Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Just Go Away A-Rod

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Just Go Away A-Rod: Alex Rodriguez 162-game ban hopefully ends latest chapter of baseball steroid era and leaves room for Yankees By Rich Mancuso BRON...

Just Go Away A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez 162-game ban hopefully ends latest chapter of baseball steroid era and leaves room for Yankees

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 13- There are so many questions that remain unanswered after an arbitrator ruled Alex Rodriguez has been suspended for the 2014 season of 162 games and the post season. Will a federal court take on an appeal process and with $25 million off the books will the New York Yankees spend and go off their $189 million salary threshold?

One thing is certain, this is the harshest suspension leveled at a player during the steroid era. And with this, baseball can move on and hopefully close the last chapter to cheaters and performing enhancing drugs. 

Rodriquez will not go down without a fight. He loves the game and we could have seen the last of him in Yankee pinstripes and maybe the last time as an active player. At 40 years of age, after the suspension is served, A-Rod could still be a designated hitter if someone wants to take the risk.

Or, he could just fade away, but the ego and love of the game, let alone A-Rod trying to preserve whatever legacy he has, will not keep him away from the playing field.

Major League Baseball gets a victory here with the suspension, but did they? They are also culprits of the steroid saga. And through all of this, with A-Rod being implicated with obstruction of their investigation, baseball implemented drug testing with players when performance enhancing drugs was out of hand.

Added to the fact, in one defense for Alex Rodriguez, he was never administered a drug test because of the Biogenesis situation. This may have been a word vs. word situation with A-Rod, the other players implicated and the name of Anthony Bosch who headed the Biogenesis clinic.

But one thing is certain. This was a message that was sent to  the players and Major League Baseball scored a major victory even though the game has been damaged. Just take a look at the recent vote for enshrinement into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The supposed all-time home run leader, record holders and more have been denied their place up in Cooperstown because of their alleged involvement with steroids.

The following is a Alex Rodriguez Statement on the Decision of a 162-game ban and it explains something in his defense to continue his legacy: “The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one. This is one man’s decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable. This injustice is MLB’s first step toward abolishing guaranteed contracts in the 2016 bargaining round, instituting lifetime bans for single violations of drug policy, and further insulating its corrupt investigative program from any variety defense by accused players, or any variety of objective review.

I have been clear that I did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline, or violate the Basic Agreement or the Joint Drug Agreement in any manner, and in order to prove it I will take this fight to federal court. I am confident that when a Federal Judge reviews the entirety of the record, the hearsay testimony of a criminal whose own records demonstrate that he dealt drugs to minors, and the lack of credible evidence put forth by MLB, that the judge will find that the panel blatantly disregarded the law and facts, and will overturn the suspension. No player should have to go through what I have been dealing with, and I am exhausting all options to ensure not only that I get justice, but that players’ contracts and rights are protected through the next round of bargaining, and that the MLB investigation and arbitration process cannot be used against others in the future the way it is currently being used to unjustly punish me.

I will continue to work hard to get back on the field and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship. I want to sincerely thank my family, all of my friends, and of course the fans and many of my fellow MLB players for the incredible support I received throughout this entire ordeal."

This is a historic suspension. The Yankees have been in the middle of this throughout the entire process of the hearing. A-Rod, notice at the conclusion of his statement, makes reference to returning on the field and helping the Yankees win another championship.

The Yankees have washed their hands with the situation and released a brief statement: “The New York Yankees respect Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, the arbitration process, as well as the decision released today by the arbitration panel.”

But, surely the Yankees are looking at this from another perspective. And, perhaps baseball is as well. A-Rod has put himself in jeopardy many times with his admission of using PED’s in the past. Then, he says he did not do what has hopefully closed the chapter with a suspension that was rendered Saturday.

The Yankees, without having to pay $25 million of an A-Rod contract, have more money to spend in their quest to get back to the World Series as they pursue the highly touted right-handed pitcher from Japan, Masahiro Tanaka. Baseball, now that a decision has been made, hopefully will move on. The game for now is clean from further PED issues even though the players association does not agree with the severity of the 162-game suspension. 

Players have been sent a message about the risk and ramifications, and they can thank Alex Rodriguez for that because this was a historic suspension and a legacy has been tarnished.

It leaves to more questions about the legacy of Alex Rodriguez and where he goes from here.

