The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Inside Thoughts

The Measure of a SOFTBALL Man

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Dan and his son, Greeley senior, Charlie, sport their team colors.
Dan and his son, Greeley senior, Charlie, sport their team colors.

By Dan Levitz

It’s been about a year since I wrote on these pages, with some gravity, about an important component of life here in beautiful Chappaqua: Adult Men’s B League Softball. My previous missive detailed what had been a recent and glorious playoff victory for our long-suffering yet defiantly optimistic squad. I detailed a sweet path to the championship where all we needed were several, fully achievable, victories and that elusive title would have been ours, finally. Alas, best effort aside, our bats went dormant in the clutch and the long winter off-season began way too soon.

Hope most certainly does spring eternal but, as April arrived, we began the 2014 season with an ignominious six straight defeats. Long story short, softball creatures that we are, we righted the ship and won enough games not be dropped to the dreaded C league (no offense fellas). We even had a nice win in the playoffs. Now we look towards 2015 with nearly unfathomable optimism as a highly controversial “old man” softball league scenario finally begins to turn in our favor.

You see, losing the first six games was especially disastrous for us as, on average, our players are in their mid-forties. In early spring most team rosters have pretty similar demographics. However, a few weeks into May 
everything changes as college age players come home soon to be followed by fresh Greeley grads. So, for us, early season wins are essential because, once the warm weather comes, most of the other teams no longer look like ours does and, traditionally, we stay the same: old.

The young player issue has been a subject of great debate within our league. There’s been talk about limiting the number of young players on the field or even how many kids can be on the entire roster. However, no consensus has ever been possible as the teams with the kids playing don’t want to change a thing, while the old guard teams disagree with great fervor. The net result is the rules stay the same.

Now, I can’t bear a hypocrite as much as the next guy, but I can just feel my perspective on this controversy shifting after essentially embodying the old player point of view for years. This year my team will have at least five sons of players who will be eligible. So, as we do abide by the rules of New Castle Men’s B League Softball we will be adding some very young varsity athlete legs to our, ahem, veteran roster of players.

Because who doesn’t love a man in uniform?!
Because who doesn’t love a man in uniform?!

Along those lines, like yin/yang and to every season turn, turn, turn there will be some changes on the older end of the spectrum. We have two pending retirements and they will, no doubt, bring us sadness from a teammate point of view. In reality, a big part of being on the team is celebrating a win at Quaker Hill Tavern–or bemoaning a loss there as well. Most of the time you wouldn’t know which scenario was being enacted as, once the beer and wings start going down, it doesn’t really matter.

A quick shout out to one of our older warriors who may be hanging up his cleats. Amongst our most devoted players this teammate could always be relied upon to show up which, believe me, is no small thing. In what may have been his last game (a playoff battle) he was catching and, at an important moment, ran out to try and catch a pop up. He pulled his mask off, took one step and fell damn hard. Had he come out of the game, we’d be short a player for the game in which we already trailed. To his credit he stayed in the game and, despite the eventual loss, he put the team ahead of his own discomfort which was something to see. That he later said this was his last game made the moment even more meaningful.

I know enough about sports to understand that a team “on paper” cannot accurately be evaluated. In team sports, every squad has its own rhythms, strengths and weaknesses; none of which can be accurately predicted. I also know that just seeing how things evolve in a season is part of what makes competing in this league so much fun. In a simple kids game played by men (and very young men), there are lessons to be learned in sportsmanship, honor and friendship. We may not win this spring but we’ll battle every week and those young legs cover a lot of ground in the outfield.

Anyone interested in New Castle Adult Men’s Softball should definitely contact the recreation department at Town Hall.

Dan Levitz plays third base for The Dirty Mac and hopes to hit better in this coming 2015 season.

