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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COUNSEL, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, COMPLIANCE OFFICER (FRAUD)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Insurance as an employer that offers its employees a dynamic and friendly working environment, a stellar leadership team, and terrific employee benefits, including generous flexible hours scheduling and extensive leave benefits. 

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you and your membership, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Insurance as an employer that offers its employees a dynamic and friendly working environment, a stellar leadership team, and terrific employee benefits, including generous flexible hours scheduling and extensive leave benefits. 

The Division of Insurance is undertaking an effort to reach out to various community, educational and professional organizations with the aim of advertising our organization as one that is seriously interested in increasing recruitment results in diverse communities.  Our organization is especially interested in attracting qualified minority and women candidates for our management, legal, technical and professional positions.

Our agency is currently seeking qualified candidates for a number of positions, including a Counsel II, an Executive Secretary to the Board of Appeals and a Compliance Officer (Fraud Investigator).  These and other vacant positions are available at https://jobs.hrd.state.ma.us/recruit/public/3111/index.do.  Please provide this information to your constituencies.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Mary C. Carroll
Deputy Commissioner of Administration
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Division of Insurance
One South Station
Boston, MA 02110
Tel: 617-521-7362
Fax: 617-521-7717

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From Pia Haas, Westchester Broadway Theatre (Edited) July 23, 2008: Listen up guys and dolls, WBT is doin a show, and what a show. This is Good News people!  In a summer where there has been no good news, this all changes on August 7 when WPCNR’s favorite movie, The Producers, and the stage hit of the same name opens up at Westchester Broadway Theatre for a three-month run.

“A little off the shoe tops, my good man, and make it snappy.”Bob Amaral as Everybody’s Favorite Producer, Max Bialystock with his haberdasher and everybody needs one. Mr. Amaral recreates the Nathan Lane role beginning August 7 at the Westchester Broadway Theatre.

The Producers , the smash musical opened at the St. James Theatre on April 19, 2001 and ran for 2,502 performances, closing on April 22, 2007. The show originally starred Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom. It won 12 Tony Awards, breaking the record held for 37 years by Hello, Dolly! which had won 10.  The Producers also broke the record for the largest single day box-office gross in theatre history, taking in more than $3.5 million. In 2005, the musical was adapted into a musical film, becoming a movie based on a musical based on a movie about a musical. It was directed by Susan Stroman starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprising their stage roles,

A gleefully vulgar play, The Producers is replete with “slapstick, corny jokes, Borscht Belt shtick, ethnic jokes, unsubtle dirty jokes, hummable melodies, opulent and entirely unmotivated musical numbers and vigorous tap dancing,”

The Play centers around Max Bialystock, played by Bob Amaral, a scheming, down-on-his luck theatrical producer, and Leo Bloom, with Joel Newsome, as  his mousy,  stage struck, accountant. It all starts when Leo points out that under the right circumstances, a producer could actually make more money with a flop than he can with a hit. “No profits” = “no need to pay off the backers”.  

The idea is hatched to find the worst play ever written, hire the worst director and the worst actors in New York,  raise two million dollars from little old ladies willing to invest in a play in return for a little affection,  and when the play closes on opening night,  run off to Rio with the money.  The chosen script, guaranteed to close in one night is “Springtime for Hitler, A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden,” written by a nutty neo-Nazi named Franz Liebkind.  Roger De Bris, the worst director in New York and a flamboyant homosexual to boot, agrees to do it, but only if the ending is changed so the Germans end up winning World War II!  The scheme seems surefire,  but anything can happen when the lights go up on Broadway!

The Producers  is adapted from Mel Brooks’ wacky 1968 film of the same name, which starred Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. The film was so brazen in its satire that the major studios wouldn’t touch it. Brooks finally found an independent distributor, which released it like an art film. The Producers went on to receive an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and became a smash underground hit   For The Musical, Brooks wrote music and lyrics for 17 new songs to go along with “Springtime for “Hitler and “Prisoner of Love” from his film score. Brooks asked his old friend, Glen Kelly to sign on as the musical arranger, and playwright, Thomas Meehan, who wrote the book for the musical, Annie,  to join him in writing the book for the stage. Tony  award winner, Susan Stroman, who worked on hits like Contact, Showboat, The Music Man, Crazy For You,  and Gypsy (here at WBT!), joined the creative team as director and choreographer.

