Hits: 185

“FANS SAW WHAT THEY WERE MISSING FRIDAY NIGHT WITHOUT REAL EXTRA INNINGS,” Chief Justice Kenesaw Mountain Landis RULES

WPCNR’S VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK By “Bull” Allen  FROM BOSTON’S BRAVES FIELD in the HEAVENLY LEAGUE October  11:

The heavenly court of appeals arbiters in unanimous decision rule  extra innings best post season game ever.

HELLO THERE EVERYBODY, THIS IS BULL ALLEN FROM THE JURY BOX BLEACHER IN OLD BRAVES FIELD IN THE HEAVENLY BASEBALL LEAGUE.

“FANS SAW WHAT THEY WERE MISSING FRIDAY NIGHT WITHOUT REAL EXTRA INNINGS to the end,” Kenesaw Mountain Landis  Chief Justice of  Heaven’s Baseball Supreme Court of Appeals,  read the unanimous decision 8:30 PM PACIFIC TIME after the court  watching from the famous “Jury Box” Bleacher (upper left in rendering above) in Old Braves Field in the Heavenly Baseball League where the greatest players play again on Elysian Fields of the past.

The Justices viewed the Tigers Mariners 15 inning game on HBLS NETWORK (Heavenly Baseball League Sports, GOD, COMMISSIONER)

The Supreme Baseball Court consists of Judge Landis and the  9 members of the Umpire’s Hall off Fame:  Bill Klem, Bruce Froemmng Billy Evans, Hank O’Day, Jocko Conlan, Al Barlick, Bill McGowan, Nestor Chylack and  Dough Harvey. (Some of the great arbitrators are still living today and serve by invitation of Judge Landis.

The Judges of Judges of 10 ruled unanimously in the third game of this season to be decided in “Natural Extra Innings” without starting the 10^th inning with a runner a second . The appeal from prayers of baseball fans across the land convinced the greatest arbitrators of all time to review the merits of baseball today eliminating “natural extra innings,” and its benefits to the fan.

The judgement from the Supreme Court of Baseball was swift and devastating.

They smote  baseball’s tinkerage of the last 30 years of commissioners’ and owners’ changes to  traditional rules.

As the Seattle players jumped up and down like kids as the winning run was singled in in the 15^th inning, fans roaring up into the night. The stoic Tigers bearing their crushing defeat, the decision by the umpires stunned media as Landis and the court appeared in the  Seattle dressing room, champagne flying

Landis read the decision:

“This body of my colleagues in the Umpire’s Hall of Fame after watching this evening’s extraordinary baseball game more tense than a movie, more emotional that frayed the nerves every inning with neither team  relenting effort or reaching back for that little something extra and flawlessly executing plays that had to be made under the greatest of pressure. From pitchers using superb poise and execution to get great Tiger stars and relentless Mariners keeping the magic the showcase of what baseball at its highest level. Where no clock saves you and fans can watch forever until the winning run is scored in innings where every pitch counts. Heads up plays and situational baseball strategy knowledge and deployment  and extraordinary effort win games like this.

We were asked by the fans of this game, told the games are too long. They do not retain attention they have to be shorter. Fans do not want games lasting three hours. My colleagues watched this game tonight and though we are old this Detroit-Seattle game was baseball showing why it is the greatest game of all.

Was the stadium emptying out after two hours. No.

Were the players tired you bet. But they were playing at the top of their game.

Were  the Extra Innings boring?

(Mr. Landis chuckled at this.)

On into the night the fierce game  pitch clock and batter timings included, did not bore in the least.

Time after time pitchers and fielders using guile, savvy and must-make plays saved the game for their teams with of course every pitch hit high and  far might end it in an instant.

Frankly  the end was  sad a game  ended, not on a penalty not on a walk, not on an error, but the flawless joyous ripped single all runners wheeling madly as the winning run scored.

