Council Can Ask A Lot of Questions of New York Presbyterian Hospital

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WPNCR NEWS ANALYSIS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. September 7, 2004: Tuesday evening a letter included in the “backup” material published for the document-starved White Plains media, written by Robert Volland of New York Presbyterian Hospital, matter-of-factly routinely asks the Common Council to extend the Site Plan granted NYPH to build a proton accelerator/biotech research facility two years ago, as if they were refreshing an “E-Z Pass” account.


 


Volland claims the hospital has spent “several Million dollars”  in plans for preparing an entrance road, storm water detention pools in preparation to begin construction on the facility in 2005.


 


 However, two years have passed and the property looks the same as it has  for fifty years. But White Plains has changed. That change raises legitimate questions about this project.


The council has seen no updated plans on the accelerator site, heard nothing from this organization, except a nebulous promise given Mayor Joseph Delfino that they would be willing to lease the city 55 acres in return for rezoning of the north end of their property as commercial medical.


 


The hospital should shed light on what it is exactly the hospital has spent “several million dollars” on, and when it was spent. If I were the Common Council, I’d demand cancelled checks.


 


Now if the hospital takes this long (TWO YEARS)  to plan an access road, storm water detention pools and detention system which Volland’s letter says is planning to be built along with plantings demanded by the city  to prevent damage to Cassaway Brook by the end of fall 2004, when can we even expect the facility to be started? The letter vaguely claims spring 2005. But, that is what they said last year!


 


If I were the city, I’d worry a lot more about other things than Cassaway Brook erosion.


 


Mr. Volland’s  letter, which could be termed naïve and insulting in its lack of detail, at best, raises a lot of questions. As a public service to the Common Council by a dumb reporter, here are some of those questions:


 



  1. In view of the two blackouts in White Plains in June and July, the second of which blew out the Fortunoff complex next door to the hospital, not to mention the transformer blowout in central White Plains last month, and the replacement of  five transformers at the Westchester One location on South Broadway, can the Con Edison feeders and transformers handle the high electric load demanded by the Proton Accelerator and the research boys and girls when they move in?

         What proof do we have that the proton accelerator as originally planned won’t dim White Plains?


 


     (Don’t look for an early answer on this one because Con Edison has not yet explained how these blackouts and winkouts through the city that continue nightly happened and what caused them.)


 



  1. Is the proton accelerator still the state of the art treatment the hospital promoted it as three years ago?

 


3. In view of the way White Plains Hospital Medical Center is growing, with the Sunrise Senior Citizen residence about to be approved this evening, what impact will those 700 cars streaming up Maple Avenue have?


 


4. What kind of research is going to be done in that research facility now? Originally it was supposed to be aging research.  Has it been switched to stem cell research? Or some field more in vogue? A lot has happened in science in two years.


 


 5. Has the hospital secured the check from the state for the $100 Million – now probably more than that – it will take to build this facility, designated Center for Excellence or not? If not, when will the state turn over the jing? More to the point, why should taxpayer money – one dime of it – go to perhaps the richest educational-scientificc complex next to Harvard? 


 


6.  What partners have the hospital lined up  for research and what do they do? And when will White Plains find out who they are? The three page letter does not even mention any updated details on the research partners.


 


     It is obvious that you cannot spec out a project until you find out who your partner is. A partner was mentioned three years ago, are they still on board or have they changed? For that matter, this may be a whole different research mission project by now. Is it? Or is NYPH guilty of loosey-goosey planning? (It won’t be the first time.)


 


At the very least, the New York Presbyterian Hospital has to give us a complete update on who they are doing business with, what they are going to do there. The “whistle-past-the-graveyard” letter from Mr. Volland, not even from Herbert Pardis himself, is patronizing to the Common Council and the people of White Plains in its lack of detail.


 


7. Traffic has changed. As anyone who drives in White Plains will tell you the crosstown downtown traffic has changed in the city that used to be a little bit country, a little bit city, now White Plains is a lot less country, a lot more city. The traffic patterns and volume of the hospital project need to be reexamined, especially in view of the growing reality of  White Plains volume. More to the point, considering the Fortunoff complex, Westchester mall traffic, does the Bloomingdale Road access still work?


 


8.St. Agnes Hospital now has a new sign on it calling it a medical building. What does this mean? Shouldn’t the Common Council be paying attention to how the purchaser of this building at auction plans to use this building before they rubberstamp this renewed site plan? Is NYPH going to buy it? (They have repeatedly said the St. Agnes building structures do not lend themselves to a research facility.) Who will use it and how many more cars will they bring in?


 


9. The hospital grounds may now have become a habitat for coyotes, an endangered species.  Should there not be Department of Environmental analysis of the effect on the coyotes and other wild life of this project? Coyotes, fox, deer living in the hideously overgrown forest of the NYPH property (a little forestry, NYPH, please?) are even more effected by construction than the Bryant Gardens humans.


