The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

It happens around this time every year. We start to get complaints that a viewer’s team has not been shown. The questions are often the same: Why aren’t you doing this team? Why is this team on so often? Why are you predominantly focusing on one league? etc.

I suppose we could take this as a compliment that viewers want to see us cover their team. I’d like to think the RCN gang does a great job and, therefore, you want our production at your game. I am also not naïve and realize you may just want to see your son or daughter on TV. I get it.

So, allow me a chance to explain the process. A schedule is sought weeks before the actual start of the season. In other words, before any games are even played, a preliminary schedule for the football season is published. Obviously, this involves some picking of games based on the teams considered to be the best and finding the best match-ups for any given week.

And, so far, I would like to think we have done a pretty good job:

Notre Dame 42 – Northwestern 35
Freedom 24 – Bethlehem Catholic 21
Freedom 21 – Parkland 18
Nazareth 35 – Freedom 33
Nazareth 27 – Bethlehem Catholic – 13

There is no question these were the best games of the night. Except, perhaps, this past week when Easton beat Emmaus by one in the waning seconds. We missed that one. However, we will see Easton quite a bit the rest of the season.

There are also other factors. On some weekends, our production crew has other responsibilities such as the Allentown Fair, the Celtic Classic, and charity polo. Those events tie up one of our two production trucks. We cannot be everywhere and our football schedule reflects that.

We also contractually support the Lafayette football program, so their Saturday game may negate our ability to do a high school game that day. And please understand that our schedule is a transformational one. We may very well have picked a game in late July and a better match-up that we did not anticipate pops up. We will change. For instance, right now the Nazareth-Easton game (both teams are currently undefeated) is not on our schedule. I certainly expect that will change.

We thank all of you for your passion for our local coverage on all fronts. Believe me, our goal is not to slight anyone or any program. As far as football is concerned we try to bring the best games we can that will attract the greatest viewer interest. And then, we hope we are right!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. If the Eagles don’t get healthy quickly, they will not make the playoffs. Sunday showed that without DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery, they have very few weapons at Carson Wentz’s disposal. It looks like 1-3 after Thursday’s matchup with the Packers. The Cowboys are already 3-0.

2. The headline read, “Antonio Brown will never play in the NFL again”. I hope that is true!

3. It appears Saquon Barkley has a high ankle sprain. He’s not out for the season, but this injury has a history of taking weeks to heal. Even with Barkley out, rookie quarterback Daniel Jones led the Giants to a comeback win over Tampa Bay.

4. It’s the final week of MLB and the Phillies are done. It looks like the Mets and the Cubs will not make it either. The Brewers and the Nationals appear to be the wild card teams, but the Brewers can still pass the Cardinals for the Division title. The Athletics appear to be a wild card lock with the Rays and the Indians battling for the other spot. Wild card scenarios make the end of the season interesting, for sure.

5. There is no doubt that the Nazareth Blue Eagles are the surprise of the football season thus far. With back-to-back wins over Freedom and Bethlehem Catholic, can they avoid a letdown this Friday at Parkland? Tune in to RCN-TV for the LIVE telecast at 7:00pm on Friday night. Lafayette takes on Penn on Saturday afternoon at 3:30pm, also on RCN-TV.

GARY’S GUESSES (LAST WEEK –12-4) (YEAR-TO-DATE – 34-13-1 72%)

GREEN BAY
GIANTS
HOUSTON
BALTIMORE
CHARGERS
INDIANAPOLIS
KANSAS CITY
NEW ENGLAND
ATLANTA
RAMS
SEATTLE
MINNESOTA
JACKSONVILLE
NEW ORLEANS
PITTSBURGH

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

I am not a superstitious guy.  I have opened an umbrella in my office.  I’m sure I have walked under a ladder (although I was probably NOT using it).  I have certainly stepped on a crack and, as far as I knew, my mother never suffered any undue back distress.  I cannot remember the last time I spilled salt, but if I did I would just clean it up, not make a bigger mess by throwing it over my shoulder.

So, once again, I am not a suspicious guy.  However…

This past Friday was the 13^th.  Yes, Friday the 13^th.  I know the date has some history to it.  The number itself is supposed to be unlucky.  Many hotels avoid having a 13^th floor.  Thirteen disciples came to the Last Supper and that did not turn out well at all.  Even Hammurabi (you remember him?) left the number 13 out of his famous code.

