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 VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By “Bull” Allen.  June 16, 2018:

Hello there, everybody, this is Bull Allen.

I’m sitting here in the open press box of memory, smoking hard on a White Owl Wallop with a Balentine Ale, the sweat dripping down the sides of the glass, the creamy white head revealing the ghosts of the past on the emense green of baseball’s cathedral, looking out on the emerald field of dreams lived past.

I am picking an old-fashioned rhubarb with the new “Commissioner” of Baseball. I am reading The New York  Times story in the sports section buried quite appropriately in the Business Day section, headlined,

Commissioner Considers the Shift, Gambling and that Collins Video.

And over here by the PIX tablemike, I’ve got the Washington Post AP dispatch all about how Rob Manfred, said he liked the idea of outlawing shifts to promote more hitting 3-1/2 years ago.

You can look it up at

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2018/06/15/as-mlb-confronts-rise-in-strikeouts-and-decline-in-hits-defensive-shifts-may-be-its-new-target/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d240ef31c888

Both articles deeply trouble me that the baseball owners and Mr. Manfred, the new commissioner would even consider such a handicapping of defensive baseball.

The AP writer points out how the current major league batting average is .245, the lowest since 1907 in the deadball era.

They want more action? Let me tell you Mr. Manfred, the most electrifying play in baseball is the great fielding play. The round-the-horn rally killer double play! The against the wall catch! The takeaway of a homer.

The intelligent positioning of your fielders depending on the situation in the game: guarding the line in the lates, holding the runner on; shortening up the infield with the go-ahead on third with less than 2 out; positioning players to the highest percentage of where a good hitter places the ball.

The first such shift was the Williams Shift, employed against a dead pull hitter, “Teddy Ballgame, The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.” Ted was a pull hitter. The Cleveland Indians first deployed the shift against Williams in the 1940s. And in the photo above, you the
St. Louis Cardinals deploying it against Ted in the 1946 World Series. Below check out the diagram of the shift.

Now when Mr. Manfred says he wants to limit how much a team can shift to allow more hits, come on.

What are we going to do asterisk hits made after the “Manfred’s No Shift Rule.”

Will infielders and outfielders be told they can only take a straightway position?

Will outfielders, more to the point, be told they can not shift to left center and right center to the foul lines, or vice versa, allowing more “gappers?”

Will baseball in the same instant stupidity they used in bring in instant replay, have umpires review a play and turn Outs into hits if infielders, outfielders are judged to have shifted too much?

More to the point, will hits be  declared if limits on shifts are made standard by each position?

When people who do not know the game, make suggestions to change and are abetted by former players now in MLB administration start saying change is needed, this results in a disaster which makes the game nothing but a wait for a homer.

The NBA has become a game of getting hot with three-point shooting, as baseball is proceeding on a record home run pace.

However this means umpires might actually have rhubarbs, arguments again.

Will umpires perform a visual position check of every defensive player  before each at bat? How about that? That will really speed the game up, right Phil?

Despite Mr. Manfred’s opinion the great plays that are remembered are the plays that saved games— Second Baseman Bobby Richardson on the outfield grass in the 7^th Game of the 1962 series off Willie McCovey—Wes Covington’s backhand stab of the Bobby Shantz liner in the 2^nd game ot the 1957 series that saved Lou Burdette—Lou Piniella’s faking a catch in the 1978 playoff against the Red Sox that choked off the winning run.

Defense, not homers are the plays that are remembered.

As Wee Willie Keeler once said “Hit ’em where they ain’t.”

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 WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER From the Westchester County Department of Communications. with reporting by John F. Bailey June 21, 2018;

With immigrant children separated from their parents at the southwestern U.S. border arriving without notice in Westchester County, a Westchester County spokesperson, asked by WPCNR if the county was mobilizing the resources of the County Health Department to participate in some way with the immigrant children said the county was in the process of investigating what the Department of Health could provide.

Carolyn Fortino,  Associate Communications Director told WPCNR, “We are looking into that now.” She said the county would issue details when particulars are available.

This may be hard to do. Because the government is prohibiting local agencies from providing services at this time.

Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry was reported to have some immigrant refugees in its care, but did not answer New York Times inquiries on what was happening to them, and was referred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Governor Andrew Cuomo in an op-ed piece in The New York Times this morning alleged “the federal government is prohibiting New York from providing health and mental health services to the hundreds of children who have already been placed by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement in centers around the state–even though the state (NY) regulates those centers.”

The Office of Refugee Resettlement has not told New York City officials how many children have been sent to New York and where they are being housed according to NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, quoted in an article bylined reporter Liz Robbins in the New York Times today, as saying:

“How is it possible that none of us knew that there were 239 kids (immigrant refugees) right here in our own city? How is the federal government holding back that information from the people of this city and holding back the help these kids need?” 

