Feds probing Auburn basketball point shaving

Auburn, Ala. — Federal authorities are investigating suspended Auburn point guard Varez Ward for alleged point shaving involving at least two games this season, Yahoo Sports reported yesterday.

The report cited anonymous sources and said the FBI began an investigation in late February centering on losses to Alabama on Feb. 7 and Arkansas on Jan. 25.

Ward and guard Chris Denson were both suspended before a Feb. 25 game against Arkansas, but Denson returned for the next game. Denson was questioned and cleared of involvement in point shaving, the report said.

“Auburn officials were made aware of a rumor regarding an allegation two weeks ago and immediately reported it to the FBI, the NCAA and the SEC,” Auburn said in a statement released yesterday. “Because of the nature of the allegation, Auburn is not in a position to make any further comment on the situation.”

The report said a player reported concerns to an assistant coach in late February.

Auburn coach Tony Barbee has said only that Ward and Denson violated team rules. Ward didn’t play in the final three games of the regular season or travel with the team to New Orleans for the Southeastern Conference tournament, where the Tigers lost last night to Mississippi, 68-54.

Yahoo Sports reported that other Auburn players were questioned about whether Ward tried to get them to participate in the alleged point shaving.

Ward, a Texas transfer, has averaged 9.0 points a game and leads the Tigers in assists.

Ward scored three points and had six turnovers in the 68-50 loss to Alabama, playing 17 minutes. Vegas Insider said Alabama was favored by five points.

Ward lasted only 19 seconds after coming off the bench in the 56-53 defeat before crumpling to the floor. Barbee later said he took a knee to the right leg he had injured early in his sophomore season with the Longhorns, when he ruptured his quadriceps tendon on a dunk during pregame warmups. Auburn still covered the 9 1/2-point spread.

In between those games, Ward had his hottest streak of the season. He scored 53 points in a three-game stretch, including 24 against Mississippi State.

Ward has not commented publicly since his suspension. His last Twitter post was on Feb. 24 when he tweeted, “Can’t win for losing smh” (shaking my head). It was the last in a series of posts that day, the first saying that his knee was “hurting bad.”

Ward sat out last season under transfer rules and has two years of eligibility remaining.

Chris Denson, Varez Ward, point shaving, Alabama, Auburn, Denson, Auburn officials, Ward, Tony Barbee, Auburn players ebook download, AUBURN, Ala. — Federal authorities, Yahoo Sports

Nypost.com

LACMA rock has mass attraction

LACMA rock" border="0" width="580" height="360" />

Participants in a block party for the boulder dance in the Long Beach neighborhood of Bixby Knolls. The massive piece of granite is being moved at a stately pace from a Riverside County quarry to LACMA. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times / March 7, 2012)

Los Angeles' newest rock star, like so many before her, sleeps by day and rolls on by night, gathering, as they say, no moss.

She stops in one town after another — in Ontario, La Palma, Lakewood and Long Beach. In each, she tantalizes and mesmerizes, conjuring a joyful circus, even a few moments of unbridled exuberance that some might regret down the road. Then, just as her star is brightest, she moves on, as if someone had given her the same advice offered by Gypsy Rose Lee's mother: Always leave them wanting more.

Organizers knew moving a two-story-tall granite boulder from a Riverside County rock quarry to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art would be a logistical trial. The rock, after all, destined as the centerpiece of a massive art installation, weighs 340 tons. It is being toted 105 miles in a steel sling by a 176-wheel transport truck that is nearly as wide as three freeway lanes, at speeds so slow that some escorts have been on foot.

What museum leaders and transportation officials could not have anticipated, however, was the carnival that would surround the rock on its 11-day journey.

It started with small groups of spectators as the rock rumbled west through the suburbs of the Inland Empire. Then the crowds kept growing. By the time it reached the Bixby Knolls section of Long Beach on Wednesday, it had become a phenomenon.

An estimated 20,000 people came to Atlantic Avenue for what became a street festival in honor of the rock. Local artists painted renderings. Onlookers said they had taken vacation days from work to be there. The party lasted five hours longer than planned; community organizers had to beg a disc jockey to stick around.

The big move has given many who rarely get to the L.A. museum a sneak preview of what LACMA hopes will become a permanent installation as iconic as its "Urban Light" lampposts on Wilshire Boulevard. Visitors will be able to walk through an underground channel below the "levitating" rock. LACMA expects the free installation to open in the late spring or summer.

"We're going to go to LACMA in the next 10, 20, 30 years and say: 'I remember when that huge rock was in Bixby Knolls, right on Atlantic Avenue,'" said Long Beach City Councilman James Johnson.