I bring this up because this past Friday was the 13^th and I had a football game to do – undefeated Nazareth at undefeated Freedom.  I always plan to arrive at the venue by 5:00pm for a 7:00pm game.  When I get to Bethlehem School District Stadium I ALWAYS park in the same place – just across the street from the stadium.  It allows easy entrance and, more importantly, easy exit.  But, my space was taken!  That never happens.

I was forced to find another.  Okay, no big deal.

About 20 minutes before the start of the game, I was informed that the officials I was given during the week were all changed.  This meant that our graphic was completely wrong.  Luckily, we managed to make the change before game time, but I was left wondering why the change.

The game began and, as is the norm, I wanted to get a report from Tony Cocca, our sideline reporter, before the opening kickoff.  His microphone would not work and never worked for the rest of the night.  He could hear us.  We could not hear him.

When a touchdown is scored, I quickly have to recap the drive and make some notes so I can recap when necessary.  Freedom scored in the second period to make it 14-13.  I started writing – time of score, who scored, how many TDs the player has scored this season, etc.  After all, the extra point was a given.  The Freedom kicker, up to that point, was a perfect 14 for 14.  He missed, but I missed the miss!

For the next ten minutes or so, I kept giving the score as being tied – 14-14.  I asked my color analyst why he didn’t point out my mistake.  He told me he missed the miss, also.

Later in the game, I “promo-ed” a game we had dropped from the schedule.  That’s right, I was building up the viewers’ expectations for another game to follow, but I was wrong.  The game was originally scheduled but then dropped from the schedule.

The culmination of the night was the outcome.  Every sportswriter (10 of them) picked Freedom to win the game.  Nazareth won 35-33.  Freedom was forced to go for a two-point conversion (because of the missed extra point that I originally missed, too).  They failed.

As I walked back to my car wondering where I had to park it, I began to think that maybe this Friday the 13^th stuff has some merit to it.

Thank goodness, it only comes rarely!  KNOCK ON WOOD!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Two of the superstars in the NFL, Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers and Drew Brees of the Saints, may both be facing surgery after this past Sunday’s games. Roethlisberger grabbed his throwing elbow after throwing a pass and Brees injured his wrist and thumb after hitting the hand of a defensive tackle. 

2. Time for my Saquon Barkley mention (seems to come up every week). His presence has me now watching the Giants, too.  He is great; his team is awful.  And Eli Manning (I know his offensive line is awful) looks lost out there.  He has no one to throw to and he seems to panic at times.  It is time to see what his backup Daniel Jones can do.  I mean, come on.  I want to enjoy the Barkley games. 

3. Who will beat the Patriots? No one until maybe November.  That’s when they have Baltimore, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Dallas.  If they win those and Tom Brady stays healthy, it could be 16-0. 

4. Remember Keith Jackson, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell behind the microphones for Monday Night Football? That was (are you kidding me?) 50 years ago.  September 21, 1970 was the first broadcast of Monday Night Football.  The Browns played the Jets that night.  They played each other this week on (you guessed it) Monday Night Football.  The Browns won. 

5. The high school football just gets better and better each week. RCN-TV has a terrific football lineup this weekend.  On Friday night at 9:30pm, the undefeated Nazareth Blue Eagles take on the once-defeated Golden Hawks of Bethlehem Catholic, who “mercy-ruled” Parkland this past Saturday.  Our LIVE game at 7:00pm features Parkland at Liberty.  Both teams already have two losses and cannot afford another.  Join us.

GARY’GUESSES (LAST WEEK –11-5)  (YEAR-TO-DATE – 22-9-1  71%) 

JACKSONVILLE

GREEN BAY

PHILADELPHIA

KANSAS CITY

BUFFALO

INDIANAPOLIS

MINNESOTA

NEW ENGLAND

DALLAS

TAMPA BAY

CAROLINA

SEATTLE

CHARGERS

SAN FRANCISCO

RAMS

CHICAGO

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

If you are a sports fan (and you know I am), this should be the absolute best time of the year.

Major League baseball is winding down with the battles for berths in the playoffs at stake.  Each baseball game, if your team is still alive, takes on added importance.  Who isn’t watching the standings every day?

Add to that the start of the high school football season.  We are only three weeks in and already there have been some great match-ups.  It looks like the regular season is only going to portend what should be some great playoff games for the District titles.  And then it is on to the state playoffs.

