Xavier Outlasts St. John's; Ponds Scores 1,000th Point

The handshake line after the battle. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Xavier Musketeers, who are ranked sixth in the nation, survived a big effort from St. John's, as they eked out a 73-68 win on Tuesday night at Carnesecca Arena.

This was a big bounce-back for St. John's after they lost at Butler, 70-45 on Saturday, but they are still winless in the Big East at 0-11, and are now 10-13 overall. They host Duke on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

NYCFC's Harrison Moves To Manchester City

NYCFC's Jack Harrison in action against the New England Revolution this past season. Photo by USA Today Sports.

New York City Football Club announced that Jack Harrison has signed with Manchester City FC on a three-and-a-half-year deal and subsequently has been loaned to Championship club Middlesbrough FC until the end of the season.

Manchester City is essentially the parent club of NYCFC, which they jointly own with the Yankees.

The number 1 draft pick in 2016, Harrison played in 59 games for NYCFC and scored 14 goals in two seasons.

Books: Shafransky's Debut Novel "Tips For Living"

Tips For Living: A Gripping and Soulful Novel of Suspense
By Renee Shafransky
Lake Union Publishing; Feburary 1st; hardcover +  e-book

Tips for Living is the debut novel for Renee Shafransky, and it centers around a woman who has been wronged and is determined to "come back to life" following a very public, devastating divorce.

Nora Glasser fled New York City to recover from the humiliation and heartbreak of her then-husband, acclaimed painter Hugh Walker's, infidelity. 

Books: "That's What She Said" On Women In The Workplace

That's What She Said: What Men Need to Know (And Women Need To Tell Them) About Working Together
By Joanne Lipman
William Morrow, on sale January 30th

The dialogue around sexual harrassment the past few months that began with revelations about movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is a watershed moment in this country's history.

Harassment allegations have touched all industries from media, with morning news anchors Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer fired; government, with members of Congress, including Senator Al Franken resigning; and continued this weekend with multiple allegations against Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn.

Books: Kurtz On "Media Madness" In The Trump Era

Media Madness: Donald Trump, the Press, and the War over the Truth
By Howard Kurtz
Regnery Publishing; $28.99, Available on January 29th

One of the overriding themes of Donald Trump's campaign for president and his time in the White House has been his ongoing battle with the press and his repeated declarations of "fake news" on Twitter and in press conferences.

Howard Kurtz, the host of Fox News's Media Buzz and former Washington Post columnist,offers a stunning expose of how objective journalists, alarmed by Trump's success, have moved into the opposing camp. Kurtz uncovers how journalists have abandoned any semblance of neutrality out of their idea that they must protect the country from Trump.

Butler Uses Fast Start To Stifle St. John's

St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Butler Bulldogs got off to a fast start against St. John's on Saturday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse, as they opened up a 37-15 lead at halftime on their way to a comfortable 70-45 victory.

St. John's is now a woeful 0-10 in Big East Conference play on the season, 10-12 overall.

Red Bulls Open Preseason at Univ. Of South Florida

Red Bulls Head Coach Jesse Marsch looks on as Aurelien Collin gets ready to head one. @NewYorkRedBulls.

The Red Bulls opened the preseason with an exhibition match against the University of South Florida on Saturday morning at Corbett Stadium on the USF Campus. The match featured three 30-minute periods.

The Red Bulls used three predetermined lineups for each period, and their first group won the match 2-0, the second group earned a 1-0 victory and group three won 4-0.

Books: The Transformation Of Our Home

The New Brooklyn: What It Takes to Bring a City Back
By Kay S. Hymowitz
Rowman & Littlefield

Brooklyn has undergone one of the most stunning transformations of modern times, going from a place that was crumbling in the 1970s and '80s into a place that is hotter than Manhattan.

Books: "The Making Of A Dream" And The Dreamer Debate

The Making of a Dream: How a Group of Young Undocumented Immigrants Helped Change What It Means to be American
By Laura Wides-Munoz
Harper, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, published on January 30, 2018

The United States government was shut down on January 20th because the two partied could not reach a deal on the status of the Dreamers, the nearly 800,000 immigrants enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Mullin: "You have to bury me. That’s when I’ll give up.”

Chris Mullin. Photo by Jason Schott.

The St. John's Red Storm lost another tight game on Tuesday night at Carnesecca Arena, 68-63, to Creighton, to fall to 0-9 in Big East play, and their overall record dipped below .500 to 10-11.

