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WPCNR Battle Hill Patriot. By John F. Bailey. October 10, 2003:  Councilman Robert Greer called Republican Candidates Tim Sheehan and Jeff Binder on the challengers’ charge that the Common Council has had nine years to enact the Poughkeepsie Zoning defining a family and that they have not raised fines for running illegal rooming houses since 1989 last night at the Candidates’ Forum.

Quoting from Common Council minutes of May 1, 1995, Greer said the Binder-Sheehan assertion was inaccurate, pointing out that the Council set minimum fines for repeat offenses by landlords, not less than $250 a day, nor in excess of $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 15 days, or both.

For violations after the second violation, occuring within 5 years of the first conviction, they raised the stakes from a fine up to $350 to a  fine not less than $500 a day nor in excesss of $1,000 a day or imprisonment not exceeding 15 days or both.

Greer said the council moved because judges at the time were not fining the landlords very large amounts.

Greer, though said he supported the Poughkeepsie ordinance promoted by Messrs Sheehan and Binder placing the burden of proof they are living as a family on groups of persons of 4 or more living in a home who are not related, should be enacted.

We talked to George.

Greer  accused the Republicans of stealing the idea, telling this reporter that Democratic Councilmen Tom Roach and Benjamin Boykin had gone to George Gretsas privately “about two months ago” and suggested the Poughkeepsie “Family Definition” ordinance to Gretsas, and Gretsas had passed the suggestion on to the Safe Housing Task Force.

Greer said he has not heard any report back since that time from the Safe Housing Task Force on the fate of folding the Poughkeepsie ordinance into the White Plains anti illegal housing arsenal.

Benjamin Boykin, Common Council President, said the city had to be “very careful” here enacting the Poughkeepsie statute because  there were human issues involved, and that the city could not rush such legislation for fear of its being unconstitutional.

Sheehan said that was a totally wrong approach that the legislation was needed now. The audience agreed with him. He said the Poughkeepsie ordinance was tested in Appellate Court in 1994, and upheld and has not been appealed since.

“It’s been proven constitutional,” Sheehan said. Sheehan said since unscrupulous landlords are purchasing homes specifically for the purpose of converting their purchases into illegal rooming houses, that the legislation was needed now “to cut off the head” of illegal housing, and discourage landlords from purchasing homes just for that purpose. He cited the recent Building Department discoveries of just these kind of purchases on Holland Avenue and North Broadway as why the Common Council should enact a Poughkeepsie ordinance clone as soon as possible.

WPCNR PRESS BOX. VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK By John “Baseball” Bailey. October 9, 2003: Reading all the talk about curses and noting the columns and claptrap being written by columnists and spouted by Commissioner Bud Selig about how great the Wild Card is, I have to weigh in.

OLD COMISKEY PARK. Circa 1975. Photo by WPCNR Sports

First, the Wild Card Sham: the playoffs in baseball make the regular season meaningless. The media covers the quest for the Wildcard in each league. Teams shoot for the Wildcard position…witness the Red Sox and the Marlins pursuit of 2nd place because they did not…repeat did not…have a good enough club day in day out to overtake the Yankees or the Braves on the basis of consistency. More ink was written on the Wild Card Chase than the Pennant Races. Races were covered from the Wild Card eligibility standard.

The Red Sox even admitted they had concentrated on the Wild Card all along.

This is fundamentally wrong. The A’s and the Yankees outlasted the opposition over 162…and now are getting ousted by teams with inferior records?????  This is not right.

In baseball and fastpitch softball, anyone watching the game knows that every game is a toss up, depending on what the pitcher brings with them that day.

A Curse? No Way.

There is no such thing as a curse. A curse is superior pitching on any given dayt. A curse is the inability to make a play, and that can happen at any time. A curse is the inability to put the ball in play when you absolutely have to do. A curse is the inability to make good pitches.

Nowhere was this more evident than Wednesday in the Bronx about the inconsistency of performance that can turn a short series around, and turn superiority around.

Knuckleball specialist Wakefield gets a humid night in mid October. Students of the knuckler know that humid weather is ideal for knuckleball floats…Hoyt Wilhelm no-hit the Yankees in 1958 on a 100% humidity, drizzly day in Baltimore.  This does not excuse Mussina’s rustiness. It shows that the playoffs change the dynamic…if you threw the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in for a fast 5 games…they might be able to take the Yankees, too, or the Red Sox…that’s the way baseball/fastpitch is.

