PRETTY SOON, ‘PITCHERS AND CATCHERS’ IN FLORIDA, ARIZONA… plus … THE COMMENT LINE IS OPEN
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, JAN. 29-31, 2016) — With the calendar hitting late January, it can only mean those three words, “pitchers and catchers.”
THE PLANET quotes Chico Esuela, “Baseball been beddy beddy goot to me.” Likewise, Chico. In the 11 years from 1979 to 1990, THE PLANET wrote 12 baseball books with mainstream publishers Viking Penguin and Bantam. We got inside the dugouts and locker rooms, outside the battings cages, on the fields, and in the press boxes, where we witnessed the inevitable inverse relationship between big money and boorish jocks.
THE PLANET nonetheless finds safe harbor for our memories of baseball, particularly the sandlot variety that consumed a disproportionately (and blissfully) high percentage of our childhood and youth. Moreover, as if to come full circle, we are involved with another baseball book with a former newspaper colleague from New York, Paul Kocak. The book, titled Chasing Willie Mays, comes out in the spring. Look for it.
With those words as a preamble, allow THE PLANET a change of pace as we present several baseball poems. We wrote these mainly for fun and in the style of one of Berkshire County’s greatest poets, William Cullen Bryan. They are published here for the first time. Enjoy.
VERSE OF THE BAMBINO
Batting is but a flower
that pitching will devour.
But baseballs fly in the air,
and pitchers have died young and fair.
Dust has closed on the Babe’s troubles,
but he has swung, and he has doubled.
TED WILLIAMS
Great, great — but fallen Ted. With a master’s Art
He took wood to all that might have been, giving his heart.
But the games are over now, and all the good and brave
that could have raised him up, gone, too — to exile or the grave.
The uniform, now, is for another, and the wood for the innings’ feast,
and the season of his .406 for the greatest fans — and for the least.
STAN MUSIAL
He, The Man, stands inside the batter’s box again
crouched, rounded, and Cardinal red. In the summer skies,
with a garnish of gold, grass, and grain, the sun sets.
A white baseball soars and Stan, in his basking, cries.
The sunless glen of the cellar rests far from his first-place suite,
a brawl to Brecheen horsehide, nine frames, a game complete.
THE MICK
The fan in the upper deck cried,
“Oh, youthful batsman, give it a ride!”
The Mick heard, swung, and then replied:
“If this be hitting, then stay at my side.”
For a gamesman of this high degree,
we’d swear and pledge all our loyalty.
HANK AARON
Milwaukee was sown with your early flowers,
your uniform red, blue, and bright.
You won two pennants in three hours
with a swing as lovely as the light.
Atlanta knew you not, but in your heart
your graceful image achieved
the highest mark of the batter’s art.
When insults were hurled, you wore your ebon spot
with a dignity and grace, and that said a lot.
DON BUDDIN
The ball two-hopped with a free and savage sweep.
The shortstop planted his right shoe in the expectant soil.
For hence to October, the generous year shall reap
the putouts of the boys and men in white, who toil
for those in the stands, who in the eyes do tear
as the batted baseball skies upward or down and share
fandom’s lost futility, whose rising voice does gleam
Atop the lonely bleachers, pure as a forest stream.
The shortstop pivots, plants, and lets loose his throw.
He’s got a cannon. Out at first. That is all we know.
——– 000 ——–
With that, THE PLANET opens The Comment Line. See if y’all can resist the temptation and instead post intelligent, discussion-advancing comments. Have a great weekend, everyone.
———————————————————————————————–
“All right, men, line up alphabetically, by height.” — Casey Stengel, manager, 1962 Mets, to his squad on the first day of spring training.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
The views expressed in the comment section or opinions published within the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not those of PLANET VALENTI or endorsed in any way by PLANET VALENTI; this website reserves the right to remove any comment which violates its Rules of Conduct, and it is not liable for the consequences of any posted comment as provided in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and PLANET VALENTI’s terms of service.
I love the game of baseball, or at least what it use to be. But I compare some baseball franchises to big banking. Very greedy and trying to squeeze every last dollar out of its fan base. They charge outrageous prices for everything from parking your car to the soda at the concession. Much like the city of Pittsfield they try to squeeze the people who are responsible for their very existence, out of every dime they own.
