Jets QB Sanchez says he's on better terms with WR Holmes

The mending of the relationship between Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes began a few weeks ago in Orlando, Fla.

Sanchez visited Holmes, who lives there, and the two hashed out the issues between them over dinner.

“When I finally got a chance to see him for a couple of days it was the same old guy from our first year together, that won a bunch of games for us in the closing seconds of games,” Sanchez said. “I know it can work between us. It’s not a question of if. It’s a matter of when, and that’s now. I’m thrilled about that.”

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QB AND THE KIDS: Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez poses with school children at the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation Gala last night, where he also talked with the media for the first time since the bitter end to Gang Green’s season.

Sanchez met with reporters who regularly cover the team before being honored at the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation Gala in Manhattan last night. He touched on a variety of topics, including the Jets’ struggles in 2011, the departure of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, and anonymous teammates criticizing him this winter.

Sanchez, who called the anonymous sniping “gutless” earlier yesterday on ESPN 1050’s “The Michael Kay Show,” said last night he did not pay much mind to players who were quoted anonymously.

“If you’re not going to put your name on something, why waste anybody’s time? That’s fine,” he said. “They obviously had strong opinions about it, not strong enough to say who they were. That was it.”

But the main topic Sanchez discussed was Holmes, who sulked his way through the end of the season and showed up the quarterback in the final week by acting up during and then skipping study-sessions organized by Sanchez.

Sanchez, who received a three-year contract extension last week, would not go into too much depth about his meeting with Holmes, but said they have been talking all winter and everything is fine now.

“We’ve talked about it,” Sanchez said. “We both had strong feelings about it. We got a chance to sit there and address a lot of issues. It was good.”

Sanchez took his share of the blame for the problems.

“I don’t want to speak for Santonio, but I know I underachieved,” he said. “I think there were some things I could have handled better.”

Sanchez said he did not think responding to every criticism would be worthwhile.

“It doesn’t matter unless you go win games,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal, and that’s the ultimate defense.”

Sanchez turned the ball over 26 times last year. He said improving on that will be an area of focus for him. He said he thinks some of the offense’s problems in the 8-8 finish were because the Jets strayed from their usual Ground and Pound at the start of the season.

“We didn’t have an identity like we wanted, like we had the first two years, where we were a great downhill running team,” he said. “We had a quarterback that could move. We could get out on the edge when we needed to and we could take shots down the field. ... It just felt like we lost some of our identity. We were so enamored with a bunch of new players and it was like ‘OK, let’s figure out how to use all these guys.’ That can happen. That can totally happen to a team.”

Schottenheimer was shown the door in January and Sanchez will have former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano as his new offensive coordinator. Sanchez called it a “personnel decision” but spoke fondly of his time with Schottenheimer.

“I don’t think it was a matter of him being a scapegoat or not,” he said. “That wasn’t the only reason we lost games. Was everybody responsible? Yeah. Did I turn the ball over too many times? Absolutely. Did he make every perfect play call? Of course not, nobody does. Whether you win the Super Bowl or not, it’s just not realistic. But I don’t think it’s his fault.”

brian.costello@nypost.com

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All red meat is bad for you, new study says

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Eating any amount and any type of red met increases the risk of premature death, a new study says. (William Thomas Cain / Getty Images)

Eating red meat — any amount and any type — appears to significantly increase the risk of premature death, according to a long-range study that examined the eating habits and health of more than 110,000 adults for more than 20 years.

For instance, adding just one 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat — picture a piece of steak no bigger than a deck of cards — to one's daily diet was associated with a 13% greater chance of dying during the course of the study.

Even worse, adding an extra daily serving of processed red meat, such as a hot dog or two slices of bacon, was linked to a 20% higher risk of death during the study.

"Any red meat you eat contributes to the risk," said An Pan, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and lead author of the study, published online Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Crunching data from thousands of questionnaires that asked people how frequently they ate a variety of foods, the researchers also discovered that replacing red meat with other foods seemed to reduce mortality risk for study participants.

Eating a serving of nuts instead of beef or pork was associated with a 19% lower risk of dying during the study. The team said choosing poultry or whole grains as a substitute was linked with a 14% reduction in mortality risk; low-fat dairy or legumes, 10%; and fish, 7%.

