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WPCNR VIEW FROM THE BLEACHERS. By “Bull” Allen.  April 2, 2017:

Baseball, the greatest sport, does not know what it has.

The sport consistently just does stupid things that hurt the timeless appeal of the game.

Let’s put rule changes aside for a moment.

Today the Bronx Baby Bombers open the season in Tampa Bay, Florida, which has an indoor stadium without a retractable roof, and they are playing a day game. That in itself is absurd. It should be played at night to maximize the audience in Tampa and up here in The Big Apple.

But, nooooooooooooo they are playing it in the afternoon. I have news for baseball: most fans will not stay inside today to watch an afternoon game on a beautiful spring day.

But, wait, there’s more stupidity about schedule the Yankees Youth Corps in Tampa.

Tomorrow the Yankees have an off-day in Tampa. Are you kidding me? The baseball scheduling tradition of scheduling an off-day after an opening day game is to allow teams if they are rained out on the official opening day to pay the opener next day on an open date, keeping the big gate the opener provides.

(Not withstanding that they usually will not postpone any Opening Day before the crowd arrives, and they milk the crowd for concessions while the die-hard fans are drinking concessions, eating hot dogs, pizzas, ice cream waiting for a decision on whether the game will be called.)

Now this is not fake news.

However, I think some rejects from the Trump Presidency were given jobs in the baseball scheduling office who know nothing ABOUT baseball.

Someone in the major league baseball scheduling office did not know that the Tampa Bay Rays stadium, Tropicana Field has a roof on it.

Let me repeat that, Major League Baseball geniuses: Tampa Bay Field has a roof on it!

Let’s have a Rules Committee meeting on this, geniuses: Can you figure out what this means?

The Yankee Tampa Bay game since it is being played indoors  has a roof on it.

This means the game cannot be rained out.

Let me repeat that, Major League Baseball people.

If a stadium has a roof, it cannot be rained out, which means the Yankees and Rays do NOT need an open date tomorrow in case of a possible rainout, BECAUSE rain cannot interfere with the game when it is played under a roof, people!

Is this  scheduling an open date Monday just being done out of tradition?

Or is it being done to avoid cutting into the New York television audience for the boring Final Four game Monday evening? Come on.

This is nuts not scheduling the Yanks and Tampa Bay tomorrow night.

Now to the automatic intentional walk without throwing 4 pitches change.

In The Times this morning  Ichiro Suzuki  the all-time great mentioned another reason why taking away the 4 live pitches in providing an intentional walk takes something away from the game.

Ichiro says he used the time during those 4 pitches in an intentional walk before him, to review the game situation, think what he wants to do or strategize at the plate against either a relief pitcher to face him, or the pitcher he will face, or thinking possibilities. He described the 4-pitches as a time out to access for the on-deck hitter. He is so right.

Conversely, (puffing on a White Owl Wallop) the automatic intentional walk  without having to throw four pitches is an advantage to the pitcher who does not have to concentrate on throwing four wide pitches without throwing one wild over the catcher’s head, and it does not break the pitcher’s control rhythm.

Shoot. This loss of the tradition of respect the 4-pitch intentional walk accorded the Musials, the Mantles, the Williamses, the Ruths (Babe Ruth received the most intentional walks of any hitter in baseball history) takes away “lore,” the mystique that only baseball has because it is such a situational game. How things happened in baseball’s history are remembered precisely because of the detail, the precision and the pitch by pitch record of box scores and play by plays of its past.

Now before baseball adopts shorter counts by going to 3 balls for a walk and 2 strikes and you’re out in the future, another dubious suggestion, then you force batters to swing on the 2nd pitch and the logic goes that with only 2 strikes you would have more hitting, more action.

No. You won’t. You will have longer games.

To combat a 3 ball, 2 strike rule, hitters–the great ones–will practice their ability to foul off more pitches. You will have more walks. More baserunners. Pitchers will tire faster in the games and the games will become longer. No lead will be safe. Starting pitchers will not last 5 innings. So they better put that one on the shelf. You will also see more brushback pitches right at the head to prevent toeholds by the hitters ready to go up there and whale the first pitch.

