Talk Bronx New York

Yanks Score 11th Straight Home Opener With WIN! 

Chien-Ming Wang hurled seven solid innings, and Melky Cabrera homered as New York edged Toronto, 3-2, in the 84th and final home opener at the current Yankee Stadium.

“The House That Ruth Built,” which opened in 1923 and was renovated from 1974-75, will be replaced by a $1.3 billion state-of-the-art ballpark, which will also be called Yankee Stadium, in 2009.

The game also featured the debut of new Yankees manager Joe Girardi, marking the first time that the Bronx Bombers took the field without Joe Torre at the helm since 1995.

After four World Series titles and 12 straight years of reaching the playoffs, the Yankees decided to offer Torre an incentive-laden contract, which he quickly turned down. So, the Yankees handed the managerial reins over to one of Torre’s former bench coaches, Girardi, who earned Manager of the Year honors in his one year as skipper of the Florida Marlins in 2006.

Wang (1-0) allowed just six hits and two runs for the Yankees, who have won 11 straight home-openers, a big league record. Alex Rodriguez finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and scored the game-winning run, while Bobby Abreu was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Star closer Mariano Rivera capped Girardi’s first win in the Bronx with a perfect ninth to earn the save. Rivera then gave his new manager the ball after recording the third out.

“It was an outstanding game,” Girardi said. “Melky played great and so did Jason (Giambi). This means a lot.”

Shannon Stewart and Marco Scutaro drove in a run apiece for the Blue Jays, who are coming off an 83-79 season. Toronto ace Roy Halladay (0-1) pitched well, surrendering three runs on seven hits in seven innings en route to the hard- luck loss.

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Teens’ TV Spot Gangs Up On The Gangs

“Thinking smart is not thinking gang colors.”

That’s the simple message of a new cable TV public service announcement made by a group of Bronx teens.

The effort is part of the Key to Success program, an anti-gang youth group founded by local activist Ronald Savage.

Growing up in Castle Hill, Savage recalled seeing gangs terrorizing neighbors and knew there had to be a better way to live.

“I felt that being in a gang was not going to do anything for you,” said Savage, who also heads the United Coalition Association, which administers the program. “Now, I speak out and tell young kids not to get involved with gangs. I try to steer them toward getting a high school diploma.”

Savage started the Key to Success program to do just that. About 15 teens attend group sessions every Saturday at Intermediate School 131 in Castle Hill.

The teens work on leadership skills and talk about their families, school and life issues. All the while, mentors encourage them to stay in school.

The group also takes field trips to local attractions, and guest speakers such as local entrepreneurs and politicians are brought in to inspire the students.

“I want these kids to see that these people are just like them, that they too can achieve their dreams,” Savage said.

Last April, the Key to Success program started doing public service announcements with grant money from the City Council’s Anti-Gang Violence Youth Initiative.

“I feel we can reach a bigger population by having the PSAs on TV,” Savage said. “And hopefully, when the youths see it enough, the message will start to sink in.”

The announcements, which run on VH1, MTV2, E! and News 12, seem to be reaching their intended targets. Savage said neighborhood teens often stop him on the street to talk about them.

The program’s next project is to blanket school libraries across the Bronx with newly designed posters reading, “The Key to Success is Knowing the Importance of Staying in School.”

That message already hits home for 13-year-old Donnette Walker, who wants to be a lawyer.

“I like that they tell us to stay in school, and to be a leader, not a follower,” she said.

For Catisa Alvarado, 13, just having something to do on Saturdays is a plus.

“We’ve been bowling, to the Natural History Museum, the movies, everywhere,” she said. “It’s fun. Instead of doing nothing, I can go there and learn stuff.”

The program has been a godsend for her mom, Isabel Vargas.

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