 


10. Can the Mamaroneck Avenue North Broadway sewer lines handle the proton accelerator/research facility effluent (I love sewer reporting)?


 


Four years ago the council blithely ignored or failed to read or understand Joseph Nicoletti’s  warning of catastrophic consequences if the City Center was connected to the Main Street sewer that was in the City Center site plan. Now they have come around to Mr. Nicoletti’s lining solution for the sewer on Main Street, and “the Nicoletti bypass line” for the Cappelli hotel/condoplex development, and they are crossing their fingers.


 


11. How does the flow situation stand over on the East Side of town now that Morton’s and Whole Foods Market and Cheesecake Factory are filling it chuck full of new effluent that was not even imagined when the proton accelerator/research facility was approved?


 


 Mr. Volland’s letter says the Hospital has performed the required sewer flow monitoring and has submitted the results to the city’s  Engineering Department in June. Well, when Mr. Cappelli submitted his results, Mr. Nicoletti did not believe Mr. Cappelli . How can the hospital submit flow results, without having Mr. Nicoletti by stick or flowmeter confirm what  flow was measured? What does that mean?  How much water is going to be pushed out? Does Mr. Nicoletti believe them?


 


12. When this project was approved the mammoth Cappelli HotelCondoplex was not even on the drawing boards. What is the impact of that project going to do in combination with the proton accelerator/bioresearch project to the city’s projections of traffic, electrical demand, sewer capacity, water use?


 


 


The entire site plan has to be relooked at hard from a power demand, traffic volume, and sewage flow perspective, at the very least before that site plan is renewed. And, if it is not, that’s simply negligent.


 


 


Those are just a few of the questions this absurd three-page, slip-it-through-quietly letter from Mr. Volland does not address that any  Common Council should demand to be addressed, before they even think about renewing the site plan.


 


More to the point, any consideration of rezoning the northend of the property for more development has to be absurd until these 12 questions are answered.


 


 


 

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Ode to the Holiday Doubleheader

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WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By Fastpitch Johnny. September 6, 2004: This afternoon there is a holiday doubleheader at the Big Ball Park. That’s Yankee Stadium. The Bronx Bombers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays play two. There was a time when every national holiday during baseball season had scheduled doubleheaders — a simpler time when the games were shorter, “you could come on out and catch the rest of the first game and all of the second game,”  and you did not have to take a mortgage out to buy a beer.



WRIGLEY FIELD, 1975. Photo by WPCNR Sports


Nowadays in major league baseball, the only doubleheaders are day night affairs, charging special admissions to each game so no gate receipts are lost.


But fifty years ago, the Sunday doubleheader was a tradition, as were Ladies Days on Saturdays at the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, and Ebbetts Field in New York.


What was great about the doubleheader was it was a true bargain: Two Games for the price of one. If your home team did not win the first game, known as “The Opener,” there was always the chance they could win “the Nightcap.”


Doubleheaders were made for beer.


When beer commercials were done live from the television booth or from the studio, the beer looked so good being poured on television. The bubbles ascending from the bottom of the glass, the creamy white head of a Ballantine beer being poured. The way condensation appeared on the beer bottle on television, made every preteen think that beer tasted great.


It did not of course, and when I got my first taste of the legendary Ballantine Ale (“Who is the Ale Man? Who Can he be?” was the slogan), I was literally and figuratively disappointed. THIS is Ballantine Ale, I thought?


So all you teens out there — beer is a habit — because it really does not taste that good — unless of course it’s 88 degrees in Yankee Stadium and you’re in the upper deck. Man, the best slogan ever created was “Baseball and Ballantine, Baseball and Ballantine, what a combination, all across the nation, it’s Baseball and Ballantine.”


Baseball Forever on a Sunday


The ballpark upper deck had a great aroma to it on a steamy Sunday twin bill — the manly allure of beer being poured, the sharp patina of cigar and cigarette smoke that hung in the upper deck under the Yankee Stadium roof, the nutty tang of peanuts being snapped up. The beefy siren of boiled hotdogs — none of this sissy sausage stuff –and the bellow of the concession man yelling, “Beah hea” “Hot Dog hea..” 


Of course you cannot eat and drink like that today at the Stadium you would go bankrupt. However, there is more drinking in the stands today than there ever was when I was a kid in the upper deck. Fans came to watch the games then. And we’d watch two.


Premier Matchups and Not Quite Ready for Prime Time Pitchers


The openers of these affairs which started at 2 PM, always featured the premier starters, Whitey for the Yankees against Frank Lary of the Tigers, or Tom Sturdivant for the Bombers against Camilio Pasqual of the Senators. Or over in Brooklyn, Eoisk  or Newk against Spahnie or Robin. We knew the starters of every team 50 years ago.


In the second games, somehow you got the long, long games, the donnybrooks, because you saw the soft underbelly of pitching. You’d see the Gene Brabenders, the Joe Nuxhalls, the Warren Hackers of baseball. Sometimes you’d see a rookie pitch. I still remember Luis Tiant’s shutout of the Yankees, 1-0, in the second game of a twin bill in 1958, when Luis was thin and young. I wasn’t there, but I saw it on PIX.


