Anyone who competes wants to win, not to finish third. And if you are part of a team, you certainly don’t want to be traded.  Neither helps anyone’s self-esteem.  Recently, both of those outcomes were part of Jon Dorenbos’ life experiences.

You may recognize the name due to one or both of his vocations. You see, Jon Dorenbos prior to this season spent 11 years with the Philadelphia Eagles as their long snapper.  Just before this NFL regular season was to begin, he was traded to the New Orleans Saints.

Last TV season, he was on America’s Got Talent and finished in third place.  He demonstrated a number of his magical skills as well as an endearing personality.  It was as if the judges and the audience liked him as much for his personality as they did for his magic which, by the way, was exceptional.

Because of that show, people learned about Jon’s very difficult early childhood life. His father murdered his mother and spent Jon’s childhood in prison.  He made a point of saying that magic had saved his life while growing up and certainly AGT changed his life.  He appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show and became famous throughout the US.

The irony of this newfound fame as a magician was that spending 17 years as a long-snapper in the NFL, he was pretty much anonymous. Long snappers only gain any sort of fame if they mess up and Dorenbos almost never did.  He was so steady in his performance that no one, for the most part, knew his name.

By finishing third on AGT, he was rewarded and, just this past week, by being traded he was rewarded again. How would that be?  When a player is traded, they must undergo a physical.  Dorenbos’ follow-up physical revealed that he had an aortic aneurysm and he would need to have open-heart surgery.  The physical may have saved his life.

Dorenbos was one of the most popular Eagles in the locker room and the team was upset when he was traded. They rallied around him when they heard the medical news.

So, to recap:

Dorenbos’ life changes by his appearance on AGT.

He gets traded to the New Orleans Saints and must undergo a physical.

The trade probably saved his life – no physical + no knowledge of the heart problem.

The heart surgery will probably negate the trade and he will become an Eagle again.

It is obvious that magic is at work here in all aspects of his life. Just get through the surgery!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. The NFL season started with a shock on Thursday night when the Chiefs beat the Patriots 42-27. It also started “Gary’s Guesses” off with a loss in his first pick of the year.
2. The Eagles got a much needed win over Washington on Sunday. The offense, defense, and special teams all played well. Now they must travel to Kansas City (see above) this Sunday against Andy Reid. The Chiefs are favored.
3. Penn State plays another easy opponent this week before they venture into the Big Ten against Iowa. They will play back-to-back games against Michigan and Ohio State in late October.
4. Undefeated Easton takes on undefeated Parkland this Friday night. The game will be LIVE on RCN-TV at 7:00pm followed by the Liberty at Whitehall game at 10:00pm.
5. Lafayette takes on #7 Villanova on Saturday night at 6:00pm on RCN-TV. Watch Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic battle immediately following the Lafayette game.

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (OVERALL – 10-5 – 67%)

Week Two

CINCINNATI

BALTIMORE

CAROLINA

ARIZONA

TENNESSEE

KANSAS CITY

NEW ENGLAND

PITTSBURGH

TAMPA BAY

LA CHARGERS

OAKLAND

DALLAS

LA RAMS

SEATTLE

GREEN BAY

DETROIT

Week One

NEW ENGLAND

BUFFALO

ATLANTA

HOUSTON

PHILADELPHIA

ARIZONA

OAKLAND

TAMPA BAY

CINCINNATI

PITTSBURGH

INDIANAPOLIS

GREEN BAY

CAROLINA

DALLAS

MINNESOTA

DENVER

 

For Eagles fans, the NFL season begins on September 10, when they travel to Washington.

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

NFC West

1. Seattle Seahawks – Only the Cardinals and tough road games stand in the way of the Seahawks easily winning the West. Seattle has the Packers, Giants, Cowboys, and the Titans on the road. The good news is they do not play any back-to-back road games.
2. Arizona Cardinals – Any team with Larry Fitzgerald has a shot at winning every game. QB Carson Palmer had a good year in 2016. This team could surprise as the divisional winner, but if not, they should get a wild card berth.
3. Los Angeles Rams – There are favorable schedules and unfavorable schedules. The Rams have the latter. Imagine playing in London after a game on the East Coast and another on the East Coast the week after. Wade Phillips is the new head coach (hard to refer to him as “new”). They won four games last year. The Rams should get a few more this season.
4. San Francisco 49ers – Kyle Shanahan is the new head coach after Chip Kelly’s dismal stay (2-14 last year). They should improve overall, but their record may not. No competition for last place in this division. The 49ers have it sewn up.