Let’s not forget the start of the college football season.  Of course, the really good teams schedule some “patsies” at the beginning, but there are always some interesting results, none better than this past weekend when Army–Michigan went to double overtime before Michigan eked out a 24-21 win.  Army was in position to win the game in regulation.  There will be plenty of great games the rest of this season.

And then, there’s the NFL.  It started Thursday night with the upset win by the Packers over the Vikings and continued when the Eagles came back from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Redskins.  The march to the Super Bowl has begun.

So, can it get any better than this time of the year?  Only if something spoils it.  And that happened for me and, I’m sure, plenty of other fans.  You see, I hate to see bad behavior rewarded.  It seems to rear its ugly head all the time anymore in the sports world.  And that happened again when the New England Patriots signed Antonio Brown to a $15 million contract ($9 million guaranteed) after he was released from the Oakland Raiders.  It is also reported Brown could get another $20 million if he signs for next season.

He was a horrible teammate at Pittsburgh and an even worse one at Oakland with excuse after excuse not to practice in the preseason.  He couldn’t play for the Steelers.  He couldn’t wear the helmet prescribed by the NFL to promote player safety.  Without his preferred helmet, he just could not practice.  He couldn’t keep his mouth shut around the Raider GM.  He, literally, would not “play ball.”  The Raiders finally let him go for violating his contract.  And who did not want to applaud the Raiders for standing up to Antonio Brown?

And then he gets rewarded by the New England Patriots, a team that is easy to dislike anyway.  There are some who feel the Patriots talked to Brown while he was under contract to the Raiders.  That would be a violation of the rules, but haven’t they done that before?  Owner Bob Kraft even offered to let Brown live at his house if he desired.  If you already hated the Patriots, add this to your list of reasons.

Remember how we always talk about football being a team sports.  It is a “me” sport for Antonio Brown and wouldn’t you like to see just one time that arrogance and selfishness would be punished?  And it never seems to happen anymore.  Instead, it gets rewarded.

The best time of the year for a sports’ fan became tarnished this weekend.  I can only hope that the Patriots find a way to lose this season and I really hope Antonio Brown is the reason!  That could be the right message after the Patriots, once again, sent the wrong one.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Even though the Giants looked awful against the Cowboys on Sunday, Saquon Barkley rushed for 120 yards and caught four passes for 19 yards. He sprinted for 59 yards on the second play of the game.  And he was not used all that much – only 15 touches. 

2. Nazareth’s Jahan Dotson had a two touchdowns, 109 yard receiving game for Penn State this past weekend. It is really fun to watch our local high school players excel at the highest levels. 

3. Maybe the Cleveland Browns just have to get out of Cleveland so they can change their name. This was supposed to be their year with Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham, Jr. starring for their offense.  Well, on Sunday the Tennessee Titans beat them 43-13.  They looked like… well, the Browns. 

4. The Phillies just won’t let us quit on them. They are only two games behind the Cubs in the wild-card chase.  They are tied with the Brewers and only the Diamondbacks are a bit closer to the Cubs.  The wild-card chase certainly keeps up the interest. 

5. RCN-TV has a terrific football lineup this weekend. On Friday night, the undefeated Nazareth Blue Eagles take on the undefeated Freedom Patriots.  Saturday night, watch Parkland visit Bethlehem Catholic.  We kick off our Lafayette College schedule Saturday afternoon at 12:30pm when Sacred Heart comes to town.  All the games are LIVE.

GARY’GUESSES (LAST WEEK –11-4-1)  (YEAR-TO-DATE – 73%) 

CAROLINA

PHILADELPHIA

BUFFALO

TENNESSEE

DETROIT

BALTIMORE

NEW ENGLAND

DALLAS

HOUSTON

PITTSBURGH

SAN FRANCISCO

MINNESOTA

KANSAS CITY

RAMS

CHICAGO

CLEVELAND

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.
 

I’m taking a blog break for the Labor Day weekend, but that doesn’t stop me from looking at the NFL season for this year.

And it is time, once again, for Gary’s Guesses, my weekly NFL predictions.  Over the years, I have been averaging about 67% correct answers, which is not too bad, but certainly not good enough for you to bet the ranch on anything I say.

Before I get to the guesses, here are my predictions for the upcoming Divisional, Conference, and Super Bowl winners:

AFC 

EAST – New England Patriots (who else?)

NORTH – Cleveland Browns (Are you serious?)