Long Shadows


You also if you were watching at home or in the ballpark delighted in the way the shadows would cover the pitching mound along about 5 P.M., and every fly ball became a touch chance as sun dipped low on the rim of the old Stadium.


On particularly sloppy doubleheaders, papers and programs would be torn and scattered on the field as fans expressed their boredom. I recall one particular 5-4, 5-4 split the Yankees had with Minnesota in the 70s, when I was there,  where the fans really got into this.


Another punctuated phenomena during elongated “Nightcaps” were the “K-Pock” of soda cups being stomped by fans that punctuated the game being played in the shadows below.


Bench Favorites


Another feature of second games of holiday twin bills was the appearance of backup bench players in the Yankee lineup, the Jerry Lumpes, Hector Lopezes, Bob Cervs, who lent a bizarre flavor of the unexpected hero into the Bombers’ lineup.


Long Games


Openers were usually crisp, efficient 3-2, or 2-1 affairs because the better pitchers were throwing, and they went 9 innings 50 years ago, friends. None of this crap that  6 innings was a quality start. If you did not go 9 50 years ago, you were not a pitcher.


In the second game — that’s when you often got those guys doomed to drift between Triple A and a cup of coffee — and often shadows being what they were, and the fatigue of the players you’d get locked into extra inning games. The Mets 23-inning affair with the Giants in 1965, I believe was a second game of a doubleheader.


I miss the holiday doubleheader. So fans at the Stadium this afternoon should savor the experience. Though I daresay, you’re not going to see Whitey Ford, Bob Turley on the mound.


 


 


 


 

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Westchester’s Crusader, Ralph Martinelli, Dies.

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Hezi Aris, The Yonkers Tribune. September 5, 2004: Ralph Martinelli, publisher of the Westchester Crusader, the weekly tabloid that has relentlessly attempted to expose the collusions, foibles, and questionable, juicy actions of Westchester politicians died this weekend after being hospitalized for 23 days. The cause of death, according to The Yonkers Tribune, was heart trouble. Mr. Martinelli was said to be in his 70s. His death was confirmed to The Tribune by a Crusader reporter.


Martinelli’s  newspaper, the Westchester Crusader, specialized in muckraking and exposed story after story of county corruption, personal malfeasance, and backroom dealings by county politicos. It is unclear at this time whether his stable of publications, especially The Crusader, will continue.

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Bob Castelli Kicks Off Campaign for Bradley’s Seat.

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2004. From The Castelli Campaign. (EDITED) September 4, 2004: Television commentator and former New York State Trooper, Bob Castelli began his campaign for New York State Assemblyman in the 89th Assembly District this week, walking the district. “This is a large and diverse district, but I think it’s important for me to get to know as many constituents as possible,” Mr. Castelli said in a news release.



Robert Castelli, Candidate for Assembly in White Plains 89th Assembly District. Photo, Courtesy, The Castelli Campaign


Castelli began walking the district that includes Bedford, Harrison, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, New Castle, North Castle, Pound Ridge and most of White Plains.


Castelli was a New York State Trooper for 21 years, serving as Trooper, Sergeant, Investigator and Station Commander, and was a member of the State’s Organized Crime Task Force. He was named a Pickett Fellow in Criminal Justice Policy and Management by the National Institute of Justice and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.


Castelli appeared twice on WABC Eyewitness News last week commenting on Republican Convention Security. He appears regularly on network television on ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN, MSNBC and Court TV, providing insights into crime and homeland security matters. Last week he resumed classes at Iona College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, lecturing in the crime and security fields.


Castelli characterizes himself as a “Pro-Choice Republican with a strong record on fiscal responsibility and environmental protection.” Castelli, in his kickoff news release said “his views are well-suited to those of the (89th) District’s moderate voters.” He believes that as a Republican, he can be a voice for reform in Albany, by challenging the Assembly’s New York City-dominated Democratic leadership, whom Castelli says, ” whose interests are often aligned against those of the suburbs.”


Castelli invites voters to visit his website at www.castelli2004.com, for his specific commentary on key issues in the campaign.

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Smoking Down in Westchester County

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WPCNR HEALTH NEWS. From Weschester County Department of Health. September 2, 2004: The results are in and, for residents of Westchester County, the health-risk indicators are looking good, according to a report of the New York State Expanded Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS.)  The newly released Expanded BRFSS report shows that residents of Westchester County are less likely than those of other counties to engage in some behaviors that put their health at risk and more likely to take actions that protect their health.


One key area in which Westchester’s report card is exemplary is smoking prevention.  Outside of New York City, Westchester has the lowest number of current, everyday smokers in the State (as a percentage of population) and the highest number of smokers attempting to quit.  Westchester is also third highest in the State for the number of people reporting that they have never smoked.