NFC South 

1. Atlanta Falcons – They won the NFC last year and probably should have won the Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see how much that loss carries over to this season (it often does). Their OC Kyle Shanahan is in San Francisco, but there is no doubt this is one of the most talented teams in the NFL. I’m betting on them again.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – QB Jameis Winston and receivers DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans make the Bucs a contender for the division title and certainly a playoff team. They have the Falcons twice toward the end of the season along with the Packers.
3. New Orleans Saints – This team is on the downslide after back-to-back 7-9 seasons. They have not improved much at all and their top players are getting old. The saving grace here is they should be better than the Panthers.
4. Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton is the key again and his surgically repaired shoulder is a question mark as is the protection he will get from his offensive line. I am anxious to see how they use Christian McCaffrey (short passes and long runs = long passing yardage).

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers – Great quarterback with great receivers and a weak division will give the Packers the division title again. They do have tough openers with Seattle and Atlanta the first two weeks and only two home games after Thanksgiving. Keep Rodgers healthy and they are a lock to win the North.
2. Detroit Lions – Matt Stafford continues to improve and so do the Lions (two winning seasons the last three years). They open with the Cardinals, Giants, and the Falcons. If they win one of those, they may have a good season.
3. Minnesota Vikings – Oh, how do you pick the Vikings? They seem to underachieve every year. Sam Bradford had a great start last season and quickly fizzled out. They cannot run the ball. They do play decent defense and that can and should be their strength.
4. Chicago Bears – They have been the North’s last place team three years in a row and this year should be no exception. They will start 0-4 against Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay. No chance to recover.

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys – I know you want me to pick the Eagles here, but I just can’t do it. Even with the suspension of Ezekiel Elliot, the Cowboys still have a great offensive line to keep a running game going and Dak Prescott is coming off an outstanding season. Their defense should be even better than last year. It hurts to say it, but Dallas wins the East.
2. New York Giants – No Eagles here either! The Giants have a solid quarterback and one of the best receiving groups in all of football. If they get a ground game, they may actually be able to upend the Cowboys. They play four road games in their first six, so a good start is critical.
3. Philadelphia Eagles – The schedule is a bear – just playing the East teams twice is a formidable task. I like Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz, but the offensive line needs to create a running game and the defensive line needs to protect the secondary. I hope I’m wrong about their East standing.
4. Washington Redskins – They have had two consecutive winning seasons, but this won’t be another. Opening with Oakland and Kansas City will make them 0-2. Kirk Cousins is still a mystery as is this whole team. 

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Despite the truly understandable pessimism of boxing fans, the Mayweather – McGregor fight turned out to be a good fight. Mayweather’s strategy of wearing down McGregor worked, but McGregor certainly battled to the very end. So Mayweather ends his career over $300 million richer and McGregor picks up $100 million and enhanced the image of the UFC. Each fighter won in a way.
2. The Dustin Johnson-Jordan Spieth battle on Sunday was just as entertaining. Two golf heavyweights battling it out in the Northern Trust and going an extra hole to determine the winner made for great drama.
3. The Iron Pigs and now Phillies Rhys Hoskins has just been ridiculous – 11 home runs in 64 at bats (the fastest to that number in major league history) and in 18 games. At that pace, he would have hit 99 home runs in a season!
4. There were a couple of surprises in high school football this past week – Palisades beat Notre Dame and Wilson destroyed Pen Argyl. Our Saturday game this week is Palisades at Wilson. Interesting. Friday night has Emmaus at Whitehall. Good football early!
5. “Gary’s Guesses”, my weekly NFL predictions, will return next week. The blog will take a week off for the holiday, but the “Guesses” will be there next week.

Thursday, September 7, is closing in fast and that is opening night for the 2017 NFL season. NBC will have the AFC matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots in Foxboro.

