Bob Holden and the Juniper Civic Declare War on own Volunteers

It has come to our attention that the Juniper Park Civic Association has decided to declare war on their own membership! Once again, the JPCA has proven that if you disagree with the oligarchy of the executive board you will be excluded from the civic, silenced from speaking and banished from future meetings.

Over the last few months the Juniper Park Civic Association has embroiled themselves in many lawsuits. They have decided not only to file lawsuits against the City, against the owners of St. Saviours, but are now considering filing a lawsuit because of fraudulent petitions that were submitted by themselves! However, their attacks are not limited to outside institutions because now they are attacking their own members.

An e-mail from an anonymous source informed the Patriots that at one meeting Bob Holden, the JPCA President for life, informed members who disagreed with "Il Duce Holden" that evening, “to leave and not to let the door hit you on the way out!” In another incident, a PTA mother dared to speak out against the dictator causing Bobby and his minions to unplug her microphone and prevent her from completing her thoughts. They immediately infringed on her freedom of speech because her opinion did not coincide with the JPCA agenda. To further embarrass this woman, they threw her twenty dollar membership fee back in her face and asked her to leave. These actions by the Juniper Park Civic Association is disgraceful and despicable and have no place in our community.

The latest chapter in the Juniper Park Civic's quest to silence its inside detractors was the removal of two of their volunteer legal counsels who dared to admonish some unscrupulous tactics and questioned the finances of the JPCA. Consequently, both were removed from the association without a vote from the general membership.

It is obvious that the JPCA no longer represents the residents or interests of our community. These few narrow minded tyrants who have a strangle hold on the JPCA continue to prove that its their way or the Long Island Expressway! America was built on the free flow of ideas and the elimination of tyranny. Our forefathers stood together against those who sought to infringe on their right and so shall we fight against those who try to undermine and destroy our community.

History of the NY Mets pt. VII

1996-2004: Piazza, Bobby V, and the Subway Series
The Mets did not play well in 1996, but the season was highlighted by the play of three young stars. Switch hitting catcher Todd Hundley broke the Major League Baseball single season record for home runs hit by catcher with 41. Center fielder Lance Johnson set single-season franchise records in hits (227), triples (21), at-bats (682), runs scored (117), & total bases (327). And, Left fielder Bernard Gilkey set franchise single-season records in doubles (44), and RBI (117). But things started looking up in 1997, as they missed the playoffs by only four games, and improved by 17 games over 1996. One highlight happened June 16, when the Mets beat the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the first ever regular-season game played between the crosstown rivals. In 1997 Hundley was also having another great season, but he went down with a devastating elbow injury and needed Tommy John surgery midway through the season. For a time, it looked like the Los Angeles Dodgers were going to be shopping their superstar catcher, Mike Piazza, in a trade rather than pay the exorbitant salary that 1997s MVP runner-up was going to demand at the end of the 1998 season. In a puzzling move, on May 14, 1998, the Dodgers sent Piazza to the Florida Marlins, who were purging themselves of high salaries to alleviate their claimed financial problems. The Marlins' move made more sense when, just a week later, they re-traded Piazza to the Mets for Preston Wilson and two prospects. The Dodgers had no free agency problem, the Marlins had young players with small salaries and the Mets had their new lineup-anchoring catcher. When Hundley returned from his injury in the 1998 season the Mets experimented with Hundley in left field. The experiment was short lived however and Hundley was in a Dodgers uniform in the 1999 season. After the 1998 trade, the Mets played well, but missed the 1998 postseason by only one game. With only five games left in the 1998 season, the Mets could not win a single game against both the Montreal Expos at home and the Atlanta Braves on the road, the Mets could have forced a three-way wild card tie by winning their last game. Although it seemed like a terrible ending to a good season, Met fans felt confident that the team was moving in the right direction. After signing Mike Piazza to a seven-year, $91 million contract, the Mets acquired Armando Benítez from the Baltimore Orioles, and signed Robin Ventura, Rickey Henderson, Bobby Bonilla again, and Roger Cedeño to fill out the needs for the start of the 1999 season. John Olerud anchored the heart of the Mets' order. The Mets started the 1999 season well, going 17-9, but after an eight-game losing streak, including the last two to the New York Yankees, on June 6 the Mets fired their entire coaching staff except for manager Bobby Valentine. On that day, the Mets, in front of a national audience on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, beat the New York Yankees 7-2 and they never looked back. Both Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura started to have MVP-type seasons and Benny Agbayani began to have an important role on the team. Also this was the breakout year for Mets second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo, as he had 108 RBI, and Roger Cedeño, who broke the single season steals record for the Mets. After the regular season ended, the Mets played a one game playoff against the Cincinnati Reds to see which team would advance to the playoffs. In that game, Mets ace Al Leiter pitched the best game of his Met career as he hurled a two hit complete game shutout, a 5-0 victory to advance to the playoffs. In the NLDS, the Mets defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3 games to 1, their series-clinching victory coming on an unlikely home run hit by backup catcher Todd Pratt, playing due to a thumb injury to Piazza. The Mets would advance to the 1999 National League Championship Series, their first NLCS since 1988, only to lose to their archrivals, the Atlanta Braves, in six exciting games which included the famous grand slam single by Robin Ventura to win game 5 for the Mets. In the offseason, the Mets traded Roger Cedeño and Octavio Dotel to the Houston Astros for Derek Bell and Mike Hampton. Todd Zeile was signed to play first base, replacing departing free agent Olerud. The Mets were heading to the 2000 season as a powerhouse in the National League. 2000 began well for the Mets as Derek Bell became the best hitter on the team for the first month. The Mets enjoyed good play the whole year. The highlight of the season came on June 30, when the Mets beat the rival Atlanta Braves in a memorable game at Shea Stadium on Fireworks Night. With the Mets losing 8-1 to begin the bottom of the eighth, they rallied back with two outs to tie the game, capping the 10-run inning with Mike Piazza's three run home run to put the Mets up 11-8, giving them the lead and eventually the win. The Mets easily made the playoffs winning the National League wild card. In the playoffs, the Mets beat the San Francisco Giants in the first round and the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2000 National League Championship Series to win their fourth NL pennant. Mike Hampton was named the NLCS MVP for his two scoreless starts in the series as the Mets headed to the 2000 World Series to face their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees. Unfortunately for the Mets, they were defeated in the much-hyped "Subway Series". Even though they lost 4 games to 1, each game was close, as they scored only three fewer total runs than the Yankees. This was the first all-New York World Series since 1956, when the Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In the seasons following the 2000 World Series, the Mets struggled mightily as the result of several poor player acquisitions, including Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Roger Cedeño (again) and Jeromy Burnitz. These acquisitions were made by then-general manager Steve Phillips, who was fired during the 2003 season. Phillips was credited with building the 2000 World Series team, but also blamed for the demise of the Mets' farm system and the poor play of the acquired players. The Mets did have a few bright spots in 2002. Al Leiter became the first major leage pitcher to defeat all thirty major league teams across the MLB with a victory over the Diamondbacks. David Weathers had a career year with a 2.91 era coming out of the bullpen, making him one of the better middle relievers of that season in the league. The Mets though posted a 75-86 record, last in the NL East, in 2002. The Mets' record in 2003 (66-95) was the fourth worst in baseball, and Piazza had missed two-thirds of the season with a torn groin muscle. His steady decline around that time mirrored the Mets' fortunes for the first half of the decade. In 2004, the Mets made more player additions that turned out to be poor. They signed Japanese shortstop Kazuo Matsui, who never lived up to his potential in two-and-a-half years with the Mets. General manager Jim Duquette acquired pitcher Kris Benson for third baseman Ty Wigginton at the trade deadline just before sending highly-touted pitching prospect Scott Kazmir to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the disappointing Victor Zambrano, regarded by most as the worst recent trade by the Mets, possibly their worst ever. However, the Mets brought up two young infielders with bright futures, David Wright and José Reyes, and they have become the best products from the farm system since Strawberry and Gooden. The Mets finished 71-91 in 2004.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

8 part finale on Wednesday.


