“The Lehigh–Lafayette game is an integral part of a college education. The game provides thrills and excitement and instills an attitude that is essential to succeed in all walks of life. Traditions, pregame hype and celebrations are all as important as the game itself. No other football rivalry is quite like Lehigh-Lafayette. The traditions are pure and the festivities are genuine. Sportswriters are afraid to predict the winner, oddsmakers shy from a point spread and coaches don’t have to worry about getting their players up for the game. Previous records, scores and games against common opponents are meaningless. It’s one game—all or nothing.”

Preface Legends of Lehigh-Lafayette  by Todd Davidson and Bob Donchez D&D Publishing Company, 1995

As college football’s most-played rivalry is set to be played this Saturday at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium, the quote continues to ring true.  It was probably just as true on October 25, 1884 when the two teams took the field for the very first time.  Who would have guessed back then that 150 more games would take place prior to this Saturday?

Here are some facts about the rivalry:

First Meeting: Oct. 25, 1884; Easton—Lafayette 56, Lehigh 0

Last Meeting: Nov. 22, 2014; Yankee Stadium—Lafayette 27, Lehigh 7

Series Record: Lafayette leads, 78-67-5 (.537) (150 games)

In Easton: Lafayette leads, 41-29-5

In Bethlehem: Lehigh leads, 37-36

Neutral Site: Series tied, 1-1

Lafayette won 27-7 in Bronx, N.Y. (Yankee Stadium) on Nov. 22, 2014 Lehigh won 16-2 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. on Nov. 25, 1891

Largest Margin of Victory (Lafayette): Nov. 18, 1944; Easton—Lafayette 64, Lehigh 0

Largest Margin of Victory (Lehigh):Nov. 24, 1917; Bethlehem —Lehigh 78, Lafayette 0

Last Shutout: Nov. 22, 1980; Easton—Lehigh 32, Lafayette 0

Last Tie: Nov. 21, 1964; Easton, Lafayette 6, Lehigh 6 (100th meeting)

Points Scored in Series: Lafayette 2,670; Lehigh 2,202

Longest Lafayette Win Streak: 10 wins, 1919-28

Longest Lehigh Win Streak: 7 wins; 1995-2001

Miscellaneous Facts: The schools played each other twice per season from 1884-1901. They met three times in 1891 and did not meet in 1896, due to a player eligibility dispute between the two schools.

Neither team is playing for a championship this year.  In fact, Lehigh has a 5-5 record while Lafayette is a dismal 1-9.  But, it does not matter to the players, the alumni, or the Lehigh Valley fans.  This is Lafayette-Lehigh and that is all that is important.  16,000 fans will attend and half will leave ecstatic and half will leave dissatisfied.

If you do not have a ticket, tune in at 12:30 Saturday afternoon to RCNTV channels 4 or 1004; WBPH Channel 60, or GoLeopards.com on the internet.

Because…it is the ultimate rivalry!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. It all started with the Jets losing to Buffalo on Thursday night. The NFL has become totally unpredictable.  On Sunday, Bears killed the Rams, the Redskins beat the Saints, the Dolphins beat the Eagles, the Bucs beat the Cowboys, the Jaguars beat the Ravens, and, (wait for it) the Lions beat the Packers.  What!!!  I bet (pun) they are dancing in Las Vegas!
2. As I write this, the Flyers have won two of their last 10 and are 6-8-3, and the 76’ers are 0-11, and the Eagles now have a losing record of 4-5. It continues to be tough to be a Philadelphia fan.
3. We covered our first college basketball game this past Sunday and it is hard to imagine seeing a better game the rest of the year. Lafayette took on St. Peter’s and went up by 17 in the first half, only to have the Peacocks come back to tie the game in regulation.  In overtime, St. Peter’s went up by 11 and, as people were filing out, Lafayette kept forcing turnover after turnover and came back to win 87-86.  Check it out:

4. The high school football games did not disappoint this past weekend. Easton avenged a loss to Freedom by winning their first round Subregional AAAA game over Freedom.  Saucon Valley (11-0) pulled off the biggest surprise by beating Bethlehem Catholic, a team that “mercy-ruled” them last year.  Parkland beat District Two’s Delaware Valley and Liberty beat Stroudsburg.  Notre Dame and Northwestern both won at the AA level.
5. More great football match-ups are in store this weekend. In addition to Lafayette-Lehigh this Saturday at 12:30, you can watch the Easton – Parkland game on Friday night at 7:00 and the Saucon Valley – Lehighton game at 9:30 on Saturday.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 4-10; OVERALL 85-61 (58%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK NINE)