 



“This is a very encouraging report card,” said Joshua Lipsman, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health for Westchester County.  “The tremendous energy and resources we put into helping people stop smoking, or avoid starting, has paid off.  In the long run, this will bring dramatic returns in reduced health care costs and improved quality of life for our people.”


In recent years, Westchester County spent millions of dollars in programs to discourage smoking, earning the County an A-grade from the American Lung Association for its efforts.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls tobacco use, “the leading preventable cause of death,” resulting in more than 440,000 deaths and over $75 billion in direct medical costs each year in the United States.


 


Lowest Number of Smoke-Free Homes


 


 


Particularly gratifying is the fact that Westchester has the lowest number of residents in the State (including New York City) who smoke at home.  This is important since smoking in the home adversely affects non-smokers in the building, especially children.  In 2002, Westchester won a national competition, sponsored by the National Association of Counties, to see which county could generate the most pledges from its residents to keep their homes smoke-free.


“We took this campaign to heart,” said Dr. Lipsman.  “Not just for the sake of winning a competition but as an opportunity to promote the concept of smoke-free homes.  It seems to have helped.”


 


Second in Cancer Screening


 


Another area in which the Westchester County Health Department efforts have paid off well has been in the promotion of cancer screening.  Since 1999, the Health Department’s Colorectal and Prostate Cancer Initiative has provided extensive screenings and cancer prevention education to the community. Home-testing kits to detect colorectal cancer have also been made available free of charge to eligible residents.


The Expanded BRFSS report card ranked Westchester second highest in the State (including New York City) for the number of residents over the age of 50 who ever had received a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. The County also ranked third highest in the State for the number of men aged 40 and older receiving the Prostate Specific Antigen Test (for prostate cancer) within the past two years.


Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and women, with 146,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed this year in the United States. If detected early enough, the survival rate is over 90% but, in its early stages, colorectal cancer offers no obvious symptoms. This is why routine screening is essential.


Prostate cancer is also more easily treatable in its early stages and many lives can be saved through routine screening with a quick and painless blood test. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States, claiming 30,000 lives each year.


“Cancer screening saves lives,” said Dr. Lipsman. “You can’t beat having workers out in the field, at church groups and health fairs, reminding people to get checked; making appointments for them; or giving screenings on the spot.  It works.”

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LATIMER REFUSES TO SUE REPUBLICANS

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 WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VOICE. From a WPCNR Observer September 5, 2004: George Latimer, County Legislator and former Chairman of the Board of Legislators, has decided not to sue the Republicans over the late placement of his opponent, Vincent Malfetano on the ballot. This ensures a Latimer-Malfetano match up in November, instead of a potential “no contest” benefitting Latimer.


The background is complicated. In May, County Republicans again endorsed ertswhile Democrat Ron Tocci to run for re-election in the 91st A.D. Tocci, a 20-year veteran who had to battle a vigorous opponent in 2002, surprised the political world on June 15 by declining a re-election run. Latimer, long rumoured to make a challenge on the Democratic line, officially jumped in, and the Republicans began a replacement quest for Tocci. New Rochelle Republican leader Doug Colety stepped in as the next (temporary) candidate for the completion of the petition drive. Colety declined after the petitions were qualified, and County Republicans named Rye’s Glenn Dorr to run vs. Latimer. Within 24 hours, news surfaced that Dorr did not meet residency requirements of NY State Law, leaving the Republicans stuck as the July 23rd replacement deadline came and went.

Enter New Rochelle activist Vincent Malfetano, who, in early August, jumped in to fill the spot left by Dorr. At the same time, Democratic legal and political analysts advised Latimer that Malfetano’s replacement could be successfully challenged in court, throwing him off the ballot – and leaving Latimer an instant winner and the next Assemblyman.

“I’ve spent my whole career fighting for inclusion and participation -= I can’t go back on that now”, stated Latimer. He instructed his campaign and party to refused to intiate legal action – an incredible, unusual situation – leaving Malfetano in place, and a race ahead this fall.

“You can’t blame Vince”, Latimer said. “He responded to his party’s call. You can’t blame Doug Colety – he sought an opponent vigorously. Perhaps Glenn Dorr should have done his homework and known he didn’t qualify to run in 2004. In any event, you can’t disenfranchise the Republicans and those who signed their petitions over such a technicality. I’m running to win on the merits, and to show I can do a better job in the Assembly. If I succeed, it will be because I’ve earned the people’s support, not used the political process to benefit myself”, Latimer concluded.

The 91st District – next door to Adam Bradley’s Assembly District – includes Port Chester, Rye Brook, Rye City, Mamaroneck Town and Village, Larchmont and part of New Rochelle. Latimer has Democratic, Independence and Working Families lines; Malfetano is on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Latimer represented a section of White Plains for eight years – 1994-2001 – in the County Legislature.