LET'S GO METS!!

History of the NY Mets pt. VI

1992-1995: "Hardball Is Back" and The Worst Team Money Could Buy
With all of the personal problems swirling around the Mets after the 1986 championship, the Mets tried to rebuild using experienced superstars. They picked up the aging eventual Hall of Famer Eddie Murray for over $3 million, the younger but troubled Pittsburgh Pirates free agent slugger Bobby Bonilla for over $6 million, traded McReynolds and Jeffries for one-time World Series hero Bret Saberhagen and his $3 million contract and veteran free agent pitcher Frank Tanana for $1.5 million. The rebuilding was supported by the slogan, "Hardball Is Back."

The experiment of building a team via free agency quickly flopped as Saberhagen and Coleman were soon injured and spent more time on the disabled list than on the field, and Bonilla exhibited unprofessional behavior towards members of the press, once threatening a reporter by saying, "I'll show you The Bronx". At the beginning of the 1991 season, Coleman, Gooden and outfielder Daryl Boston were named in an alleged sexual abuse incident against a woman near the Mets' spring training facility; charges were later dropped. Meanwhile, popular pitcher David Cone was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1992 season for Ryan Thompson and Jeff Kent. While the move was widely criticized by fans of both teams, the Jays went on to win the 1992 World Series. The lowest point of the experiment was the 1993 season when the Mets lost 103 games. In April of that year, Gooden was injured when Coleman accidentally hit Gooden's shoulder with a golf club while practicing his swing. In July, Saberhagen threw a firecracker under a table near reporters. Their young pitching prospect Anthony Young started the '93 season at 0-13 and his overall streak of 27 straight losses over two years set a new record. After Young's record-setting loss, Coleman threw a firecracker out of the team bus window and injured three people resulting in felony charges that effectively ended his Mets career. Only a few days later, Saberhagen was in trouble again, this time for spraying bleach at three reporters. The meltdown season resulted in the worst record for a Mets team since 1965.

Their descent was chronicled by the book The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse Of The New York Mets (ISBN 0-8032-7822-5) by Mets beat writers Bob Klapisch and John Harper.

In addition, two of the three remaining links to the '86 team, Howard Johnson and Sid Fernandez, departed after the season via free agency. The following season was filled with some bright spots, but there was still trouble for the franchise, and for the team's franchise player. Gooden, who had a 3-4 record with a 6.31 ERA in the final year of his contract with the team, shocked not only New York sports fans, but baseball fans around the country by testing positive for cocaine and was suspended by Major League Baseball for 60 days. Shortly after he began serving his suspension for the positive drug test, it was announced that he had again tested positive for cocaine and was now being suspended by Major League Baseball for one year, thus ending his Mets career and nearly his life. The day after receiving the second suspension, Gooden's then-wife, Monica, found him in his bedroom with a loaded gun to his head. Still, the 1994 season saw some promise for the troubled Mets, as first baseman Rico Brogna and second baseman Jeff Kent became fan favorites with their solid glove work and potential 20-25 home run power, Bonilla started to become the player the Mets expected, and a healthy Saberhagen, along with promising young starter Bobby Jones and Franco, helped the Mets pitching staff along. In the strike shortened 1994 season the Mets were in 3rd place behind first-place Montreal and defending Eastern Division and National League champion Philadelphia when the season ended on August 12. When the strike finally ended in 1995, the Mets finally showed some promise again, finishing in 2nd place behind eventual World Champion Atlanta.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Part VII on Sunday.


LET'S GO METS!!

NYC Has a 4.4 Billion Dollar Surplus

It seems that NYC revenues increased 1.3 billion dollars more than was originally expected for this fiscal. Consequently, Mayor Mike Bloomberg is boasting a 4.4 billion dollar surplus for the city.

It is believed that this surplus is due to the revenues received from real estate taxes and the strength of the growing city economy.

Mayor Mike has decided to save the money for a rainy day when future city deficits will rise because of increased spending, medical costs, pensions, and debt service. Many New Yorkers, however, feel that the surplus is a direct result of increase takes and the cost of living in the city and that they should be compensated.

Did you know if you divided 4.4 billion dollars by 8 million people, each person would get $5500! That’s a nice Vegas vacation on Iron Mike Bloomberg.

Thanks Mike!

Being the consummate business man, I don’t think the Mayor will be distributing the surplus to common folk and I won’t be playing Roulette at Caesar’s Palace.

Congestion Pricing May Give Queens Residents Indigestion

Mayor Bloomberg wants to charge motorists entering parts of Manhattan during certain hours of the day. This will do nothing for Queens except put undue financial burden on an already overtaxed populace.

The city should do more to extensively improve the public transportation infrastructure and adding additional services to an already over-crowded and inefficient system.

More local buses, additional express buses to Manhattan, cleaning up the subway and decreasing time intervals between trains, re-opening closed Long Island railroad stations, and implementing a ferry service from the Rockaways to Manhattan should be considered before levying congestion taxes on hard working Queens businesses and residents.

Congesting pricing will have an adverse impact on Queens and do nothing to improve our already failing transportation system.

No Taxation without better Transportation!!!!!

Brooklyn Blogs Out Queens

According to a New York Post article, Brooklyn has the nation’s bloggiest neighborhoods.


NY POST ARTICLE

I am sure at the rate that Queens blogs are popping up all over the blogosphere; we will be in contention for that honor next year!

So Queens residents get off your blog laurels and let’s give Brooklyn a run for their money.

History of the NY Mets pt. V

1986-1991: World Series champions again
The 1986 Mets broke away from the rest of the division early and dominated throughout the year. They won 20 of their first 24 games, clinched the East Division title on September 17, and finished the year 108-54, which tied with the 1975 Cincinnati Reds for the third most wins in National League history, behind the 1906 Chicago Cubs (116) and the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates (110). The relative lack of excitement during the regular season was more than compensated for by the spectacularly suspenseful and dramatic post-season series. In the National League Championship Series, the Mets faced their fellow expansion team, the Houston Astros. Unlike the Mets, the Astros had yet to win the League Championship (which they finally accomplished in 2005). The Mets took a two-games-to-one lead with a come-from-behind walk-off home run by Lenny Dykstra. In Game 6, the Mets turned a 3-0 ninth-inning deficit into a sixteen-inning marathon victory to clinch the National League pennant and earn their third World Series appearance.

In the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, the Mets faced elimination leading into Game 6. The Red Sox scored two runs in the tenth inning and twice came within one strike of winning their first World Series since 1918. But the Mets rallied and would come back in typical Amazin' Mets fashion. With two outs and down two runs, three consecutive singles brought the Mets within 90 feet of knotting the score. Hitter Mookie Wilson ran the count to 2-1, then fouled off 3 consecutive pitches. With the count 2-2,pitcher Bob Stanley threw one down in the dirt and through the legs of catcher Rich Gedman for a wild pitch. Pinch hitter Kevin Mitchell scored from third base, tying the game. Now facing a full count, Wilson fouled off two more pitches. It was then that Wilson hit a weak ground ball down the first base line, through the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner, and into the annals of baseball history as third baseman Ray Knight ran home all the way from second base to score the winning run. The Mets went on to win their second World Series title by taking Game 7, also in dramatic fashion, overcoming a 3 run deficit while scoring a total
of 8 runs during the final 3 innings. They remain the only team to come within one strike of losing a World Series before recovering to become World Champions.