Seattle fans and oldtime fans of the game stoic and reverent about the epic they had just seen 5 hours and 30 minutes of baseball that moved. Suspense mounting. It was nervous to watch.

As an old time player once said. ”Baseball is a worrying game.”

What gems these Extra innings showcased. That gleamed in baseball’s crown!

 Loyal Detroit fans  in their sadness that will never be a day they do not think of will remember as long as baseball is played the longest  in time playoff game ever!

Seattle remember the horror at Tiger pitchers inducing snappy crisp double plays to snap bases loaded 1 out threats from its best hitters.

The Tiger fans will question not pinch running for the catcher in the 11^th when he reached base to  1^st and 2^nd 1 out, and then watching in horror as a bunt moved the runners up. Seattle drew the infield in to cut off the run at the plate. Sharply hit ground is speared and the fielder goes to the plate for the out.  Still a runner a second Detroit cannot score.

The pitching in the clutch spots. Well, watching it was like each pitcher was disarming a time bomb. And the poise on close pitches causing walks.

This happened in extra innings. Unlike what happens with the runner on second starting the inning.

My panel of judges for these reasons rules that baseball has by invoking “natural extra innings” has made an extreme tactical error in selling their shorter games theory which my colleagues agree is a decision to make more gate receipts, get more television and network and streaming services money at the expense of the perfect game.

These 6 extra innings had it all. Tension. Shocking extraordinary execution. Detroit was held scoreless for 9 consecutive innings Seattle for 11.

As far as the other changes of the game, they have speeded up the game.

The denial of field shifts by the major league rules team, has not hurt the game. It has made the fielding better.

In the matter of “Natural Extra Innings” this court finds that Extra innings provides more enjoyment for the fan, more entertainment then starting  the 10^th inning with a runner on second. Detroit’s last threat was a double so they had a runner on second, but they still had to hit it in. If you hit with runners in scoring position you win.

Also the visiting team wins most games in 10^th innings with runner on second starts. This is anticlimactic.

Our decision: Extra Innings Every game all the time when score is tied after nine.”

I was not able to track this game I relied on the pitch by pitch internet service provided by ESPN and Yahoo.

They tell you who is batting and who is pitching. Score, count. Pitcher. And tell each play with a suspense that is compelling. It reminded me of the old Western Union Sports Ticker. Also of the Les Leiter recreations of San Francisco Giant games on I think WHN. He’d play crowd noise and invent what was happening a pitch by pitch terse description of Western Union.

I found watching the ESPN and Yahoo internet version of the old big billboards newspapers put up in hotels in Miami when the World Series was playing.

I felt the tension of the Detroit Seattle classic game without the tedious commentary of sports casters over analyzing and the commercials. I got thinking about the game more.

And most of all like the Judges saw  watching the game from their Jury Box Bleacher, the is the winner with Extra Innings….they can always leave.

And unless an umpire is tired and wants to go home and squeezes pitchers in the bottom of Extra Innings, you see all the ironies and miracles and great plays and highs and lows.

Extra innings teach how to live with disappointments, bad breaks, and as they used to say in Brooklyn, “Wait’ll Next Year!”

Watching Extra innings prepare you to weather crisis.

And they are fair.

This is Bull Allen, “So long, Everybody!”

Hits: 168

GOVERNOR HOCHUL URGES PREPAREDNESS AHEAD OF IMPENDING COASTAL STORM

High Wind Watch Issued for Queens, Kings, Nassau and Suffolk Counties Beginning 12 p.m. Sunday through 6 a.m. Monday; Strong Winds Possible for Remainder of State

Coastal Flooding Watch Issued for Southern Westchester County, New York City and Long Island Beginning 8 a.m. Sunday Through 6 p.m. Monday

1.5-3 Inches of Rainfall Expected Downstate

New One-Stop Website Launched – resilient.ny.gov – To Help Easily Connect New Yorkers to Resiliency and Mitigation Resources

Governor Kathy Hochul Friday urged New Yorkers to prepare ahead of a strong coastal storm that is forecast to impact portions of New York during Columbus Day weekend.

