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WPCNR PRESS BOX. July 11, 2004: Kaci “22” Clark threw a no-hit, no-run game this evening against the Arizona Heat, catching Tarrah Beyster looking for her 70th strike of the game to get the no-hitter, leading the Heat to a three-game sweep of the Heat over the weekend,2-0. Kaci’s gem followed 4-1 and 4-0 wins by Amanda Scott (9-3) on Friday, and Gina Oaks’ (7-5) 4-0 shutout Satruday night. The Nauts complete the first half of the season at 22-11, 1/2 game behind the Akron Racers, gearing up to take on the speedsters in Akron Thursday night for the second crucial series of the season.

STRIKE 3 ON THE WAY: Kaci Clark delivers her 70th strike to Tarrah Beyster of the Arizona Heat for a called Strike three to clinch her no-hitter, the first in New York-New Jersey Juggernaut history Sunday night. Kaci threw 110 pitches, made a living on the outside corner in handcuffing the Heat. Clark walked 3, struck out 7 and threw 70 balls in spinning the classic, which featured a lot of deep counts. She credited her catcher Courtney Scott, and her teammates for the pitch calling and their support. She said in a YES interview after the game with Jen Royko that what gets her through tough games is heart and wanting to excell. Photo Capture from the YES Network by WPCNR Sports.

TarrahBeyster kept the Nauts off the board until the fifth inning when with runners on first and third and two gone Lindsey Klein took an outside pitch to right field dropping it in front of the Heat rightfielder who did not dive to make the catch and the Nauts had the big run Kaci needed. In the sixth, after Laura Harms singled and moved to second, Germaine Fairchild took another outside pitch to right and lofted it over the rightfielder’s head for the second Naut run.

The Nauts are off for three days for the National Pro Fastpitch All Star break. Seven of the Nauts will be playing on the East All-Stars who are in action against The U.S.A. Olympic Softball Team Tuesday afternoon, and then the East Stars play the West Stars in the National Pro Fastpitch All Star Game Wednesday afternoon in Oklahoma City. The game will be netcast live on Pro Sports Radio.

 

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WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. By District 89 Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. July 11, 2004: The Assembly recently passed legislation to help safeguard our children and families from sexual predators, including strengthening the Sex Offender Registry Act.

 

First and foremost, these bills are designed to prevent sexual predators from committing these horrible crimes in the first place. They send a clear message that those who commit these brutal crimes will be punished – severely.

 

 

Cracking down on brutal killers           

 

To protect our communities and punish those who prey on innocent children, I sponsored legislation requiring a mandatory life sentence without parole as the minimum sentence for a person convicted of murdering a child under the age of 14 in the course of committing a felony sex crime against the child (A.11557).

 

The legislation – which is known as Joan’s Law in memory of Joan D’Alessandro, a New Jersey girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered while delivering Girl Scout cookies – also has Senate approval, and is expected to be signed into law by the governor.

 

 Hopefully this legislation will help deter these awful crimes, and return a small measure of comfort and security to families and communities who have suffered from the loss of a child.

 

Preventing child abductions

 

To improve the Amber Alert Plan, which was created to serve as a quick and ready response to child abductions, I supported legislation the Assembly passed that would allow information about a missing child to be transmitted through e-mail, electronic organizers or mobile phones by service providers who voluntarily agree to send messages (A.11532). The legislation also passed the Senate and awaits the governor’s signature.

 

The Assembly passed another measure I supported criminalizing the act of luring a child under 14 for the purpose of committing a violent or sexual felony (A.11521).

 

We must act to protect our children from dangerous predators. These measures do so, and make sure tough penalties are in place for these heinous crimes.

 

Protecting our community

 

To strengthen the Sex Offender Registration Act, which requires convicted sex offenders to register with local law enforcement, I worked to pass measures – which have both passed the Senate – that:

 

·           require the Division of Criminal Justice Services to regularly remind officials in other states that they must tell New York officials when a sex offender moves into this state, and mandating that the DCJS notify sex offenders in New York State that they may have to register in another state if they move (A.11599); and

 

·           provide a toll-free telephone number for the sex offender registry and allow youth service organizations to perform background checks on up to 20 people per call (A.11590).