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Tigers Triumph 52-0 In Opener. Avery Accurate. Dee Awesome. Lane Electric

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. September 4, 2004, UPDATED WITH MORE PIX,  COMPLETE COVERAGE 11:30 P.M. E.D.T.: White Plains overwhelmed Saunders, 52-0 Saturday afternoon, playing a flawless football game and forcing Saunders in numerous miscues and turning them into touchdowns. Kevin Avery made an impressive debut as the new Tiger signal caller, throwing two touchdown passes, one to Mike “Night train” Lane on his second play from scrimmage for a 40 yard touchdown pass to put the Tigers up 6-0 within 3minutes, and another 26 yard TD strike to Gary Morello to put the game out of reach midway in the second quarter. 


 Lane also picked up a Saunders pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown within the next minute to make it 14-0 inside the first  three minutes.



One Pass. Six Points: Mike “Night Train” Lane in center of picture next to the black jersey, legs into coffin corner after taking a pass from Kevin Avery in the right flat and cruising like an express train for the Tigers first TD of the season in Yonkers Saturday afternoon.  Photo by WPCNR Sports


The Tigers’ inaugural contest was no contest. Coach Mark Santa-Donato expressed worries that his new line would make mistakes in their first game. They did not make any. Saunders made them all.


 


From the opening drive, the Tigers forced Saunders into game-breaking mistakes with solid pad snapping hits, gang-tackling, swift pursuit and superb conditioning in 85 degree heat.


 


The first series was the only time Saunders moved the ball all day. Showing a shotgun attack and flooding the Tiger secondary with receivers, unbalanced the Tigers a little getting a first down on their first play from the 27. A long pass to the 50 fell incomplete.


 


On second and 10 from the 27,  the new Tiger Dee made its first big play of the day.  Junior Tackle Khaly Merot doggedly swooped into the backfield and dragged down the Blue Devil Quarterback for a 10 yard loss back to the 17. On third and 20, Conor Gilmartin-Donohue and Shawn Jamison combined for another sack forcing a punt.


 


Mike Lane took the punt at his own 45 and returned it 12 yards to the Saunders 43. Set up at the Devil 43, Kevin Avery ran his first play from scrimmage as the official Tiger quarterback.  Gary Morello lugged the ball to the 40.


 


First Pass.  First Touchdown.


 


Then Avery ran his second play. He drifted coolly back, looking left, looking left then  looked to his right out in the flat and smoothly whisked the ball to Mike Lane behind the line of scrimmage. The “Night Train” left the station rumbling, stumbling on a clear angle alley towards the end zone. Saunders shifted right could not catch up and Lane weaved his way into paydirt for 6 points.


 


Pablo Siaba’s try for point was muffed when the snap was fumbled but  Gary Morrello, the holder got to his feet and to show you what kind of day it was going to be for White Plains flipped the ball to Conor Gilmartin-Donohue in the end zone for 2 points. It was 8-0, Tigers with 9 minutes to go in the first quarter.


 


Lane Has a Lot of Leg.


 


Mike Lane kicked off for the Tigers, the first of seven kickoffs on the day that stunned this scribe.


 


Mr. Lane can kick! Every kickoff he made today sailed to the goalline except for one that he purposely kicked to the 20 (for practice apparently). Lane is easily the best kickoff man this reporter has ever seen on the high school level. He drives such a hard ball, that the Tigers could not get downfield in time to cover on the ensuing kickoff, setting up Saunders on their own 35. (Later in the day, we believe Coach Santa-Donato requested him to kick it a little higher allowing the posse of Tigers to get down field. He made the adjustment!)


 


The Night Train Makes another Run in Daylight.


 


Saunders, stung by the early TD, again began to throw to get back in the game.  The Tigers collected a dual sack pushing the Devils back to their 25 a loss of 8. A short run collected 3 yards.


 


The Saunders Mike Vitaj tried to get it all back. The Devils sent out 3 wide receivers flooding the Tigers seasoned secondary. Vitaj had time, with fully 6 seconds to locate a receive he could not find one and threw over the middle,  high.


 


Not high enough!


 


Mr. Big Play, Mike Lane playing free safety in centerfield got a bead on it,  leaped  high, extending both hands, coming down with the “pick” at the 35 yard line keeping his feet and he was off again, dodging and deking two receivers to his right and he was gone untouched for the Tigers second touchdown  in less than a minute. Pablo Siaba added the first of six consecutive extra points and it was 15-0 Tigers with 7 minutes and 25 seconds to go in the first quarter.


 


Saunders was undone.


 


Another Jarring Jimison Gem.


 


On Lane’s ensuing kickoff, the Devils returner, Tim Patton behind good blocking split the Tiger return coverage up the middle and had one Tiger to beat for  100 yard touchdown run. Patton came at Shawn Jimison at full speed at the 35 yard line.


 


Jimison came up to meet the challenge, set himself, hung low refused to be deked and got Patton thigh high taking the full force of the collision heard throughout Yonkers and bulldogged Patton to the dust, saving a touchdown. It was a great, fearless openfield tackle, reminiscent of Gino Marchetti. A huge play, otherwise Saunders would be back in the game at 15-6.