In some ways, it's hard to fathom all the hype. The rock is, after all, just a rock — a mere pebble, really, that broke from a massive sea of cooled magma that percolated beneath what is now North America 100 million years ago, give or take. The installation, "Levitated Mass," is so highly abstract that some question whether it is art at all. And the artist, Nevada resident Michael Heizer, is famously reclusive. He's not expected to arrive in California until later this month, and it's unclear if he's fully aware of the spectacle he's created.

None of that has had a shred of a dampening effect.

As the crowds built, necks craned in downtown Long Beach when workers felled two palm trees in order to squeeze through (the trees will be replaced). Fans cheered wildly when handlers navigated an underpass with inches to spare. Then, they danced — to the theme song from "Rocky," naturally. In town after town, the impromptu geological be-ins have brought musicians, stilt-walkers, artists imitating art, paparazzi on Rollerblades, raucous fans dressed as Flintstones characters and at least one marriage proposal.

In Ontario, a few days into the odyssey, Ramone Vasquez had been waiting patiently for his lumbering metaphor to roll into town.

He and his girlfriend, Maria, spent a few minutes taking it all in. "Big, huh?" he said — as much an understatement as the "Oversize Load" warnings painted on the rock's escort trucks.

Then Vasquez dropped to one knee. "Maybe that rock won't fit on your finger," he said. "But maybe this one will." She said yes.

Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Assn., said he wasn't sure anyone would show up for the event his group organized at the rock.

"I finally got it when I was there," Cohn said. "I get the spectacle of it. I get the engineering part of it — it is totally fascinating....It's really odd, and I didn't expect it, but you get kind of attached to it."

The rock will rest Friday on Figueroa Street in Los Angeles, north of Florence Avenue, and is scheduled to land at LACMA in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

LACMA officials said Southern California's reaction makes sense.

Michael Govan, LACMA's director, pointed out that carvings celebrating people moving monolithic stones date back thousands of years, and that tens of thousands of people turned out in 1880 to watch horses and masons wrestle the Cleopatra's Needle obelisk into place in New York's Central Park.

LACMA, LACMA, LACMA, Bixby Knolls, Bixby Knolls, Bixby Knolls, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Riverside County, Gypsy Rose Lee, installation, Riverside County rock quarry, Luis Sinco

Latimes.com

Aqueduct Analysis

Post Time: 12:50 p.m.

All Horses appear in post position order

1. 1 mile; $34,000; clm($16,000); 4up(f)

SURROUND SOUND set the pace and tired this distance while being claimed by Serey last out. PLEASANTFRIDAY drew the rail seeking third consecutive victory in first start off the Rice claim. HOOPSKIRT defeated cheaper as the favorite while going longer and was claimed.

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Pleasantfriday(L),123

C Velasquez

1-1-5

Rice

2-1

2 Chalk Player(L),120

J Espinoza

3-5-6

Persaud

15-1

3 Beautiful Risk(L),120

L Perez

2-1-5

Grusmark

6-1

4 Social Statement(L),120

D Cohen

4-3-5

Galluscio

7-2

5 Hoopskirt(L),120

R Dominguez

1-3-2

Quick

5-2

6 Wise Choice(L),120

I Ortiz, Jr

4-6-3

Sciacca

12-1

7 Surround Sound(L),115

S Camacho, Jr

5-5-1

Serey

8-1

2. 6 fur; $50,000; mdn; 4up

JOHARDY finished third at this distance and level when making local debut for new barn. SAY MR. SANDMAN finished fourth at this distance and level in local debut and first start since October. RUSSIAN ALLY drew the rail after finishing second in his last three starts.

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Russian Ally(L),122

C Velasquez

2-2-2

Rice

3-1

2 Johardy(L),122

J Davis

3-6-3

Barker

4-1

3 Say Mr. Sandman(L),122

A Garcia

4-2-x

Englehart

7-2

4 Winloc's John Lee(L),122

R Silvera

3-2-6

Gullo

15-1

5 Titus Catienus(L),122

I Ortiz, Jr

2-8-11

Levine

5-1

6 Ecstatic Cat(M),117

S Camacho, Jr

x-x-x

Serey

15-1

7 Tycoon Cat(L),122

R Curatolo

6-2-5

Rice

4-1

8 John Joe(L),115

G Rivera

7-5-8

Fennessy

20-1

3. 6 fur; $28,000; clm($15,000); 4up(f)

STRATEGIC SUE finished third at this distance and level two back with Curatolo aboard. SKIDDLES N BOB broke maiden impressively as favorite two back in last start on dirt. NUMBER ONE CHERRY adds blinkers after tiring to fourth versus cheaper in seasonal debut.

