nine months. The unemployment rate dropped for the fifth straight month, to 8.3 percent, the lowest in nearly three years.

Healthier economic growth is spurring greater job growth. The economy expanded at an annual rate of 3 percent in the final three months of last year.

Most economists expect growth to slow in the current quarter, because companies won’t need to rebuild their stockpiles of goods as much as they did last winter. That would mean less production of goods.

But there are signs that the economy is still expanding at a healthy pace.

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that overall economic activity increased at a “modest to moderate pace.” It pointed to busier factories, higher retail sales, more jobs and growth in home sales.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers that the economy has performed better than expected in recent months and that if the trend continued, it could alter the Fed’s outlook for a slow recovery.

The job market still has a long way to go before it fully recovers from the damage of the Great Recession. Nearly 13 million people remain unemployed, and 8.3 percent unemployment is painfully high.

One reason the unemployment rate has fallen is that many people have given up looking for work. The government only counts people as unemployed if they are actively searching for a job.

The number of people receiving unemployment aid ticked up slightly last week. The total benefit rolls rose to 7.5 million in the week ended Feb. 11, the latest data available. That’s up nearly 12,000 from the previous week but down from nearly 7.7 million in late January.

unemployment benefits, unemployment rate, unemployment, unemployment, Ben Bernanke

Nypost.com

Albert Pujols doesn't mix business with pleasure

Albert Pujols, Kendrys Morales

Angels slugger Albert Pujols interacts with fellow first baseman Kendrys Morales during a spring training workout last week. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Reporting from Tempe, Ariz. -- Torii Hunter has tried all week to break Albert Pujols' concentration in the batting cage, but the Angels' right fielder has had about as much luck as those trying to get Batman to laugh.

"We scream at him, do different things like that, and he just keeps focusing," Hunter said. "When he's done, he'll say something funny, but other than that, he's very much locked in. He doesn't play around in the cage. That's work time. That's why he's a true professional."

These first two weeks of spring training have been a feeling-out process for the Angels and Pujols. The three-time National League most valuable player is getting used to a new club, teammates and coaching staff after 11 years in St. Louis and the Angels are getting used to having baseball royalty in their clubhouse.

"He's going to go down as one of the best to play the game — I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about playing alongside him," center fielder Peter Bourjos said of Pujols, who signed a 10-year, $240-million deal with the Angels. "I think we'll eventually see he's just a normal guy and those goose bumps will go away."

Tim Salmon, the former Angels outfielder who has been in camp this week as a guest instructor, can sense a different, but somewhat familiar, vibe in the clubhouse. It reminds him of 1999, when the Angels brought Mo Vaughn, four years removed from his MVP season with the Boston Red Sox, to Anaheim on a six-year, $80-million deal.

"You kind of walk with a little bit of a hop in your step, you feel like you're it," Salmon said. "A guy like that decided to play here, so maybe he sees something about this team. On so many different levels, it says a lot about what you've got going on."

Said hitting instructor Mickey Hatcher: "It's amazing how you bring one player to a team, and it brings so much energy to all the other guys."

Exhibitions don't start until Monday, but Pujols has already energized Tempe Diablo Stadium, drawing hundreds of fans, network camera crews and photographers to morning batting-practice sessions.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound first baseman has appeared comfortable, joking around with teammates between swings, mingling with owner Arte Moreno and front-office officials and signing autographs for kids.

"He's smiling, having fun, cracking up in meetings. It seems like he's settling in really well. It feels like he's catching the chemistry fast," Hunter said.

Manager Mike Scioscia's morning meetings help. Whether it's the Harlem Globetrotters performing to "Sweet Georgia Brown" or a giant ostrich roaming the clubhouse, his team-bonding sessions have become legendary, the laughter piercing the steel doors to the room and echoing through the hallways.

"I'm having fun with them," said Pujols, who was fined when his cellphone went off in his first meeting. "They're part of keeping everyone together. This is a different ballclub, but guys know who I am, and I know some of these guys. It's been exciting to come to work every day."

Pujols, as the Angels are quickly learning, rarely mixes business with pleasure. His work ethic is one reason he's one of baseball's most prolific hitters, a 32-year-old with a .328 career batting average, .420 on-base percentage, 445 home runs and 1,329 runs batted in.

"You make sure you get your work in because in the end, what you do in practice is what you're going to take into the game," Pujols said. "My goal is to win a championship, to help this organization get to the next level."

Veteran reliever Jason Isringhausen, who signed a minor league deal with the Angels last week, knows of the Pujols presence. He was a Cardinals teammate of Pujols for seven years.

"He leads by example," Isringhausen said. "If the younger guys watch him and learn how to work, they'll be fine."

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

twitter.com/MikeDiGiovanna

Albert Pujols, the Angels, the Angels, Torii Hunter, Angels, Angels, deal with the Angels, Tempe, Ariz.

Latimes.com

Lingering antitrust suit snagging SESAC sale

A lawsuit against one of the music industry’s major copyright enforcement firms is striking a sour note with potential suitors, The Post has learned.

As The Post reported exclusively last month, the owners of SESAC — one of the three groups that represents music publishers and songwriters — were seeking about $500 million for the Nashville-based company and had hired Goldman Sachs to shop it.

Hanging over the sale, however, is an antitrust suit against SESAC brought by more than 1,000 television broadcasters that challenges the firm’s price-setting power.

The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court in November 2009, claims SESAC is engaging in anti-competitive practices.

Broadcasters, which license songs for jingles and theme songs among other uses, claim that SESAC is forcing them to pay a blanket annual fee for all of its music and making it difficult for them to negotiate with individual artists for song rights.

Broadcasters also claim that SESAC charges higher rates than its peers.

SESAC competes with rival performance-rights groups BMI and ASCAP but is the only for-profit one of the bunch.

In its defense, SESAC, whose owners include boutique media investment bank Allen & Co. and hedge fund Och-Ziff Capital Managment, argues it lacks monopoly power and is much smaller than either ASCAP or BMI.

SESAC has tried and failed to get the suit dismissed, and last summer settlement discussions collapsed.

One prospective buyer described the suit as troubling, saying it could upend SESAC’s business model if the firm lost.

“Part of SESAC’s sales pitch is that they have a lot more flexibility on pricing” than competitors, the source said, adding that he was likely not going to make an offer.

The sales book for SESAC may not mention the suit, although management has addressed the issue in meetings with potential suitors, said one source.

SESAC declined to comment.

SESAC online, Goldman Sachs

Nypost.com