 


Deflated, Saunders ran two plays, then on a run, their halfback inexplicably fumbled (how can you fumble in 85 degree dry heat?) and Mike Lane fell on it, giving White Plains a first on the Saunders 30.


 


 



 


They’re Not Gonna Get Him: Ike NUKE NDUKA Number 28, after taking handoff from Kevin Avery, right, gets a block by we think Paul Scotman and accelerates to the endzone for the third Tiger TD of the First Quarter. Photo by WPCNR Sports.


 


After Ike Nduka picked up 5 yards, Avery handed off to Paul Scotman who rumbled Jim Brown-like to the Saunders 10, the “inexperienced” Tiger line brushing the Devils aside. Avery, pivoting with grace, precision and ballet-like choreography  laid the ball in Ike Nduka’s hands around left end, and Ike brushed past a lone Devil for the third Tiger TD in the first quarter. Pablo converted to make it 22-0 with 4 minutes to go in the first period.


 


Saunders got a drive going but fumbled away at the Tiger 50, and the Tigers took over at the Devil 47 as time ran out in the first quarter. Avery, conducting the offense like Leonard Bernstein handed to Paul Scotman who scattered Devils to the 38. Then to Nduka for a first down on the 35. and Nduka again for little gain. Mixing it up he handed off to Lane who moved for a first down to the 25.


 


 



 


Just Like Fred Astaire: Gary Morello (22) Spins on a dime after taking Kevin Avery’s pass at the Saunders 15, faking the Saunders defender, and is about to cruise into the end zone for the clinching touchdown, a 26 yard pass and run play in the second quarter. Photo by WPCNR Sports.


 


A penalty after no gain pushed the Tigers back to the Saunders 35, and Avery went back to pass again in his deliberate Bart Starr style. The tall tactician looked left, he looked right spotting Gary Morello at the 15 and locked in on him laying it in perfectly. Gary faked a Saunders secondaryman out of his cleats and dashed into paydirt to give White Plains a 28-0 lead with 9 minutes left in the first half. Pablo made it 29-0.


 


As Warner Wolf says, “you could turn off your video cameras,” there. The Tigers seemingly could score at will.


 


Ike Nduka scored on a 30 yard run to make it 36-0. The Tigers added a safety before the half, to go to the shade at halftime with a 38-0 lead.


 


In the second half, Ike Nduka scored his third touchdown on a 50 yard run to make it 44-0, and Mickey Morello added the longest touchdown run of the day (56 yards) for the final score 52-0. It was not that close, folks.


 


Press Box Observations


 


Quarterback Kevin Avery was impressive as was his “Four Tigers Backfield” of Nduka, Lane, Morello (Gary), and Paul Scotman. Avery, playing Elvis to the Jordanaires, was perfectly in sync with his backs, extraordinarily so for the first game of the season. He did not rush things. He held his fakes, he showed poise.


 



The I of the Tigers: Kevin Avery at the helm with Nduka, Lane and Scotman in the backfield. Photo by WPCNR Sports


 


“Ave” throws a nice soft football too. His passes were accurate on route and thrown at what appeared to be just fast enough to get to the receiver in a good spot, but not so hard they bounce off the receivers’ hands or pads.  He also is tall enough to see the field.


 


There were none of the collisions in the backfield or confusion in the handoffs that plagued Saunders, in the Tiger offensive backfield Saturday.


 


A more aggressive pass rush will test Avery and his defenders, but he has a good arm, capable of airing it out 50 yards without underthrowing. He appears unflappable. Workmanlike. I liked his pivots, his concentration, and precision handoffs. He takes care of the football.


 


Introducing “The Four Tigers” 


 


Santa-Donato has four formidable threats this year who hit their holes, can get away from tacklers and can cruise with speed. Paul Scotman caused havoc up the middle. Mike Lane has game-breaking ability. Ike “Nuke” Nduka can get outside or take it inside. And Gary Morello is both a run and pass threat. And the Tigers have more killer backs, Mike Morello, Thomas Lee and Joe Henry on the bench to throw in.


 


The line did its job today, and show good speed and pursuit when they need it. There were few Tiger penalties.


 


Not enough can be said about the Tigers’ conditioning. On a sweltering day, the Tigers never appeared tired. They were ready to play. Saunders was not.


 


The Tigers will need to deploy those assets against the explosive Gorton Wolves next Saturday at 1:30 in Parker Stadium.


 



TIGERS AND TIGERRETTES Celebrate the Opening Win. Photo by WPCNR Sports


 



THE TIGERRETTES CAN CATCH TOO! Photo by WPCNR Sports


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

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Tigers Kickoff — The Start of the Football Season

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By The Pigskin Bard. September 4, 2004: White Plains High School plays Saunders in Yonkers this afternoon at 1:30 P.M. in a battle of two young ball clubs on the rise. In honor of the opening kickoff, the Pigskin Bard has created this ode to the Opening Kickoff:



MIKE LANE KICKS OFF THE TIGER FOOTBALL SEASON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. Photo by WPCNR Sports


Tiger Kickoff


By The Pigskin Bard.


