THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. April 2, 2006: White Plains High School Students are sooooooo social! So social they are not making it to classes on time according to a letter sent to high schoolers’ parents.

According to the communication from Principal Ivan Toper distributed Friday, parents have been advised that students at the 2,200 student low-rise complex that sprawls in an endless maze of hallways on the former JC Penney estate in White Plains, just are not making it into classes before the bell rings. Being late to class has become routine and the Principal has had enough.

Toper’s letter  states that “teachers have volunteered to be a presence in the hallways between classes to encourage students to move to their next class.” The letter reports House administrators recently met with each of the four grades to emphasize the importance of arriving to class on time as well as consequences for being tardy that will now be in effect.

The D-word.

Mr. Toper’s communication to parents advise that punishments for being late to class could include “afternoon detentions, Saturday detentions and in-school suspensions for students with multiple infractions.”

Principal Toper reports a committee has been formed “to review our (attendance) policies and procedures in an effort to ensure they are reasonable, fair, effective and consistent. I ask that you (parents) do whatever you can do at home to encourage your child to not only arrive at school on time in the morning, but to arrive on time to each and every class throughout the day.”

Hall Jams

From WPCNR observation, routine daily drop-off stop and go traffic of parents delivering their teens off to start the day and at the south and north entrances of the school contribute to tardiness in the mornings.

In-between classes, the five-minute break is barely enough time when you have to go from the south end to the north end of the building for your next class. The small halls and  sadistic scheduling that has you go from one end of the building to the other on the short break in-between classes keeps White Plains teens in shape, but not fleet of foot enough to avoid the distractions in the halls: cellphone conversations, the heavy crush of bodies in narrow hallways, sort of like Main Street on rush hour mornings in White Plains.

OPENING DAY  

By BASEBALL BAILEY

WRIGLEY fIELD CHICAGO 1975 PHOTO WPCNR SPORTS

OPENING DAY is better than Christmas Day,
When you look out the window and you know they’ll play,
Whether dreary gray or billiant spring sun’s ray
Opening Day means the Big Show is back today.

(MORE)

Fans lucky to get away with a pair of ducats
Marveled at those grown men in boys flannels and sharp whites pristeen
Back to play in April’s warm zhyphers in NY blazened caps,
Dashing specks of white warming up on the sprawl of the greenest green.

Motor cars panting in good-natured traffic jams on Major Deegan,
Or down Yawkey Way, on 35th and Shields or  Waveland’s Jam.
Through your windows you see the first glimpse of the imposing Park,
The place where ball is played, where spirits of Ted, Babe, Duke
Mel, Spahnie, Whitey, Mickey, Willie, Yaz, Minnie and Sandy lark.

Paying a White Plains fine to park to stogie smoking old men
Who ‘VE BEEN at the same GATES for a hundred years

out into the street
You go eager, the smell of roasting chestnuts, pungent cigars sweet,
Cries of “scorecard heah” “programs,  heah” neath light towers to heaven.

Fans in cap and uniform, little boys and girls gawk in awe
Never seeing SUCH sheer walls so topped with the legend “GameToday 1:30 PM”
Clutching slim cardboard tix to Section 14 Upper Deck up to the turnstiles
Festooned with souvenirs more dear as diamonds, beyond, THE lure OF ENDLESS aisles.

Into the press of crowd, the grizzled usher, RIPS YOUR TICKET.
Turnstile turns and into the castle of ball you go
Into the rotunda greeted with magic signs dazzlING
UPPER LEVELS SECTIONS 1 to 39, 2 to 40

Hawkers shout –Voices of The Bronx — colorful books in hand

“Yearbook heah,” “Dodger Yearbook here,” “Hot dog, heah,” 
Assail your ears up the ramps you walk to the sign “NEXT HOMESTAND”
Out the suspended catwalk where sliver of blue is first glimpse of the magic sphere
Into the sunlight splaying the vast rake down  of the mighty grand stand.

Spread out below are knights of the diamond in white hues
Cavorting, snapping throws across immaculate red clay
As majestic fungoes CRACK! soar towards filling bleachers a mile away,
Bunting flutters from the deck’s rails red, white and true blues.

Old glory unfurls on the highest pole in center field
Colorful signs deliver the manly flavor of the only real game,
GILLETTE To Look Sharp, The Red Sox use Lifeboy, Schaefer It’s A Hit
Hey, Neighbor Have a Gansett, White Owl Cigars, Hit Sign Win Suit

From old familiar walls, to Gladys Gooding on the organ
friendly old green scoreboard displaying
Today’s games around the big leagues BETTER THAN CNN
CHI CLE BOS DET, CHI STL, NY WAS make you king for a day.
Two Bits for a scorecard, usher wipes your seat, ballpark fills your heart.

Penciling in the lineup 42 2B, 1 SS, 14 1B, 4 CF, 39 C, 6 RF, 23 LF 19 3B 36 P
Smell of beer, peanuts and warm salty pretzels entice
The air is nippy, warm rays sink into your face feels nice,
starting pitchers wheel and deal on sidelines  fueling expectancy

Men in blue, arms folded solemnly conduct the home plate regimen
CaseY, Ralph , Walter AND SPARKY exchange lineup cards and knowing
ground rules by heart they go over them for ritual’s sake.
announcer entones “Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen.”

“Please rise for the playing of our national anthem,”
the stadium organ note by note  peels  baseball’s theme
Rising on the breeze, uniting do-rag and ball cap,
fedora and Tie PONYTAIL AND BOUFFANT  in the spirit of the great game.

Grass is never greener than on opening days
 strikes are louder, the long drives electrify in the alleys
The beer withtHICK hing cream head,  tastecrisp cold and mellow the best all year
 Smashes laser through short and in the gap in raucous rallies

Magicians without wands start 6-4-3s, backhand sure hit losing their caps

“Oh what a play’s” crackle on WGN with  “CUBS WIN’S”

Jack and Mel, Vince, Curt and Murph are back at the mike to turn mundane days into joy with a ninth inning elixir and “happy recaps”

THUNDROUS ROAR accolades the 2-out winner again CREATING Big KIDS’ GRINS