So it seems only appropriate to make my AFC predictions for this season. I will have my NFC forecast next week.

AFC West

1. Oakland Raiders – Tough start with three of first four games on the road. Derek Carr is, obviously, the key and the Raiders appear to be very solid. One should note that this may be the toughest all-around division in the AFC. There is no easy road for any team, but the Raiders appear to be strong enough to win the AFC West.
2. Kansas City Chiefs – Their non-divisional schedule includes the Giants, Cowboys, Texans, and Patriots on the road and their divisional schedule is exceptionally tough. They have plenty of offensive weapons and a strong defense. The Chiefs finish the season with three straight home games and that could help them win the division.
3. Denver Broncos – As Trevor Siemian goes, so go the Broncos. He was great early last season, not so great in the second half. They have seven away games in the final 11 weeks. That could be problematic.
4. Los Angeles Chargers – They’re out of San Diego, playing in the smallest stadium in the league (30,000), and the hardest team to figure. They are talented and could actually vie for the divisional title. This one is tough to call.

AFC South 

1. Tennessee Titans – The Titans haven’t been in the playoffs since 2008, but this should be their year. If they keep Marcus Mariota healthy and his broken leg is totally healed, the Titans could have an outstanding regular season.
2. Houston Texans – I’m betting on Bill O’Brien here, because the Texans certainly have their problems at quarterback – the quarterbacks have a total of two NFL starts. The Texans need to win early games on defense and hope they eventually have an offense.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars – This team is better and has the potential to be very good. Running game has been upgraded with Leonard Fournette and Tom Coughlin is in the front office. Can Blake Bortles have a good year at quarterback?
4. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts didn’t do much in the off season and were just mediocre last year. Andrew Luck is coming off shoulder surgery, the defense is poor, and the offensive line is porous.

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers – Their early schedule looks easy; their skill position players are as good as it gets and no one questions their defense. All of this is a formula for a great deal of success.
2. Baltimore Ravens – The ravens are desperate for a playoff berth – it’s been two straight years that they have not played in the post season. They shored up their defense, but did little to make the offense better. Ravens fans are desperate for a winner – so is Coach John Harbaugh.
3. Cincinnati Bengals – I never know what to do with the Bengals. They often do not play to their capability, but also seem better than their record. I picked them third – so be it.
4. Cleveland Browns – I always know where to pick the Browns. Dead last. Quarterback is an ongoing problem, but they are better on the offensive line and at receiver. Still last, however.

AFC East

1. New England Patriots – This is a lock! They have won 14 East titles in the last 15 years. The division is weak; the team is stronger with Gronkowski back and healthy; and Tom Brady is still playing. Oh, and there’s Bill Belichick. They may not lose at all.
2. Miami Dolphins – No Ryan Tannehill after he tore his ACL. Jay Cutler at QB and a new head coach in Adam Gase. This is a weak division (except for New England) so a playoff spot is not out of the question.
3. Buffalo Bills – Sean McDermott is at the helm of the Bills, so their defense should be strong. The offense will be run by Tyrod Taylor or Nathan Peterman or T.J. Yates (who?) and that is their biggest problem.
4. New York Jets – This team could be worse than Cleveland and will not make the playoffs for the seventh straight year. Their goal is a high draft choice in 2018.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg got plenty of playing time for the Jets this past Saturday night against the Lions. The Jets offensive line was just awful: they gained three yards in the first quarter; had two first half first downs; Hackenberg was sacked twice and he was two for six throwing for 14 yards. As I said in the blog, this team may be worse than the Cleveland Browns.
2. When you realize that five Major League baseball teams have lost 70 or more games and five more are in the high 60s for losses, the Phillies don’t look like the absolute worst team anymore. Is that ANY consolation for Phillies fans?
3. Lafayette and Lehigh met with the media this week. Lehigh has been picked to win the Patriot League for the second straight year and Lafayette was picked to finish last. But the games are played on the field. RCN and LSN will once again pair up to bring you Lafayette football.
4.  Congratulations to the Martins Creek Creekers for winning the Blue Mountain League championship this past week. The best of five series against the Iron Financial Orioles went to the fifth game and the Creekers won their seventh title. They have been part of the League for 72 years.
5.  “Gary’s Guesses”, my weekly NFL predictions, will return for the opening week of the NFL. I have averaged around 62% correct over the years, so you decide whether you put any trust at all in the predictions. Don’t blame me.