And inexplicably to me, so many fans are willing to donate their hard earned cash to the billionaire owners. I will watch it on TV or go to Waconah park but going to Fenway ain’t worth the expenditure to me. I do not like being played for a sucker. I get enough of that being a taxpayer in Pittsfield.
A little league games at Deming park where as a 10 year old the pittsfield red sox walked in to Deming park on a cold gray day in early April because the area where the little league field stands now was.a very dry open area where they did a limited workout .the eastern league aa schedule mimics the parent club….scott,smith,…now that’s a memory ..word traveled very fast that day
McCandless asserts that Pittsfield school spending is average compared to the area and region. I believe this.
But he also asserts that they have already cut the “easy things” and now has to choose between “things that are vital”.
This implies that Pittsfield is doing less with more, delivering less value per dollar spent.
The first day of Spring Training – proof that hope springs eternal.
After Curt Flood in 69. Baseball has never been the same. By 1973 the game was ruined. God bless baseball.
Baseball springs eternal. And I can’t wait.
I am still amazed at the way mazzeo and amuso grilled the highway,they do this because there is no respect for this position. ..mazzeo and amuso are intimidate by educators…just watch how few questions they have…..curtis harasses custodians and paraproffesioals, cooks,and Secretary s….intimidates no one,just act ignorant with yons support.
..consolidate
I did not know that
I will not make any excuses for the grilling because every government/or private employee should be held accountable for their actions. If you choose to join the management team then you should be able to take the heat. In the other hand we should grill the School Department as well. The City should be looking at the top first. We don’t need assistant to the assistant Perhaps cut at the top and add to the bottom; I sure there are lots of people who are unemployed that are willing to replace these people for less money.
And for the harassment, there are many ways to put a stop to that. A bully will be one until the bullied allows it.
On iberkshires today Linda Tyer insists that there are 1600 jobs here in the Berkshires right now going unfilled everything from entry level positions to skilled workers and professionals. Supposedly there are many reasons why these jobs are going unfilled and why qualified workers are not being connected with these jobs. I wish she had shared her reasons as to why these jobs are not being filled by local workers. True for some of the jobs maybe locals do not have the skill set especially for the higher level professional jobs, but that doesn’t explain why even entry level positions are going unfilled by local workers.
I question that there are many mid level skill jobs available. I will stick to my original theory that the majority of these supposed 1600 jobs are mainly retail jobs which do not pay enough or the high end professional jobs demanding masters degrees with very few jobs in the mid income and mid education range. These are the types of jobs needed here in the Berkshires and our new mayor is not understanding this issue. Many locals have associate or even four year college degrees with a definite skill set. These are the people having trouble finding a job.
If we threw more money at PPS and had a new THS up and running we’d be all set.
I wonder why Guyer or Kerwood did not snap up one of these fine employment opportunities.
OHHHH…these are 1600 jobs for unconnected people,,,I see … sorry.
When the mayor did her nationwide search Guyer and Kerwood came out to be the cream of the crap
I mean crop
I don’t believe for one min that she look any further than right to the people she knows and owes favors to.
What kind of work are you looking for? There’s a pretty good list of open positions on Berkshire Jobs right now.
http://www.berkshirejobs.com
This is not an answer to all your questions but I do know this, I have a relative that has been trying to fill some positions, the biggest problem he has is finding someone that can pass a drug test. Problem two is finding people that will come to work every day. Chronic absenteeism is a huge problem. I have an in-law that has been trying to fill mid to high level positions. Berkshire County just can’t provide the labor. This is why no companies will EVER locate here.
Because qualified have left Pittsfield for places that pay more. And just look at the type of people who are coming heir.
If you go hang out at Walmart, you will see the Berkshire Employment Pool Coming and Going.
That about sums it up.
That still doesn’t explain why people who live here with good work habits and good employment histories and the proper credentials for jobs are NOT HIRED for any of these 1600 positions.
Sad truth of the matter is the American worker is a shadow of it’s former self.
Here is a great one! Kid calls in and tells us he will be a little late for work for his shift. He decided to stop by and break into one of our family members home. The dope was being monitored on camera from the business! Cops were waiting for him at the door of the business.
