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 know some of you may be a bit nervous about this title in this day and age, but I mean nothing out of place. The phrase “kissing your sister’ is how many in the sports world have described a tie game in sports.  It’s not all that bad, but it also is not all that good.  I mean – it’s your sister.  I hope mine is not offended.

I bring this up because in just two weeks of NFL football, there have already been two ties:  Pittsburgh–Cleveland (21-21) and Minnesota–Green Bay (29-29).  I also bring this up because of the four major professional sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB), the NFL is the only one that finishes a regular season game without deciding a winner.  And I don’t like it!

According to Wikipedia, tie games in professional football were common prior to 1974 because there was no overtime provision.  The sudden death overtime period was instituted in 1974 and allowed a 15-minute period where sudden death was the rule.  If one team scored, the game was over.

I hated this rule, also.  There was a huge advantage to any team that won the toss to start the overtime period.  Score a point – win the game.  The opponent did not even get an offensive possession. Sure, they could defend against the score, but since 50+-yard field goals are not that uncommon today, the offense did not have to do much to garner a win – maybe just win the coin toss.

That stupidity continued until 2012 when the rule changed to the current situation, but it did not completely change for the better.  Now if a team scores a touchdown, they win, but if they only get a field goal, the other team gets a possession to see if they can score.  This is still not fair.

Seven ties have occurred since 2012 and two of those in the first two weeks of the 2018 season.  Conversely, there are no ties in college football or in Pennsylvania high school football.

In college the ball is placed on the 25-yard line and teams get equal possessions until a winner is decided.  That seems very fair.

In high school, the ball is placed on the 10-yard line and each team gets an equal number of possessions.  Equally fair.

So, can we learn something from these two non-professional levels of football?  We can.  Instead of a timed overtime period which could decide nothing and take a long time (I know the NFL wants to get to the other games and the networks want to get to their regularly scheduled programs), let’s do what the others do.  Since the pros are more skilled, have the ball placed on the 40-yard line of the team with possession and allow equal possessions until we have a winner.  A team always starts a possession from the other team’s 40-yard line.  There will eventually be a winner.

And isn’t that why they play the game? 

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. I’m sure Eagle fans are not thrilled with Tampa Bay QB Ryan Fitzpatrick after he riddled their defense this past Sunday. For me, I have an affinity to him.  I was fortunate to broadcast two of his college games when he played at Harvard in 2003 and 2004.  Both were wins for the Crimson.  In 2004, Harvard did not lose a game.  He threw for over 5000 yards in his career and ran for almost 1500 yards.  The most interesting story prior to being drafted suggested that he, based on the NFL’s intelligence test, was the smartest player ever to play QB in the NFL.  He scored a 48 or 49 (out of 50) on the Wonderlic test in the fastest time ever (nine minutes).  Maybe Eagle fans shouldn’t feel too bad if he outsmarted the defense.

2. Did you know that since the current NFL playoff system was put in place, 88% of teams that start 0-2 miss the playoffs? Buffalo, Oakland, Houston, St. Louis, Detroit, Seattle and the Giants are all 0-2.

3. Carson Wentz will be back this week against the Indianapolis Colts so Eagles’ fans should not be apologetic for long after losing to Tampa Bay.

4. A couple of nice stories came out of the Patriot League this past week. Colgate was to play football at Furman which is in Greenville, SC, this past Saturday.  Due to Hurricane Florence, the game was cancelled.  Colgate donated their hotel rooms, their pre-game and post-game meals to the relief effort for those in need.  Former Lafayette field hockey coach Andrew Griffiths brought his Old Dominion team up from Norfolk, Virginia, to Lafayette to play Providence instead of cancelling the game due to the hurricane.

5. RCN-TV will present three good high school match-ups this Friday night. Live at 7:00pm, Mike Joseph, Tony Cocca and I will call the undefeated Easton versus the undefeated Emmaus game.  Chris Michael and John Leone will have the  Liberty at Parkland game at 9:30pm.  Saturday, Chris and John Breidinger bring you the Nazareth at Bethlehem Catholic game at 7:00pm.  As always, you’re invited join us.

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks (Last week: 9-6-1)  (Overall: 18-12-2  60% )

Week THREE

CLEVELAND

MINNESOTA

HOUSTON

KANSAS CITY

ATLANTA

GREEN BAY

PHILADELPHIA

MIAMI

BALTIMORE

CAROLINA

JACKSONVILLE

RAMS

DALLAS

CHICAGO

NEW ENGLAND

TAMPA BAY 

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 first week of the NFL season never ceases to surprise.  I have always felt (and am, obviously, not alone) that pre-season games “wins and losses” mean absolutely nothing.  As you can see when you get to the results of “Gary’s Guesses” that it is very difficult to get a true handle on a team until they play a real game.

