Double Whammy

The NBA schedule maker plays some cruel tricks from time to time. Take the 76ers. Two nights after the Seattle SuperSonics hit three-point shots from just about every spot on the floor, the San Antonio Spurs enter the Wachovia Center tonight to present their own special brand of challenges to a defense, led by 6-foot-11 inside force Tim Duncan. Take the Sixers' Marc Jackson. He gets to go head-to-head tonight against Duncan, a two-time NBA most valuable player, take two days off, then find himself facing off Sunday night against the massive Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat.

A state appeals court has dealt a double blow to city police officers' effort to overturn the four-year labor contract awarded last March by an arbitration panel. In an opinion released yesterday, Commonwealth Court not only upheld a lower court's ruling enforcing most of the award, but also reversed the only portion of that decision favoring police. Commonwealth Court dismissed all arguments that the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 had raised against Common Pleas Judge Gene Cohen's May ruling that sided with the city.

The Second Annual Rock-A-Rama festival at Penn's Landing yesterday ended with a double whammy. A reunion of American Bandstand dancers, postponed by rain on Sunday, moved into the schedule along with '50s vintage musical performers - including Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker - to make everything copacetic. Also on tap were Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Howdy Doody look- alikes, a bubblegum-blowing contest, and the search for the world's biggest beehive hairdo.

Today, folks, as an extra added attraction, we have a Friday the 13th that comes complete with a full moon. How's that for a double whammy? A double whammy is what it may be to some folks, but not to Michael Grossman, a psychic from South Philadelphia. "This shouldn't be a bad day at all," said Grossman. "In numerology, the 1 and 3 of the date add to four, a number that represents the common person who shares equally and who is equal in importance to all other persons.

ATLANTA - One expert calls it a "double whammy" - the combination of older mothers and fertility treatments, and the resulting increase in the birthrate of twins. While it's long been known that twin births have increased, a government report issued Wednesday shows by just how much. One in every 30 babies born in the United States is a twin, the report says - an astounding increase over the last three decades. In 1980, only 1 in every 53 babies was a twin. "When people say it seems like you see more twins nowadays, they're right," said Joyce Martin, an epidemiologist who cowrote the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

Curt Schilling picked up the newspapers yesterday morning and read Mets righthander Pete Harnisch was physically unable to make his scheduled start Sunday against the Giants at 3Com Park. Harnisch told team officials he couldn't make his start because of the effects related to his quitting smokeless tobacco during spring training. The Mets placed him on the 15-day disabled list yesterday. The story was a double whammy for the Phillies' ace. One, Harnisch is a close friend from their days as Houston Astros teammates.

LONDON - The defense was stifling, even suffocating at times. The U.S. women put on a clinic Tuesday, forcing the Canadians to take bad shots or not allowing them to shoot at all. The Americans, who cruised into the semifinals of the Olympic basketball tournament with a 91-48 rout, harassed Canada into three shot-clock violations in the first seven minutes. "It's one thing to miss a shot, but to not be able to get a shot off says a lot about your defense," said U.S. coach Geno Auriemma, who grew up in Norristown.

LONDON - The defense was stifling, even suffocating at times. The U.S. women put on a clinic Tuesday, forcing the Canadians to take bad shots or not allowing them to shoot at all. The Americans, who cruised into the semifinals of the Olympic basketball tournament with a 91-48 rout, harassed Canada into three shot-clock violations in the first 7 minutes. "It's one thing to miss a shot, but to not be able to get a shot off says a lot about your defense," U.S. coach Geno Auriemma said.

Once again, the Earth has survived. Unless typing at this terminal is Heaven - and it's clearly far from Hell - no rapture or disaster happened overnight, contrary to movie-inspiring misreadings of Mayan calendars. Add that to the list of dead-wrong prophecies about the end of the world. Here are 10 previous apocalyptic flops: 1. Radio preacher's dud and redux. California evangelist Harold Camping said he could "absolutely guarantee," based on his Bible-based math, that on May 21, 2011, a grave-opening earthquake would let 200 million blessed souls get "caught up" or "raptured" into Heaven, while remaining billions would feel "horror and chaos" until Oct. 21, "when God will completely destroy this earth.

PITTSBURGH - Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was asked to name one or two Flyers his team most had to worry about stopping during the Eastern Conference final that began last night at Mellon Arena. He didn't really want to point at anyone specifically, but a name popped out of his mouth. "If we go on this year, I would say [R.J.] Umberger and the way he's playing right now," Crosby said. And who could blame him? Coming into this playoff series, Umberger presented a double whammy.

