Jose Canseco (Photo: Getty)

After traveling to Albany last month to support State Senator Jeff Klein's push to ban the nutritional supplement DMAA, baseball great, reality television star, MMA fighter, admitted steroid user, author and social media enthusiast Jose Canseco's latest cause seems to be the number of deaths linked to sugary drinks. After Mr. Canseco took to Twitter this evening to urge the president to "declare war on sugar," Politicker asked whether he'd be interested in teaming up with a man who is perhaps the nation's most high-profile anti-sugar crusader--Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"maybe your next mayor isnt bloomberg a lame duck," Mr. Canseco tweeted, referring to the fact Mr. Bloomberg is in the last few months of his administration.

We informed Mr. Canseco that Mayor Bloomberg still has some time left in office and also seems poised to use his vast personal fortune to advocate for his pet causes once he leaves City Hall. Upon hearing this, the former Major League slugger said he would be interested in working with the mayor if he continues his anti-sugar efforts.

"I would partner with Mike if he keeps fighting sugar," tweeted Mr. Canseco.

We also reached out to the mayor's office to see whether they would be interested in having Mr. Canseco serve as a spokesman for their public health initiatives. As of this writing, we have yet to receive a response.

Inaugural Cheez Its.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For most Americans, the phrase Inaugural Ball conjures up images of the commander in chief and first lady clad in full evening dress taking a waltz on the dance floor. If you'd like to maintain that illusion of grandeur when 2016 rolls around, Politicker humbly suggests you stay home and watch the festivities on television, because the reality is far less glamorous. Last night's main Inaugural Ball was like a low rent prom complete with a gym-like venue, chips standing in for hors d'oeuvres and 80's music. Amid all these cut-rate accoutrements and incongruously overdressed guests, we also spotted a basketball legend, a dancing congresswoman and, of course, the president.

The route into the ball, which was held inside the Washington Convention Center, took guests decked out in black tie through a number of security checkpoints that left them waiting in lines stretching for blocks outside. Once in the ball, the situation wasn't much better. Escalators took guests down into a cavernous hall that, apart from a few light displays and several presidential seals people lined up to pose in front of, had few decorations to disguise the fact the space was essentially a massive cement hangar.

Though the crowd was wearing their finest and paid about $200 for the privilege of attending, the only food they were treated to was two varieties of pretzels and Cheez Its on paper plates. We spotted at least one guest snapping photos of the chip buffet.

"No one is going to believe they had Cheez Its at the ball!" she exclaimed.

Those who wished to imbibe needed to endure a lengthy wait to purchase drink tickets before a separate long line at the cash bar.

Musical acts performed on a stage in one corner of the room, but you probably had a better view at home as most areas of the huge convention hall had no view of the stage and most ball guests were trapped in line for drinks long enough to miss a substantial portion of the show. Highlights of the concert included Alicia Keys, who performed a remixed version of her hit "Girl On Fire" that must have alarmed the Secret Service agents in attendance.

"Obama's on fire," she sang. "Obama's on fire."

When President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, took the stage for their ceremonial dance, Jennifer Hudson performed a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together." Their appearance caused guests to surge towards the stage or any corner of the room where they could get a glimpse of the first couple.

Initially, we didn't see any high-profile guests in the crowd, but after wandering the massive room we found a cordoned off area for "special guests." This elite section of the ball featured the same sad Cheez It and pretzel spread, but at least the drinks were free. Like a vision from a fever dream, we suddenly saw Knicks legend Patrick Ewing, who seemed to be have the only celebrity in the crowd, attempting to order a drink at the bar while contending with a steady stream of fans asking for his photo.

We asked Mr. Ewing about the speculation he could join the coaching staff of the Brooklyn Nets in the wake of the team firing head coach Avery Johnson last month. Mr. Ewing, who coached in Orlando and Houston after his playing career, said he hadn't heard from the Nets, but he would gladly take any coaching job.

"I'm willing to join any team, just give me the opportunity," Mr. Ewing said. "Just give me the opportunity anywhere, Brooklyn, New York, everywhere and anywhere."