SOUTH – Houston Texans (Luck retired, right?)

WEST – Kansas City Chiefs (Mahomes did not retire, right?)

NFC

EAST – Philadelphia Eagles (Ezekiel Elliott is still not in camp?)

NORTH – Chicago Bears (What happened to the Packers and the Vikings?)

SOUTH – New Orleans Saints (What team has a bigger chip on their shoulder?)

WEST – Los Angeles Rams (Aren’t they looking forward to back-to-back Super Bowls?)

AFC CHAMPION – Kansas City

NFC CHAMPION – Philadelphia Eagles

SUPER BOWL WINNER – Kansas City

GARY’GUESSES 

CHICAGO BEARS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

NEW YORK JETS

BALTIMORE RAVENS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

CLEVELAND BROWNS

LA RAMS

ARIZONA CARDINALS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LA CHARGERS

NEW YORK GIANTS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

OAKLAND RAIDERS

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

Rory McIlroy won $15 million this past weekend.  He finished first in the FedEx Cup standings.  $15 million for a single golf tournament victory is amazing.  Sure, you could argue that he won that amount over a series of tournaments, but in actuality those tournament finishes just got him into the playoff.

Second place was worth $5 million won by Xander Schauffle.  In a normal week, the second place finisher gets 60% of the winner’s share.  Eight players received over a million dollars and ninth place was worth $900,000.

The purse for the tournament was $60 million.  The last place finishers, Dustin Johnson and Lucas Glover, received $400,000.  Gary Woodland finished in the middle of the pack at #15 and won $595,000.

What most fans do not know is that players who were not even in the final tournament (only the top 30 got in the championship) and who finished the season ranked #126 – #150 each received $70,000.  To be clear, this was paid to players who did not make the FedEx playoffs at all.

Should this bother us?  That much money for one event to the winner may seem a bit absurd.  Well, at least in golf, the individual player has to earn the money.  Failure to play well throughout the year keeps one from some good paychecks and from participating in the championship.

Of the top ten highest-paid athletes, the following seven get their money contractually, no matter how they perform:

James Harden (NBA) – $46.6 million

Stephen Curry (NBA) – $47.3 million

Andrew Luck (NFL) – $50 million (Just yesterday, he retired from football due to injuries)

Kevin Durant (NBA) – $60.6 million

Lionel Messi (Soccer) – $80 million

LeBron James (NBA) – $86.2 million

Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer) – $93 million

The three who get paid due to each performance (except for endorsements) are:

Lewis Hamilton (Race car driver) – $46 million

Rory McIlroy (Golfer) – $65 million

Roger Federer (Tennis) – $64 million

Those of us who are working stiffs probably consider these numbers outrageous.  However, it is a little harder to begrudge those athletes their money if they truly need to earn it by their performance for that year.

I’ll quit now and get ready for this week’s football game.  After all, I need to earn my money, too.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. In the blog, I mentioned that Andrew Luck retired on Sunday from NFL football.  The Indianapolis Colts were set to pay him $50 million this season.  Luck said he is constantly in so much pain that he just cannot continue to play without risking his future.  The Colts announced, despite being legally allowed to recoup $24.8 million from him, they will not do so.  He can keep it all.

1. The Eagles looked rather dismal in their pre-season matchup against the Ravens, but I do not put much stock in pre-season games, so, Eagles fans, don’t start worrying just yet.  I did think that Josh McCown looked pretty good coming out of retirement. He was 17-24 for 192 yards and two touchdowns.  Not bad.

1. Oh, those Phillies!  They just lost two of three to the lowly Marlins and are 7-9 for the season.  One of those losses occurred when they were leading 7-0.  They lost 19-11.  Their wild card chances are getting dimmer and dimmer and when you watch them, you cannot truly believe they deserve to be in the playoffs.

1. I watched Villanova handle the Patriot League’s football favorite with relative ease.  This does not bode well for the league and for Lafayette.  The Leopards open their season this Saturday in Williamsburg, Virginia against William & Mary.  Like Villanova, W&M is, also in the CAA.  Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00pm and the game can be seen at FLOFOOTBALL.com. Go Leopards!

1. Bethlehem Catholic takes on Freedom in our Friday night game LIVE at 7:00pm.  Both are coming off good wins, but neither saw a team as talented as this week’s opponent.  If you can’t get to the game, tune us in on RCN-TV.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

It happened again this week.  The next backup quarterback for the Eagles, Cody Kessler, sustained a concussion in the first quarter of the second preseason game and will be out for awhile.