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Number One Cherry(L),120

I Ortiz, Jr

4-1-3

Arriaga

4-1

2 Strategic Sue(L),120

R Curatolo

5-3-7

Morrison

5-1

3 Time Marches On(L),123

A Garcia

7-1-4

Englehart

5-2

4 Katy's Office Girl(L),120

J Pezua

5-5-7

Odintz

15-1

5 Simple Exchange(L),120

A Lezcano

4-7-3

P Kelly

10-1

6 Skiddles n' Bob(L),120

C Velasquez

10-1-4

Hough

8-5

7 Hookin the Goods(L),120

J Rodriguez

10-12-10

Hooper

30-1

4. 1 mile; $30,000; clm($16,000); 3up

INDIGENE CHARM ships up from Gulfstream and adds blinkers while dropping in class after being pulled up last out. WAR HITCH tired to third versus cheaper while going shorter and was claimed. THATS FOR SURE makes route debut after setting the pace and tiring to fourth.

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 a-Pegasus Papou(L),123

R Dominguez

3-2-3

Persaud

5-1

2 War Hitch(L),116

C Lopez

3-5-5

Gullo

4-1

3 Mecke Me Shoot(L),116

J Sone

7-6-6

Kettell

30-1

4 Blake Street Bully(L),116

R Curatolo

3-7-3

Giambanco

15-1

5 Terrox(L),123

J Pezua

4-6-4

Parker

30-1

6 Advanceandretreat(L),116

H Ramos

7-7-12

Clarke

30-1

1A a-Poke Slam(L),123

R Dominguez

6-x-x

Persaud

5-1

7 Champagne City(L),116

M Luzzi

4-8-9

Romans

10-1

8 That's for Sure(L),116

D Cohen

4-8-x

Englehart

10-1

9 Indigene Charm(L),123

J Alvarado

7-2-6

J Jerkens

4-5

Next >

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2

RUSSIAN ALLY, MR. SANDMAN, SURROUND SOUND, Horse, Ecstatic Cat

Nypost.com

CHSAA Class AA girls basketball state tournament preview

All the debate will finally be settled.

By week’s end the CHSAA’s top girls basketball team will be crowned in a tournament that rivals any in the country with talent and its grueling nature.

Nationally ranked Nazareth will look for a second straight crown and a trip upstate to defend its state Federation Class AA title in Albany. Christ the King, tje winner two years ago, is hoping to get back to the mountaintop after winning its 26th Brooklyn/Queens title in 28 tries. St. Anthony’s, also nationally ranked, is trying to erase the memory of last year’s defeat to Nazareth in the semifinals and earn its first trip upstate in the highest classification.

Denis Gostev

Nazareth's Darius Faulk will try to lead her team to a second straight CHSAA Class AA state title.

Denis Gostev

Christ the King and Rayne Connell head into the tournament off winning the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens title.

Bishop Ford coach Mike Toro felt all year he had a group talented enough to finally get the Falcons to Albany and they have proven that. A loss to CK in the diocesan final notwithstanding, Ford has been arguably the city most consistent team. A year ago, Molloy was on the road to claiming a state Federation Class A crown and this year was about accomplishing more. A deep run to a title would certainly be that.

St. John the Baptist started the season slow, but ever since getting star Anastasia Williams back the Cougars have become a force playing at the level expected by coach Ted Oberg. With St. Peter’s and St. Michael Academy closed, Moore Catholic has developed into the premier Archdiocesan program. Some success in the Class AA state tournament is the next step.

SCHEDULE

March 7

Quarterfinals @ St. Francis Prep

4 p.m. – Bishop Ford vs. Moore Catholic

5:45 p.m. – Nazareth vs. St. John the Baptist

7:30 p.m. – Archbishop Molloy vs. St. Anthony’s

March 9

Semifinals @ Archbishop Molloy

5 p.m. – Bishop Ford/Moore vs. Molloy/St. Anthony’s

7 p.m. – Christ the King vs. Nazareth/St. John the Baptist

March 10

Final @ Christ the King

7 p.m. – Semifinal winners

Archbishop Molloy Stanners

Head coach: Scott Lagas

Record: 18-9

Player to watch: Amani Tatum

Outlook: The Stanners may not be the sexy pick in this tournament, but there is no reason why they can’t make a run. Molloy does own two wins over CK, beat Ford and only fell to Nazareth by 10 in their last meeting. There may not be a tougher competitor than point guard Amani Tatu, who can get to the basket at will. Forward Carolyn Gallagher can score in bunches and will try to rebound from a tough outing against Ford. Nyasha Irizarry and Kamille Ejerta can both light things up from the outside. Patti Drogler adds a toughness inside.