It’s Monday, August 14, and my first day back to work after a 9-night cruise to Bermuda, San Juan, St. Thomas, and a private island. My wife and I like to get away right after basketball season ends and right before football season begins.  All the weekends in between are pretty much taken up with sports.

If you cruise, you know that sports and national TV are not high priorities on the ship. There is a really nice flat-screen TV in the rooms, but most channels are commercials for the cruise company in the form of desired excursions, specialty restaurants, daily schedules, enticing spa treatments, and shopping tips.  Actual programming pretty much consists of keeping the children occupied with DreamWorks TV and programming for almost every nationality on the ship.  I did find a soccer game from time to time, but not much else.

It is even difficult to keep up with the news. CNN is on the dial and is about the only source for up-to-date information available.

So this is literally a vacation not only from the workplace, but a true vacation from sports. And my wife is not unhappy about that.  Filling the gap is beach time, great entertainment, big buffets and excellent dining.  For some reason, she finds this more appealing than baseball, golf, and preseason football.

We did experience a bit of reality “TV”, when one morning we were awakened by a Coast Guard helicopter right outside our balcony. They were there to airlift a passenger who had fallen and seriously injured themselves.  The ship had diverted off course in order to get the passenger to the hospital.  The helicopter lowered a man and a basket and eventually raised the patient to the chopper and got him to a hospital.  It was both sad and exciting.

Returning home meant reading nine days of the Express-Times and the Morning Call to catch up on, you guessed it, all the news and, especially, all the sports that I missed. What I immediately realized is that high school and college football is right around the corner.

The break was certainly a nice one. I, too, like good food and good entertainment, but when the song asks, “Are you ready for some football”, my answer is a resounding “Yes”.

I hope you are, too!!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. I was shocked like most Eagles’ fans that Jordan Matthews was traded to the Buffalo Bills. The Bills, I’m sure, were even more shocked when, during his first practice, he cracked his sternum. His availability is week-to-week.
2.  Did you like the trade for Matthews, who was the Eagles’ most reliable wide receiver? With the addition of cornerback Ronal Darby, the Eagles now have four young CBs (all under the age of 24), but they traded away Carson Wentz’s favorite target. Newly acquired receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith are both on one-year contracts. The verdict on this trade is yet to come.
3. Bryce Harper was having an MVP season and could be a free agent next season. Saturday he slipped on the first base bag and injured his left knee. The injury looked extremely serious, but the Nationals are hopeful he will return this season and not need surgery. In most sports like basketball, slippery areas get wiped off for safety reasons. Baseball bases should get the same treatment. And with this injury to a superstar, the bases will be a topic of discussion, for sure.
4. Lafayette football media day is this week. The Leopards open their season amid the head coaching debut of John Garrett at Monmouth, September 2, at 3:00pm. Monmouth beat Lehigh last year, so this will be a true test for the Leopards. They will entertain Sacred Heart on September 9, and the RCN team will be there to bring you all the action.
5. The EPC South football division should be especially entertaining this season with outstanding running backs in the spotlight. Do you like Emmaus, Parkland, Beca, or a sleeper to win it all? Stay tuned.

One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes (and there are many) is the one where Elaine becomes friends with George’s girlfriend, Susan.  George has a theory that it is just not good if these two separate worlds collide intermingling his friendship world with his romantic world.  Take a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koUGfRumE1k

I bring this up because I wanted to watch the episode again and because it made me think about the upcoming Pay-per-View event – Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor.

In case you do not know, Conor McGregor is a mixed martial artist and professional boxer with the MMA and the UFC. He is the biggest Pay-Per-View attraction in MMA history.  His rematch after a loss against Nate Diaz became the highest selling pay-per-view in UFC history with 1,650,000 purchases.

Now, McGregor is moving into the boxing world of Floyd Mayweather. McGregor can box (it’s considered his greatest skill).  As a UFC fighter, he would often insult the skills of Mayweather.  Mayweather heard enough and announced he would come out of retirement for a boxing match with McGregor.