Paul, I know great people looking for work that will pass the drug test, and shows up to work everyday and more, where is this jobs advertised. Thanks
I agree. Where is this hidden job market? Many good people I know apply for jobs on Berkshire Jobs website and other local sites and never hear back from these employers. Berkshire employers seen to have a knack for hiring the wrong people while leaving the good workers without jobs. Maybe if they stopped hiring friends and relatives they would find better employees.
Young workers aren’t like they use to be. We had a high school aged worker bugging my family to hire her. My brother asked her, what hours she could work after school and she said, 4-10pm Tues – Sat. and could start right away. The schedule was made up with her and about 9 others for the week. On her very first day she came in and looked at the schedule and said, oh, I can’t work this day or that day, plus I need this day off. Thanked her and said good bye!
The mayor needs to find away to post these positions,maybe pay I berkshire to run a weekly posting where people can scroll the 1600 position, since she knows this why can’t everyone know this.
….let’s do it mayor….something like this fits your new m.o
The eagle had 4 jobs listed,but many articles for sale
Were those four at the Eagle?
The Eagle is always looking for pulitzer prize candidates.
I just heard about this: Fire chief Czwerensk and his inspectors, tried to
shut down a local city business by filing very questionable charges against
the Perlman salvage operations, on South Merriam Street. To the credit
of the Pittsfield licensing board, they over ruled this
chief and his puppet inspectors by a 4-0 margin.
Perlman’s should the chief, for
tarnishing the good reputation of their business. This further
establishes, how incompetent these,
high paid individuals in the city can be, Seriuosl damage can beinflicted on
individuals trying to make a living here in Pittsfield. I hope the
new mayor can look into this injustice, to the pearlman’s by these
“professonals”, so that they don’t get another chance -to ruin other peoples
livelyhoods in this city. Pearlman’s-A, Fire dept-F
Speaking of baseball. I’ve heard that the PSC is adding three members and forming a baseball team. They’re taking over the inactive Indianapolis Clowns franchise. JIV will be the manager.
Employers in Pittsfield (or their H.R. departments) have very long memories. If you make one mistake in your life, they’ll never forget and never hire you. They all know each other and word travels fast.
And yet they let their friends and relatives make one mistake after another and keep them on the job even when they are not qualified for these jobs. They even give them promotions and reward their incompetence. I think we have all seen examples of this here in Berkshire County.
In today’s Eagle Mccandless warns of school budget cuts. Don’t warn us do it! Time for you to earn your money. Why are we still hanging on to 8 elementary schools with a shrinking population. There’s been studies done that show Berkshire County shrinking below 100_000. Time to thing outside the box and collaborate with other school districts.
It’s exhausting joetaxpayer.
Everyone sees it…… McCandless starting the games, as if everyone is stupid.
Spagirl he will pull out the tried and true tactics that have worked in the past. We must cut the arts and sports we have know choice, this hurts me more than it hurts you. Been there done that Mr Mc cannot, must put on his big boy pants and find a common ground. We need to make cuts that can save money year after year. There out there, question is does he have the fortitude. Probably not in bed with the teacher’s union.
Jiv and the PSd are beginning their games. Budget season has begun. Whine and threat about “budget cuts.” Ask for millions more than you need and millions more than you know can be appropriated.
When the figure gets approved at a lower number it’s a cut.
Example they ask for $10 million when they should actually be cut by that amount. City Oks $5 million. Schools and the stinking politicians then say we cut the school budget 100% over what they were seekign.
Taxpayers get screwed.
Mayor Tyer I am waiting to see what you do with the budget. If the school dept gets one more cent than it got last year and there are no cuts you will regret it.
