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Fare-minded Fool Hardy City Council wants to Decriminalizing Fare-Evasion

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 30- Members of the little known 'Eagle Team' working undercover in plain clothes and searching for fare-beaters along the route of Fordham Road's BX-12 Express Bus, quickly cornered and disarmed their suspect of his knife and placed him under arrest as the City Council continues to negotiate with Mayor Bill de Blasio such minor arrests as fare-beating-- non-criminal offenses.

Members of the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority's unit the Eagle Team and undercover officers from the 48th Precinct asked the individual for a bus receipt as the express bus picked up passengers outside of 464 East Fordham Road at 10:25 a.m., on April 23. The suspect told officers he had no receipt and members swooped into action and quickly removed him from the bus and eventually placed him under arrest.

The suspect, Leonardo Henning, 53, of the Bronx offered no resistance as the unit ordered him off the bus and removed a knife from his back pocket and placed him under arrest. According to the criminal complaint, Henning admitted to cops, "I have a knife, I keep it for protection."

NYPD spokesman Detective Marc Nell said of Henning, "He was arrested for intent to fraud, obtaining transit without payment, a misdemeanor and criminal possession of a weapon." Nell revealed that Henning also had a prior bench warrant out for his arrest, but Nell could not say what that charge was for.

What began as a pilot program on express busses, the Eagle Team expanded in July, 2012 to cover bus routes across the city with high rates of fare-evasion, such as the BX-12 that travels across Fordham Road and Pelham Parkway to Bay Plaza.

The City Council is currently in negotiations with the de Blasio administration that if agreed upon would make such crimes as fare-evasion, drinking alcohol in public and public urination, a violation and subject to a ticket and fine, but would no longer constitute an arrest.

However, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton warned of legalizing quality-of-life crimes, telling reporters on April 27, "If you lose those powers to arrest, that's where Pandora's Box is opened and the 1970's, the 1980's have the potential to come roaring back again."

However, supporters of the idea like City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverto who proposed the change, believe that the overwhelming number of arrests are concentrated in minority neighborhoods, clogging up the courts and the jail system and creating additional tension between minority neighborhoods and police.

One recent video posted on Facebook from February, 2014, shows a pair of cops question a man at what appears to be Pelham Parkway South and White Plains Road. Within minutes, six officers would soon wrestle their subject to the ground and eventually place him under arrest.

Orlando Smith, a University Heights resident who saw the video, fumed, "A confrontation escalating into a beating is inappropriate. It's uncalled for if he doesn't have a weapon and isn't doing anything and is just talking, they shouldn't have the right to put their hands on him."

According to the NYPD, there were 25,867 arrests in 2014 for fare-evasion, but the NYPD does not track how many of those arrests lead to additional charges, for such crimes as drugs or weapon possession.  

#NYPD #FareEvasion #CityCouncil #deBlasio #Bronxnews

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Marathon Men

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Marathon Men: Marathon Men Rays Halt Yanks, 3-2, in 13 Inning Thriller By Howard  Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 29- The final of the three-ga...

Marathon Men

Marathon Men

Rays Halt Yanks, 3-2, in 13 Inning Thriller

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 29- The final of the three-game series with the Rays and the Yankee homestand was a pitchers’ duel that intensified as the relief stff of each club entered the contest. 

Yankee starter Michael Pineda gave up three of the six hits and both runs that he allowed in only one inning, the third. After retiring the first two batters of the frame, Yankee killer James Loney, who entered the game with a .350 batting average against the Yanks and an amazing .419 in the new Yankee Stadium, beat out an infield hit. 

Logan Forsythe followed with a single and both were driven in by a triple off the bat of Kevin Kiermaier.

The two Yankee runs off Tampa starter Drew Smylycame on solo home runs, one by Chase Headley in the fifth and the other by Chris Young in the sixth. Neither starting pitcher was involved in the decision. 

The pen men of both squads performed outstandingly. The first three Rays relievers collectively retired the first 11 Yankee batters they faced until Brad Boxberger walked John Ryan Murphy and Stephen Drew with two out in the 10th. The Yankees did not hit safely off areliever until Jacoby Ellsbury led off the 11th with a single. 

The first five Yankee relief pitchers, Jason Wilson, David Carpenter, Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Chris Martin, collectively retired the first 14 batters that came to bat against them until Martin walked Asdrubel Cabrera in the 11th. 

Betances and Miller extended their streak of scoreless innings pitched. Betances has not allowed an earned run in 12.1 innings. The New York City native has retired the last 25 batters he faced, 14 by strikeout. He has fanned of his last 12 batting opponents. Miller extended his scoreless streak to 10.1 frames, yielding only three hits. 

The quick moving game finally ended after 3 hours and 58 minutes. The game winning run was scored by the Rays off the Yankees sixth reliever of the game, Cahsen Shreve. It came quietly by a walk to Steven Souza, Jr, an intentional pass to Evan Longoria and a Loney single to shallow right field that second sacker Drew could not reach. 

Drew commented, “It was a tough today. I did the best I could to reach it.” The young, losing hurler remarked, “It wasn’t so much pressure. I just wanted to do as well as them [pother relief puitchers].”

The pitching was in command as 16 Yankees and 13 Rays fanned during the contest.

#Yankees #TampaBay #EvanLongoria #Bronxnews

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Concern about Tanaka will cause Yankees To Step up...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Concern about Tanaka will cause Yankees To Step up...: Concern about Tanaka will cause Yankees To Step up By Rich Mancuso BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 29- Of course there is a concern about Masahiro ...