If the pitchers have a union, they have to fight this. Having only 5 pitches to tinker with a hitter, limits your strategy to get him out. It also eliminates the drama of the full count, or the advantage of the waste pitch on a 2-2 count.The more you work on a hitter, the more chance you can fool him. Limiting the experimentation time hurts.

No one loves a game more than the 23-22 donnybrook the Phillies and the Cubs played many years ago, I think in 1963. (The wind was blowing out at Wrigley Field.)

But, if every game is just pinball hitting, your concession sales will go down! It takes time to serve that exquisite boiled hotdog with mustard smeared on it in the aisles. It takes time to move that Ballantine Beer down the row to a fan. And it takes time to drink it. It’s really difficult drinking beer and eating a dog at a hockey and basketball and football game.

Baseball marries the American pastimes, talking about sports, second-guessing, eating and drinking while watching the game, and spending money on it, let alone keeping score on your scorecard The business men who run the game should note that–instead of trying to speed up the game.

You’re paying $20 for the cheapest seat in Yankee Stadium, you want that game to last. You pray for extra innings. At least I always did.

Baseball wants to be like the meaningless first three quarters of any NBA game?

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https://youtu.be/EKbMQ8YkG2s

WHITE PLAINS WEEK

ON

THE FASNY HEARING COMING UP

JOHN SHEEHAN OF THE GEDNEY ASSOCIATION INTERVIEW

THE GROUP HOME COMMON COUNCIL TURNDOWN

THE CITY BUDGET

THE 25% 7TH AND 8TH GRADE OPT OUT RATE ON THE ELA ASSESSMENT

REBUILDING THE PLAYLAND NORTH BOARDWALK–READY BY THE FALL

TRUMP THE PRESIDENT–PETER KATZ’S WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIVITY

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Democratic Caucus. March 31, 2017:

After hearing from Astorino Administration officials and outside consultants, 8 Democrats on the Board of Legislators will not support the County Executive’s proposed ice skating rink project at Kensico Dam Plaza.

“The financial impact to taxpayers of this $24.7 million plus project is too high a price for Westchester County taxpayers to pay for a luxury item,” said Majority Leader Catherine Borgia (D-Ossining). “The County Executive’s most recent budgets have put our County’s financial and physical welfare in serious jeopardy.”

To date, various vital County needs which were included in the 2017 budget have been left unfunded.

“Each day our County roads continue to crumble while a massive backlog of capital projects grows, non-profits that thousands of Westchester taxpayers rely on for essential services have not received their contracts, and most of the police officers who were supposed to be hired have not been. In spite of all this, the County Executive is insisting that all of those priorities take a back seat to an ice rink.

We must be the adults in the room and show the difference between ‘nice to have’ and ‘need to have.’ This is the wrong move for Westchester County and we, as representatives sent here by the taxpayers, cannot in good conscience vote for it,” added Borgia.

“It was a struggle to get information on the project from the Administration and when we did it was clear the project had serious flaws. The County Executive’s handpicked consultants’ report said the County could expect an initial annual operating loss of approximately $400 thousand with varying levels of loss in perpetuity – and that is based on the best case attendance scenario,” said Legislator Ben Boykin (D-White Plains) “After preliminary projections of operating debt, the annual cost to the county per skater may range as high as $108, while the per-skater revenue will be closer to $14. With projected losses on a project that is financed through bonding and with repayment estimates ranging from 15 to 25 years, this rink is clearly not in best interests of Westchester taxpayers,” concluded Boykin.

“I am very happy we were able to save the County taxpayers from another of County Executive Astorino’s bad deals. Why would Westchester County decide to compete against itself in the ice skating business? Playland’s ice skating operation already has its own problems, this rink would only serve to exacerbate them while itself would be a money loser,” said Legislator Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers).

“Westchester County has a host of more important priorities. We are slashing services every year, leaving our parks unpatrolled, and other capital projects like Sprain Ridge Pool are still left unfinished. Nearly $25M for a luxury ice rink is a bad deal for Westchester taxpayers,” added Jenkins.

