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. 

Lafayette – Lehigh is college football’s most played rivalry.  The two teams first met in 1884.  This coming season, they will play their 155^th game.  They celebrated #150 in grand style with the game being held before a huge crowd at Yankee Stadium.

The Lafayette-Lehigh baseball rivalry is even older, although it is not the oldest collegiate rivalry.  Williams played Amherst in 1859, ten full years before the Lafayette Nine took on Lehigh.

This past Wednesday, the two teams played each other at Kamine Stadium to celebrate 150 years of intercollegiate baseball for the two teams.  They first competed on the diamond in 1869.  It was the first intercollegiate baseball contest for Lafayette.  The game ended, mercifully, I guess, in a 45-45 tie.

Lafayette became the first winner of the series when they defeated Lehigh 31-24 in the next meeting.  That game was played at Lehigh.  The two teams have met 395 times and will hit the 400 mark next year.

Here are a few facts about the rivalry:

• The most lopsided victory in the rivalry came on May 4, 1874, when the Leopards won the game in Bethlehem 88-20 in just four innings.

• In 2007, the Leopards finished the year with an overall record of 32-17 en route to their first Patriot League title. During the regular season, the Leopards went 17-3 in the Patriot League.

• Few men can claim to having played on championship teams on the collegiate and professional levels, as can Lafayette’s two-sport great, Mike Gazella. Upon graduation, Gazella played for the Yankees World Championship teams in 1923, 1927, and 1928 as a utility infielder, and played on the Yankees American League championship team in 1926. He enjoyed his finest season in 1927 when he hit .278 while playing third base behind the great Joe Dugan.

• As a baseball standout and catcher, Joe Maddon played three years of baseball under Norm Gigon and helped the Leopards to a 49-28 record during that span. Initially recruited to play football, Maddon played one season as a quarterback on the team. In his final game, he completed 14 of 17 passes for four touchdowns in a win over Lehigh. Following his tenure at Lafayette, Maddon spent four seasons as a catcher in the Anaheim Angels’ minor league system. After his playing career ended, he remained with the organization in several roles, including minor league manager and bench coach for the Angels, who advanced to the postseason three times and captured the 2002 World Series title. His second World Series title came as Manager of the Chicago Cubs in 2016 when he led the team to their first tile in 108 years.

• 1953 was the year of Lafayette’s first College World Series team. The 1953 Lafayette baseball team finished with a 20-6-2 mark with wins over Pitt and Penn State in the NCAA District 2 Playoffs in Easton, PA to qualify for the College World Series.  At the College World Series, the Leopards beat Colorado State College, Stanford and Boston College while losing twice to Texas, which later advanced to the title game. Lafayette finished third in the CWS. The 1953 Lafayette squad managed a 12-game winning streak midway through the season, and Ronnie Owen set a program record for victories in a season with 12.

• Lafayette has had four home fields. The third home field for the Lafayette Nine was Fisher Stadium. The Leopards began playing on Fisher in 1926 and saw a great deal of success during this time. Fisher was the home field for all four College World Series Teams in 1953, 1954, 1958, and 1965.  They currently play at the Metzger Field complex at Kamine Stadium.

• Starting with the first game in October of 1869, the Lafayette Nine hold an impressive 231-160-3 record over rival Lehigh.

• Lafayette College is the only NCAA Division I athletic department to feature a Leopard Mascot. The new 2019 throwbacks are the only uniforms at Lafayette to say Leopards across the chest.

  

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. You may have missed it, but Albert Pujols passed Babe Ruth for career RBIs this past weekend. He hit his 636^th home run and got to 1,993 RBIs. He is now in fifth place in MLB history. Ahead of him are Lou Gehrig (1,994), Barry Bonds (1,996), Alex Rodriguez (2,086), and Hank Aaron (2,297).

2. Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers is the reigning NL MVP and he has not slowed down to start this season. As of Saturday, he has hit 13 home runs in April and tied the team record.  There are plenty of days left in the month.

3. I don’t know if this will make umpires more or less appealing to the fans, but umpire Jeff Nelson in a Blue Jays–Athletics game on Saturday literally tackled a fan who had come out of the stands. Coming from left field, the fan was met by Adams at second base and flung to the ground.  I wonder if he will get additional security service pay.

4. On Saturday, Joel Embiid scored 31 points, had 16 rebounds, seven assists, six blocks, and two steals in the Sixers’ win over Brooklyn in game four. He became only the sixth player since 1974 to have at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a playoff game.  And he played just 32 minutes.

5. Lafayette’s spring football practice officially came to a close with the Maroon-White game this past Saturday. Twenty players sat out due to preseason injuries so not much could be gleaned from the showing.  There are plenty of questions remaining, most notably who will be the starting quarterback in August when the Leopards open their season. That answer did not appear either.

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.

Unless you have absolutely zero access to anything that resembles news or social media, you know that Tiger Woods won the Masters on Sunday afternoon. The event not only produced great golf drama, but it also always produces some of the most unusual announcing, and artistic scenery.