Politicker also shared our personal story of giving up our Knicks fandom due to the way the team treated Mr. Ewing in his later years and eventually defecting to root for the Nets.

"I appreciate that," Mr. Ewing said.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney cutting a rug at the Inaugural Ball.

On our way out, we saw another familiar face, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who was working her way through the crowd with her two daughters and a young man. Ms. Maloney grabbed our hand and pulled us along with her.

"You having fun or covering the event?" she asked.

When we informed her we were indeed covering the event she expressed her sympathies. A few moments later the DJ put on Madonna and when the pop diva commanded, "dance and sing, get up and do your thing," the congresswoman dutifully obeyed.

"We've got to dance!" she shouted back to us as she spun away.

(Photo: Getty)

Notre Dame University's star linebacker Manti Te'o, has been the subject of nonstop controversy since Deadspin revealed his story of personal tragedy--namely his girlfriend's death--had been nothing more than a prominent hoax.

In the storm of news coverage discussing Mr. Te'o's non-girlfriend, many have argued the football player promulgated the lie, but outspoken Queens Councilman Peter Vallone has come to Mr. Te'os defense.

"seems to me like manti teo is a great kid who got scammed by really bad people and then couldnt figure out a way to get out of it which wouldnt be very embarassing for the school and himself," Mr. Vallone wrote on Facebook. "remember all of these so called statements he made were in response to questions. it's not like he was putting out press releases. we should be going after the people who would do this to another person, not him."

In a subsequent Facebook post, Mr. Vallone noted many NFL teams have professional players accused of much worse, including the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis, who was indicted on murder charges and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, once accused of rape.

‎“'hoax coud make NFL teams anti-manti'. Really?" he asked, referencing the upcoming draft. "They celebrate Ray and Ben but draw the line at saying u met your online hoax girlfriend? smh."

This is not the first time Mr. Vallone has commented on sports sensations in the news. At the height of then-Knicks player Jeremy Lin's popularity, for example, Mr. Vallone wrote, “so since i cant see jeremy lin on cable because MSG wants a 53% increase, i did the next best thing and took my daughters to applebees last night and had the ‘sizzling asian’ special.”

He then told a couple of his offended Facebook friends to lighten up, noting he is "going back to applebees now to have the 'italian special' to make me feel better."

Governor Cuomo's vessel.

Earlier today, Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his annual "State of the State" speech where he presented a broad plan to transform the state through various legislative measures and executive actions. Once such action that Mr. Cuomo seemed particularly pleased with was his plan for a new whitewater rafting challenge in the Upstate Adirondacks.

"I believe if they see Upstate New York, they will come back, but we need to make that happen," Mr. Cuomo said of the region's tourism capability. "For example, New York has some of the best whitewater rafting in the nation, I bet you maybe that you didn't even know that. So this year, we're going to sponsor a national rafting competition called, 'The Adirondack Challenge.'"

While Mr. Cuomo didn't elaborate on the event's specifics, he did proceed to jokingly promise Albany's legislative leaders will be getting in on the rafting action.

"We are going to have a special part of the Adirondack competition, which can be between government officials," he continued. "And we're going to start a politician division, actually. We're going to have a set of rules that were very carefully drafted and reviewed by [the state's] counsel."

Mr. Cuomo's "rules" for the political rafting poked fun at state government's occasionally contentious, divided atmosphere where Democrats control the State Assembly and a mostly-Republican conference rules over the State Senate.

"First rule, you must have at least six people in the rafts. The teams must be co-ed, preferably even divided," he continued as the audience laughed. "Rafters must be bona fide government employees for at least six months and they must have been hired before today. All rafters must paddle, no freeloaders. This is not government. Identical rafts and identical equipment will be provided among the teams, of course, except for necessary security reasons."

To illustrate the different components of the competition, Mr. Cuomo showed comical images that placed Speaker Shelly Silver and the Senate's bipartisan co-leaders, Dean Skelos and Jeff Klein, on rafts.