Once again, the Earth has survived. Unless typing at this terminal is Heaven - and it's clearly far from Hell - no rapture or disaster happened overnight, contrary to movie-inspiring misreadings of Mayan calendars. Add that to the list of dead-wrong prophecies about the end of the world. Here are 10 previous apocalyptic flops: 1. Radio preacher's dud and redux. California evangelist Harold Camping said he could "absolutely guarantee," based on his Bible-based math, that on May 21, 2011, a grave-opening earthquake would let 200 million blessed souls get "caught up" or "raptured" into Heaven, while remaining billions would feel "horror and chaos" until Oct. 21, "when God will completely destroy this earth.

VILLANOVA ISN'T just glad to be back here. Even though the Wildcats went 2-9 last year and were picked to finish eighth in the Colonial Athletic Association. That's yesterday's news. At 8-3, they're in the 20-team FCS playoff field once again, with an automatic bid after winning a four-team tiebreaker. They didn't get a home game, as they did in 2009 when they won the national title. Or even a week off, as they did 2 years ago, when they still won twice on the road to get to the national semifinals, where they nearly won another against the eventual national champion.

LONDON - The defense was stifling, even suffocating at times. The U.S. women put on a clinic Tuesday, forcing the Canadians to take bad shots or not allowing them to shoot at all. The Americans, who cruised into the semifinals of the Olympic basketball tournament with a 91-48 rout, harassed Canada into three shot-clock violations in the first seven minutes. "It's one thing to miss a shot, but to not be able to get a shot off says a lot about your defense," said U.S. coach Geno Auriemma, who grew up in Norristown.

LONDON - The defense was stifling, even suffocating at times. The U.S. women put on a clinic Tuesday, forcing the Canadians to take bad shots or not allowing them to shoot at all. The Americans, who cruised into the semifinals of the Olympic basketball tournament with a 91-48 rout, harassed Canada into three shot-clock violations in the first 7 minutes. "It's one thing to miss a shot, but to not be able to get a shot off says a lot about your defense," U.S. coach Geno Auriemma said.

ATLANTA - One expert calls it a "double whammy" - the combination of older mothers and fertility treatments, and the resulting increase in the birthrate of twins. While it's long been known that twin births have increased, a government report issued Wednesday shows by just how much. One in every 30 babies born in the United States is a twin, the report says - an astounding increase over the last three decades. In 1980, only 1 in every 53 babies was a twin. "When people say it seems like you see more twins nowadays, they're right," said Joyce Martin, an epidemiologist who cowrote the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

Shelley DeLaurentis gets a little annoyed every time she's asked how she and husband Michael coped with what Shelley refers to as their double whammy - two of their three children suffering from life-threatening diseases. In particular, caring for the youngest, cancer-stricken Susanna, until the inevitable end. The question suggests they had an alternative. Of course, no parent ever does. "I never really dwelled on it," says Shelley, 62, a slight woman with a no-nonsense haircut and a familiar demeanor.

CINCINNATI - Households reeling from gasoline now costing near $4 also face bigger bills for everything from changing their babies' diapers to wiping their noses to treating themselves to ice cream. Major makers of everyday consumer products and groceries say they have to raise prices to offset soaring costs for their fuel as well as the materials and ingredients that go into their products. Retailers are trying to pass that along at the cash register, adding pressure on a sluggish U.S. economic recovery.

PITTSBURGH - Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was asked to name one or two Flyers his team most had to worry about stopping during the Eastern Conference final that began last night at Mellon Arena. He didn't really want to point at anyone specifically, but a name popped out of his mouth. "If we go on this year, I would say [R.J.] Umberger and the way he's playing right now," Crosby said. And who could blame him? Coming into this playoff series, Umberger presented a double whammy.

The NBA schedule maker plays some cruel tricks from time to time. Take the 76ers. Two nights after the Seattle SuperSonics hit three-point shots from just about every spot on the floor, the San Antonio Spurs enter the Wachovia Center tonight to present their own special brand of challenges to a defense, led by 6-foot-11 inside force Tim Duncan. Take the Sixers' Marc Jackson. He gets to go head-to-head tonight against Duncan, a two-time NBA most valuable player, take two days off, then find himself facing off Sunday night against the massive Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat.

She should have held. Two and a half years after Martha Stewart sold her stake in ImClone Systems Inc., netting a profit of nearly $167,000 just before the stock's plunge, the company and its shares have come roaring back. ImClone's lead compound is poised to become a blockbuster in the fight against colon cancer. The decision to sell has got to be doubly painful for the home-and-garden diva. Had Stewart held on to her 3,928 shares, the value of her holdings would have grown by $85,000, based on the stock's recent surge.