I also believe the 9:00 AM start probably helped viewership. Knowing that Tiger was in the championship hunt, even a West Coast fan of golf would either get up early or DVR the program just to watch it when they arise. I personally loved the early start which led to an early finish. I had to emcee a function Sunday night and I would have missed the finish.

While watching the golf telecast, I am always amazed at the amount of wires, production people, and announcers that need to be coordinated throughout the four days. With ESPN involved on Thursday and Friday, the telecast must use some of their announcers (Scott Van Pelt and Curtis Strange) during those broadcasts despite their reports being somewhat awkward. They appear to be just filling contractual space until the CBS announcers take over the actual four-day golf coverage.

I’m sure you, also, notice the absolute reverence in the voices of the announcers when they describe anything – none more than Jim Nantz, who often sounds like he is offering up a eulogy instead of describing the golf.

There is no question that the Masters is different and it is required to be by the Masters committee (why else would it be called “a tradition unlike any other”?). Take note of some of the oddities:

• An announcer must refer to the fans as “patrons”. One is not to use the word “fan” or “spectator”.
• The “rough” MUST be called the “second cut”.
• Only four minutes of commercials are allowed every hour of the CBS broadcast.
• Caddies MUST wear a white jumpsuit and a green Augusta hat.
• Patrons may bring collapsible chairs, but they cannot have armrests.
• Patrons may not wear hats backwards.
• No running.
• Augusta membership is around 300. You cannot apply – you must be nominated.
• The course is actually closed in the summer.
• The green jacket won by Tiger Woods is the same jacket he wore when he won his first Masters. He may only keep it for this year and then must return it.
• Each player gets a brand new Mercedes for their use during the week.
• It may be the toughest ticket in sports, but it is not expensive to be there – $325 for the week and, if you bought everything on the food menu, it would cost you less than $57.00.
• There are 125 different styles of hats in the pro shop.
• There is a fence around the entire course which keeps out ALL animals. It is said that no one has ever seen a squirrel on the grounds.

If you would like to see it LIVE, you can enter a lottery for tickets at https://tickets.masters.com/en_US/ticket_info.html . I know people who have gotten tickets this way.

Me, I enjoyed an early breakfast, an early finish, and the comfort of my recliner. That is my “tradition unlike any other”.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Tiger Woods wasn’t the only winner on Sunday. A bettor on a sports book in Las Vegas placed his first bet ever. He bet on Tiger Woods to win the Masters. He bet $85,000 and received 14-1 odds. With Tiger’s win, he won $1.19 million, not quite the $2.02 million Tiger won, but he never hit a shot. The last three seven-figure winners at this sports book came when the Eagles beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2018.

2. If you are a NL MLB East fan, buckle up for a great ride. Of the five teams, four of them are .500 or better. The Phils, Mets, Braves, and Nationals could stick around in the race for a long, long time. By comparison in the AL East ONLY Tampa Bay has a winning record. The Yankees, Orioles, Red Sox, and Blue Jays are all under .500 which might make their division just as interesting.

3. Whitehall product Matt Millen returned to the broadcast booth on Saturday to broadcast the Penn State Blue-White game. Matt, a former Penn State and NFL all-star, received a new heart on Christmas Eve. He waited 98 days for a match to be found. The native of Hokendauqua is back and ready to work in the booth.

4. The Lafayette College Spring Maroon and White spring game will be played on Saturday and televised on RCN-TV at 11:00 AM. Mike Joseph and I will be there to make the call.

5. Morning Call sports’ reporters Paul Reinhard and Keith Groller were honored this past Sunday. It seemed like every notable Lehigh Valley sports personality was there (well over 250 people attended). The two have combined for almost 100 years of tireless sports reporting. I was proud to be able to emcee the affair at DeSales University.

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.

My hope here is that you never get past the title and you have the impression that I actually won something.  That is so far from the truth.  I not only lost.  I lost badly.

With all of the upsets in the NCAA tournament, I can write this BEFORE the final game is played and tell you, once again, I was embarrassed by my results in the RCN bracket pool (for entertainment purposes only).

The problem is, because I am the Sports Director, everyone expects me to do well and everyone seems to take great pleasure in beating me.  There are some (mostly women) who take even greater pleasure in my inability to appear to know anything about college basketball.

Against the RCN employees, I finished 17^th out of 48.  I know that doesn’t sound so bad, but you have to understand, I was doing quite well up to the quarterfinals and could not keep my mouth.  I felt this was a good time to brag.  I sent out a blanket email to all the female nemeses (yes, that is the plural of nemesis – I looked it up) who berated me throughout past tournaments to rub in the fact that I was beating them all.  And then the quarterfinal games were played.  My drop in the standings was a freefall.

I ended up being beaten by Lori, the head of HR (what do they know about sports?); by Alyssa from the studio, who almost treats me with respect (I need to keep her away from the others); by Sandy of the business department, who to her credit, is almost too nice to belittle my ineptness; and Laura who beats me every year and cannot wait to literally rub as much salt into the wound as possible and tends to announce her superiority to anyone who will listen.  Thank goodness I am at the studio and do not have to withstand what would be constant ridicule by the entire office staff in our other building.

Speaking of the studio, on the good side, I finished second among the players from the RCN studio.  On the really bad side, there were only two players from the studio (remember Alyssa), so second, also, turns out to be dead last.