JACKSONVILLE
CAROLINA
DETROIT
DALLAS
ATLANTA
BALTIMORE
JETS
GREEN BAY
PHILADELPHIA
DENVER
ARIZONA
SEATTLE
KANSAS CITY
NEW ENGLAND

Nysir Minney-Gratz of Easton High School is a running back.   He wears #7 and is listed at 5’ 7” and weighs 155 pounds.   On Friday night, he rushed for 469 yards against the Nazareth Blue Eagles.  He also scored six touchdowns.  469 yards!!  That is a new Easton High school rushing record at a school where rushing the football is equivalent to Saturday following Friday.  It happens every single week of every single game during the football season.  The forward pass is an afterthought.

So, suffice it to say that Easton has had, year in and year out, exceptional running backs.  But no one has ever rushed for more than 400 yards in one game for the Rovers.  The previous record was set by Juan Gaddy in 1991 when he ran for, what now seems like a paltry 314 yards.  Minney-Gratz ran for more than that in the second half alone – 20 carries for 325 yards.  By the way, he caught one pass for 23 yards.

If you like football numbers, you know that one of the personal goals of any running back is to attain 1,000 yards rushing in a season.  Minney-Gratz ran for 875 yards the last three weeks alone – 1715 yards for the season. And to think that in the two years prior to this season, he ran for a total of 289 yards.  But, as I mentioned, there have been many, many great running backs at Easton and Minney-Gratz sat behind another Easton legend, Shane Simpson, for the past two years.

There have been seven running backs this year who have rushed for over 300 yards in a game, five who have set school records.  Emmaus’ Kyle Boney will rush for over 2000 yards before he puts away his jersey.  His high this year is 377 yards in one game.  Liberty’s Gunner Anglovitch rushed for 391 yards just two Saturdays ago.  Saucon Valley’s Evan Culver needs just 52 yards to go over 2,000 yards for this season.

This certainly begs the question – Are these athletes so outstanding or are defenses non-existent?  I made a quick count of EPC and Colonial games and there were 24 games where a team scored 50+ points in a game and 11 more where a team scored 49 points.  In one game, a team scored 54 points and lost by 21. 75-54!!  Where are the defenses?

Many coaches attribute the high scores to outstanding offensive talent, but also to poor defensive skills.  They say there is much less time spent on contact drills in practice due to the fear of injury and this has limited the repetition necessary for an individual to become a good run stuffer and a good tackler.  Everywhere I go now I hear the phrase, “Nobody can tackle any more”.

In case you are wondering, the Pennsylvania single-game record is 722 yards set this year in a 107-90 game.  107-90?

Maybe, by comparison, our defense isn’t so bad in the Lehigh Valley!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. The Eagles’ victory on Sunday night in overtime was refreshing for a couple of reasons – Sam Bradford threw a perfect pass to win the game and it was caught, not dropped. And, it took some of the spotlight off of Greg Hardy, who should not be playing for the Cowboys at all, except he settled a financial civil suit with his girlfriend so she would not testify in his jury trial.  No matter how you spin it, he should not be playing football – another reason for fans to hate the Cowboys.
2. As I write this, the Flyers are 5-9, losing six of their last seven, and the 76ers are 0-6, so the Eagles are the last vestige of hope for the Philadelphia fans through the winter.
3. In the Football Bowl Subdivision, there are only six undefeated teams – Clemson, Baylor, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, and Houston. Baylor and Oklahoma State play of November 21 and Ohio State will probably play Iowa for the Big Ten Championship.  That will leave four and that’s what the NCAA likes for their playoff system.  Houston may end up playing Temple for the American Athletic Conference title.
4. The Allentown public schools can be proud of the weekend dedication of the Andre Reed Field and the spirited play of their two football teams. Both Allen and Dieruff did themselves proud and I’m sure Andre was happy to see the Huskies come away victorious.
5. You can find all of the brackets for the District XI football games which begin this weekend at the following site:  http://www.districtxi.com/fall/football

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 5-8; OVERALL 81-51 (61%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK NINE)

JETS
GREEN BAY
DALLAS
CAROLINA
ST LOUIS
NEW ORLEANS
PHILADELPHIA
PITTSBURGH
BALTIMORE
MINNESOTA
DENVER
NEW ENGLAND
SEATTLE
CINCINNATI

When I sit down to schedule high school football games, you just never know what you are going to get.  That was not the case this past weekend.  Every game had the potential to be a classic or, as often happens when there is so much hype, disappointing the spectators and the viewers at home.  Well, guess what – every game became a future classic.

