Citizen Kane’s Bay Ridge Beat: February 16, 2012

February 16, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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Rucci Hits the Big Time … Congratulations to one of Tommy’s favorite young artists (okay, they were all his favorites), Mark Rucci, who, earlier this month, realized a dream that has escaped many musicians his senior. Young Mr. Rucci made his debut on the stage at Carnegie Hall, where he performed in the 40th Anniversary Concert presented by the Interschool Orchestras of New York on the Perelman Stage in the Stern Auditorium. Playing percussion for the ISO Symphonic Band, the Xaverian junior was honored to perform in such a famous venue.

“It was absolutely amazing,” Rucci gushed.

You won’t have to go far to catch this budding star’s next performance, as he, along with twin brother Chris, is part of Xaverian’s production of Fame, set for the last two weekends in March.

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Back to School … We’re proud to report that Bay Ridge Eagle Editor-in-Chief Rick Buttacavoli recently went back to school, so to speak. Buttacavoli, a lifelong Bay Ridge resident and a 1994 graduate of St. Patrick Elementary School at 401 97th St., returned to his alma mater as a guest speaker for “Career Day.” He told the students that his job is so much fun because he gets to share all of their accomplishments with the community. Part of the Catholic Schools Week celebration, “Career Day” also featured speakers from fields like architecture, law and financial investing.

Buttacavoli had the unique pleasure of announcing during his speech that two students, sixth graders Antonia Ricciardi and Caitlyn Schmidt, had been selected to appear on the cover of this very newspaper! During a follow-up visit with Principal Andrea D’Emic, the former student even presented a copy of the paper to the delighted youngsters. Way to go, Rick!

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Devil with the Blue Dress … Congratulations to Poly Prep’s senior guard Katie Friel, who eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau in Poly’s victory over Midwood last week. The Blue Devils, the fourth-rated team in the city by the New York Post, are in first place heading into the playoffs, riding the combined efforts of Katie, Jacquie Kennedy, Kerri Saputo and Anna Lisa Westfield. Looks like another deep playoff run on Seventh Avenue!

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Bonnies on a Roll … Steve Oliver and his girls at Fontbonne Hall Academy find themselves in the familiar position of favorites as they prepare for the CHSAA playoffs. Ranked number three in the city by the New York Post, the Bonnies knocked off a hard-charging St. Edmund squad on Monday to stay atop the regular season standings. Led by the backcourt combo of Kate Oliver and Cindy Henderson, the Bonnies are well positioned to make another run at a title. Good luck, girls.

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Picks of the Week … With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training this weekend, our thoughts turn to sunshine, green grass and Tommy Kane. In his honor, we make our song of the week “Talking Baseball” by Terry Cashman. Our movie of the week, a Kane New Year’s Day must watch, is Field of Dreams. Our book of the week is The Baseball Encyclopedia.

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Goodnight, everybody!