Jeter Moves Up on Hit List

CC, Yanks Can’t Keep Rays Down

(Lucky for him, unlucky for the Yanks - This young fan got hold of a ball Friday night, but the Yankees couldn't win for him.)

Photos by Gary Quintal  

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 15- David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays has had success as the opposing pitcher when facing the New York Yankees’ CC Sabathia. Coming off a 5-5 road trip, that concluded winning their last two at Boston, the Yankees needed Sabathia to be his best.

Price, got the best of Sabathia again Friday night in the Bronx pitching the Rays to 6-4 win at Yankee Stadium, the start of an important three-game series in what has become a tight race for first place in the American League east.

“That was a big game for us facing CC and that lineup,” said Price (18-5) who won his league leading 18^th game. He improved to 7-4 against the Yankees and his team has won seven of eight against New York when he is on the mound.

Though Sabathia looked sharp at times, limiting the Rays to one hit through five innings, his location was not evident as the Rays’ scored three runs in the fifth inning. A double, walk, RBI single and a wild pitch put Tampa ahead.

“I still believe in CC,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi.  “There’s a guy that’s done so many special things for us here so I still believe in him.” Sabathia allowed six hits and four runs in 6/2-3 innings and he lost control of his breaking ball in that fifth inning.

Said Sabathia, “I feel good. I am just not going out there and executing pitches.”

The Yankees, struggling to score runs with runners in scoring position, 1-for-6, could not surmount a significant rally when Price left the game after seven innings, striking out six on five hits.

Curtis Granderson hit his 38^th home run in the fifth inning off Price. Alex Rodriguez hit his 18^th home run of the season when Price left the game off Joel Peralta in the eighth inning that that led to the final Yankees runs of the evening.

It was the 647^th career home run for Rodriquez that sent him past Lou Gehrig for ninth place on the runs list with 1,899.

With his 3,284^th hit in the fifth inning, Derek Jeter broke a tie with Willie Mays for sole possession of 10^th place on baseball’s all-time hits list. But as Jeter said, “It is more important to win games,” as the Yankees remained tied with Baltimore for first place with Baltimore in the division.

Fernando Rodney tossed 1.2 scoreless innings and got the five out save, his 43^rd. “We had two Cy Young Award candidates pitch tonight for us,” said Rays manager Joe Maddon commenting about Price and Rodney.

“It’s something that when the season is over I will have an opportunity to appreciate it more,” commented Jeter about the milestone hit. “Right now I want to concentrate on winning games.”

The Yankees will try and get on the winning track again Saturday afternoon. Ivan Nova, (11-7) gets his first start since coming off the disabled list 

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.,com

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Conviction in 27-year-old Cold Case

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 12- Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced that a 47-year-old deaf Pennsylvania man has been convicted of manslaughter in the stabbing death of a 21-year-old Bronx man in the Summer of 1985.

Gabriel Thompson, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to one count of manslaughter in the first degree before State Supreme Court Justice Margaret Clancy. The judge set sentencing for Thursday, September 27, 2012 in Part H79. Under the plea agreement, Thompson is to receive a term of four to 12 years imprisonment.

Thompson admitted that on August 31, 1985, he stabbed Miguel Lopez once in the chest causing his death during an altercation on the sidewalk in front of an apartment building at 1013 East 180^th Street. According to Thompson’s statement to investigators, he believed that Lopez was romantically involved with Thompson’s girlfriend prior to the attack.

The homicide remained unsolved until September 2010 when Thompson was arrested by Retired Detective Anthony Padilla, then assigned to the NYPD Cold Case Squad. NYPD re-opened the investigation in 2006 after receiving a tip from a witness. During the course of his investigation, Det. Padilla re-interviewed several witnesses, including one who said that he failed to identify Thompson in 1985, because he had been threatened. Ultimately, investigators were led to Thompson who had moved out of state to Pennsylvania. When Thompson returned to the Bronx for an extended visit in 2010 he was interviewed by detectives and admitted that he stabbed Lopez.

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Cougar Gate Claims Naomi!

Challenger Beats Rivera

Tracy Towers Decided the 80^th A.D. Race

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 15- It was not until after 12:30 a.m. that the 80^th A.D. race was over, and Mark Gjonaj declared the winner, besting incumbent Naomi Rivera and damaging the Rivera political dynasty.

In early returns challenger Mark Gjonaj was ahead by almost 20 points, and by 10 p.m. incumbent Naomi Rivera was already on television thanking those who had worked on her campaign. A rousing roar came from the large crowd that had gathered at the Gjonaj party thinking it was a concession speech, but it was going to be a long night. As more results came in the lead narrowed, and the 20-point lead shrunk to a single digit lead at one point.

The same problem that occurred in the June congressional election happened in this election as voters found that their name did not appear in the registration books. Others found out that their Election District had changed, and that they were at the wrong table while some found that their poll site had changed. I was at one poll site where a woman claimed she voted for many years at this poll site, but her name was not in the book. She even went as far to say that her sister's name (who lives at the same address) was in the book pointing to it.

