NOT even a promotional giveaway night can be free of bad faith.

Last Friday night at Yankee Stadium, what was supposed to be “Bernie Williams CD Giveaway Night” for the first 18,000 in the house, proved to be something else, something far less.

Instead of being issued Williams’ new CD, “The Journey Within,” patrons were instead handed a selection of three sample cuts from the CD – along with a come-on to purchase the complete edition.

This “giveaway” was a promotion for a promotion, a come-on for a come-on. The Journey Within, with Williams on guitar, had other strings attached. The Journey Within was not within.

Which brings us to Bill Roenbeck, a reader from Upstate New York, who last week sent word that one of the more attractive regional rivalries in the American Hockey League – Rochester vs. Syracuse – will this season feature some big league-inspired price gouging.

The Syracuse team has imposed a $3 per ticket surcharge on day-of-game ticket purchases for all six Rochester at Syracuse games.

But for sustained, reliable and cutting-edge bad faith, no one can compete with Cablevision. Subscribers were recently informed that monthly fees for Cablevision-owned Optimum Online “will increase” $15, from $30 per month to $45 per, or, in some cases, from $35 to $50.

And when will this huge increase be instituted? That’s the key, it already had.

Cablevision’s communique, informing subscribers that beginning in July on-line rates will go way up, arrived by mail in mid-July – meaning consumers were stuck with the added costs before they knew what hit them, before they could even explore competitive options.

Cablevision added $15 to the rates, then issued customers an after-the-fact heads-up.

* Wednesday afternoon TNT aired a re-run, circa 1990, of the TV show, “In The Heat Of The Night.” This episode featured a guest appearance by O.J. Simpson, who is strangled to death. A neighbor is alerted to the murder by a barking dog. We kid you not.

* Monday’s “SportsCenter” provided a good example of ESPN’s horribly mixed messages.

First, there was a piece on the Kobe Bryant case. It was presented in a most sober fashion because, after all, alleged sexual misconduct is a serious matter.

Later, there was a piece on Mike Price. This, too, was presented in a most sober fashion because Price was ousted as Alabama’s football coach for alleged sexual misconduct.

And between the two pieces SportsCenter presented a rowdy, joyous piece on people who remove their clothing – streakers – and run around the field during sporting events. Yeah, indecent exposure! Yippee! Yahoo! Great!

* Gary Carter this week said that he’ll have a hard time keeping it together, Sunday during his Hall of Fame induction, when he speaks of his recently deceased father.

Well, here’s a tip/warning for ya, Kid. While it likely will be impossible for you to speak of your father without being overwhelmed by emotion, understand that such touching public demonstrations have become cheap and easy fodder for radio shock jocks, all over the country.

Understand, that if you break down, the Howard Sterns of the world will seize the audio to ridicule and mock you, perhaps for many months to come. The sounds of Mike Schmidt falling apart when announcing his retirement are still played by shock jocks who simultaneously entertain and desensitize by traveling the lowest road possible – the terms of their engagements.

And every city has at least a few such jocks. So be prepared, Mr. Carter, it’s the way of this world.

And because common decency, especially on radio, is passe – commercially unacceptable – Tom Leykis, a syndicated radio host who specializes in vulgar content, this week made a calculatingly self-serving splash, naming, on the air, Kobe Bryant’s accuser.

And thus a nationwide satellite issue, surrounding the sexual assault case, has been created and is being debated.

But the debate in response to Leykis’ act becomes a colossal waste of time when you consider two essential facts:

1) The woman’s name means nothing to those of us who don’t know her. That’s close to 100 percent of the population. 2) Those who do know her already knew that she was Bryant’s accuser.

The issue shouldn’t be whether Leykis did wrong. After all, he was a professional low-roader long before this episode. The issue should be whether those who choose to air Leykis’ show on their stations have a conscience.