Let’s All Play for Second Place.

For Selig to say how great the wildcard is pathetic…it rewards the mediocritists. The best of 5 series is designed to benefit the Wildcarder.

That being said, the A’s let the Red Sox off the hook. The A’s also have to blame their lack of concentration, allowing personal anonymosities towards the Bosox to allow them to miss the plate twice. How bad is that? Whenever you lose your concentration and will to execute because of emotion, you are doomed.

There are no curses. There is just execution or failure to execute.

I cannot abide by the Wildcard system. I think baseball either has to make it so every team finishes first….to get into the playoffs, but no second places. It is just a double-standard that makes the regular season one long exhibition season with 6 teams deciding they are going to put forth the effort to win, and about 8 other teams figuring they are going to shoot for the Wild Card.

Throwing Hand Grenades.

Now, if no one knew the baseball was juiced, they know it now. Six homers Tuesday night. More homers last night. Come on. Did they put in new balls just for the playoffs to hype the ratings?

It looks like it. And, how about the anti-Marlin sentiment in the press. How can you write the Cubs are in control when it is 1-1 after two games?

First Game the Most Important? Forget About It.

The most pivotal game in a best of 7 is the 4th game, where someone goes either 3-1 or 2-2, or staves off a sweep.

Then each game is more important. The most meaningless game is the first game.

However, if you like History…Replay 1918

That being said that there are no curses, and no important first games, if you are a student of history, the Cubs and Red Sox should meet in the series to replay their series of 1918, when the Red Sox beat the Cubs, 4 games to 2.

That series was played in early September because the major league season had been shut down because of the U.S. World War I effort, and major league players being drafted.

 Babe Ruth shut out the Cubs, 1-0, in Game One at Old Comiskey Park  on a six-hitter. In this series, the Babe set a record for consecutive scoreless innings thrown by a pitcher (29-2/3) which stood until Whitey Ford broke the record in 1961.

These Red Sox featured a big four of submarine thrower, Carl Mays (21-13) (30 complete games), Sad Sam Jones (16-5, 16 complete games), Bullet Joe Bush (15-15, 18 complete games), and the Babe, a svelte 23 years old with a 13-7 record, 18 complete games.

The Cubs frontlined with Hippo Vaughn at 22-10 with 19 going the distance; Claude Hendrix, 20-7. 21 complete games, Lefty Tyler, 19-8 and Phil Douglas, 10-9.

Henry Frazee’s Sawks lineup had The Babe in left, when he was not pitching, and the kid hit 11 homers in 319 at-bats, hitting .300 not yet the Sultan of Swat. Frazee had no real indication he was going to be anything more than a great pitcher.

Game 1

In that first game in Comisky Park, Stuffy McInnis, Sox first-baseman (former Philadelphia A’s star) singled to left in the fourth, scoring Dave Shean from second after Paul Whitehead’s single had moved him to second for the only run The Babe needed.

Game Two at the then 9 year old South Side park saw the Cubs even it up with Lefty Tyler shutting out Boston, 3-0, beating Bullet Joe Bush. The Cubs posted a crooked 3 on the board in the second frame when Fred Merkle (of Merkle’s Boner fame) walked, (Oh, those bases on balls, even then), second baseman Charlie Pick beat out a bunt. After a pop up Bill Kellefer, the catcher doubled to right, scoring Merkle, Pick putting on the breaks at third,1-0, Chicago.

Lefty Tyler, the pitcher drove in 2 runs for his own cause with a single up the middle, scoring Pick and Kellefer to make it 3-0, and that’s the way she ended.

Game 3 was also played in Old Comiskey and Carl Mays took the mound for Boston against Hippo Vaughn. Mays outduelled him, 2-1. The darlings of New England got all they needed in the fourth inning.

George Whiteman was hit with a pitch after 1 was out. Vaughn gave up a single to McInnis, Whiteman moving to second. Wally Schang, catcher, batting sixth for Boston singled up the center of the diamond, scoring Whiteman, moving McInnis to third, to make it 1-0, Sawks. Ev Scott the shortstop, batting 7th, beat out a bouncer to the mound, scoring McInnis with what turned out to be the winning run. The Cubs got one back in the fifth  when Charlie Pick doubled, and came in on a single by Bill Killefer to left field. Boston leads the series, 2 games to 1.