Maurice won the pool even before the championship game was played.  No one came within 20 points of him.  He beat me by a whopping 53 points.  I do not know Maurice very well, but here’s hoping he has no interest in becoming the RCN Sports Director.

So if you read this far, you now know that, for this particular blog, the title was very misleading and I became part of the FAKE NEWS movement.  I won nothing!  Usually I would thank you for reading my blog, but for this particular one, thanks for nothing! 

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. I am anticipating a sleepy day on Tuesday. With the NCAA championship game starting at 9:20pm, it will be a late night for most sports fans.  Now, I usually stay up to @11:30pm anyway and arise at 6:25am.  I will probably lose about an hour sleep if I want to watch the award ceremony and wait for “One Shining Moment”.  Plus, Charles Barkley makes me want to watch the postgame analysis.  He just makes me laugh.  So, unlike the other half of the country, the rest of us must suck it up on Tuesday morning.

2. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Women’s National Championship game on Sunday between Notre Dame and Baylor. For one thing, the game started at 6:00pm and was over by 8:30pm (see #1 above).  For another, the talent level was amazing, and, just like the men, the game came right down to the end.  Both coaches were a treat to watch.  Good for the women!!

3. With gambling now legal, more stories come out, usually from Las Vegas,concerning the big sporting events. It seems in November, a man who did not want to be identified, placed a wager at the Superbet for $1500 for Texas Tech to win the NCAA National Championship.  The odds were 200-1.  He wanted to place more money on the game, but the site would not take any more, limiting their risk.  If Texas Tech wins, he will win $300,000.  The Cowboys’ Dez Bryant offered to buy his ticket before the game is played for $125,000.  The offer was not accepted.

4. Every baseball fan knew the NL East was going to be super competitive and the early results bear that out. The Phillies, the Mets, and the Nationals are all off to a terrific start.  The shocker so far is how badly the Red Sox are faring.  Remember, it’s a marathon!

5. On Sunday, April 14, I will be emceeing a night of recognition for two great Lehigh Valley Morning Call sports’ reporters, Paul Reinhard and Keith Groller. The two have combined for almost 100 years of tireless sports reporting.  And, on the same night, RCN’s Scott Barr will be inducted into the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Hall of Fame.  I wish I could also be there.

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 writing this on April 1^st which, as you know, happens to be April Fool’s Day.  I have had some fun on this day in the past.  While teaching George Orwell’s 1984 and trying to convince my students that “truth is whatever you believe to be true”, I invented a student.  I faked his registration at school, gave him a personality, a visual, and, obviously, a name.  I had my class talk about this “person” to other students just to spread the word in order to prove my lesson.  It did not take long for curiosity to take over.

Girls would stand around outside my class room just to get a glimpse of this young man, who many had said was quite good-looking.  Of course, I had to create excuses for why he was not in my class.  I would say he was called to the office, had a doctor’s appointment, etc.  I even went so far as to get him placed on the absentee list.

My literature class could not believe the excitement generated by this non-existent person.  He became real to so many that my point about “truth” became self-evident.  In fact, I had to curtail the experiment when someone had set up a blind date with a girl.  Not wanting to embarrass anyone, I exposed the ruse.

One April Fool’s Day fell on a Monday and I appeared as a guest on WZZO as I always did every Monday morning in the Bearman and Keith’s studio.  I tried to bring interesting sports stories to their morning show every Monday.  So on this morning, I reported that one of the Phillies greatest players, Mike Schmidt, had been traded right before I got to the studio.  This was well before you could do instant fact-checking on Google.  Bearman and Keith and the audience bought in.  The report generated the most interest and the most phone calls of any of my appearances.  Fans were angry, perplexed, and bewildered.  I had a good time with it right up until the moment I revealed the lie. The groans could be heard throughout the Valley.

My escapades were minor compared to what George Plimpton did in 1985 for Sports Illustrated.  The managing editor noticed that the magazine would hit the newsstand on April 1.  He asked Plimpton to right about jokes in sports.  Plimpton could not find anything he liked so he asked if he could create his own hoax.

Plimpton created Hayden Siddhartha “Sidd” Finch, a baseball pitcher for the New York Mets.  Plimpton hired a stand-in, Joe Berton, to play the part, invented an entire biography, posted photographs, got the Mets to go along with the story, and foisted #21 onto the national scene.

Mets fans were thrilled with their newfound talent.  Editors of other publications were angry with the Mets that they gave the story to Sports Illustrated.  Finch got his own locker and media flocked to get more of the story.  A press conference was announced and, on April 2, Finch (Berton) announced his retirement.

The press release read: “He’s a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent lifestyle, Sidd’s deciding about yoga—and his future in baseball.”  The first letters each of these words spell out “Happy April Fool’s Day – a(h) fib”.

The magazine officially announced the hoax in the April 15 issue.

If you are so inclined, you can read the entire article at this site:

https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/15/curious-case-sidd-finch

I hope you got through the day without any repercussions. 

