D’Brickashaw Ferguson was working out in the Jets weight room Monday when Tim Tebow walked in and introduced himself.

Tebow then went on to the biggest press conference ever for a backup quarterback. For Ferguson, it was a glimpse of what is to come with Tebow on the Jets.

The Jets left tackle knows the circus is coming to town.

“That’s definitely going to be an aspect of it,” Ferguson said yesterday at the temporarily set-up NFL Shop at Draft store in Manhattan. “There will be a little bit of a circus come training camp and our media periods. I think that’s one of the things that’s part of this process when you make a trade like that. Hopefully, we can stay focused and focus on the bigger picture, which is having success this season.”

416

D’Brickashaw Ferguson

Ferguson appeared with Giants guard Chris Snee to promote the store, which opens Monday.

UPDATES FROM OUR JETS BLOG

When Ferguson initially heard about the trade for Tebow, he said he was surprised. After a week to think about it, Ferguson has some questions, but he is optimistic about how it can work.

“We’ll see how it all plays out,” Ferguson said. “I know he has certain talents that I think can complement our team. It’s really early on in the process. We haven’t really implemented anything as of yet.”

Ferguson has seen a lot in his six years as a Jet. He lived through the Brett Favre experiment and went through a coaching change. He said he is not worried about how Tebow’s arrival will affect starting quarterback Mark Sanchez.

“I think he can take a lot of pride in the fact that he was extended,” he said. “I feel like the Jets have made a statement that he’s their guy. I think obviously with this new addition, though, the question of how they will work together, what will that synergy look like is a valid one. I think it can only be answered when we start to have meetings, when we get into the building and start doing practices. Until that point, it doesn’t matter.”

After last season’s disappointing 8-8 finish, Ferguson said this is a different team and he is not worried about the locker-room problems from 2011 carrying over.

“I think mentally we’ve transitioned with all the trades, with all the additions to the coaching staff and so forth, we are a different team already,” he said. “I think every year the team changes a little bit. This past year our team has changed a lot. I think we’re all excited about seeing how that will affect this season. We all hope every move that was made works out to the best possible extent.”

The NFL Shop at Draft opens Monday at 11 a.m on the Avenue of the Americas between 41st and 42nd streets. The first 500 fans in line to enter the store will receive a commemorative 2012 NFL Draft coin. The store will remain open until April 30.

brian.costello@nypost.com

Tim Tebow, Tebow, NFL Shop, Jets.The Jets, Ferguson, Jets, the Jets, backup quarterback

Nypost.com

NCAA Basketball Tournament

Saturday

Final Four

At New Orleans

Favorite

Line

Underdog

Kentucky

8 1/2

Louisville

Ohio St.

2 1/2

Kansas

Tonight

NIT

Championship

At Madison Square Garden

Minnesota

Pick

Stanford

NBA

Favorite

Line

Underdog

PACERS

12

Wizards

HEAT

5 1/2

Mavericks

BLAZERS

8 1/2

Hornets

Thunder

1

LAKERS

NHL

Favorite

Line

Underdog

Penguins

$170-200

ISLANDERS

DEVILS

$180-220

Lightning

Flyers

$125-140

M. LEAFS

BRUINS

$170-200

Capitals

Panthers

$120-140

WILD

Blues

$105-125

BLACKHAWKS

COYOTES

$100-120

Sharks

Home team in CAPS

NCAA Basketball TournamentSaturdayFinal, Madison Square

Nypost.com

Goldman Sachs Group agreed to change its board structure in order to persuade a union pension fund to drop a shareholder proposal that could have cost Chief Executive Lloyd C. Blankfein his job as chairman.

The deal between the New York securities firm and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) means Goldman will appoint a "lead" director, but shareholders will not get a chance to vote at the firm's annual meeting in May on the proposal to replace Blankfein with an independent chairman.

The union had claimed stripping Blankfein of his chairman powers would help Goldman repair its reputation and reduce the potential for conflicts of interest. Goldman shareholders voted down a similar proposal in 2010 by a wide margin.

AFSCME has submitted similar shareholder proposals to split the chairman and CEO duties at JPMorgan Chase & Co., American Express, Northern Trust and six other companies. None of those firms held talks with AFSCME on the proposals, the union said.

