WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Fastpitch Johnny. July 20, 2004: Catrina Kostelas hit an inside-the-park homerun in the second inning, and Stacey Carrabello of Brewster singled home Valhalla’s Megan Davidson after Meg had doubled to the left center field fence in the 4th, to power the Hudson River Panthers to a 6-1 win in their 11 A.M. 2004 PONY National game this morning. The win gave the first-run Ray Frederick/ Joe Carrabello coached Panthers a 20-13 record on the season. The club played under perfect blue skies and high 80s temperatures at the posh Claude Moore complex in Leesburg, Virginia, and now awaits the beginning of bracket play Wednesday. As we write the team is splashing in the pool at the Marriott.

White Plains Tiger Juliana Bailey started for the Panthers, pitched out of a bases-loaded 1 out jam in the second by striking out two Cardinals with Redbirds perched on all the bases, after Kostellas had stroked her homer to give the Panthers a 1-run lead.

Kostellas said she hit a low and outside pitch on a 1-strike count and took it the opposite way towards the right centerfield gap. When the ball hit the fence, Catrina kept on motoring to third where the third base coach held her up, but Catrina noticed the relay still had not come in from the outfield and kept on rolling, scoring standing up for a 1-0 lead.

In the fourth Meg Davidson took the Cardinal pitcher deep into the leftcenterfield gap all the way to the fence for a double. Stacey Carabello, next up helped her pitcher out by smoking  a pitch so hard to the right centerfield gap that she was held to a single, but Davidson was able to score to make it 2-0.

In the fourth, Juliana Bailey  ran into a bit of trouble, an error on a slow roller put one Cardinal on, and a smash off Bailey’s glove forced  her to throw hard to first to get the runner but the throw could not be handled at first and the runners advanced to second and third.

Lagrange’s Michelle Barone was called on to put out the fire. Barone got the first hitter to pop out to her at the mound. But then a line single to left scored one run to make it 2-1. The next hitter, attempting to squeeze the tying run into third on a run and bunt, but popped it up fair off the plate. Carabello, the Panther catcher caught it and fired to first doubling the hapless runner at first to douse the threat.

In the 5th, the Panthers put the game away when Valhalla’s Gina Giuliani walked then scored on a passed ball, after Michelle Barone beat out a misplayed sacrifice bunt. Onn another misplayed Maggie Goldberg sacrifice, the pitcher threw the ball away to make it 4-1. Brewster’s Danielle Basciano singled up the middle to score Goldberg and it was 5-1. White Plains Tiger Dena Frederick closed out the scoring when after hitting into a fielder’s choice she stole second and third and scored on Stacey Carabello’s  second RBI single of the game, this time up the middle.

Barone picked up the save, retiring three of four hitters in the last of the fifth to close out the game.

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. Special to WPCNR from Kristen Zimmerman. July 20,2004: The NY/NJ Juggernaut (24-14) defeated the California Sunbirds (11-25) 3-0 behind a two-hit shutout by Nauts’ starter Kaci Clark in the second game of Monday’s doubleheader. Clark shut down the Sunbirds, going a full seven innings, giving up no runs on two hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts, after the Sunbirds had taken the opener 2-1, handing Amanda Scott her third straight loss.

Clark would get all the run support she needed in the fourth inning when
designated player Lisa Iancin scored on a double to the left-field fence
by centerfielder Venus Taylor. Second baseman Carri Leto would then add an
insurance run when she scored Taylor with a single down the left field
line. She was then thrown out attempting to advance on the play. Iancin
went 1-for-2 with one run scored and an RBI. Taylor also went 1-for-2 with
a run scored and an RBI.

First baseman Kellie Wilkerson tacked on the Juggernaut’s third and final
run of the game in the sixth inning when she scored on an infield hit by
Iancin. Wilkerson went 1-for-2 with a run scored.