The night began with Easton traveling to Bethlehem to take on Freedom.  Freedom was coming off their first loss of the season and Easton was trying to stay alive in the Conference championship race.  Based on past meetings, Easton was probably a heavy favorite to win and quickly jumped out to a 13-0 lead after three possessions and maintained that lead at the half.  And Easton would receive the second-half kickoff.

Easton did not get a first down and Freedom scored on the following possession: 13-7.  Freedom’s defense caused four turnovers on Easton’s next four offensive sets and finally scored with 2:07 to go in the game: 13-13 with the extra point to follow for the win.  It was blocked!  13-13 at the end of regulation.

Easton fumbled in overtime and on a fourth and one, Freedom won the game 19-13.  One could make the argument that this was the biggest win in Freedom football history.

Game two matched undefeated Notre Dame (9-0) against undefeated Saucon Valley (9-0).  The winner would most likely win the Colonial League championship.  Saucon Valley last won the title in 2004 and Notre Dame had never won one.

Notre Dame scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 35-35.  With 45-seconds to play in regulation, Saucon Valley scored and captured a thrilling 42-35 victory.  Notre Dame’s quarterback threw for 224 yards and ran for 111.  Saucon’s Evan Culver ran for 208 yards and two TD’s.  Saucon’s QB Zach Thatcher ran for 172 yards and three TD’s and threw for 86 yards, 75 on the last drive.

And, believe it or not, the craziest game was saved for Saturday afternoon with Liberty taking on Central Catholic.  For starters, the score was 75-54!!  129 points!  Nineteen touchdowns were scored!  Liberty won.

Liberty rushed for 594 yards; Central ran and threw for 561.  The game featured 1,206 total yards when all the passing numbers were added.  Liberty’s Gunner Anglovich scored seven TD’s and rushed for 361 yards.  Central’s Alvin Pacheco scored four rushing TD’s.  Central QB Ethan Persa threw for 343 yards.  Oh, there were three punts in the game.  That might be the most unbelievable stat.  There were possessions when a team did NOT score!

So, we hit the tri-fecta this past weekend and it will be pretty much impossible to duplicate these three games on one weekend.  But… Freedom plays Liberty on Saturday and Central plays Bethlehem Catholic (another offensive machine) on Saturday night.

Who knows… just maybe…

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. One of the more common phrases used in sports is that “defense wins championships”. The World Series proved the opposite – “Lack of defense loses championships”.  The Mets had six errors in five games, none bigger than the throwing error by Lucas Duda that kept them from winning Game Five.
2. The Royals won their second title with the previous one coming in 1985. Remember they lost Game Seven last year to the San Francisco Giants.  Ironically, the Mets led after eight innings in three games they lost.
3. The NCAA will probably now switch to a centralized replay review system like that used by the NFL, NBA, NHL, and the MLB after the fiasco at the end of the Duke-Miami game. There were eight laterals, and four missed calls that would have resulted in a Duke win.  The officiating crew was suspended for two games, but the ruling on the field was not changed.  Miami won!

In case you missed the play:

http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/11/01/miami-duke-ending-ncaa-replay-reform-refs

4. With the Eagles having a bye week, all the football attention in Philadelphia was on the Notre Dame – Temple game. Both teams came in ranked in the NCAA.  Notre Dame had one loss and Temple was undefeated.  The atmosphere was electric and Temple played a superb game losing late on an interception by a 24-20 score.  It’s good to see a Philly school play big-time college football again.
5. The District XI football brackets will be out by noon on Sunday. There will be four classifications for the last time as the District adds two more starting next season.  The first round in AAAA and semifinals in AAA, AA, and A all start on the weekend of the 13^th.