Floyd Mayweather is considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time, undefeated and a winner of fifteen world titles. He is an accurate puncher with outstanding defensive skills both on display in his biggest win over Manny Pacquiao.  His record going into the McGregor fight is 49-0.

On August 26, the two will meet. The match will be held under boxing rules.  Ten-ounce gloves will be used.  No kicks or takedowns will be allowed.  Each round will be three minutes and it is scheduled for 12 rounds.  All of these rules, one would think favors the professional boxer – Mayweather.

The expectation is that this will create the biggest LIVE gate in history surpassing Mayweather-Pacquiao which earned over $72 million. Ticket prices begin at $3500.  The Pay-Per-View audience is also expected to break records with prices in the $90-$100 range.  Mayweather-Pacquiao created 4.4 million buys.

The pre-match hype has featured bombastic challenges using the most profane language. Most experts feel that Mayweather’s boxing skills give him a great advantage, but McGregor certainly possesses tremendous knockout power.

Mayweather is a huge favorite to win, but rest assured, MMA fans will back their man, who promises to win by knockout in less than four rounds.

So, on August 26, the two worlds will be colliding. Is it good for boxing? Is it good for the MMA?  And, as George says, “There’s going to be trouble” and could cause both to “cease to exist” as we know them.

You have a few weeks to decide how interested YOU are in the outcome.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. 1. Monica, Ed, and Billy McCaffrey were all great athletes at Allentown Central Catholic. Ed’s son, Christian, was a great player at Stanford and a Heisman runner-up, and was selected eighth in the NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. He is both a running back and a receiver. Early word out of the Panther camp is that no one can cover him one-on-one out of the backfield and linebackers can’t tackle him. If his career is anything like Ed’s with the Denver Broncos, I may become a Panther fan.
   2. An eating disorder, depression and thoughts of suicide are not descriptions often associated with a college placekicker, but Penn State’s #99 Joey Julius suffers from all of these psychological problems. So, he has checked himself into a treatment center in St. Louis and will not be part of the Penn State roster this season.
   3. The NFL has eased the rules on touchdown celebrations. Group celebrations will be allowed and the ball can be used as a prop, but no obscene gestures, throat slashing, gun or bow and arrow shooting. How creative will the players get?
   4. With high school and college football practices set to begin, I reflected back to the three-a-days we went through in the heat of August – morning, afternoon, and evening practices to get ready for the season. The NCAA now restricts formal practice to one, three-hour session, live contact only three days a week, and one day off. All in the interest of safety. Good idea!
   5. No blog next week. One more break before football!

Even if you are not into golf, by now even you know of the amazing rally by Jordan Spieth at the British Open on Sunday. He played the final five holes five under par after losing the lead in the tournament for the very first time in four days.  In doing so, he, along with Jack Nicklaus, became the second player to win three of the four Grand Slam tournaments by the age of 23.  If he wins next month’s PGA Championship, he would be the youngest to win the Grand Slam.

So I now know what Spieth has accomplished at such a young age. It made me curious about some of the accomplishments of other young athletes in other sports.  Who were some of the others to make an early name for themselves as a youngster?

Baseball: Julio Urias (19 years old) – Became the youngest starting pitcher to pitch in the major league for the Dodgers in 2016. He lasted 2-2/3 innings.

Tennis: Michael Chang (17 years old) – Won the 1989 French Open, becoming the youngest winner of a tennis grand slam singles event by beating #1 Ivan Lendl in a four- hour match.

NFL: Amobi Okoye – (19 years old) – Played college football for the Louisville Cardinals at age 16; drafted in the NFL at age 19 and played in an NFL game at the age of 20.

NBA: Andrew Bynum (18 years, 6 days) – Played for the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant (who at 18 years, 158 days became the youngest ever to start an NBA game), made an All-Star team and was a member of two championship teams.

Soccer: Freddy Adu (14 years old) – Became the youngest athlete to sign a professional contract, the youngest to appear in an MLS game, and the youngest to score a goal in the MLS.