I am with you. isn’t the new mayor one fore change
Yes, it’s exhausting is right,close schools…this is where we are headed. This why tyer was voted in,barry needs to explain it….school dept denial is over for the citizens of pittsfieldI’m getting the fee mayor tyer forgot ,we could have voted for Bianchi if we wanted to stay the course….we want taxes cut,we want schools to spend less money…..if mccanless can’t do it then quit,curtis can quit to ,tyer will not be there in 4 years if the school budget is suffocating my neighbor
Budget office now has 10 people from 2,budget office assistant just received a 20,000 dollar raise ……amuso and mazzeo never knew what eberwien was talking about with white board data….they just said thanks for being our superintendent we love you…..keep watching amuso and mazzeo…they will rip police,fire…..they have no respect for them…..extreme intimidation of educators……….1700 high school kids and shrinking,400,000 square feet of high schools….close a building……I don’t want Jakes to cry I want him to be a professional employee with a budget
Bottom line is the pittsfield ma school dept needs to grow up. Taxpayers hired you to run our schools not spend us into bankruptcy. …is this how mccanless runs his house budget. It’s an example of addiction,manipulate and say anything….I want mccanless to give a speech on the pittsfield economy
Hope it is not true. I’m hearing Sears is leaving. Another MAJOR hole at the mall.
Also heard Olympia sport’s is closing at Berkshire crossing. Really liked that store, prices much lower than Dicks. Time march’s on.
I’m hearing the berkshire eagle is closeing
Please say its true. The BB closing would be the best thing to happen to this area.
What will we do ?
The 1600 jobs mayor tyer spoke of have got to be pursued for the poor unemployed,you just can’t say something like that and walk away from the statement
What will I do if the eagle goes down. I’ll have to write for auto trader.
Superintendent Jason “Jake” McCandless recently responded to “harsh and sometimes disparaging attacks” on the level of spending and on school officials in the “blogosphere” and from a former committee member — apparent references to blogger Dan Valenti, former board member Terry Kinnas and others.
What he did not include:
* Pittsfield has a poverty rate between 60% to 70%
* All K – 6 Pittsfield public school students receive free school lunches
* Pittsfield’s tax base is shrinking due to so much poverty, and so many welfare caseloads and social services programs
* Pittsfield will soon begin financing the new Taconic High School project
* Sabic Plastics, mall stores, and other businesses are closing in Pittsfield
* The state government is not going to solve Pittsfield’s financial issues and problems, including its public school budgets
* Other communities do not share Pittsfield’s socioeconomic issues and problems, except maybe North Adams and Adams
* Pittsfield politics never cared about the average household’s financial security
* There is no creative economy; it is all the stuff of fantasy!
I’ll bet there is a lot of creative bookkeeping in the school department
Jake is upset the Planet’s fastballs are already peaking and it isn’t even Spring Training yet! Wait until the Planet hits midseason form. Oh, I love the brushback pitch when someone is crowding the plate. I really don’t think Jake wants to charge the pitcher in this duel.
DV wont let Jiv or any other of the phonies crowd the plate! He’s lknock down his own grandmother is she dug in against him.
“He’d knock…” sorry
Re: Open letter to Clarence Fanto
Dear Clarence Fanto,
GE’s most recent dispute with the EPA’s proposal to cleanup the Housatonic River from PCBs chemicals are that GE should (a) remove a less amount of PCBs than the EPA proposed, (b) dispose of the removed PCBs in a local landfill instead of an out of state landfill, and (c) cap the majority of the remaining PCBs.
As I have written to you many times prior, the problem with capping PCBs is that the caps do not last forever; they last between 20 to 30 years. As time wears on, the caps become useless because eventually the PCBs will once again contaminate the environment. The Consent Decree that then Mayor Gerry Doyle and then GE CEO Jack Welch signed off on capped a majority of Pittsfield’s PCBs sites. Within a generation or two, Pittsfield will once again test positive for high and dangerous levels of PCBs and the area will become a Superfund site. By then, Gerry Doyle will be an old man, while old Jack Welch will be a memory, but Pittsfield will once again face the threats of cancer from PCBs.
I don’t understand why you, Clarence Fanto, never report the real situation Pittsfield and the Housatonic River faces from GE’s insistence on using caps instead of removing and properly disposing of the PCBs chemicals! It is only a matter of decades before high levels of PCBs turn Pittsfield into a Superfund site!
– Jonathan Melle
Doyle is a moron. No argument there. But to get a dangerous dose of PCB according to the EPA. One would have to have prolonged contact with pcb containing soil for 90 days a year for 70 years.
“List of America’s Top 10 Corporate Tax Avoiders”
1. General Electric
From 2008 to 2013, while GE made over $33.9 billion in United States profits, it received a total tax refund of more than $2.9 billion from the Internal Revenue Service.
