TMZ Sports photo show Ray Rice dragging his then-fiancee out of the casino elevator.

YONKERS, NY — November 29, 2014 — New Rochelle resident Ray Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back, won his appeal of being indefinitely suspended by the NFL on Friday, November 28, 2014, making him now eligible to sign immediately with any NFL team.

Rice’s appeal was heard earlier this month by former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones who handed down a decision independent of the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell permitting Rice to return to the football field.

Rice was initially suspended two games by the NFL (National Football League) upon learning that Rice has struck his then-fiancée in a casino elevator last year. In time, the NFL extended the suspension to an indefinite suspension. A video of Rice knocking out his then-fiancée when released by TMS on September 8, 2014, was the catalyst for the Baltimore Ravens to cut Rice.

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NEW ROCHELLE, NY – November 17, 2014 — Special Olympics New York and members of the Westchester community joined forces to be “Freezin’ for a Reason” on Saturday, November 15, 2014 at the 6th Annual Westchester Polar Plunge at Glen Island Park. Over 500 brave souls with warm hearts ran, jumped, and dove into the chilly waters of the Long Island Sound to raise funds for the athletes of Special Olympics New York. A record-breaking amount of $80,000 was raised by all participants! All funds support Special Olympics New York’s programs and promote awareness of people living with intellectual disabilities in New York.

Still want to donate? Simply log on to our web site at www.PolarPlungeNY.org/westchester and support a local plunger or give a general donation.

This year’s Westchester Polar Plunge participants included: Special Olympics athletes, Westchester County Chief of Staff George Oros, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor Peter Swiderski, Mamaroneck Deputy Mayor Louis Santoro, in addition to local college students, high schools, police officers, businesses and members of the community.

This Polar Plunge helps provide year-round sports training and competition in over 22 Olympic-style sports for more than 65,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities living in New York, giving them continuing opportunities at no cost to them or their families.

For more information call Associate Director of Development Kaitlin Brennan at 212-661-5217 or direct e-mail to kbrennan@nyso.org.

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• YPD Capt. Joe Barca & Kaitlin Brennan on NY Special Olympics, Mt. Vernon Councilman Richard Thomas, and The Furuya Sisters on Westchester On the Level with Narog and Aris – Thursday, November 13, 2014 @ 10 a.m. EST

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New York Raptors’ Coaches Joe Ruggiero, Liz Truly, Steve Grossman, Greg Glander, and Mike Papa.

Ice Hockey Program for Youth with Disabilities to be Recognized

YONKERS, NY – November 17, 2014 — County Executive Robert Astorino today announced that the coaches of the New York Raptors, a not-for-profit special ice hockey program open to children and adults with disabilities, have been selected for the Rosemarie Siragusa Memorial Youth Service Award. A recognition ceremony will be held at 5 p.m., November 19^th at the Westchester County Office Building, 148 Martin Ave., in White Plains, NY.

“The Rosemarie Siragusa Award recognizes dedicated residents who give back to our youth in the true spirit of community service,” Astorino said. “The coaches of the New York Raptors embody the spirit of this award by giving so generously of their time and energy on behalf of our youth with disabilities.”

Started in 1996, the New York Raptors have been coached for more than 10 years by Liz Truly, along with assistant coaches Joe Ruggiero, Steve Grossman, Greg Glander and Mike Papa. All are volunteers and recipients of the award.

“We are deeply honored to be recognized for something we all do out of love for the players and the sport,” said Truly. “No matter what their ability, everyone on the Raptors contributes to playing good hockey and having a great time. We also emphasize what it means to be part of a team, and we encourage enthusiasm and dedication for all players and their families.”

The Raptors, which consists of more than 30 players, skates weekly at the Westchester Skating Academy in Elmsford in the fall and winter. As a not-for-profit, the team relies on fundraising to help with equipment costs, ice time, travel expenses for tournaments, and scholarship programs.

The Raptors team is part of the American Special Hockey Association (ASHA), which was created in 2000. Today there are more than 50 ASHA programs across 30 cities nationwide. To learn more about the Raptors, please visit www.nyraptors.org.

Each year, the Rosemarie Siragusa Award is presented in memory of the founder and chairwoman of the Westchester County Youth Board. For over 25 years, Siragusa volunteered as an advocate for youth, particularly in the area of education. She was involved in the local, county and state levels of the PTA, and served as president of the Yonkers Council of PTAs. Siragusa also served on the Yonkers Board of Education.

