Talk Bronx New York

Ruben Diaz Jr. will present his achievements and goals for the Bronx in his first State of the Borough speech.

 Taking on development, jobs, living wages, gun violence - and a snowstorm - Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will present his achievements and goals for the Bronx today in his first State of the Borough speech.

Key among his goals, says his office, will be a new plan to develop the Kingsbridge Armory, after he and others led the fight to kill a plan for a mall there.

A thousand invited guests at the Evander Childs High School campus are expected to hear Diaz announce a task force to develop new ideas for the cavernous, white-elephant armory’s future, such as manufacturing and recreation.

Diaz was pilloried by Mayor Bloomberg and construction unions for pushing the City Council to kill the plan for the heavily subsidized mall, over his insistence retailers there pay “a living wage” to workers - $10 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 without benefits.

He is expected today to again raise the issue of living wages for projects receiving heavy city subsidies and tax breaks, and announce he has partnered with Bronx City Council members Anabel Palma and Oliver Koppell on legislation requiring that developers who receive taxpayer help make their project pay workers a living wage.

The borough president also is expected to announce a long-held dream of former borough presidents and business leaders - to bring a quality hotel to the Bronx, working with developers and the New York Hotel Trade Council to identify sites, and generate interest from hotel operators.

Former Borough President Fernando Ferrer had a master plan calling for a hotel as part of a Yankee Village near Yankee Stadium. The new Gateway Center Mall near there has been viewed as a possible site. Some have suggested a hotel near Fordham University, with the Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Garden and Arthur Avenue as nearby draws. Read more..

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Mill Pond Park in the Bronx has been named February’s Park of the Month. The ten-acre park opened last October as part of the Yankee Stadium Redevelopment Project, and the upcoming arrival of spring and the warm weather season offers fresh opportunities to discover nature, connect with the community, and have fun outdoors. Hugging the banks of the Harlem River, Mill Pond Park has transformed a formerly run-down industrial section of the south Bronx into a state-of-the-art recreational facility. The park is located along East 149th Street and Exterior Street, across the street from the Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market.

“Mill Pond Park is a creatively designed, exciting new park that brings increased green space and waterfront access to the South Bronx,” said Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “The park’s state of the art tennis courts, esplanade, picnic area, and youth sand play area offer various ways to have fun and connect with nature. Mill Pond Park is a great place to get out, workout, and eat out right on the Harlem River waterfront.”

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Jeter tops Wright for charity

Derek Jeter accepts a $100,000 donation from Delta for his Turn 2 Foundation after compiling a higher batting average than David Wright

 The sounds of the seasons were echoing through the hallways of Yankee Stadium on Thursday evening, as Derek Jeter helped pack Yankees knapsacks full of goodies that will soon be delivered into the hands of appreciative children.

Behind a sound system blaring holiday hits, Jeter was joined by dozens of helpers from his Turn 2 Foundation, wearing ‘Jeter’s Leaders’ pinstriped jerseys and festive red and green caps. The high schoolers tore through box after box to assemble gift bags and create a happier holiday for many.

“This is the fun time, especially with the foundation,” Jeter said. “This is when you get a chance to see all the kids that you’ve been working with, going through the programs. I always enjoy the holiday season.”

Jeter’s ‘Turn 2 Holiday Express’ is one of the activities created to reward children involved in Turn 2’s Signature Programs, who are demonstrating positive behavior, academic excellence, and leadership qualities in school and their communities.

Approximately 1,000 gift bags were packed during the session in the Bronx, containing items donated by the Yankees and sponsors of the foundation. After their work was complete, Jeter’s Leaders were welcomed in Yankee Stadium’s Delta Sky 360 suite for a private party with the Yankees captain. Read more..

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Much has been made about this year’s World Series champions, the New York Yankees, and their astronomical payroll. Many critics point to the estimated $208 million the Yankees spent in player salaries in 2009, and claim the “Bronx Bombers” simply “bought” the World Series championship. While it’s true that the Yankees far outspent any of their opponents this past season, it’s hard to argue with the results: they are baseball’s best in 2009.

With this in mind, we’ve decided to take a look at World Series champions over the past 10 years and analyze whether big bucks can buy World Series success.

The Yankees have spent big dollars throughout the decade, and it’s paid off with playoff appearances in nine of the past 10 seasons, and four World Series appearances, but you’ll never believe how much they actually spent to get there. With the likes of A-Rod, Jeter and CC, the Yankees were able to bring the World Series championship back to the Bronx for the first time since 2000. The Red Sox have matched the Yanks as far as titles, and have kept up with New York in spending as best they could. It took a group of “idiots” and the greatest series comeback in postseason history to reverse the Curse of the Bambino in 2004. Read more..

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This has to happen. Pedro Martinez has to take the ball in the Bronx tonight and cut and curve and quick-pitch the overhyped Yankees hitters into knots. He has to lick those long fingers and throw those 76 mph high changeups and put the entire tri-state region into a palpable state of panic.

He has to beat the Yankees tonight, force a Game 7 and hand some smart tabloid editor the chance to make backpage history. Pedro has to glare in at Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez after punching them out in a big spot, and his photo has to appear tomorrow with the obvious headline:

The Man Who Stares At Goats.

This just has to happen. Pedro has to knock them out with his sheer force of will, just like George Clooney does to the real goats in those incessant TV commercials. This whole thing has unfolded like some kind of corny baseball movie. Only we don’t know how this one will turn out. You can go to the movies tonight, but I have news for you: Michael Jackson dies in the end. Pedro vs. the Yanks? We don’t know what’s going to happen.

All we know is that, for drama, for fun, for pure entertainment value, the Phillies have the perfect guy on the mound. Pedro has been called a lot of things in his brilliant career, but how about this for a first: best bargain in baseball. Commissioner Bud Selig ought to hand Martinez a bonus for all the eyeballs he will attract tonight. The Phillies signed Martinez for $2 million. For the record, the Red Sox [team stats] paid about 10 TIMES THAT for the worthless pitching trio of Brad Penny, John Smoltz and Takashi Saito. Read more..

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