G.E.’s effective U.S. corporate income tax rate over this six-year period was -9 percent.
In 2012, GE stashed $108 billion in offshore tax havens to avoid paying income taxes. If this practice were outlawed, GE would have paid $37.8 billion in federal income taxes
that year.
During the financial crisis, the Federal Reserve provided GE with $16 billion in financial assistance, at a time when its CEO Jeffrey Immelt was a director of the New York Federal Reserve.
GE has been a leader in outsourcing decent paying jobs to China, Mexico and other low-wage countries.
Mr. Immelt has a retirement account at General Electric worth an estimated $59 million.
He is a member of the Business Roundtable, a group that wants to raise the eligibility age for Medicare and Social Security to 70, cut Social Security and veterans’ benefits, increase taxes on working families, and cut corporate taxes even further.
On December 6, 2002, Jeffrey Immelt said at an investors’ meeting, “When I am talking to GE managers, I talk China, China, China, China, China. You need to be there. You
need to change the way people talk about it and how they get there. I am a nut on China. Outsourcing from China is going to grow to $5 billion. We are building a tech center in China. Every discussion today has to center on China. The cost basis is extremely attractive. You can take an 18 cubic foot refrigerator, make it in China, land it in the United States, and land it for less than we can make an 18 cubic foot refrigerator today, ourselves.”
https://berniesanders.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/List10CorporateDodgers.pdf
Re: Hitler’s power v Trump’s message
During the 1920’s – 1930’s, Germany faced a perfect storm of a ruined economy, a desperate people, the stock market crash, the great depression, political extremism and racist ideologies. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party rose to power with a will for military hegemony over Europe to solve Germany’s problems and make their nation great again.
Hitler admired the United States of America of the 1920’s because our nation was militarized, wealthy, and racist. The USA practiced Eugenics, which was the basis of the Holocaust. The USA had racist immigration laws that allowed Aryan-like Europeans to come to the USA, while disallowing dark-skinned Europeans the same privilege. The USA had Jim Crow racism in the South. Hitler modeled Nazi Germany after the 1920s USA’s racist policies.
The tragedies of the Holocaust and persecution of “other peoples” has no comparison. State-sponsored genocides should have ended in 1945, but they did not end back then. Unfortunately, there have been many state-sponsored genocides since the fall of Hitler’s Nazi Germany.
There are three main forms of human violence: (a) personal, (b) structural, and (c) cultural. The latter, cultural violence, has endured for many thousands of years. But it has only been a matter of centuries since the impersonal state apparatus has used cultural violence to achieve its political ends.
Donald Trump’s main message to voters is that he is a deal-maker. He knows how to get things done in business, and now in government. Donald Trump’s side message is political incorrectness and proposing unconstitutional racist policies that target minorities, such as Muslims and Mexican immigrants. Parallels have been made to Hitler’s racist policies that targeted the Jewish people in Germany and other regions of Europe.
I believe there are distinctions between one disagreeing with extremist religious and political figures, and hate speech against minority peoples. Myself, I believe it is my right to disagree with and openly criticize the policies of political and religious extremism without using hate speech. I am unsure if Donald Trump is using Hitlerian tactics of hate speech, but I can see how other people see him as unfair, racist, and unconstitutional when he targets minorities for his own political gain.
My answer is to go back to our nation’s founding philosophy of Human Rights and Constitutional democratic governance with Liberty and Justice for All. To achieve political stability and stop extremism, we need economic and financial stability through a solid middle class. There is a lot of anger, anxiety, and political instability today, and Donald Trump is using demagoguery to spread his dual messages of deal-maker and political incorrectness.
– Jonathan Melle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law
Adolf Hitler is a model of racist, violent, and dictatorial government leadership. He persecuted peoples, especially the Jewish people, and used fear to usurp political power.
When I think of myself versus the system, my biggest nightmare would be to face the proverbial Hitler figure whereby power is absolute over my humanity, rights, and basic fairness.