Last week, I suggested that they might, perhaps, look to Colin Kaepernick as a potential backup.  I also suggested that they probably would not, fearing fan backlash.  Well, the opportunity arose again this week and so, too, did the question about whether to seriously look at Kaepernick.

The question was quickly answered when the Eagles signed former Jets’ and nine other NFL teams’ quarterback, Josh McCown.  I guess, ironically, despite traveling around the league (Cardinals, Lions, Raiders, Panthers, 49ers, Bears, Buccaneers, Browns, Jets) this is the first NFC East team that he has played for.

McCown was slated to be an NFL ESPN analyst this season, but it was hard to turn down a guaranteed $2 million with the potential to make $5.4 million to play one season, especially at the age of 40. ESPN certainly was not paying that kind of money and, supposedly, they said McCown would have the broadcasting job following this season.  Talk about a “win-win”.

The other Eagles’ quarterback, Clayton Thorson, moves, once again, to being the backup to the backup.  McCown will get a lot of work in the final preseason game.  With that said, Carson Wentz, it appears, will not see any “real game” action before the start of the season.  With his injury history the past two seasons and the preseason quarterback injuries, the Eagles simply cannot take a chance on getting him hurt.

The Eagles look like a potential Super Bowl contender.  So with the availability of former quarterbacks, Matt Cassel, Sam Bradford, Brock Osweiler, and, of course, Colin Kaepernick, did they make the right choice.  They certainly acquired experience, but the big question that, hopefully, will never need to be answered is whether or not they acquired skill.

This is not a Bryce Harper situation, but for Philadelphia fans, this decision could end up being just as important.  Let’s hope the front office made the right one.

It all starts in earnest on September 8, when the Redskins come to Philadelphia.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. This past Sunday the Cubs played the Pirates in Williamsport during the Little League World Series. Now that is a cool idea for everyone.  Next year, on August 13, 2020, the Yankees will play the Chicago White Sox on the Field of Dreams in Iowa.  It is the first MLB game ever played in Iowa.  This is an even cooler idea.

1. As I write this, the Phillies are one game behind the Cubs and 2.5 games behind the Nationals for the Wild card playoff berth.  They have been playing better, but will it be good enough.

1. Well-known football and basketball official, Dr. Frank DeAngelo, has taken over the reins of the Easton Area School District.  He was named this past week as their interim superintendent to allow the school board to search for a permanent one.  He makes the right calls on the field and on the court so chances are he will do the same for the school district.

1. Last week, I mentioned that Notre Dame would be honoring Deacon Anthony Koury by naming their football stadium after him this Friday.  With the typical Tony Koury humility, he has asked them not to do that.  He felt there are more deserving people.  Notre Dame acceded to his wishes.  That’s Tony!

1. Northwestern at Notre Dame on August 23 and Bethlehem Catholic at Freedom on August 30 should give us some early indications whom the favorite will be in the Colonial League and the EPC South.  Do your scouting on RCN-TV LIVE on the next two Fridays.

**I’ll offer up an extra muse this week by congratulating the Limeport Bulls on winning their fourth Blue Mountain League baseball championship in the past five years.  The championship series went to a Game Five as they beat the Northampton Giants 5-3.  Congratulations to both teams.

 The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

 While I was away, the Eagles played a preseason football game against the Tennessee Titans.  Normally, I would have very little interest in any of these games, particularly in the first one.

However, a major event occurred that could affect the entire Eagles’ season – backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld suffered a fractured wrist in his non-throwing hand.  Doctors indicate he could be out for six weeks, which makes his return in late September.

Every Eagles fan is well aware of the injury history of Carson Wentz.  He is healthy now, but, in the NFL, you are one play away from your season being over.  Just look at last year.  But, last year the Eagles had Nick Foles, who did a great job replacing Wentz.  Foles is no longer on the team.  He is now on the roster of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Every time there is a quarterback slot made available through injury, the name Colin Kaepernick comes to the forefront.  He has not played since 2016.  Is it worth taking the risk of alienating a large portion of the population by bringing in a talented player like Kaepernick?  Will people ever forget he took a knee during the National Anthem to protest what he considered unjustified shootings of black Americans by the police?  Philadelphia fans are not the most accepting in the league.  If you thought booing Santa Claus was bad … (well, you finish the statement).