 

The Sex Offender Registry is an important tool in keeping our loved ones safe from sexual predators, and these new measures will make it even more effective by improving access to it, and making sure it’s up to date. I hope the governor will join us by supporting this legislation, which improves the efficiency of the registry.

 

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WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By Fastpitch Johnny. July 9, 2004, Part Three: When the New York Times and the Gannett paper can devote reams of coverage to the boring pro golf tour, the NASCAR circuit, athletes’ steroid problems, soccer, track, gymnastics, as they have done this week, and now the ridiculous coverage of the Greek soccer team (who cares?), and the Tour de France (bicycling racing – now if they bet on the cyclists, that might be a story) —  and print as news the most minor of transactions, it is a major crime against womens sports in the New York area not to cover Juggernaut games.

 

At least give the scores and the standings. Really.

 

GORDON’S PANTHERS, In blue,  from Southern California toured and showcased their legendary fastpitch prowness June 24 to 27 in Edison, N.J. Girls who play for the elite fastpitch travel teams of America are hoping the National Pro Fastpitch league survives for their future in the game they love. Photo by WPCNR Sports

 

Times does not know a Naut from a Knick. But Knicks play far uglier.

                                  

WPCNR interviewed the Sports Editor of The New York Times, Tom Jolly, and asked him why the Times was not following Juggernaut games.

 

Jolly said it was basically a lack of space, with 11 pro sports teams to cover, and the Brooklyn Cyclones and Staten Island Yankees and Newark Bears all demanding coverage. He also said he had not been receiving results on the Associated Press wire, and suggested that the Juggernaut get their games and results on the AP wire.

 

Asked why the Times printed Yankee, Mets, Liberty and Metrostars schedules and ticket information, and not the Nauts, Jolly said he would consider doing so, if informed of the schedule, but again used lack of space as a consideration.

 

Again, the Juggernaut management claim the Times has been given extensive material on schedules, players, results. Mr. Jolly knows nothing about it. Are you kidding us, New York Times?

 

WPCNR did not ask if Jolly considered the Nauts a minor league team, which they are definitely not, being the only professional women’s fastpitch softball league, recognized by Major League Baseball.

All the Sports You Least Want to Know About.

 

The Juggernaut General Manager Richard Perrotty told WPCNR last week that the Juggernaut sends box scores and game recaps to the Associated Press every game, as well as to the New York Times Sports Editor. Results are even sent to a woman reporter at the times.  Whoever is feeding material to Mr. Jolly obviously is making very bad editorial decisions as to what Mr. Jolly sees.

 

When the New York Times can cover Olympic Gymnastics on their Sports Section front page as they did last  Tuesday, and do a feature on kayaking as they did July 1, I suggest they are out of touch. You can do a story on The Juggernaut after the first third of the season if you had any fairness or sense of sports news.

 

To Run a National Title IX Story and Ignore Nauts Is Hypocrisy.

 

Tuesday morning, June 29, the Times Sports Section ran an extensive sports story on Title IX as it applies to high school sports, using a softball player in a visual. The story detailed a number of Title IX suits involving school districts being sued by parents of softball teams for unequal facilities compared to boys baseball.

 

This compounds the Times felony against fastpitch.

 

Mr. Jolly, you’re ignoring fastpitch in your own town!

 

The Title IX article was a typical self-righteous Times article that appears to be so politically correct.

 

The articles goes on to detail the discrimination against girls (not to mention the manipulation and downright physical abuse of players by overpitching them that is typical of high school softball), across the country.

 

 

How About Title IX for the Media.

 

WPCNR suggests that Title IX should be applied to the men who run the media, too, and for the Times to ignore the National Pro Fastpitch league and the local Nauts as they have is simply wrong.