I also fear the people I do not see or know about how have power over me versus the system. For a number of years of my young adult life, I was persecuted by Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr. and his political network without being able to see or know who was behind the threats, bullying, and ostracism. Since the Spring of 1996 when I was 20 years old going on 21 that Summer of 1996, Nuciforo had people associated with him threaten to assault me, bully me, make fun of me, and make my life as difficult as possible. I started to fall to mental illness as a way to cope or deal with the harsh realities I faced in my young adult life. As time wore on over the past nearly 2 decades, I began to notice a trend that a lot of the people who used their hate against me (and my family) were associated with Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr. Looking back on all of my negative experiences, I was able to be like Superman with X-ray vision and see Nuciforo behind the proverbial curtain manipulating people, events and myself and trying get me in legal trouble. Due to my mental illness, people thought I was paranoid or schizophrenic, but it was all real!
My mom told me she thinks Nuciforo is an immoral, unethical, and unconscionable man who went after me and my family without leaving behind his own fingerprints. That scares me. I wish I never knew about Pittsfield and Nuciforo’s Pittsfield politics! I am happy I moved to southern New Hampshire in the Spring of 2004. I am not captive to Nuciforo’s conspiratorial bullying political network anymore!
– Jonathan Melle
I would never have thought Nucy was smart enough to pull any of that off Jon
please read my blog page about Nuciforo’s persecution of me over the past 2 decades.
http://jonathanmelleonpolitics.blogspot.com/2008/05/andrea-nuciforo-jonathan-melle-month-of.html
Luciforo is EVIL!
I don’t doubt you Jon. I just don’t think Nuciforo is very sharp so he must have had help.
Comparing Trump to Hitler is just plain stupid.
They compared Bush to Hitler, Obama to Hitler, and Hitlery to Hitler.
What J. Mel is promoting is don’t vote for Trump unless you want Hitler. A ridiculously stupid method.
Unbelievable.
The budget office will inform all school principles to start buying things so that they don’t show money in accounts…..they have added 100 jobs in 4 budgets Mrs yon knows nothing about a bad economy. …..she is getting 80 percent of her salary the day she retired,English dept head…well over 50,000 .retired …pet peve…principles should not wear high heels to work….teachers union president told members the contract was.awesome….mccanless said they don’t get paid well….he wants to be liked and he is a great guy but should not be running budgets…..curtis and yon want to drug test the cooks and Secretaries
There will be at least another 1000 jobs opening up as the tourist season picks up. Get in line now as these career opportunity positions in dish washing and motel room cleaning will go quickly. No drug testing either. Run, don’t walk! Think of the look of pride on Dads face as you tell him you just landed the coveted position of head sheet changer at Motel 6. Wait, there”s more.
Even though the pay is minimum wage and there are no benefits and management will steal your tips you can swell up with pride knowing that Motel 6 may call you back next year after laying you off for seven months. Set for life in the Berkshires.
This attitude is the legacy of GE Pittsfield where people could find good pay with no skills, and sleep on the job to boot. This sentiment will eventually fade away as your generation dies off.
It has already been changed. You may need to go through one hell of a lot of applicants to find one who can pass a drug test and having done so show up for work for 5 days in a row.
I do believe a great deal of lazy greedy GE workers drove GE out. But others made it an empire unto itself.
and at that rate their great-grandchildren will be the ones finishing paying their college education.
Reading where another superintendent was surprised and whinny about having to manage a school system with money problems.makes me sick,they always seem in shock that people need them to man up and manage…tyer needs to tell yon and mccanless to put together a 1 high school plan for East street,knock down taconic and stall the high school,close crosby,old …with mold…consolidate pittsfield is poor run down toxic city of benzine s and pcbs….we are old and tire….give us a break….and please stop winning that we don’t give enough money to teachers….consolidate…….we are giving all of you 5years
Perhaps his extravagant salary was part of the problem? Or is that off the list of topics to consider?
We ain’t touching no gravy train. Hands off the gravy train and perks and perks embedded in perks. Some of those in school management feel they have some kind of aura around them that makes them untouchable. And since they make all the rules they are correct about that.
Johnny…I agree. McCandless getting a Salary of $175,000 a year…..and starts the switch and bait budget for 2017……. A Deputy Superintendent as well. What the hell for?
We have a new Mayor…. we have Some new additions on the City Council. Now is the time for them to show the Citizens what they will do to push back, and make the School Committee and School Department Administration….more fiscal responsible.