“The coaches of the New York Raptors encourage people with special needs to pursue their dreams and teach them that they can conquer anything,” said Iris Pagan, executive director, Westchester County Youth Bureau. “The Youth Bureau is pleased to recognize these volunteers for all they do to empower our youth.”

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During that period, E-Z Reserve holders from 2014 can reserve the same tee time/day for the 2015 season. If the holder does not reserve during this pre-registration period, the tee time will be made available for reservations starting Monday, December 1 through Friday, March 6, when all remaining E-Z Reserve tee times will be available to all golfers wishing to join the program. These E-Z Reserve times will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to one tee time per weekend day.

The pre-registration program is designed as a convenience for golfers who have participated in this past season’s program as well as for new golfers who may want to join. The E-Z Reserve program enables golfers with a valid Westchester County Park Pass to book a starting tee time for a series of weeks.

Golfers reserve the specific time, but the specific slot in the sequence of reservations is not guaranteed.

A non-refundable fee of $350 per player is due at pre-registration and payable by cash, check or Visa, MasterCard or American Express. As a bonus for pre-registering, the 2015 E-Z Reserve season is increased from 25 to 30 weeks beginning the weekend of March 28 and ending the weekend of October 17.

After this registration period, any remaining E-Z Reserve tee times will be available at golf courses beginning the first day of play in 2015. These tee times will be sold for a $300 per player fee for 25 weeks.  Date of golf course opening for the 2015 season will be announced. The 25 weeks program starts the weekend of April 11 and ends the weekend of September 27.

The courses are Dunwoodie and Sprain Lake in Yonkers, Hudson Hills in Ossining, Maple Moor in White Plains, Mohansic in Yorktown Heights and Saxon Woods in Scarsdale.

E-Z Reserve applications will be available at all courses. Applications are also available on the web with complete rules and regulations at golf.westchester.com.

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Zumba® in the Street

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Billy Ard is a former American football player in the National Football League who was drafted by the New York Giants in the eighth round of the NFL Draft in 1981. As guard, Ard played the majority of his 10-year professional football career with the Giants and was a member of the team when they won the Super Bowl in 1987. He graduated and played college football at Wake Forest University. He currently works as a financial advisor at UBS.

Fans will be limited to one autographed item each and one photo per family.

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Until That Time, Mi Spes en Deo

It’s tempting to make this a two-word column and simply write – The NFL’s Bastard Problem: Roger Goodell, but that’s not the type of illegitimacy to which I’m referring.

The NFL has a problem with illegitimate children and they’re pretending it doesn’t exist.  For example, in the latest inquisition regarding Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson, we were told that the issue is domestic abuse in the form of child abuse.  So the debate must center on questions like: “Is spanking a child abuse?”  “Should he have used an open hand and not a switch?”  “Is there a minimum age for corporeal punishment?”  “Should the NFL act prior to his day in court?”

But no one is talking about the fact that Adrian Peterson has 6 or 7 kids with multiple women who are not his wife.  I say 6 or 7 because his mother, who says that Adrian is a “good Christian boy,” tells us that her son has 6 kids, while a stripper from Houston and one of Adrian’s “Baby-Mamas” reported that Adrian has 7 kids and as far as she knows, treats them all well because he pays child support.

In a now infamous video (starting at 46 seconds) from the NFL’s reality show, Hard Knocks, Jet’s cornerback Antonio Cromartie struggles to remember his kids names, “I have Alonzo who is 5, I have Keris who is 3, I have Myjunia which is 3, I have a – my daughter who just turned 3 as of yesterday, I have another son named Tyler, he turns 3 in December. I’ve got another daughter that was born October 16^th named London.  Another daughter that was born named Lelani, who is 2-years-old.  And ah, I have my newborn with my wife, her name is Jersey.”

I guess 2007 was a busy year for Cromartie because, assuming his count is right, he had four 3-year-olds by 2010.  In an article entitled, “How Jets’ Cromartie Fathered Nine Kids With Eight Women Over Six States,” Susan Edelman writing for the New York Post gave an updated roll call at 12 children with eight different women.  Apparently there are some receivers who the talented cornerback cannot shut down!

In March of 2010, Cromartie would have to hit up the Jets to get a $500,000 advance just to catch up with child support payments.

