Daily News from New York, New York • 74

UHIHG IfU MUiu if- j. jwJW-w E-mail: braissmanedit.nydailynews.com After 10 years, Jennings reveals battle with Parkinson's Former Giants tr and Jets punter, 3 and current Gi- i ante raHIn man Dude of the Week KERBWILUATvIS For continuing to roll with the punches and take the high road as Knicks brass keeps dangling him on a string. Isiah Thomas has had no problem floating names of potential coaching candidates, as Williams the good soldier waitsV in the wings. Some may say the current Knicks "coach should explode over these slights. They say he should J.

show some backbone. And I yet, the fact that he keeps it together as Isiah talks i about the possibility of ev- ery Phil, Larry, Moe, Curiy and Shemp coaching the -Knicks shows just how committed Mr. Williams is to coaching. a i h-s 'v. Dave Jennings II I Wlrn laTP i i i I 4 IT ALL STARTED WITH a slight twitch in his thumb.

Then. Dave Jennings watched his handwriting begin to look more and more like a child-like scrawl. When he went long-distance running, his right foot roiled uncontrollably. This was back in 1995. Three years later, Jennings was watching a TV news program featuring a man who.

coincidentally, had the same three problems. The man had Parkinson's Disease. That's all Jennings needed to see to visit a neurologist. The doctor told him he had Parkinson's Disease, a chronic degenerative neurological disorder, which typically progresses from mild tremors to complete physical incapacitation. The doctor said it was a "mild" form.

For people under 50 it is called "young onset." That day, time froze for the former Giants and Jets punter, now an analyst on Big Blue radiocasts. Jennings never had any major health issues. And he continued working out hard long after his playing days had ended. Now a doctor was telling him he had a disease with no way to prevent, anticipate, or estimate what havoc it will ultimately wreak on his body. "So.

it was okay, what do I do now." Jennings. 53, told me late last week. "Let's tackle this thing and do what I can. I did I didn't want to blame anybody. I just wanted to move forward.

But all things being equal, I'd rather not have it." For 1 0 years since he first experienced the symptoms, through the diagnosis, up until this month Jennings only told his family, his girlfriend, and "a couple of friends" that he had Parkinson's. "1 think it's just human nature to keep this to myself. You look at (having Parkinson's) as being a negative or a weakness on your part. You don't want to show that," Jennings said. "I was a little concerned about my ability to do (Giants) games, which hasn't been a problem." Over the past year, Jennings has sensed that certain symptoms may have started to become more obvious, which might lead people to ask questions and show concern.

He also figured it was time to turn his experience into a positive one. Jennings had only pondered the possibility of going public, but really decided to take the step two weeks ago following his class reunion at St. Lawrence University. "My best friend told me several people came up to him (at the reunion) and asked if there was something wrong maybe I was walking a little more slowly with me," Jennings said. "He told them everything was fine.

They said: 'Well if anything is wrong with Dave you let us know. We love Dave and we want to help him if we The emotion of that moment gave Jennings the impetus to share his plight with the public. He told a few more friends. He talked about his experience, and his future, with John Mara, the Giants executive-vp chief operating officer; and Pat Hanlon. the Giants vp communications.

More importantly, he embarked on a journey An important mission with a singular purpose. To others. I Dweeb of the MIKE SCIOSCIA So, Frank Robinson3 catches Brendan DonneW ly cheating (pine tar on his: glove) and Scioscia acts like the aggrieved party? Oh, how Dweebish. It was almost as if Scioscia was saying, 'Everybody does it, why are you singling out my Maybe because he: was stupid enough to get caught. This did not register with Scioscia.

First, he jawed with home-plate umpire Tim Tschida. Then, he actually went after Robbie. This was foolish. exposed themselves as complete morons by firing him, John Mara was quick to offer Jennings a job in the Giants radio booth. Jennings did not immediately accept the job.

And he was not holding out for an extra dollar or some type of gratuitous perk. Jennings just wanted to call Dick Lynch and ask the veteran Giants radio analyst if it "would be okay with him" if he took the job and became part of the team. So, if you believe in a higher power, if you believe in the Book of Life, perhaps a special page has been sent down for Jennings. Maybe someone needs him to spread that focus, personality and concern to people who really need it, even if there is a personal price involved. For now, Jennings will deal with what he called the "speed bumps" in his life, take the prescribed medications seem to be working well," he says), and continue working out.

The disease has ended his long-distance running, so he runs shorter distances. Sometimes he has problems maneuvering out of small spaces. Throughout the conversation, Jennings' voice did not reveal emotion, until he was asked if the experience has ever frightened him. He quickly said, "No." Then Dave Jennings paused. He began verbally running in an entirely different direction.

Now, there was emotion. "Something has taken hold of me, and I'm going to beat it. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to beat it," Jennings said. "You don't die from Parkinson's, you die with it." "Dave approached us," said Joyce Ober-dorf, director of policy, planning and communications for The Michael J.

Fox Foundation For Parkinson's Research. "He's a wonderful person." Oberdorf said Jennings will not only be able to help in fund-raising efforts, but also can provide comfort to others with the disease. "They can identify with Dave and sort of feel they are not alone." she said. "And it allows people around them to understand what they are going through. That if they're slow to get the money out of the wallet at the deli, people will understand they have a disease, they have a condition." This might be the time to wallow in a melancholy story about a strong-willed ex-athlete summoning every bit of energy to fight the battle of his life.

Jennings has that kind of drive, but is a different breed of cat. So this is a different kind of story. Unlike some of his peers who went into studios and broadcast booths after their playing careers, Jennings has never changed. He has remained true to himself and his personality. Jennings will never be mistaken for some fair-haired good ol boy engaging in contrived, self-effacing shtick with his partner.

Nor is he the suddenly self-righteous member of some psuedo-intellectual sports panel discussion led by Bob Costas. Jennings is a man of principle, a man of focus, who has always considered the feelings of others first. His actions off the air, out of the public eye. tell you that. When Jets suits 3 Ui Double Talk What Herman Edwards said: "(Chad Pennington) will continue to be evaluated as to the amount of throws he will make leading up to training camp." What Herman Edwards meant to say: "Why should I give you pencil pushers any information when I can put it out through ESPN-1050, where the suckers, er, hosts actually believe everything I tell them." in a.