Inside Goldman, AFSCME's proposal last September sparked months of discussions and contingency planning among directors and executives on the firm's powerful management committee. That group includes Blankfein, President Gary D. Cohn and executives who run all of Goldman's operations.

As part of those talks, Goldman officials considered making Cohn the company's chief executive and reducing Blankfein's role to chairman if the union's proposal passed, according to people familiar with the matter.

Such a shift would have abruptly ended Blankfein's reign as CEO. The 57-year-old has been Goldman's chairman and chief executive since 2006. He told colleagues that he would rather die at his desk than give up running the firm.

Still, Blankfein indicated that he was willing to step down as CEO if necessary, these people said. Cohn is the No. 2 executive at Goldman, giving him an advantage in the race to succeed Blankfein.

A Goldman spokesman said Blankfein and Cohn were not available for comment.

In a statement Tuesday night, a Goldman spokesman said the firm's "board of directors and senior management have not had any discussions or conducted contingency planning around splitting the roles of Chairman and CEO."

To read more, go to The Wall Street Journal

Chief Executive Lloyd C. Blankfein online, Goldman Sachs Group, Goldman, AFSCME, shareholder proposal, American Federation of State, shareholder proposals, President Gary D. Cohn, Blankfein, JPMorgan Chase , chief executive, American Express

Nypost.com

Post Time: 12:50 p.m.

All Horses appear in post position order

1. 7f; $29,000; mdn cl($16,000); 3up

EMILY’S TWIST drops and stretches out while coming off a 13-month layoff. INDIAN POW WOW drops after finishing fourth while going shorter. GO TO THE NET second while going shorter in his last two starts.

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Indian Pow Wow(L),116

C Lopez

4-7-3

Servis

3-1

2 Global Alliance(L),116

J Davis

2-3-x

Contessa

4-1

3 Go to the Net(L),118

S Camacho, Jr

2-2-3

Sciacca

5-1

4 Emily's Twist(L),123

M Luzzi

4-x-x

R Dutrow

8-5

5 Cobalt Red(L),123

A Lezcano

7-8-6

F Martin

50-1

6 Pegasus Papou(L),116

J Ortiz

2-3-3

Persaud

10-1

7 Light of Mercy ,123

M Studart

5-7-x

Prine

30-1

8 Solid d'Oro(L),123

D Cohen

2-5-4

Parisella

8-

2. 6f; $55,000; str hcp; 4up

ROYAL CURRIER major drop after tiring in stakes in his last two starts. MINESWEPT drew rail after tiring when making first start off claim. SIX FLINGS impressive winner as the favorite and was claimed in last.

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Mineswept(L),117

I Ortiz, Jr

6-2-2

Rodriguez

10-1

2 Saint Daimon(L),114

M Luzzi

2-5-3

S Jerkens

15-1

3 Jet Set Vinny(L),115

J Alvarado

3-1-3

Rodriguez

20-1

4 Laysh Laysh Laysh(L),119

E Castro

5-4-6

R Dutrow

8-1

5 Royal Currier(L),130

S Elliott

5-3-1

Farro

3-5

6 Starforaday(L),119

C Velasquez

3-2-1

Levine

4-1

7 Six Flings(L),116

C Lopez

1-3-7

DiPrima

8-1

3. 6f; $34,000; mdn cl($35,000); 3YO; (f)

HOOKED ON DREAMS closed to third at this distance in second start off claim. SMARTY AYA tired as the favorite versus cheaper and was claimed. CLASS ACTION SUIT tired to second while going longer.

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Hey Little Girl ,120

J Davis

x-x-x

Lostritto

15-1

2 Sunday to Remember(L),120

M Studart

10-9-x

Odintz

15-1

3 Hooked On Dreams(L),120

C Velasquez

3-2-5

Stoklosa

9-5

4 Jillistana(L),113

W Garcia

3-8-10

Feron

8-1

5 Jet Set Reya(L),120

A Lezcano

6-9-6

Persaud

30-1

6 Class Action Suit(L),120

I Ortiz, Jr

2-3-9

Badgett

5-2

7 Smarty Aya(L),115

S Camacho, Jr

8-4-x

Contessa

4-1

8 Red Code(L),120

R Silvera

7-x-x

Sciacca

6-1

4. 1 1/16m(T); $36,000; cl($20,000); 4up; (f&m)

APTPHILLY won off the turf race as the favorite in last start at this price. BOBS PINUP GIRL fourth versus cheaper and was claimed last out. READY TO PARTY third versus cheaper on dirt in first start off the claim.