The storm, which is expected to begin forming off the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday, will strengthen as it moves up the mid-Atlantic coast towards southern New England, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and the potential for coastal flooding to downstate New York. Ahead of the storm, Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to closely monitor their local forecasts, prepare their households accordingly and to use caution if traveling in impacted areas this weekend.

“As this coastal storm approaches, I’m urging all New Yorkers to stay alert, watch the forecast closely, and take steps now to prepare,” Governor Hochul said. “Conditions can change quickly, so please use caution if you need to travel and check on friends and neighbors who may need extra help. Staying vigilant and informed will help keep everyone safe through the weekend.”

Current forecasts are projecting strong winds to be one of the most hazardous impacts of this storm.

Already, the National Weather Service has issued High Wind Watches for Queens, Kings, Nassau and Suffolk Counties beginning 12 p.m. Sunday through 6 a.m. Monday. During this period, wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour are possible and could result in downed trees and possible power outages.

Forecasters are also calling for long duration rainfall as part of this storm, the most intense of which will be focused downstate where between 1.5 and 3 inches of rainfall is expected in the lower Mid-Hudson, New York City and Long Island Regions and minor flooding resulting from poor drainage is possible.

The northern Mid-Hudson and southern Capital Regions are forecast to receive between an inch and 1.5 inches of rain, while the rest of the state should see an inch or less.

Additionally, a Coastal Flood Watch has been issued for New York City and Long Island beginning 8 a.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday.

Widespread flooding will impact the entire coastline, with the potential for major flooding across the south shore of Long Island back bays and Great South Bay beginning with the high tides on Sunday. Beach erosion is also likely.

New Yorkers are encouraged to monitor their local forecasts, weather watches and warnings. It is critical to ensure that government emergency alerts are enabled on their mobile phones. New Yorkers can also sign up for real-time weather and emergency alerts that will be texted to their phones by texting their county or borough name to 333111. For a complete listing of weather alerts, visit the National Weather Service website at alerts.weather.gov.

Hits: 168

WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER.  From Town of Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner, OCTOBER 9,2025

Flooding has existed in Greenburgh and throughout Westchester for decades. The Greenburgh Town Board, in recent years, has appropriated millions of dollars trying to help reduce flooding around town.  We need hundreds of  millions of dollars of additional funding to make a significant impact in the fight to reduce flooding.

Every year we will do more work throughout the town. We are also seeking grants to help us do more. But- even if we do everything we can we still won’t be able to prevent flooding in certain neighborhoods that are located in areas that get flooded frequently.

We can reduce flooding. We’re getting super storms more frequently than ever. And our drainage systems weren’t designed for the storms that are taking place now.

As you are aware, the severe storm of July 14th required us to adjust our priorities and focus resources on emergency response. Since then, we have been aggressively cleaning out the Manhattan Brook to mitigate the risk of further flooding.

In addition, we continue to coordinate with Westchester County on broader efforts to address drainage conditions affecting the Fulton Park and Old Kensico areas.

We have been removing obstructions and also have been encouraging the county to work with the town on an annual maintenance -obstruction removal plan. In late August the Town Board met with residents of Gibson Ave to discuss the flooding problems that residents experienced. A link to the Town Board meeting is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJjn8pD2xtI

Over a week ago we met with county and state officials and discussed initiatives the town can take with the village of Elmsford to reduce flooding in N Elmsford. Among the suggestions (besides removing obstructions) is removing a bridge that contributes to flooding.. That requires NYS approval. We’re working with Senator Cousins, Assemblywoman Shimsky and Legislator Imamura to obtain permission to accomplish that.

