After years of “tanking” (it was refreshing to finally hear a 76ers player admit that at last week’s “Media Day”), Philadelphia is finally looking to put together a solid—and competitive—roster for the upcoming NBA season.

With training camp now underway, a crowded, yet very talented, field of players are participating at the team’s pre-season workouts at its Camden facility with some very tough roster decisions looming for the Sixers front office.

Here is a breakdown of the players currently in camp, along with predictions as far as who makes the Opening Day roster when the 76ers take on the Wizards in Washington on national television on October 18th.

ROSTER LOCKS
Amir Johnson
Dario Saric
J.J. Redick
Markelle Fultz
Joel Embiid
Ben Simmons
Robert Covington

Aside from your projected superstars/starters of Fultz, Simmons and, if healthy, Embiid, free agent addition JJ Redick will garnish major minutes as a guy who must force opposing team’s defense to spread the floor with his long range shooting ability. Johnson, another off-season signee, will be a much-needed veteran presence upfront in a crowded arena of big men, even if Embiid is ready to go for the Season Opener. Covington’s defensive ability and versatility (he can play as well as defend both the #3 and #4 spots with anyone on the roster) make him assured of a roster spot and significant minutes regardless of who else makes the team.

For more on Embiid’s health and both Fultz and Simmons discussing sharing time at the point guard position, check out last week’s “4-for-4 Video” in our previous blog entry.

ROSTER PROBABLES
T.J. McConnell
Richard Holmes
Justin Anderson

McConnell has often been referred to as the “heart and soul” of this organization by team President Bryan Colangelo and others with the team, but T. J. figures to lose major minutes assuming Simmons and Fultz are healthy. However, McConnell and Holmes are tireless, blue collar guys this team needs and will shine when given even a limited opportunity to help the team.

Anderson might surprise some people after he was acquired by the 76ers later last season. However, he has been one of the most visible and hard working players around the practice facility and seems determined to prove that he belongs in this cast of talented players. I think he finds a niche helping the team out as a backup off-guard/small forward backup.

ROSTER QUESTIONALBLES
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Nik Stauskas
Kris Humphries
Emeka Okafor

Luwawu-Cabarrot really impressed people who follow the team down the stretch run of that season. It remains to be seen if the quality of the competition (and the fact they played a lot of other teams with little to play for) mis-calibrated his evaluation—a strong training camp could prove people wrong. Stauskas may still have a role on this team as a wing but also will have to really impress Head Coach Brett Brown with a strong performance the next two weeks.

Okafor’s chances of making the team could dramatically improve if there’s any setbacks to Embiid…otherwise, he could make the roster as another veteran presence. Humphries’ non-guaranteed signing is intriguing, because the Sixers could use a “Stretch 4” to go along with Saric, and if Humphries continues to shoot the three with some proficiency, he could be that power forward/veteran the team sought for all offseason.

ROSTER DOUBTFULS
Jacob Pullen
Jerryd Bayless
Jahlil Okafor
James McAdoo
James Blackmon Jr.
Furkan Korkmaz

A couple of these guys could/will go to play for the Sixers’ D-League to start the year. Others will be hard pressed to find any openings in the roster, combined with the team’s youth movement and a core of veterans added to the club this off-season.

Bayless came into last year as a guy expected to be a major contributor by running the team’s offense while paving the way and serving as a role model for young players. However, his injury killed his 2016-17 campaign and there’s really no place for him now to find a spot with this organization as is.

Okafor has shown himself to be a true professional in the way he has handled some trying times with the team, after so much fanfare when he was selected with the overall number one pick. The Sixers owe it to him to find a place for him to play and to not keep him on the shelf, collecting even more dust, while trying to outwait a potential trading partner.

What do you think of my projections? Anyone you think should be higher/lower on the list? Just how good do you think Embiid, Simmons and Fultz can be? Email your opinions to rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and tune into this Thursday’s “SportsTalk” show for more 76ers player interviews and discussions on a variety of different sports topics.

