NY mobster denied furlough from house arrest to see Rangers game with family

A Brooklyn judge has rejected a Genovese mobster's unusual request for a furlough from house arrest so he could take his wife and kids to the New York Rangers hockey game on Sunday.

According to the N.Y. Daily News, federal Judge Pamela Chen denied Felice Masullo's request to see the team battle the Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden without giving a reason. Masullo's probation officer had objected because it would set a bad precedent, according to court papers. Prosecutors in the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's office took no position on the request.

Masullo is confined to his home from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. for six months as part of his sentence for illegal gambling.

And the puck drops at 7:30.

"I'm sure he'll have a happy Christmas with his family regardless," said his disappointed defense lawyer Brendan White.

Wadda ya think this is ... Goodfellas?

Bruce Springsteen rocks Duke-UCLA game at Madison Square Garden (PHOTO)

Those weren't boos you heard at Madison Square Garden Thursday night during the Duke-UCLA game, they were calls for Bruuuuce — as in Bruce Springsteen.

The Boss himself was spotted sitting courtside rooting for the Blue Devils with his Duke undergrad daughter Jessica while the whole place was rocking.

The Yankees cap was a nice touch.

Bruce Springsteen, college basketball fan. pic.twitter.com/C3n2GIttCR
— Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) December 20, 2013

It sure wasn't the first time the pride of New Jersey heard those calls in this venue, but even Springsteen had to be thrilled watching another Big Man, Jabari Parker lay down this monster jam.

Coughlin questions Eli about facing Lions behind second-string 'O' line: Report

To call it throwing Eli Manning to the Lions might be an understatement. Ford Field might not be the Coliseum, but all signs point to a thumbs-down day for the Giants quarterback this Sunday.

The Giants' offensive line is so banged up and depleted, relying on the last remnants of the depth chart, that Tom Coughlin had to ask Manning if he was comfortable enough to play a meaningless game (for the Giants at least) behind it against one of the league's most ferocious defensive fronts.

"As a matter of fact, we've talked about this,'' Coughlin said. "He wants to play and he's looking forward to playing and competing and having a better game. I wouldn't expect anything different.''

Manning downplayed his conversation with Coughlin as less than a passing chat.

"It never came up as a question whether I wanted to play or not, and I never thought about it any other way but going out there and playing,'' Manning said. "I want to compete. I want to make improvements and try to run this offense more efficiently and go out there and try to do the best I can and try to get a win.''

The Lions, on the other hand, will be playing for their playoff lives and Manning might end up being fresh meat for Detroit's Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley with the Giants'  patchwork protection. 

Manning, who has played 149 consecutive games,  already has been sacked a career-high 36 times this season. Last week against the physical Seahawks he had to cower and curl up to avoid injury by the third snap of the game.

Protection has been an issue all season, as have injuries to the line. Both current starting guards — David Diehl and James Brewer — missed practice Wednesday, and those guys were already backups to previously injured starters. That left Dallas Reynolds and Brandon Mosley taking reps on either side of Kevin Boothe, who had to slide to center several weeks ago when the Giants lost backup Jim Cordle for the season after putting projected starter David Baas on IR.

"You want to be out there protecting your guys and fighting with your teammates,'' said Diehl, who suffered a knee injury in Sunday's game. "Yeah, it definitely plays in your mind.''

One can only hope Manning isn't in for a reality check.

"I think our guys, they'll be ready,'' Manning said. "They'll compete. Hopefully, we get some guys back, but whoever is in there we'll handle, we'll have a good plan and have all the faith in the world they'll do a good job.''

That may require more than faith, though.

"We're not going to put a new guy playing one-on-one on Suh all day and take seven-step drops and pump and go this way and that way,'' Manning said. "You've got to be smart about it in a sense, but you've still got to run our offense, and we'll make the best of it.''

Danica Patrick like you've never seen her before (VIDEO)

Fans of Danica Patrick were no doubt shocked to see her drastic new appearance while filming a television commercial for Go Daddy on Wednesday. The NASCAR driver was spotted looking incredibly muscular while filming the spot at a Los Angeles location.

But Patrick didn’t magically buff up overnight.  She was actually sporting a rather realistic muscle suit while running alongside a host of shirtless muscle-bound men as the cameras rolled.

Along with the muscle suit – which had more bulging veins than a Stallone double-feature – the pretty brunette wore a black sports bra, tiny lime green shorts and mullet-style hairdo.

Patrick is starring in the commercial for Internet domain company Go Daddy, which will air during one of the highly coveted and expensive ad spots during February 2014’s Super Bowl.

The 31-year-old Patrick has been featured in sexy Go Daddy Super Bowl commercials for several years but said she would be turning down the heat factor in the new spots.

It looks like she traded the lace for latex.

Dutch prostitutes want same retirement benefits as pro soccer players: Report

One prefers goalie nets while the other fancies fishnets but they both get paid to score — so now Dutch prostitutes want the same retirement tax benefits as professional soccer players.

The red light ladies claim both gigs are hard “physical jobs” that call for workers to retire early after their physical skills have diminished, the Dutch paper Volkskrant reports.

“Footballers and prostitutes both do a difficult physical job that they cannot do their whole life. Therefore, they would like to be able to save as much as they can,” said Wil Post, a lawyer for Freya, a company planning to open brothels in Utrecht.

He wants Dutch authorities to cough up roughly $7,000 a month in a tax-free pension plan — the same amount soccer players get.

“Men prefer young women: there always comes an age when prostitutes no longer get any work,” he told AFP.

“It can take a prostitute more than 10 years to stop working because she’s trapped, as she can’t save money.”

Prostitution has been legal and regulated in the Netherlands since 2000. Hookers score perks like health care, unemployment benefits and an annual salary — which is generally low.

Dutch authorities declined to comment.

Andrea Bargnani almost blows game with boneheaded shot (VIDEO)

Whether it's Italian or English, finding words to describe Andrea Bargnani's boneheaded overtime heave for the Knicks during Wednesday's game against the Bucks won't be necessary.

The reaction from the Knicks bench says it all — in any language.

The Knicks were up two in overtime, with only eleven seconds remaining, and they had the game in hand. Simply hold onto the ball, get fouled, make a couple free throws and go home happy.

Remember. These are the Knicks.

So Bargnani gets the pass and, from behind the arc, fires up a dumb shot that clanks off the rim. Milwaukee rebounded the ball and scored just as the extra period ended. 

How do you say bonehead in Italian? Osso testa?

Luckily for the Knicks, the team outlasted the Bucks, 107-101, in two OTs. 

Father forces young son to run alongside car for ‘football training’ (VIDEO)

A controversial video has surfaced showing a father forcing his young son to run alongside his car for “football training” while using expletives to encourage him go faster.

The little boy, only about 5-years old, does his best to keep up with the large vehicle while running in Crocks but — as the disturbing video shows — it's not good enough for the father who barks out commands.

"We're going eight miles per hour. Come on. Pick that s--t up," the unidentified father calls.

"This is how we train for football," he says in a Texas drawl. "Daddy drives while you run. Get your little a-- in shape."

Once outside their home the boy momentarily stops, bends over and complains about his hip hurting.

"I don't want to hear about no excuses," the father replies. "Do you want to play for the Texans or the Cowboys?"

Obeying his father’s orders, the boy starts running again as the man’s honking vehicle trails him up a driveway from just feet behind.

"OK, I've got him up to 10 now," says the satisfied father.

Next stop, the SEC or DFPS.