While the team around the 1986 championship was strong, they also became infamous for off-the-field controversy. Both Strawberry and Gooden were young kids who wound up burning out long before their time because of various substance abuse and personal problems. Both of their problems started before age 25, and have continued through the present (2006). Hernandez's cocaine abuse was the subject of persistent rumors even before he joined the Mets, but he publicly acknowledged his addiction in 1985 and made a successful recovery. Lenny Dykstra's reputation was recently tainted by allegations of steroid use and gambling problems.

Instead of putting together a winning dynasty, the problems caused the Mets to soon fall apart. Despite Darryl Strawberry's numerous off-the-field mishaps, he remains the Mets' all-time leader in home runs and runs batted in. After winning the World Series in 1986, World Series MVP Ray Knight signed with the Orioles. Also, they traded the flexible Kevin Mitchell to the Padres for long-ball threat Kevin McReynolds. But the biggest shock since the Midnight Massacre of 1977 was when Mets' ace Dwight Gooden was admitted to a drug clinic after testing positive for cocaine. But after struggling in the first few months of the season, "Dr. K" would come back, and so would the Mets. They would surge to battle St. Louis for the division title. But on September 11 in a game against St. Louis, 3rd baseman and future MVP Terry Pendleton hit a homer to give the Cardinals a lead, and eventually the NL East title. One highlight of the year was Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson becoming the first teammates ever to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in the same season.

After missing the playoffs in 1987, the 1988 Mets again won the division. Thanks to some stellar pitching from Gooden, Darling, and David Cone as well as offense from McReynolds, Strawberry, and Howard Johnson, the Mets won 100 games for the 2nd time in 3 campaigns. However, the clubhouse was distracted by the presence of a young Gregg Jefferies who was just called up. The veteran players took a disliking to Jefferies, who had a habit of excessive bragging, prompting his teammates to saw his bats in half as a form of hazing.

The Mets played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 National League Championship Series in a season where they beat them 10 out of 11 times but the Dodgers continued their Cinderella story season by beating the Mets in seven games. The Mets (as well as the Montreal Expos) would battle the Cubs for the division title in 1989, but Chicago would prevail, despite a career year by Howard Johnson and a deadline trade with Minnesota for 1988 AL Cy Young winner Frank Viola. Those high points were tempered by injuries to Gooden, Hernandez and Carter as well as an ill-fated trade that sent Dykstra and Roger McDowell to Philadelphia in exchange for Juan Samuel. After the season, Samuel, who hit .235 that season, would be traded to the Dodgers for Mike Marshall, who would hit .239 in 53 games for the Mets before being traded to Boston. Dykstra, however, would become an All-Star in Philadelphia and help lead his team to a pennant in 1993. That offseason, the Mets had a mix of triumph and tragedy. They would receive All-Star closer and native New Yorker John Franco in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, and Strawberry, in legal trouble as well, would check into an alcohol rehabilitation center and miss the start of the season. The next season, the Mets would surge again to battle the Pittsburgh Pirates, but Pittsburgh's "B-B Guns" (which included National League MVP Barry Bonds , future Mets Bobby Bonilla and Jay Bell and former Met Wally Backman) led the Pirates to their first NLCS since 1979. In that campaign, general manager Frank Cashen let Johnson go of his managerial duties and replaced him with former shortstop Harrelson. Although he led them to a good finish in 1990 (Strawberry's last with the Mets, as he went on to sign with the Dodgers in the offseason), the Mets fell to 5th place in 1991.

Before the 1991 season the Mets signed Vince Coleman to a fat $2 million contract after failing to sign defending batting champion Willie McGee. This was the first of what would lead to many bad free agent signings and trades, that would doom the Mets during the mid 1990s During the 1991 season, the Mets were actually in contention for most of the first half of the season, closing to within 2.5 games of the front-running Pirates at one point. However, during the second half, the bottom completely fell out and Harrelson was fired with a week left to go in the season, replaced by third base coach Mike Cubbage for the final games. The season ended on a high note, however, as David Cone pitched a one-hit shutout against the Phillies at Veterans Stadium, in which he struck out 19 batters, tying the National League regulation game record (first set by former Met Tom Seaver, and more recently broken).

Courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Part VI on Friday.


LET'S GO METS!!

There’s No Such Thing as Bad Press

It seems that we have been getting a lot of press lately. There has been some good, some indifferent and some bad articles. In the bad category, we spotted an article today in the Daily News. It seems we have struck a chord in certain circles and were chastised for our above the board commentary.


Local Leaders in anonymous blogger’s vicious Net
By Nicholas Hirshon

GIVE HIM LIBERTY and he will blog to death. (That’s a catchy phrase!) Queens leaders are being bashed by an anonymous Internet user who goes by the name Patrick Henry and blogs on the www.juniperparkpatriots.blogspot.com.

But unlike the influential 18th Century statesman, this Henry makes personal attacks so vicious that he’s not being taken seriously. (Vicious attacks? Did Hirshon take a look at the Queens Crap, other political blogs or read a recent Juniper Berry? Those make us look like unleashed lap dogs frolicking in the park)

“It’s really an act of political cowardice.” Said Councilman Dennis Gallagher (R_Middle Village), who is actually praised by Henry but said the blogger’s excessive attacks on other officials are unnecessary (Political Cowardice? We prefer to call it political satire and sometimes it is very necessary)

“I don’t think that is constructive.” Gallagher said. “There are a few malcontents who have a political agenda and are political cowards.” (We are not malcontent we just may need more fiber in our diet)
The blogger provides only a few hints about his identity. In one post, he says he is recently retired and widowed and gets computer help from a male friend. He says one of them is a Veteran and both are dog owners.(Does Mr. Hirshon want our social security numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, and our waist sizes?)

Henry says he wants to remain anonymous of obvious reasons.” Anonymous bloggers often cite a fear of retaliation from their targets, but that argument is not striking a chord with Queens Officials. (You never know what can happen when you strike a chord, like the DOB showing up at your house or making the front cover of the Juniper Berry with your face super imposed on a Muppet)

“If you hide, you take away the validity of what you are saying.” Said Joe Cimino, president of the Middle Village Maspeth Civic Association. “Criticism is one thing, but if you want to get down and dirty in the mud, don’t do it by hiding behind an anonymous name. Stand up.” (Some times you have to get down and dirty, roll in the mud and THEN stand up. We didn't start the mudslinging but we are sure enjoying slinging it back.)

Some sources who asked not to be named tied the blog to Gallagher supporters, citing its positive remarks about the councilman. (Gallagher sure has a funny way of praising his purported supporters by calling them political cowards and malcontents. We prefer to not officially support anyone. In addition, it’s about time Mr. Hirshon shows some integrity by not naming “confidential” sources. Kudos to Nick, however, if you take the time to think, it’s obvious who these “sources” might be.)

The blog also attacks Juniper Park Civic Association leader Bob Holden, a frequent Gallagher critic; (Bob is also a frequent critic of Congressman Weiner, Assemblywoman Marge Markey, Councilwoman Katz, Parks Commissioner Benepe, Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewondowski, Maspeth Town Hall’s Eileen Reiley, Maspeth Federals Savings Bank President Kenneth Rudzewick, dog owners, 7 Eleven, scratch 7 Eleven because they donated to the Midville Dodgers and the Berry which gave them a “good neighbor” status. The list of people exposed to Holden’s wrath goes on and on and on) Tony Nunziato, who charges that Gallagher had him removed from Community Board 5 (Tony Nuziato has been crying that the sky is falling for years and now claims that is was HIM and Al Gore that invented the internet) , and Eric Gioia of Sunnyside. Gioia is a democrat, Gallagher a Republican (Really? I wonder how long it took Mr. Hirshon to figure out that compelling fact).