St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin said of his mentality and his message to the fans, “My first statement was that the easiest thing to do was give up, but that’s not happening. That’s not what anyone came here for. We’re going to work through it. … I don’t know that give-up world. I’m not about that at all. …

Books: The Great Halifax Explosion & Its Brooklyn Origins

The Great Halifax  Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism
By John U. Bacon
William Morrow, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

World War I was entering its fourth demoralizing year, and the Allies were hoping to break the grueling stalemate by sending thousands of fresh American troops and more munitions than ever to the trenches of France.

The French freighter Mont-Blanc set sail from Brooklyn on December 1, 1917 with a massive total of 3,000 tons of explosives aboard.

Williams Sisters In Tie Break Tens Tournament At The Garden In March

Tie Break Tens, the new fast-paced short-form tennis format, has confirmed that tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams will compete in the 5th tournament of the Tie Break Tens series at Madison Square Garden on March 5th.

The all-women contest is the first time a Tie Break Tens tournament will be held in the United States and follows successful tournaments in London, Vienna, Madrid and Melbourne.

Books: The Threat To Democracy From "Trumpocracy"

Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic

By David Frum

Harper, An Imprint of Harper Collins

David Frum, the senior editor of the Atlantic and a veteran of Republican politics, sees Donald Trump winning the presidency in 2016 as more than just a break from the past, but a threat to our democracy.

In his articles for the Atlantic and appearances on cable television, Frum has established himself as a leading critic from the political right of Trump and his administration.

Books: "The Gambler" Kirk Kerkorian

The Gambler: How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History

By William C. Rempel

Dey St. - An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; Harcover, $28.99, on sale January 23rd

Kirk Kerkorian was a self-made billionaire who was a daring aviator, movie mogul, risk-taker, and business tycoon who transformed Las Vegas and Hollywood to become one of the leading financiers in American business.

Veteran investigative reporter and storyteller William C. Rempel pieces together revealing parts of Kerkorian's life, from sources such as war records, business archives, court documents, and the recollections and recorded memories of longtime pals and relatives.

Big 10 Super Saturday At The Garden

Minnesota and Michigan State shake hands on the Garden ice after a tough battle. Photo by Jason Schott.

Today, the Big 10 Conference held its Super Saturday basketball and hockey doubleheader.

Ohio State beat Minnesota 67-49 in basketball in the afternoon, and 
Minnesota beat Michigan State 2-1 in hockey at night.

St. John's Shutdown In D.C.

Shamorie Ponds had a big game for St. John's. @StJohnsBball.

St. John's suffered their second tough loss to Georgetown in eleven days, this one in double overtime, 93-89, on Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C.

St. John's is now 0-8 in Big East play, and their record overall is now 10-10. They have gone a month without winning a game, since they beat St. Joe's at Mohegan Sun on December 20. It doesn't get any easier for the Red Storm as they host Creighton on Tuesday night at 8:30 at Carnesecca Arena.

NYCFC Takes Caldwell & Paterson in MLS SuperDraft

NYCFC's top pick Jeff Caldwell with Head Coach Patrick Vieira (left) and Sporting Director Claudio Reyna (right.) Photo courtesy NYCFC.

New York City Football Club selected goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell from the University of Virginia with their 19th pick in the First Round of the MLS SuperDraft 2018 on Friday afternoon in Philadelphia.

In the Second Round, NYCFC acquired defender AJ Paterson from Wright State University as the 42nd pick overall.

Red Bulls SuperDraft Report

Brian White, the Red Bulls top pick. @NewYorkRedBulls.

The Red Bulls made three selections in the first two rounds of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft on Friday afternoon at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

With the 16th overall pick of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, the Red Bulls selected Duke product Brian White, and in the second round, they selected Niko De Vera 31st overall and Tom Barlow 39th overall.

St. John's Drops Heartbreaker To Xavier

Justin Simon. @StJohnsBBall.

The nightmare start to Big East Conference play for St. John's continued Wednesday night with an 88-82 loss to #11-ranked Xavier on the road.

St. John's Big East record is now an unthinkable 0-7 and their 
overall record is one game above .500, at 10-9.

Red Bull Arena Hosts SheBelieves Cup

Red Bull Arena. Photo by Jason Schott.

U.S. Soccer will host the third annual SheBelieves Cup from March 1-7 as the USA hosts three of the world top teams in the most elite four-team women's international tournament of the year.

Red Bull Arena will host a doubleheader on March 4, with the Top-Ranked U.S. Women's National Team taking on France, and Germany taking on England.

Villanova Outlasts Spirited St. John's, Led By Big Night From Ponds

Villanova setting up their offense. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Villanova Wildcats, the number-one ranked team in the country outlasted St. John's 78-71 on Saturday night in front of 17,123 at Madison Square Garden.

