WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,826,065 VISITS IN ONE YEAR—73,578 VISITS A WEEK BY 1,111,506 VISITORS

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In the worst premeditated surprise attack on any nation anywhere, with loss of life in the thousands, the World Trade Center Towers collapsed into rubble Tuesday morning by 10:30 AM and we all realized how connected we are.
No novelist has imagined this disaster. It is all too real and horrible. Not since the Hindenburg disaster have I heard radio reporting so emotional. Not since Hiroshima and Nagasaki has there been such loss of life in a single attack. As the attacks mounted every 15 minutes observed one radio reporter, America realized how connected we all are. At least this reporter did.

What impressed this reporter, was how connected we all really are here in America. A candidate for office worried about their treasurer’s wife who works in the Trade Center. I worried about my nephew, just starting his new job this summer in lower Manhattan, and I do not know exactly where he works. My brother-in-law called from Miami to see if my wife was all right. (She is.)

A friend of mine called to see if my wife was all right, too, then he mentioned what about those children in school who have parents working in those buildings? It was a sobering, angering thought.

Sobering because, you knew some of them had to have lost their parents. You just knew that.

Our very communicative society was communicating, phonelines were jammed. Everyone thought of loved ones or persons that they knew that perhaps worked down there.

Persons watching the horror unfold, broke down in front of their televisions. Breaking down, because of the sense that there was nothing they could do.

As I write this at 12 noon today, the end of these maniacal acts (a very appropriate description from one WOR reporter) is not in sight. But, when it does end, and it will, let’s remember how connected we feel to those entombed in the Trade Center rubble.

Let’s pull together and work together more, like those brave New York City Firefighters who obviously were trapped in the buildings when they collapsed. The police who obviously have died trying to evacuate the innocents within. I don’t want to hear any more knocks on the NYPD.

And please, Hollywood, no made-for-tv movies about this.

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The School Board has officially nominated four distinguished graduates to the White Plains High School Hall of Fame. The 2001 “Fab 4” will be inducted Wednesday, November 14.
Larry Geiger of the White Plains Board of Education, announced the four 2001 nominees at Monday evening’s Board of Education meeting. The four honorees are:

Pauine Oliva, Two-term Councilperson, Class of ’44, and longtime civic activist.

Milton Hoffman, Class of ’46, the distinguished reporter and columnist for the Gannett newspapers, known for his “Tales of Hoffman” columns.

J. Bruce Lewellyn, Class of ’48, an accomplished entrepreneur and presently CEO of the Philadelphia Coca Cola Bottling Company.

Grover “Deacon” Jones, Class of ’52, whom Mr. Geiger described as perhaps the most outstanding athlete ever to come out of Westchester County.

The four will be honored Wednesday, November 14. They are the 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th graduates to be inducted into the WPHS Hall of Fame from among White Plains 25,000 graduates.

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Greg from White Plains, “Mr. Jet,” checked in with WPCNR on the Herman Edwards Jets after the Sunday brutal loss to the Indianapolis Colts, 45-24 at The Meadowlands, which he observed in person from his mezzanine box.

“The Jets have a whole new offense, and they have a whole new defense,” Mr. Jet reports, “and they looked as if they were out of sync. Frankly, they looked as if they could have used about 3 or 4 more preseason games. Guys obviously were a step slow and were reacting, not instinctive.”

“To be fair, the Colts are one of the best offensive teams in football. They wore the Jets defense down. The Colts just dominated the game.”

“The Jets made it close though. They came back. They trailed by two touchdowns with 4 minutes left. On 4th and 1 on the goaline, one of the blocking backs ran into Vinnie (Testeverde), and a Colt took it back for the last touchdown 98 yards. Game over.”

Jets out of shape? NO.

Asked how come the Colts didn’t get as tired on offense as the Jets defense seemed to be in trying to stop Peyton Manning’s Mustangs, Greg, who played football for White Plains High School, patiently explained: “When the offense is pushing you, they know where they’re going. It’s less taxing (for the offense), while the defense is always reacting. And it was really hot out there.”

Delay of game non-call

Radio commentator Dave Jennings said Indianapolis should have gotten a delay of game penalty at the end of the First Quarter when they failed to get a play off after their 30 second clock ran out at the end of the quarter. Greg said the Jets didn’t care or make a fuss about it, and did not see it as a problem.

Marvin Jones play braindead.

“I went crazy on the Marvin Jones play, (when Jet Linebacker Jones attempted to run out an interception from the Jet end zone and fumbled on the 5, giving the ball right back to the Colts before the end of the half,” Greg says. (He’s used to these things). “He picks it 3 yards deep in the end zone. If he gets it out to the 20 yard line, it’s a miracle. It was a 7 point game at that point, then the punt return for a TD killed us.”

The Jets trailed 17-14, and wound up trailing 31-14 at the half.

West Coast offense needs time.

On the Jets new “West Coast offense,” Mr. Jet says the jury is still out.

“They will get better each week. But, I’m not sold on this offensive coordinator yet. They’re selling this offense as a wide open type, but it seems more conservative to me. They run the ball a lot. They throw short passes and never throw it downfield. Wayne Crebett caught just one pass.”

How did the fans take it?

Jets fans are prone to leaving games over the last four decades saying “Same old Jets.” But Greg says they were kinder and gentler Sunday:

“The fans were holding back a little. Not as hard on the Jets as in years past. They know this is a new system.”

How was the officiating?