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Guyana Princess(L),120

C Montalvo

4-5-1

Lalman

8-1

2 Bobs Pinup Girl(L),120

M Luzzi

4-2-4

R Dutrow

2-1

3 In Her Hey Day(L),120

A Lezcano

8-6-3

F Martin

15-1

4 My Honey Laurie(L),120

E Castro

2-7-6

B Brown

10-1

5 Mordecai Jones(L),120

M Studart

6-4-6

Terracciano

6-1

6 Laylaben(L),120

D Cohen

3-1-8

B Brown

8-1

7 Zodiac Girl(L),120

C Velasquez

9-1-3

Englehart

15-1

8 Ready to Party(L),115

S Camacho, Jr

3-6-1

Galluscio

4-1

9 Jardenia(L),120

I Ortiz, Jr

2-3-1

Maker

6-1

10 Red to Positive(L),120

A Smith

7-7-7

P Kelly

30-1

11 To the Point(L),120

C Lopez

8-11-6

Donk

6-1

12 She Drives Me Wild(L),120

J Pezua

6-7-6

Odintz

8-1

13 Aptphilly(L),120

J Alvarado

5-1-3

J Jerkens

9-5

14 Two Moons(L),120

D Cohen

3-1-3

Englehart

6-1

Next >

1

2

INDIAN POW WOW, Pegasus Papou, Saint Daimon, Horse

Nypost.com

Best Bet: Allie Jae (6th)

Races 1,2, 8 are canceled due to strangles outbreak at Saratoga Harness.

THIRD: mile; pace; $2000; cond

2 Diablo

(WParkerJr)

2-3-5

3-1

5 GoodknightCamelt

(JTggrtJr)

5-2-4

4-1

1 True Magic

(RVinci)

2-5-6

5-2

3 Terrific Seven

(JMarohnJr)

5-6-2

8-1

4 Littlebettor

(CStratton)

8-4-7

5-1

6 Always Right

(TFinch)

5-6-5

12-1

7 Artristocracy

(MSpano)

4-8-5

10-1

8 Double The Trouble

(RHarp)

3-6-4

9-2

FOURTH: mile; pace; $4000; cl($2000)

6 Full of Heart

(GDeckerJr)

6-3-3

5-2

1 Im Burning Up

(MForte)

7-4-3

5-1

3 LogansDragon

(KDIBendett)

7-6-6

7-2

2 Armbro Chivalry

(RHarp)

3-8-8

6-1

4 P H Rockstar

(JMarohnJr)

6-8-8

10-1

5 Sharp Outlaw

(CWashngton)

5-4-8

12-1

7 Baruch Hanover

(WParkerJr)

3-6-4

4-1

8 Major League

(JDevaux)

7-4-5

3-1

FIFTH: mile; pace; $2000; cond

3 JD S Tycoon

(WParkerJr)

8-7-7

9-2

7 Dvc Gifted Indeed

(MForte)

3-5-8

5-2

2 Davids Road

(JMarohn)

4-5-7

7-2

1 Flanagan Storm

(KDevaux)

4-4-5

3-1

4 WonTheBattle

(CWashingtn)

8-8-8

12-1

5 Hopeful Artist

(KSwitzerJr)

4-7-8

4-1

6 Four Starzzzz Lou

(KHaase)

4-4-8

10-1

8 Just Sit N Wait

(JTaggartJr)

6-2-3

6-1

SIXTH: mile; trot; $4000; cond

4 Allie Jae

(CStratton)

1-7-1

5-2

3 Four Starz F

(WParkerJr)

4-5-4

3-1

7 Winfinity

(RHarp)

1-3-3

7-2

1 Cornishman N

(JDevaux)