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. The one #1 seed in the NCAA bracket that I thought would falter was Virginia. And now, they are the only #1 seed going to the Final Four.  #3 Texas Tech, #5 Auburn, and #2 Michigan State will join them.  It was reported this past weekend that the one perfect bracket left in all the various submissions (tens of millions) throughout the country faltered by picking Tennessee over Purdue.  A neuropsychologist had correctly picked a record 49 straight games until the Purdue loss in overtime.  The odds of getting 49 correct were 1 in 562,949,953,421,312.

2. You may be wondering what the conferences make financially from the NCAA in the tournament. Every conference (32 of them) earns at least $282,100.  The more teams you advance, the more money you get.  The SEC with Auburn in the Final Four gets $32.1 million; the Big Ten gets $35.5 million; the ACC gets $33.8 million.

3. With all the appropriate excitement about the Phillies’ start to the season, did you notice the start by last year’s MVP, Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich – home runs in each of the first four games. And he added a two-run double in the ninth on Sunday to give his team a 5-4 win.  He is looking like an MVP all over again.

4. Bryce Harper, who hit two home runs this past weekend as the Phillies swept three games from the Braves, now travels to Washington where he signed his original contract in 2010. The atmosphere there should be electric.

5. Lafayette College baseball is celebrating its 150^th year of intercollegiate competition this season. The Leopards have throwback uniforms which they will wear when they play Lehigh to commemorate the anniversary on April 17 at 3:30pm.  RCN-TV will bring you the game.

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.

In the middle of March Madness, it’s time to consider October Madness.  Since I now believe that with analytics running (perhaps, ruining) baseball, I could probably be a major league manager.  After all, there is no more arguing calls (replays take care of that); pitching changes are determined by computer; and even lineups can be best created by what the statistics tell us.  So with all the human element being taken out of the game, there will still be baseball played this week and, therefore, the need (after all, I have to fill my blog) with a human prognostication.  Here is how I see the teams finishing in their divisions with no help from any superhuman source:

American League 

West

1. Houston – They Astros did not repeat as World Series champions last year because the Red Sox knocked them out in the ALCS. Again, much like last year, most of their lineup returns.  They win the West again.
2. LA Angels – Mike Trout is now the highest paid athlete in sports history and will be an Angel until 2030. Japan’s Shohel Ohtani had Tommy John surgery and will be out for part of the season and that hurts them on the mound and in the lineup since he pitches and  They did improve their pitching staff.  So at the very least, this team will be fun to watch and could surprise.
3. Oakland – This team was in the Wild Card game and lost to the Yankees. They are young, had a great end-of-season last year, and are loaded with confidence.  Only an “iffy” pitching staff could keep them from a successful year.
4. Seattle – The Mariners do not raise expectations much anymore and they seem to be beginning to realize it. They made nine trades in the off season and are beginning their climb back.  It will take awhile.
5. Texas Rangers – A new manager, very young players, and an absence of strong pitching will put the Rangers in the basement.

Central

1. Cleveland – This is a team with a little less power than last year, but they will win this Division again. Now the question is whether they can compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Astros in the postseason. Plus, they are very, very strong in the pitching department.  Cleveland fans can’t wait for the NFL, but should have fun in the meantime.
2. Minnesota – Rocco Baldelli at 37-years of age is the youngest manager in the majors. They also have a very young baseball team.  There is certainly potential here and they could actually challenge the Indians.  This will be one of the more interesting teams to watch.
3. Chicago White Sox – They tried and lost. No Machado; no Harper. They have had six straight losing seasons.  They have a very exciting player in Eloy Jiminez who will break into the majors on opening day.  They are looking to improve and, perhaps, have a winning season. This team has potential and could surprise.
4. Kansas City – They got rid of most of the older players and have lost 100 games each of the last two seasons. There is some enthusiasm about improvement and the Royals do look like they will be better.
5. Detroit – 98 losses each of the last two years. This team is not good and rebuilding.  Enough said.

East

1. Boston – They won the World Series last year and still everyone is picking the Yankees to win the East this year. The Red Sox have the same team back and if they can overcome complacency, I am picking them to beat the Yankees again.
2. New York Yankees – Can they hit enough homers to win it all? They hit 267 last year and that was a major league record.  Judge, Stanton, and Sanchez will continue to bash the baseball.  They have plenty of injuries to start the season.  I can’t pick them to win the division.
3. Tampa Bay – They won 90 games a year ago to everyone’s surprise, and still did not make the playoffs. That could happen to them again.  Remember, they won 41 games after the All-Star break. If this team gets off to a much better start this year, they could be the surprise of the majors.
4. Toronto – They are rebuilding and are enthusiastic about their future. Their future is not this year.
5. Baltimore – Major rebuilding going on here. Their better days are way ahead of them.

The Red Sox will win the American League pennant. 

