Roger Conner: BASEBALL'S HOME RUN LEADER BEFORE RUTH, AARON, BONDS

He is baseball’s forgotten home run champion. Regarded as one of the great sluggers of the 19th century Roger Connor’s major league career home run record stood for 24 years until Babe Ruth passed him in 1921. When Ruth hit his 139th homer, Conner’s name was never mentioned. Baseball finally recognized Connor’s record two years after Henry Aaron passed Ruth in 1974.

Who was Roger Connor? Born of Irish immigrant parents in Waterbury, Connecticut Connor had the rock hard body of a Connecticut farm boy. At 6’3” and 220 lbs, Connor was a powerful left-handed hitting first baseman.

Connor played eighteen years in the majors and began his career with Troy in upstate New York in 1880 at the age of 22. He arrived in New York three years later and teamed with future Hall of Fame players Buck Ewing and John Montgomery Ward. In 1885 the team was so good manager Jim Mutrie bragged about “my giants!”

Connor led the league in home runs only once when he banged a career high 17 in 1887. He hit 14 the next year, his second highest total. Overall he hit 138 homers during his career. His numbers pale in comparison to Bonds, Ruth and Aaron but Connor’s strength was legendary. He hit the first grand slam in major league history. He was the first and only player ever to hit an over-the-wall home run in the Polo Grounds, the original one, at 110th Street and Fifth Avenue. His monstrous blast sailed over the right-field fence, over rows of spectators and a two-story-high billboard and landed on 112th Street.

According to an account in The Sporting News “members of the New York Stock Exchange, occupying box seats, were so smitten by the Herculean clout that they took a collection for the slugger. When the contributions were totaled, the fans were able to present a $500 gold watch to their hero.”

Connor was not the typical lumbering first baseman. A gifted all-round five-tool player, long before another Giant made the label famous, Connor had great speed and good hands and was very adept at digging balls out of the dirt.

A lifetime .317 hitter, Connor led the league with a .371 average in 1885. His 233 triples placed him fifth on the all-time list. He led the league twice and had a high of 25 in 1894. He had 15 or more triples in a season nine times. Connor hit 441 doubles and stole 244 stolen bases including 43 in 1887. Known as a clutch hitter, Connor knocked in 1322 runs in his career. He topped the 100 mark four times.

Connor retired in 1897 at the age of 39. He played ten years with the Giants/Gothams (the franchise was known as the Gothams before changing its name to Giants). As a member of the newly formed players union Connor jumped to the Players league for one year.

He retired to Waterbury and managed several minor league teams. He died in 1931. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976.

Future of Urban Farming: GROWING VEGETABLES ON THE HUDSON AND YOUR ROOF

Imagine going to the roof of your apartment or office building to pick out fresh vegetables instead of trekking to Whole Foods, Fairway or the nearest farmers market. If this idea sounds far-fetched then you must visit the Science Barge docked at the newly built Pier 84 in Hudson River Park and see urban sustainable farming first-hand.

In a 1300 square foot greenhouse built on the barge Ted Caplow and his small, dedicated staff of environmental professionals grow enough cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, herbs, swish chard and lettuce to feed 25 people. They use no pesticides or fertilizers to pollute the environment. Rainwater and Hudson river water is purified and re-circulated. In fact the Barge emits no carbon dioxide emissions while growing more food on less space, using much less water and no soil. A mix of coconut husks and rice hulls are used instead of soil.

Caplow, who has a PH.D in environmental engineering founded New York Sun Works in 2004, a nonprofit organization whose mission is promoting sustainability through hydroponics agriculture, water recycling and renewable energy.

The Science Barge arrived in May 2007 and held its opening ceremony on Pier 84, at 44th Street and 12th Avenue. Caplow said the food we buy travels a long way to reach us. It takes a lot of energy and fuel to grow and transport food to urban markets where almost 80 percent of people live worldwide.