"There will be a number of challenges. The first challenge will be the 'Executive to the Assembly Challenge.' Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, avid outsdoorsman, mountaineer, will be the captain of the Assembly raft if he so chooses. Next challenge will be the Senate challenge with co-leaders Skelos--" Mr. Cuomo explained, letting the audience's laughter interrupt him before he said Mr. Klein's name. "Guys you have to paddle the same way! Guys, paddle the same way."

Mr. Cuomo also mocked himself and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was in attendance at the speech, with additional slides in the presentation.

"We'll have a New Year's Day, New York City and we have the S.S. Bloomberg. Mayor Bloomberg always looks good doing whatever he's doing," he said. "I will have my own team. I will have my Brawny paper towel shirt that I'm wearing. I will have an identical raft that is identical in all ways except the state police insist that because I respond to so many emergencies on such a frequent basis now, my raft needs an engine. Otherwise it'll be the same."

He concluded, "That will be the Adirondack Challenge, it is scheduled for this year. I hope that the challenge is accepted and I hope that we are all successful."

Jumaane Williams (Photo: Facebook)

Brooklyn Councilman Jumaane Williams is one of the biggest Knicks fans in City government and, though he said he had a personal "struggle" over whether to back the newly-arrived Brooklyn Nets, he's sticking with his team. Mr. Williams revealed his decision to Politicker when we asked him about Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz's statement earlier today that Brooklynites who "support, cheer or root for the Manhattan Knicks" are "treasonous."

"It's something I've grappled with....It's very, very tough, but I think I'm Brooklyn enough. Nobody can question my Brooklyn-ness, not even Marty Markowitz," Mr. Williams said. "I've decided this fall to take my talents back to the Garden."

Mr. Williams said the decision was a "struggle" for him because he is a proud, native Brooklynite.

"I'm Brooklyn. I'm Brooklyn. I'm born-and-bred diehard Brooklyn. I believe I reek, smell of Brooklyn wherever I go and I'm very proud of that. And I'm a basketball fan, I've been a Knicks fan for life, so it was a struggle," said the Councilman with an audible sigh. "They're [the Nets] doing their thing now. The colors look good, you know, you see the Brooklyn. It's just tough and I'm sort of sad."

As he wrestled with the decision, Mr. Williams dipped his digital toes in the Nets' waters.

"I've got to tell you, I did try to play with the Nets on my XBox, my 2K13, and I just couldn't do it."

Though he ultimately chose to stick with the Knicks, Mr. Williams said he will give the Nets some support.

"I'm going to root just like the Mets and the Yankees. I'm a Mets fan, but I root for the Yankees when they're not playing the Mets," Mr. Williams said. "I'll root for the Nets when they're not playing the Knicks. I love New York."

In his statement about "treasonous" Knicks fans in Brooklyn, Mr. Markowitz said he might use the "awesome powers conferred upon me as Brooklyn Borough President to pursue "charges" against Knicks loyalists in Kings County. However, Mr. Williams said he hopes Mr. Markowitz will be lenient with him.

"I think he's doing what he's supposed to do as the Brooklyn Borough President," said Mr. Williams. "But I think that some of us that are Brooklyn enough could get a pardon and I think I'm one of those."

Domenic Recchia Jr. (Photo: NYC Council)

In spite of the impact of Hurricane Sandy still being felt around the city, the New York City Marathon is still scheduled to proceed as planned on Sunday. However, you can now add Councilman Domenic Recchia to the growing list of critics who disagree with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's contention the race won't disrupt emergency workers from their vital post-storm duties. In a statement released a few minutes ago, Mr. Recchia, who represents Coney Island, Gravesend, Bensonhurst and Brighton Beach, which were all hit hard by the storm, called continuing with the marathon "just wrong."

"To host the New York City Marathon in the middle of what is complete devastation and a crisis in parts of this City is just wrong. There are people in Coney Island, Sea Gate, and Brighton Beach who are without food, water, and electricity. This crisis is expected to continue through the weekend and into next week," Mr. Recchia said.

Mr. Recchia asked anyone considering participating in the race to instead focus on helping with the relief effort in his district.