The black jerseys mill, brawny lads jumping in giddy anticipation, collide and test


In slanting golden sun rays bouncing off flaring black gladiator helmets.


Stalwart imposing men in baseball caps, clipboards and playsheets clutched to chest,


Implore, slap hands with each player bumping gauntlets.


 


Gathering on the vast, testing striped green with the hallowed high goals


At either end, the squads of both elites eye each other sizing up


Their test to come. Tigers of generations past spirits fill their souls


Each Tiger about to play takes up the honor of their predecessors’ wordup.


 


As the teams deploy, each young boy feels the rush of blood,


The filling of his soul from Tigers of the past giving lift to their step and drive to their block


As earnest instructions and camaraderie is instilled they don their orange hood


Step to the line as the striped arbiters of Armegeddon align to judge the play till no seconds are on the clock.


 


A whistle, the diverse colored lines merge in mayhem


As the obelisk leather object sails to fleet receiver.


Gathering it in, he runs like the wind navigating, twisting between them


Fighting clawing, following interference, deking, dodging, a deft deceiver.


 


It is the First Down of another season, as Tiger Football begins


Imploring parents in stands, worried for safety of their stalwart cubs,


Demanding that extra inch, that little-bit-higher-reach of all their new legions,


As each Tiger feels their first hit, the feel of soft grass, the challenge of the collision.


 


Tall, rangy, surveying the line on the season’s first play, the new Tiger Leader


Looks over the dee as his wired line poises to charge.


Yes, this is where they want to be in the tumult in the fray climbing the ladder


To higher ground fighting through the bruises and hurt to triumphantly emerge…


 


The feel of the hard snap in his hands, the back coming to take the hand


The tackle pulling and clearing a hole. The breach in the line so grand


The daylight and alluring green stripes ahead light up the runner’s eye


Feeling his spikes dig into turf, cutting digging gearing up his body for a last stand.


 


Stronger, tougher, swifter, faster, reaching inside for effort on each play


Each year’s Tigers create their own patina of spiritual armor


By their heart and poise and effort they will commemorate the day


Remembering and creating a new the White Plains Tiger way – their way.


 

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Free Prostate Cancer Screenings Offered at White Plains Hospital

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 WPCNR White Plains Medical Journal. From White Plains Hospital Medical Center. September 3, 2004: In alliance with National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, White Plains Hospital Center (WPHC) will hold three community Prostate Cancer Screenings at the Dickstein Cancer Treatment Center (DCTC) in September on Tuesdays, September 14, 21, and 28. The Details:

)


 


The FREE screenings are set for the following dates:


 


q       Tuesday, September 14, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.


q       Tuesday, September 21, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.


q       Tuesday, September 28, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.


 


Prostate cancer exceeds lung cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the United States, with 220,900 new cases and 28,900 deaths in 2003. More than 70 percent of all prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men over age 65. Prostate cancer can be cured if detected early, and can be treated even in its later stages.


 


While the precise cause of prostate cancer is unknown, the following factors may increase the likelihood of developing prostate cancer:


q       Age – More than 75 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over the age of 65.


q       Skin color – African American men have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer than white Americans.


q       Nutrition – A diet higher in animal fat may add to the risk.


q       Family history – Genetic factors may predispose one as being at high risk.



For more information on WPHC”s Prostate Screenings, please call (914) 681-2701.


 


White Plains Hospital Center is a voluntary, not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of offering high quality, acute health care and preventative medical care in a caring and compassionate manner to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. The Hospital will provide care and services without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or ability to pay.  For the third time, the Hospital is the winner of the National Research Corporation “Consumer Choice Award” for Westchester County. WPHC is an affiliate of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and a member of Stellaris Health Network, Inc. and Voluntary Hospitals of America, Inc. For further information, please call (914) 681-1119 or visit the Hospital’s website:  www.wphospital.org.[]


 

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Reese is Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair at the City Center

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WPCNR SCREEN GEMS. From National Amusements. September 3, 2004: VANITY FAIR, Reese Witherspoon’s new vehicle, premiers at the City Center Cinema de Lux this weekend at City Center. Also rolling for the first time will be WICKER PARK, The Cookout, and the thriller, Paparazzi. The showtimes for this weekend follow along with previews of the four new flicks, and remember folks, Directors Hall showings are slightly more expensive, and are indicated by the subtle two asterisks:

VANITY FAIR — Reese Witherspoon stars as a beautiful, funny and calculating young woman who begins life as a poor orphan but uses her wit, guile and sexuality to climb to the highest rungs of 19th Century English society. PG-13