"We buy vegetables from California and Mexico, fruit from Florida, beef from Colorado or Argentina. Even bottled water comes from Fujii," Caplow said. "Food has a large environmental impact. Agriculture consumes the majority of the world's fresh water. Crop fertilizers, pesticides and other wastes pollute our streams. These pollutants eventually wind up in the sea. This has created dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay and in the Long Island Sound."
According to Caplow in twenty-five years the city's population will expand by one million. Today in order to feed metro New York's 20 million people we need an area the size of Wyoming.

Speaking before a crowd of a few hundred people which included State Assemblyman Tom Duane, economist Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Connie Fishman, President of the Hudson River Park Trust all of whom spoke at the ceremony, Caplow said "We place increasingly huge demands on the countryside for food, water and power. If we do nothing the landscape will struggle to keep up with these demands. We risk blackouts, water and even food shortages."

Since land in the city is scarce and costly Caplow envisions urban farming moving up above the urban landscape. The barge is a start. Sustainable farming is necessary if we are to meet the challenges of feeding a growing population without further destroying the environment.

"There is enough existing rooftop space in New York City to grow enough fresh vegetables for the entire population," Caplow said.

The greenhouse is on a refurbished 60 year-old barge. There is also an outdoor growing area and classroom space. The program also demonstrates three renewable energy technologies. Solar panels, installed on a passive tracker follow the sun across the sky and catches energy from the sun’s rays which generates electricity. Five-wind turbines also generate power. Biofuels and waste vegetable oil runs the generator.

For the past three years thousands of school children, tourists and those interested in sustainable farming have toured The Science Barge at Pier 84, Riverside Park at West 72nd Street, Stuyvesant Cove Park at East 23rd Street and other locations.

The Science Barge is now in Yonkers, New York. Groundwork Hudson Valley (GHV) runs and organizes programming. For information about tours visit the Groundwork Hudson Valley website.

Photo by Rudi Papiri

ENCORE AT SAINT MALACHY'S CHURCH: BROADWAY CLASSIC IS A BEACON OF HOPE FOR SENIORS

Broadway's longest running show does not have elaborate costumes or a dazzling multi-million dollar set. Its marquee is not adorned with bright lights and large photographs promoting its star performers. Limousines and taxis do not jostle for position curbside.

Except for a small banner decorated with shades of yellow, purple, blue and a small
red heart held by two hands, it is easy to walk past Encore.
If you do you are missing the theater district's most important act.

Located in the lower level of St. Malachy's Church, formerly the Actor's Chapel, Encore bills itself as "Broadway's longest running act of loving car." It serves low-income elderly living in Clinton and Times Square. Founded in 1977 by the late Reverend George Moore, pastor of St. Malachy's, and Sisters Elizabeth Hasselt, the center's executive director, and Lillian McNamara, head of senior services, this nondenominational center began modestly serving twenty-five meals a day. Today Encore's breakfast and lunch program feeds more than 430 people daily, delivers another weekends.

Sister Lillian remembers the early days. "We used to get food from Horn & Hardart on 57th Street and carry it back," she said.

Conceived as a place for seniors to escape the squalid apartments in run-down tenements and dingy crime-ridden single room occupancies, Encore is clean, safe and friendly. When asked why St. Malachy's geared their ministry to helping the elderly Sister Lillian said, "Father Moore pounded the pavement. He met with block associations, community groups, churches and discovered many elderly lived in substandard conditions."

Encore is more than a place to chat and eat. It is filled with friends, neighbors and caring professionals. Social workers, a part-time nurse and scores of volunteers treat seniors with respect and dignity.

Sidney Friedman, a retired postal clerk and a nine- year resident of Encore 49, a residence run by the center, stayed at the Bellevue Men's Shelter shortly before moving here. "I like this place very much. It is safe, very comfy, very proper," he said. Mr. Friedman a trained concert pianist who studied at Juilliard added "And I can practice my music. We have a piano here and at the center. I play Broadway show tunes and popular hits at our parties."