National League 

West

1. LA Dodgers – No World Series again last year. It was the Astros two years ago and the Red Sox last year.  The Dodgers are still loaded with talent.  Their pitching is second to none in the National League.  The only deterrent might be history – the Dodgers have never made it to three World Series in a row.
2. Colorado – This team experienced back-to-back playoff appearances. They have a stable lineup and a manager who will be around at least until 2022.  If the Dodgers suffer a letdown, the Rockies are ready to pounce on them.  They have been in the postseason two years straight – 2019 will be three.
3. San Diego – Can Manny Machado bring the first major sports championship ever to San Diego? The fans think so.  Ticket sales skyrocketed after he signed.  The rest of the team is young and talented.  The Padres are a sleeper and Machado might just be the key to awakening them.
4. Arizona – This might be the best 4^th-place division team in the majors. They did lose four of their top players and one would have every right to think they will struggle.
5. San Francisco – This is manager Bruce Bochy’s last year and the players will play extra hard for him, one would think. Injuries killed the Giants last year, but Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey start the season healthy so that makes the Giants much better.  Cinderella year for Bochy?

Central

1. Chicago Cubs – Joe Madden is in the final year of his contract and the Cubs have not yet offered an extension. The players love Joe and love what he has created in Chicago.  They did not make any major moves over the winter, but they are still a very good team.  They will win the Central Division again.
2. St Louis – There is a buzz about the Brewers, but I like the Cardinals again in this spot. They did get better in the season acquiring Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Miller.  This team will give the Cubs a run for the title.
3. Milwaukee – What am I doing? The Brewers won the Division last year and Christian Yelich was the NL MVP.  This is a very tough division all the way down the line.  I am not feeling good putting them third.
4. Cincinnati – The Reds picked up the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig and that is a nice addition. They, also, got Matt Kemp and Alex Wood.  So their rebuilding came quickly.  The Reds will be better in a tough division.
5. Pittsburgh – The Pirates had a winning season last year. Their pitching staff has talent and youth.  Excitement in Pittsburgh has waned, however.  This is a decent team in with better than decent teams.

East

1. Philadelphia – No excuses this year. The Phils spent the money and put the pieces in place.  The six years of consecutive losing seasons should come to an end in a big way.  Harper, Realmuto, McCutcheon, and Robertson make them a much better team and, most feel, the best in the East.  Is manager Gabe Kapler the only real question mark?
2. Washington – No Bryce Harper! And they missed the playoffs last year with him. With that said, they still have one of the best pitching rotations in baseball.  This team would like nothing better than to win the East without Harper.  Great incentive.
3. Atlanta – They were a total surprise last year winning the East. Now, no one is talking about them again because of what happened in the division with the other teams.  The Braves won 90 games last year and they firmly believe they are even better this year.  I really misjudged them last year.  I hope I’m right this year.
4. NY Mets – I don’t know – Don’t the Mets have high expectations every year, only to falter? They added five former All-Stars and have a strong starting rotation.  But they are the Mets, after all!
5. Miami – Derek Jeter’s problems continue. The Marlins have had 10 losing seasons in a row.  Their pitching staff is very young, but talented.  They will lose games because they cannot score.  That problem will continue.

The Phillies will win the N L pennant. 

The Red Sox will win it all, again! (Although I hope the Phils win).

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. I bet your bracket-busting heart stopped in the final seconds of the Duke–UCF game on Sunday. How did Aubrey Dawkins miss the tip-in?  He made almost every shot all day, but not that one.  Is that the win Duke needed to go all the way?

2. Okay – Tacko Fall is a freak of nature. The 7’6” center for UCF made my jaw drop.  I have seen plenty of basketball in my life, but nothing like him.  If not for four fouls and a phantom call, perhaps UCF wins the game.  I just could not believe how he dunks the ball without getting more than a couple of inches off the floor.  Marketing people should get him to change his name to Tacko Bell and show him next to the Chihuahua while eating tacos.  Genius, right?

3. Zion Williamson of Duke is the best player in college basketball and should be the #1 pick in the NBA draft. He had 32 points on Sunday and his last field goal was over Tacko Fall and, also, fouled out the giant.  He, too, is a phenom.

4. The #2 pick in the NBA draft should be Ja Morant of Murray State. He is a great shooter (24.4 points per game) and an even better passer (10.2 assists per game).  No college player has ever achieved double digit points and assist averages for a season.  In the first-round game against Marquette, he had a triple double – points, assists, and rebounds.  He was responsible for 63% of his team’s points.

5. Congratulations to the Bethlehem Catholic girls, head coach Jose Medina, and the assistant coaches. They won their second state championship in three years and are heavy favorites to do it again next year!  No one could represent our area any better.

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’s here.  After all the regular season games and the grind of trying to win a conference championship, it’s time to play for all the marbles.  The NCAA Basketball tournament begins officially on Thursday with 64 teams in the race for a National Championship.

Four teams will vie to get into the 64-team bracket when Temple plays Belmont and Fairleigh-Dickinson plays Prairie View  in play-in games.

Without a great deal of time to study, here are my thoughts on the regions:

EAST – Duke 

Zion Williamson is back for Duke and that makes ALL the difference.  If he stays healthy throughout, Duke should win the East playing Michigan State.  I like Yale in a first-round upset and I would love to see Fran Dunphy in his last season at Temple get into Thursday’s first round.

WEST – Gonzaga 

Even though Gonzaga lost the West Coast conference championship game, when Gonzaga is at its best, they are as good as anybody.  Remember, they beat Duke and Williamson played in that game.  Michigan looks like they could be upset before getting to the West final.  Nevada could be troublesome especially on offense.