And this is not an anomaly, nor is it restricted to just the NFL.  Boxers, basketball players, entertainers, even coaches make up the list of the top Mack Daddy’s of all time.  From Shawn Kemp and Marshall Faulk to Ali, Tyson, Holyfield and Basketball Coach Scott Skiles, illegitimacy is at plague levels in professional sports.

So what does ESPN make an issue? – The legitimate children of the devout Catholic, Phillip Rivers.

You heard that right.  In a sea of illegitimacy, ESPN cherry picks the most inappropriate, hypocritical question ever posed when it took an obscure comment from a lesser blog – TheBigLead.com and asked the Chargers Quarterback, “Six kids?  Regardless of your profession, it’s impossible to be a good parent to six kids.  Not enough hours in the day.”

Rivers, the class act that he is, brushed the comment aside and said, “It’s a two-year rotation: Once the diapers come off of one, we usually have a newborn.  And we have another one on the way, due in October.  I help when I can, but my wife, Tiffany, is the key.  My big, growing family keeps everything balanced and grounded.  My oldest is 11 now, and the kids are getting into football.  They’re Daddy’s biggest fans, and they don’t get on you as bad as most fans.  If you throw an interception, they still love you.”

So, Philip Rivers who married his Jr. High sweetheart, converted to Catholicism, is raising seven children, skipped a Pro-Bowl to attend his daughter’s birth, and has a foundation that cares for orphaned and abandoned children, is by implication, “not a good parent” in the eyes of ESPN; but the myriad of pimpalicious playas are off limits?

If it looks like racism, it is; if it sounds like bigotry it is.  This is what is meant by “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”

Roger Goodell is under attack from feminists groups so he hires a gaggle of them to take the pressure off and save his job.  He is not a commissioner, he’s a politician.  Sports agents, coaches, players, and fans have known for years that there is a “bastard” problem in professional sports but there is no one involved with the game who will have the guts to point it out.

One more thing: I don’t like to refer to children as “bastards.”  I believe what has been said: “There is no such thing as an illegitimate child, only illegitimate parents.”  The “Mack Daddy’s” and the “Baby Mama’s” are the illegitimate children and those that know better, who should be encouraging and nurturing them to be responsible, are the bastards.

The NFL who hounded a Christian QB out of the league for praying, fined a Muslim for the same and then said “Sorry, our bad,” proselytizes to the point of tampering for same-sex anarchy, tells Robert Griffin III to turn his Jesus t-shirt around but makes sure they’ll have a film crew rolling when the 2^nd to last pick in the draft smashes cake in his boyfriend’s face and then licks it off, ought to be the ones under scrutiny.

The anti-God liberals in sports journalism and the NFL front office have defiled what most of us found to be a safe haven and they should be purged.  I think it’s time to revisit the NFL’s anti-trust status, after all, they’ve become overtly political and I don’t think money is an issue any longer.

Commissioner Goodell – it’s time for you to go, Playa; because America loves the game!

John Kirkwood is a son of Issachar. He is a Zionist, gun-toting, cigar-smoking, incandescent light bulb-using, 3.2 gallon flushing, fur-wearing, Chinese (MSG) eating, bow-hunting, SUV driving, unhyphenated American man who loves his wife, isn’t ashamed of his country and does not apologize for his Christianity. He Pastors Grace Gospel Fellowship Bensenville, where “we the people” seek to honor “In God we Trust.” He hosts the Christian wake up call IN THE ARENA every Sunday at Noon on AM 1160 and he co-hosts UnCommon Sense, the Christian Worldview with a double shot of espresso on UncommonShow.com. He is the proud homeschooling dad of Konnor, Karter and Payton and the “blessed from heaven above” husband of the Righteous and Rowdy Wendymae.

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YONKERS, NY – August 31, 2014 — Bicycle Sundays on The Bronx River Parkway will return this September for four consecutive Sundays, on September 7, 14, 21 and 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

During Bicycle Sundays, a portion of The Bronx River Parkway is closed to cars for the exclusive use of bicyclists, joggers, walkers, and those with strollers. The course runs from the Westchester County Center in White Plains, south to Scarsdale Road in Yonkers, a round-trip of 13.1 miles. There are various points of entry and exit along the way.

Parking is available at the County Center lot in White Plains for a fee of $5.

Bicycle Sundays is sponsored by Con Edison and Friends of Westchester County Parks, and is presented by Westchester County Parks, with additional support provided by 100.7 WHUD radio.

In the event of rain, the program will be cancelled. Call the County Center for information at (914) 995-4050 or visit countycenter.biz.

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