“As with every development I reviewed this proposal based on a cost versus benefit analysis,” said Chairman Michael Kaplowitz (D-Somers) “In this case the cost is not commensurate to the benefit and so I can’t support the plan as currently proposed.”

A spokesman for the Democratic Caucus said 7 Democrats opposed the issue, along with Mr. Kaplowitz. The spokesman said that it was unlikely the rink proposal could come to a vote because 12 votes were needed for approval and if the 8 Democratics objecting held firm this would leave the County Executive proposal 4 votes short of approval.

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The blockbuster, swinging, swishing,loving, glamorous cast of Mama Mia! which opened the local outside NYC run of the 8th longest running Broadway musical last night. (All photos, courtesy Westchester Broadway Theatre by John Vecchiolla)

200^TH WBT PRODUCTION PULLS OUT THE SUPER TROUPERS! FIRES UP THE DISCO ROUND FOR MEGAHIT MAMA MIA! FIRST PRODUCTION OF HIT SHOW IN TRISTATE REGION.

Jennifer Swiderski as Rosie (left), Michelle Dawson as Donna Sheridan and Elise Kinnon as Tanya. reuniting as their trio once more. Ms. Swiderski does another great number with Brent Bateman, singing Take A Chance on Me, clowning with him in a most amusing sequence.

THE MOVE-YOUR-FEET, SWAY-YOUR-HIPS, SHAKE YOUR ABS, CLAP-YOUR-HANDS, SWISH YOUR SEQUINED GOWNS HEARTBEAT OF THE 80S THROBS AGAIN!

My Three Dads: The ingenue, Mariah MacFarlane as Sophie Ms. Dawson’s daughter, quizzing her three possible dads, left to right Xander Chauncey as the suave and earnest Sam; Kilty Reidy as Harry and Brent Bateman as Bill. MacFarlane just carries this difficult role with just the right gushing, sensitive, anxiety you’ll recognize in your young person.

MICHELLE DAWSON  SINGLE MOM  TRYING TO FORGET BRINGS DOWN HOUSE ON THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL! INGENUE MARIAH MacFARLANE PITCH-PERFORMANCE PERFECT AS DAUGHTER SEARCHING FOR HER DAD IN FIRST REGIONAL ‘MM” PRODUCTION.

WPCNR STAGE DOOR. THEATRICAL REVIEW BY JOHN F. BAILEY. FIRST RUSHES. MARCH 31, 2017 UPDATED April 3:

Remember how  “anthems” of ABBA, the Swedish pop group of 70S-80s Swingin? With their driving vibrance and intoxicating, swaying seductive beats and so-true-to-feeling lyrics that moved you into The Hustle and loving the nightlife,and brought back elegance and drama to going out?

Westchester Broadway Theatre has produced its 200th production and easily its most spectacular. WBT is bringing back ABBA’s magic brought to life in the 8^th longest running musical of all time MAMA MIA!, thanks to the hardest-working, best costumed, engaging cast we’ve seen in 16 years of reviewing WBT productions.

Mama Mia! weaves 18 of the top ABBA songs together into a surprising dramatic story about a daughter about to be married, trying to find out who her father was.

Maria MacFarlane plays the daughter Sophie to her mom, Michelle Dawson as Donna Sheridan. Sophie discovers her mother’s diary. In it, the mother wrote of three affairs with three different men about 20 years ago, just when Sophie was born. Sophie shocked invites the three men to her wedding on a Greek Isle where Ms. Dawson as Donna Sheridan has made a hotel a success.

The fun starts when Sophie’s girlfriends arrive, and then the men arrive. Highlights of the first act feature Sophie meeting and trying to figure out which of the three men is her father. Xander Chauncy as Sam Carmichael immediately senses he is her father, while Brent Bateman as Bill Austin, the Australian, and Kilty Reidy the banker, each deliver the befuddled regrets and concerns about their misspent time with Ms. Dawson 20 years ago.