Bishop Ford Falcons

Head coach: Mike Toro

Record: 22-5

Next >

1

2

Nazareth, Nazareth, CHSAA Class AA state, Darius Faulk, Christ the King, Archbishop Molloy, Anastasia Williams, St. Michael Academy, Bishop Ford, CHSAA, Ted Oberg, Amani Tatu

Nypost.com

Ex-Citigroup banker convicted in Indonesia fraud case

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- The private banker at the center of an embezzlement scandal involving Citigroup in Indonesia was convicted of fraud Wednesday in a case that dealt a blow to the US bank's expansion in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

A Jakarta court convicted Inong Malinda Dee, 50, of stealing $4.4 million from clients and sentenced her to eight years in prison. She was also ordered to pay a fine of $1.1 million.

"The defendant was found guilty of receiving money through 117 illegal transactions," according to South Jakarta District Court Judge Gusrizal, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. Prosecutors sought 13 years for Dee, who denied the charges.

Dee was a relationship manager for the Citigold wealth-management unit when she was arrested in March last year and charged with stealing from clients after persuading them to give her signed blank checks. Prosecutors said she used the money for property, plastic surgery and expensive cars, including two Ferraris, a Hummer, a Mercedes and a Porsche.

The Indonesian central bank and police launched probes into Citi's operations after it alerted regulators to suspicious transactions conducted by Dee.

In a statement, Citi, the largest foreign bank by assets in Indonesia, said it welcomed the court's decision and that customers have been compensated for their losses.

"We have also further strengthened our internal controls to protect customers against fraudulent activities. Indonesia is an important market for Citi globally, and our focus remains on delivering the best service and products to our retail and institutional clients," the statement said Wednesday.

Before the scandal, which prompted restrictions on Citi in Indonesia, the US bank had more than 4,000 employees and 20 branches, with estimated revenue of $300 million.

The crackdown on Citi illustrated the risks of expansion into emerging markets, where there may be less control over far-flung branches, analysts said. More than half of revenues and profits at Citi's core banking operations come from outside the US.

When the fraud came to light, the Indonesian central bank banned 23 banks from acquiring new customers for their wealth-management services. It lifted that ban in June. It also barred Citi from issuing new credit cards for two years in the country, and from opening new branches for one year.

To read more, go to The Wall Street Journal

Inong Malinda Dee, Indonesia, Citi, South Jakarta District Court Judge Gusrizal, Indonesian central bank, US bank, embezzlement scandal

Nypost.com

Hansen makes his move

It took about one minute and 43 seconds — the time it took Hansen to trounce 12 outclassed opponents by three lengths in Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile Gotham Stakes at the Big A — for the 2-year-old champ to reverse the widespread opinion he was not a leading contender for the May 5 Kentucky Derby.

In fact, Hansen’s performance in the Gotham was one of the most impressive efforts by a 2-year-old champion and/or Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner in a Derby prep race since the Breeders’ Cup was inaugurated in 1984.

True, he was not facing an accomplished field. But unlike Uncle Mo, who beat a mere four foes in last year’s Timely Writer, Hansen was up against a dozen of them. With blinkers off, he also showed a new, important dimension. After being floated five wide around the clubhouse turn, Hansen relaxed off the pace for the first time, then responded when asked by Ramon Dominguez to complete a dominant performance.

Hansen’s early speed now becomes an asset rather than a liability; and as a son of Tapit, from the line of A.P. Indy and Seattle Slew, there’s reason to believe he might stay 1 ¼ miles.

But can he overcome the dreaded Breeders’ Cup Jinx?

The first BC Juvenile winner, Chief’s Crown, ran three strong races in the run-up to the Derby, winning the Swale by 3 ¼ lengths, the Flamingo by a length and the Blue Grass by 5 ½. Favored at 6-5, he ran third in the Run for the Roses, one of only three BC Juvenile winners ever to hit the board in the Derby along with Timber Country, third in 1995, and Street Sense, the winner in 2007.

Since Chief’s Crown, there have been two sensational Derby preps turned in by a 2-year-old champ and/or BC Juvenile winner: Easy Goer’s Gotham in 1989 and Unbridled’s Song’s Florida Derby in 1996.

In the Gotham, then run at a flat mile over Aqueduct’s main track, Easy Goer (who lost the BC Juvenile but was still named 2-year-old champ) exploded to win by 13 lengths in 1:32 2/5, just a tick off Dr. Fager’s world record.

