National treasure
Fordham’s Gaston gets Olympic invite from native Puerto Rico
Fordham forward Chris Gaston has received an invitation to try out for the Puerto Rican national team as it tries to qualify for this summer’s Olympics in London. Gaston, the Rams’ leading scorer and rebounder the past three seasons, received the invite last week and called the opportunity “tremendous.”
“It’s crazy,” Gaston told The Post’s Anthony Sulla-Heffinger. “My whole family is from Puerto Rico, they are really excited. My dad has always wanted me to play for Puerto Rico. I’m ecstatic, I cannot wait. I think its going to be a great opportunity, a great learning experience.”
The former St. Anthony’s player will be joined by Florida’s Mike Rosario, who also played for legendary high school coach Bob Hurley at the New Jersey catholic school. After playing three years together under Hurley, Gaston is looking forward to teaming with him in Puerto Rico.
“We’re familiar with each other from eighth grade. I’ve known him a long time,” Gaston said. “It’ll be good to play with Mike again.”
The tryouts take place on May 16, and Puerto Rico will take part in a qualifying tournament in early July.
Varsity’s Gelbs jumps to Rangers duty
If any broadcaster can relate to Rangers rookie Chris Krieder’s overnight transformation from on-campus hero to key NHL playoff figure, Steve Gelbs can.
Less than 24 hours before the Rangers’ decisive Game 7 faceoff with the Senators last week, Gelbs was preparing to go on air for his nightly 7 o’clock slot hosting MSG Varsity network’s “High School Sports Desk” when he got a call from producers at the MSG Network to see if he might be able to assist them on the Blueshirts’ radio broadcast the next night. Though the short turnaround time from covering local high school sports to calling Stanley Cup hockey might have been daunting to many broadcasters, it was a role Gelbs had been preparing for from the time he was a toddler — when his father, Scott, served as the team’s physical therapist, a role he held from 1988-95.
“This was an opportunity of a lifetime and a no-brainer for me,” said Gelbs, who grew up rooting for the Rangers and even hosted Rangers online podcasts for one year before joining MSG Varsity. “Everything happened so fast, and within 24 hours I was standing ice side covering one of the most important games in New York Rangers history. It was surreal.”
Gelbs wound up hosting both the pre- and postgame radio shows, as well as intermissions and rink-side interviews.
Guiliani son mayor may not have ‘Break’-out season
Andrew Giuliani still is shooting for his “Big Break.’’ The son of former mayor Rudy Giuliani and bad boy of Golf Channel’s reality show three years ago has just returned from spending the winter in Florida, where he has been grinding on the mini-tours.
Now 26, Andrew says the “Big Break’’ experience helped him win the prestigious Met Open in 2009. Since then, he has been working with famed Old Oaks swing guru Bobby Hein and says this might be the year he breaks out. He plans to hit the Monday qualifying circuit and has several Met Golf Association events on his calendar, including the 96th Met Open starting on Aug. 21 at Plainfield Country Club.
Ailing Jets fan gets help finding Match
When Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine heard through a mutual friend about the plight of Jets fan Michael Manganiello,
he rallied members of the team to help Manganiello. The result was the “Match for Michael” event last Tuesday in Eatontown, N.J.
Manganiello, a father of three, recently was diagnosed with Acute Myelofibrosis, a rare condition in which progressive scarring of the bone marrow impairs its ability to make blood cells. His only chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant.
Pettine organized the event to raise money and have people register to be a donor through a cheek swab. Jets players Mark Sanchez, Sione Pouha and Aaron Maybin as well as coach Rex Ryan were there. They signed autographs and held an auction. The event raised more than $60,000 and more than 300 people registered with the National Marrow Donor Program through the cheek swab.
“It was a no-brainer to step in and help,” Pettine said. “We don’t get a lot of opportunities to do something like this, when you have a chance to have an impact on a life.”
Visit matchformichael.com to donate.