And Kaepernick’s story was back on the sports pages again this week when Race Imboden, who won a goal medal with two other USA teammates in the Pan Am foil competition, chose to take a knee during the National Anthem.  “We must call for change,” he said.  He pointed out the areas of “Racism, Gun Control, mistreatment of immigrants” were his major areas of concern.  In protesting, however, he broke his commitment to the USA Pan Am teams to “refrain from demonstrations that are political in nature”.

But, in every one of the stories about the Imboden protest, Colin Kaepernick’s name is mentioned.  The story will not die.

So, it is my opinion that the Eagles will stick with Cody Kessler and Clayton Thorson as the back-ups for now and consider a number of other possibilities before giving much thought to bringing in Colin Kaepernick.  Kaepernick just this week said that he continues to pursue an NFL job.  He also continues to pay the price for doing what he considered to be the morally right thing to do.

When you make that kind of commitment, you must be willing to pay the consequences.  For Kaepernick, those consequences continue.  Stay tuned!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. If summer basketball tournaments are any indication, the winter EPC season should be a very, very competitive one.  Allen, Easton, Emmaus, Freedom, Northampton, etc. all had special moments on the outdoor courts.  I can wait, though, because high school football looks to be just as interesting.
2. There obviously are no summer football games, but looking at Freedom, Emmaus, Parkland, Easton and the rest of the league, it appears that Friday night football (with a sprinkling of Saturday games) should make for a great season.  So I can’t wait for those games to start.
3. Speaking of the start of high school football, we will have our traditional Colonial League opener on August 23 when Notre Dame hosts Northwestern.  Not only should the game be a good one, but Notre Dame will be dedicating their stadium to Deacon Anthony Koury.  He was a great friend as AD and is most deserving of the honor.
4. In the “You’ve got to be kidding” department, the Phillie Phanatic technically becomes a free agent next year and could be taken from the Phillies.  This is a court case for sure.
5. John Leone’s blog last week, which filled my space perfectly, noted that John recently retired from Lafayette College.  Rest assured he has not retired from the RCN-TV broadcasting team.  He will still sit alongside Chris Michael on Friday nights and be on the sideline for our Lafayette football games and alongside me for Lafayette basketball.  We won’t let John retire.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

I retired last week. They say that nothing is forever, so file that information under the “for what it’s worth” tab in the now non-existent cabinet in the non-existent desk in my non-existent office.  But at least for the moment, after 45 years of waking up in the morning with a clear set of tasks before me, my career North Star has drifted behind a cloud of uncertainty. Of course, I am lucky to still have a boss, but had I performed for my previous one the way I do for the current one, I’d have been out of work a long time ago. The “honey-do” list is seemingly ubiquitous and deadlines are a mere suggestion. But I’m muddling through. It’s certainly an adjustment.

As the weeks leading up to my final day grew shorter, my anxiety level rose. It was as if I was standing at the edge of a high dive for the first time. But the pleasant distraction of so many thoughtful notes, visits, and the kind well-wishes from so many friends and from folks with whom I’d crossed paths over so many years made it easier to take the plunge. It also gave me real pause to reflect on just how lucky I had been to have encountered so many good people along the way. Some I’d first met as high schoolers as I recruited them to Lafayette. Suddenly it seems, they now have high schoolers of their own.  Others were well-established professionals in their own right, more than willing to show me the ropes as I made the adjustment to a new career. So many more relationships were the result of some serendipitous confluence of events that brought us together. I’m always reminded of Forest Gump, who wondered aloud if we were all just floating around “accidental-like on a breeze” or if we all have a destiny that needs fulfilling. In the end, the conclusion he drew was the right one. It’s both, he reckoned. As a younger man, I fell in love with coaching basketball and made it my destiny to succeed. It was a strong breeze that took me in a different direction.

Upon my retirement and the obligatory farewell gatherings, one of those many well-wishes was from a wise and good friend. His message to me felt overstated and certainly humbling: “left a big footprint.” It got me thinking about what one of those looks like. My perception of a big footprint is so much different at 67 than it was when I was 22. For a big footprint to have impact, it has to be at least as deep as it is wide. At 22, I instinctively knew that the pursuit of my dreams would require a certain pace – one considerably quicker than the pace to which I’ve now grown accustomed. But by moving so quickly, was I compromising my impact? The truly successful folks I’ve known seem to have managed to do both – move quickly enough in the right direction, but with a pace that allows relationships to develop both depth and substance. Whether that is a lesson learned in time, or just a product of life taking its natural course is a discussion for another time. Whatever the case, the whole point here is to say how grateful I am for the people I have known. On occasion, someone will ask how I can remember something that happened years ago – something so seemingly inconsequential and even obscure. That’s an easy one because I’ve learned that true gratitude is when memories are stored in the heart, not in the brain. My memories are nothing more than that – true gratitude. Holding on to them is, for me, as natural as taking a next breath.