NASCAR: Joey Logano (18 years old) – Became the youngest to win a NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

Men’s Golf: Guan Tian Lang (14 years old) – The youngest golfer to qualify for the Masters. He made the cut and became the youngest to do so.

Women’s Golf: Michelle Wie (10 years old) – The youngest player to qualify for the US Amateur; later she became the youngest to make an LPGA cut and the youngest to play in a PGA event.

“Children should be seen and not heard” is a phrase I heard often as a child.  I am assuming all of the teenagers who I just mentioned rarely heard that idiom.  Instead, “youth must be served” seems much more appropriate in these remarkable examples of early accomplishments.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Chicago Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman used the Heimlich maneuver to save a man’s life in a Texas airport on Sunday. The man was choking while Freeman was enjoying a brisket sandwich. His quick action probably saved the man’s life.
2. The Cubs had a mediocre start to the MLB season prior to the All-Star break and were five games out of first behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Since the break, they have won eight of nine and moved into a tie for first place in the NL Central. Is the magic back?
3. The British Open featured two of the easiest players to get behind and root for – Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar. So Spieth’s win was not a disappointment for this fan, but one had to feel for Kuchar who was trying to win his first major. Kuchar did win $1,067,000, however, to ease his pain.
4. A golfer who made the cut in the British Open and finished dead last (70^th) earned $23,600 for his efforts. Still not a bad paycheck for a week at the office.
5. Mark your calendar – Freedom takes on Central Catholic in our opening football game of the year. Tune in at 7:00pm on Saturday, August 26.

One of the great benefits of sports is that, for a few hours, one gets away from the trials and tribulations of everyday life and watches cars go around an oval, a pass being thrown, a homerun being hit and, … well, you get the picture.

And one of the focal points of everyday living certainly has become politics.  There has not been anything more polarizing in our society since this last election.  Everyone not only has an opinion, they have very strong opinions and they do not particularly want to hear yours!

So it is probably best if the sports worlds and the political worlds are kept separate.  It certainly didn’t help Chris Christie’s popularity in New Jersey when he attended the Dallas Cowboys game against Detroit as the guest of the Cowboys’ owner.  Seems Christie does not root for the Jets, the Giants, or the Eagles – the three closest NFL teams to New Jersey – he roots for the Cowboys.  He would have been better off politically if he had just stayed home.

The sports and politics worlds collided again this past weekend.  The LPGA held the U. S. Women’s Open at Trump National in Bedminster, NJ.  This did not sit well with a large number of protesters, both at the course and around the country, who felt the women should not be playing at a course owned by the President whom they feel has sexually harassed women.  To make matters a bit worse (if that’s at all possible), there was video of Trump driving across a Trump National green a few weeks ago.  Driving across a green – this violates all rules of golf etiquette (unless you own the course, I guess).

And the players got caught in the middle.  This is the most important championship in women’s golf.  It has the largest purse and is the most prestigious.  To ask them to skip the tournament in protest against the host seems unfair.  During the week, the players went out of their way to stay out of the controversy because they are well aware that any answer would be seen as the wrong answer by so many.

So they played.  And the President showed up.  To the President’s credit, he did not get too involved other than watching from his temporary bungalow.

There were some peaceful political demonstrations, but the tournament took center stage and it was a great one.  An amateur almost won and the three-day leader couldn’t hang on until the end.

Politics and sports came together, but much like oil and water, they did not mix and that’s the way it should be.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. At the MLB All-Star break, two rookies are making the most impressive news.  In the National League, the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger has 22 home runs in 52 games and hit 10 homers in 10 games, a record.  On Sunday, he hit for the cycle.  In the American League, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge has set the Yankees record for home runs by a rookie (30) and leads the majors in six categories.  And, he was the first rookie to win the Home Run Derby.
2. Speaking of the MLB, the games so far this year are taking longer than ever – three hours and nine minutes.  This is five minutes longer than last year.  ESPN’s 18-inning game lasted six hours and five minutes.  Rule changes to speed up the game are on the horizon.
3. What has happened to the Cubs?  As I write this, they lag five-plus games behind the Brewers.  They are in the bottom third in the league in runs scored and hitting.  Their pitching is giving up almost five runs per game.  Joe Maddon will need some second-half magic.
4. Jeongeun Lee played in the US Women’s Open but was listed on the board as Lee Je6.  On the Korean LPGA tour, she is the sixth player with the exact same name.  There was another Jeongeun Lee in the Open and she was, as you might expect, Lee Je5.
5. We finish up our Blue Mountain League game of the week next Tuesday, July 25.  It has been a great year in the BML with very competitive teams and games.  The playoffs should be terrific.  If you’re a baseball fan, get out to a game or a series.  Thanks to the League officers and the managers for all their help.