BOB AMARAL returns to WBT in the role of everybody’s favorite producer, Max Bialystock. On Broadway:  Mr. Amaral has appeared in Lion King, Guys & Dolls, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.  National Tours:  The Producers, Lion King, Annie Get Your Gun, and Wizard of Oz.Regional Theatre: Happy Days: A New Musical, Noises Off, Anything Goes, Triumph of Love, The Robber Bridegroom, Mike, Joseph.Dreamcoat, Good News, The Music Man, Guys & Dolls, and was Kromov in the S.F. Opera production of The Merry Widow.Television: Mad About You, N.Y.P.D. Blue, Babylon 5, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Any Day Now, Son of the Beach, My Two Dads, Major Dad, Empty Nest, Love & War, The Second Half, Brothers Keeper, and was Eddie Hayes in Rob Reiner’s Morton & Hayes.

JOEL NEWSOME  is the accountant, Leo Bloom  who returns to The Producers once more having performed the show on Broadway and on the National Tour. While on tour, Joel had the honor of playing Leo Bloom as well as Carmen Ghia. Other Broadway credits include the Tony winning revival of 42nd Street where he covered and performed the roles of Bert Barry and Andy Lee. Westchester audiences may remember Joel as Cosmo Brown in Singin’ in the Rain..

DAVID EDWARDS(Director) Appeared as both Max Bialystock and Roger DeBris in the First National Tour of THE PRODUCERS directed by Susan Stroman.  He has also directed the musical regionally, most recently at Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven, New Jersey Westchester Broadway Theatre audiences will remember him as Don Quixote in MAN OF LA MANCHA, Albin in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, Scrooge in two different versions of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and most recently, in PHANTOM. 

TICKETS & INFORMATION

BOX OFF. RESERVATIONS          Call (914)-592-2222. Open every day at 10am.                   

                                                             Closing times vary, depending on show sched­ules.

GROUP RESERVATIONS:             Call 592-2225, Mon. thru Fri. 10am – 6pm

LUXURY BOXES:                            Call 592-8730, Mon. thru Fri. 10am – 4pm

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WPCNR Letter From Rio. By Captain Andy. July 22, 2008: John, well you wanted a report on the ground from your man in Rio. Here it is:

Rio from the Statue of Christ The Redeemer. Photo by Captain Andy. Used with permission.

Rio de Janeiro, Copacabana, Ipanima, the names are all so melodic, and cause  a flood of romantic notions to fill the mind.  So what is Rio really like?  Well here is the inside story. 

 A tour package was  arranged from Sao Paulo for three days in Rio.  Included were the hotel, and two days of a tour.  The description sounded just lovely.  A fellow would meet me at the airport, would transport me to the hotel.  The next  day I would join a tour of English speaking tourists all with an English  guide, opportunities to make friends and see a new city.  So far so good.  

So I arrive at the airport, and sure enough someone is there to greet me. But doesn’t speak a lick of English.  Go through the sign language, have no idea what this guy is trying to say.  After a long ride to the hotel, I find out that the only tour I will get is  on the last day. Hmmm.  Not what was booked.

Copacabana Beach.

So in the morning (not sure this is morning, kinda  still looks dark out  there)  I call the tour agency and ask about my tour.  Well it doesn’t start today.  But it could.  According to my schedule, it should. 

So  the fellow, his name is Costa tells me in broken English that they are doing a special tour for me at 2pm, and that I should be ready.  So I rent a bike and do some touring on my own, and at the prescribed hour, I show up in the hotel lobby. 

No special tour.  Costa shows up to tell me that the plan has changed, they now have a bus tour of people that I will be joining.  But they won’t be here for another 20 minutes.  In 20 minutes he tells me that the van broke down, and it will be more like 40 minutes.  So at around 3:15 a minivan shows up, packed with people to see the Christ statue.  But they need to make some additional stops at
other hotels to pick up more people.

Christ The Redeemer

View from the Redeemer

Suffice to say, this particular tour was called by Mr. Costa about 15 minutes before I was picked up.  It was full of Portuguese and Spanish speakers, no Englasia. The van had no air conditioning, but it did have convenient dark windows, so you couldn’t see anything outside.   And afterward, I was charged an additional $36 Reias for this tour.

In other words, Rio is like a cross between the Jersey Shore and Juarez Mexico.  Everyone here is out to separate you from your money.  I had been told not to wander about, and to leave all valuables in the hotel. 