Here are some things I (and maybe you) just did not know going into the regular season:

• That the Eagles defense could be even better this year than last year.
• That Nick Foles always seems to look like a back-up quarterback.
• That the Saints offense may not be able to overcome the weakness of their defense.
• That QB Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Bucs could still look amazing (417 yards passing and 4 TD’s). AND he rushed for a TD.  What do the Bucs do now with Jameis

Winston when he comes back from suspension?  The Eagles will help answer that question this week.

• Why the Chiefs traded Alex Smith to Washington – because Patrick Mahomes looks like he really fits as the Chiefs new starting QB.
• That the Steelers running game could look the same WITHOUT Le’Veon Bell. James Conner had a Le’Veon game (192 total yards), despite not having anywhere close to what will be a Le’Veon contract.
• That the Bills are AWFUL (sorry, I guess you knew that already).
• That Ryan Tannehill of the Dolphins would miss two years of football and look like he hadn’t missed two weeks.
• That the Browns might win a game this year.
• That the Giants offensive line would be so bad (when everyone was talking about Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr., they should have been talking about the O-line).
• That Denver might be good again.
• That Dallas can’t score more than 20 points (at least they haven’t done it in the last four games), including Sunday when they piled up eight!
• That Alex Smith would play better in a Redskins uniform than in a Chiefs uniform.
• That the dispute over which QB is better (Brady or Rodgers?) still goes on.
• That the Vikings might have the total package to win it all.  That, by now, you would be sick of me telling you what you might not have known. 

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. I now find myself having to watch the Giants games because of Saquon Barkley. He did not disappoint yesterday when he ran for a 68-yard touchdown.  It was an electrifying run, just like in high school at Whitehall and in college at Penn State.  He rushed for over 100 yards and, for a while, looked like that run might catapult the Giants to a win.  It did not.

2. Which baseball team is better – the Red Sox (98-46) or the Astros (89-54)? It’s the Cubs (83-59) in the National League, for sure.  Baltimore (41-102) is certainly the worst.

3. Remember when the Phillies were 15 games over .500 on August 5?  They are 10-20 since – they have lost seven series in a row, nine of the last 10.

4. It’s bad enough not to have won a football game this year, even though the season is still very young, but not to have scored a touchdown? That’s the predicament the Lafayette Leopards are facing.  They’ll get a chance to change that this Saturday at 6:00pm against the Monmouth Hawks.  The game is LIVE on RCN-TV.

5. RCN-TV will present two interesting high school match-ups this Friday night. Live at 7:00pm, Mike Joseph, John Bowman and I will call the Bethlehem Catholic–Parkland game.  Chris Michael and John Leone will have the Easton at Liberty game at 9:30pm.  As always, you’re invited.

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks (Last week: 9-6-1)  (Overall: 9-6-1  60% ) 

Week TWO

CINCINNATI

WASHINGTON

ATLANTA

MINNESOTA

CHARGERS

HOUSTON

PITTSBURGH

JETS

PHILADELPHIA

NEW ORLEANS

RAMS

SAN FRANCISCO

NEW ENGLAND

DENVER

DALLAS

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.

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks

Week ONE

PHILADELPHIA

PITTSBURGH

MINNESOTA

INDIANAPOLIS

BALTIMORE

JACKSONVILLE

NEW ORLEANS

NEW ENGLAND

TENNESSEE

CHARGERS

SEATTLE

CAROLINA

ARIZONA

GREEN BAY

DETROIT

RAMS

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 first weekend of high school football in the Lehigh Valley is completed.  And as in the past, we learned virtually nothing about the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and a great deal about the Colonial League.  This has been the case each year since the EPC was formed back in 2014.  The same can be said about the Colonial League.  Good for the Colonial League, not so good for the EPC.

The EPC South always opens up their football schedule against the EPC North and, with very few exceptions, the South routs their northern opponents every opening night.  This past weekend was no exception.  Just check out the scores:

The lone North winner:  East Stroudsburg-South 37,  Whitehall  28

So what did we learn or, in this case after four years, NOT learn once again.  The EPC which basically forces this schedule upon the teams does neither division ANY good.  The South always opens up with a glorified scrimmage, which really helps neither team – one team walks to a victory while the other team starts with a demoralizing defeat.  The years of our powerhouses opening games against the likes of North Penn, or one of the Philadelphia schools, went away when this new league was formed.

It’s time to re-evaluate the independent schedules thrust upon the North and the South.  If you are going to keep this league as it is (and that is a topic for another blog), allow some leeway in the scheduling.  It would help both divisions.

Now the Colonial League is the direct opposite in their structure.  Due to the number of teams, there is no room for any independent games.  All games are League games.  The excitement of opening night far exceeds that of the EPC.  And that proved out with a big game between  Saucon Valley and Southern Lehigh.  Southern Lehigh was favored and Saucon won 27-13.  Northwestern upset Colonial League pre-season favorite in a nail-biter by a 42-41 score in overtime when they kicked an extra point.  Pen Argyl beat Salisbury  17-16.  Palisades,  Bangor, and Northern Lehigh won by larger margins, but each of those games were important because they count in the standings.