In case you missed it, Saturday was the first day of NBA free agency and some rather large contracts were signed. The big names caused a big stir. Stephen Curry signed for $201 million (5 years); Blake Griffin for $175 million (5 years); and the 76ers got JJ Redick for a mere one-year $23 million contract. Curry’s deal was the biggest in NBA history and, it seemed to me, that it had to be one of the biggest of all time.

I knew there were bigger contracts over longer periods of time, but how did this one stack up on a per-year basis? I investigated. According to Wikipedia, only boxer Floyd Mayweather made more in a year than Curry – $72 million-plus in 2015. Kobe Bryant in his last year made $20 million. Five players in the NBA currently make more per year than Bryant ever did.

Is it justified? It would certainly be hard to argue the value of Curry or Griffin to their respective teams. Some things would seem to be obvious – they put people in the arenas; they therefore add to the concession dollars; they play up to their potential; and, most importantly, the owners think they are worth it. To me, that’s enough said. Unless the owners are willing to greatly reduce the price of a ticket (which they are not), I have no problem with the players getting a large piece of the pie that would otherwise go to the owners.

By the way, of the top 25 sports contracts on the Wikipedia list, 22 were signed by baseball players. Curry, Griffin, and Mayweather were the only ones to crack the list.

Where are the NFL players? This is interesting because when you look at their per-game paychecks from last year, they do just fine (not that anyone thought they were hurting financially). Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts made $1.4 million per game; Jay Cutler $1.1 million; Colin Kaepernick, Matt Ryan, and Aaron Rodgers made $1.3 million. Super Bowl quarterback Tom Brady is not in the top 125 considering overall contracts.

So what do we take away from this? These are very talented people who are, obviously, highly valued financially in our society, rightfully or wrongfully. They are making more money for an event or a season than almost every American household will make in a lifetime. When it comes to the concerns of most Americans – putting food on the table, clothing the children, the economy, worrying about Obamacare vs Trumpcare, or Medicaid and Medicare, most cannot relate to their income.

However, we also create their value by buying the expensive tickets, the over-priced beer and food, and their jerseys. When we say they are not worth getting paid what they make and then buy tickets to their games, we deflate our own argument.

Bottom line – in our society, we are all worth what someone is willing to pay us!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
 

1. Speaking of NFL contracts, Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr will make $25 million this season, but that’s not the point here. In 2019, the Raiders will move from California to Nevada. California has the highest income tax in the nation and Nevada has no state income tax. Carr will save $8.7 million in taxes!
2. Yankees’ rookie Aaron Judge has put up home run, RBI, and batting average numbers to warrant being named both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP. Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki are the only players to win both awards in the same year. By the way, Fernando Valenzuela is the only player to win the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award in the same year.
3. If you follow the PGA, you know that Phil Mickelson and caddy “Bones” MacKay split after 25 years together. Mickelson’s brother, Pete, will take on the caddy role. So what does MacKay do? He signed a multi-year contract with NBC/Golf Channel to be an on-course announcer. His insights should be somewhat different from all the former players who have become announcers.
4. It’s not just our President who gets in trouble with his “tweets”. Rory McIlroy had problems this past week himself. Fellow golfer Steve Elkington suggested that McIlroy, with “100mill in the bank”, was so rich he is “bored” with golf and that is why McIlroy missed the US Open cut. McIlroy tweeted it was more like “200mill, not bad for a ‘bored’ 28-year-old.” He regrets that tweet and has turned his Twitter account over to his wife. Is there a lesson here for our President?
5. Our “first-time ever” broadcast of the Men’s Senior Baseball League continues to get postponed due to weather. We will get it done at some point. But the Blue Mountain League Game of the Week continues on Tuesday, July 18, when the Orioles visit the Limeport Bulls. Watch at 9:30pm.