HS Football: One Month In

With an early start to high school football again this season, we are already at the “one month in” mark of the scholastic season.

We’ve had some great contests on RCN-TV thus far, with some exciting games coming up (link to the RCN broadcast schedule).

If you’ve missed any of our games so far this season, they are all available for free OnDemand to RCN video subscribers for up to two months from their initial broadcast date.

To give you a taste of the action so far this season, here are the highlight “reels” of games broadcast on RCN-TV.

If you have a high school sports question or comment, you can participate on the next “SportsTalk” show by either calling in to our Thursday night show, or by emailing us at RCNsportstalk@rcn.com at any time.

Next week here at the “SportsTalk Shop,” we’ll take a look at the Philadelphia 76ers training camp opening and give you the skinny on what to look for over the next few weeks, and which players—on a VERY crowded roster—have the best shots at making the team.

We’ve officially reached the end of summer and, sadly, the leaves are already starting to turn, so we’re about due for our final look back at our summer sports show highlights.

A few weeks back we featured pictures of some of the special people, guests and panelists featured on this summer’s “RCN SportsTalk presented by The Morning Call” shows that we broadcast on location at different hot spots around the Lehigh Valley region.

Today we feature more photos of those special guests along with a heart-felt “thank you” to all the groups for their time, their interesting stories and some terrific performances.

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A reminder that most of these shows are still available to RCN customers to watch On-Demand, for free, for a limited time, to watch in those episodes in their entirety. 

Make sure you check out this weekend’s high school football games (you can find our broadcast schedule here on the RCN-TV website) along with this week’s “SportsTalk” show as we bring you more great stories and interesting people from the RCN viewing area. Scheduled guests include Former NFL Lineman/NFL Network Analyst Brian Baldinger, Eagles Beat Writers Al Thompson and Rock Hoffman & Fox Sports’ Redskins Reporter Kelsey Nicole Nelson.

Also, be sure to check out RCN’s coverage of this year’s Celtic Classic, including a final performance by Highland Game’s legend Dan McKim, who will be retiring after this weekend’s event. McKim will also be featured as a guest on the following week’s “SportsTalk” program.

I stepped away from the sports world a couple times this year to discuss the return of the TV show “Twin Peaks” and felt obligated to address this one more time, following last week’s two-hour season (series?) finale on Showtime.

I must admit, I was disappointed by many of the reviewers I read about the show this summer.

On one hand, you had analysts that loved EVERY aspect of this show (including the two-and-a-half minutes of someone sweeping the floor before the climax on one episode). I always liked the show, but clearly there were some elements of this past season that did not work along with missteps that were taken with the execution of this innovative program.

On the other side, there were people who would not just trash the show from start to finish but, in this “fake news” era, would frequently make up false details about the show…and some critics who obviously didn’t even watch the show (eg., getting characters names wrong, adding extra twists that didn’t exist for the plot, incorrect plot summaries and doing a flat-out horrible job of presenting the truth). I have no problems if you don’t like the show, but some writers/bloggers/commentators weren’t even CLOSE to getting their facts straight.

So, here is a completely unbiased and objective view of the elements of Season Three that work, things that kinda-sorta worked and other pieces that didn’t belong at all.

THE GOOD

Episodes 1-3, 7-9, 11, 13-17

All of these “parts” introduced different elements—some never before seen on television—and created surreal experiences while also advancing the narrative forward (some more than others).