Encore provides support services for homebound seniors, which enables them to live independently. Forced to remain at home due to fragile health, often impoverished, without family or friends, these forgotten seniors cannot shop, cook, clean or tend to their medical needs alone.

Encore programs are geared for these seniors. The Friendly Visiting Program matches volunteers, often-younger professionals with seniors. They are asked to visit their new friends weekly - talk, go for walks or read to those with failing eyesight. Tied in with this are Meals-on-Wheels, the Shop and Escort and Telephone Assurance Programs, whereby callers check in twice a week.

Encore has expanded substantially since it first opened twenty-five years ago. It administers an array of programs, social events and services to over 14,000 seniors annually. Encore offers weekly classes in painting and crafts. Seniors take Yoga, Shiatsu, Tai Chi and aerobics. There are dances, birthday and holiday celebrations, movies and concerts. The Schubert Organization and the theater community assist Encore. Seniors receive free tickets to Broadway and off-Broadway shows.

Encores full-time on-site certified social workers provide one-on-one benefits and entitlement counseling. They help with Medicare, Medicaid, housing, financial and legal matters such as living wills. There are crisis intervention and mental health services. The Bridge Project provides bereavement and grief support.

Long an advocate for decent and affordable housing Encore opened a SRO style residence in 1989 in the Markwell Hotel on West 49th Street. Home to 89 formerly homeless seniors, this safe, well-maintained facility provides an array of support services that helped residents move from life on the streets and shelters. The newly built Encore West Residence, Tenth Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets provides housing for 84 low-income seniors.

"There is a desperate need for decent and affordable housing for senior and low-income families in our area," Sister Lillian said. "Seniors live on fixed incomes. They cannot afford exorbitant rents. Often they cannot even afford to buy food.
"Encore is a model of how it can and should be done," Sister Lillian said. "We treat the senior as a complete human being. A person needs food but also decent housing and services. And that's our mission."

For information contact Encore Senior Center, at Saint Malachy’s Church, 239 West 49th Street, NYC; 212-581-2910

Photo: By Rudi Papiri

Finders Keepers: NOT IN NEW YORK CITY, NOT ON THIS DAY!

Is the NYPD really like the Mayberry PD? You may think I am joking or inhaling some really good stuff.

Remember Mayberry, the fictional North Carolina town from the 1960’s Andy Griffith show. Mayberry, a friendly and sleepy place had a two person police department starring Andy Griffith, as Sheriff Taylor, and his incompetent comic sidekick Don Knotts, as Barney Fife.

Mayberry was more about Otis Campbell, the town drunk checking himself in-and-out of jail to sleep off the effects of his binges before heading home. It was more about Barney handcuffing himself to the sheriff’s desk, or the naïve hayseed Gomer Pyle, the local gas station attendant, played by Jim Nabors serving as an interim deputy while Andy is away. Now wait! I am serious!

Forget about the TV cop shows - Kojak, NYPD Blue, CSI NY and others
They showed the tough, snide, no nonsense side of the NYPD. There is no comparison between the two. Or is there?

Flip the calendar back to late July. It is a million dollar day in NYC - sunny, brilliant blue skies and hundreds of people hanging out on Pier 84 (44th & 12th Ave.), the newly built pier part of Hudson River Park where I took my mother there to sunbathe and enjoy the generous river breezes. I never lie down on the grass but that day I did. We stayed until 5:30.

Later that night I reached for my phone, which I keep in a hip holster with a Velcro flap, to make a call. No phone! I knew I left it on the pier and promptly marched there. I sifted through trash bins, under trees, shrubs and benches. I asked the Park Rangers, the maintenance crew and the bartender at P.D. O’Hurley’s, the Irish café on the pier if it was turned in. Nothing!

Several times throughout the night I called my cell. It kept ringing. Every time it rang I saw my little three year-old LG, which fits nicely into the palm of my hand, floating inside a half empty 20 ounce cup of coke at the bottom of a garbage can covered with greasy French fries and mustard or ketchup from the burger/hotdog joint next to the pier.