This is a link to a NYS DEC report published earlier this year with suggestions that could address flooding problems near the Saw Mill River. If NYS would give us permission we would remove obstructions from the river annually. This is a link to a NYS DEC report with recommendations:

file:///C:/Users/Paul%20Feiner/Downloads/sawmill_fmandresreport.pdf

We have a limited number of town employees and limited budgets. And are trying to prioritize work so we can  help the maximum number of people. Please be assured that we are committed to moving forward with all planned project.

We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as we balance emergency response with long-term infrastructure improvements.

See below of the list of Drainage projects that have been completed, in the works and future projects for this year.

                         Completed drainage projects

•             Dalewood Drive – Replace collapsed piping

•             Laurel Street – new drainage system within road along with curbing

•             Old Sprain Road – Replace collapsed piping crossing

•             Columbia Road – Replace collapsed piping

•             Pine Ridge Road/Calvin Court – Drainage improvements

•             Buena Vista Island – Drainage improvements

Work In progress

•             Ferndale Road – Drainage improvements

•             Worthington Road – emergency road repair

•             TDYCC – Parking lot improvements

•             Calvin Ct – Drainage improvements at end of road

Future pojects

•             Rita Lane – Drainage improvements

•             Old Kensico Road – Drainage improvements

•             Old Jackson Ave – Culvert Improvements

•             Longfellow Street – Drainage improvements

•             Rockingchair Road – Drainage/Curbing improvements

•             Paret Lane – Drainage Improvements

•             Finish Taxter Creek & brook @ 116 Taxter Road cleaning/widening

•             Manhattan Brook Cleanup/Widening

•             E Hartsdale Ave (dog alley)

•             Rockledge Road – Sidewalk/Curbing/Drainage

•             Nature Center Parking Lot – Drainage improvements

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS 4 CORNERS HARTSDALE

The town hopes to rezone the 4 corners in Hartsdale as mixed use development. We recognize that we will need to address flooding in Hartsdale. This is a report with recommendations that we received. We will be looking to create a partnership with NYS, the eventual developers of the 4 corners and the town -coming up with the funds needed to reduce flooding in this section of town.

https://www.greenburghny.com/DocumentCenter/View/9075/Hartsdale-Four-Corners—DRAFT-Stormwater-Study-April-2022

A few years back we spent significant resources widening and armored the channel at Troublesome Brook in Edgemont.

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Hits: 196

New York State and NYPD’s Investments In Subway Safety Continue; Transit Crime Down 30 Percent in September

Governor Hochul Successfully Fought To Restore $187 Million in Homeland Security Grant Funding Last Week

Governor Kathy Hochul today called out Washington Republicans for cutting critical safety and security funding for New York’s mass transit system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) had been slated to receive $34 million in federal Transit Security Grant Program funds, which support essential counter-terror and transit security functions. Last week, lawmakers were notified that the MTA was to be the only agency of 21 applicants nationwide to not receive federal security dollars via this program.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe, from our streets to our subways, is my highest priority,” Governor Hochul said. “Since 9/11, New York has relied on federal support to ensure that our transit system has the counterterrorism resources it needs to keep millions of riders safe every single day. The shocking actions of Washington Republicans to slash these funds and defund the police put New York City at risk.

We will not tolerate these cuts; New York will take every action available to us — including the courts — to ensure the MTA gets this critical funding to keep millions of riders safe.”

The Transit Security Grant Program was started after 9/11. Administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), these grants support critical functions to keep mass transit systems safe from security threats. The MTA carries a significant portion of the United States’ mass transit riders, with over 6 million daily trips taken on Metro-North, the Long Island Rail Road, and New York City Transit. In addition to approximately $12 million which would go to the NYPD, the MTA had planned to utilize this year’s grant funding to support the following public safety and counter-terror investments:

• Two cybersecurity projects, extending cyber visibility into MTA’s key systems, and a cyber lab to develop protections and vet operational technology systems.
• The procurement and deployment of approximately 330 tactical cellular cameras to replace & expand upon current unsecure offline devices in a cost-effective manner.
• The expansion of MTA weapons of mass destruction chemical detection system across 9 subway lines and a commuter rail terminal.
• The TSA mandated frontline security awareness training of 16,000 MTA employees.
• 374 deployments of MTAPD counterterrorism teams.
• The procurement of 3 MTAPD counterterrorism coordination and response vehicles.
• The installation of several hundred cameras, access control points, and laser intrusion detection systems at a major subway complex.

