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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Carl McCall last week announced his desire to see state taxes levied on Indian tobacco and gasoline sales. His philosophical opposition to Native American gaming is also on record.
In other words, his election would be a disaster for Niagara Falls.
If New York's cigarette taxes weren't already so obscenely out of whack, reservation sales wouldn't be such an issue. While a pack of smokes will run you $5 or $6 here, New York City smokers pay $7.50. That's the reason reservation smoke shops are thriving. My Smokin Joes, manufactured on the Tuscarora Nation, cost 80 to 90 cents a pack. At those prices, you'd be crazy not to smoke.
The difference between the 80 cents I pay on the rez and the $5 Wilson Farms charges goes straight to Albany, where our elected officials use it to make our lives miserable.
I recently toured the less tax-happy states of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee, where a pack of generic cigarettes can be had for $1.65.
Given McCall's stands on gaming and taxes, if Gov. Pataki can't get the casino show on the road by November it might just be the year for Tom Golisano.
Apparently stung by recent and well-deserved criticism on this page, former television newsreader turned ink-stained wretch Rick Pfeiffer interviewed city court judge candidate Connie Lozinsky for the local daily last week.
Of all the questions Pfeiffer could have asked, the only thing he seemed interested in was whether Connie would divest herself of the small stake she owns in the Reporter, should she be elected.
"He didn't even ask if I had shares in Berkshire Hathaway," she said, referring to the publicly traded company that owns the Buffalo News.
I expected a lot of feedback on the Niagara Falls baseball story a couple of weeks ago and you didn't let me down. One guy said I was too hard on Rick Manning, while another criticized my lack of depth in covering Sal Maglie. A North Tonawanda fan pointed out that I somehow managed to miss one area Major Leaguer, Stan Rojek, altogether.
The Manning criticism I won't address. Maybe you had to live in Cleveland through those brutal late '70s baseball seasons. But I can understand why he's seen by many here as a hometown hero and I'm not going to argue.
As far as Maglie is concerned, writing a short piece about such a beloved local legend isn't something to be approached lightly. If I put in everything that everyone here in the Falls knows about Maglie, I'd have needed to write a book.
Two things I overlooked in attempting to hit the high points of Sal's career were the no-hitter he tossed against Philadelphia on Sept. 25, 1956 and the fact that, despite scattering just five hits over nine innings for Brooklyn, he was the losing pitcher in Don Larsen's perfect Game 5 of the World Series on Oct. 5 that same year. The Yankees went on to win the only perfect game in World Series history 2-0.
With Stan Rojek, I definitely screwed up. I don't know how I missed him, as his records were easy to locate, once his many friends in North Tonawanda called to voice their displeasure. I'll insert the following into the online version of the story.
Although the war gave Stan Rojek the opportunity to play, the versatile utilityman was better than most of the crop of wartime ballplayers and parlayed his chance into a career that lasted eight seasons.
Following his Sept. 22, 1942 debut with Brooklyn, Rojek quickly became known for his ability to play shortstop, second or third base with equal aplomb. His greatest season came following his trade to Pittsburgh in 1948, when he hit .290 with 186 hits and 66 walks, stole 24 bases and hit all four of his career home runs.
He came in 10th that year in voting for the Most Valuable Player award, led the league in games played and at-bats and finished in the top 10 in a number of categories, including hits, doubles, stolen bases and times on base.
Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1951, he finished his career the next season, after making five appearances with the St. Louis Browns.
Rojek returned to North Tonawanda, where he ran a popular bowling alley until his death on July 9, 1997.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | August 20 2002 |