Clark escaped a threat by California in the first inning thanks to
sparkling defensive plays by right fielder Gina Oaks and shortstop Lyndsey
Klein. After a leadoff hit by right fielder Kellyn Tate, Oaks threw
pitcher Kirsten Voak out at first from right field to secure the first out
of the inning. Klein then nailed third baseman Jaime Foutch at first with
a one-hop throw from her knees in the hole for the second out of the
inning and the end of the rally.

Amanda Loses Heartbreaker in Opener.

Despite a 13 strikeout performance by NY/NJ Juggernaut
(23-14) starter Amanda Scott, the California Sunbirds (11-24) defeated the
Nauts 2-1 behind the strong pitching performance of Jodie Cox in game one
of tonight’s doubleheader. Scott pitched seven full innings, giving up two
runs on five hits, three walks, and 13 strikeouts. Cox pitched a complete
game as well, giving up one run on six hits, three walks, and nine
strikeouts.

A two-run fourth inning for the Sunbirds would give Cox all the run
support she would need. Leftfielder Christen Bedwell doubled to center to
score pinch runner Barbara Moody and give the Sunbirds a 1-0 lead.
Following a walk to shortstop Allison Andrade and an infield single by
Cox, a groundball to short off the bat of centerfielder Kim Ogee scored
designated player Heather Field for the 2-0 lead. Bedwell finished 1-for-3
with a run scored and an RBI, and Cox was 2-for-3.

The Nauts battled back in the bottom of the fourth when pinch hitter Lisa
Iancin scored shortstop Lyndsey Klein with a two-out single. Iancin went
2-for-2 with an RBI on the night. A one-out walk to Klein and a base-hit
by first baseman Kellie Wilkerson would put Klein in scoring position for
Iancin. Wilkerson finished a perfect 2-for-2.

Wilkerson led off the sixth inning with another base hit, pinch hitter
Jaclyn Pasquerella sacrificed her to second, and Iancin singled to right
and then stole to second to put runner’s on second and third with only one
out. However the Nauts would fail to score as Cox got centerfielder Venus
Taylor to ground out, and first baseman Jaime Foutch scooped third baseman
Kirsten Voak’s throw out of the dirt to stop the Juggernaut and secure the
win.



The Juggernaut will take on the Sunbirds again tonight at Montclair State University Softball Stadium at 7:35 pm.

National Pro Fastpitch Standings July 20, 2004

                                   w      L       Games Behind

Akron Racers         22    10                _____

NyNj Juggernaut   24    14                     1

Texas Thunder      20    11                 1-1/2

New England Tide 16    20                     8

Arizona Heat            11   24                12-1/2

California Sunbirds  11  25                   13

Monday’s Scores

California 2, Juggernaut 1 (1st)

Juggernaut 3, California 0 (2nd)

Texas 2, New England 0

Arizona 5 Akron 1

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WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. July 19, 2004: Today’s photograph is of the developing “Townhouse Row” on Old Mamaroneck Road, showing the line up of the homes that will behind the apartment complex, called The Jefferson at 300 Mamaroneck Road.

TOWNHOUSE ROW. Old Mamaroneck Road. Photo by The WPCNR Roving Photographer

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WPCNR HIGHLANDS HERALD. From a WPCNR Reporter. July 18, 2004: Michael Cappelli, brother of the Superdeveloper, Louis Cappelli is considering developing a 6 home subdivision in White Plains. The home being considered as a possible division by Michael Cappelli is at 109 Old Mamaroneck Road. The item is coming up on the Planning Board agenda.  The two Cappelli brothers, a spokesman told WPCNR, usually do not work together. However, this may be changing for the two Cappellis are partners in  Cappelli Development South LLC, in Del Rey Beach, Florida, recently reestablished in August, 2003.