At the insistence of Suzanne Barlow who challenged me to start this blog, I held off from calling Verizon to deactivate it. Every time I called my cell it always rang through to voice mail.
That did not stop me looking for a new phone online.

Monday 9:45 am I received a phone call Officer Diego Feliciano of the 10th Precinct in Chelsea. While on duty at 25th/7th Ave. a woman gave Officer Feliciano my phone. Instead of tossing it on the dashboard or in the glove compartment of his van he thumbed through my cell contact list. He tried six people before getting my home number.

When I answered he said “This is NYPD…” and before he finished I said, “You have my phone. Where are you? I’ll be right there.” He replied, “Don’t bother.” Instead Officer Feliciano drove his van to my front door and delivered it to me personally.

My lucky day in small town NYC.

Photo: Rudi Papiri

Funny Store: TIMES SQUARE RELIC THRIVES ON LAUGHTER AND MAGIC

Filled with pranks, jokes, magic toys, and much more, the Funny Store is the last old-time novelty shop in Times Square. Every inch of this emporium of laughs and tricks, no bigger than a Manhattan studio, is crammed with fun items.

As I entered the store one morning a dancing George Bush puppet greeted me singing Louis Armstrong’s song Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen; Little Johnny-Boy, a figurine wee-wee squirter sprayed me; a foul-mouthed Polly-the-Parrot insulted me; a black spider-on-string dropped from the ceiling landing on my shoulder; and a trap crunched a twelve inch rat - fake, of course.

The store carries old favorites - hand buzzers, whoopee cushions, blue mouth candy, itching powder, bleeding knives, squirting doorbells, disappearing ink, spy glasses, room stinkers, flaming wallets and a magic coloring book which changes blank pages to colored objects by saying Abracadabra.

The number one item, is actually number two - a large mound of rubber turd. He sells security badges, custom made newspaper headlines, ID cards and passport photos. At Halloween the store becomes costume central with its huge collection of masks - Feddie Kruegger, Michael Jackson, Trump and many celebrities.

Times Square, the Great White Way, known for its movie houses, theaters, clubs but novelty/magic shops, arcade playlands, burlesque joints and flea and dime museums share in the area’s history.

Few are more familiar with this than Arnold Martin, The Funny Store's 47-year-old manager, who began working in Times Square as a 14-year-old from Queens.
"I was fascinated with magic and silly things," he said. "I first saw a magician perform at Macy's in Queens. He noticed how spellbound I was and gave me a free pass to watch him at the American Theater of Magic in midtown. Soon I was selling novelties and demonstrating tricks at its souvenir counter."

It opened a new world for him. There he met Lady Esterline, the Ringling Brothers sword swallower, Otto and George the ventriloquist, Tommy Laird the magician and Congo the Witch Doctor, who walked on broken glass and ate lit cigarettes. “It was a carnival with ten bizarre acts,” he said.

With his dark horn-rimmed glasses, large eyes, short, black wavy hair Martin could pass for a computer geek except he is extremely personable and friendly. He resembles the comic actor, Arnold Stang, star of radio, television, famous for his twangy voice and his early 1960’s commercial "Open Wide for Chunky." At six-foot-three, he towers over the diminutive Stang.

Martin is not a magician but give him a deck of cards he becomes a slick Coney Island barker as he delivers his spiel - "Everyone can do these tricks. Just step right up, pick a card, any card, put it back into the deck - top, bottom middle - anywhere. No special skills required. Read-the-instructions once, be like me. Read them twice, be twice smart as me…."

The original Funny Store opened on the corner of 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in the early 1950's. It closed in the mid-eighties forced out by the city’s redevelopment plans for 42nd.