COMMENT: Rich Mancuso Ring786@aol.com  Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso

Slap Happy Crooks Sought by Cops

By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 9- A slap happy crook, who terrorized at least 11 stores, is being sought by cops. Investigators released surveillance photos and video of the male and female crooks in the hope that someone will recognize the pair. 

Cops say the couple has made off with over $7,000 from the robberies of 11 stores throughout the Bronx. Investigators say the woman canvasses the store prior to the robbery. Then the male gunman will enter the location, threaten the clerk with a gun and demand cash. In the surveillance video, the suspect is seen smacking a clerk upside his head. 

The gunman is described as a black male who is around 25 years of age. He is described as 5 foot 10 and 175 pounds. The female accomplice is in her 20s and is 5 foot 5 and 190 pounds. 

Anyone with information is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto Crime Stoppers' website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to CRIMES (274637), then enter TIP577.

All calls are confidential.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Elevators Can’t Take the Cold?

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Elevators Can’t Take the Cold?: 20 elevators out of service within 4 days $160K per month Contractor Blames Cold Weather for Outages By Michael Horowitz BRO...

Elevators Can’t Take the Cold?

20 elevators out of service within 4 days

$160K per month Contractor Blames Cold Weather for Outages

By Michael Horowitz

BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 9- Twenty elevators were out of service between last Friday and Monday, leaving Co-op City shareholders in Buildings 12 without any elevator service for several hours on Sunday and leaving shareholders in Building 12 without any elevator service for several hours on Monday, informed sources told  the News this week.

Garages 1, 4, 5, and 8 reportedly had no elevators for several hours on Monday, said the sources, who wished to remain unidentified.

On Monday alone, 14 elevators were out of service for several hours at a time, the sources noted.

There were no reports, as of early this week, of shareholders being trapped in elevators for extended periods of time or of shareholders not being able to receive emergency medical care because of the elevator outages. 

Management officials are reportedly blaming the elevator outages on extreme temperature changes on last week’s snowfall, but critics of management are convinced that the outages resulted from a lack of proper maintenance.

The Ver-tech Elevator Co., Inc. has had a contract to maintain Co-op City’s recently rebuilt elevators since October 1999, but it was unclear, this week, if the elevator company or Co-op City’s management was responsible for the outages. 

Ver-tech is reportedly paid $160,000 per month, or close to $2 million per year, to maintain Co-op City's elevators, which were all reportedly upgraded in recent years. 

Co-op City has 192 elevators, so 20 elevators represent more than 10 percent of the elevators in the local community.

Commenting this week, civic activist Frank Belcher described the extensive elevator outages in the community as “totally unacceptable,” saying, “This is really no surprise to me. I have known, for quite some time, that the people who run Co-op City, who are ultimately responsible, are inept and incompetent. In this case, their incompetence endangered the health, welfare, and safety of the community’s shareholders and exposed the Riverbay Corporation to lawsuits relating to this lack of basic service.”

Belcher added, “You tell me that Co-op City pays an elevator contractor $160,000 per month to maintain our elevators, so we have a right to expect that our elevators will be properly maintained in all kinds of weather. It’s unacceptable for management to blame the elevator outages on the weather.” 

Belcher stressed, “It has been clear to me for years that this place is not properly maintained, so why would we think that the elevators are any different from the rest of Co-op City’s infrastructure?”

The elevator outages that were reported here last Friday were in Building 17, with one car out of service due to a broken hoist rope, and in Building 35, with one car out of service because of an issue with a sheave.

On Sunday, all four elevators were out of service in Building 35 for several hours due to a pipe break in the building’s basement.

On Monday, the following elevator outages were reported: Building 22B, two cars out of service due to a pipe break in the building’s basement; Building 12, all four cars out of  service for several hours due to a pipe break in the basement, and Garages 1, 4, 5, and 8, all eight cars out of service due to electrical boxes shorting out because of moisture.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Councilman Andrew Cohen

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Councilman Andrew Cohen: (Photo by Robert Press) Riverdale Review By Robert Press BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 9- Before I get to my headline the swearing in of new...

Councilman Andrew Cohen

(Photo by Robert Press)

Riverdale Review

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 9- Before I get to my headline the swearing in of new Councilman Andrew Cohen on Sunday January 5^th, the day before a small airplane landed on the Major Deegan Highway northbound before the East 233^rd Street exit. 