7-5-1

4-1

2 Rose Run Ivan

(KSwitzerJr)

6-6-3

9-2

5 Ms Fushsia

(KDIBenedetto)

3-8-6

8-1

6 Britt Van

(MForte)

8-1-2

12-1

8 Imallottocatch

(JTaggartJr)

7-4-2

10-1

SEVENTH: mile; pace; $4000; cl($2300)

7 KeystoneSwnger

(ASchwrtz)

5-1-2

9-2

1 Streetcar

(GMerton)

3-2-4

5-2

6 PharmReview

(KDIBenedett)

3-1-2

3-1

2 Poncho and Lefty

(CStratton)

7-5-1

8-1

3 MichaelCHnover

(JTaggrtJr)

1-4-6

4-1

4 Aristotle

(KSwitzerJr)

8-1-7

6-1

5 Mister Mystic N

(WParkerJr)

5-1-4

7-2

8 Snuff Box

(JDevaux)

8-3-2

12-1

NINTH: mile; pace; $4000; cl($2000)

4 Art S SpecialBoy

(WParkerJr)

3-5-7

7-2

7 Lima Favorite

(JTaggartJr)

4-5-7

3-1

6 Eagle Mcnair

(KDIBenedetto)

7-3-5

5-2

1 Mizuno

(MForte)

7-5-7

6-1

2 Isnt She Lovely

(CStratton)

7-6-4

4-1

3 Speeding David

(KSwitzerJr)

7-5-5

9-2

5 MorWinningWys

(GDeckerJr)

8-5-3

12-1

8 Amazida

(JDevaux)

3-8-4

10-1

TENTH: milee; trot; $4000; cond

7 Absolutely Certain

(MForte)

2-3-1

7-2

5 Beach Vacation

(MMerton)

1-6-5

9-2

1 Thirty Trips

(KSwitzerJr)

1-5-4

3-1

2 Over The Limit

(JDeSimone)

6-2-1

6-1

3 Motown Dreamgirl

(TGale)

5-5-4

12-1

4 Youll Miss Allot

(JTaggartJr)

7-6-2

8-1

6 CrestwdKtchMe

(CMcCrcken

2-3-4

4-1

8 Doner Dream

(WParkerJr)

6-1-8

5-2

ELEVENTH: mile; pace; $2700; cond

4 Countescape

(JMarohnJr)

5-2-1

5-2

1 Unending Love

(SMcaleese)

1-2-5

3-1

6 Style Guy

(JPrimeau)

2-3-7

7-2

2 Record Shows

(KSwitzerJr)

7-6-2

10-1

3 Shop it to Me

(MMerton)

7-6-3

4-1

5 CamDanKadandy

(JTaggrtJr)

8-2-10

12-1

7 A Week Late

(RHarp)

3-4-7

9-2

8 Dianas Jewel

(RVinci)

6-6-6

8-1

Allie Jae, Allie Jae, pace, mile

Nypost.com

Jack Dorsey is tossing yellow cabbies a nice tip.

The co-founder of Square, which enables merchants to take credit-card payments by phone plug-in, has created a technology to save hacks a nice chunk of change: part of the credit card processing fees.

Beginning next week, Dorsey is supplying 30 New York City taxis with Square-enabled iPads. The technology, which costs roughly $350 a pop, provides cabbies with a lower, flat rate on fares that are paid via plastic.

Fleets may withhold up to 5 percent of the credit-card fares from each driver, who pays out of pocket to cover the 3.5 percent fee paid to Creative Mobile Technologies and Verifone (the two current processing companies) and the additional 1.5 percent to the fleet owners to cover bookkeeping costs.

Square is offering a 2.75 percent flat-fee charge per swipe.

“Taxi drivers are among our most active and loyal users, with thousands of drivers around the country choosing Square as a more simple, cost-effective way to get paid for their work,” said a company spokesperson.

Passengers will also benefit.

The option of swiping their cards at any point during their trip eliminates waiting for and signing a receipt. There will also be apps for games, and maps for scouting out nearby restaurants and shops.

Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Chairman David Yassky, who recently gave Dorsey’s project the green light, feels everyone wins.

“The TLC is always looking to keep taxi technology on the cutting edge.