Life hasn’t always seemed fair, but it’s certainly been good. And every stage has had its own version of excitement and anticipation. As I enter the next one, I expect nothing less – and I hope for nothing more. I want to watch my family grow and develop, and I want to keep as closely connected as possible to my friends. I want to keep moving forward – leaving behind footprints that are as deep as they are long and wide. The pathway before me is clear, primarily because of the lessons learned from my parents – lessons of honesty, fairness, and service. Upon his own retirement, I recall my dad fending off a lot of fanfare. “Clean out the desk and go home,” he said. “A man’s work is his legacy.” He, like my mom, led by example, and theirs was a life of two fundamental components – love and work. After all, when you stop to think it through, what else is necessary?

At 22, I couldn’t have possibly understood those lessons the way I do now. At 67, their wisdom and vision is as relevant as ever – possibly even more so. Those lessons still provide the guideposts that will help ensure that this next stage is every bit as fulfilling as the ones that preceded it. And the footprints left will, hopefully, enable someone else to leave their own as well.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Most of us have experienced temper tantrums in our lives.  We tend to forget any of our own and never forget those we have seen in others and often like to recount the incident later in life.  I once ordered a McDonald’s hamburger for my grandson when he was very young and forgot to tell them, despite his emphatic request, to put nothing on it.  He acted like I was trying to murder him when he saw the catsup, cheese and onions.  He could not be consoled.

Who hasn’t seen a child in a supermarket or mall crying, hitting, kicking, stomping, throwing things and as a last resort (and one of my favorites) – holding their breath?

I remember putting a rubber spider on my sister’s shoulder and then pointing out that the ghastly insect was there.  She was around seven years old and after screaming in terror and watching me roll around on the floor in laughter, she quietly went to her toy pile, grabbed a roller skate and proceeded to clobber me over my head.  She was very, very angry.

As we become parents ourselves, we learn that tantrums are quite normal and, for the most part, should be ignored.

We are a little more shocked when adults, however, throw a tantrum.  I once was playing golf with a friend who became so frustrated at the game (and possibly himself) that after having a particularly bad round and hitting a poor shot from the fairway on the 18^th hole, individually threw every one of his clubs into the nearby woods.  He then also tossed his golf bag in the same direction.  We ignored him and took great pleasure in watching him try to retrieve every one of his clubs and bag.

Much like a child in a store, Trevor Bauer of the Cleveland Indians on Sunday vented his frustration about being taken out of a game by throwing the baseball from the pitcher’s mound over the center field fence.

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=27276659

While it is easy to understand Bauer’s frustration, his reaction to it – not so much.  But it isn’t exactly a new phenomenon.  Basketball coach Bobby Knight threw a chair across the court when he didn’t like a referee’s call.  Tennis great John McEnroe was the king of the tantrum when he questioned a line call.  NBA’er Dennis Rodman once almost stripped down to his jock strap and kicked over a Gatorade cooler when he got tossed from a game.  He followed that up one other time when he kicked a cameraman (who, by the way, was carried off on a stretcher).

I was in attendance in Madison Square Garden in New York the night the Boston Bruins went into the stands after the New York fans after one of them slapped a Bruins player with a rolled-up program.  The fans suffered quite a beating.

I think the epitome of anger getting the best of a sports figure, however, occurred during the Mike Tyson – Evander Holyfield WBA heavyweight championship rematch.  In the third round, Tyson became so frustrated by Holyfield’s tactics that he bit off a portion of his opponent’s ear.  Even with a part of an ear on the boxing ring’s canvas, the fight continued until Tyson did it again.  Then the fight was stopped and Holyfield declared the winner.

I am positive there are much better ways to vent your frustration than demonstrated here.  But, I must admit, it is often entertaining to watch someone lose it!