And finally, a very, very sad note.  Last week’s blog focused on former Easton football player “Chevy” Graham and his determination to play college football at Kansas.  He achieved that goal.  Tragically, this past Monday, his 14-year-old sister, Lelieth, died in her sleep. She was an honor student and involved in many in-school and out-of-school activities.  She suffered from an irregular heartbeat.  So tragic. http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2015/11/chelsie_graham_recalled_as_act.html

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 8-6; OVERALL 76-43 (64%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK NINE)

CINCINNATI
GREEN BAY
PATRIOTS
NEW ORLEANS
MIAMI
ST LOUIS
JETS
OAKLAND
GIANTS
ATLANTA
DENVER
PHILADELPHIA
SAN DIEGO

After spending around ten hours on the road this past weekend driving to Worcester, Massachusetts, and watching Lafayette get beaten badly by Holy Cross 42-0, I was not in a very good mood as I sat down to write this week’s blog.  After all, the Leopards, who have been completely decimated by injuries this season have been outscored by 122-7 the past three weeks and have not scored a point in the last ten quarters.  I spend quite a bit of time with the players and the coaches each week and feel their pain and sense of frustration.  It certainly weighs on all of them and I, too, by virtue of my relationships with them, feel equally “down”.

Suffice it to say, I sat at the keyboard on Monday morning and I needed a lift – a feel-good story.  But, I did not find one – I found THREE!  I don’t know whether you need to read these stories as much as I needed to write them.

Let me start with a former Easton High defensive football player named Chevy Graham.  You may not remember the name.  He was part of Easton’s two District Championship teams in 2009 and 2010 and started in the secondary the next two years and played in the McDonald’s All-Star Football Classic.  He was not offered any Division I scholarships and only one Division II offer (East Stroudsburg University) came his way.  But, he always felt he could play at a higher level.  When his father moved to Wichita, Kansas, Chevy decided to apply to Kansas University and play football.  He decided that; Kansas University still needed to be convinced.

So, his first semester, he sat in the stands for every game.  The following January, he went to a tryout for the KU team.  And just like he had predicted, he made the team!  The first year, he played on special teams.  This season, he is now a starter in the secondary as a cornerback and living his dream to play Division I football.

And lest you think Chevron (his real name) is just going to school for football, he is a chemical engineering student who is a member of the Academic Big 12 team, and is an Honor Roll student.  Just like his major, he was able to formulate a plan to enjoy a game he loves and play it at the highest level.  Read more about Chevy in Jesse Newell’s post:

http://cjonline.com/sports/hawkzone/2015-10-15/stands-starter-kus-chevy-graham-rewarded-leap-faith

The next two “feel-good” stories center around two of our Lehigh Valley teams – the Allen Canaries and the Dieruff Huskies.  This past weekend both of them won!  If you do not think that’s a big deal, the last time the two Allentown schools won on the same weekend was November 8, 2002, 13 years ago!

Dieruff beat Pocono Mountain West 33-20.  Now Dieruff has won other games this year (over ES North and Pocono Mountain East) and they did win four games last year, so their plight has not been quite as desperate as the Allen Canaries.

Allen had not won a football game since 2009 – they had lost 28 in a row.  Last year, they were outscored 403-71 and ended the season by being shut out by Dieruff 35-0.  This season, prior to their 28-27 win over East Stroudsburg South, they had been outscored 296-57.

As a former player and coach, I have the utmost respect for kids and coaches who continue week after week to go out and compete knowing the outcome will not be favorable.  These same kids still hit the weight room, still practice five days a week, still take the field on Friday night, still attend classes, still remain academically eligible, and still hope.  It is so easy to just walk away from this commitment especially when it is rare to reap the rewards with victories.

High praise belongs to the head coaches – Kyle Beller of Dieruff and George Clay of Allen, who, also, persevere and, every now and then, they get rewarded for their efforts, maybe not in wins, but in the gratification of working with his players.  This weekend, however, both were rewarded with wins!

That’s what happened this weekend, so congratulations to Chevy, to Dieruff, and to Allen.  And now, I “feel-good”.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Mets or Royals? Royals really have good hitters up and down the lineup.  I like the Mets’ pitching.  The Mets are destined to win the World Series.
2. Watching the Eagles on Sunday, who do you blame for the losses? The receivers drop too many passes; Sam Bradford throws too many interceptions; they cannot run the ball; and the hurry-up has little or no effect on the opponent.  And they still could win the NFC East.
3. If you are looking for the perfect college football atmosphere this coming Saturday, watch undefeated #21 Temple take on #9 Notre Dame at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. This could be the best Temple team ever and the campus and Philadelphia area are ready to explode.  Notre Dame, with a national rabid following, will be out in full force.  The atmosphere will be electric!
4. It’s a typical year in the EPC South – Liberty beats Parkland; Parkland beats Easton; Easton beats Liberty; with Central also beating Easton and Nazareth also beating Liberty, Parkland is looking like the champion. Freedom still has an outside shot.
5. Freedom (7-1; 5-1) tries to rebound from their first loss of the season when they host Easton (7-1; 4-2). You can watch the game LIVE on RCN-TV.  At 10:00, the Colonial League championship should be decided when undefeated Notre Dame takes on undefeated Saucon Valley.  Saturday, Lafayette takes on Bucknell and Liberty plays Central.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 7-7; OVERALL 68-37 (65%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK EIGHT)
 