By coincidence, the county has announced it has located and helped 130 runaway and sexually trafficked youths with its “Safe Harbour” program.

The county is uniquely qualified to help the Office of Refugee Resettlement in helping traumatized children.

Coincidentally, County Executive George Latimer announced today that the Westchester County Department of Social Services (DSS) is tackling the issue of sex trafficking head-on, by implementing the “Safe Harbour” Program.

To date more than 130 runaway and sexually trafficked youth have been recovered in Westchester, Latimer said.

The Safe Harbour Program identifies youth who have been trafficked, sexually exploited or are at risk of victimization, and ensures that they are removed from dangerous situations.

Westchester was one of 5 original counties to have been selected by New York State to implement the Program in 2013, to develop expertise and provide guidance on preventing sex trafficking to neighboring counties.

Latimer said: “I am proud that Westchester County is taking the lead to combat sex trafficking in our communities. We must continue to support and work closely with our local departments and community partners, to help raise awareness on this important issue, and ensure that fewer youth are falling victim to sex trafficking.”

DSS works in partnership with a number of different County Departments on sex trafficking cases to ensure that all needs are met, including Public Safety, Probation, Community Mental Health, the Office for Women and a number of community service providers.

The County also received a $25,000 grant from the State to safeguard and protect youth that are aging out of foster care. Two private investigators have been tasked with seeking out missing youth from the County’s foster care system, and trauma response services have been provided.

Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Social Services Kevin McGuire said: “As one of the five original New York counties to begin Safe Harbor work in 2013, the Department has become a model throughout the State, providing intensive trauma focused services to nearly 500 Westchester youth who have been trafficked or are at risk for trafficking, and have partnered with two private investigators to recover missing youth who are at greatest risk for trafficking.  Through this program, we work closely with law enforcement, do not give up on these youth, and provide youth and their families with the specialized services they need to escape the perpetrators.”

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Watch First White Plains Students get first tour of the Electric School Bus Here:

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WHITE PLAINS SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS DR. JOSEPH RICCA AND MAYOR TOM ROACH (WHITE PLAINS ELECTRIC CAR PIONEER) WELCOME THE ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUS PROTOTYPE

HERE ARE DR. RICCA’S REMARKS ON THE ELECTRIC BUS BREAKTHROUGH–CLICK FOLLOWING LINK

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MAYOR ROACH NOTED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE SAVINGS. HEAR THE MAYOR’S REMARKS BY CLICKING THIS LINK

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HOW DOES SHE RUN? WATCH AND LISTEN TO THE SMOOTH QUIET AS SHE PURRS OUT INTO TRAFFIC

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. June 19, 2018 UPDATED 4:45 P.M. EDT WITH Details of the Deal in BOLD:

A prototype of one of 5 electric school buses to be delivered in about two weeks to the White Plains Bus Company, was introduced at Ridgeway School in White Plains this morning.

Dr. Joseph Ricca said the 5 eLion manufactured electric school buses would be in service this fall. The buses have a range of 65,100,125 abd 155 miles. Each carries 4 large batteries under the chassis of the bus which deliver 400 volts of power to run the bus.

According to a technical specialist, the bus eliminates the standard stick shift transmission, and runs like an automatic. It accelerates power smoothly to drive in snowy conditions when extra power is needed, with to shift for more power.

The costs of the buses (approximately $250,000 to $300,000 each) and maintenance will operate the buses and pay the energy (electric charging cost during the school year).

WPCNR has learned from Tony Watkins, Vice President of Sales, the Lion Electric Company,  the buses were purchased from The Lion Electric Company by First Priority Group a National Lion dealer and purchased  from First Priority Group by National Express, the White Plains School District bus company contractor.

National Express acquired White Plains Bus Company two years ago.

According to Sergio Alfonso, Transportation Manager for the White Plains School District, National Express added the 5 electric buses to their fleet of buses servicing the City School District as part of National Express practice  of replacing aging buses in their fleet.

Alfonso said there was no increase in the National Express contract for the purchase of the electric buses, and the electric buses would be maintenance free for 3 years.

Alfonso noted that Nation Express acquired White Plains Bus Company two years, and is currently on the old White Plains Bus Company contract that began in 2014,, which provided for Consumer Price Index increases each year.

First Priority GreenFleet is Lion’s dealer in California, New York and New Jersey. Alex Cherepakhove, CEO of First Priority said: “We have helped many school districts secure grants and deployed more electric school buses in the United States than the rest of the industry combined, supported by the largest independent commercial electric vehicle service organization in the country.”

Lion has supplied 150 all-electric school buses in the last two years across the country.