• Kyle Maclachlan as “Mr. C”
  The original series’ leading man took on two new and very different roles in season three, both brilliantly acted by the veteran thespian (more on Maclachlan later).
• Gordon Cole & Albert Rosenfield
  Two of the most unique characters in the show’s original run had significant roles in “The Return.” Both were worthy protagonist that helped keep viewers interest during “more mundane” sections while also adding some comedic moments at opportune times.
• Hawk & the “New” Sheriff Truman
  Robert Forester was new to the series (he was originally offered the role but couldn’t commit due to scheduling conflicts) and makes a seamless transition to taking over the role of the “level headed” sheriff in this quirky town.
• Michael Horse was also one of the most popular original stars and teamed with Frank Truman in driving the plot forward while including their own storylines in a succinct and interesting fashion. Horse admitted in an interview that he would have been thrilled just to have a cameo in the new season, but took on a bigger role than he ever had in the initial series.
• The Mitchum Brothers & the Pink Girls
  New characters Robert Knepper and Jim Belushi brilliantly portrayed sinister casino owners/gangsters while also embracing the lighter moments that make Twin Peaks so special. The Pink Girls also served as a much needed and well-executed break to the heavy moments, which were greatly appreciated. Several other new cast members were also highlights, although many we didn’t see much of, nor really found out anything about, especially the “Roadhouse” characters.
  
  
• Nods to departed cast members

THE QUESTIONABLE

• A number of the original cast passed away either before shooting or during post-production and David Lynch did a unbelievable job of paying tribute to these actors, either by using archival footage, or by featuring each one with his/her own tribute during different parts of the show. Each character was used in a meaningful way to the plot without being tacky or awkwardly forcing their appearances into the narrative.
• Disproportionate Time Spend on Different Actors.  Some of the new characters made great adjustments to the familiar “Twin Peaks” feel—even if they were in the titular town at the time, although I personally would have liked to have seen more of the familiar faces earlier in the storyline than we did.
• While many of the cast were invited back to participate in the return, there were long stretches of time in which lackadaisical, uninteresting and/or meaningless characters (Beverly’s husband, Jean-Michel Renault and others) had long stretches of ‘on-air’ time, while more interesting elements were shown only in brief snippets that didn’t fully develop.
• Michael Cera’s Wally Brando
  While other people thought this utterly meaningless (and drawn out scene) was cute and a highlight of “part 4,” I easily couldn’t have done without this polarizing character that had zero to do with the storyline (especially at the expense of screen time for others).
  
  
• Lack of “charm”
  One of the great elements of the original show was its ability to mix horror and extremely depressing elements with lighter moments of everyday life. Sometimes there was a little too much of this, primarily in the second season of the run (which helped lead to its cancellation) but there were weeks in which this was desperately needed and would have help break up some seriously macabre material.
• The Audio
  Another great element of the original series was its soundtrack—something almost non-existent with any other television show. While the new season noticeably lacked the gorgeous melodical themes scored by Angelo Badalamenti, it was replaced by enhanced audio of electricity, an eerie humming noise and “wind elements” that enhanced the surreal atmosphere and heightened anticipation.
• Kyle Maclachlan as “Dougie”
  Maybe the most polarizing aspect of the return–I personally liked this character, but would agree WAY too much screen time was spent on him.

THE UGLY

• Kyle Maclachlan as “Good Dale”(and the lack thereof)
  Ray Wise was also a huge part of the original series success—and he was on camera to tersely offer just two words (and don’t tell me his character’s death is an excuse—this is a David Lynch production after all, and other dead characters were featured prominently!)
• This was the most anticipated character of the entire series—and one of the most unique heroes in television history, and he BARELY was on-screen for a little more one and a half episodes (the real good Dale was not completely there for Part 18, in case you missed it!). It appeared that “The Return’s” primary motive with to lead “Good Coop” back to where he was when viewers left him 25 years ago, but once he got there, he was tersely shuttled into another dimension. Surely, someone as creative (and bizarre) as Lynch could’ve come up with some alternate universe earlier, and/or flashbacks or anything to have this beloved character on camera more than he was. (Fans were waiting over two decades to see him again, after all!)
• Too many “empty” scenes
  While some scenes seemingly added nothing to the plot—only to find out later that they were key, there were also too many scenes that dragged on forever that didn’t lead to anything. Lynch loves drawing out scenes to enhance anxiety, but too often these extended shots (driving, sweeping floors, pumping gas et al) amounted to nothing and frustrated even the most patient fans of the show.
• Too many characters to follow & far less character development then the original.
  The original series had a number of characters spread out and interacting with each other over a 30-hour span, which allowed the viewer to get to know nearly everyone—whether you liked them or not.
• In the current season, you get a few seconds of one character, then go 10-12 hours before you “might” see that character again, with many of these empty characters having no relation to the story at all and felt impossible to connect to most of them.
• Thanks to On-Demand and TiVo, it made it convenient to re-watch entire episodes (usually more than once) to catch missed plotlines, subliminal elements or to find out the heck everyone was (in some cases, you had to rewind/pause the credits to find out what the characters’ names were.
• “Part 18”