But Gallagher said even though he disagrees with Holden and others on certain issues, he wouldn’t condone such a blog. He said many of Henry’s remarks “are unfortunate and unnecessary.” (If I were Gallagher I wouldn’t condone blogs either, have you ever looked at the unfortunate beatings he has taking on the Queens Crap or Juniper Berry?)When asked about the blog by the Queens News, Holden refused to comment. Nuziato did not return messages. (Some people can dish it but they can’t take it)Gioia released a statement saying people should “take a deep breath and ask themselves if they are doing the right thing” before posting on blogs. (Impressive, Gioia released a statement without including the information for his next fundraiser!)

We want to thank Mr. Hirshon for expending the time to write about us and giving us some more notoriety. It was only a short while ago when blogging and its popularity were enjoyed only by computer geeks and techies, but now, thanks to people like Hirshon we are drawing headlines. Not only are we being immortalized in print, but we are getting many readers, some who agree, some who disagree, some who are apathetic, and some who are just voyeurs. Despite how you choose to participate, we would like to thank all who have allowed us to average over 1000 hits a week. In our short existence we are becoming a force in the blogosphere.

Hero to Zero Series, Part I

Those above glowing words were written by the President of the Juniper Park Civic Association, Robert F. Holden only two years ago. Since that time, however, miraculously, Councilman Gallagher (along with a list of other individuals) has fallen out of favor because he disagreed with the JPCA on a few community issues.

Consequently, this falling out of favor with JPCA, has spearheaded numerous malicious attacks, ridiculed, and character assassinations. Unfortunately, it seems his fall from grace was not only because of disagreements but also the desire of top JPCA members who are seeking higher elected positions.

The Juniper Park Patriots have received many emails and read a recent editorial in the Glendale Register’s Pol Position supporting this claim.

Please read the article below:

Queens Ledger: "They're Trying to Make a Monkey Out of You!"

In the March/April 2005 issue of the Juniper Berry, Mr. Holden hails Gallagher as "having energy, common sense, being accessible, and fights for the interest of the community." He goes on to say that the Councilman Gallagher "understands that the middle class has been disregarded and that we found a fighter in Dennis that will stand up for the issues that are important to individuals and us as a community." This is remarkable considering that recent articles have accused the Councilman of being a fraud and an abysmal failure as a human being.

You may asked what happened, you may be dismayed at the change of heart and we will tell you this, Holden, Nunziato, Kamperman, Scuilli (aka The three Stooges, Shemp being the fourth, less popular Stooge) believed that they could retract their praise and manipulate the facts to readers attempting to effectuate their own political agenda.

But please, do not take the Patriots word for it; ask Bob for a copy of the Juniper Berry dated March/April 2005.

The Juniper Park Patriots don't blindly support any elected officials. We will, however, judge as honorable citizens and understand a difference of opinion. We have watched the careers of Joe Lisa, Walter Ward, Tom Ognibene and Dennis Gallagher all who have served Middle Village honorably. They have had their shining moments, they have made mistakes and overall they have served their constituent admirably.

Sometimes you have to read between the lines to get the whole story and extrapolate the truth. We urge you to do your homework and look closely at this battle of words between the JPCA and everyone who has fallen out of favor.

Rest assured, that here at the Juniper Park Patriots, we are watching this fight closely.

Congressman Peter King Fights To Protect Our Security

Congressman Peter King has responded quickly to a lawsuit by a group of Imams against Americans who reported their suspicious activities.

On November 30, 2006, a group of passengers aboard a US Airways flight headed to Phoenix, reported suspicious activity by a group of Muslim Imams. The Imams were heard praying loudly before boarding the plane, talking about Saddam Hussein and seen moving between seats. The alert passengers notified airport security and the Imams question.

Now the Imams are suing the alert American citizens for their vigilance!

This lawsuit could have serious repercussion on American security. Americans security could be greatly compromised by holding the threat of legal action over the heads of watchful citizens. If this lawsuit is allowed to go forward it would have deterring effect on Americans who wanted to report a potentially menacing incident.

Fighting crime is the responsibility of all Americans. Having alert, watchful and cooperative citizens on the streets and in the air are vital components to effective police work. Therefore, terrorism deserves the same vigilance and cooperation.

Congratulations to Congressman King to responding quickly and having the courage to stand up for the security of Americans.

History of the NY Mets pt. IV

1980-1985: Cashen rebuildsIn January, 1980 the Payson heirs sold the Mets franchise to the Doubleday publishing company for $21.1 million. Nelson Doubleday Jr. was named chairman of the board while minority shareholder Fred Wilpon took the role of club president. Wilpon quickly hired longtime Baltimore Orioles executive Frank Cashen as general manager to begin the process of rebuilding the Mets.Cashen's positive impact on theorganization took some time to be felt at the major league level. He began by selecting slugging high school phenomenon Darryl Strawberry as the number one overall pick in the 1980 amateur draft. Two years later, hard-throwing hurler Dwight Gooden was taken as the fifth overall selection in the 1982 draft. The pair rose quickly through the minors, winning successive Rookie of the Year awards (Strawberry in 1983, Gooden in 1984). Cashen's mid-season 1983 trade for former MVP Keith Hernandez helped spark the Mets' return to competitive contention. In 1984, new manager Davey Johnson was promoted from the helm of the AAA Tidewater Tides and led the Mets to a 90-72 record, their first winning season since 1976. In 1985 the Mets acquired all-star catcher Gary Carter from the Montreal Expos and won 98 games, but lost the division title to the St. Louis Cardinals in the final days of the season in a memorable series. (The Mets began the series three games behind St Louis and won the first two, but faltered in the third game, allowing St Louis to remain in first place).

Courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Part V on Wednesday.


LET'S GO METS!!

History of the NY Mets pt. III

1970-1979: "You Gotta Believe!" and the Midnight Massacre
The Miracle Mets magic wore off as the 1970s began. In subsequent years, Mets pitchers generally excelled but received lackluster support from the hitters with mediocre finishes the result. Efforts to improve the offense backfired with blunders such as trading Amos Otis for troubled infielder Joe Foy after the 1969 season as well as young pitcher Nolan Ryan for infielder Jim Fregosi after the 1971 season. Once out of the glaring New York spotlight, Ryan became one of the best pitchers in history, spending 22 more years in the majors and entering the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Fregosi battled injuries and played just 146 games for the Mets over a
season and a half. Meanwhile Otis became a superstar with the Kansas City Royals while Foy lasted only one season in New York.The team was thrown into confusion and shock prior to the 1972 season, when Manager Gil Hodges, who had led the team to the World Series victory in 1969, suffered a sudden heart attack at the end of spring training and died. Coach Yogi Berra succeeded Hodges. Berra's Mets found themselves in last place with a 61-71 record at the end of August, 1973 but they recovered behind relief pitcher Tug McGraw and his "Ya gotta believe!" rallying cry (the team has since trademarked the phrase), winning 21 of their last 29 games. Berra also coined his most famous Yogiism that year: "It ain't over til it's over!" In a peculiar circumstance, their final record of only 82-79 was good enough to win the division while five better teams in the Majors missed the postseason. Despite the worst winning percentage ever by a division winner (until the 2005 San Diego Padres), the Mets then shocked the heavily-favored Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" in the NLCS. Their record remains the worst of any pennant-winning team but they managed to push the A.L. champion Oakland A's to a seventh game. Their near-miracle season ended with a loss to Ken Holtzman in the final contest. As the 1975 season ended, owner Joan Whitney Payson died. Her husband Charles delegated ownership authority to his daughters, while board chairman M. Donald Grant managed the baseball operations. Payson had been the driving force behind the Mets but her survivors did not share her enthusiasm for investing in the future of the team. Contract disputes with star pitcher Tom Seaver and slugger Dave Kingman erupted in 1977. Both players were traded on June 15, the trading deadline, in what New York tabloids dubbed "The Midnight Massacre." The Mets received six players in the two deals, but none had any lasting impact. Attendance fell, to the point where Shea
Stadium was nicknamed "Grant's Tomb." The team finished in last place yet again and Grant was relieved of his duties in 1978. That the crosstown Yankees had begun reaching the postseason again in 1976 further eroded the Mets' fan base. The Mets continued to struggle, and did not become a competitive team again until the mid-1980s, marking the first time that both teams were competitive, both on the field and at the box office.