I am well aware that the EPC will not change their division alignments, but the time has come to allow the South to schedule more competitive games outside the Conference.  It would benefit everyone. 

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. It looks like players and officials are beginning to understand what the helmet rule means. There were 51 penalties for lowering the helmet in the first two weeks and just nine this past week.  Officials are not penalizing “inadvertent or incidental contact with the helmet and/or facemask”.  If the initial contact comes from another part of the body (shoulders and arms), officials can ignore the helmet contact.  Rest assured, most fans will not understand this.  Let the booing begin.

2. Imagine being asked the same question every single day when the answer is always the same. That just might get frustrating.  Just ask Eagles head coach Doug Pederson.  Every day after practice, Pederson talks to the press and every day he is asked about the health and expected return of Carson Wentz.  He cracked a bit on Sunday.  “I don’t know how many times I can answer this question… ask it a different way or you’re going to get the same answer.”  Everybody’s getting more tense – it must be getting closer to opening night.

3. I am not one to put ANY stock into NFL pre-season games, but it would have been a bit comforting for the Eagles to beat the Browns or to maybe just score a point against the Browns or, perhaps, have Nick Foles look like he knew what he was doing against the Browns. Just saying…

4. The Phils are fading, not just from the NL East, but also from the Wild Card standings. They certainly need to regroup and refocus.  Some timely hitting and better bullpen production wouldn’t hurt either.

5. RCN-TV will present a great early season inter-city rivalry game between Bethlehem Catholic and Freedom on Saturday LIVE at 7:00pm. Mike Joseph, Tony Cocca, John Bowman and I will be there to call our first game of the season.  Can’t wait.

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 NFC looks to be much stronger overall than the AFC in the NFL.  For Eagles’ fans, that is not good news.  Add to that, even though there have been  seven repeat winners in the history of the Super Bowl, no team has won back-to-back Super Bowls since New England did it in ’04 and ’05.

Last week, I took a look at how I saw the AFC shaking out in their divisions.  This week, I will focus on the NFC.

NFC West

1. San Francisco 49ers– For me, they have gone from worst to first.  The 49ers did not make the playoffs last year, but they should this year with Jimmy Garopolo.  He was 5-0 as a starter last year and three of those wins were against teams in the playoffs.  Game one is against Minnesota so I will know early if I am dreaming that the 49ers make the playoffs for the first time in six years.
2. Los Angeles Rams– I should pick this team to win the division. They did it in 2017. Their defense is outstanding.  Jared Goff looks to be a future star; the offense added more weapons; their defense got stronger (Ndamukong Suh now on the team); their young coach, Sean McVay, appears to be a potential genius.  So will they win their division again?  Probably – I don’t know why I picked the 49ers (but I did).
3. Seattle Seahawks – Oh, remember when this was the team and the venue no other team wanted to face? No more.  Russell Wilson remains their greatest threat, but he has little around him and the historically great Seattle defense is no more.
4. Arizona Cardinals – Steve Wilks is the new head coach. Sam Bradford will be at quarterback until Josh Rosen is ready.  The emphasis and strength should be on the defense.  This will not be their year.

NFC South

1. Atlanta Falcons – Their Super Bowl loss two years ago (a game they should have won) appeared to have carried over to last year when they were 10-6 and finished third in their division. They should be over it now.  Their offense looks to be unstoppable with talent at all of the skill positions.  The defense looks good enough.  I’m betting on this team again.
2. New Orleans Saints– If the defense is good, this team wins. Drew Brees is still one of the elite QBs in the league and even with a decent defense, he usually will get you enough points to win.  And this year, the defense looks quite capable of getting the job done.  They will battle the Falcons for the title.
3. Carolina Panthers – Remember that the Falcons, Saints, AND the Panthers all made the playoffs last year and could do it again. This is a good, solid all-around football team.  Cam Newton may still have his best years ahead of him.  The defensive secondary is somewhat suspect and may be their downfall.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – They were 5-11 last year and finished last in their division. It was supposed to be much better than that. Their defense improved in the off-season, but the big improvement needs to come from QB Jameis Winston.  We’ll know right away as they open with the Saints, the Eagles, and the Steelers.

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers – This pick is completely based on the healthy return of Aaron Rodgers. The Packers were 7-9 last year and the primary reason was the broken collarbone suffered by Rodgers.  They added tight end Jimmy Rodgers, a real asset, and the defense looks better.  So, keep Rodgers healthy and they are my favorite to win the North.
2. Minnesota Vikings–Watch out for the Vikings coming off a 13-3 season. Much of that success centered on the defense and Case Keenum.  Well, the defense is better, but Case Keenum is gone.  Veteran Kirk Cousins takes over and he can be very good with the right team.  They have won the division two of the last three years – could certainly do it again.
3. Detroit Lions– I like Matt Stafford at quarterback. I also like the Lions (three winning seasons the last four years).  Head coach Matt Patricia is a defensive guru and that is really where they need to improve.   Can they beat the Packers and the Vikings in the four games they play against them?  If yes, then maybe…
4. Chicago Bears – They have been the North’s last-place team four years in a row and this year should be no exception.  Matt Trubisky starts his second year at QB.  They added some nice pieces, but there aren’t enough to get out of the cellar.