This was a Piper PA 28 plane with a pilot and two passengers on board. The three were returning to Danbury Airport after circling the Statue of Liberty. The landing on the Deegan was just north of the Mosholu Parkway extension overpass bridge that is to be replaced starting later this year. There were some DOT workers that had closed one lane of the Deegan northbound to fill potholes for the pre construction of removing the Deegan medium so construction work on replacing the overpass bridge can be done. That will maintain three traffic lanes in each direction during the construction. The workers saw that the plane was in trouble and halted all traffic northbound so the plane could make a landing on the northbound lanes.

The three passengers were taken to Saint Barnabas Hospital with minor injuries and later released. The plane was registered to Mr. Michael Schwartz of South Salem in Westchester County. Just so you know where the exact location is, had the plane veered to the east about 100 feet it could have crashed into the Croton Water Filtration Plant being built in Van Cortlandt Park. You can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to read more and see a photo of the plane on the Major Deegan Highway. It was removed in less that four hours and the Deegan northbound was reopened.

On to the public inauguration of Councilman Andrew Cohen. It was a cold dreary misty day with ice forming on the streets and sidewalks outside, but inside the Lehman College Lovinger Theater there was a public swearing in of the new 11^th District Councilman Andrew Cohen. The program was delayed as many of the crowd arrived late due to the bad weather. However once the program started it went smoothly and professionally.

Mr. Bruce Feld the District Leader from the 81^st A.D. welcomed those in attendance and opened the program. The Celia Cruz High School Chorus sang the Pledge of Allegiance, and later came back up to sing “It's Freedom” during a break in the speeches by the elected officials. The National Anthem was done by the Bronx Opera Company, who also came back between speeches. Rabbi Avi Weiss gave the Invocation. Then the speeches by elected officials came. Some said goodby to former Councilman Oliver Koppell, some said hello to new Councilman Andrew Cohen, and some said other things. New City Comptroller Scott Stringer was the first to say goodby to Oliver Koppell, and reminded Councilman Cohen that his mother lives in the 11^th Council District. Stringer said that he has Councilman Cohen's cell phone number. Next up was new Public Advocate Letitia James, who likewise is also embarking on a new position in government.

Not to be outdone Congressman Engel told Councilman Cohen that he also has his cell phone number. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said that he is looking forward to working with Councilman Cohen in the Bronx which Diaz calls God’s Country. Diaz then said if you do not believe me look at the miracle yesterday on the Major Deegan Highway. U. S. Senator Chuck Schumer went back in time saying that when Andy Cohen was in high school that he (Schumer) was the congressman for the area in Rockaway where Andrew Cohen the lived. Schumer finished by saying that nobody gave the council seat to Andrew Cohen, but that he earned it the old fashioned way with hard work.

One of my favorite quotes from the inauguration has to be when Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie said, “County Leaders are thought of as dictators of foreign countries”. 

State Senator Jeff Klein mentioned that it was 18 years ago that he was sworn in as an assemblyman in the very same place at Lehman College. On the other hand, Congressman Charles Rangel said it was good to be back at Dewitt Clinton (his high school). State Senator Gustavo Rivera tried to be funny by saying that he walked over from his nearby apartment, but had to put condoms on his shoes. The reference was to rubbers. Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj warned Councilman Cohen now that you have been elected “be careful of what you have wished for”.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said that this is his 20^th year in the state assembly, & mentioned that Councilman Andrew Cohen once worked in his office. Dinowitz then called up Councilman Cohen and State Supreme Court Judge Edgar Walker for the swearing in. Sara Cohen stood at her fathers side as Judge Walker administered the oath of office. Both Cohens raised their hands and repeated the oath of office, and the era of new Councilman Andrew Cohen was official.

Councilman Cohen usually short on words thanked all the elected officials that were in attendance, and then thanked each and every elected official and union who helped on his campaign for the council seat. Cohen said that he was a product of the public schools and that there are many problems that will be coming up in the new city council that he will be attending to. Public schools, parks, homelessness, non-profits, and other areas that will present old and new problems, and that he knows that he has big shoes to fill in replacing Oliver Koppell in the city council. Father Richard Gormen ended the program when he said the benediction. There was a reception at the Lehman College Art Gallery after the inauguration.

If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.