McCandless wants to be able to take more vacation time. Big salaries and lots of time vacation time are expected in these higher positions. Short work days too are part of the package.
With that kind of money one week’s pay covers a years property tax. Why should he give a dam about tax increases? He might have to take a few bucks from the second paycheck of the year. Of all you readers out there, how many of you can pay a year’s property tax by taking 1/52 of you yearly income?
You don’t really believe that do you
Same garden new weed
I don’t understand what makes people think things are going to change when you look at the people from years pass at her swearing in to office and think things will be different.Just look at her appointments far.
I am embarrassed for a school superintendent. What has to happen to someone to make them care so little about the children that they would build this whole phony hierarchy to milk the system out of the funds needed to educate the children? Must have been very traumatic.
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/opinion/ci_29449522/letter:-building-a-coalition-to-take-back-pittsfield
Pittsfield politics intimidates people from citizen participation in their state and local government. If you speak out against the Good Old Boy network and the vested interests that run the political system in Pittsfield, you will be blacklisted from finding a good job in Pittsfield. I know from personal experience. When I was a young man nearly 2 decades ago, Pittsfield politics was all about the G.O.B.’s and vested interests. I spoke out about Pittsfield politics’ downward spiral, and I was retaliated against by being blacklisted from finding a good job in Pittsfield.
The people who live in Pittsfield live in fear of their state and local government! Moreover, about 70% of local residents are dependent on welfare assistance and social services programs. Instead of the people owning the proverbial system, it is the system that owns the people.
I would love nothing else than democracy to take root in Pittsfield politics, but the retaliation will be harsh! …as it was with me when I was a young man who tried to participate in Pittsfield politics.
The hires for the city are Incredible, including the process,with no vetting by either the C C or Public, incredible. I could give you at least seven to ten reasons not to hire these candidates, and not just talking about Guyer. The hires were elected in less than a month of Tyer’s tenure, which means she had measured ideas before even posting these positions were made available.
A fact of life is that Melle is right,the reason we don’t print real names ihere is it can and will cost you and your family a job.information needs to be released in a way that can not be traced…….I get inside dope on these guys…..morningside is in big trouble,it is a sad fact of life that reflexes the violent drug addicted unemployed neighborhood…no leadership,allendale.schoose. ….the extent of the problem just can’t be handled with money….the eberwien years hire people that just were not fit for the problems associated with just how bad things really are on the streets of pittsfield, our city is a train wreck and we need help….
Blogging here is not a cheap shot way of saying teachers don’t earn their money because they do,it is about leadership,and leadership is not about money….Rhode Island is now teaching personal finance and how you spend money affects their future….ask yourself how did all those eberwien budgets effect education in pittsfield. …yon and Dan ellias, mazzeo, amuso brought you here….no more thanking people for the job…..ask administrators what do you do all day…..tell principles to put on sneakers and walk their building and don’t sit down. …
At an average salary of $65k, Pittsfield teachers are overpaid for diminishing results.
The pittsfield school dept is on course to lose southeast pittsfield to lenox.
Schnectady N Y should be Pittsfield’s Sister City.
In baseball sometimes your best trade is the one you never made,in pittsfield your best high school is the one you never built.why does yon and curtis want to drug test cooks and Secretaries
Gotta give it to you Change. You started at 2:30 Friday morning and you’re still at it at 2:30 this morning. If anyone needs you they know where to find you, 24-7.
Dan
Poems are great. Wish you included Yogi. Would have been hilarious, I’m sure.
One has to wonder how some of these football national commentators get their jobs. One of the all-time most stupid super bowl analysis now making rounds in national media is the ridiculous story about Denver’s secret weapon. The secret weapon is Peyton’s legs. Yes, Peyton Manning may surprise Panthers with his secret running ability. I’d love to see Manning go out a winner and if he does it won’t be because of his running ability.
Chuck,partly agree with the commentators with the exception of the secret weapon. If Denver doesn’t establish a running game, period, it will be a long afternoon. Carolina should win, to much Newton, not enough Manning.
Shelly, right on target. It’ll be Newton’s day to cap a great year. It’s just so stupid to suggest Payton’s so-called secret running ability may surprise Carolina. It would be stupid of Denver to run him – even once – risking injury to an ageing but still great passer. The forward pass is the primary skill Manning has that may keep Denver in the game. It certainly isn’t his 39 year old legs that will surprise the Panthers.