Part III on Monday.


LET'S GO METS!!

The Grinch Who Stole Juniper Park...

Let the next battle begin.

It seems that the Juniper Park Civic Association is ready for the next round in the fight to prevent the youth of Middle Village from using the new ball fields paid for by taxpayer money.

You see Bob “King of Juniper” Holden runs an exclusive and well funded ball club called the Midville Dodgers. For those who want to be on Bob's good side and protect themselves from unwarranted attacks, just write a nice check to the Dodgers. How do you think 7-Eleven and Walgreens are no longer adversaries of the Juniper Park Civic Association? The Midville Dodgers is a great stepping stone for talented ball player to take the next step into the big leagues, however, this may be costing the kids of our neighborhood the chance for some good old sandlot baseball. The Midville Dodgers have members from all over Queens including Long Island, coming to play home games in Juniper Park and yet the poor kids from our community who go to Juniper will only find a locked field.

Bob Holden and JPCA are saying: "Be dammed with the youth of our community! Let them go play in the pebble ridden field or get some chalk and draw bases on the blacktop! Preference will be given to MY special group of outsiders to play instead of our local boys and girls!"

A few weekends ago, a group of local boys from Our Lady of Hope went to play on the unused ballfields. Thanks to Queensborough Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewendowski, she has insured that the fields will be open for public use! It was a great victory for the kids of Middle Village and Maspeth until, Steve Fielder, the JPCA grass man tried to refuse them and stop them from playing America's pastime. He even yelled, “These are my Fields!” Unfortunately, Mr. Fielder has done this on numerous occasions to the disappointment of many local kids. The grassman has continually locked the fields to prevent public use.

In addition, Tony Nunziato a local JPCA member was recently questioned by a member of the Middle Village Maspeth Civic Association. Tony’s response was “keep the fields closed because only the Midville Dodgers should play on the diamonds. If you want more time take some of the time away from Christ The King Regional High School” He added that Ognibene, Maltese, Gallagher and Michel are buddies that’s why Christ the King gets time.” Tony then threatened an investigation into Mike Michel.

People are fed up with the gustapo type tactics when it comes to the use of the park. Everyone should have equal time, opportunity, and access to the beautiful fields, playgrounds and grassy knolls. Let's take the park back from the controlling few and give it to the hundreds of neighborhood yearning to play ball!

The Supreme Court Upholds “Partial Birth” Ban

Yesterday in 5-4 ruling the court upheld the congressional ban on partial birth abortions. Generally performed in the second trimester of pregnancy, partial birth abortions involve dilating a women’s cervix, removing the baby and crushing or cutting its skull.

Consequently, doctors caught performing this barbaric form of infanticide can be jailed for up to two years. As you can imagine this ruling has created a political bombshell and both sides of the abortion issue were quick to respond:

Sen. John McCain – “I’m very happy about the decision. Partial birth is one of the most odious aspects of abortion.

Rudy Giuliani – “The Court reached the correct conclusion in upholding the congressional ban on partial birth abortion.”

Gov. Mitt Romney – “Today, our nation's highest court reaffirmed the value of life in America by upholding a ban on a practice that offends basic human decency. This decision represents a step forward in protecting the weakest and most innocent among us."

Sen. Barack Obama – “I strongly disagree with today’s Supreme Court ruling, which dramatically departs from previous precedents.”

Sen. Hillary Clinton – “It is precisely this erosion of our own constitutional rights that I warned against when I opposed the nominations of Chief Justice Roberts and Alito.”

Sen. John Edwards – “This hard turn right is a stark reminder of why democrats cannot afford to lose the 2008 election.”

The abortion issue has always been an incendiary and divisive issue in America. Consequently, here at the Juniper Park Patriots, one of us agrees with the ruling while the other opposes.

Please share your thoughts.

History of the NY Mets pt. II

1969: "The Miracle Mets"
The Mets began the 1969 season in a mediocre way; an opening day loss of 11-10 to the expansion Expos was followed by a record of 21-23 through the end of May. By mid-August, the favored Chicago Cubs seemed safely on their way to winning the pennant in the newly-formed National League East Division while the Mets sat in third place, ten games behind. On August 14, the Cubs led the Mets by 9 1/2 games. But Chicago went 8-17 in September, while the Mets, with outstanding pitching from their young staff, piled up victory after victory, winning 38 of their last 49 games and finishing in first place with a 100-62 record for the season, their first winning year ever, a full eight games over the Cubs. The Mets finished with a team ERA of
2.99, and a league leading 28 shutouts thrown. Tom Seaver led the way with a 25-7
record, with lefty Jerry Koosman behind him at 17-9 record, while Cleon Jones finished with a .340 batting average. Seaver's best game occurred on July 9, at Shea Stadium, where he came within two outs of a perfect game, but gave up a one-out, ninth-inning single to the Cubs' Jimmy Qualls for the only hit in the Mets' 4-0 victory.

The "Amazin' Mets" or "Miracle Mets", as they became known by the press, went on to win a three-game sweep of the strong Atlanta Braves, led by legend Henry "Hank" Aaron, in the very first National League Championship Series. The Mets were still considered underdogs in this series despite the fact that they had a better record than the Braves. The Mets were given very little chance in the 1969 World Series, facing a powerful Baltimore Orioles team that had gone 109-53 in the regular
season and included future Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and
Jim Palmer as well as future Mets manager Davey Johnson, who ironically would
make the final out of the Series. Before the series began, pundits predicted
Tom Seaver might win the opening game, but that the Mets would have trouble winning again in the World Series. As it turned out, just the opposite occurred; Seaver was roughed up, allowing four runs in the opener, which he lost -- but the Mets'pitching shut down the Orioles after that, holding them to just five runs over the next four games, to win the World Series of 1969 4 games to 1. Seaver got his revenge in game four, pitching all 10 innings of a 2-1 victory.

This rags-to-riches story is regarded as one of baseball history's great turnarounds, giving hope to underdogs, also-rans and lost causes everywhere. Soon after the season ended, Tom Seaver lent his name to a commercial saying "If the Mets can win the World Series, America can get out of Vietnam."

Part III this Saturday.

LET'S GO METS!!

Are the Television News Parasites Facilitating the Next Massacre?

Last night the television talking heads inundated us with images and pictures of a suicidal madman (I refuse to mention the name) who murdered 32 innocent people. They also read the rambling excerpts of a murderous manifesto under the guise of trying to understand what caused this loner to snap and kill the students of Virginia Tech.