In the Florida Derby, Unbridled’s Song (who won the BC Juvenile but lost the championship to Maria’s Mon) won by 5 ¾ lengths in 1:47 4/5, crushing a field that included eventual Belmont Stakes winner Editor’s Note, eventual Preakness winner Louis Quatorze, and eventual three-time champion and Horse of the Year Skip Away.

Both Easy Goer and Unbridled’s Song then scored easy victories in the Wood Memorial, and headed for Kentucky touted as potential Triple Crown winners.

But Easy Goer caught a sloppy track and Sunday Silence in the Derby, while Unbridled’s Song, after suffering an infected quarter-crack, raced with two egg-bar shoes on his front feet. They finished second and fifth, respectively, joining a long list of great horses — Native Dancer, Nashua, Bold Ruler, Damascus, Holy Bull, to name just a few — who failed to bring home the roses.

ed.fountaine@nypost.com

Florida Derby, Easy Goer, Hansen, Juvenile, Derby

Nypost.com

Overweight Pineda isn't lock for Yankees rotation

TAMPA — What we know of Michael Pineda in the brief time he has been with the Yankees can’t be viewed as encouraging.

The 23-year-old right-hander arrived last month and immediately admitted he was 10 pounds heavier than the 270 he carried at the end of last year with the Mariners.

That speaks to poor nutritional habits or a lack of exercise, each alarming for his age.

While the extra pounds are packed onto his 6-foot-7 frame, Pineda’s power arm lacked a much-needed third pitch. So he has tried to add a changeup to his mid-90s fastball and biting slider.

New York Post: Charles Wenzelberg

LICKING GOOD? Pitcher Michael Pineda, who cost the Yankees slugger Jesus Montero in a trade with the Mariners, came to spring training overweight and needs to improve his changeup as well as drop pounds to secure a spot in the rotation.

Pineda also came with the dreaded tag of “potential,” which either turns into superior talent or makes heads shake with disappointment.

Today, the Yankees will get their first real look at Pineda, whose cost was stud catching/designated hitter prospect Jesus Montero.

None of the questions about Pineda will be answered when he faces the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla., because he will go two innings or 35 pitches.

“Last year, nobody knew him,’’ said veteran righty Freddy Garcia, who dresses next to Pineda in the George M. Steinbrenner Field clubhouse. “This year, he has to prove how good he is. He has been relaxed so far, and confident. You have to be confident and show people you can play. He asks a lot of questions. He is excited, hopefully he shows what he has got.’’

According to Garcia, who also has pitched in Seattle and The Bronx, Pineda was a bit overwhelmed by how the media reacts to every breath from the Yankees.

“The difference between Seattle and New York is the media,” Garcia said. “The first time he came here it was ‘Wow.’ In Seattle spring training there were two or three guys and sometimes they didn’t ask questions.’’

Pineda, who was 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA in 28 starts last year, but was 1-4 with a 5.12 ERA in 10 games after the All-Star break, might be a little confused by the front office.

General manager Brian Cashman opened camp by saying it was unfair for people to view Pineda as a No. 2 starter because his third pitch, that changeup, was below average.

Manager Joe Girardi followed that by handing newly acquired righty Hiroki Kuroda a rotation spot and leaving Pineda in a group of four arms vying for three slots behind ace CC Sabathia and Kuroda.

Last week, co-owner Hal Steinbrenner said it was up to Pineda and minor leaguers Manuel Banuelos and Dellin Betances to develop into dependable pitchers so the Yankees won’t have to spend on free agent arms.

So, Pineda isn’t a No. 2 starter. Nor is he a lock for the rotation. Yet, he is viewed as a money-saving option so the Yankees can have a $189 million payroll in 2014.

For now, Girardi wants to see him face big league hitters.

“It’s always good to look at a guy with a power arm who is on your side,’’ Girardi said. “I am anxious to see him throw some changeups.’’

Regardless that the Mariners received Montero and the potential muscle he can provide, there were questions as to why Seattle would part with a 23-year-old power pitcher with one year of experience who was five years from arbitration.

Isn’t it true that nobody knows a player like the organization he is with? What, if anything, did the Mariners not like about Pineda? Were they afraid of his body? Or was their need for a catcher so great they were willing to pay any price other than Felix Hernandez?

Ten pounds heavier. One pitch short. That’s what we know so far about Pineda.

Today, he can display the power arm, biting slider and evolving changeup and begin to offset too much weight and not enough pitches.

george.king@nypost.com

Michael Pineda, Jesus Montero, Mariners, Mariners, Pineda, the Yankees, Joe Girardi, Freddy Garcia

Nypost.com