NEW ENGLAND
KANSAS CITY
ATLANTA
ARIZONA
GIANTS
MINNESOTA
SAN DIEGO
CINCINNATI
TENNESSEE
JETS
SEATTLE
GREEN BAY
CAROLINA
ST LOUIS

October 17th was a rare Saturday for me.  Campus Insiders, an internet sports streaming group affiliated with the Patriot League, was granted the rights to the Lafayette-Harvard game.  There were slim pickings among the high school match-ups, so we all took the day off, a circumstance usually unheard of at this time of the year.  So what did I decide to do – WATCH football, of course. Specifically, I wanted to watch Penn State freshman “phenom”, Saquon Barkley of Whitehall High School, go up against the #1 team in the nation – Ohio State.  This, as many know, is the same Saquon Barkley who thrilled us on RCN-TV last year.  The 18-year-old is a true freshman and playing Big Ten football.  Watching him on Saturday night and putting it mildly, he did not disappoint.

Saquon had sat out the previous two games due to an ankle injury and his availability for Saturday’s game was not known prior to game time.  Trust me, he was available. Saquon rushed for 194 yards on 26 carries, an average of 7.5 yards per carry.  And he had a 44-yard touchdown run called back in the first quarter.  He did have a season-long 56-yard run in the fourth quarter.  He had four runs of over 14 yards.  He has now rushed for over 100 yards in three games and combined with the 195 yards rushing against Rutgers, he now ranks third and fourth in all-time rushing games at Penn State by a freshman.

His runs were dazzling and included another leap over a potential tackler, his second of the season.  He is spectacular at “putting his foot into the ground” and making cuts that leave defenders grasping at air or just watching him run by them.  To me, he has instincts that match some of the greatest to ever play the game.

Barkley is shredding college defenses much like he did at Whitehall.  In his senior year, he rushed for 1851 yards, 8.6 yards per carry and scored 24 rushing touchdowns.  He added another three receiving and a punt and kickoff return for touchdowns.  Take a look at his high school highlight tape:

When his Penn State highlight tape is put together at the end of the season, it should look almost as impressive.

Add to that, he is a great young man who distinguished himself both as a student and an athlete at Whitehall.  He played basketball, even though he was not a great basketball player and could have easily walked away from the team his senior year after acquiring the full scholarship at Penn State.  He played hard in every game and used all the basketball ability he had.  Then, he went on to be a track star and gave away one of his gold medals to a young lady whom he felt deserved one after a bad break cost her a victory.

For me, it is always special to follow the players who were part of the RCN broadcasts in high school.  I relish their success.  Liberty High School product and Villanova’s Darrun Hilliard comes to mind as he gets ready to launch an NBA career.  I want the same kind of success for Saquon.

Here’s hoping Saquon stays injury-free and continues to create exceptional highlight reels.  He has moved well beyond local television in the Lehigh Valley to national exposure on the major networks. For the next 3 ½ seasons, I will be yelling, like all the Nittany Lions fans,

“We are – Penn State!!”

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Cleveland QB Johnny Manziel got into trouble again this past week when he was stopped and questioned by police following an argument with his girlfriend. He was stopped in his car and admitted to drinking prior to the incident.  He was not arrested and did not play in the Cleveland-Denver game.
2. In case you did not believe Yogi Berra when he said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over”, take a look at the Michigan State-Michigan game this past Saturday:

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/10/michigan-state-stuns-michigan-by-returning-punters-fumble-for-td-on-final-play

3. If you watched the Colts self-destruct against the Patriots on Sunday night, this might be what they really wanted to do:

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/10/university-of-maine-ran-a-similar-play-to-colts-trick-play-but-it-actually-worked#cx_ab_test_id=17&cx_ab_test_variant=cx_blend&cx_art_pos=4&cx_navSource=arttop&cx_tag=trend&cx_ctrl_comp_grp=true&cxrecs_s