It was because of situations like that where there was a question of a voter’s status that the voter is then given an “Affidavit Ballot” to fill out which did not get scanned, but was put into an envelope at each desk to be verified by the Board of Elections at a later date after the election. There had to be about 200 of these type of ballots used during the day so any victory by either candidate would have to be even greater than the number of Affidavit ballots. Each side would claim that they had the majority of such ballots in question, and or would question the registration of the person who filled out the ballot. That is what happened in a very close special election for a Brooklyn State Senate seat which took the Board of Elections (and courts) months to decide a winner.

So any win in the 80^th A.D. had to be greater than the amount of any outstanding ballots or it could take weeks to get a winner. At 11 p.m. Mark Gjonaj's lead was down to about 150 votes that was not large enough to declare victory yet. People were wondering why it was taking so long to get the full results in, and where was the Tracy Towers’ vote that was thought Gjonaj had won big. Tracy Towers residents had a big problem on their hands with a huge rent increase looming, and when it was said that Naomi Rivera could not help. Mark Gjonaj hired a lawyer to help the tenants stop the rent increase.

By 11:30 p.m. the Gjonaj lead started to grow again not to a safe margin of victory yet, but one could tell it would be a Gjonaj victory. A short time after midnight his lead had grown to over 500 votes (52 - 41 percent) clearly enough to declare victory as 99 percent of the vote was in. It was said that the Tracy Towers poll site (which has been historically late in getting in results) had just come in, and provided the winning margin of victory. Mark then arrived, congratulated everyone in the room, thanked everyone who was a part of his winning campaign, gave a brief speech, and then went around the room to shake everyone's hand.

With his victory decided some time before Democratic primary winner in the 87^th A.D., Mr. Luis Sepulveda came in to the ballroom at Maestro's to congratulate Mark Gjonaj on his victory. 

Finally let me say I do not know how the poll workers were able to endure a 16-hour workday, with many putting in even more time. I traveled through-out the 80th A.D. yesterday stopping by almost everyone of the polling sites, and I tried to talk to as many people as I could which included the poll workers. 

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the City Council who are fighting for other workers right to fair pay needs to look into this as the $200 pay if overtime after 8 hours of work is factored in comes out to only $10.00 dollars an hour, without benefits is lower than the recent living wage bill passed by the city council.

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Breaking Down Dem Primary

100 PERCENT

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 12- How can I pick two challengers over one of the most powerful political father-daughter families Jose Rivera 78^th A.D./Naomi Rivera 80^th A.D. in the Bronx you may ask, and I will now explain. With the trials and convictions of corrupt Bronx elected officials over the past few years, and continuing still one has to wonder if all the rascals (as I will call them) have gone to jail. Jose Rivera has been investigated by the “FEDS” before I was told by his campaign manager, but just what was he investigated for, I was not told.

Pedro Espada is now on trial for tax evasion (which I said would be his downfall), and one has to wonder if a Rivera will be charged with tax evasion for the alleged lavish life style reportedly lived by the New York Post. Another question is of residency for Jose Rivera that has come up when the Post wrote that one of his sons is now living in the home of his mother and father Assemblyman Jose Rivera in Elmont Long Island.

At the press conference for the The Kingsbridge National Ice Center proposal for the Kingsbridge Armory, Jose Rivera tried to clam the credit for fixing the armory roof and inside. In a recent mailing Jose Rivera claims he made sure that the community benefited from the New Yankee Stadium. First that area is not in his assembly district, all one has to do is see the more than half empty garages built, and ask residents of that community not an outside politician. Rivera also claims credit for more jobs for the community from the Bronx Terminal Market project, which is now known as the Gateway Mall. Shortly after Jose Rivera was deposed as Bronx Democratic County Leader newly elected Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. demanded a full accounting of hundreds of thousands of dollars of the Community Benefits agreement for the Gateway Mall that was reported by the Daily News as being misused.

This one has to be the proof that it is time for Jose Rivera to retire, as he also claims he “brought the community together to win millions of dollars in new jobs and new recreation space as part of the water filtration plant agreement”. By his own words Assemblyman Jose Rivera is then responsible for the more than $2,000,000,000 (two billion dollars) in cost overruns at the Croton Water Filtration Plant that is still being built in Van Cortlandt Park, as he was the Bronx Democratic leader who helped close the deal with the Bronx delegation in Albany with Mayor Bloomberg. By the way one should then ask Assemblyman Rivera where the missing millions of dollars in the $240 million dollar mitigation money went that was to go to Bronx parks so Bronx elected officials would vote to build the water filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park? We can go on and on, but will just say if re-elected those people who voted for Rivera deserve him. I endorse Richardo “Ricky Martinez in the 78^th A.D.