Rio Street Scene

Now I know why.  There is everything from street beggars, to sidewalk sales people to the more sophisticated marketing by H.Stern, the jeweler here, who provides “free trips” to his headquarters to see how jewelry is manufactured. Of course you get a discount if you buy, and it is tax
free.  Everything here is a hustle.  Ask the hotel for an English speaking restaurant.  They give you a voucher with names to ask for, and when you get to the restaurant, there  isn’t going to be a soul who can speak one word of anything intelligible.

I understand there are English speaking hotels here, so naturally I booked through Sao Paulo, all in Portuguese.  No wonder this is working out so well…

So far, it is a barrel of laughs, but I am trying to rest a bit, which is fortunate, since I have
some down time for a day or so.

Hope politics are going well in White Plains.  Your man on the ground in Rio is signing off for now.  Stay tuned for further developments which will be broadcast as they occur.

Sunset on Rio Beach

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WPCNR TAXI STAND. July 21, 2008: The Mayor’s Office released a statement addressing issues brought to the attention by the union organization meeting held Saturday morning in Delfino Park reported on by WPCNR. Melissa Lopez of the Mayor’s Office issued a statement today saying the Taxi Advisory Committee  criticised Saturday for delay in addressing taxi drivers’ issue would be issuing a report shortly. Significant in the statement is an indication that fares would be increased if taxi ambience and protocols were upgraded on part of the drivers.

Here is the statement from Melissa Lopez of  the Mayor’s Office:

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WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By Bull Allen. July 20, 2008: This has been a sad week for baseball fans. Two events became public this week. After nine years, Detroit’s Economic Growth Corporation has greenlighted the tearing down of Tiger Stadium where Ty Cobb played.

So Long Tiger Stadium.

Photo: Rashaun Rucker, Detroit Free Press

In an obituary today, I read also about the death of the first African-American sportscaster,  Sherman Jocko Maxwell. It was the first I had heard of him – who according to reports broadcast scores and did interviews of the players in the old Negro Leagues covering the Newark Eagles.

The two events have two different legacies and say much about America and what’s wrong with it.

Still, you would think that the stadium could be preserved for play by local teams, and the stands and interior could have been turned into a New York Baseball Museum. A sort of “Met” or “Museum of Natural History for baseball.  A natural destination for tourists to visit after visiting the new Yankee Stadium next door.

But, no. They are going to tear it down – removing the place where Babe Ruth played. Where Don Larsen pitched a perfect game (my all-time Yankee Stadium moment), Where Grover Cleveland Alexander fanned Lazzeri in the 7^th in the 1926 Seventh Game. Where I saw Whitey Ford pitch.  Where Johnny Podres pitched Brooklyn to its only World Championship. You may as well put up condominiums overlooking The Peach Orchard in Gettysburg.

But do the Tigers or the Yankees who got millions in tax breaks doing anything to preserve either Tiger Stadium or the House That Ruth Built. No. Of course not.

So they are tearing down Tiger Stadium.

Because Detroit could not figure out what to do with it.

And they still don’t know what they are going to do with the empty lot once it is done. Tiger Stadium was where Cobb stole his way into the Hall of Fame. Where Hank Greenburg, Schoolboy Rowe, The great Mickey Cochrane played. Where the Dean Brothers beat the Bengals in 1934. Where Hal Newhouser pitched. The home of Mickey Lolich. Stormin Norman. Kaline.  Charlie Gehringer. Goose Goslin. The Bird. Denny McLain. Jim Northrup. Gates Brown. Frank Lary. Paul Foytack. George Kell. Allan Trammel, Lou Whittaker. It had the celebrated overhanging upper deck in right field. It was a magical place where things happened.

Tiger Stadium, 1999. The Associated Press

Tiger Stadium was the place we’d see back East on Thanksgiving Day on Channel 2  at noon at Grandma’s house, with Van Patrick at the microphone calling  the Detroit Lions  (they were Lions then), and the Green Bay Packers in football, with those funny stripped goal posts and often magical snow drifting down on the game. The Lions of Bobby Layne, Yale Larry, Hopalong Cassidy, Night Train Lane and Joe Schmidt.