THE GREENING OF OLD MAMARONECK ROAD: 109 Old Mamaroneck Road is being eyeballed as a possible 6-Home subdivision by MC LLC. It’s before the Planning Board. Photo by WPCNR News

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Fastpitch Johnny. July 18, 2004: Michelle Smith, the Olympic Champion pitcher in 1996 and 2000, opened the 2004 PONY Fastpitch Nationals in Sterling, Virginia Sunday with an inspiring talk to hundreds of young fast pitch softball players from over 300 travel teams of 12 year olds and 14 year-olds gathered at Franklin Park for the PONY National Opening Ceremonies in this burg along Route 7 in northern Virginia.

Ms. Smith spoke for 35 minutes, then took questions from ballplayers which were smarter than most sportswriters ask. After graciously and candidly answering her adoring fans’ questions, Ms. Smith signed autographs for two hours with hundreds still standing in line. Ms. Smith,  who plays professionally in the Japanese professional league, and has for 12 years, revealed  that she did not start pitching until she was 15 years of age, and that at age 19, an auto accident nearly severed her left arm to the point where doctors said she would never pitch again. She used that as an example of why the young pitchers out in the audience and ballplayers should never take someone else’s negative assessment of their abilities as a reason to quit.

Ms. Smith talked about her Olympic experience and showed off her two gold medals from 1996 and 2000, and handicapped the upcoming 2004 Olympic Softball competition. She said she expected Japan to be the most competition for the USA Team. She said that Japanese pitchers tend to fool batters with more pinpoint control than American pitchers, who tend to depend more on movement. She noted one star Japanese team pitcher pitches very slow stuff  (about 60 miles an hour, a opposed to the 70 MPH stuff delivered by USA pitchers), and is very successful.

Smith emphasized to the thousands of young players that you don’t have to be from California to make the Olympics anymore, saying your success in the sport depends on how hard you work.

Asked by one of her young questioners what her best pitch was, Ms. Smith said riseball, but that after she became known for her rise among hitters, she developed a drop to go along with it, encouraging young pitchers to develop their repertoire.

She revealed her role models growing up were Joan Joyce, the former Brakette great, and Sandy Koufax, also a lefthander. Smith said when she was growing up that she had a quotation from Mr. Koufax on her bedroom door, reading, “Pitching is the art of instilling fear,” meaning that pitchers have to keep batters nervous about what’s coming next.

Asked about her workout routine now that she has been pitching for some 20 years, Ms. Smith said she bicycles some 50-60 miles a day at her home in Japan. Asked about her warmp routines, she said she puts all of her weight on her back left leg, and practices putting shifting all of the weight of her body forward to her right leg snapping her pitching arm at a 45-degree angle in her pregame warmup.

Ms. Smith said not to be afraid of challenge and challenging yourself at the next level. She concluded that though you have to perform as an individual in softball, you achieve success with your teammates. She said her greatest memory was standing on the stage looking at her teammates and wondering at their great accomlishment when they had to win three in a row against teams that had beaten them in the 2000 Olympics.

Ms. Smith’s keynote address took place at a tented city in Franklin Park in  Purcellville, Virginia where  hundreds of colorfully uniformed fast pitch softball players persuaded parents to pay $10 to $15 for T-shirts, more for equipment, other souveniers, and enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers relaxing in tented headquarters of their teams from the East Coast. They were hanging out trading pins, purchasing t-shirts, examining softball equipment and celebrating the sport of fastpitch softball., and getting to know each other.

There are a lot of them here,too!

Mike Smith, head of PONY National  told WPCNR that between the PONY Nationals for the 12 and 14s being held this week in and around Sterling Virginia and the PONY Nationals for 16 and 18s coming up in Raleigh over 600 teams and 7,800 players will be competing. At the PONY Nationals, local Westchester area teams that have either won championships, finished second and received bids, or hosted tournaments include the prestigious Brewster Rockets, the perennially professional Diamond Dolls,  Hudson Valley Express, The Challenge, newcomers the Hudson River Panthers, and from Connecticut come the Eliminators, the Rapids, Xtreme Chaos. The best team name WPCNR observed today in milling through the huge crowds was The Outsiders.