Villanova has been the top-ranked team in the country for four weeks this season, and they improve to 16-1 overall, 4-1 in Big East play.

For St. John's, the story is quite different, as they dropped to 0-6 in Big East play (10-8 overall) but played with a lot of pride tonight in their first game since Marcus LoVett was ruled out of the season on Wednesday.

Books: "Together We Rise" Looks At The Impact Of The Women's March

Together We Rise: The Women's March - Behind the Scenes At The Protest Heard Around The World
The Women's March Organizers and Conde Nast
Dey St. An Imprint Of Harper Collins Publishers
Publication date: January 16, 2018 $30

On January 21, 2017, the Women's March took place in Washington, D.C. and grew into a worldwide statement against the event that happened the day before, the inauguration of Donald Trump as President.

More than 5 million people participated in marches around the world. Women from 82 countries and on all seven continents rose up in solidarity, hosting their own marches to share a common message: Hear our voice.

Red Bulls Sign LaBelle As First eSports Player

@NewYorkRedBulls.

The Red Bulls have signed Mike LaBelle as the club's first eSports player. LaBelle will represent the Red Bulls in the recently-announced EA Sports FIFA 18 gaming league, eMLS, and in FIFA tournaments around the world.

NYCFC Acquires Ismael Tajouri

New York City Football Club has announced the transfer of Ismael Tajouri from Austria Wien.

The 23-year old attacking midfielder arrives as NYCFC’s sixth offseason addition and will join the Club on preseason in Jacksonville later this month, subject to receipt of his P1 Visa and ITC.

NYCFC Signs Cedric Hountondji

New York City Football Club announced the signing of Cedric Hountondji, a 23-year old Benin international defender who will join NYCFC for Preseason 2018, pending receipt of his P1 Visa and ITC.

A former French youth international, Hountondji is a tall, athletic central defender who joins NYCFC as a free agent after his contract with Gazelec Ajaccio came to an end.

NYCFC Will Host FIFA 18 Tournament

Soon after the MLS announced the creation of the eMLS, New York City Football Club announced on Friday that they will be hosting a FIFA 18 tournament giving fans a chance to take on NYCFC’s professional eSports player, Chris Holly. The tournament will take place at Upper 90 on Saturday, February 24 at 3:00 p.m.

Books: Little Soldiers

Little Solders: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve

By Lenora Chu

Harper 

In Little Soldiers, Lenora Chu offers a look into the insular education system of China and uses her parenting journey to launch a wider investigation into whether its educational methods are something to which the West should aspire. 

In 2010, Chu found herself at the heart of the global debate between China and the western world when she and her husband enrolled their American son into the Chinese state-run school system celebrated for producing some of the planet's top-ranking students, per the PISA education assessments.

LoVett To Miss Rest Of Season For St. John's

Marcus LoVett. @StJohnsBBall.

In a stunner, St. John’s announced on Wednesday night that standout sophomore guard Marcus LoVett will miss the remainder of the 2017-18 campaign.

LoVett suffered a left knee injury that he suffered in late November, and has missed the last ten games of the season, which has included an 0-5 start in Big East Conference play.

Red Bulls Sign Amando Moreno

@NewYorkRedBulls

The Red Bulls have signed forward and former Homegrown Player Amando Moreno to an MLS contract, the club announced today. Moreno is a product of the Red Bulls Academy and was signed as one of the club's first Homegrown Players in December of 2012 before moving to Club Tijuana in Mexico.

Former Giants QB Collins Part of College Football HOF Class Of 2018

Kerry Collins with the Giants. 

Former Giants quarterback Kerry Collins is part of the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018.

Collins played his college ball at Penn State from 1991-1994, and the rest of the class includes:

Georgetown Outlasts S. John's In Battle Of Legends

Meeting of the coaches: Chris Mullin of St. John's and Patrick Ewing of Georgetown - @StJohnsBBall)

Georgetown outlasted St. John's 69-66 on Tuesday night in a competitive game that was reminiscent of the battles their two coaches, Chris Mullin of St. John's and Patrick Ewing of Georgetown, had in their playing days for their alma maters.

For Ewing, it was emotional to get a win at Madison Square Garden after starring here for 15 years for the Knicks.

“It feels good," said Ewing. "As you know I have had a lot of great memories here. I’ve had ups and downs and a lot of good and bad memories against that guy [Chris Mullin]. It was good to be back and the game was just like the old times, it was a knock down drag up fight. It was one of those ugly games, but I was just happy that we got the win. The guys fought hard, we made some mistakes, but we played hard. Especially the way that we played against Creighton this was a great way to bounce back. They did all the things they needed to do to get the win.”

