Despite the fact that baseball season is in full swing, spring is taking its sweet time getting here, and that always puts me in a foul mood. I'm a meat and potatoes guy so I like to see spring arrive in a fashion where each day gets progressively warmer and the sun shines a little brighter. Yeah, I know, April showers bring May flowers and all that, but I don't like waking up to frost after the first of April. And for the record, I've never believed any of that Punxsutawney Phil stuff, so the bottom line is I'm not a happy camper. And there are a few other things that have me steamed………..Last week Hank Steinbrenner came down from his ivory tower and tried to justify the outrageous price of Yankees tickets. I don't know what it is like to grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth, but Steinbrenner's comments clearly showed that he has no understanding of the average, middle class Yankees fan. Steinbrenner admitted that some Yankees tickets might be too high. That is quite a stretch since the top Yankees ticket will cost you $2,500 per game, an amount that only a few seasons ago would have earned you an entire season of games in a pretty decent seat. In fact, the average Yankees ticket costs $72.97, the highest in the major leagues according to TMR, which tracks ticket prices. The average ticket in Major League Baseball costs $26.64. While the Yankees tickets are expensive, please know that Hank Steinbrenner understands the plight of the working man. Steinbrenner mentioned that there are plenty of seats available for the average fan, some as low as $5 in the bleachers with partially obstructed views. Oh, bless you, kind, benevolent team owner……….Those of us who regularly travel Route 17 between Ellenville and Middletown have noticed that work has begun on the old "Quickway" as New York State begins the long process of turning Route 17 into Interstate 86. Despite the many "Expect Delays" signs that have popped up as the work begins, this is a good thing because, in its current state, Route 17 is nothing more than a giant pothole……….In last week's Journal, a letter to the editor by Bernie Wainer finally put into words what many in Ellenville have been thinking for a long time — that our local political leadership has been questionable at best, and in Wainer's words, incompetent at worst. Mr. Wainer claims that some village officials "wore blinders" to the incompetence of former Village Manager Elliot Auerbach. I think that some village officials were actually complicit with what was going on. When Auerbach made a unilateral decision to end the Village Summer Recreation program, Mayor Jeff Kaplan told me that the village "was not in the recreation business." At that time I was the director of the summer recreation program — a program with a long and successful history of providing quality summer recreational opportunities for local kids. And despite Kaplan's claims and the municipality's economic problems, the Village of Ellenville remains in the recreation business, paying tens of thousands of dollars to the Kingston Y.M.C.A. to run a summer program here in Ellenville. In light of the deep and evident economic woes the Village of Ellenville is suffering, due in large part to the actions of Kaplan's friend Auerbach, I would like to suggest to the good mayor that the village actually does get out of the recreation business, or since Auerbach is no longer working his budgetary magic here in Ellenville, that we at least get back to running our own program………..Last week, the New York football Giants finally cut their losses with troubled wide receiver Plaxico Burress, releasing him after his court appearance. There is speculation that Burress may actually do jail time for the illegal gun possession which resulted in Burress accidentally shooting himself in a club last November. Some fans will argue that Burress is only facing jail time because of his celebrity status, claiming that the average citizen who committed the same offense would never face jail time. Maybe that is true, but celebrity status is the reason so many athletes get into trouble. The elite athlete is treated as some sort of prodigy from junior high school on, held to standards that are different from those expected of the "average citizen" and given special treatment not afforded the average citizen. For despite violating the law and showing an abundance of stupidity in the shooting incident, Burress, who missed much of last season as a result of injuries suffered — was awarded his million dollar bonus by an arbiter. More proof that celebrity status has its benefits……….News just broke of the deaths of former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas. Fidrych experienced a meteoric rise in 1976 when, as a rookie pitcher, he caught the attention of the baseball world with his 19-9 record and eccentric antics. Fidrych, who got his nickname because of his resemblance to the Sesame Street character, would clean the area around the mound with his hands, talk to the baseball, and pat the dirt near the pitching rubber as part of his pitching ritual. Fidrych, who suffered several injuries that drastically shortened his career, was found dead under his pickup truck on his Massachusetts farm, the victim of an apparent accident. Fidrych was just 54 years old. Harry Kalas, whose broadcasting career has included so many highlights it would be difficult to list them all here, has been the Phillies' broadcaster since 1971. Kalas, who was most famous for his "Outta' Here!" home run call, collapsed Monday in the broadcast booth before the Phillies game against the Washington Nationals. Kalas was 73. Fidrych and Kalas represented what was good about professional sports. There are still lots of class athletes like Derek Jeter and David Wright out there, but we more often hear about the bums like Burress, Terrell Owens, and Stephon Marbury……….and finally, while I was driving down Canal Street early Monday morning, it was obvious the village street cleaners had recently polished up the area. With the sun coming over the mountain, spreading its bright light on an almost empty street, it dawned on me that we still live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We sure could use some political leadership that is capable of turning around the lousy economic conditions and "woe is we attitude" that is so prevalent in our town. We have much to be proud of, but right now we are known for our high taxes, empty storefronts, off the chart teen pregnancy rate, and high unemployment numbers. Let's hope spring gets here toot sweet! Until next time……..

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