Martin moved to the Fun Emporium on Eighth Avenue near 42nd Street. When the Emporium lost its lease, it moved one block north and opened shop at the Playpen Theater, formerly the Cameo Playpen Adult Theater and renamed the Funny Store.

Martin explained the store's unique arrangement with Playpen. In the mid-nineties the city passed a law that stated the X-rated business of an adult store cannot exceed 40 percent of its operation. Funny Store and a camera shop fulfill the city's 60 percent requirement as non-adult business.

The Funny Store attracts tourists, local people and Broadway professionals who shop for props, makeup, human hair, beards, masks and costumes. Clients include cast members from The Producers. Jersey commuters shop for adult toys for their bachelorette parties Mary Poppins, Drowsy Chaperone and other shows.

Actor, stand-up comedian Gilbert Gottfried, ventriloquist Jay Johnson, magicians from the Monday Night Magic Show and radio host Joe Franklin are regulars. Martin has appeared on the Howard Stern show.

If you need to shed the winter blues drop in and let Martin entertain you.

The Funny Store - 693 Eighth Avenue, near 44th Street Mon-Sunday, 212, 957-1688; email: thefunnystore@yahoo.com

Editor’s Note: Funny Store and the Playpen adult theater closed July 2007. A 33 story luxury hotel is replacing it. Photo by Straycat

SCANDINAVIAN CUISINE AT ITS BEST

Aquavit, located in New York City's lap of luxury, is within walking distance of the St. Regis Hotel, Trump Tower, Tiffany's, Cartier, Henri Bendel and Bergdorf Goodman.
Aquavit opened in 1987 on West 54th Street in a Rockefeller family townhouse. Twenty years later it remains one of the city's premiere restaurants due to the brilliance of chef/co-owner Marcus Samuelsson's cuisine.
Born in Ethiopia, orphaned at three, adopted by a Swedish couple, Samuelsson grew up in Gotesborg, Sweden where his grandmother taught him about food. He studied at the Culinary Institute there. In 1991, at 21, Samuelsson apprenticed at Aquavit and before working at Georges Blanc, a three-star Michelin restaurant, near Lyon, France. Four years later he became Aquavit's executive chef. He scored three-stars from The New York Times in 1995 and 2001 and has received the James Beard Foundation award http://www.jamesbeard.org/ - “Best Chef in New York City.”

Samuelsson serves innovative yet traditional Scandinavian cuisine. He layers flavors and textures creatively which enhances but does not overwhelm the meal. His wild-striped bass with chorizo, langoustine, Napa sauerkraut, potato aioli sauce and broccoli puree and the spice smoked salmon plate with espresso sauce and goat cheese ice cream bursts with flavor. The beer-braised short ribs with celeriac puree, asparation and hop sauce proved mouth-watering.
Aquavit gets ninety percent of its fish from the North Atlantic and Scandinavian waters. Samuelsson understands sustenance. As a boy he hunted for mushrooms and fished. “It's important to stay aware of sustainability issues, know what's being over fished and buy accordingly,” he told The Good Life magazine.

Presentation is important. The Arctic Circle dessert presented with a white colored cylinder of frozen goat cheese and lemongrass parfait with blueberry sorbet filled and a bright yellow colored curd is a work of art.
Traditional favorites, Salmon Gratin, Swedish meatballs and lax pudding are served in the sun-lit café. The Inca grey-slate bar/lounge features Jacobsen's Egg and Swan chairs and hand-blown glass jars filled with assorted flavors of homemade Aquavit. The staff is professional and very knowledgeable.

Aquavit moved to East 55th Street, near Park Avenue, two years ago. The warm, elegant dining room has three large circular-shaped skylights, soothing green leather/fabric banquettes against stained oak walls, and walnut floors.
Samuelsson serves on the board of Careers through Culinary Arts Program. It prepares inner-city students for restaurant careers with scholarships, training and placement. He is the spokesman for the UNICEF's U.S. Fund, which supports tuberculosis programs in developing countries.
He has hosted the Discovery Channel's show “Inner Chef” and has authored several books including “Aquavit: And The New Scandinavian Cuisine,” and The Soul of a New Cuisine,

Aquavit at 65 East 55th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues New York, is located next door to the famed Friars Club...Hours: Sun-Thu 12pm-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm, Fri 12pm-2:15pm, 5:30pm-10:45pm, Sat 5pm-10:45pm; 212 593-0287.

