Rich Monetti
Bio
I am, I write.
Stories (1022)
Filter by community
Amanda Gisonni Strikes Out but Will Always Be a Hit with Me
Me and my brother-in-law got into the car in Monmouth, New Jersey last week, and it took about an hour for either of us to utter a word. My niece had just made her first start for the University of Penn. Amanda Gisonni only lasted two innings and gave up four runs. Sigh.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Unbalanced
Andrew and Matt Groll Compete and Byram Hills Wins
Long before Andrew and Matt Groll became Byram Hills’ twin towers on the basketball court, they played one on one in the driveway after school every day. The elder Groll describes the daily dates as good, competitive fun. Matt, on the other hand, had a different recollection.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Unbalanced
On the Road in Somers with Scott Urgola
As could be said for most of us, hearing the Beatles for the first time begins a journey into music that never ends. “I decided at 13,” said Scott Urgola, “that I needed an electric guitar.” This as he was transfixed to the TV during the airing of the Beatles Anthology in 1996. Urgola would progress through that phase in high school and college. But the Somers singer/songwriter’s musical arrival didn’t start until introduced to an American legend much further removed from the telegenic electricity of the Beatles.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Beat
The War on Drugs is a Crime Against Humanity
“Weldon Angelos will spend the rest of his life in prison for three marijuana sales. Angelos, a twenty four year old record producer, possessed a weapon which he did not use or threaten to use at the time of the sales. Under federal sentencing guidelines, the sentencing judge was obligated to impose a fifty five year mandatory minimum sentence. Upon doing so, the judge noted his reluctance to send the young man away for life for three marijuana sales. He said from the bench, ‘The Court believes that to sentence Mr. Angelos to prison for the rest of his life is unjust, cruel, and even irrational.’”
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in The Swamp
43 Years at the Center of Somers Slow Pitch Softball
Almost 40 years ago this summer, a Harlem Globetrotter-like six-man all-star team of windmill softball players arrived to entertain a packed park of Somers Residents. The idea was also to drub whoever the town could put up as players. Little did the California Cuties—in their comedic get up as girls—know they would run up against a 53-year-old founding member of the Somers Softball League. So while the Shenorock resident didn’t get the win, he did earn the last laugh and represents one of many moments as a player, administrator, and manager over 43 years.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Unbalanced
Somers Remembers Stephenie Crispinelli
On Sunday afternoon, Somers once again gathered for the Stephenie Crispinelli Softball Tournament and Fundraiser. Set in motion for the ninth year and remembering the passing of Stephenie in the Haiti Earthquake, the spirit was definitely in the air, according to close family friend Joe Mirabile.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Unbalanced
Han May Have Gone Solo in This 'Star Wars' Story but I Wasn’t
I said I wasn’t going to give out any more money to this bankrupt Star Wars franchise. But, I had hope for this Star Wars story, and when my friend suggested Solo to escape the obtrusive July 4th heat, I jumped at the chance.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Futurism
Revolutionary War Monument to Remember the Diversity of All Who Sacrificed in Crucial Local Battle
Picture a monument of a White American officer flanked in battle by an African American enlistee and a Native American sharpshooter, and the commemoration must come no earlier than the Korean War. Therefore, only revisionist history driven by the demands of excessive political correctness could place the scene before that time. So for someone to actually put up the statue would have to be seen as taking the rewrite to a whole other level. That said, Michael Kahn of Yorktown Heights has set such an initiative in motion and hopes to have that very Revolutionary War Monument in place at Downing Park in the near future. Nonetheless, he feels very secure in the historical accuracy and its intent to remember all who served—especially in this area.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Serve
What I Like About Somers, New York
Back in June 2013, Primrose Elementary School had every third grader put together an essay on "What I like about Somers, New York.” Blue suburban skies, ample fields of play and a close knit community, the literary types must have reveled in a day to show off their aptitude to put prose to paper. "I was not that excited," said Viktoria Barbarakis. "It was the end of the year so I didn't want to do it." But she didn't let the natural inclination to reach for summer get in the way of her inspiration and beat out 200 other students.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Education
Somers High School Alumni Gather to Remember Beloved Gym Teacher
Back in 2006, longtime Somers Track Coach and Phys Ed Teacher Charles Gilberti lost a extended fight with cancer. He died at the age of 67 in Las Vegas. At the Lovell Street Bar and Grill, Somers alumni and colleagues came out to pay respects soon after. They did so in a manner befitting a Somers fixture that few ever addressed as Charles or Mr. Gilberti.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Education
Hey Baby Continues to Rock Westchester
If you decide on a rockin' night out on a Friday Night with the Hey Baby band and notice a twirling disco ball above, don’t expect that these guys to pay it any heed. “We don’t conform to KC and The Sunshine Band. We’re true to the music,” says band manager and bassist, Skip Langworthy.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Beat