Be a Forward Thinker…and NOT Part of the Herd

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ben-and-debbieBy Ben and Debbie Lieberman

In the 70’s, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day was common. In the 80’s, driving drunk was something to joke around about. While we are at it, nobody wore safety belts in cars, either. Just because “everyone was doing it,” did not make the behavior less dangerous or less moronic. We can all be pretty stubborn and sometimes we need a good wake up call.

Now look at driving with a Smartphone. The gigantic number of people absorbed and dependent on this relatively new and portable technology suggests the ramifications of this current distracted driving phenomenon will be even more dramatic than the above examples.

The addictive need to be connected at all times is your own prerogative, until you are navigating a car and converting that vehicle into a two-ton missile. FYI–like cigarette companies in the past, technology companies today are not only dismissing the warning signs but are going full speed ahead with technology packages in cars that fufill your need to stay connected. I would argue, an automobile is meant to take us from “Point-A to Point-B” and confusing that with business or entertaining ourselves is getting people killed.

The lesson learned from cigarettes, seatbelts and DWI is that behavior can change. I believe that distracted driving behavior will change eventually, but like cigarettes and DWI’s, I worry about all the damage that will be done as we travel up this learning curve.

I can say with a very clear conscious, as someone who doesn’t view my phone while driving… that I haven’t missed a party and I haven’t gone broke. I manage just fine to find times away from the steering wheel to get everything done. Some might disagree with the need to relinquish the devices, but to me, it seems like a pretty minor adjustment considering the downside risk. I guess the question I would like to ask the busy multi-taskers with existences more important than mine: How (or why) is your agenda more important than someone else’s life?

There are many statistics confirming that distracted driving impairments are equal to, or greater than drunk driving. But it doesn’t take an academic study to prove that if you take your eyes off the road, you are more likely to crash. This should register with our common sense. Let’s all rise above the herd. Let’s be forward thinkers.

Debbie and Ben Lieberman, Chappaqua residents for the last 20 years, are the founders of DORCs (Distracted Operators Risk Casualties) together with Deborah Becker. DORCS is an advocacy group committed to education, legislation and enforcement in efforts to combat distracted driving (the way MADD fought drinking and driving). Ben and Debbie are also the founders of Evans Team, which organizes fun, community fundraising events in memory of their son Evan. For more information, please visit evansteamny.com

Everybody Look What’s Going Down

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By Janine Crowley Haynes

I’ve been sitting on this for a week now. Along with many others, my heart broke when I heard the news of Robin Williams’ suicide. There are countless thoughts swirling around in my head, and the attempt to capture these thoughts and translate them into coherent sentences, I find incredibly difficult. Like most of us, I never knew Robin personally, yet his talent, humor, and genius reached me through his countless performances.

Robin’s internal struggle and suicide has unearthed in me the pain and guilt of my own suicide attempt 10 years ago. In some strange way, these emotions resurfacing in me is a good thing. I need reminding that I’m just one out of every four Americans battling the debilitating symptoms of mental illness. Yet, as a society, we’re still not getting it. With veterans alone, 22 take their own lives every day.[1] That’s a suicide every 65 minutes. Now that’s just too insane to ignore. It’s time for everybody to stop and look what’s going down.

It’s difficult to wrap our brains around the concept of mental illness being a “real” diagnosis, but the brain is an organ just like any other–when it’s not working right, it exhibits symptoms. To further complicate this discussion, Robin’s family revealed he was also dealing with the early signs of Parkinson’s Disease. To be honest, when I heard this, a part of me felt..well there goes the focus off mental illness and on to Parkinson’s. Although, Robin struggled with depression and addiction for a good chunk of his life, it’s easier for us to process the unfathomable act of suicide by contributing it to receiving the grim diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

There are so many facets and triggers that spur on mental illness. It should be of no surprise, but rather understood more fully, that Parkinson’s and/or other ailments like heart disease can also cause chemical imbalances in the brain. Why is it so hard for us to grasp the concept that our brains are wired into the rest of our organs and our bodies as a whole? The brain is one of the most complicated organs and the least understood. Trying to make sense of how the brain works on a biological, chemical, and emotional level is no small task. However, I’m not a doctor and won’t ramble on about things I know little of.