NFC East

1. Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles won back-to-back East titles in 2004. They won the Super Bowl last year!  Can they repeat in both categories?  It looks like they are even better this year.  They have two solid starters at QB in Wentz and Foles; an outstanding running game; offensive line; defensive group, etc., etc.E-A-G-L-E-S!!!

2. Dallas Cowboys – Speaking of QBs, Dak Prescott was not as good last year as he was the previous year and the Ezekial Elliot six-game suspension did not help either. They did not, however, improve their receiving corps.  Jason Witten went to ESPN and they lost Dez Bryant.  That’s their weakness.
3. New York Giants – I so much wanted to pick the Giants ahead of the Cowboys. But they were 3-13 last year.  And their defense was awful – particularly in the secondary where they had some of the worst numbers in the league.  My hope is that Whitehall’s Saquon Barkley finds a way to electrify Eli Manning and the offense and it carries over to the defense.  Go Giants – beat Dallas!!
4. Washington Redskins – They had two consecutive winning seasons before their 7-9 year in 2018. Kirk Cousins was their best player and he is gone.  Alex Smith takes over coming from Kansas City.  He is good, but Cousins was sacked 41 times last year.  Can Smith survive that?  My guess here is “No”.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Since this seems to be prediction time, before actual games are played, let me suggest to you my choices for the high school football season. Even though it appears that Emmaus should have the best skill position people this year, it is difficult to pick against six-time District champion Parkland.  I also like Beca to be in the mix for the EPC South title.  There are plenty of other teams in this extremely tough division to create upsets almost every weekend.  Until someone else proves they can do it, I like Parkland again.  Ho-hum!

2. The Colonial league should be just as competitive with four teams with enough talent to win it all – Saucon Valley, Southern Lehigh, Palisades, and Notre Dame. Our opening high school game – Saucon Valley at Southern Lehigh – may answer some early questions.  I like the creativity of Phil Stambaugh’s Notre Dame offense and the throwing ability of record-setting QB Cole DeFranco.

3. Northampton moves to the EPC North Division under first-year head coach Kyle Haas. This move is good for the Konkrete Kids and maybe not so good for the North.  Stroudsburg will battle for the title.  I’ll stay local and pick Northampton.

4. I know the Eagles did not look very good against the Patriots on Thursday night. It was their second lackluster showing in the NFL exhibition season.  Don’t worry – except to shake off rust and complacency, these games mean absolutely nothing!

5. The Astros looked like they were going to run away with their division in the American league much like the Red Sox were doing in the AL East. The Astros were ten games up over the Oakland Athletics back on July 10.  As I am writing this, the A’s are now tied with Houston for first place in the AL West.  The Phillies continue to hang in there, too, in the NL East and one can hope that they will battle the Braves and Nationals to the end.

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 Super Bowl champion Eagles will start the NFL season in Philadelphia on Thursday, September 6, against the Atlanta Falcons.  Around here, there is no better way to open the new football year.  NBC will have the match-up.  Do I think the Eagles can overcome the hangover from winning the 2018 Super Bowl?  You will have to wait until next week for my NFC predictions.  For this week, the focus is on the AFC.

AFC West

1. Kansas City Chiefs – There’s a new quarterback here – Pat Mahomes (Alex Smith went to the Redskins), but Andy Reid remains with a new defense.  This team is a regular in the playoffs and this division is not strong.
2. Los Angeles Chargers – They finished a surprising second last year. Their defense is improved.  They play Kansas City in Week 15 in a game that could seal the fate of their conference standing.
3. Oakland Raiders– Jon Gruden leaves the safety of the broadcasting booth and returns to the NFL sidelines. He is certainly not an analytics guy (he specifically said that) and it may take him a while to get comfortable as a head coach again.  This team has a young defense.  The good news is their schedule is pretty weak to start the season.
4. Denver Broncos – The defense was solid last year, but the offense was not. This team could not win on the road at all.  The offense has to be better.  Don’t bet on it.

AFC South 

1. Jacksonville Jaguars– If defense wins championships, give this team a chance. Their linebacker/secondary group is outstanding.  QB Blake Bortles’s numbers should impress due to an improved offensive line.  With veteran Tom Coughlin around again this year in the front office, the Jaguars are solid.
2. Houston Texans – The last three offensive seasons have been run by three different quarterbacks. This year, it’s Deshaun Watson’s turn.  Bill O’Brien’s team had the worst scoring defense in the league last year, but they can only go up in those stats.  Dare I say, they may actually contend for a division title?
3. Tennessee Titans – I really enjoy watching Marcus Mariota at quarterback. He is always exciting, but he threw 15 interceptions last year.  They look strong enough in all aspects and this could be my worst prediction, but I have more confidence in the two teams above them.
4. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck? Andrew Luck?  What can he do coming off shoulder surgery?  He was shut down last season.  They open with the Bengals and with any Luck (see what I did there?) they might win and get rolling.  Without any Luck (I know – knock it off), their season looks dismal.