“This pilot program offers benefits to the riding public, the drivers, and even to the garages that would prefer to be out of the credit-card merchant business.

“Plus,” Yassky added, “a tablet-based system lets us actively compare the custom-tailored, but largely inflexible, platform that exists today with a more ‘off-the rack’ approach that would allow app developers to let their imaginations run wild.”

Jack Dorsey, Dorsey, credit card processing, Creative Mobile Technologies, Commissioner Chairman David Yassky, technology online, processing

Nypost.com

Mike Vaccaro
Follow Mike on Twitter

PHILADELPHIA — There comes a point when you wish you could spike the players’ Gatorade with sodium pentathol, let the truth serum take a tour through their bloodstream and their consciences, loosen their lips and unlock their most honest opinions.

Instead, all we have are our eyes.

Instead, all we have are these five games that the Knicks have played under Mike Woodson, five games that look entirely different than the 42 that came before them, five games which have altered the way the Knicks look at themselves and the way the rest of basketball looks at them, too.

KNICKS DEFEAT FIRST-PLACE 76ERS

“I guarantee you that Miami and Chicago sure don’t want to see the Knicks at 7 or 8 [in the playoff race],” Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said, a few hours before he got an up-close look at this Knicks team that is so radically different from the old one they should have a new nickname. “I can tell you that.”

The Knicks beat the Sixers last night, 82-79, won their first close game under Woodson and chopped a game off the Sixers’ lead in the Atlantic Division.

Ten days ago, the mere idea of mentioning the Knicks in any kind of chase for first place would have been ludicrous, especially because 10 days ago they had just gotten thumped by these Sixers, 106-94, a Garden humiliation that was really the final message delivered by the players to their former coach, a listless, uninspired afternoon that felt like the final light extinguished in a disappointing season.

Of course, that was then. This is now. Though the players remain diplomatic in their quotes and their commentary, the rest of us have no such restrictions. Let’s get a few plain truths out of the way:

1. The Knicks are playing better. They are playing smarter. Every one of them: the stars and the subs, role players and featured players. Every one plays better now than they did a week ago. Every one. The starkest, of course, is Amar’e Stoudemire, who spent most of this season looking badly in need of a wheelchair or a walker, but who now seems to turn in one highlight-reel play every game, last night’s remarkable block of an Elton Brand shot the keeper.

2. The Knicks aren’t just playing better. They’re playing different. Where before they looked like basketball was a chore, now they play with a joie de vivre that’s only supposed to exist over in the college brackets. Seriously: It isn’t just that Carmelo Anthony (whose shooting struggles continued with last night’s 5-for-15) isn’t the primary option in crunch time; it’s that he clearly doesn’t mind, either.

3. They defend. They defend early (the Sixers were stuck on 5 through 10 minutes of the first quarter) and they defend late (every time the Sixers had a chance to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter, the Knicks’ defense transformed into something out of 1994).

“Lots of defense, lots of rebounds,” Jeremy Lin said. “Lots of guts.”

“There is an urgency and a ferocity to us,” Tyson Chandler said.

Up and down the team you get euphemisms stacked upon euphemisms, and so nobody will actually say the two elusive statements that abound with crystal clarity now:

1. “We really like playing for Mike Woodson a lot.”

2. “We really didn’t like playing for Mike D'Antoni at all.”

Each game solidifies that point. Look, most coaching and managerial changes yield initial bursts of energy and prosperity. The Blazers fired their coach, Nate McMillan, then immediately walked into Chicago and beat the Bulls. But they were last spotted with tire tracks on their backs after getting butchered by the Bucks at home. It never lasts.

Only this one has. This is five in a row, with a chance to impossibly crawl back to .500 tomorrow night in Toronto. Three of those wins against playoff teams. Four of them blowouts, before last night, when they needed to play with focus and force to beat a first-place team. And did. In a way that would have been impossible to fathom not so long ago.

“We’re not playing for Mike Woodson,” Stoudemire said. “We’re playing for us.”