Where do the Tigers play now? Comerica Field, where the upper decks like so many of the new modern “improved” parks are set so far back you’re miles away from the action. In Tiger Stadium with its posts and steep upper deck rake you were on top of the action. It was like a gallery with echo, the pop of beer cups being popped, and you never missed a play.  The centerfield bleachers  were miles away and the centerfield was way deep – 440 straightaway. You had to have good centerfielders in Detroit. 

Now it is going down. No one in Detroit had the foresight to make it a Detroit Baseball Hall of Fame and museum where kids could play on the old diamond.  They are trying to save the lower deck between 3rd and 1st for a museum and the playing surface, but only have until August 1 to come up with the money. It does not look good for the old lady.

Heck, that field could accommodate two soccer fields, too. 

Right field Today. Empty of seats. Just Ghosts of Baseball’s Past Remain.

Tearing down The Corner at Michigan and Trumbull is like tearing down the Roman Coliseum. Tiger Stadium, Cleveland Stadium, League Park, Braves Field, Forbes Field, Comiskey Park, Shibe Park, Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds, Sportsmans Park all felt like ballparks. The fields were bigger than life. And so green. The diamond exploded before you in those parks because you were so close. Now you are so far away from it in the new parks, that there is no intimacy.

Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are all that are left of the old ballparks. Wrigley is perhaps the most overrated of the lot. It’s nice, but it does not have the character old Comiskey Park on the South Side had. Fenway has been wrecked by the Red Sox sticking bleachers on the left field wall, bleachers on the roof of the Fens and electronic scoreboards. But you are at least still on top of the field.

Upper Deck Puts You on top of the action at Wrigley Field, 1975. Pete Rose at the plate.

Meanwhile, it is interesting to note the Yankees will sell pieces of the old Yankee Stadium for millions.

My feeling is, we destroy the past in America. We do not revere it. Those ballparks, the old buildings, they are living things that were once part of us. When they go, the ghosts go with them.

When we tear them down, we throw out our traditions, our feelings, our values those edifaces once instilled in us.

Jocko Maxwell.

When I read about this first black man to ever do sports on the radio out of WNJR in Newark and WHOM in Newark, it got me thinking about the message this man sends to the youth of today.

He wanted to do sports on the radio. He did sports scores, wrote up old Negro League games, preserved the history of great Negro League baseball. He did not get paid to do it. He did it because he felt he had to and because he loved it. He died at age 100 this week. He said visiting the Hall of Fame at age 93 was the happiest day of his life.

When I was growing up there were no black sportscasters until Art Rust Jr. came on WABC Radio.

Then Bill White joined the Yankee broadcast team, the second really good athlete turned sportscaster. Previously Phil Rizzuto had set the mold as a player turned broadcaster. But Bill White brought a candor and presence and honesty to play by play that was refreshing amongst the Yankee professional announcers, quiet dignified confidence and great dignity that reined in Phil on many a night. 

 Frank Messer, Dwayne Stats, Joe Garagiola, etc., who filled the vast play-by-play wasteland in the Yankee booth since Mel Allen’s departure were competent professionals. But Bill White shared the game with you, articulately, with class. Yankee play-by-play is still a wasteland today, where you never know what is going on.

You have to give the Yankees a lot of credit for hiring Bill White at the time. White, I believe to this day was and still is the only black regular play-by-play man for a major league team. I may be wrong on this. But, frankly there are too few. Ken Singleton continues to handle Yankee Games on YES. The Yankees have done their part. The Yankees even have the only woman sportscaster, Suzyn Waldman, whom I wish would do more play-by-play, and we Yankee fans would know what is going on.

 in the late 60s. Greg Gumbel then Bryant Gumbel came on the networks. Fred Hickman  and Nick Charles were the first black sportscasters I had ever seen on CNN in the 70s.  I do not feel studio hosting by blacks is the same as the play-by-play niches. We need more play-by-play men and women of color. Of course, there are the Spanish play-by-play sportscasters in key markets: New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Arizona — but that is of necessity.

 The point being, I had never heard of Sherman Jocko Maxwell until his death. A horrible thing I as a ball fan did not know of him.

Yet, Mr. Maxwell pursued his love of baseball…he broadcast real good for free – he felt he had a mission to publicize the exploits of the black ballplayers of the 40s and 50s before the color line was ended.

The lesson of today for you young fans out there is to pursue your dream. Do what you want to do, what makes you feel good. If something tells you you must pay attention to it, well do it. You will never know how important it is until you can no longer do it.

Jocko Maxwell did.