"I am calling on all who were planning on running and volunteering in the marathon to direct their energies to helping us pass out food and water in my district, particularly to seniors who are currently trapped in their homes on high-level floors," he said.

Mayor Bloomberg has argued the marathon generates hundreds of millions in revenue for the city. In a press conference this afternoon, he said the race won't "redirect any focus" of the city's first responders.

George Pataki. (Photo: Getty)

Former Republican New York Governor George Pataki was one of the surrogates backing Mitt Romney on "spin alley" after last night's presidential debate at Hofstra. Politicker used the opportunity to ask Mr. Pataki which GOP candidates he thought might emerge to challenger the crowded field of Democrats who are likely to run for mayor in next year's election. So far two political newcomers, Manhattan Media CEO Tom Allon and Doe Fund boss George McDonald, are the only ones who have declared their intentions to run on the Republican line, but Mr. Pataki indicated there may be other Republicans mulling a mayoral bid.

"There are a number of people who are talking about running," said Mr. Pataki. "I'm hopeful that we'll have a strong candidate."

Mr. Pataki went on to explain he believes it's in the best interests of the public in any election for there to be strong candidates from both major parties.

"I'm a great believer in the two-party system. I think government works best when, even if there's a dominant party, that it's held accountable," the ex-governor said. "I fear in New York too often we have one-party politics. And it doesn't work when it's Democrats in New York City or in the state, it doesn't work if it's Republicans some place else. The checks and balances of vigorous debate, like we had tonight, are what serve the people the best."

Since Mr. Pataki hinted there may be other Republicans with their eye on the race waiting in the wings, we asked whether he was aware of any potential candidates he might be willing to endorse.

"There are some. There are some," said Mr. Pataki. "Sure, no one has formally decided they're going to run, but a number of people are looking at it and talking about it, and I hope we do get some very good candidates in there."

Based on Mr. Pataki's apparent awareness of potential Republican mayoral candidates who haven't made their interest in the race public, we asked whether he was communicating with them directly.

"They're talking to people who are associated with me; some have talked to me directly," said Mr. Pataki, coyly.

Potential Republican mayoral candidates wasn't the only subject we discussed with Mr. Pataki after the debates. While the surrogates were doing their thing in "spin alley," the Yankees were finishing up their ALCS loss to the Detroit Tigers. Before speaking to us, Mr. Pataki was asked by another reporter if he was aware of the outcome in the game, which had just concluded.

"I don't know," Mr. Pataki said.

With a heavy heart, we volunteered that the Yankees had lost.

"They lost? Did Verlander go the whole way?" Mr. Pataki asked referring to the Tigers' ace starting pitcher.

We informed him that Mr. Verlander stayed on until the ninth inning when he gave up a home run to Yankees shortstop Eduardo Nunez.

"What the final score?" Mr. Pataki asked.

After being told the Tigers won 2-1, Mr. Pataki shook his head.

"Oh no, disappointing," he said. "I'm sorry to hear that."

John Kerry (Photo: Getty)

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who served as a stand-in for Mitt Romney during President Barack Obama's debate prep sessions, stopped by the media filing room to talk with reporters ahead of tonight's clash between the two candidates. Mr. Kerry wouldn't discuss his strategies for impersonating Mr. Romney, but he gave his thoughts on the former Massachusetts governor's record in the Bay State and another important New England issue--the Boston Red Sox's horrendous 2012 season. 

Mr. Kerry said he thinks President Obama is "very excited aout talking about his vision for the next four years" tonight. For his part, he wanted to talk about Mr. Romney's record as Governor of Massachusetts.

"Mitt Romney has spent a lot of time trying to pretend that he had a great record in the state of Massachusetts," said Mr. Kerry. "Let me just tell you, I spent months now studying Mitt Romney's record. I know everything about it, more than I ever imagined or might have wanted to. And I will tell you that the numbers don't add up, the record is not real. This is the--it's one of the great charades of all time in my judgement."

The senator went on to cite several things he said occurred during Mr. Romney's tenure including; a loss of manufacturing jobs, a "billion dollar deficit" and fees levied "on the middle class."