It’s just a different version of “us” than the one we saw until the Ides of March.

michael.vaccaro@nypost.com

Mike Woodson, Mike Woodson, Knicks, Mike VaccaroFollow Mike, Sixers, Sixers, The Knicks, Knicks team, Amar’e Stoudemire, Mike D'Antoni

Nypost.com

How about unlimited music with those headphones?

HTC’s Beats Electronics, whose high-end headphones have gained a celebrity following, is nearing a deal to acquire online music service MOG, sources said.

Like Spotify, Rdio and Rhapsody, MOG offers subscribers unlimited access to a robust catalog of songs and albums for up to $10 a month.

The sale would put MOG in the hands of HTC, a Taiwanese cellphone maker that acquired a 51 percent stake in Beats for $300 million last year.

HTC already sells handsets that come paired with Beats headphones and would be able to plug MOG’s service directly into its phones, a source with knowledge of the deal said.

Getty Images

Lil' Wayne and his blinged-up Beats headhpnes

“You can envision deep integration between HTC and MOG,” the source said.

The move also signals that MOG could eventually become a Beats-branded music service.

With headphones that sell for as much as $400 a pair, Beats has become a global music brand by recruiting key talent such as famed hip-hop producer Dr. Dre to help promote the headphones.

A similar marketing strategy — A-list music talent promoting MOG — could help broaden the appeal of music subscriptions.

MOG has 500,000 subscribers, but most of them sign up for the free level of service. MOG CEO David Hyman and his team are expected to stay on after the sale, a source said.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. A final deal is expected to be reached in the coming weeks barring any last-minute snags, sources said. Business Insider was the first to report on HTC’s interest in MOG.

HTC still has to negotiate with the major music labels for any uses of MOG’s song catalog that go beyond the original contracts, a music industry source said.

However, the music labels are interested in the potential of pairing a subscription service with a company like HTC, which can distribute music through hardware worldwide, the source said.

gsloane@nypost.com

MOG, HTC, unlimited music, Dr. Dre, headphones, music service

Nypost.com

Yesterday’s racing was canceled due to unsafe track conditions.

FIRST-1m; $5,700; mdn cl($5,000); 3up; (f&m)

2-Fortyfivejewels

2-1

1-Rbylngstckngs

10-1

3-Theycallmetrxe

5-2

4-I Ain't Afraid

4-1

5-Shady Secret

6-1

6-Hum Along Lil

5-1

SECOND-4 1/2f; $6,400; mdn cl($8,000); 3up; (f&m)

6-Saloon Dancer

6-1

3-Vicky's Gold

8-1

7-Knoxville

3-1

4-Jila's Berry

5-1

1-Tribal Force

4-1

5-Oh So Golden

6-1

2-Looking Golden

6-1

THIRD-5 1/2f; $5,800; str alw; 3up

1-No Mo Bambino

4-1

4-Swiss Alpine

3-1

7-Outa Crown

5-1

5-Bettingonthefly

4-1

3-Summer Snow

7-2

6-Matuco

6-1

2-Stonewall Riot

6-1

FOURTH-6f; $5,500; cl($3,000); 3up

4-Edgewick Road

5-2

3-Expert This

6-1

2-HonorAmongUs

5-1

1a-B'sLckyStrke

4-1

6-Pivot Pad

7-2

6-The Phenom

10-1

1-a-Pursuxit

4-1

7-OkieDokiePetey

8-1

a-Coupled

FIFTH-1 1/8m(T); $8,200; str stk; 3up

Turf Distance Series Stakes

3-F D Icy

7-2

5-Quarta Coroa

6-1

4-Bodacat

3-1

6-Two Turns

8-1

2-Siberian Punch

8-1

7-Ballet Way

5-2

1-Keen Bidder

6-1

8-We GotDaFeva

10-1

SIXTH-6f; $6,000; cl($3,200); 3up; (f&m)

4-Havasu

6-1

5-Rasin a Delight

4-1

1-Lady Jila

3-1

6-RainbowWever

8-1

3-SchrimshawFlls

5-1

7-Sky Brite Miss

7-2

2-Aintnomsbehvn

6-1

SEVENTH-5 1/2f; $11,000; mdn opt clm; 3up; (f&m)