I get what David Lynch and Mark Frost were doing with this episode (at least, I THINK I do), but after waiting 27 years for this finale—and on the heels of two SPECTACULAR season-ending episodes for year one and year two, even the most loyal Peaks fan and his biggest supporters had to feel left down by this dud of an ending. (I had to laugh at the Variety’s critic who called Lynch a genius for the way he lit an extended, non-eventful, long-shot of Cooper pumping gas for two minutes sandwiched between long, silence & driving sequences….PLEASE!)

Lacking narrative (not unusual for Lynch) along with substance, artistic ability and the surreal elements that made this show a cult classic, virtually nothing happened in the final 50 minutes. I was fine with the main-thread/open-ending and the final scene of Laura’s mother screaming her name/Laura remembering everything/the house exploding/disappearing. But seriously, what a colossal letdown this episode was, when SO many threads and characters’ fates (eg., how’s Annie? where’s Audrey? shouldn’t Cooper even care about them?) weren’t even touched. And what the heck were all those empty Roadhouse scenes for???

Well, that’s my thoughts on what is likely to be the end of this cultural phenomenon.  What did you think of “The Return” and do you agree/disagree with my opinions? Would you like to see it brought back? Post a comment below or email me at chris.michael@rcn.net

We’ll return to the sports conversations “full-time” in our next blog entry!

The start of the high school football season puts an exclamation point on our summer “SportsTalk” remote program season.

We once again had some wonderful coaches, players and special guests on our shows at Buffalo Wild Wings in Whitehall and at the Great Allentown Fair.

Before we get too busy with the grid-iron action, I wanted to take a moment to thank all the people who participated in these programs. Here are some pictures I took of our different shows out in the community.

The local schools that graciously agreed to be a part of our summer remote show included:

• Central Catholic girls volleyball state championship team
• Bethlehem Catholic girls basketball state championship team
• Moravian Academy field hockey state championship team
• Allen High School cheerleaders and band members
• Nazareth High School cheerleaders and band members
• Emmaus cheerleaders
• Southern Lehigh band members
• Catasauqua “TOC” Players/Coaches/Organizers—Past & Present
• Plus, local media members

Some of these shows are still available for free through RCN On-Demand or you can hear the shows’ podcasts here on our website at rcn.com/RCNTV/sports – talk.

Last but not least, we had our annual “final” event of the summer broadcast schedule—the Catasauqua Tournament of Champions Title game. It turned out to be one of the most dramatic finishes in the 28-year history of the event! RCN customers: You can see it for yourselves On-Demand.

A big THANK YOU once again to the RCN marketing team for coordinating these events, the RCN TV crew for dealing with the various issues you inevitable deal with when broadcasting outdoors, and all the people who participated in these events and worked hard behind the scenes to put these shows on the air!

This week marks the season premiere of the “SportsTalk” high school football poll…with an added twist this year!

First, some insights about our high school football poll featuring teams in the RCN-TV footprint in the Lehigh Valley.

Unlike polls that consist of a couple representatives within the same organization, our poll is much more varied with input from many different people over a wider scope.  Our voting panel consists of local media members from different outlets, along with local coaches and athletic directors from across the entire district.  The voters are not identified (unless they appear on our “SportsTalk” TV show and podcast and chose to reveal themselves) so they can give their honest impressions without any worry of outside pressures or “bulletin board” material, and we rotate different pollsters from different schools each year, including guests from our biggest to our smallest schools.