AFC North (PS – this is the same order I picked last year)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers – Ben, Bell, and Brown make the offense superior. There’s a new defensive coordinator (Randy Fichter) and some defensive additions make them better on the other side, too.  This should be a lock.
2. Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens continue to be desperate for a playoff berth – it’s been three straight years that they have not played in the post season. Joe Flacco will be aided by the additions of three new receivers.  They shored up their defense last year. Ravens fans are desperate for a winner – so is Coach John Harbaugh.  They’re better and desperate – could be a winning combination.
3. Cincinnati Bengals – Here we go again – I never know what to do with the Bengals. This team should be good – maybe even very good.  They often do not play to their capability, but, also, seem better than their record.  I picked them third last year and see no reason to change this year– so be it.
4. Cleveland Browns – Three years – four wins: I always know where to pick the Browns. Dead last.  But they have another new starting quarterback – the #1 pick in the draft, Baker Mayfield, but it might take him awhile to become the starter.  The offensive line remains from last season, the receiving crew is adequate and their young defense is back and should be better.  They have not won a road game since 2015.  They will remain dead last.

AFC East

1. New England Patriots – This is a lock! They have won 15 East titles in the last 16 years.  Ten straight!  Even though they lost a number of players since last year, the division remains weak; but there is a Brady and a Gronkowski.  Oh, and there’s Bill Belichick.  They may have lost a bit of their luster, but not enough to lose this division.
2. New York Jets – #3 draft pick QB Sam Darnold is in the fold and I have moved the Jets from a last place pick last year to second. The schedule doesn’t help any of the teams below the Patriots because they crossover with the AFC South and the NFC North.  Because of that, the Jets will improve, but they will not make the playoffs.
3. Miami Dolphins – Is Ryan Tannehill healthy after knee surgery? If so, can he last a season?  They added Danny Amendola from New England to aid the offense, but lost some key defensive players.  They will not contend for the playoffs either.
4. Buffalo Bills – There are no positives to report on here. Josh Allen was spotty at QB last season and with a porous offensive line, there will not be much improvement. They will not make the playoffs for the eighth straight year. 

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. What would you pay for a signed baseball with the names Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and Walter Johnson on it? This was the first group inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  It was sold this past week for a record $623,369.  The previous high was $388,000 for a Babe Ruth ball.

2. The Red Sox (85-35) have the same number of wins as the Orioles (35-84) have losses. They are 50 games over .500.  Their season has been phenomenal.

3. Years ago, we broadcast the PIAA state baseball championships from Williamsport’s Bowman Field. It was adjacent to the Little League complex where the Little League World Series is played.  The Phillies will play the Mets there Sunday, August 19, in what is being called the Little League Classic.  Phillies infielder Scott Kingery played in the World Series in 2006.

4. Lafayette football media day is this week. The Leopards open their season at Sacred Heart, September 1, at 6:00pm.  Sacred Heart beat Lafayette 38-24 last year, racking up 504 yards of total offense.  RCN-TV’s first Lafayette game will be at Delaware with a 3:35pm start on September 8.

5. We will start the high school season on Friday, August 24, when Southern Lehigh hosts the Saucon Valley Panthers. These two teams should be in the hunt for a Colonial League title.

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.

College football teams have already begun their workouts for the upcoming season. High school teams are next. As if, in this day and age, teams ever REALLY take a break from the preparation. Workouts for all sports are pretty much all-year round any more. But, I am talking “official” workouts now!

What does football hold in store for all of us in the Lehigh Valley who pay close attention to the professional, college, and high school seasons?