Mom’s  girlfriends from her band of 20 years ago, played with zany swagger and savvy by vampy, beach boy aficionadoette, Elise Kinnon as Tanya, Jennifer Swiderski as Rosie, team with Ms. Dawson for a evocative Dancing Queen in Act One. While the intrepid ensemble of beach boy “help” is appreciated in a splendid and saucy routine with Ms. Kinnon as Tanya wowing the house with her tearing-off-the shirt off Connor Wince  as Pepper.

As Act One closes it seems as if Ms. Dawson as mom Donna just does not have the feelings for Sam Carmichael as she fights the highly believable, earnest Xander Chauncy’s  attempts to woo Ms. Dawson back are ripped with heartache.

In Act Two, the Mama Mia! turns on the color. Incredible costuming brings back the memories of when women looked great going out on the floor. Sequins galore, all you old hipsters!   The sets (by Steve Loftus) actually look like a Grecian Isle beach. The shimmer of the ocean on the scrim suggests the appeal of the past as well as its rapturous regrets.

Music! You got it.

Another word, on the rapport between Ms. Dawson and Mariah MacFarlane as mother and daughter. Their duet together in Act Two, Slipping Through My Fingers is splendid as the two strong women’s voices entwine and conflict in the emotion of mother watching her daughter grow away, making her own decisions, and daughter Ms. MacFarlane realizing what her mother has sacrificed to raise her. This duet leads into the song of the show, Winner Takes It All and touches raw memorable emotions all Mothers and Daughters can relate with.

Michelle Dawson after MacFarlane leaves the stage slides seamlessly into a dynamite stop the show Winner Takes It All, her strong contralto just killing the house! The audience on opening night  burst into  spontaneous roars, stopping the show when she just lays it on Mr. Chauncy’s Sam Carmichael her former lover with this shattering lyric—Look and wait for this one.

Rarely have I heard bravos and calls of admiration from a WBT audience like the one Ms. Dawson received after finishing this emotional woman’s song about the man who got away with this lyric:

I don’t wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand
You come to shake my hand
I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense
No self-confidence
But you see
The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all…

It is the show stopper song.  But wait there’s much more: the songs you love to move your body to:

GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!, STORM TROUPER (just to get me through the rest of the day), TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, LAY YOUR LOVE ON ME and the very funny I DO, I DO,I DO,I DO, I D0. That’s a marriage acceptance. The end of the second Act wraps it up with the strangest wedding you’ll see – a happy ending, even when all seems black.

But, wait you have to stay for the encore where the whole ensemble reprises a handful of the songs they’ve already sung.

Mama Mia! is a must-see! No excuses! It plays through June 25. The box office may be reached at 914-592-2268. Or go to www.BroadwayTheatre.com

ABBA-CADABRA! IT’S DISCO MAGIC1

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the White Plains City School District. March 29, 2017:

A total of 520 of 3,256 Students in Grades 3 to 8 in the White Plains City Schools “opted-out” of the New York State English Language Assessment Tests Tuesday, a total of 16%.

This is an increase of 3% from a year ago. Michele Schoenfeld, Clerk to the Board of Education said the increase was attributed to a large group of 8th grade students deciding among themselves “to convince their parents to let them opt-out of the test.”

A total of  205 Eighth graders of 542 in the 8th grade at the Highlands Middle School (38%) opted out according to district statistics.

In 7th Grade, 91 of 575 students in Highlands “opted out” (16%). (Highlands teaches all 7th and 8th graders in White Plains, while Eastview School instructs all 6th graders.

In the 6th Grade at Eastview School, known as the “Prepartory Academy,” that transitions 6th graders to the Middle School routine in 7th grade, 79 of 489 6th graders opted out (16%).

Between the 7th and 8th grades, the critical preparation time for getting into the academic rigor of high school, 296 of 1,117 8th graders taking the ELA TEST opted out–a total of 26.5%.

In the elementary schools, 3rd to fifth, the opt out rate was 9% in grades 3 to 5.

Some elementary schools opted out hire than others George Washington students were opted out by parents at a rate of 14%; Church Street Elementary,10%. Mamaroneck Avenue School, 8%; Post Road School, 6%, and Ridgeway School, 5%

An ethnic breakdown  of those who opted was not yet available.