Chuck, t’s the last game of the season. You use every club in your bag and every play in the playbook. It also might be Manning’s last game.
I’ll be curious to see if Carolina fades in the second half as they often do.
Panthers 31 broncos 17
The recent raid at the Ealeton School brings to mind the newly departed Pittsfield personnel director, John DeAngelo aka The Sheffield Shuffler and his clandestine role in the mysterious closing of the Kolburne School.
DeAngelo will not be making his commute any longer. Nor will he be postioned to continue to intimidate DV or the H2O wizz while thwarting their efforts to obtain residency information on municipal employees.
The Sheffield Shuffler did an excellent impersonation of the late,great Charles Durning doing the SideStep number in THe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas when he blocked their requests.
Will DV and the H2O wizz fare better now???
He did this with the guidance of the other three who are no longer employed by the city. Could you guess who?
I suspect that they will be just as vigilant
DV got the last laugh, didn’t he!!!
It’s interesting that Dan wrote that the shuffler, degnan and carmel should be let go.
After TLL became mayor guess what? All 3 were let go!
It is clearly true that most of the posters on this site are
pessimists. Should you ever listen to a pessimist? Of course.They’re the best indication of what’s unstainable and thus probably about to change and thus the soil of what’s to be optimistic about. We are lucky we have two city individuals who are these pessimists as they will lead the low information voters out of bondage.
here in Pittsfield. we expect our
teachers to be educated in teaching. our firefighters to know how to
put out fires, our brain surgeons to be well versed in medicine]. Yet,
the incredibly complex job of President could be handed to a
neophyte, as was the case of our current president
elected City of Pittsfield officials to the letter. Think Tyer,
Tully, Morandi, Cacomo, Amuso, of the GOBSIG network. Any Questions?
Did I miss any? fill in the
blanks————————————–Simonelli, connell,
Mrs.Dews ,Guyer and all members of the school committee. This is the
result ————–In the past mayoral election, one can look back
and only imagine, what might have been- if another candidate was
elected mayor. We will all be paying for this mistake for a very very
very long time.
I’m wondering who on the Planet watches PCTV? What are your favorite shows and what shows put you to sleep?
Let’s see, half million homeless people in U S and we take care of illegal immigrants and leave existing Americans in the streets, something odd with that picture. Pittsfield is not exempt to homeless people either.
I totally agree. We can’t even properly take care of the people already in this country.
All ex pittsfield businesses find a home…….it’s the drugs and violence we inherit…clean up mornigside,to barry and mayor tyer…there are children living there…..consolidate the schools…..is there any doubt the principle needs to work past 3pm instead of leaving before the buses leave……curtis,and mccanless put your sneakers on and report to morningside every morning until you get control……stop with excuses and get to work…we are watching …please
Jason McCandless, man up and go on Valenti’s show or Gaetani’s show and hopefully Kinnas will appear with you. I see that you will go on a show like Stirgen’s……how brave of you to go on a softball show where everyone fawns over each other .
Brother and sister posters email McCandless..jmccandless@pittsfield.net and ask him to face the taxpayers on Mr. Gs or Mr. Vs show.
He can bring Yon….they should wear their dancing shoes as they will dance around questions like Fred Astair and Ginger Rodgers……maybe one of our hosts can show footage of fred and ginger this upcoming week/
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/local/ci_29446647/mccandless-warns-budget-cuts-answers-harsh-criticism…..what do you say Jake? Are you chicken?
Jason McCandless, man up and go on Valenti’s show or the G man’s show and hopefully Kinnas will appear with you. I see that you will go on a show like Stirgen’s……how brave of you to go on a softball show where everyone fawns over each other .
Brother and sister posters email McCandless..jmccandless@pittsfield.net and ask him to face the taxpayers on Mr. Vs show.
He can bring Yon….they should wear their dancing shoes as they will dance around questions like Fred Astair and Ginger Rodgers……maybe one of our hosts can show footage of fred and ginger this upcoming week/
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/local/ci_29446647/mccandless-warns-budget-cuts-answers-harsh-criticism…..what do you say Jake? Are you chicken?