 

The attitude towards women in sports is still pretty awful. I daresay that we do not care about the hiring of new coaches at colleges I never heard of in the Times results columns, when National Pro Fastpitch standings and results could be appearing in that space.

 

Tuesday’s section even has a long critique of ESPN’s telecast of the Arena Football Bowl. They could have done a similar story on the YES telecast of the Juggernaut.

 

Associated Press: “It’s softball, isn’t It?”

 

Unfortunately, Mr. Jolly won’t be seeing Juggernaut results on the Associated Press wire any time soon. The AP doesn’t consider softball a sport. The Trenton bureau reporter of the Associated Press told WPCNR they do not cover the Juggernaut results, asked why, he said “well, it’s just softball, isn’t it?”

 

NOT COVERED: Amanda Scott, Juggernaut Pitcher has won eight games in a month in the NPF with a gaudy 0.60 E.R.A. She does not make the AP Wire.Photo, NY-NJ Juggernaut.

 

Tom Canavan, the Newark-based AP Bureau reporter told WPCNR that he was aware of the Juggernaut, but that the decisions as to what was carried on the AP “Agate” sportswire, as he termed it, were made in New York

 

Terri Taylor, a woman,  is Sports Editor for the Associated Press in New York was contacted by WPCNR and asked for an explanation why the AP was not covering National Pro Fastpitch .

 

No Demand.

 

Ms. Taylor told WPCNR Tuesday afternoon, June 29, when asked why the AP wire was not carrying National Pro Fastpitch results, said,

 

“We don’t have any demand for it. None of our newspapers have shown any interest in it. It would be extremely difficult for us to chase down the results at night. There’s also a lack of space. I just got back from a sports editors convention (in Philadelphia), and the editors said they are even having trouble fitting in women’s basketball coverage.” WPCNR pointed out the Juggernaut had been sending results daily to info@ap.org, and Taylor said she’d be glad to cover them if they sent her the material and said she had to take another call.

 

WPCNR pointed out to Ms. Taylor that Aaron Moore National Pro Fast pitch headquarters in Denver, Colorado, has told WPCNR he has been sending league updates once a week and scores daily to the Associated Press and ESPN and major media, care of  info@ap.com.

 

It’s Clear: Media Ignoring National Pro Fastpitch.

 

Has-beens and hooligans of the National Football League, washed up heavyweights, bicyclists, sportscar drivers, horses, drafts of players no one knows, and the latest Yankee parasite problem are more interesting to sports editors today.

 

 Upright, outstanding intelligent women players, smart enough to negotiate their own contracts, teach and coach on the college level and still play a caliber of game that is fun to watch, economical to attend, and fun to see at the ballpark are not.

 

Even though they give 110%.

 

 

 

 

 

WHITE PLAINS KELSEY KULK in right for the Brooklyn Beach Girls. June 24. Edison, New Jersey in the setting softball sun. The National Pro Faspitch league is for the millions like Kelsey who dream of a professional league of their own. Photo by WPCNR Sports.

 

 

 

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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle-Examiner. July 8, 2004: Glen Hockley is refusing to go quietly and leave the Council as directed by the Attorney General. He won a Temporary Restraining order Thursday  from the Appellate Court in Brooklyn, allowing him to stay on the Common Council another two weeks.

OH WON’T YOU STAY…JUST A LITTLE BIT LONG-GER…PUL-LEASE LET ME STA-AY: Councilman Glen Hockley at one of his characteristic soliloquies at the Common Council in May of this year. Mr. and Mrs. White Plains will have Mr. Hockley around for at least two more weeks as the Appellate Court changed its mind and temporarily blocked his ordered ouster from the Common Council as a demonstrated usurper of Larry Delgado’s seat based on a quo warranto action initiated by the New York State Attorney General. Photo by WPCNR News

 

QUO WARRANTO WALTZ CONTINUES: The persuasive litigator, Thomas Abinanti, Glen Hockley’s attorney, convinced a clerk at the Appellate Court, Second Department in Brooklyn Thursday afternoon to ask a new judge to grant Glen Hockley a Temporary Restraining Order which would delay Mr. Hockley’s N.Y. Attorney General-ordered  removal from the White Plains Common Council which was rumored, but never officially confirmed to be taking place next week. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

Hockley, sources say, is confident that after arguments on the motion due July 19 before the Appellate Court, he will win a further stay, allowing him to stay on the Common Council indefinitely until his appeal of Judge Nicolai’s decision is decided perhaps in September. But, that will happen only if the Appellate Court expedites the Hockley appeal.