The only thing the networks were trying to figure out is how they can prolong the coverage to optimize their ratings. Their lack of compassion and disregard for the families who lost their loved ones is appalling. The ole mighty dollar once again has trumped common decency and respect.

More of a concern is for all those other closet maniacs glued to the television watching a fellow social misfit have his glorious meteoric rise to infamy. All of the previous gunmen who have savagely murdered our children had one goal and that was to get the notoriety and recognition they craved in life.

Unfortunately, the parasitic media plays into the hands of those looking to conduct mass shootings in order to have their 15 minutes of shame or a 15 part mini-series on the nightly news. So when this happens again let us all recognize the complicity of the media.

My deepest sympathies, condolences and prayers go out to the families of those who were murdered by an insignificant and pitiful bastard.

I also hope they turn off their television sets so that they are not forced to
relive their horror nightly on the network news.

The Slippery Slope of Eminent Domain

Eminent domain is the inherent power of the state to seize a citizen's private property or rights in private property, without the owner's consent. The property is taken either for government use or by delegation to third parties who will devote it to "public uses." The most common uses of property taken by eminent domain are public utilities, highways, and railroads. Some states require that the government body offer to purchase the property before resorting to the use of eminent domain.

The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires that property may only be taken for "public use", and upon payment of "just compensation". But the U.S. Supreme Court has diluted the meaning of "public use" to such an extent that virtually anything that a local condemning authority declares to be "public use" will be accepted by the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts.

Some state courts disagree and in recent years the courts of Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Pennsylvania have taken the position that the taking of private land for so-called "economic redevelopment" -- i.e., for reconveyance of the taken land to private companies for the construction of private, profit-making enterprises such as shopping malls, factories, office buildings and even gambling casinos does not meet the "public use" limitation under the state Constitution.

On June 23rd, 2006, the one-year anniversary of the Kelo decision, President George Bush issued an executive order stating in Section I that the Federal Government must limit its use of taking private property for "public use" with "just compensation", which is also stated in the constitution, for the "purpose of benefiting the general public." He limits this use by stating that it may not be used "for the purpose of advancing the economic interest of private parties to be given ownership or use of the property taken."

Property-rights advocates contend that abuses of the exercise of these powers in the past require substantial additional safeguards to protect the people from having their homes and businesses taken for what are obviously private, not public, uses.

Recently, here in New York we are hearing the word phrase “eminent domain” too often. Atlantic Yards, Willets Point and the Kosciusko Bridge are just a few areas where the city is applying eminent domain to advance their plans for development.
Throughout history there has been no greater battle than the protection and preservation individual property rights.

It is a slippery slope if we allow the government to dictate the confiscation of
private lands for a better “public use”. Eminent domain can create an eminent danger of too much government interference on individual rights.

Street Renamings

One of the responsibilities of the New York City Council is approving requests to have streets renamed for praiseworthy individuals. Since the tragic events of September 11th, streets throughout our city have been renamed for those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center disaster.

Consequently, deserving individuals were honored and their memories have been immortalized on street signs ranging from Police officer and Firefighters rushing to save people to innocent men and women working to provide for their families.

This Country has also named many streets after important historical figures and community leaders. Therefore, we should not denigrate those men and women by considering naming a street after a convicted felon and racist.

Among the 53 names being considered for the honor of having a street named for them in our city is Sonny Carson. Mr. Carson is a self-proclaimed anti-white, anti-semite and convicted felon. In the 1970s, he was arrested on charges related to a murder, and was eventually sentenced to seven years in prison for kidnapping. He also led many racially charged boycotts and protests causing divisiveness and violence in many neighborhoods.

Thankfully, Speaker Christine Quinn and the majority of the City Council are opposing this recommendation because of Sonny Carson’s history. Not surprisingly, Charles Barron is fighting for the street naming and if the city Council votes against it, he will ask the body to provide personal biographies of each individual considered for a street naming.

Let’s urge our representatives not to be bullied and strong armed. They should vote with their conscience against those individuals who have none.

We should not dishonor those individuals past or future who have earned their right to have their name emblazoned on the street corners of this great city.

NY Sun Article

Q&A with the Juniper Park Patriots

We have received hundreds of emails asking us about our new blog site. We have decided to create a question and answer piece to shed some light on the purpose of our site.

We recently visited the Ed Sullivan Theatre and here is what developed...



Q- Who operates and started the site?

A- The site is operated by me, aka Patrick Henry and close friend. We would like to remain anonymous because of obvious reasons. Strategically, we are not affiliated or belong to any group or organization which allows us to travel in many circles and obtain information on neighborhood issues. We are, however, a veteran, dog owners, devoted residents and American Patriots. Since the creation of the blog we have been contacted by many other residents who would like to be guest writers and offer their opinions

Q- How did you come up with the idea for the site? When did it officially go up on the Web?

A- We came up with the idea after reading various blogs, publications and distributed literature. we were dismayed and concerned about the vicious unchecked rhetoric contained in many of the articles. Our Forefathers fought gallantly against tyranny and propaganda, therefore, we felt it important to combat or offer a different point of view that was being presented by providing this forum. The site was officially launched on April 2nd.

Q- What are the purposes of the site? Is it to discuss over development, to discuss community issues, to advocate for something relating to the community?

A- The sole purpose of the site is to report on an array of community issues. We also envision the site being a sounding board for like minded individuals and afford them an opportunity to voice their opinions. As history has proven, it is dangerous when only one set of views is allowed to become pervasive within a community.

Q- Are there any guidelines or restrictions for posting on the site? Do people need to be members to post?

A- There are no set guidelines; however, we will not publish profanity or anything distasteful. Individuals interesting in presenting their ideas do not need to be members.

Q- How many individuals are involved in the operation of the Juniper Park Patriots?

A- At this time, we are the only ones involved in the operation except for those sending in comments or ideas for posts. One of us is recently retired and widowed and has a lot of free time on his hand. The other assists when needed offering computer and technical assistance.

Q- There are some references to Queens Crap on the site. Describe your view on that site.

A- We have viewed the Queens Crap blog on a few occasions. Like any independent source of information we agree with some of their opinions and disagree with others. We support their freedom to express their views.

Q- Despite potential disagreements with messages on the Queens Crap board, is Juniper Park Patriots designed to deal with the same community issues?

A- Queens Crap is dedicated to over development and executing an obvious vendetta against certain community individuals. The Juniper Park Patriots will encompass all community issues. It will also commend when necessary and criticize when warranted. Ultimately, this site will not get into disagreements or trivial written attacks against any site. We are all entitled to our views whether they are popular or not.

Q- How would you view Juniper Park Patriots' role in the community? And, what Queens communities are meant to be discussed on the site?

A- We hope that the site becomes a source of information regarding issues not only pertaining to Queens but all five boroughs. It should also be a forum for all residents to express their concerns, inform others about potential problems, or praise the good things happening in their community. Unfortunately, too often many want to focus on the negative rather than looking for all the positive happenings in our neighborhoods. Queens is the most ethnically diverse geographical area in the world and all the communities are in some way linked together. We encourage our fellow Queens residents as far north as Whitestone to as far south as the Rockaways to come visit the site and inform us about issues concerning their neighborhoods. The Juniper Park Patriots will try to escape the tunnel vision mentality and think outside the bubble.

Q- Do you feel many issues in the community have polarized residents?

A- We don't believe that the issues are polarizing the community. We believe that individuals and groups are polarizing the community. There will always be opposing views on any topic but it should be accompanied by respectful and truthful debate. Regrettably, the existence of respectful and truthful debate has been cast aside and replaced with hate, deceit, and attacks. Consequently, in this type of environment both sides are required to roll in the mud. "You can't bring a knife to a gun fight."