Sunday is, at least for me, a day of watching sports. I try not to interfere with family time, but I must admit, between the NFL, college basketball, and golf, there is often a magnetic pull towards the remote control anytime I am in the family room.

This past Sunday was no exception. The Travelers’ Championship was on CBS and Jordan Spieth was in the lead.  I enjoy rooting for Jordan, I had played the golf course, and Travelers is my insurance company, so I just had to tune in.  On a day when Spieth could not make a putt, he dramatically wins the tournament in a playoff by holing a sand shot from 60 feet away.  Another $1.2 million in his 24-year-old bank account.

I figured my sports’ viewing for the day was over. Then on comes 60 Minutes, a show my wife and I watch every week.  They did a very, very interesting piece on Artificial Intelligence.  The final story was on a Japanese baseball player named Shohei Ohtani who plays for the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Ohtani is a 6’4, 215 pound, 22 year-old right-handed pitcher who has thrown the ball an amazing 102.5 miles per hour. To steal some facts from the show, he has a higher strikeout rate than Clayton Kershaw, has thrown the fastest pitch in league history, strikes out 11+ batters per game, and last year had an ERA of 1.86.  And, oh, by the way, that’s just on Sundays.

During the week, except for the two-day rest he gets before he pitches again, Ohtani is the designated hitter. That’s right – when he doesn’t pitch and hit, he just hits.  “Just” is a misplaced adjective here.  Last year, he had 22 home runs, hitting the long ball 6% of the time he came the plate.  That’s a better percentage than Bryce Harper and Mike Trout of Major League baseball.

And it looks like this is his final year of Japanese baseball. He is, most likely, headed here.  BUT, he will only play for a team that allows him to hit when he pitches and hit when he doesn’t.  The last player to do that and do it well was Babe Ruth!

He currently makes @ $2 million, lives in a team dorm, does not drink, and has no car. He would have garnered close to $20+ million had he signed an MLB contract last year, but the new bargaining agreement limits international players from earning over $10 million and they must play at least six years with the team that signs them.

Ohtani doesn’t care. He says he has enough money.  And he is anxious to bat against Kershaw and pitch to Harper.

The first piece on 60 Minutes was about robots doing amazing things that humans cannot do.  The Ohtani story seemed to be just a continuation, but this was an amazing thing that a human can do.  Much like Babe Ruth did.

Check out the segment:
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/japans-babe-ruth-2/

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. ESPN is polling fans to choose the top quarterbacks on a given team. For instance, the Packers’ top three would have to be Bart Starr, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers. How would you rank them.  Ironically, ESPN has listed 19 teams and the Eagles are not one of them. Are they telling us something or did they just not get to the Birds yet?
2. Speaking of “telling us something”, on the ESPN “This Week in Sports” search under MLB, there are 166 stories listed. The Phillies are the focus on one! That story is about their Saturday win (I guess the rare win warranted the story) over the Diamondbacks. Pathetic.
3. It was announced this week that the Saucon Valley Country Club will host its eighth USGA championship in 2022 when the Senior Open comes to the Lehigh Valley. That is the year when Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, and many other famous names will be eligible to play. RCN has always been proud of their telecommunication assistance during the past tournaments. It should create a great deal of national excitement for our area.
4. The Cedar Beach Basketball Showcase in Allentown is, often, an indicator of which local teams will be the best in the upcoming high school season. The early favorites are familiar – Emmaus, Allen, Central Catholic, and Bangor (of the Colonial League) all look solid again. Sleepers could be Nazareth, Northampton, Liberty, and Dieruff (yes, Dieruff). That’s plenty of teams creating plenty of competition. It looks like another good year.
5. No Blue Mountain League Game of the Week this coming Tuesday night (it’s July 4). However, on Friday, July 7, you can watch the Senior Baseball League on RCN at 9:30 PM. It’s their first television game in history and features the Gabelsville Owls vs the Palmisano Rangers.

We’re taking a holiday break next week, so there will be no blog. Wishing you a happy and safe Independence Day!