Delgado Attorney: Will go for the Hockley Backpay.

Jeffrey Binder, Larry Delgado’s attorney told WPCNR, that in view of the latest Hockley delaying tactic, and Mr. Hockley’s refusal to leave his seat honorably,  Mr. Delgado has now decided to seek full restitution from Mr. Hockley of all wages and pension contributions Mr. Hockley received during the almost 28 months Hockley has served so far.

Binder said Mr. Hockley can count on it.

Hockley has mounted legal maneuver after legal maneuver to avoid a defining result to the disputed 2001 election when the voting machine jammed in District 18, costing Mr. Delgado a victory, as defined by the Attorney General’s quo warranto investigation recently completed and ruled on by Judge Francis Nicolai ruling Hockley be removed and Delgado instated.

Binder Notes on Latest Ploy

Binder described Abinanti’s argument as convincing the clerk at the Appellate Court that the Hockley request for a jury trial and cross-examination of the 103 sworn affidavitts from citizens who say they voted for Mr. Delgado that November, should be looked on in a new light. Binder said the clerk took argument to a different judge from any who had ruled against granting Hockley the Temporary Restraining Order last week. Last week the Appellates turned down Hockley’s request for a stay flat, 4-0.

Binder acidly said the Abinanti argument casts Judge Nicolai in the role of “usurping” a jury’s role in deciding whether the voters who swore the affidavitts were believable.

The stay was granted at 3:30 Thursday afternoon, according to Mr. Binder.

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WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By Fastpitch Johnny. July 8, 2004 (Part Two of Three): When you consider that fastpitch softball is played nationally and involves over 10 Million girls and women, and the media coverage never mentions it, you get an idea of just how anti-women’s sports the media are. The last two weeks, college showcase tournaments were held in Boulder, Colorado, and in Edison New Jersey. No media covered the New Jersey tournament and it is a natural story, just as no media covered significant events of the National Pro Fastpitch season. Why? WPCNR wants to know.

THE Girls Who Play Ball come to play from All Over the World in Edison, N.J., Boulder, Colorado and more.

 

WHITE PLAINS’  TIGER KELSEY KULK of the Brooklyn Beach Girls facing the Inferno of New Jersey in the Edison Angels Summer Showcase, June 24. 26 teams from the West Coast, Florida, Georgia, Massachussetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio performed for swarms of big name college coaches in games that took your breath away. Only WPCNR was there. No local T.V. coverage. Why? Photo by WPCNR Sports.

 

When WPCNR pointed out to ESPN’s SportsCenter spokesperson that 26 18-and-under fastpitch teams from across the country competed in Edison, New Jersey last week, before time college coaches, ESPN’s Quinn did not know that.

 

WPCNR informed Mr. Quinn of ESPN that national tournaments are held every year by the ASA and PONY organizations attracting around 200 teams to each tournament. Quinn did not know that.

 

Do you think ESPN might do one live report from  the ASA Nationals this year, just as a change for the relentless NBA, NFL preseason camp coverage?

 

Westchester’s All-World Fastpitch Player, Maddy Coon, from Horace Greeley,  holding down third for the Virginia Shamrocks at Edison Angels complex, June 24. The Shamrocks had a boss weekend against the best of the West, East and South, winning 5 losing none and tying the Banshees. And no one knew. Photo by WPCNR Sports.

 

 

From this reporter’s perspective when millions of teen girls from all over the country gather in spots for hundreds of softball games that bring America together and let us see that we are the same all over, like at the nationals, that is news.