Concern about Tanaka will cause Yankees To Step up

Concern about Tanaka will cause Yankees To Step up

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 29- Of course there is a concern about Masahiro Tanaka and how long it will take to get the right-hander back in the New York Yankees pitching rotation. The bad news became official in the fifth inning up in the press box when GM Brian Cashman addressed the media.  

Slight tendinitis in the right wrist have put the Yankees $175 million investment on the 15-day disabled list. So the immediate concern was this latest setback to Tanaka would ultimately mean that Tommy John Surgery is not far behind, and that this has been caused by more strain to the right elbow that shut him down last season.

Cashman would only say that it will be a month before he takes the mound again. That is the Yankees hope though the immediate concern is that there is more damage to the elbow. An MRI earlier in the day, according the Yankees medical report, detected the tendinitis, a mild strain in the forearm and no further injury to the elbow.

Tanaka said through an interpreter by the Yankees clubhouse, “I feel I will come back strong.” And the Yankees hope that is the case, though one longtime American League scout was quick to say that this latest injury has all indications leading to more issues with the elbow and it would not be a surprise if Tanaka does not pitch again this season.

The Yankees certainly hope that is not the situation. And if it is, even with relatively good starting pitching the past week, the Manager Joe Girardi said, “People have to step up.” Chase Whitley the right-hander made his season debut Tuesday night and he stepped up allowing 1-run in five innings in the Yankees 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

It was to be one start for Whitley who was called up to give the starters extra rest with the demanding April schedule. Now Whitley will stay in the rotation and be one of the pitchers to step up. 

“Right now he’s on our rotation,” said Girardi. And without Tanaka, who was scheduled to make his next start Wednesday afternoon, the Yankees have sole possession of first place in the AL east and improved to 4-1 on the six-game home stand. They are also playing good baseball, 10-2 since April 17th,   

Tanaka made four starts, thus far, and has compiled a 3-3 mark with an ERA of 3.22 Whitley joins CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, and Adam Warren in the rotation. By mid June the Yankees expect Ivan Nova to return and fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. And Chris Capuano out with a right quad strain is expected back by the first or second week of May, 

Cashman explained, “Every year you have to deal with adversity. That’s part of a baseball season.” The Yankees will now deal with that and hope Whitley, who was 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA at Triple-A Scranton Wilkes Barre, can continue to one of the arms in the rotation to step it up.

Said Whitley after his first win: “I am not trying to look ahead to anything else. Just pitch when and where they tell me to pitch.” And with no specific timetable as to when or if Tanaka will return, Whitley will now have a set spot in the rotation and fill the void.

In the meantime, Girardi said this latest setback to Tanaka is different from last year. In a way it was because it happened later in the season and that was the elbow that caused much of the concern. The Yankees then were still fighting for a playoff position and now, with April coming to an end, they sit in first place.

But this is April, and as we all know there is plenty more baseball to be played even if the Yankees have won 10 of their last 12 games. 

THE GAME:  The bullpen once again did their job allowing an earned run in 4.01 innings and since April 22 they are 3-0 with four saves, a 0.77 ERA. With Dellin Betences and Andrew Miller not available for the save, Girardi went to Chris Martin who tossed a scoreless ninth inning and notched his first career save.

Prior to Martin, Esmil Rogers threw 2.2 innings of scoreless ball and a hit. A strikeout and ground ball out accounted for two outs and got the Yankees out of a potential jam in the eighth inning.  

“It was a little nerve racking the first pitch but I settled down there,” said Martin, the 28-year old right-hander. “ I feel like everyone is helping this team win. This is a team effort. Hope I can be pitching well and all of us contribute….” 

Brian McCann continued to pace the Yankees with two doubles and drove in three runs. “I feel good, been feeling good all season long,” said McCann. “Hits are starting to fall and I’m finding the barrel.”

Comment Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com  Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso  Twitter @Ring786

#MasahiroTanaka #Yankees #Bronxnews

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Ain’t That a Pitch!

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Ain’t That a Pitch!: Ain’t That a Pitch! Masahiro Tanaka to go on Disabled List By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 29- During the fifth inning, the media ...

Ain’t That a Pitch!

Ain’t That a Pitch!

Masahiro Tanaka to go on Disabled List

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 29- During the fifth inning, the media members at Yankee Stadium were addressed by General Manager Brian Cashman. The GM informed the media that right-hander Masahiro Tanaka will be placed on the 15-day DL. 

He explained that Tanaka arrived at the ballpark at about 2 p.m. and complained that his wrist was bothering him. An MRI was immediately taken that was negative. It was determined that he has slight tendonitis in his right wrist. 

To check on his elbow, a second MRI was taken that was also negative. It was realized that there was a very mild strain in his forearm.

To be careful it was decided to place Tanaka on the disabled list. He will be immediately shut down for 7-10 days. Cashman said the organization was taking a “safe, conservative route.” His elbow appears fine, but it will probably “be a month till he gets back to the rotation” according to Cashman. 

Tanaka was scheduled to pitch on the following day, Wednesday afternoon. He has made four starts, thus far, and has compiled a 3-3 mark with an ERA of 3.22.

Cashman explained, “Every year you have to deal with adversity. That’s part of a baseball season.” 

#MasahiroTanaka #Yankees #Bronxnews