What I do know about is my personal experience and the aftermath of my suicide attempt. I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder for almost 20 years. I struggled for 10 years, going in and out of a locked psychiatric facility, experiencing manic highs where I wouldn’t sleep or eat for weeks. Then I’d transition into the psychotic realm, seeing things and hearing things and being paranoid…and then the inevitable plunge into a severe depression where I took to my bed for weeks, even months. After 10 years of this hideous cycle, I gave up. I sank to a new low and swallowed a bunch of pills to end the torment. It was a rash decision made by an irrational mind. I even convinced myself that my family would be better off without me and my illness.

Robin’s suicide has flooded social media with an outpouring of love and sadness for his passing. It prompted many to upload his greatest performances, acknowledging the man whose creative genius was in a league of its own. I’ve seen encouraging posts raising awareness which makes me feel Robin’s final act has highlighted a topic sorely in need of discussion on a broader scale. On the other spectrum, I read posts commenting on how suicide is a selfish act and how could a man, who had everything, do such a thing. To me, all points are relevant as well as justifiable. I don’t take much offense to the latter comments. I’ve asked the same questions of myself. From the outside, I had it all. I had all the right boxes checked. Loving, supportive family? Check. Healthcare? Check. Top doctors and psychiatric hospital? Check and check. So…how could I conceivably have the audacity to attempt suicide?

My only answer is to try to explain to a healthy brain how a sick brain works. To the normal brain, suicide is an incomprehensible, irrational, selfish act. However, to the sick brain, it feels like the only logical solution. The only way to describe the utter despair one feels is that I couldn’t bear the torment one more second. I wanted out of my body. Now that my brain is considered to be somewhat healthy, even ten years later, I still have trouble rationalizing my suicide attempt. I still carry the guilt of that dark day.

This guilt will never go away. And, in my opinion, it shouldn’t. I’m one of the lucky ones. I survived. I need to remind myself of the pain I felt and caused others in my life. It reminds me to own my illness and not let it own me. It reminds me to be honest when I feel like I’m slipping and seek help right away…but I also need to remind myself of the positive lessons learned along the way. I’ve learned that the two components of love and support from family, friends, and community are vital to recovery. I am grateful for everyday I continue to maintain my sanity. I’ve learned there is hope. And…I remain committed (pun intended) to the cause of helping to dismantle this friggin stigma attached to mental illness so others may seek help without shame.

May Robin Williams rest in peace. May his family find comfort in the outpouring of love they’ve received from the masses, and may it be understood that his final act of despair was made with an ailing brain. Above all, may we remember him for all the joy and laughter he brought into our lives over the years, as well as the lessons he taught us with his final goodbye.

Janine Crowley Haynes, author of My Kind of Crazy: Living in a Bipolar World.  She serves on the development committee of Silver Hill Hospital–the same hospital where she was a patient many times over. janine

[1] Based on statistics released by the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Chin Up, Mom and Dad!

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helmetWhy Bicycle Helmet Safety is for Every Family Member

By Lydia Evans, MD

“Do as I say, not as I do” is an idiom that’s fodder for endless sarcastic remarks. It is clear that one of the most effective teaching tools parents have is modeling behavior. So I am totally flummoxed when I ride my bike on our beautiful local bike trails and see families out for a weekend ride.Why flummoxed? Because children, dutifully wearing their helmets, ride along wheeling and squealing, with their helmet-less parents trailing behind.

New York State requires helmets for riders under 14, but sadly, no such requirement exists for adults.