1. Will Lafayette football continue their drive to “play meaningful games in November”? We’ll get a sense of their Patriot League competition early on when the Leopards travel to Colgate for their League opener on September 22. Colgate is the pre-season favorite to win the League. Sacred Heart, Delaware, and Monmouth are first on the schedule as independent contests.
2. Lehigh may have the most exciting player in the Valley in Dom Bragalone. He is already on the Walter Payton watch list and is a consensus All-American. He was named the PL Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Mark November 17 on your calendar for the 154th meeting of Lafayette-Lehigh.
3. Northampton will be traveling up north for most of their football games this season as they leave the EPC South for a couple of years. Wins were non-existent for the Kids in the South the past four years so, despite the travel, this should be a better situation for them.
4. Kyle Haas, who did a marvelous job at Beca as the interim head coach in 2016, will take over the Northampton program. Kyle has a very creative football mind and, I believe, he will lead Northampton to a District XI berth this year. The competition is much less challenging up North and that is a major understatement.
5. It’s very difficult to pick a favorite in the EPC South. Usually one starts with Parkland and goes from there, but Parkland, despite winning the last seven District titles, may have that streak stopped. They lost a number of outstanding players and other teams have gotten stronger. Emmaus was strong before Whitehall quarterback Ethan Parvel moved into Emmaus. Now they are the frontrunner with two outstanding backs to share the offensive workload.
6. Easton, Freedom, Nazareth, Liberty, Bethlehem Catholic, and Central Catholic make up the rest of the South. Every one of those teams played in Districts last season so this promises to be an outstanding and competitive year.
7. Whitehall has a new head coach in Justin Kondikoff. Former coach Brian Gilbert left the post to become AD at Palisades. Having lost his starting quarterback makes things that much more difficult for Justin. However, Whitehall does have tough kids who seem to deal with adversity better than most.
8. The Colonial League promises to be wide open, also. Palisades dominated last year, but Saucon Valley, Southern Lehigh, and Notre Dame should challenge.
9. Much like watching Penn State was even more entertaining with Whitehall’s Saquan Barkley in the backfield, so too will watching the development of Nazareth standout wide receiver, Jahan Dotson for the Nittany Lions. Will he play this year or will this be a redshirt year? We’ll know soon.
10. I, for one, can‘t wait to see Saquon Barkley in the NFL. I know he is with the rival New York Giants, but he will capture my attention every week.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. The Red Sox swept the Yankees this past weekend winning four in a row and are now 8 ½ games ahead of their greatest rival. Between the Patriots of the NFL and now the Red Sox, it must be hard to walk around New England right now without a hop in your step, a grin on your face, and a hat that doesn’t quite fit your head.
2. On paper, it looks like the Atlanta Braves gotten stronger than the Phillies did before the trade deadline. However, I was happy to see that the Phils did not give up any of their young prospects. The acquisitions of Asdrybal Cabrera and Wilson Ramos will help the Phils. I think they are now good enough to win their division.
3. If you need a reason to watch Penn State this year, then pay attention to Trace McSorley at Penn State. He is on schedule to be the best statistical quarterback in Penn State history. The Lions will certainly be in the Big Ten championship hunt and in the national title picture.
4. Every new inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame gave a very inspirational speech – Brian Dawkins and his fight with depression; Ray Lewis and his call to doing things bigger than football; Brian Urlacher’s work ethic carrying over from his childhood; Randy Moss’s faith in God; Jerry Kramer’s Vince Lombardi stories; and so on. If you missed the speeches Google them for some inspiration.
5. Non-New England NFL fans should take note that Tom Brady celebrated his 41st birthday this past week. His career has to be coming to an end, doesn’t it? And how old is Bill Belichick?

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.

Despite the fact that NFL training camps are in full swing and football never seems to take a backseat to any sport here in the USA, this is the time to focus on baseball.  When August rolls around and the waiver deadline comes and goes at the end of July, fans are gearing up to follow their favorite teams to the bitter end of the regular season.

As we wind down, here are some of my thoughts:

1. Can the Yankees catch the Red Sox? With the Aaron Judge injury, which is supposed to sideline him for at least three weeks, can the Yankees keep pace with a team that just keeps on winning? The Yankees will NOT catch the Red Sox, but should be healthy at the end of the season to garner the Wild Card and battle through the playoffs.
2. At the beginning of the season, I predicted the Yankees and the Cubs would be in the World Series. I do not dislike my picks right now, but the Astros and the Red Sox look like the two best teams. I can possibly see the Red Sox fading a bit, but the Astros have pitching and hitting. However, in early August, the Astros play 18 of their next 20 games against teams with .500 records or better.
3. Just when a fan can start to feel really good about the Phillies, they lose three of four against the last-place Reds. The Phils did not hit at all in this series after their opening game win where they hit seven home runs. They have weaknesses – shortstop and relief pitching being the biggest – that are hard to overcome. The good news is that the Braves are not consistently winning either.
4. How important is the two-game series between the Phillies and the Red Sox this week? Well, the Phils have lost three straight and the Red Sox have won 13 of 15. The Sox can afford to lose a couple of games. You decide who needs the wins more.
5. With the Cubs’ starting pitching collapsing, it will be interesting to see if former Philly Cole Hamels can be a savior in Chicago. The Cubs are near the bottom in innings per start and need someone to take the pressure off of the bullpen.
6. The Dodgers and the Indians are very capable of putting together a great August and battle to the very end.
7. Are the Nationals done? As I write this, they are 52-53 and, if they believe the hill is too high to climb to get back into the race, they might start dealing. I think if they are patient, the Phils and the Braves will come back to them.
8. Is there a better player than Mike Trout? No.
9. Is there a worse team than the Baltimore Orioles? Well, there is a little competition here – the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox, and the Miami Marlins. It will be a battle until the end to win the title.
10. I’m also thinking that by now you want to know when the Eagles open their season – September 6 vs. the Atlanta Falcons.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Have the Cleveland Browns finally found a quarterback? There has been quite a bit of early praise for first overall draft- pick Baker Mayfield. Tyrod Taylor is the starter right now, but the Browns need Mayfield ASAP.
2. Speaking of the Browns, in case you forgot, the Browns went 0-16 last year following a 1-15 record the previous year. They should certainly improve – the bar is not very high.
3. Alabama football coach Nick Saban just extended his contract through 2025. He has won five national titles in the past nine years. It is worth $74.4 million. They REALLY love their football at Alabama.
4. Penn State’s Trace McSorley might just be the best college quarterback in the nation this season. He should have another record-setting year and could keep the Nittany Lions in the national championship hunt. However, beating Ohio State and Michigan State in the Big Ten will be a major challenge.
5. For the second straight year, we wanted to bring you a Lehigh Valley Men’s Baseball League game on RCN-TV.   And for the second straight year, the game was rained out. President Ron Cahill does a marvelous job putting together a league that has nine divisions, 47 teams, and over 1,000 players. It is the largest men’s baseball league in Pennsylvania. We hopefully will be able to showcase it to you at some point.

