Nix

THERE'S AN an old saying that behind every great man is a great woman. Apart from its obvious sexist slant, there was considerable truth to the maxim in the case of former Pennsylvania Chief Justice Robert N.C. Nix Jr. and his wife, German-born Renate Elizabeth Nix. "She was very supportive of him," said her daughter, Kimberly Bernhard. "She was the backup. " She traveled with her husband on his many trips on judicial business, took care of the entertainment, and generally helped ease the burdens of his presiding over the state's highest court.

IT TAKES an impressive amount of personal security to stand in front of 45,000 fans and know that you have a two-in-three chance of failing at your job. But that doesn't make baseball players immune from the desire for affirmation. Take Laynce Nix and Ty Wigginton. For seven innings Sunday, both men watched as one of the game's top lefthanded starters mowed down the Mets like a brand-new John Deere. The performance they witnessed was unlike most that they had seen in places like Cincinnati and Washington and others (Nix)

THE MINNESOTA Vikings and a source close to Bill Parcells both shot down a published report that the franchise was pursuing the former coach to "run the show. " According to the report in Wednesday's New York Post , Parcells, who is being courted by New Orleans to serve as interim coach while Sean Payton serves his yearlong suspension, said Vikings owner Zygi Wilf told him to "name his price" to oversee the organization and coach the team. "There is no truth to the media reports," said Vikings publicist Bob Hagan.

F OUR big-city mayors, including Mayor Nutter, took a road-trip to Harrisburg on Tuesday to object to a bill that would let gun-rights activists sue cities that require their citizens to report lost or stolen firearms. The bill would allow any gun owner challenging the local ordinances to collect attorneys' fees and damages from the city that passed the ordinance. State lawmakers in 2008 rejected a bill requiring the timely reporting of lost or stolen handguns, but 48 municipalities, including Philly, passed local laws requiring such reporting.

A Commonwealth Court judge yesterday rejected an attempt to knock state Sen. Larry Farnese off the April 24 Democratic primary election ballot. Jack Morley Jr., who is running as a Democrat for the 1st Senatorial District, claimed in his legal challenge that Farnese should be disqualified due to alleged problems with his campaign-finance reports dating back to 2008. Senior Judge Rochelle Friedman told Morley that state law provides other means for voters to complain about the contents of campaign-finance laws.

THE JUDGE in Jerry Sandusky's 52-count child sex-abuse case is rejecting a defense attorney's request for a two-month delay in the expected mid-May start of trial. Judge John Cleland issued an eight-page order yesterday that said pushing back the trial would be done only as a last resort, and would require concrete reasons to justify it. Cleland is giving Sandusky attorney Joe Amendola three extra weeks to file a catch-all pretrial motion that had been due today. Sandusky, 68, denies allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct involving 10 victims over 15 years.

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The baseball offseason has not always been kind to Laynce Nix. Even though the 31-year-old outfielder has more than six years of major-league experience, he had never received a phone call from his agent in the offseason saying, "Hey, this team would love to sign you to a big-league contract, what do you think?" A year ago, he had to wait until February before he received a minor-league offer from the Washington Nationals. Then he hit 15 home runs in 324 at-bats, marking the third time in his career that he put up double-digit home runs as a part-time player.

THE FIGHT for control of a prominent West Philadelphia mosque has taken a new turn. Common Pleas Judge Idee Fox yesterday dismissed a request for an emergency injunction sought in January by elected officials of the Philadelphia Masjid, 47th Street and Wyalusing Avenue, in response to a hostile takeover by a rival faction calling itself the "concerned believers. " Fox had ordered each side to submit a list of names to form a committee that would oversee the election and determine voter eligibility.

CANADIAN freestyle skier Sarah Burke's agent and her publicist were teary-eyed at a hospital yesterday in Salt Lake City as they tried to explain the lack of any prognosis report for the Olympic favorite. Burke, 29, was seriously injured Jan. 10 in a training accident at the superpipe in Park City, Utah, and 6 days later remained sedated on a breathing tube as doctors tested her brain functions. Reporters gathered at the University of Utah Hospital for what was expected to be a discussion by doctors of Burke's most recent neurological tests and assessments.

A CONTROVERSIAL bill that would have allowed gigantic wall-wrap advertising on a single building near the Vine Expressway officially died yesterday as City Council wrapped its last session of the year. As promised, Mayor Nutter vetoed the legislation sponsored by Councilman Frank DiCicco that would have permitted the advertising on a building at 7th and Willow streets - site of previous lawsuits and fines related to an illegally erected ad. DiCicco managed to get the measure passed Dec. 1 with 12 votes - the number needed to override a veto - but some of those supporters were uneasy after letters from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and City Solicitor Shelley Smith warned the measure could have jeopardized federal highway funding.