This year we feature a “Super Seven” of pollsters for big school poll and seven for our small school poll, featuring a mix of media members (both from inside and outside of RCN) and local head coaches in each grouping–from different corners of the District XI region.

Despite the change in the PIAA classification, our poll remains with the standard, tried-and-true format that we have utilized for many seasons.  We will take the 400-male enrollment number as the cutoff for schools within the District XI/RCN footprint.  All schools above that number qualify as “big schools” in our poll. These schools consist of Parkland, Liberty, Allen, Easton, Emmaus, Liberty, Dieruff, Freedom, Stroudsburg, Pleasant Valley, Northampton, Nazareth, E. Stroudsburg-South, Whitehall, Southern Lehigh and Bangor.

“Small schools” (below 400-male enrollment) consist of Saucon Valley, Central Catholic, Bethlehem Catholic, Northwestern, Wilson, Palisades, Palmerton, Salisbury, Notre Dame, Pen Argyl, Northern Lehigh and Catasauqua.  Each pollster will identify their top five teams in each group—the top school gets five points, the second team gets four points and so on, with an average score determining the order of teams in the poll.

Now for the “plus.”

Every other week we are going to ask four local media members to pick four of the most anticipated games for that weekend.  We’ll keep track on how each of our pollsters are doing throughout the fall season–and we encourage you to let us know what you think of our prognosticators picks, either by calling in to our Thursday night show, or by emailing us at RCNsportstalk@rcn.com.

You can also comment on anything we talk about on “RCN SportsTalk presented by ‘The Morning Call’ ” live on Thursdays, On-Demand and by listening to our podcast available elsewhere on our RCN-TV website.

For the RCN viewers watching us in the Washington DC region, we are once again featuring your high school football teams with highlights and news on the different programs on our Thursday show.

Also, don’t forget to check back to the “SportsTalk Shop” for more sports interviews, high school football news, rumors and insights, our polls and picks and features on fall sports teams in the RCN viewing area over the coming weeks, plus interviews, video highlights and game previews!

Questions in a World of Blue

A few months back, I wrote a blog previewing the “return” of the cult television show, “Twin Peaks.”

I’ve had a chance over the last few months to speak with several people who have added Showtime to their RCN video service and have seen the “Peaks” experience (like it or not, it’s hard to call it a “show”).

If you remember, I gave advice to people who attempted to follow along: ie., have patience—not everything will be explained in a linear, orderly fashion; watch the previous season episodes before you watch “The Return;” and, for goodness sakes, don’t watch the individual parts out of order.

People who took my suggestions have mostly enjoyed the mysterious, intriguing and sometimes baffling journey of “The Return” so far. Others (like RCN TV Studio Manager Rick Geho) decided to pick and choose different episodes to watch randomly—and have frequently exclaimed over the last few months, “What the heck is going on?”

Clearly, you almost need to study the show and watch it a few times through RCN On-Demand or by recording it on your TiVo. Director David Lynch never spells out details and infrequently sticks to a clear path narrative.

Consequently, as we embark on the final three hours of this limited-series run (although Showtime has not ruled out the possibility of a “Season 4”), there are a number of questions that would need answers in order to have some semblance of closure for loyal fans who have followed this program thus far.

So here are some of the questions (note the tie-in with this blog entry’s title) I still have about the current season—mixed in with a few hints at possible answers/resolutions to several of them. If you have a conspiracy theory that you’d like to share, or want to take a shot at any of these, email me at chris.michael@rcn.net and, if you come close to getting any of these correct, I’ll post your name and give you proper credit in an entry I’ll write after the show concludes in September.

(SPOILER ALERT! If you have not seen “Twin Peaks” through “part 15,” you should go back and watch all the episodes prior to this before continuing.)

Who owns the glass box in New York?

What happened to the security guards in New York? Who/what appeared in the glass box in New York?

Where is the fourth and final missing page from Laura Palmer’s diary?

Who/what is Naido and what happened to her eyes?

What/where is non-existence?