Q- There are attacks on community figures. Are there any lawsuit concerns involved in the site?

A- As with any blog, the Juniper Park Patriots does not agree with all the posts or comments sent in by individuals. We would urge people interested in posting to the site that they incorporate the truth when commenting. The truth always prevents the threat of a lawsuit. Ultimately, when it comes to attacks the Patriots will be reactionary and only fire its musket when it deems that a wrong has occurred. . However, as situations present themselves, sometimes the Juniper Park Patriots will take liberties and go over the top to reveal the ridiculousness of some of these attacks. Moreover, there are publications and blogs circulating through our
communities that obviously do not allow a potential lawsuit prevent them from attacking individuals, therefore, we would hope they allow participants of the Juniper Park Patriots the same luxury.

We hope that this dispels any misconceptions and provides answers to some of the questions people have graciously presented. We encourage everyone to post and express their ideas and voice their opinions. God Bless America.

"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." - Adlai Stevenson

Queens Crap Goes Overboard!

It seems that we may have struck a nerve or possibly forced a bowel movement on the Queens Crap. Apparently we have generated a lot interest from residents and the local press causing certain blogs to soil themselves. So we in turn are going to respectfully throw them overboard into the Sea of Crap.


Disappointingly, they make false assumptions and empty accusations calling our site “a giant rant”. Now that’s calling the toilet bowl an indoor outhouse!

More disturbing is their hypocrisy and desire to designate whom among us is allowed to enjoy an open forum for the free flow of ideas. On April 16, 2007, they chastise the Times Newsweekly for printing an editorial on the evils of blogging, then today they criticize a fellow blog for expressing their views.

This stinks of censorship and a feeble attempt to anoint Crappy as the Holy Roman Toilet of Queens. You can not tout the glory of free speech and then try to infringe on the rights of others to free expression if they do not coincide with your own ideology. The Juniper Park Patriots disagrees with the Times Newsweekly’s editorial on blogs but we will not denigrate their right to print their views. Moreover, we will not attack other blog’s freedom to print what they want, however, we will respond when needed, attack when necessary and commend when warranted.

It is apparent that Stinky Crappy is so blinded by its hatred of select elected officials that they lash out without any care or consideration for the truth and fellow blog brothers and sisters. Their grandiose sense of self-importance
automatically forces them to assume that any group, blog or individual that disagrees with them is backed by any one of the many elected officials or organizations they have attacked.

You can’t have your crap and eat it too! What’s good for the turd is good for the gander. So take a laxative, sit quietly and relax.

We believe people are always looking for alternative sources of information and have realized that we are an independent blog site dedicated to providing the truth, rather than executing a vindictive narrow-minded agenda. In addition, the Patriots believe in informing the public and are steadfast in combating the minority who spread half truths and deliberate lies. We provide you with the FACTS to navigate you through the CRAP.

Juniper Civic Executive Member's Blog takes aim at Maspeth Halfway House Rally

Talk about an insane thought process. The JPCA and their very own Christina Wilkinson (also of Forgotten-NY) was recently at it again enjoying their favorite pastime, criticizing Councilman Gallagher, Assemblywoman Markey and members of the Middle Village Maspeth Civic Association for going ahead with a rally to protest the Maspeth Halfway house. The Maspeth residence would have housed between 20 to 30 drug addicted freshly released criminals from Rikers Island. Unfortunately, the Blog is so fixated on condemning local officials and St Saviours they also criticize the good people of Maspeth who voluntarily came out in numbers to protest this potentially neighborhood destroying home.

The Juniper Park Civic Association was inexcusably absent from the rally for no other reason than their consuming animosity towards Gallagher and Markey! Further compounding the disgrace of their absence was their audacity to post an entry on their blog that sounded so sympathetic towards the criminals. It is wrong to turn a blind eye on a serious community issue that residents show a great concern towards because you have a disagreement on other issues. What other serious issues will they choose to ignore if it does not comply and support their narrow-minded agenda.

In closing, I hope that the JPCA and their stinky blog don’t really believe that Maspeth’s new neighbors should be 30 drug and alcohol addicted convicted felons. Moreover, I pray that they can put aside their anger and stop spending so much time, energy and money persistently knocking elected officials, community based organizations and neighborhood leaders. They haven’t yet realized that the community should fight together and do what’s best for the people of Middle Village and Maspeth.

History of the NY Mets

Something every NY Mets fan should read. This will be a multiple part story as originally it was just waay too long. :)

I hope you all enjoy it.


When the Dodgers left Brooklyn in 1957, I thought I would never find another team to fill my baseball heart. However, that magically changed when in 1962 the Loveable Losers came to Queens to start a long lasting love affair with New York baseball fans. The NY Mets have given us so much pleasure and even more pain. In 1969 and 1986 they captivated baseball fans with their magically heroics and amazin last minute comebacks. Unfortunately, there have been so many more years when they made us weep and disappointed us with their follies. However, each year Mets fan cheer and root for their team in hopes that this year will be our year. Last year was a great season but the team fell short of bringing Queens another World Championship. Hopefully, in 2007 with players like Wright and Reyes, Delgado and Beltrand, we will be celebrating in October the NY Mets’ rise to the top of the Major League and once again bring home the World Series crown to Shea Stadium. Please read below the article i came across on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, titled, history of The NY Mets.

Origins:
In 1957, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants abandoned New York for California, leaving the largest city in the United States without a National League franchise. Two years later, on July 27, 1959, attorney William Shea announced the formation of a third major baseball league, the Continental League. After a contentious year, in 1960, Shea and the other Continental League organizers reached a deal with the established major leagues. In exchange for abandoning the new league, four new expansion franchises were created — two in each league. New York City received one of the National League teams with Joan Whitney Payson and her husband Charles Shipman Payson, former minority owners of the Giants, as the principal owners, along
with George Herbert Walker, Jr. (uncle of President George H. W. Bush), who
served as vice president and treasurer until 1977. Former Giants director M. Donald Grant, the only member of the board to oppose the Giants' move West, became chairman of the board. The new team required a new name and many were suggested. Among the finalists were "Bees", "Burros", "Continentals", "Skyscrapers", "Jets", as well as the eventual runner-up, "Skyliners". Although Payson had admitted a preference for "Meadowlarks," the owners ultimately selected "Mets" because it was closely related to the club's already-existing corporate name "New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc.", it hearkened back to "Metropolitans", a historically significant name used by an earlier New York team in the American Association from 1883 to 1887, and because its brevity would naturally fit in newspaper headlines. The name was received with broad approval among fans and press.

1962-1968: Lovable losers
In October, 1961, the National League held an expansion draft to stock the rosters of the Mets and the Houston Colt .45s with players from other clubs. 22 players were selected by the Mets, including some with notable previous success such as Roger Craig, Al Jackson, Frank Thomas and Richie Ashburn. But rather than select talented young players with future potential, Mets management preferred to sign faded stars of the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees to appeal to fans' nostalgia. Legendary Yankees manager Casey Stengel was hired out of retirement to lead the team, but his managerial acumen wasn't enough to overcome the severe deficiency of talent among the players. The Mets began their on-field play in 1962, losing their first nine games en route to a 40-120 record. Their .250 winning percentage was the third worst by any major league team since the beginning of the 20th Century.