6-Orient Rose

7-2

2-Society Rose

5-1

5-Good Mango

4-1

3-Lexicon'sBank

15-1

7-English Rhythm

3-1

4-ConstanceSpce

5-1

1-Kitty Be Quick

10-1

8-A Train Alexis

5-1

EIGHTH-1 1/8m(T); $8,200; str stk; 3up

Turf Distance Series Stakes

4-FavoriteMeetng

4-1

6-Ferndale Sal

20-1

1-Free Beer

3-1

7-Rogue River

5-1

3-Dynamalt

2-1

8-Katie's Dan

12-1

2-KfwnSecreMD

15-1

9-AwesmeTccet

20-1

5-Langfuhrious

15-1

NINTH-6f; $5,500; cl($3,500) 3up

4-Ironsides

9-2

2-Nathan'sSpecl

10-1

3-SovenrSmmer

10-1

6-Rexburg

6-1

5-Brodmeister

4-1

7-Last Blend

12-1

1-Karmalize

5-1

8-D'wildbunch

8-5

cl, mdn

Nypost.com

George Willis
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Blog: By George

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- It’s impossible to walk into The Pit and not feel the 1983 Final Four. Or maybe it’s just me, because I actually was in the building that weekend when March Madness really began.

Twenty-nine years later, it seems everybody was there, witnessing Jim Valvano’s North Carolina State Wolfpack beating the powerful Houston Cougars in one of the most improbable upsets in NCAA tournament history.

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan was there with his father, Butch Ryan, a Philadelphia coach who was attending the coaches convention annually held at the Final Four. For the Ryans, it was an annual voyage that landed them in Albuquerque.

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Bo Ryan had a rooting interest once Georgia, Houston, Louisville and North Carolina State reached the finals. Nineteen years earlier, Ryan had attended a basketball camp in the Poconos, were Valvano had served as a coach.

“I was rooting for Valvano,” Ryan said this week.

The NCAA tournament returned to The Pit this weekend with Ryan’s Wisconsin team playing Vanderbilt in an East Region game last night, and Colorado facing Baylor in the South Region. The winners advanced to the Sweet 16 in their march to the Final Four in New Orleans.

They play the Final Four in stadiums now. The last time it was played in a gym was in The Pit. The place is still loud. Built into the ground, there’s no place for the sound of 15,000 fans go but in your ears.

“Great basketball facility,” Ryan said. “Had good seats, you know. It wasn’t in one of those big places. It was in a basketball venue, basketball atmosphere. Really, really good atmosphere. That’s what I remember.”

Much of The Pit was rooting against Wisconsin in yesterday’s third-round game. The Commodores’ senior guard, Jeffery Taylor, is from nearby Hobbs, N.M. Four years ago, he won a state championship at The Pit and graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer. This weekend, he had hundreds of friends and family cheering for him.

“When the pairings were announced, as fate would have it, I was sitting right next to Jeff,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. “He was the most excited guy on the planet that we were coming to New Mexico to play in the NCAA tournament.”

A huge portrait of Lorenzo Charles dunking Dereck Whittenburg’s air ball now hangs in the corridor of The Pit. It’s part of a 1983 salute that includes a picture of Valvano trying to find someone to hug.

Valvano could have hugged me. A college senior at nearby New Mexico State, I was recruited (I begged) by the New Mexico sports information office to help the media. My job was to sit on the baseline under the basket and keep the photographers in their proper slots. I was closer to Charles when he made the winning dunk than Hakeem Olajuwon was.

Everyone remembers N.C. State beating Houston, but the better game was Louisville versus the Cougars in the semifinals. That’s when the Doctors of Dunk met Phi Slama Jama. It was played above the rim — way above the rim.

Olajuwon and Clyde “The Glide” Drexler against Milt Wagner and the McCray brothers, Rodney and Scooter. When Houston won, 94-81, no one gave North Carolina State a chance.

The rest is history, a snapshot of where the Madness really began. Now we wait each March for more upsets, knowing it’s always possible for the underdog to win and send a coach looking for a hug.

george.willis@nypost.com

North Carolina State Wolfpack, Houston Cougars, Houston, North Carolina State, North Carolina State, Bo Ryan, Jim Valvano, Butch Ryan, NCAA tournament

Nypost.com