"You just run down the list of what he did in Massachusetts and I'll tell you, the most telling thing of all, he's not even contesting the state that he governed. He's 25 points behind in his own state," Mr. Kerry said of Mr. Romney. "I'll tell you why, because the people of Massachusetts know him. They know what happened and they don't want any more of it....I can't think of a time when a governor's run for president and his own state didn't support him. Well, Massachusetts is not there for Mitt Romney because they know what happened."

Since Mr. Kerry was discussing Massachusetts, Politicker asked whether he was glad Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was fired immediately after the team's awful season which saw them fall to last place in the AL East.

"I'm glad to see the season ended that's for sure," Mr. Kerry said.

A short while later, Mr. Kerry took to Twitter to say how he might have answered the question if he was still impersonating Mr. Romney.

"Reporter asked me if I'm glad Bobby V gone, if in-character, as Mitt mighta said, I love firing people," Mr. Kerry wrote.

Woody Johnson (Illustration by, Dale Stephanos)

The New York Jets suffered an embarrassing 34-0 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers Sunday that has many observers wondering if the team is doomed this season, however Jets owner Woody Johnson is apparently more concerned about Mitt Romney defeating President Barack Obama than he is about his team's prospects. Mr. Johnson, who is the chairman of Mr. Romney's campaign in New York, discussed his priorities this morning in an appearance on Bloomberg TV's Market Makers.

"I think you always have to put country first so I think it's very, very important that for--not only for us but for in particular our kids and grandkids that this election come off with Mitt Romney and Ryan as president and vice president," Mr. Johnson said when the show's hosts asked him whether he'd prefer a winning season for the Jets or a victory for the Republican ticket.

Though Mr. Johnson, who is the heir to the Johnson & Johnson family fortune, clearly cares more about politics, he's obviously not pleased about the performance of the Jets. In the same interview, Mr. Johnson described the team's beating at the hands of the 49ers as an "unacceptable" disappointment to fans.

Watch a video of Mr. Johnson on Market Matters below via the Washington Free Beacon.

Jerry Sandusky at a preliminary hearing in his trial for child sexual abuse. (Photo: Getty)

An interesting article that appeared in yesterday's print New York Post, but somehow hasn't made its way online, details a major GOP donor's ties to the Penn State sex scandal. The story, written by Carl Campanile, noted Lance Shaner, who gave the maximum donation of $2,500 to the Romney campaign and $100,000 to Mr. Romney's super PAC Restore Our Future, served on the board of convicted child molester and retired Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky's charity, Second Mile. Mr. Shaner also donated $155,550 to Republican Pennsylvania Tom Corbett's gubernatorial campaign and the Pennsylvania Republican Party headquarters was named after him. 

Second Mile was founded by Mr. Sandusky in 1977, ostensibly to help underprivileged and at-risk youth. Mr. Sandusky met many of his victims through the charity. Questions have been raised about the Second Mile board's handling of Mr. Sandusky. the charity is reportedly being investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, which enforces some federal laws related to child exploitation. Mr. Corbett has also called for an investigation.

Mr. Shaner was on Second Mile's board from 1998 until 2006. During this time, the charity was made aware of child abuse allegations against Mr. Sandusky on at least two occasions. In 1998, Second Mile knew Mr. Sandusky was being investigated for "misconduct in a Penn State shower" with a boy from the program. That investigation was closed when the district attorney declined to press charges. In 2002, Second Mile CEO Jack Raykovitz claimed he was told by Penn State's athletic director Tim Curley that the University conducted an investigation into an allegation of "inappropriate contact by Mr. Sandusky with a youth in a university locker room" but found "no corroboration."

Second Mile finally removed Mr. Sandusky "from all of our program activities involving children" in 2008 when he let them know about a third investigation of allegations of sexual abuse made against him by an underage boy. In spite of this, he was still affiliated with the charity until his retirement in September 2010.

According to the Post, Mr. Shaner declined to comment on their story, "but Romney backers in Pennsylvania defended him."

"Lance is a terrific guy. I don't see any connection with Sandusky," Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Rob Gleason said.