Hits: 222

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Enjoying this newsletter? Why not share it with a friend? Health coverage, outbreak care, and mosquito risks The NY Dose Marisa Donnelly Oct 9 READ IN APP   From debates on health insurance subsidies and innovations in patient care during outbreaks, to rising concerns of mosquito-borne diseases, a lot is unfolding in public health right now. Let’s unpack what it means for New Yorkers. Infectious disease “weather report” Covid: All New York wastewater data are delayed. The CDC dashboard isn’t updating during the federal government shutdown, the state dashboard paused reporting due to a lab transition, and NYC’s data download hasn’t been refreshed since July. In short, our early warning system is offline. Right now, hospitalizations, our best proxy, are trending down, which is good news. Hospitalizations lag community spread, so we are likely well on our way down the summer wave. York State Covid-19 hospitalizations. Figure from the New York State Department of Health. Annotations by YLE. Flu: Flu reports haven’t kicked off yet, and with wastewater data paused, we’re relying on last week’s low activity. So far, no sign of an early start. RSV: This is the one to watch. RSV season usually starts around now, but delayed CDC data means we don’t have as many signals to rely on. New York state will start publishing their weekly respiratory report soon (they always start in October), so that will give us insight. I expect cases to rise soon. Now is still a great time to get your fall vaccines. New York health insurance on the line What the heck is going on? During the height of the pandemic, Congress passed temporary health insurance subsidies through the 2021 American Rescue Plan and extended them in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. These subsidies expanded eligibility for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans and increased financial assistance for people with lower incomes. The goal was to make health insurance more accessible. Now, Congress is debating whether to let those subsidies expire at the end of this year, or renew them. This decision has become a sticking point in federal budget negotiations and the subsequent federal shutdown. How will this affect New Yorkers? About 140,000 New Yorkers across the state currently benefit from these enhanced ACA subsidies. If they expire, those New Yorkers would pay an average of $114 per month for coverage. Figure from the New York Department of Health. Because these subsidies help lower income families afford insurance, any increase in cost could be a serious financial burden. This would likely result in more people delaying or dropping coverage altogether. When fewer people have health insurance, health problems are more likely to go untreated until they become emergencies. This is more expensive for everyone in the long run—treatment costs more for individuals, hospitals, and the health system. Why would we ever reduce health insurance subsidies? Simply put, to cut costs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that extending ACA subsidies would increase the federal deficit by $350 billion over the next decade. But, they would also keep coverage for about 3.8 million Americans who might otherwise lose it. It’s a tradeoff: shorter-term budget savings versus long-term health. My take It would be a mistake to let these subsidies expire. While it may look like big budget savings on paper, the reality is that it will shift costs elsewhere, including to local hospitals, state budgets, and families already under financial burden. When coverage becomes more expensive, many make tough decisions: delaying treatment, skipping preventative care, or foregoing insurance entirely. This can push illnesses to later, costlier stages—more late-stage cancers, unmanaged chronic conditions, and more infectious disease spreading in communities. This isn’t just numbers. It hits real families who are already juggling to pay rent, buy food, and pay medical bills. I don’t see anything about this that leads to a healthier New York. Reimagining patient care and safety during outbreaks Recently, I visited a demonstration at NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn that reimagines how we protect both patients and providers during infectious disease outbreaks. At the center of it: a clear plastic containment chamber fully equipped with a hospital bed and monitors inside. Inside, a patient can receive care from clinicians who work through glove ports—similar to a neonatal incubator—without the need for full personal protective equipment (PPE). The Care Cube tested by doctors and nurses at NYC Health and Hospitals/South Brooklyn. The containment chamber is being piloted