Previous studies had associated red meat consumption with diabetes, heart disease and cancer, all of which can be fatal. Scientists aren't sure exactly what makes red meat so dangerous, but the suspects include the iron and saturated fat in beef, pork and lamb, the nitrates used to preserve them, and the chemicals created by high-temperature cooking.

The Harvard researchers hypothesized that eating red meat would also be linked to an overall risk of death from any cause, Pan said. And the results suggest they were right: Among the 37,698 men and 83,644 women who were tracked, as meat consumption increased, so did mortality risk.

In separate analyses of processed and unprocessed meats, the group found that both types appear to hasten death. Pan said that at the outset, he and his colleagues had thought it likely that only processed meat posed a health danger.

Carol Koprowski, a professor of preventive medicine at USC's Keck School of Medicine who wasn't involved in the research, cautioned that it can be hard to draw specific conclusions from a study like this because there can be a lot of error in the way diet information is recorded in food frequency questionnaires, which ask subjects to remember past meals in sometimes grueling detail.

But Pan said the bottom line was that there was no amount of red meat that's good for you.

"If you want to eat red meat, eat the unprocessed products, and reduce it to two or three servings a week," he said. "That would have a huge impact on public health."

A majority of people in the study reported that they ate an average of at least one serving of meat per day.

Pan said that he eats one or two servings of red meat per week, and that he doesn't eat bacon or other processed meats.

Cancer researcher Lawrence H. Kushi of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland said that groups putting together dietary guidelines were likely to pay attention to the findings in the study.

"There's a pretty strong supposition that eating red meat is important — that it should be part of a healthful diet," said Kushi, who was not involved in the study. "These data basically demonstrate that the less you eat, the better."

UC San Francisco researcher and vegetarian diet advocate Dr. Dean Ornish said he gleaned a hopeful message from the study.

"Something as simple as a meatless Monday can help," he said. "Even small changes can make a difference."

Additionally, Ornish said, "What's good for you is also good for the planet."

In an editorial that accompanied the study, Ornish wrote that a plant-based diet could help cut annual healthcare costs from chronic diseases in the U.S., which exceed $1 trillion. Shrinking the livestock industry could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and halt the destruction of forests to create pastures, he wrote.

eryn.brown@latimes.com

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Top seeds of doubt in NCAA bracket

Lenn Robbins

Just when it seemed safe to go back into the water — the sparkling, March-crisp, crystal-clear pool known as picking the NCAA Tournament — the upset sharks returned, taking huge chunks out of the big fish.

Instead of blue (Kentucky) or sunset orange (Syracuse), we have blood in the water and a haze on the horizon.

The Orange were gouged by Cincinnati in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament. The Wildcats were stunned by Vanderbilt in yesterday’s SEC title game.

Going into the weekend, Kentucky and Syracuse were the only BCS-conference schools with just one loss. Now 30-1 Murray State remains the only team with one defeat.

There is no safety in this pool. Swim at your own risk.

“My comment to them after is, ‘Maybe I’ll have your attention now,’ ” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the loss, “and you’re really going to focus in and listen to what I’m saying, how we’re going to have to play these next few weekends.’’

Calipari told his players they had become arrogant.

That same charge could have been leveled at Iona, which lost in the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament. But in a shocking selection, the Gaels (25-7) got an at-large berth.

In a more shocking statement, NCAA Selection Committee chair Jeff Hathaway, the former athletic director at Connecticut, said the Gaels were not the last team in, though they will have to face BYU in a first-round game Tuesday in Dayton.

“They had a very good non-conference strength of schedule,” Hathaway said. “They’re a very good basketball team, very good on offense. We think we got that one right.’’

Seton Hall, however, wasn’t as lucky as the Big East got nine teams in. The Pirates (20-12) did not secure an at-large berth, leaving coach Kevin Willard with mixed feelings. He left Iona two years ago for Seton Hall.

The feeding frenzy didn’t stop with the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams going down. Florida State beat North Carolina for a second time this year, this time in the ACC title game. Baylor took out Kansas in a Big 12 semifinal.