SOUTH – Tennessee 

It just seems to me that every year Virginia finds a way to lose – no one will forget their first-round loss last year to UMBC.  I do not see them losing early, but I also do not see them winning their region.  Tennessee has been as good as any team in the nation at times this year.  If they put it all together here and get a monster effort out of Grant Williams, they will get to the Final Four.

MIDWEST – North Carolina 

I wish I could have more shocking news for you this year, but it looks like the #1’s are the best.  I even think Virginia is the best, but I cannot in good conscience think all four #1’s will get through.  Carolina’s road to the Final Four looks fairly certain.  Perhaps, Kentucky can give them a game if Kentucky gets to the Elite Eight.

My National Championship pick is forthcoming after I screw up my own bracket.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSING) 

1. Bryce Harper is still hitless (if you don’t count getting hit by a pitch). Anyone getting nervous?  He is 0-8.  There are still 10 days until opening day.

2. I am starting to feel badly for Saquon Barkley. The Giants just seem to be making themselves worse and worse with their trades and anyone who watched them last year knew that their real problem was the offensive line.  Remember how great running back Barry Sanders was on a very bad team – the Detroit Lions?  He never achieved team success.  Is Saquon the next Barry?

3. One team’s displeasure can cause great anticipation from another team. For example – Odell Beckham to the Browns; Le’Veon Bell with the Jets; Joe Flacco to the Broncos; Michael Bennett to the Patriots; etc.  There’s excitement in the air, particularly in Cleveland where the air seems to disappear around the fifth game every year.

4. I am not that familiar with “Fortnite”, but I know it’s the rage with younger people. Well, I heard it was also the rage in the Phillies locker room last season to the point where some players were playing it during the game.  Veteran Carlos Santana took care of that problem by taking a bat to the TV to make sure no one would play again.  Good for him!

5. The Southern Lehigh and Bethlehem Catholic girls are in the PIAA state semifinals. Congratulations to the teams and their coaches.  Here is hoping they play for the PIAA state championship this weekend.  Go Spartans!  Go Hawks!

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.

The Atlantic League is an independent professional baseball league.  Eight teams are in the league and are located in Pennsylvania (2), Maryland, Texas, North Carolina, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. In the past, they have used a pitch clock and a clock between innings to speed up the game.  They have decided to get more innovative.

This year, the League has agreed to a three-year partnership with Major League Baseball to implement some changes to the game.

The League will incorporate seven changes this season:

• Computers using radar tracking systems will assist umpires in calling balls and strikes. Plate umpires will wear an earpiece and will be given the ball/strike calls.  Umpires can override the call.  If a ball crosses home plate after bouncing in front, the computer may incorrectly rule that pitch a strike. That call can be changed.  In addition, an umpire will rule on check swings.

• The distance between the pitching rubber and home plate will be lengthened from 60 feet-6 inches to 62 feet-2 inches. This rule will take effect the second half of the season.

• The time between innings will be reduced from 125 seconds to 105 seconds.

• Pitchers must face at least three batters or get to the end of an inning (an injury to a pitcher supersedes the rule).

• No visits to the mound will be allowed, except to change pitchers or due to injury.

• Infield alignments must have two players on both sides of second base.

• Speaking of bases, their size will increase to 18 inches from 15 inches, so, in essence, runners will be three inches closer to the bases. Home plate size remains the same.

Baseball purists love the game because there is NO clock.  Baseball critics complain that the game takes too long.  I find this experiment to be fascinating.  There should be shorter games with more offense.

This is a league that does not produce a large number of major leaguers, but the league does draw fans to their ballparks.  The stadiums can accommodate @ 5,750 fans on average.  It seems like the perfect place to experiment.

I do not expect that many of these rules will be adapted.  But, I do expect most of them to create interesting conversation and the Atlantic League, I’m sure, does not mind having the focus on them for the next three seasons.

I know I will be checking out opinions on the changes.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSING) 

1. Guess who wants to come back to the Eagles? DeSean Jackson!  He was a second round draft pick in 2008 and spent six years with the Eagles.  Chip Kelly cut him after he had his best professional career.  The Eagles do need a deep threat.  And, thank goodness, Chip Kelly is gone.

2. College football spring practice begins this week. Penn State has to replace Trace McSorley who was the heart and soul of their team.  Tommy Stevens will get his chance to shine, but he will have to do it with a very young roster.  The expectations are lower than usual for this team.

3. If Joel Embiid can stay healthy, the Sixers have a shot at an NBA title. Without him, they do not.  They are just better than average when he does not play.

4. A-Rod and J-Lo got engaged this week. I hope those two “kids” can get off to a good start in life.

5. March Madness has begun with conference titles to be decided this week followed by the NCAA selections for their tournament. It’s time to really start paying attention so you are not embarrassed by your office pool.  I speak from experience.

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.  

Just Imagine . . .

That I made a call this morning to Scott Boras, the sports agent who specializes in baseball.  I played baseball in high school and college so I felt I had a natural affinity. I was hoping he felt the same way.