by doctors at NYC Health + Hospitals to determine if it’s feasible and worth investing in. In the image above, clinicians are running a simulation as if a patient potentially has MERS-CoV, a high-risk respiratory virus. This setup has two big benefits: First, it dramatically reduces exposure risk for health care workers by fully enclosing the patient and their respiratory droplets. Second, it allows patients to see and be seen by loved ones—a stark contrast to the isolation we witnessed during the height of Covid, when loved ones couldn’t enter hospitals or patients’ rooms. During the exercise, doctors and nurses performed routine care and even practiced an intubation through the chamber’s walls. They showed that, with training, complex procedures could still be done safely and efficiently. It’s early days for this technology, and it won’t replace all infection control measures. But innovations like this are part of a growing toolkit that prepares us for future respiratory outbreaks, while maintaining human connection. A big thank you to Dr. Syra Madad and the incredible team at NYC Health + Hospitals for their work, and for including me in this simulation! Question grab bag Will outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, or malaria become more common in the U.S.? Short answer: Probably yes, but only sporadically. This goes back to the long history the U.S. has with mosquito-borne diseases. In the early 1900s, malaria was widespread across the country. It was such a huge problem that the CDC was founded in 1946 specifically to control it. Dengue and yellow fever (spread by a different mosquito species), also caused outbreaks in the U.S., mostly in the South. Through large-scale vector (i.e. mosquito) control programs—like draining wetlands, improving housing, and widespread insecticide use (including DDT, which was widely used at the time but is now banned in most countries because of environmental damage)—malaria, dengue, and yellow fever were all eliminated as a locally transmitted disease by the early 1950s. Fast-forward to today. The mosquitoes that transmit malaria (Anopheles species) and dengue and yellow fever (Aedes aegypti) still live here, but the pathogens themselves rarely enter local populations. Occasional local cases, like the malaria in Florida, Texas, and Arkansas in 2023, remind us that vector control programs work well, but aren’t perfect. For chikungunya, the primary vector (Aedes albopictus) arrived in the U.S. in the 1980s, through used tires imported from Asia. They’ve since spread widely across the Southeast and parts of the East Coast. Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are the primary vector of chikungunya virus. Image from the CDC. These mosquitoes are resilient. The mosquitoes that transmit dengue, yellow fever, and more recently Zika can breed in tiny amounts of standing water—think bottle caps, potted plants, or gutters—and thrive in warm, humid, urban environments. Vector control programs have slowed their spread but can’t eliminate them entirely. For any outbreak to occur, four things need to align: The right mosquitoes must be present. The virus or parasite must be introduced (often by travelers). The climate must support mosquito survival and pathogen replication (the right temperature, humidity, and availability of standing water). People and mosquitoes must come into contact. While vector control efforts are still in place to keep these pests at bay, climate change and international travel will make these conditions easier to occur in more places in the U.S. This means that we’ll likely see more localized outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, or malaria, especially in warmer states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona. But widespread, sustained transmission remains unlikely thanks to strong vector control and public health systems. That said, we need to stay vigilant. The key is to continue investing in mosquito control and community prevention, like removing or treating standing water, mosquito surveillance and testing, and using repellents. What else to know Onondaga County is offering free naloxone (Narcan) training courses in person or over Zoom. Schedule it here. Oneida County is giving a limited number of free car seats to eligible families on October 21st. Call 315-798-5461 or email carseatsafety@oneidacountyny.gov if you need a new car seat to see if you qualify. The New York Citizen Preparedness Training Program in Erie County is providing tools and resources to prepare for disasters, respond accordingly, and recover quickly. They have multiple workshops scheduled for October. Bottom line You’re all caught on this week’s New York public health news. I’ll see you next week! Love, Your NY Epi