So as the NCAA Tournament field was unveiled last night, the same fear of wading into the pool of pools returned.

Kentucky (South), Syracuse (East) and North Carolina (Midwest) held on to their No. 1 seeds but suddenly they seem vulnerable. Michigan State, which outlasted Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, took advantage of the loss by Kansas to snag the No. 1 seed in the West.

The Wildcats, though they retained the No. 1 overall seed, might have done themselves the most harm. They face a potential third-round game against defending NCAA champ UConn and a possible regional semifinal against Indiana.

Until yesterday’s collapse, Kentucky’s only loss was at Indiana on a last-second 3. Kentucky-Indiana is a hoops holy war.

Kentucky also could face Duke in a regional final flooded with subplots. Calipari is on a quest to win his first NCAA title. Duke coach Mike Krzyz-ewski is going for his fifth. No doubt it will be billed — unfairly — as a matchup of everything right in college basketball against everything wrong.

Syracuse, which will open in Pittsburgh on Thursday against North Carolina-Asheville, limped out of the Big Apple. Seniors Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine did not show up for either game.

“The tournament that starts next week is the only one that matters,’’ coach Jim Boeheim said. “Nothing else matters anymore in college basketball.

lenn.robbins@nypost.com

Kentucky, Kentucky, Syracuse, Syracuse, NCAA Tournament, North Carolina, Wildcats, Jeff Hathaway, NCAA

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Chandler returns for Knicks against 76ers

Tyson Chandler is back in the Knicks' starting lineup against Philadelphia after missing two games with a strained left hamstring.

The Knicks badly missed their defensive anchor, yielding 118 points in San Antonio and 119 in Milwaukee in the two games without him.

Chandler is averaging 11.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in his first season with the Knicks, who host the 76ers Sunday.

Knicks, Tyson Chandler, Philadelphia online

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Moss to work out for 49ers on Monday: report

SAN FRANCISCO — After a stellar workout for the New Orleans Saints last week, Randy Moss will attempt to convince the San Francisco 49ers that he can still deliver in the NFL after a year out of pro football.

The veteran receiver, who announced his comeback from retirement last month, will fly to the Bay Area on Sunday ahead of a Monday workout for the team, ESPN reported, citing a league source.

Moss dazzled in front of the Saints last Tuesday, running about 45 routes and looking “like the old Randy,” according to witnesses at the workout, FOX Sports reported.

The 35-year-old Moss also ran a 40-yard dash in around 4.39-4.44 seconds, exceeding expectations, sources told sportsNOLA.com.

Moss made the Pro Bowl seven times in his career but his work ethic and sometimes lackadaisical play frustrated coaches. He retired after finding himself without a team following a dismal 2010 season with the Patriots, Vikings and Titans.

Moss was an impact wide receiver as recently as 2009, when he made 83 catches for 1,264 yards and 13 touchdowns in New England.

Randy Moss, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, FOX Sports, ESPN, NFL, SAN FRANCISCO

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Sweet homecoming for Nets’ Morrow

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-- For three quarters, Anthony Morrow was, well, home. Back in his home town for the second time in a week, the Nets’ shooting guard had family and friends in the stands, folks who had come out to see him play and do something. It took a while for Morrow to deliver.

But it was worth the wait.

Morrow scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter of the Nets’ 83-74 victory over the Bobcats Friday night, 10 of them coming in a 3:31 stretch that left the Nets ahead eight with 6:40 to play. The Bobcats made a run but Morrow delivered the dagger with a 3-pointer at 1:14.

“Anthony was just so huge for us in the second half,” coach Avery Johnson said. “We’ve been trying a lot of different ways to get him shots so we talked about it at halftime. Keep it simple. So we kind of gave him some post up looks, some isolation looks and he made the defense pay.”

And put smiles on the faces of family and friends.

“It was great,” Morrow said. “It’s a nice feeling to come home and win in front of my mom and dad and family and get that win on the road. ... We’ve been fighting through adversity all season with injuries and all kinds of stuff. It’s just that we’re sticking together. We’ve got great team chemistry on and off the court.”

***

Deron Williams pulled out an “Old School” reference when discussing the Nets’ hopes of making a playoff run.