Pivotal Fourth Game

The teams boarded the train to travel to Boston the next day, with the series resuming at Fenway Park. Game 4 Babe Ruth was on the hill and he went 8 innings to get the win 3-2 over the Cubs, beating a Cub reliever. Again the fourth inning was the big inning for the Sawks.

Dave Shean, batting second walked. (Oh, those leadoff walks!) Amos Strunk flied out, but Shean went to second on a passed ball. George Whiteman walked. With Sawks on the sacks at first and second, Lefty Tyler,  induced McGinness to ground to third into a force, but then he elected to pitch to Babe Ruth, batting 7th, with Whiteman and McGuinness on first and second and two out.

The Babe worked Lefty to a full count then BOOM! Babe belts it! A long drive to deep right center out by the Fenway bullpens, Whiteman and McGuinness scoring, for a 2-0 lead.

Three double plays in the 5th, 6th and 7th bailed the Babe out of trouble, but in the 8th, the Cubbies tied it up.

Bill Killefer the number 8 hitter, walked to lead off the 8th. Claude Hendrix pinch hit a single to left, Killefer putting on the breaks at second. The Babe uncorked a wild pitch, moving Cubs to second and third. With the infield in, Ruth induced Max Flack the cub leadoff man to bounce to first, the runners held. Charlie Hollocher, Cub shortstop bounced to second, scoring Killefer from third, 2 out.

The Babe surrendered a 2-out, game-tying single to left to the Cubs 3-place hitter, Les Mann, but got cleanup man Dode Paskert, the centerfield on a shot to third. Tie game, 2-2 going to the bottom of the eighth. The Babe’s scoreless inning streak had ended.

In the last of the eighth, the Sawks pushed a run over to win it.  Wally Shang, pinch-hitting for catcher Agnew, singled up the middle, and went to second on a passed ball that just eluded Cubs backstop Killefer. Harry Hooper the Bosox rightfielder laid down a bunt to the mound. Cub reliefer Phil Douglas, in his anxiety tomake the play threw the ball away, allowing Shang to score, 3-2, Boston.

In the ninth, Ruth  gave up a single to Merkle and a walk to Rollie Zieder, and Boston Manager Ed Barrow walked to the mound and went to the bullpen. In the 5 o’clock shadows, in trudged  Bullet Joe Bush, a righthander. Bush induced a force play at third and threw a double play ball to pinch hitter Turner Barber to save the game. Boston took the lead in the series, 3 games to 1.

In Game 5, Hippo Vaughn kept the Cubs alive by shutting out Boston 3-0 in the Fens, beating Sad Sam Jones. Shortstop Hollocher walked with 2 out in the third, stole second and scored on Les Mann’s double to left. (We do not know if it was off the green monster.) In the 8th, the Cubs got 2 runs of insurance on a walk to Max Flack, a bunt that Bill Hollocher beat out for a hit and Dode Paskert’s double in the left center field alley to score Flack and Hollocher. The Sox were ahead 3 games to 2.

In the sixth and decisive game, Carl Mays handcuffed the Cubs, 2-1, for Boston’s last World Championship. Boston’s 2 runs scored on an error by Max Flack in right field with 2 outs in the second.

After Lefty Tyler walked the pitcher, Carl Mays to lead off the inning, then retired Harry Hooper, walked Dave Shean, and got Amos Strunk on a grounder, moving Mays and Shean to third and second.

Then George Whiteman the cleanup hitter stood in. He lined one out to Max Flack in right.  Flack like Jose Cruz, Jr. last weekend, dropped a liner, allowing Mays and Shean to score the 2 runs that Mays made last. The Cubs got 1 back in the 4th, on Fred Merkle’s 2 out single with two on, but could not tie, losing the series 4 games to 2.

In the 8th, George Whitman perhaps saved the game with a somersaulting catch  off Turner Barber leading off the 8th saving an extra basehit.  Mays got the Cubs 1-2-3 in the 9th.

That was the story of the Red Sox last World Championship, and it happened against the Cubs.