 

Isn’t it  worth 1 minute on SportsCenter, or 60 Minutes, or at least on the local television stations? On my network it is.

 

COLLEGE COACHES FROM IONA, PENN STATE, RUTGERS, INDIANA, St. Joseph’s, Cornell were just a few of the coaches on hand to see Thursday June 24 action. Here they watch the Beachgirls in action. College coaches told WPCNR that they prefer watching tournament showcases like this one in Edison June 24-27 to high school scouting because they see more really good ball players. Photo by WPCNR Sports.

 

If you are interested in sports news it is. But sports news has been forgotten. Nowadays, the Tom Jolleys, Dan Quinns and Mark Chernoffs of the world deal in sports promotion, not sports news.

 

Fastpitch tournaments are held all over the country. They are huge in the Midwest South and far west. On Memorial Day, in Kansas City, 148 teams from the Kansas City area alone competed in a tournament. ESPN and the male-dominated media are out of touch.

 

“EVERYWHERE I LOOK I SEE GREAT BALLPLAYERS:” Dickie Hightower, Softball Coach at Georgia State University, has just arrived at the Edison Angels Summer Showcase, June 24 in Edison, New Jersey.  Hightower said he comes up to scout the best of the northern fastpitch players and players from across the country to get them to come on down. The Fastpitch phenomena is ignored by the media, but not by the nation’s softball coaches. Photo by WPCNR Sports

 

WESTCHESTER’S ALLIE GARDNER beat the Inferno of Pennsylvania, 2-1 for the Beach Girls on June 24. Beach Girls went 6-1-1 on the weekend, losing only to Gordon’s Panthers of Southern California. Photo by WPCNR Sports

 

Westchester’s KATIE MCNAMARA  OF THE BEACH GIRLS handcuffing the Lionettes of Southern California, 5-2, June 24. Photo by WPCNR Sports.

.

Or, perhaps the fastpitch people are not aggressively promoting their game.

 

Let’s Look in the Papers.

 

The print media have tacitly ignored the debut of the Juggernaut in the metropolitan area with the exception of the Bergen Record. The first ever pitching performance in the New York area by Olympic Gold Medalist Michelle Smith on June 1 was not even covered by either newspapers or television.

 

Time to take off the Jerseys

 

I wonder if Ms Smith had torn off her uniform jersey to celebrate her shutout, whether the media would have covered it (it might have been a good idea for the beautiful Ms. Smith to do that, since that seems to have worked for Women’s soccer. It also shows a lot about the sexist mentality at the television networks, that they’d show that shot over and over again).

 

Only Manager Firing in New York area Not Covered In History of Sports in N.Y.

 

Then to compound the no-coverage felonies committed by the area Sports Directors and Sports Editors, Juggernaut owner Paul S. Plemenos, (distraught, sources say over his manager’s pitching strategies, and stunned by a three-game sweep of the all-star Juggernauts by the haughty Texas Thunder in Houston), fired his Manager Linda Derk Sunday afternoon, June 13, 9 games into the season.

NOT COVERED: PAUL PLEMENOS Owner of the Juggernaut,  managing in the dugout on YES. Uncovered by local media. How could you not cover that? Photo Capture from YES Network by WPCNR Sports.

 

But perhaps the ultimate measure of the New York media anti-women sports bias was reached two weeks ago when no radio station, tv station, or network reported on the Juggernaut 27-inning game against New England Monday night that lasted 5-1/2 hours.

 

NOT COVERED: KACI CLARK PITCHED 22 INNINGS in Record 27 inning game in June and got no ink except on WPCNR, and maybe the Jersey papers. Photo by WPNCR Sports

 

 

When the longest professional baseball game was played between Rochester and Pawtucket on April 18, 1981, (33 innings) that game made the wires and was reported on national outlets.

 

Not a word in The New York Times, the Post, or the Daily News on Ms.Clark’s 22-inning stint to our knowledge.