Why is Ronette Pulaski (or the actress who formerly portrayed her) in “non-existence”….and who’s her “mother?”

What is the significance of the numbered electrical outlets then polls?

What is the humming noise in the Great Northern Hotel?

Who is Mr. Strawberry?

Who are Billy, Tina and Linda?

Who/what are the woodsmen?

What was on the note that Big Ed burned and what’s the significance of his gas station… and is there any connection to “Big Ed’s Gas Farm? ”

Who is the “horn honking lady” and what’s up with her sick daughter (& why were they very “far away”…the term used by The Fireman to Good Coop at the beginning of this third season).

What happened to Sarah Palmer..or “what” is she?

What happened to Diane the last evening she was with Mr. C. (& why won’t she tell anyone…or is she working for Mr. C.?)

What happened to Audrey …and “where” is she or why won’t she leave the house?

Is Charlie really Audrey’s husband and is he even real?

Who is the lady on the floor of the Roadhouse and why was she screaming at the end of part 15?

Laura is “the one”… but for what?

Will we ever even see Annie, let alone find out where/how she is? (it WAS the last “season two” cliffhanger, after all).

What about Chris Issack’s character? He disappeared at the beginning of the prequel movie and NO ONE (in or out of the show) has mentioned him since. Might he make a surprise appearance in the finale?

Has this entire series been a dream…and, if so, who is the dreamer? Laura? Cooper? Someone back in 1956?

Check back to “The Shop” after the series finale for a full recap and my thoughts on the series as a whole.

*****

Also, be sure to catch this Thursday’s “SportsTalk” show live on RCN-TV, as well have an exclusive interview with the Phillies organization’s hottest minor league prospect, Scott Kingery, to talk about some potential news and rumors that he’ll receive a call up and/or position change rather soon. We’ll also chat with NFL writer Ed Valentine about pre-season football news and NFC East projections and predictions. Local officials will be on to discuss rule changes for the new high school sports season and we’ll have our second edition of high school football previews on this week’s show as well!

We are approaching the “official” start to high school football practices commencing in the RCN viewing area, which means it’s time to start wrapping up and looking back at some of our summer sports production highlights.

Today, we review some outstanding moments from the Blue Mountain League baseball season and from the Grandview Speedway race car events.

Video: BML Limeport Bulls vs. Northampton Giants

Don’t forget, you can check out most of these productions, still available for free on RCN On-Demand (all programs are available at no charge for two months after its initial air date).

Coming your way very soon (where did the summer go?), we are going to start our fall scholastic previews and features, including an unprecedented FIVE HOURS of high school football previews on our “SportsTalk” TV show and podcasts, with local media members, players, coaches and officials (giving insights on new rules for the upcoming season) and more!

We’ll also very soon be unveiling our “Big School” and “Small School” high school football polls for teams in the RCN coverage area, along with a “new wrinkle” that we will be revealing concerning our scholastic coverage over the next couple weeks.

Also, in a few weeks, we’ll have some more images from popular RCN-related events this summer, including highlights and pictures from our upcoming shows from the Allentown Fair! Make sure you check back to the RCN-TV website listings, dates and times of these “SportsTalk” shows from the Fair grounds, in addition to RCN’s coverage of the other special events going on this year at the RCN Farmerama Theater.

Coming up on the next “SportsTalk” program, we are scheduled to feature interviews with two of the most prominent young sports stars in the RCN-TV viewing area—Redskins’ #1 Draft Pick Jonathan Allen and Phillies preseason #1 prospect J. P. Crawford.

Both of these up-and-coming (potential) stars have had very different 2017s, year to date.

I thought the Redskins’ selection of Allen as their first pick was an outstanding choice—and a bit of a coup as many “mock draft” versions had him going ahead of Washington’s selection.

He’s an outstanding pass rusher, coming out of one of the top college football programs in the country (Alabama). He tested well in all the pre-draft workouts and has drawn nothing but praise from his coaches and the media in his OTAs and training camp workouts so far.