And in case you’re wondering, my grandson grew up to be a very mature, successful,  and quite likable young man, although we often remind him of the hamburger incident.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Add Carson Wentz to the list of people who eat gluten-free. In an effort to do the most that he can to avoid injuries and prepare his body, his nutritionist recommended he go gluten-free.  The nutritionist also advised him to give up beef for two full months.  Wentz says he feels great and even goes vegan from time to time.  Eagles’ fans hope it works!

2. It will be even more fun this season when the Giants play the Eagles. Penn State fans will be torn – root for Saquon Barkley or root for Miles Sanders.  Both will be prominent in their respective backfields and both are game breakers.  Both are former Nittany Lions.

3. Whom do the Phillies root for this week when the Washington Nationals play the Atlanta Braves, the two teams who are ahead of them in the standings? I know – the Phillies should worry about themselves.

4. A 10-year-old boy suddenly fell to the ground during pre-game at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday. His leg was bleeding behind his knee.  It was determined that he had been shot by a bullet that came from the sky as far away as one or two miles. The boy will be fine, it appears, but doctors say they will not remove the bullet fearing nerve damage.  This appears to be a mystery that will never be solved.  Prior to this incident, the Pigs had never even had a fight or thrown a fan out of a game in their existence.

5. John Leone will be a guest blogger next week as I work in a little time off before the first football game broadcast (August 23). Much like his work behind the microphone, his writings are always entertaining!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

You may have missed it, but at the Big Ten media day this past week, Jim Harbaugh, the coach of Michigan football, threw a little dirt at former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.  He acknowledged Meyer’s excellent coaching record, but added that “controversy follows everywhere he’s been.”  He was given a chance to back away from what he said but he did not.  “It was me saying what I think.”

Well, that led to a response from Meyer’s daughter – “Wait guys, maybe this is a deflection strategy!  Throw a little mud to avoid answering why you always lost.”

This led me to think about the nastiest rivalries in college sports.  I was not surprised to find that the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry was listed as #1.  They have met 100 times with Michigan winning 58 of them.  However, Ohio State has won the last seven and 14 of the last 15!  Ohio State won last year 62-39.

According to Brad Crawford of 24-7 Sports, the top ten college rivalries are:

10. Michigan–Michigan State basketball

9. Michigan-Notre Dame football

8. Notre Dame-USC football

7. Florida State–Miami football

6. Kentucky–Louisville basketball

5. Oklahoma–Texas football

4. Army–Navy football

3. Alabama–Auburn football

2. North Carolina–Duke basketball

1. Ohio State-Michigan football

Obviously, rabid fans of all these schools disagreed with the list. I found it interesting when I read the comments from fans across the country that their argument that they have the greatest rivalry was based on the fact that their hatred for the other team was greater than the hatred of other fans.  Yes, it was all based on hate!

And then I realized that this is the way our country is today – hatred for the other side.  There is a rivalry going on every day in this country and the vitriol when groups get together en masse is not much different than sitting on opposite sides of the stadium for an Ohio State-Michigan.  In football, there is always next year for the loser.

In politics, it’s a four-year wait.  So the hate grows more and more.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. I guess it was only appropriate that the greatest “closer” in major league baseball was the closer on Sunday at Cooperstown, NY for the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Mariano Rivera of the Yankees gave the final speech.  After all, he was the greatest closer in baseball history.  Brandy Halladay handled her moment and her emotions beautifully as the Hall inducted her husband, Roy.
2. Did you see where Carl Yastrzemski’s grandson, Mike, homered for the Giants on Sunday to give them a walk-off win in the 12^th inning? He was called up for the first time to the majors on May 25.  He spent six years in the minors.  He is 28 years old.
3. Fate can be very interesting sometimes. Ireland’s Shane Lowry winning The Open on Sunday in Ireland, just a couple of hours from his home was storybook.  He was never challenged to relinquish the lead and his walk up the 18^th hole was very emotional.  If you are going to win your first major, why not do it at home?
4. The South Parkland American Legion baseball team is having an unbelievable season. As I write this, they are 23-0 and two wins away from a Region 2 championship.  The Bethlehem Wanderers are still in the tournament, also, with a 22-4 record.  Amazing seasons for both and not quite finished.  It would be nice if they met in the championship final.
5. Our BML Game of the Week series concludes this Tuesday. Thanks to everybody who helped with the telecasts and special thanks to the managers and players for once again showing how much they love the game.  Good luck in the playoffs to everyone.