REMEMBERING THE MAYOR OF NINTH AVENUE

James Columbus Hicks, known to hundreds of people he greeted everyday as the mayor of Ninth Avenue, died on May 12, at 81.
Mr. Hicks died in front of his home, The Whitby,
on West 45th Street. The cause of death was a heart attack.

A fixture on Ninth Avenue for years, his domain stretched from 42nd to 45th streets. From six a.m. to early evening Mr. Hicks frequented the 44th Street Newsstand, Westway diner, Bread Factory and his favorite place, Thrift and New Shoppe on 43rd where he chatted with friends, strangers and tourists.

Many people are given labels such as mayor or chairman of the board but Mr. Hicks earned his distinction. Kind, gracious, with a warm and generous personality that engulfed all who knew him, Mr. Hicks had the ability of changing one's nightmarish day into one filled with seashells and balloons. He had a brilliant smile and a hearty, infectious laugh.

Furaha Moye, a niece, described Mr. Hicks as generous, dependable, trustworthy, loving and witty. "He was always ready to help a friend," she said.

You chuckled whenever you heard Mr. Hicks call out to a fifty plus year-old man "Hey kid! Have a good day" followed with a handshake or fist tap with the person he greeted. Spry, charming, and a true gentleman Mr. Hicks was popular with the ladies. He would eagerly hug an octogenarian as he would a twenty-something and greet all with "Who is this beautiful gal."

A world War II veteran and a member of the Service Employees International Union. Mr. Hicks called Clinton/Hell's Kitchen home for the past 40 years.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, the youngest of five children, Mr. Hicks, a lifelong bachelor, had no children but was a godfather to several.

At his funeral service at Holy Cross Church, his goddaughter Christiana, battling back tears, spoke eloquently about how much he meant to her.

"He was like a father. He was always there for me," she said. Christiana recounted how Mr. Hick's would wait with her for the school bus every morning. "If I was running late James would make the bus driver wait. He never let the bus leave without me."

Minas Demetri, owner of the Thrift and New Shoppe, knew Mr. Hicks for over 20 years. "He was very upbeat and full of energy. One day he walked into my shop and he never left. From that day on we became great friends. He was well liked by everyone. He had a wonderful personality," Mr. Demetri said.

"He did so many things for me. He went to the bank, he swept the sidewalk but more importantly he kept me company. He was like family."

Mr. Hicks wore straw hats or fedoras. He enjoyed wearing dressy tropical shirts with bright floral patterns. He had style and class. At his funeral at Holy Cross Church,
Metropolitan Opera star Aprile Millo sang the Ava Maria and The Lord's Prayer.

He was an avid collector of art deco vases, African figurines and elephants. "He loved elephants," Mr. Minas said. He had elephants made of gold, ceramic, wood, some were small, others two feet high.

In the early 1990's, after he collected his 500th elephant Mr. Hicks threw a caviar and Moet Chandon party in his apartment. "We had a fun time," Mr. Demetri said. "He threw another party after he collected his 1000th elephant. He probably had over 1600, all with the trunk up. Just like the life he led, always looking up, always looking at the brighter side."

Besides his niece Furaha Moye, Mr. Hicks is survived by his sister, Ernestine Moye, both of Rochester, NY; and nieces Jeanine Taylor of Brodentown NJ, and Paula Taylor of Baltimore; nephews Sylvester and Blair Taylor, of Baltimore, and Paul Hicks of Washington, DC.

*PHOTO: JOSE ARROYO, SEATED, WITH JAMES COLUMBUS HICKS