Mullin, Ewing Renew Rivalry On Sidelines

Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing at Big East Media Day in October. Photo by Jason Schott.

The St. John's-Georgetown rivalry in the 1980s was defined by Chris Mullin leading the then-Redman against Patrick Ewing's Hoyas and taking part in some legendary battles that brought the Big East to prominence.

Mullin, in his third year at St. John's, and Ewing, in his first at the helm of Georgetown renew their rivalry as coaches of their alma maters on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Red Bulls Sign Ben Mines

Red Bulls Sporting Director Denis Hamlett and Ben Mines. @NewYorkRedBulls.

The Red Bulls have signed midfielder Ben Mines to an MLS contract. The 17-year old Ridgefield, Connecticut native joined the Red Bulls Academy as an Under-14 player, and is the seventh Homegrown signing on the current roster.

Carnesecca Receives Naismith Award

Former St. John's Head Coach Lou Carnesecca, received his Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Basketball Award during a special on-court recognition ceremony during Saturday's Red Storm’s home game against DePaul.

The award was given to Carnesecca, a 1992 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, last month by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Charles Woodson makes College Football Hall Of Fame

Charles Woodson. Provided by National Football Foundation.

The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced on today's telecast of Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN that Charles Woodson, the All-America defensive back at Michigan from 1995-97, will be a member of the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame Class.

Woodson, who currently works as an NFL analyst on the ESPN show, was surprised by the program's host Sam Ponder, who handed him a commemorative football provided by the NFF to mark the announcement.

St. John's Dominated By DePaul As Dismal Big East Start Continues

DePaul setting up their offense. Photo by Jason Schott.

The DePaul Blue Demons dominated the St. John's Red Storm from start to finish on Saturday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena on the way to a 91-74 victory.

Both teams entered this one 0-3 in Big East Conference play, so this was a golden chance for St. John's to get their first Conference win of the season.

Red Bulls Release 2018 Schedule

The Red Bulls take the field. Photo by Jason Schott.

The New York Red Bulls and Major League Soccer announced the club's 2018 MLS Schedule.

The Red Bulls will be on national television 14 times in 2018. The home schedule includes a rematch of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Final against Sporting Kansas City and the renewal of the New York Derby against New York City Football Club on May 5 at Red Bull Arena.

NYCFC Announces 2018 Schedule

NYCFC at Yankee Stadium. Photo by Jason Schott.

New York City Football Club announced their 2018 MLS Schedule in its entirety. Spanning eight months of the calendar, the schedule is comprised of 34 regular season games, including 17 at Yankee Stadium.

As previously announced, NYCFC kicks off the season on the road against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, March 4 and host the home opener at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, March 11 at 5:00 p.m. vs. the LA Galaxy.

Red Bulls Trade Kljestan To Orlando City

Sacha Kljestan (left) leading the Red Bulls before a game last season. @NewYorkRedBulls.

The Red Bulls made a somewhat surprising move on Wednesday, as they traded their captain, midfielder Sacha Kljestan, along with $150,000 in Targeted Allocation Money for the 2018 season, to Orlando City for forward Carlos Rivas and center back Tommy Redding.

This is the second straight offseason that the Red Bulls have traded their captain, as they sent Dax McCarty to the Chicago Fire ahead of the 2017 season.

St. John's Comes Up Short At Seton Hall

Bashir Ahmed of St. John's drives on Seton Hall's Khadeen Carrington. Photo from @StJohnsBball.

St. John's dropped their second straight to open Big East Conference play, as they fell to Seton Hall, 75-70, in New Jersey on Sunday night.

Seton Hall, ranked 23rd in the nation, improved to 13-2 overall, 2-0 in Big East play, while St. John's dropped to 10-4 and 0-2 in the Big East.

NYCFC Make First Signing Of 2018 As They Make Medina 3rd DP

New York City Football Club today completed the world’s first football signing of 2018.

At 5:00 a.m. ET on Sunday morning, as the clock simultaneously struck midnight for January 1, 2018 for the first time on the planet in Samoa and Christmas Island/Kiribati (UTC+14), NYCFC announced that Paraguayan international Jesus Medina has joined the Club.

Red Bulls Unveil New Kit For 2018

New Year's Day brought an announcement from the New York Red Bulls that they will have a new red uniform for 2018.

The Red Kit was created in collaboration with adidas to reflect the identity of the club and its supporters.