The reason I called him was to renegotiate my contract.  After all, he certainly helped Alex Rodriguez, Max Scherzer, Jayson Werth, and, most recently, Bryce Harper become very wealthy.

For example, Bryce Harper just signed for $330 million for 13 years.  Even though it is not divided up evenly over the years, it is still worth $25,384,615.40 a year (I wonder if the Phillies pay the 40 cents). By the way, that is $156,695 per game.  That’s right – every time the Phillies play, Bryce Harper makes much, much more than your annual salary.

But, in case that is not quite enough to support his lifestyle, he gets another $50,000 if he makes the All-Star team; another $50,000 if he wins a Gold Glove; another $50,000 for a Silver Slugger award; $50,000 more if he is the NLCS MVP; $100,000 more for earning the World Series MVP award; and finally, another $500,000 if he is the NL MVP.  You don’t have to add those up – it’s another $800,000!  And that is each year or $10.4 million extra available to him for performance through the length of the contract.

In addition, we can only imagine how awful the hotels are for professional athletes when they are on the road.  So Bryce gets his own suite for every road game.  And, if he so desires, he can purchase a suite at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Phillies.  Boras couldn’t get that for him?

Now, all I want Scott Boras to do for me is walk into my boss’ office and DEMAND that I get the following:

Two hot dogs AND a Coke for every game!

Extra compensation for all overtime games.

Extra compensation for the number of people who say they enjoy our broadcasts (I’ll keep track).

A complete remodel of my suite (at home).

Man, I am having trouble even recommending things to Mr. Boras to negotiate.  I hope with his experience, he can think of plenty more items that must be painful to do without.  I can’t (and I’m hoping my boss doesn’t even read this – he might get mad).

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSING) 

1. A final word about Bryce Harper. During his first press conference he was quoted as saying, he wants “to bring a title back to D.C.”  I hope that’s his last error.

2. Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley is currently at the NFL scouting combine working out for the NFL scouts. Do you think he can make it as an NFL quarterback?

3. Speaking of NFL quarterbacks, it appears Nick Foles will be with the Jacksonville Jaguars next season. No deals can be announced until March 13.  But the Jags current QB, Blake Bortles, is expected to be released, even though Bortles will make $6.5 million anyway.  John DeFillipo is the Jags’ offensive coordinator.  He was the Eagles’ QB coach in 2017 when Foles was an Eagle.

4. It looks like the NFL may have learned their lesson from the missed pass interference call that should have been called against the Rams in the NFC Championship game. The NFL is contemplating having an eighth official as a “sky judge” who can make calls like any on-field official.  All 24 owners would need to approve.

5. PIAA basketball begins this weekend. Every team still playing now has the goal of winning a state championship. Our girls’ teams are Northampton, Freedom, Nazareth, Southern Lehigh, Bethlehem Catholic, and Notre Dame.  The Allen, Parkland, Bethlehem Catholic and Central boys are still playing.  We will be at as many venues as possible.  Good luck to them all. 

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.  

Ask people around the Lehigh Valley who Kevin Schutts is and they probably will give you a blank stare. Ask almost anyone in the Valley if they know “Bearman” and, first, they will smile and then they will tell you about the Bearman and Keith. Kevin and Bearman are one in the same.

You probably know by now that Bearman passed away this weekend.  It was sudden and unexpected. The Valley woke up Monday morning in shock. I turned on WZZO-95.1 this morning and there was only music. I am sure Keith, much like Bearman’s family and the listening audience, was devastated.

Years ago (I am not good at dates), the RCN marketing department asked me if I would be willing to go on the radio once a week and be part of the Bearman and Keith show. I hesitated, but it was obvious the RCN wanted the exposure and they were going to be a major sponsor. I accepted and my life changed dramatically.

There was bad news. Every Monday morning, I had to get up at 5:30 AM in order to be at the ZZO studio by 8:00 AM. It also meant sleepless Sunday nights as I wracked my brain thinking of what I would say that anyone would find interesting. And, to add to my discomfort, Bearman and Keith were crazy. I had no idea what would come out of their mouths and, early on, I had no idea what they wanted me to talk about. Sometimes they would lead me down a path that I knew RCN would not be comfortable with me traveling. They always kept me on my toes.

My anxiety was relieved immediately. They were two of the nicest people I had worked with. They wanted me to talk sports, but in some humorous fashion. That was easy because they always looked at life in a very quirky way. And their audience was vast and loyal. If I was their friend, then the audience became my friend.

I am not sure when, but early on Bearman started introducing me as “Gar-eeee Lauuu-bach!” Boy, did that catch on. I could not go anywhere without someone shouting it out when they saw me. Their influence in the Valley was unbelievable. For example, one summer, my wife and I were on a cruise in the middle of the Caribbean waiting to get on an elevator on the ship. The doors opened, a woman stepped out, gave me a look and screamed, “Gar-eeee Lauuu-bach!” To say the least, my wife was flabbergasted. I was just in awe of the power of those two guys. It still follows me to this day. Some people still ask me if I am on. I have not been on for years.

After doing the show for awhile, the boys asked me to come on Friday mornings to make NFL picks for the Steelers, Giants, Jets, and Eagles. I could phone it in at 8:00 am. Raymond the Amish comic was in the studio most Fridays and all we did was laugh. I could plug our weekend football games and start my morning with a big smile on my face. And I know the audience loved it. They would say so.