“They definitely need the regular refs. Even from where we were sitting, we could see there was a lot of holding going on. These are the greatest players in the world and they know they can get away with a lot of stuff. You could tell the refs just let them play. There were no out and out blown calls. But, in the Raider K.C. game we say on replay, there was a really bad call on Tim Brown where he was knocked out of bounds by a Chiefs receiver, and clearly would have come down inbounds. Brown yelled so much they slapped him with a 15 yard penalty. Yeah, they miss the real refs.”

Mr. Jet said Payton Manning, the Colt QB had a great game, being 7 for 13 on third down conversions. “That killed the Jets. They’d stop him on the first two, and then bingo, he’d convert. The Colts just overwhelmed us.”

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Three gift touchdowns put the Tigers down early in the 85 degree swelter of Parker Stadium Saturday and they never recovered. Running of Lawrence, Moronta will compliment Rindenhour in games to come.
The White Plains Tigers opened football 2001 at Palmer Stadium and found themselves quickly down 21-0, after the first quarter.

FIRST COIN TOSS of the year at Parker Stadium Saturday.

North Rockland is an obvious powerhouse, both big and quick. Their disciplined swarming pursuit of the ball on defense is complimented by backs on offense who can get outside quickly behind their ferocious line. The combination did the Tigers in Saturday afternoon, 42-13.

White Plains had the Red Raiders stopped on third down on the opening series when Greg Damon’s quarterback option roll to the left froze the Tiger secondary deep allowing the Raiders QB to slip through into the flat for 16 yards and a first on the Tiger 48. One of the Raiders matched set of burly swift backs ripped right for 12 to the 36. On the same QB option roll on third and 5, Greg Damon this time passed, after the Tiger secondary came up for an anticipated stop in the flat. Damon hit Stetson Terpak down on the 20 on the farside, who had slipped behind the Tiger secondary wide open on the 20 and he steamed in for TD. It was 6-0, and the Tigers were in a hole, 4 minutes into the game.

The Tigers went three and out, and N. Rockland, and two pass plays put the Raiders on top 14-0. A muffed punt snap, set up North Rockland inside the Tiger 5, and they punched for the 21-0 lead after the first quarter.

Again the Tigers went three and out, not making any holes in the swarming Raider line. A 16 yard punt return put the ball on the Tiger 36, and Phil DeCosta blew past a desperately reaching Tiger arm and cruised 36 yards into the endzone, 28-0, North Rockland in the middle of the second quarter.

Regaining their composure, the Tigers picked up their first first of the day when Darrell Mack hit Wilson Moronta for a pass and run combo that picked up 51 yards setting up White Plains on the Rockland 23. Spencer Ridenhour ripped off tackle 14 yards to the 9, and carried 6 more yards to the three. Spence on fourth down from the three bounced off two players and redirected punching in for a score to make the deficit 28-7 at the half.

SPENCER RIDENHOUR bulldogging for TD in 2nd Quarter action at Palmer on Saturday afternoon. PHOTOS BY WPCNR SPORTS

The Tigers got a break to start the second half when Jeff Lee picked off a Rockland pass and returned it to the Raider 45, and we in the stands were thinking this was a break for a comeback. Not to be, as Mack was sacked by three Raiders (who just kept coming all day–they are very big and quick off the line), for a 16 yard loss. The Raiders then picked Mack off for a 37 yard interception return, setting the Raiders up for a 35-7 lead midway through the third. Game over.

White Plains moved the ball late in the 4th quarter on alternating runs by senior Wilson Moronta and Junior Greg Lawrence, with Lawrence scoring the second Tiger touchdown as time ran out to make the final score 42-13. Moronta convoyed 35 yards to the Rockland 37, and Lawrence 26 yards to the 11. With Lawrence on 4th and 2 scampering in for the final score.

For more on Tiger football, check out the White Plains Football Website

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William King, White Plains Councilman, reported to WPNCR Thursday that Robert H. Levine had definitely handed him a copy of Levine’s own faxed plea to the Council Tuesday night.

King said Levine introduced himself just prior to the Common Council meeting Tuesday evening, and turned the fax (not shared with the public or read into the official record) over to Mr. King. King reports him as introducing himself and saying nothing else.

King is the first Councilman to place Levine on the scene Tuesday, quietly lobbying Councilpersons discreetly in the mill scene just prior to the Common Council meeting Tuesday.

This was Surprise Tuesday, when the Council came down hard on the aesthetics of the Cappelli buildings for the first time. The lowering of the boom on the buildings at literally the eleventh hour plunged Frederick Bland of Beyer Blinder Belle in demand as the potential savior of the project. It is said only he has the touch that can charm the Council’s sharply changed tastes in achitecture.

King also told us that William Rose, of the Urban Renewal Agency, a companion lobbyist of Levine had not contacted him personally before Tuesday night.

Rose had said to WPCNR that he and the other individuals sharing his point of view had contacted “all” of the councilmen.
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King said that Rose and the other individuals mentioned had not contacted Mr. Delgado, or Ben Boyken either to his knowledge.

This lends credence to the observation by city hall observers interviewed by WPCNR who had seen the strange interplay between Council and Cappelli Tuesday that the harsh attitude taken by some of his colleague councilpersons surprised Mr. Delgado and Mr. King and Benjamin Boykin.

Mr. King tried to soften the Council’s harsh message Tuesday evening, strongly telling WPCNR “I think we’re very close in the design. I have liked the looks of the buildings from the beginning.”

The Mayor’s office had nothing new to report from Cappelli sources.