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 don’t think it would come as a surprise to anyone who reads my blog that I watch golf. I particularly like to watch the British Open. You might ask – “Why?”

For one thing, it starts early in the morning and ends early in the afternoon. There is still time left in the day. I don’t have to tell my wife that “it will be over soon” around the dinner hour, which is when professional golf tournaments here in America usually finish.

And… I have TiVo! This means that even though the British Open comes on at 1:30 AM on Thursday and Friday and 7:00AM on the weekend, I do not have to get up at an ungodly hour, keep the volume down, and find a quiet spot to enjoy it.

Instead, I just set my TiVo to record the action and watch it when I am good and ready. I know I will eventually catch up because I can fast-forward through the commercials – I mean how many times can I sit through a Ricky Fowler Rocket Mortgage commercial? Another huge TiVo advantage!

And then… along comes this break in the action called “Playing Through”. Some marketing genius, and I do applaud their creativity, (PS: Marketing people read this before it goes out to you so a little sucking up here can’t hurt), decided that in order to keep the viewers watching the action (my wife thinks, for golf, this is a term that never should be used), the screen would be split so that the commercial is on, but, so too, is the golf tournament. In other words, golf is still on WHILE the commercials are on. You know what that means? No fast-forward!!

The British Open is a five-hour event! By bypassing the commercials, I can get it done in about 3 ½ hours. Not now! I have to stay with the commercial. Tiger is hitting and Jordan is putting so I have to put up with that inane Rocket Mortgage commercial again! It’s just not right.

Advertisers did it with the Indianapolis 500 (another 4-hour marathon). That’s the only auto race I watch and I certainly can’t fast-forward through a split screen during an auto race. There might be an accident.

Those same marketing people (I’m done with the niceties) are also going to do it with NFL football. Football doesn’t have continuous action during the commercials, but something interesting might happen while I sit through another beer commercial? I don’t know, so I will stay with it, I guess. So, instead of watching an NFL game that I recorded in two hours (I also skip halftime), it may now take me 3 ½. By the way, my wife doesn’t care for football either.

If this is going to be the norm now, especially with sporting events which take a lengthy period of time, then may I suggest to the “creative” marketing people that they start selling ads to not only the brewers, but also marriage counselors and, dare I say, divorce lawyers. Drinking more beer, learning how to appease your wife, or even worse, talking divorce, may necessitate someone in the house looking for a new one. If so, I would call Rocket Mortgage, I guess. Now where’s that commercial when we need it?

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Saquon Barkley is signed. This weekend he put his name on a four-year deal for $31.2 million and it is guaranteed. He received $15 million up front. He reportedly wants to live off of his endorsement deals and invest all of his NFL money for the future. Smart!

2. The Atlanta Braves and the Phillies are both looking for bullpen help. The Orioles, it is reported, are looking to trade reliever Zach Britton. The Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Giants, and Astros are also interested. The Phils missed out on Manny Machado. Might they be more aggressive this time around?

3. This week, Chase Utley will play in Philadelphia for the final time since he is retiring at the end of the year. I’m sure he will retire as a Phillie and be inducted into their Hall of Fame. Although, there is an outside chance the Dodgers and the Phillies may meet again in the playoffs.

4. Penn State students bought 21,000 season tickets in less than 50 minutes. After a Big Ten title in 2016 and two consecutive 11-win seasons, excitement continues to rise in State College.

5. Thanks to the Blue Mountain League for their cooperation in bringing you the Game of the Week. Good luck to all the playoff teams. Get out to watch some games; it’s really good baseball. It’s almost time for the shoulder pads.

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. 

Let me say it up front – I like to gamble in moderation, my wife likes the slot machines and my daughter genetically, also, has the “bug”.  So last week, when my daughter called to see if we wanted to go to Atlantic City for the weekend with her and her husband, the answer was an easy “Yes”.