It’s been described that the show was “two goofy guys doing goofy things”. That pretty much sums it up. And it was unique, sometimes off the wall, and always entertaining. And a final word about Keith. Over the years, I have lost two of my long-time sidekicks – Bob Gehris and Dick Tracy. When they passed, our on-air time had already ended.  Their decline was gradual and their passing not unexpected. It was still devastating. It is hard for me to imagine the pain Keith must be feeling. You cannot mention one’s name without the other. They were joined together, not at the hip, but at the lip! I wish him the very best emotionally and vocationally.

I know the Valley and I will smile a little less each morning now as we drive to work.

May Kevin “Bearman” Schutts rest in peace.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSING)

1. It appears that we will know about Bryce Harper this week, perhaps, as early as Tuesday. The Nationals offered him a 10-year, $300 million contract which he turned down.  It appears the Phillies have the best chance of getting him to sign.  Worth it?  He would be a Phillie until he was 36 years old.  After signing Andrew McCutchen and J. T. Realmuto, the excitement and the pressure could be dramatic and overwhelming.

2. Is this the year the Golden State Warriors do NOT win the NBA title? The Milwaukee Bucks have won nine of the last 10.  The Warriors are banged up and losing, but don’t count them out.  When they are healthy, they are the best.

3. Portland was in town to play the Sixers on Saturday night. This allowed Portland’s and Lehigh’s C J McCollum to attend the ceremony to retire his number at Stabler Arena on Sunday afternoon.  He is having a great pro career and certainly will be remembered as one of the best to ever put on a Patriot League uniform.

4. I watched the Flyers play the Penguins outdoors at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night. 70,000 fans were there.  It was raining the entire game, so I hope the fans stayed until the end.  The Flyers were down 3-1 before they made their comeback, tying the game with 19.7 seconds on the clock.  It took just one minute and 59 seconds to score the game winner in overtime.  It may not be good enough to get the Flyers into the playoffs, but it kept them alive.

5. District basketball championships will be decided this week on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Seeds #11, #7, #5, and #1 are still alive in the 6A boys’ bracket.  Crazy year.

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.  

This past week, it was announced that the Pennsylvania state legislature was going to introduce a bill that would separate the boundary (usually referred to as the public) schools and the non-boundary (private, Catholic, charter) schools.  The competition between the two has been going on since 1972 when Act 219 was passed.

The PIAA has long held the position that it was up to the legislature, not their governing body, to change the format of the state championships in football and basketball.     Boundary schools, particularly in the western part of the state, have been vehemently calling for the change.

The first question to ask – is it an unfair playing field?  “Non-boundary” is at the root of the problem.  Public school enrollment is determined by their geography or their boundaries.  By their very nature, private schools must recruit students to attend and are allowed to go where they need to go to get their student population, thus, “non-boundary”.

In other words, private schools do not abide by the same set of rules as public schools.  They also have the advantage that once they become seen as possessing outstanding football and basketball programs, the more talented players want to go there.  They reason, and rightfully so, that they will be exposed to more college scouts for potential scholarships and will participate in more state championship contests.

Approximately 75% of the 350,000 potential students attend boundary schools. Yet, the private schools have dominated the state playoffs and the state championships.  The football championships were split this year, but the school populations are far from split.  But history has shown that around 60% or more of the titles go to the private schools even though they have a much smaller percentage of the student population.

Maryland has separate playoffs for the public and private schools.  It seems to work.

With six classifications in Pennsylvania, it would be easy to break the numbers down.  Four public school champions and two private school champions would seem to be fair to everyone.

I, for one, will be every interested to see what Harrisburg does.  Stay tuned.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSING) 

1. This was a tough sports weekend for me. I’m not very interested in the NBA All-Star game – watching guys play one against one basketball is not very appealing.  The weekend golf in Los Angeles took forever to complete due to bad weather every day.  Thanks goodness I could watch the Lafayette win over Loyola on the internet.  With RCN high-speed Internet, watching a game on the computer is not much different than watching it on TV.

2. The Flyers continue to climb in the standings. They have won 12 of their last 14.  Their new goalie, Carter Hart, continues to be the difference.  The Flyers are generating excitement once again.  Can they get to the NHL playoffs?

3. With the March Madness pools coming shortly, Duke is, once again, the top-ranked team in the polls. Duke starts four freshmen and has not lost a game at full strength.  They play North Carolina this week.  That “usually’ creates some excitement in the ACC.  Where will you put them in YOUR pool?

4. Congratulations are in order for the Bethlehem Catholic boys and girls basketball teams and the same goes to the Southern Lehigh boys and girls teams. All of them have a championship – the former winning the EPC and the latter winning the Colonial League.  Beca’s Justin Paz had quite a week: he made a 3-point shot from mid-court to beat Nazareth by two points in the EPC semifinals and drove the length of the court to beat Emmaus in the championship game with 2.5 seconds on the clock.

5. It’s on to the District basketball and the District individual wrestling championships. It’s the best of times for winter athletics.