While statistics vary slightly depending on the source (U.S. Dept, of Transportation, NY State & the CDC), pedal cyclists deaths nationally range from 625-825 annually; over 500,000 injured require emergency medical attention. The vast majority of deaths (85-90%) occur in individuals 16 and older. In 2009, 91% of bicyclists killed were not wearing helmets. The most serious injuries amongst these victims were to the head. The estimated cost of caring for the injured, unhelmeted cyclists is $2.3 billion annually.

So what happens when you hit your unprotected head? While the skull is fairly strong and hard, the brain is soft (almost jello-like), and floats in cerebral spinal fluid. Inside the skull are many sharp ridges and edges.

When the head is hit, injury occurs as the brain is propelled back and forth against these protuberances (even if the skull itself is not fractured). The end result? Bruising and bleeding in the brain, and destruction of irreplaceable nerve cells.

I have ridden bicycles since childhood (yep, the classic picture of my poor father running alongside, holding onto the back of my seat until I finally “got it.”) I have suffered my share of road rash, but my helmeted head has remained unscathed. Bicycle falls are not just from motor vehicle collisions. An unseen small stone, wet leaves, or a tiny surface crack can send you and your bike flying. It only takes a second of inattention (“Oh, look at the deer,” and “What did you say, honey?”) and bang, you are on the ground.

So why doesn’t everyone wear a helmet? Some adults tell me that they “know how to ride” and won’t fall on the motorless bike path. Any experienced cyclist will tell you that this is a fallacy. I believe the main problem is that helmets can initially seem a little annoying. So is wearing a seatbelt or using sunscreen.But these minor inconveniences can all save your life. So please buckle up! This time…under your chin.

Dr. Lydia Evans has a private practice, specializing in both cosmetic and medical dermatology, in Chappaqua. Her last biking trip was with her husband through the back roads of southern Spain.

Understanding the Dangers of “Fracking”

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FrackingMany people in New York State have heard about high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing, the unconventional natural gas drilling method better known as fracking. But, people may only know some of its dangers.

Fracking, including infrastructure such as pipelines and compressor stations, carries many risks: polluting air, poisoning land, and contaminating water and food. Evidence of risks and harms is growing so rapidly that Concerned Health Professionals of New York (CHPNY) recently published a Compendium featuring hundreds of peer-reviewed studies and other findings.

Fracking releases numerous air pollutants, including methane–a potent greenhouse gas that is the main component of natural gas–benzene and other volatile organic compounds, and ground level ozone. These pollutants can lead to health impacts ranging from rashes, nausea, and nosebleeds; to respiratory and neurological problems; and even cancer. Ground level ozone threatens crops, risking economies of places like Minisink in New York’s Black Dirt Region, and New York’s food sovereignty.

Numerous studies show strong evidence of groundwater contamination. When water needed to drink, wash, cook, bathe, and water crops and livestock is contaminated with fracking chemicals–including many endocrine disruptors and carcinogens–it increases risks of reproductive, metabolic, and neurological disorders. Leaks, spills, blowouts, explosions, and other accidents further exacerbate these dangers.

Fewer people may know that fracking increases our exposure to radon, the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. The Marcellus Shale, the rock formation underneath New York and Pennsylvania that the gas industry wants to frack, has incredibly high levels of radioactivity including radon. Radon could travel with fracked gas in pipelines into homes, increasing the risk of lung cancer, especially among children.

Fracking leads to climate change. Massive amounts of the potent greenhouse gas methane–34 times more potent than carbon dioxide–leak throughout extraction, transportation, and storage of natural gas. Additionally, the entire fracking process is dependent on other fossil fuels for thousands of truck trips per well, and other machine operations. Climate change directly threatens us through dangerous, extreme weather and sea level rise. It affects us through changing temperatures, impacting growing seasons and limiting food crop growth –ultimately threatening our ability to feed ourselves. We must address fracking and climate change now. Get involved. Ask Governor Cuomo to ban fracking. Join the People’s Climate March in Manhattan on September 21.

Jessica Roff is the Downstate Regional Organizer of New Yorkers Against 
Fracking.