Throughout major league history only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders (20-134) lost more
games in a single season than the 1962 Mets. It wasn't until 2003 that
the record would be threatened by the Detroit Tigers, who finished the
season at 43-119. The ineptness of the Mets during their first year is chronicled
in colorful fashion in the 1963 book Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?, written by New York columnist Jimmy Breslin. Beloved by New York fans despite their losing ways — or perhaps because of them — the Mets of the early 1960s became famous for their ineptitude. Journeyman players like the ironically nicknamed "Marvelous Marv"
Throneberry became icons of athletic incompetence. Ex-Dodger and Giant pitcher Billy Loes, who was selected by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft, was credited with this ungrammatical quotation: "The Mets is a good thing. They give everybody jobs. Just like the WPA." Even the Mets proved to have standards, however. In 1962, Cleveland Indians catcher Harry Chiti was purchased by the Mets for a player to be named later in the season. That "player to be named later" ended up being Harry Chiti. Chiti is the only player ever to be sent back to his original team in a trade in Major League history.

In 1964, the Mets, who played their first two seasons in the old Polo Grounds, the former home of the Giants, moved to the newly constructed Shea Stadium, a 55,300 seat multipurpose facility built in the Flushing neighborhood of the Borough of Queens, adjacent to the site of the 1939 and 1964 New York World's Fairs. One high point of Shea Stadium's first season came on Father's Day, when Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning threw a perfect game against the Mets, the first in the National League since 1880. For perhaps the only time in the stadium's history, the Shea faithful found themselves rooting for the visitors, caught up in the rare achievement, and roaring for Bunning on every pitch in the ninth inning. His strikeout of John Stephenson capped the performance. Another high point was Shea
Stadium's hosting of the 1964 All-Star Game. The Mets' image as lovable losers was wearing a little thin as the decade progressed, but things began to change slowly in the late '60s. The Mets acquired top pitching prospect Tom Seaver in a lottery and he became the league's Rookie of the Year in 1967, despite the team finishing last again. Even though the Mets remained in last place, Tom Seaver was a sign of good
fortune to come. He was originally signed by the Atlanta Braves in February 1966 out of the University of Southern California, but his contract was voided by Commissioner William D. Eckert on the basis that the USC season had already started when Seaver signed. In order to resolve this issue, the Mets, Indians, and Phillies were all placed in a hat since they were the only teams willing to match the Braves offer, and the Mets were fortunate enough to win the drawing. In addition to Seaver, two other young players were catcher Jerry Grote and shortstop Bud Harrelson. This trio of youth formed a new, determined clubhouse nucleus that had no interest in
losing, lovably or otherwise. By the 1968 season, Wes Westrum would be replaced as
manager by Gil Hodges. Pitcher Jerry Koosman joined the staff and had a spectacular rookie season in 1968, winning 19 games. Left fielder Cleon Jones developed as a batter and exciting center fielder Tommie Agee came over in a trade. But although much improved, the 1968 team still finished the season in 9th place.

Part II this Thursday.
LET’S GO METS!!!!!!

Another Senseless Tragedy...

As i am sure you are all aware of the tragedy that occurred today at Virginia Tech. This is just another example of how in a blink of an eye, things can take a turn for the worse very quickly.

Over the past 10 years, we as Americans have experienced several occurrences like this and it is never an easy thing to deal with.

I would like us all to take the time out to be appreciative for the people and things we hold near and dear to us. Also, for anyone effected either directly or indirectly by this and other dreadful events,

Our prayers are with you always!

Google News

Avella: Look no further than your own backyard.

Councilman Tony Avella the Political Self Promoter of the Year gets caught with a violation and then he says it is “Politically Motivated”. Consequently, the Honorable Tony Avella experiences the plight of his constituents and the common folk. The new peasant unsuspecting homeowner, who never rents out the basement but buys a residence with an illegal basement bathroom, is persecuted. However, few enjoy the luxury Mr. Avella enjoys of being DOB’s public enemy number one and can conveniently negotiate a waiver of the law and allow family members to relieve themselves in the basement.

A Founding Father of the Juniper Park patriots is $5000 in the hole for having the same bathroom as Avella but lacked the political position and clout to make the violation disappear.

Harry Houdini Avella of Bayside politics is making DOB regulations disappear to benefit his political sideshow. I would pay to see David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty disappear, but I will not stand idly by and let Tony Avella erase city laws to enhance his summer solstice.

The Patriots are proud to sing Tony’s praise when he does an excellent job, but his whining and the deflection of the issue seemed way below him.

We praised you Tony for your 100% attendance record which is a great achievement. Now we must tell you to bite the bullet and admit you are wrong. You cannot apply the law when is suits your political expediency, the law is universal, applied to the serfs as well as the ruling class.

Your complaining seems to prove to us that you’re more interested in covering your political behind then you are about being sincere. What a disappointment!

Please enjoy an editorial published in the Queens Tribune.

JPCA: The “I’ll Sue You Civic”

The JPCA Sued the Owners of the St. Saviours site, and lost. They sued the City for the Off Leash rule, and lost. Not only did they lose but they had the audacity to start an online petition and fill the pages with fraudulent names in an attempt to execute their attack on honest dog owners. They also threatened to sue the Vietnam Veterans if they hosted the moving wall. They wanted to sue the City Council over rules and regulations. It seems that the JPCA seems to want to sue everyone! Too bad Bob can't adjudicate his own lawsuits.

Unfortunately, the dictatorial leadership never asks their membership for their approval. We are amazed that the JPCA has an endless amount of resources to fund their numerous legal battles.


Now we can smell another lawsuit brewing and it stinks like a piece of "Queens Crap". They say that the St. Saviours area is too polluted for residential use and development should be halted. This the same organization that wants to place a park on that site! (More to follow)

Perfect Attendance...

Congratulations and accolades to council members Melinda Katz and Tony Avella for their perfect attendance record and their dedication to their constituencies. Their hard work and commitment to their jobs should be applauded.

It is vitally important for our local representatives to be present at committee and the monthly stated council meetings so that they can effectively advocate for what is best for the residents of New York City. An effectual elected official can successful budget their time so that they can meet the demands and fulfill the responsibilities that come with being a public servant. Katz and Avella are shining examples of enthusiastic and committed members of the New York City Council.

Keep up the good work!

QUEENS CHRONICLE STORY

NY1 Misses the Mark...

NY1 recently spotlighted the Queens Crap and touted them as being an informational resource for Queens residents who are concerned with the plight of over development in our borough. I agree that some of the articles posted on that blog have been instrumental in exposing local sites that have fallen to greedy developers. However, as we all know, there is so much more to the Crap. Unfortunately, NY1 failed to look deeper into the blog and see its seedy underbelly.

NY1 did not see the numerous blogs that were solely dedicated to attacking neighborhood leaders, community groups, elected officials and local residents. These articles did nothing to champion the preservation cause but it did reveal the hidden agenda to discredit individuals that may have disagreed with the authors of Queens Crap at one time or another. If the Queens Crap would dedicate more time to saving history rather than destroying the reputation of individuals, maybe they would be successful in their quest to save Queens.

The Juniper Park Patriots are also concerned about the over development in our area and the many Department of Building loopholes unscrupulous builders seem to exploit. Therefore, we should focus our energies on how to close these loopholes rather than consistently making false accusations and creating rifts between the community, elected officials and city agencies. You cannot place the blame on just one entity because there are so many contributing factors to over development.. It is easy to blame politicians, developers and Realtors. It is more difficult, however, to come together and develop a plan that balances smart development with reasonable preservation. What would Middle Village be today if it remained farms and swamp lands? There would be no successful dynamic hardworking middle class families, a Juniper Valley Park or a vibrant community. Development serves a purpose for growth and expansion while the preservation serves as its check and balance. We have no future if we forget the past and no prosperity if we stifle growth. So let us come together and find that middle ground where everyone wins.