The Cowboys, despite their off the field issues, appear to be the most talented offensive team on paper—at least at the start of the season. And, there are some outstanding offensive weapons on the Giants and Eagles teams as well.  Having a defensive lineman with Allen’s pedigree and his seemingly high ceiling—under team control for the foreseeable future—is a major plus for the Redskins.

His ties to the Washington/Virginia/Maryland region are an added bonus and he has been quite visible in the DMV region recently. With the uncertainty of Kirk Cousins beyond this season (again), there is a lack of big time marketable players on the defensive side of the ball.  Allen can certainly fill that bill once he gets his first season under his belt.  And if he continues to improve beyond his rookie season, he might be one of the most recognizable athletes in the DC region in a relatively short amount of time.

***

Crawford has also had some lofty labels placed upon him coming into the 2017 baseball season. For a couple years he has been ranked as the best prospect in a Phillies organization that has been ranked as one of the top minor league franchises over the past year.  Despite a disappointing 2016 season (in which he was just 21 years old), the expectations were high for the Phillies shortstop as he embarked on his second season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

With the Phillies struggling earlier this year, fans were clamoring for a prospect like Crawford to be promoted to the Big League level. Unfortunately, most fans weren’t quick to realize that Crawford was struggling even more this spring than he was last year—his batting average was under .200 for most of the first half of the year, and his defense paled in comparison to the incumbent Freddy Galvis—who has also been the unofficial team leader with the Phillies this summer.

At the All-Star break, when the latest prospect rankings came out, Crawford’s stock fell quite a bit and he was no longer regarded as one of the premiere prospects in the game.

Since that time, he has taken a “hungrier” approach to his game…and his statistics have responded. He’s been playing tighter defense and both his batting average and on-base percentages have improved dramatically over the last two months.

Crawford is not guaranteed an Opening Day roster spot with the Phillies in 2018 as many had expected to happen by now. However, if he finishes his 2017 campaign playing at his current level—there is still reason for optimism that he can be a major player with the Phillies as the team continues its rebuild.

While both the Redskins and the Phillies have had some bumps in the proverbial road in recent years, building their franchise around people like Allen and Crawford not just enhances the quality of each team on the field but both are very marketable and likeable personalities that can help sell tickets (which won’t hurt either) and can help build fan support in each team’s community for years to come.

We hope you enjoyed our coverage here at the “SportsTalk Shop” and on our TV show over the last several weeks of summer basketball action in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Washington, DC regions.

Here are some of my final thoughts along with observations and predictions involving the teams and athletes in our coverage area, along with pictures of local competitions.

• The Catty basketball team was one of the smallest schools—in terms of both school enrollment and height—last season. But this summer the returning players are all getting bigger and stronger. Isaiah Graves is among the players who has an increased wing span and looked solid on the court the last few weeks. The word is the Bangor will once again be the team to beat in the Colonial League, but the Rough Riders, who just missed the league playoffs a year ago, look like they will definitely be in post-season contention for the upcoming scholastic year

• I was very encouraged by what I saw and heard from the Dieruff players. They seem very mature regarding what they need to do, and are very enthusiastic about making a name for themselves, and putting the Huskies back in the competitive field. Fortunately, a number of their players (as of now) are back in the fold and seem genuinely excited to prove people wrong during the scholastic season. I believe they certainly can hang with some of the top teams in the area and I’m excited to see if the Huskies can achieve some of the lofty goals that they have set for themselves.

• It was great to see some former high school standouts return for the summer league action—among them Matt and David Kachelries (from Emmaus) and Northampton’s Aja Blount. Those players got quite a bit of publicity (and rightly so) during their high school playing days and to see them back and supporting their former schools, along with local Lehigh Valley sports, speaks volumes about how many quality people we had the pleasure to experience the last few years.

Don’t forget to catch the final game of the Catasauqua “Tournament of Champions” event to be seen on RCN-TV. This year’s “TOC” finale will be played at the Catty Playground near the Catasauqua Middle School next Thursday. Check back to the RCN-TV website for more details on air dates and times.