WICKER PARK — Josh Hartnett stars in this thriller about a man who falls in love with a woman with some dangerous secrets. Torn between passion, confusion and fear, he slowly learns more about this very dangerous object of his desire. PG-13

THE COOKOUT — A young basketball player picked #1 in the NBA Draft lands a $30 million contract. He’s got the mansion, the car and the “bling,” so he invites his family and friends over for a hilarious cookout. With Tim Meadows, Danny Glover and Queen Latifah. PG-13

PAPARAZZI — For an emerging movie star, a quartet of paparazzi is at first an annoyance, then an ever-disturbing presence. When they threaten his family’s safety, he takes matters into his own hands. PG-13


Friday, September 03, 2004  
The Manchurian Candidate (R) –12:10;3:10;6:10;9:10 pm;12:10 am. ;
Paparazzi (PG-13) –12:00;2:15;4:30;6:40;9:20;11:35 pm. ;
Vanity Fair (PG-13) –12:35;3:50;7:00;10:15 pm. ;
Benji Off the Leash! (PG) –12:05 pm. ;
Collateral (R) –1:20;4:00;6:40;9:25 pm;12:05 am. ;
Hero **(PG-13) –2:25;4:50;7:15;9:40 pm;12:00 am. ;
Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (PG) –12:05;2:20;4:35;6:50 pm. ;
Hero (PG-13) –12:00;2:55;5:20;7:45;10:10 pm;12:30 am. ;
Exorcist: The Beginning (R) –1:40;4:15;6:55;9:35 pm;12:10 am. ;
Without a Paddle (PG-13) –12:10;2:35;5:10;7:55;10:25 pm;12:35 am. ;
Suspect Zero (R) –12:15;2:40;5:05;7:35;10:00 pm;12:25 am. ;
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie (PG) –12:40 pm. ;
The Bourne Supremacy (PG-13) –2:30;5:00;7:30;9:55 pm;12:25 am. ;
The Cookout (PG-13) –1:10;3:20;5:30;7:50;10:05 pm;12:20 am. ;
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (G) –12:50;3:45;6:30;9:15;11:55 pm. ;
Wicker Park (PG-13) –1:15;4:10;7:05;9:50 pm;12:30 am. ;
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (PG-13) –12:25;2:50;5:15;7:40;10:20 pm;12:35 am. ;
Open Water (R) –9:05;11:15 pm. ;

Saturday, September 04, 2004  
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (PG-13) –12:25;2:50;5:15;7:40;10:20 pm;12:35 am. ;
Vanity Fair (PG-13) –12:35;3:50;7:00;10:15 pm. ;
Wicker Park (PG-13) –1:15;4:10;7:05;9:50 pm;12:30 am. ;
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (G) –12:50;3:45;6:30;9:15;11:55 pm. ;
The Bourne Supremacy (PG-13) –2:30;5:00;7:30;9:55 pm;12:25 am. ;
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie (PG) –12:40 pm. ;
The Cookout (PG-13) –1:10;3:20;5:30;7:50;10:05 pm;12:20 am. ;
Without a Paddle (PG-13) –12:10;2:35;5:10;7:55;10:25 pm;12:35 am. ;
Exorcist: The Beginning (R) –1:40;4:15;6:55;9:35 pm;12:10 am. ;
Suspect Zero (R) –12:15;2:40;5:05;7:35;10:00 pm;12:25 am. ;
Hero (PG-13) –12:00;2:55;5:20;7:45;10:10 pm;12:30 am. ;
Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (PG) –12:05;2:20;4:35;6:50 pm. ;
Hero **(PG-13) –2:25;4:50;7:15;9:40 pm;12:00 am. ;
Collateral (R) –1:20;4:00;6:40;9:25 pm;12:05 am. ;
Paparazzi (PG-13) –12:00;2:15;4:30;6:40;9:20;11:35 pm. ;
Benji Off the Leash! (PG) –12:05 pm. ;
The Manchurian Candidate (R) –12:10;3:10;6:10;9:10 pm;12:10 am. ;
Open Water (R) –9:05;11:15 pm. ;

Sunday, September 05, 2004  
Open Water (R) –9:05 pm. ;
Benji Off the Leash! (PG) –12:05 pm. ;
Collateral (R) –1:20;4:00;6:40;9:25 pm. ;
Paparazzi (PG-13) –12:00;2:15;4:30;6:40;9:20 pm. ;
Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (PG) –12:05;2:20;4:35;6:50 pm. ;
Hero (PG-13) –12:00;2:55;5:20;7:45;10:10 pm. ;
Hero **(PG-13) –2:25;4:50;7:15;9:40 pm. ;
Suspect Zero (R) –12:15;2:40;5:05;7:35;10:00 pm. ;
Without a Paddle (PG-13) –12:10;2:35;5:10;7:55;10:25 pm. ;
Exorcist: The Beginning (R) –1:40;4:15;6:55;9:35 pm. ;
The Cookout (PG-13) –1:10;3:20;5:30;