 

How can you as a sports editor, not cover that?  How can you not write a human interest story on Paul Plemenos as the second George Steinbrenner for his ousting of Derk?

 

Hello….sports editors…that’s news, boys.  This is George Steinbrenner stuff (and you know how much ink and airtime every Yankee-Steinbrenner feud gets, or Jason Giambi’s parasite gets).

 

There was no excuse for not covering the Plemenos “Derkicide,” either. It was announced on the YES Network telecast of the Juggernaut game.

 

 

YES is the only word.

 

WPCNR has already commented on that amateurish production by the YES producers on Juggernaut games. At least some sportswriter had to be watching that game on YES, and some New York paper could have written a story on it. If the New York Times can write an article on the Arena Football Bowl telecast on NBC Sunday, they certainly could have written an article on the YES telecasts of the Juggernaut.

 

Why is WPCNR the only electronic media other than YES reporting on the Juggernauts?

 

That is a very good question.

 

Where is the National Pro Fastpitch partner, Major League Baseball? For instance.

 

Why is Major League Baseball,  (the “marketing partner” of National Pro Fastpitch the women’s pro league, featuring teams in Sacremento, Houston, New York/NJ, Akron, New England and Arizona)not demanding of Fox Sports and ESPN that those networks promote National Pro Fastpitch, or (perish the thought) even televise some National Pro Fastpitch games nationally?

 

Paul Panages, Sports Editor of the Akron Beacon-Journal wonders. Paul has been covering the Akron Racers of National Pro Fastpitch with features on players and regular scores. This is more than the New York papers do. Panages said he felt Major League Baseball’s relationship to the National Pro Fastpitch league was “strange.”

 

“They put some money in it, and then they don’t promote it. It’s strange, they don’t seem to be promoting it very well.” 

 

Major League Baseball could care less about women’s sports.

 

The national game has let the young women of America down.

 

Muscle your networks, Bud Selig, (Commissioner of Baseball). Do what the NBA  did. The NBA forced their network to carry WNBA games when the NBA decided to back that league.

 

It is all the more shameful that Mr. Selig is not doing more to push National Pro Fastpitch, because he has a daughter. He must know how girls are given short shrift across the nation in education aid, sports aid, academic aid, and sports programs.

 

Yankees Aloof But Semi-Involved. Mets know nothing.

 

Meanwhile the local New York baseball teams, the Mets and the Yankees are behind the curve in supporting the Juggernauts.

 

Instead of doing something key on opening day, the Yankees did nothing tied in with the Juggernaut Opening Night.  Couldn’t George Steinbrenner, who also has a daughter, have shown up on Opening Night and joined with Mr. Plemenos in launching the Naut season? Or how about the Mets owner doing something?

 

 

THE OPENER NOT COVERED: Yogi Berra showed up at the Naut Opener June 1.  The Yankees, The Mets, Bud Selig and ESPN, MSG, and WFAN were “No-Shows” Photo by WPCNR Sports

 

The Mets, notified by Major League Baseball that they should support the local Pro Fastpitch entry, when WPCNR called them did not even know who the Juggernaut were.

 

 That’s embarrassing to the Mets organization. After WPCNR had contacted the Mets, they announced the Juggernauts on their P.A. system at a Mets game.

 

The Yankees have announced that Alex Rodriguez will throw out a ball and make a personal appearance at a Nauts game. The Yanks will also hold a clinic at the Yankee Stadium with the Nauts?  When? The last week of the season? It will do a lot of good then, won’t it?

 

But it is getting late.

 

The time to showcase the Nauts and the rest of the Pro Fastpitch league teams was the last two weeks. Whatever promotion is being done appears to be being done in a manner that gives the appearance of being supportive of womens professional fastpitch softball, but executed in a timing sequence that makes that support the least effective.

 

WPCNR believes this is being done deliberately to discredit and kill the girls fastpitch game. No one supports the excellence of the female athlete.

 

(This is the Second Part of a Three-Part Article)