We both had free rooms for two nights, some complimentary food vouchers, and free tickets to a show. After the heat wave of the previous week, it seemed like the perfect time to get away for some R & R.  And… sports for the RCN-TV team takes a slight respite in July.

The plan was a good one – we would arrive on Friday night, have dinner, and do a little bit of gambling. Saturday would be taken up with a hearty breakfast, time at the pool in the afternoon (or the beach), a good dinner at an expensive restaurant (it was complimentary), and a hypnotist/comedy show at night.  This left a modicum of time for gambling and that is usually a very good thing.  Well, the best laid plans…

Due to heavy traffic, the 2 ½ hour ride took four hours, but we arrived without incident. After checking in to Resorts International (the rooms were very nice by the way), we decided to explore the hotel, get our show tickets, and seek out a spot for dinner.

Our first stop was to check out the pool. It was an indoor-outdoor setup so that sounded nice and the pool was heated which sounded even better.  When the four of us saw the pool, I knew there would be trouble.  It was packed with kids of all ages.  Some were in diapers and some probably should have been.  I noticed that my wife and daughter were not thrilled with the idea of swimming in what they perceived would be polluted water.

That left the beach and the ocean as our back-up the next day. We had a nice dinner, did a little gambling (everyone won, but me), and headed to bed.

The next morning we met and decided to eat breakfast and explore the two brand new casinos that had just been open for one week – The Hard Rock and Ocean. Breakfast was first, however.

We chose the Hard Rock Café. We possibly had the worst service ever!  We ordered, eventually got our beverages, and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  No coffee refills, no tea refills, no juice refills, and NO FOOD!  After one half hour, we asked to see the manager (something I never do).  He apologized and said he would put our order right in.  I thought our order would have ALREADY been in!

Forty-five minutes later, breakfast arrived, with the manager saying it was on the house. It was beginning to look like no one wanted our money, except the casinos.

We then opted to look at the new casinos and walk the boardwalk before going to the beach. Remember the extremely hot weather from the week before.  It was gone.  The temperature was in the low 70’s and the water temperature, we were told, was 61 degrees.  The girls had the same look on their face that they had when we saw the pool.  It was a beautiful day, but not a day to lie on the beach or go in the ocean.

So all the activities designed to keep us out of the casino were eliminated. That led to an afternoon of gambling (we all lost).  Thank goodness, the evening was full.  When I returned to the room – my key would not work.  I had to go back down to the lobby to get a new key.

Everything took an upswing at dinner. It was wonderful.  It took a couple of hours and led right into the show.  We had been told by others not to miss it.  Some people we asked saw the show the night before and said it was hilarious.

The concept was a combination hypnotist/comedy act. The theater was small and, it turned out, the audience was even smaller. In fact, and this is the truth, they had to count the people to make sure there were enough for a show.  The minimum I was told was 34 – there were 39!  Suffice it to say, the entertainer had very little to work with and it showed.  Getting laughs was difficult and hypnotizing anyone became even more difficult.

How bad was it? It was so bad that, according to the performer, for the first time in his 20-year career, he stopped the show, said no one was a good subject, and he apologetically would not go on.  He offered everyone their money back (we did not pay anyway) and called it a night.  Our ninety-minute respite from gambling was reduced to one half-hour.  I went to the room only to find my new key, also, would not work.  It was back to the lobby for a new key and back to (where else) the casino.

My daughter lost some more: my wife lost some more. Luckily I won a little back, but I was still a loser for the weekend.

We came home Sunday morning with a little less money, no beach time, three keys that didn’t work, and plenty of laughs about the “rest and relaxation” weekend.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Did you realize there are 121 NFL officials? And of that group, seven will be rookies this year, including the sons of current NFL officials, Ed Hochuli and Stan Kemp. That’s a lot of people to scream at.
2. I guess if you have a bad knee and you are asked to pinch hit, the best thing to do is hit a home run. That’s what Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani did on Sunday against the Dodgers. He hit a foul ball off his knee the night before and received treatment right before Sunday’s game. He hit the game-winning home run to center field in the seventh inning. He said, “I was glad I was able to hit a home run so I didn’t have to run much.”
3. On April 2, the Phillies and the Mets were snowed out. At that time, the Phils looked awful (1-4) and the Mets looked great (11-1 to start). Things are different for this second go-round being played this week. The Phils are in first place and the Mets are playing some of the worst baseball in their history.
4. Would you watch Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson play each other with a winner-take-all $10 million? Do you remember in the 1960’s “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf”? I do. That show paired two well-known players against one another – Palmer against Nicklaus, Hogan vs Snead, Player vs Trevino. It was good TV then and it would be good TV today. It will happen when the entities come up with the money!

Our next Blue Mountain League Game of the Week will be on July 17 when the Northampton Giants host the Limeport Dodgers. Northampton has been hovering around first place all year. You are invited.