“We want to go streakin’. In the quad. Everybody’s doing it,” Williams said, channeling his best Will Ferrell. “We need to put together some wins here especially if we want to make a playoff run. “The schedule coming up is pretty favorable to us, if we play like we’re capable of playing.”

Williams is not the only guy thinking playoffs.

“We’ve been looking at it,” DeShawn Stevenson said of the standings – the Nets ended Friday night 4¹/ games behind the eighth-place Knicks. “Coach has this thing where we’ve got to win seven out of 10 games. … Ever since Coach has been saying that, we’ve been playing harder so it’s on our minds so that’s definitely a goal.”

***

Johnson’s take on Deron Williams’ sore calf that will keep him out against Houston tonight at least.

“He’s going to get re-evaluated [Saturday],” Johnson said. “Hopefully we’ll get some good news but in the meantime, other guys will have to step up which they did tonight.”

***

Corey Maggette led the Bobcats with 19 points, while Bismack Biyombo had an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double. ... The Nets have not had a 3-game win streak this season but are 4-2 since the All-Star Break.

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Titles won’t define top-seeded McIlroy

DORAL, Fla. — The proud parents and their successful son sat together over some pub food on Tuesday night at the Doral Resort and Spa and talked. It had been such a whirlwind 48 hours for Rory McIlroy that he and his parents hadn’t had a chance to chat about his historic accomplishment.

On Sunday afternoon, the 22-year-old McIlroy won the Honda Classic and became the second youngest player ever to become the No. 1 ranked player in the world.

On Sunday night, he was on a plane to New York to visit with his girlfriend, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, who was in town to play an exhibition match against Maria Sharapova at Madison Square Garden.

On Monday night, Wozniacki called McIlroy out from the stands to the court to play a point against Sharapova and he won it.

“I’ve never been so nervous in my life,’’ McIlroy said. “Maria was nice; she hit it back to me at quite a gentle pace.’’

By Tuesday afternoon, McIlroy had flown back to Miami to practice for the WGC-Cadillac Championship, which begins today at Doral’s Blue Monster.

On Tuesday night he was with his parents, Gerry and Rosie, enjoying a quiet meal.

“With everything that had gone on we hadn’t really had a chance to talk about it,’’ Gerry McIlroy was saying over a vodka and Diet Coke. “When I asked him what it feels like, he said, ‘It feels great, but it’s just another milestone.’ ’’

This is who McIlroy is. He’s driven to be great, but he’s not Tiger Woods, whose drive to be great always bordered on obsession dating back to his youth.

When he was a kid, Woods famously had a poster of Jack Nicklaus on his bedroom wall and he used it as motivation, determined to win more major championships than the record 18 Nicklaus won.

When he was younger, McIlroy had a magazine picture of a mansion Woods lived in pinned to his wall, telling his parents he’d love to live in a place like that someday.

Now he can. And he does.

But McIlroy is not obsessed with winning more majors than Woods or Nicklaus. He’s not interested in that defining him.

“Rory,’’ Gerry McIlroy said, “is happy just being Rory.’’

Still, though, the comparisons between Woods and McIlroy are inevitable. And they have intensified since McIlroy staved off the scorching 62 Woods shot in the final round at Honda to win on Sunday.

Dating back to the days of Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, golf has always pined for rivalries. For years, we’ve been begging for a Phil Mickelson-Woods rivalry and have gotten little tastes along the way, such as Mickelson’s Pebble Beach beatdown of Woods last month.

“I don’t see myself as anyone’s rival out here,’’ McIlroy said. “I’m going to let other people make the comparisons. I’ve never said that I want to be the next anyone. I just want to be the first Rory McIlroy. It’s never like I set out to win 18 majors like Tiger has.”

* Mickelson arrived to Doral yesterday after having played a practice round at Augusta with Keegan Bradley and Dustin Johnson on Tuesday and he delivered a playful tweak of Woods when asked about his reaction to Woods’ final-round 62 last Sunday.

“Yeah, obviously he was paying attention a couple of weeks ago, which is nice to see,’’ Mickelson said. “It is good to see him back and playing well.’’

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

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