As for the 80^th A.D. what more can we say about the current assemblywoman that the New York Post has not said. As a parent leader I took a group of parents to see her in Albany (on Lobby Day) during her first year in office. Her office was right next to her father's 78^th A.D. Assemblyman Jose Rivera who also at the time still was the Bronx Democratic County Leader. As soon as Jose heard some noise coming from next room he rushed in to escort the group into his office, and we did not see any more of his daughter, much like most people in her district. In her first race in 2004 there was a third person in the race to draw votes away from her opponent which happened and thus Naomi Rivera became the 80^th A.D. Assemblywoman with less than half of the vote however. In a repeat in 2006 with out a third candidate Naomi got 3,557 votes to 1,793. There was no primary in 2008, and in her last election in 2010 against a novice token candidate with little money and no backing Naomi got only 2,699 votes to 1,166 with 14 write ins.

Against a well-funded and well-known individual such as Mark Gjonaj we are sure Naomi Rivera will have a very hard time, wind up loosing, and even if she does pull a victory out I don't see her finishing her term in office. Naomi's father once again has to come to her rescue, and I don't see the county organization having, let alone giving her, much support. It seems that the county organization may have to be involved in the 77^th A.D. in more than one race, the 87^th A.D. to insure this time a Sepulveda victory, and in the 33^rd State Senate district. Not that those other candidates are going to loose, but they must win big enough so in two years they do not have a primary challenge. Another factor in the 80^th A.D. race is the race for Female State Committeewoman where incumbent Diane Cerino has joined forces with Naomi's challenger Mark Gjonaj. There is no primary for the incumbent Male state committeeman or Male District Leader. The Liberty Democratic Association political club in the 80^th A.D. is split as members like State Committeewoman Cerino and are supporting Mark Gjonaj, others staying neutral, with some supporting Cerino's opponent for that position and Naomi Rivera. The two other candidates in the 80^th A.D. race were left on the ballot and it seems that may have been done to take anti Rivera votes away from Mark Gjonaj. However with all the lousy publicity about the alleged wrong doings of Assemblywoman Rivera the two other Hispanic candidates are now expected to take more votes away from Rivera. I endorse Mark Gjonaj for Assembly, and Diane Cerino for State Committeewoman in the 80^th A.D. Don't forget today Thursday September13 is Primary Election day. Please go and vote.

Bronxtalk host Gary Axelbank issued the following statement at the beginning of the 80^th A.D. debate on his long running show with the incumbent Naomi Rivera refusing to appear again as she did in 2010. “Unfortunately, although we had worked very hard to coordinate the schedule for this debate with the incumbent, Naomi Rivera has flat declined our invitation to appear. Editorially, I will say that asking people for their vote and then not be willing to participate in a debate with other candidates is a posture that we reject wholeheartedly. The Bronx is made stronger by responsive elected officials who respect the democratic process, their opponents, and most importantly, their constituents. By refusing to appear tonight Assemblywoman Rivera is directly insulting everyone involved, BronxTalk, Bronxnet, her fellow candidates, and you the people of the Bronx. In fact, it’s the second time she has declined to participate. Viewers will remember she didn’t appear in 2010 either. Given this program’s ongoing commitment to keeping Bronxites informed and engaged, we abhor the very notion of it. And so she will be represented by an empty chair throughout tonight’s proceedings”.

Other events such as the Bronx County Democratic Barbecue which occurred last Saturday, Sunday's Renaissance Fair on Fordham Road, Monday night's 80^th A.D. debate on Bronxtalk, and other events I did not have room for can be found on my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com along with many photos of the events, especially the Bronx County Democratic Barbecue.

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

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NEVER FORGET

(Photos by Gary Quintal)

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 12- Co-op City residents honored the memory of those killed during the 11th Anniversary of the 9/11 attack. Residents lit candles at the Section 1 Greenway to remember those lost. 

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Bx delegate caught threatening Romney's life

By Michael Horowitz

A former civic leader who has lived in the Bronx for four decades was caught on camera, at last week's Democratic National Convention, saying that she “would like to kill” Mitt Romney.

The Secret Service is now reportedly investigating Julia Rodriguez, who has lived in the Bronx for four decades, for her threat against the Republican Party's presidential nominee.

Rodriguez, a former president of Community School Board 8 in the east Bronx and a long-time employee at the Hunts Point Multi-Service Center, shouted out her threat against Romney during an interview with the conservative new site, The Blaze, newspaper and TV reports stated.

Rodriguez, who is now reported in her 80s, reportedly grabbed the microphone from the reporter questioning her to dramatize her point.

Speaking on camera, she proclaimed, “If I see him (Romney), I would like to kill him.”

Rodriguez added that Romney “will destroy the country completely if he is elected President of the U. S.

During her tenure as a leader of Community School Board 8, Rodriguez was known as a fiery civic activist who was not afraid to speak her mind.

At one point, in the 1990s, her tenure as president of Community School Board 8 was jeopardized by a dispute involving the election of Carol Trotta, a candidate who was elected with write-in ballots.

One civic leader in the east Bronx, who wished to remain unidentified, described Rodriguez as a “4'11” dynamo who wouldn't hurt anyone.

The civic leader noted, “If I were Mitt Romney, I wouldn't be too worried about Julia. She is a fiery person, but when you come right down to it, she wouldn't hurt anyone.”

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Remembering 9-11