November 15, 2005

Sometimes, progress will look this bad: wayward passes flying out of bounds, teammates tripping over one another in the paint, and every aggressive move resulting in a foul, a traveling violation or a charge, but with a victory somehow attached to the effort. Some nights, the Knicks will look this disorganized and win in spite of their youth and their unpredictability. But it will probably take a willing opponent that is just as underdeveloped as the Knicks.

Pentagon's deal in late 2001 to get jet fuel from companies in Kyrgyzstan for its air base there illustrates risks of alliances with nations that are unstable and rife with corruption; Kyrgyx prosecutors and FBI agents are looking into whether Krygyz president at time, Askar Akayev, and his family pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars from Pentagon fuel contracts before he was ousted this year; two jet fuel suppliers are linked to Akayev's relatives; Pentagon is in awkward bind; it needs continued access to base, but $207 million it spent on fuel contracts has created resentment among country's new leaders; some of them contend United States knew where proceeds were going; Zamira Sydykova, Kyrgyz amabassador to Washington, holds US has paid little rent for base while paying inflated fuel prices to companies 'stolen' by Akayev's family; Pentagon officials claim two companies are only ones with facilities to transport and store fuel at air base; photo; map (M)

During his years as a schoolteacher, Frank McCourt gained the confidence and emotional wisdom to write about his own life.

Supreme Court nominee Samuel A Alito Jr's job application for promotion in Reagan administration 20 years ago provides new window into deeply conservative roots of legal views he held at time; Alito said he was 'particularly proud' of contributing to cases arguing against racial and ethnic quotas and against right to abortion; his subsequent opinions as appeals court judge adhered so closely to precedents that they seldom reveal his views; although his views may have changed since 1985, any hint of his legal philosophy is of keen interest to partisans on both sides of debate about his nomination; Democrats on Senate Judiciary Committee seize on application as evidence that Alito would take ideological agenda to bench; Republican Sens Olympia J Snowe and Susan Collins, who support abortion rights, express sharp concerns about Alito's statement; photo (M)

The debate about whether Alex Rodriguez or David Ortiz was more valuable percolated through a tense baseball season. It was the complete player against the clutch hitter. It was a passionate city's superstar against another adoring city's icon. It was a personal twist on the rivalry between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. When the 28 ballots, from two baseball writers in each of the 14 American League cities, were revealed yesterday, Rodriguez narrowly beat Ortiz to capture his second Most Valuable Player award in three seasons. The smooth third baseman from the Yankees defeated the burly designated hitter from the Red Sox.