4. If you are an Eagles’ fan, you must constantly be bewildered. How can they make so many mistakes on offense and still win?  If “defense wins championships”, the Eagles can still have a good season.
5. The EPC South picture could become clearer on Friday night when Freedom (5-0; 7-0) visits Parkland (4-1; 6-1). You can watch the game LIVE on RCN-TV.  Saturday’s games are Lafayette at Holy Cross LIVE at 1:00 and Wilson at Pen Argyl at 7:00.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 9-5; OVERALL 61-30 (67%)

NFL PICKS (WEEK SEVEN)
SEATTLE
BUFFALO
WASHINGTON
ATLANTA
INDIANAPOLIS
DETROIT
PITTSBURGH
BROWNS
HOUSTON
NEW ENGLAND
SAN DIEGO
GIANTS
CAROLINA
ARIZONA

Agatha Christie, the mystery writer par excellence, once penned a terrific “whodunit”, which was considered her masterpiece – And Then There Were None.  In that book ten characters (all of whom were part of someone else’s death) are brought to an island and one by one they are killed.  Over 100 million copies of this book were sold and it still remains the world’s best selling mystery.

No one was killed, injured, nor in any way harmed when the PIAA Board of Directors was brought to the “island” in Mechanicsburg on Wednesday, October 7, to ostensibly vote to increase the number of classifications for high school football from four to six.  But that is where this mystery begins.

There was supposed to be some serious opposition to this proposal despite the fact that the rest of the country has been classifying their schools this way for many years.  However, that opposition did not happen.  The final vote was 26-4.  Not surprisingly, the three voting members from District 7 (WPIAL) and the District 8 chairman voted against the proposal – that’s it, just those four.  Primarily, their fear was the loss of their one-day football championships played at Heinz Field, the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the opposition by 66% of the district’s 123 schools. Obviously, they could not garner any support from the rest of the state.  Even Philadelphia, which as late as September said they would oppose the proposal, voted unanimously in favor.

Now, the plot thickens.  The Board proposed a second vote to the surprise of all who expected this topic to occur later in the year which would have followed the PIAA protocol.  Girls and boys basketball, baseball, and softball would also move to six classifications and girls volleyball, boys soccer, and girls soccer went to four classes, field hockey to three, and boys and girls lacrosse to two.  This whole process took fifteen minutes and was passed by a 23-7 vote.

So, football will lose a week (from 16 to 15) at the end of the season, but will probably make up for that week by scheduling one less scrimmage at the beginning and starting their season one week earlier. The leagues will make that decision. More high school athletes will have more opportunities to play in state playoff games and more communities and schools will be able to rally around their respective teams throughout the playoffs.

Where schools actually fall will be known by November 15, one month after the enrollment figures are due.  Forty-six schools are a part of the District XI.  It appears the 6A would have 12 and 3A 12 with smaller numbers for the other classes.  So the final chapter is yet to be written.

Agatha Christie’s mystery was 272 pages.  The document penned by the Strategic Planning and Football Steering Committee was around 230 pages.  One diminished the participants one by one until they were all gone – the other dramatically increased the number of participants.  That’s a happy ending to be sure.

Re-title it And Then There were Six.  It, obviously, can be sold!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. I watched the entire last round of the President’s Cup from South Korea. It ended at 2:45 AM on Sunday and came down to the last putt.  I lost a great deal of sleep, but no one bothered me.
2. Chase Utley’s slide which broke Ruben Tejada’s leg in the Mets-Dodgers series was a dirty slide. The best revenge by the Mets would be to win the series.
3. With all the technology used in the NFL these days, it was ludicrous that in the Monday night game, 18 seconds ran off the clock after a touchback in the fourth quarter with the Chargers leading 20-17. 2:56 was on the clock after the Chargers took the lead over Pittsburgh.  When the Steelers snapped the ball after the touchback, there was 2:38 on the clock.  The Steelers won the game with no time left.  Otherwise, another official’s costly mistake could have changed the outcome.
4. The Eagles looked good in the second half again after a dismal first half performance. Imagine if they would play good football for four quarters!  Maybe it will happen soon.
5. Important doubleheader high school football action this Friday night on RCN-TV. Easton hosts Parkland and Whitehall visits Freedom.  There are really great match-ups the rest of the season.  Should be fum!

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 12-2; OVERALL  52-25 (68%)

NFL PICKS (WEEK SIX)
NEW ORLEANS
DENVER
CINCINNATI
MINNESOTA
JACKSONVILLE
DETROIT
JETS
ARIZONA
TENNESSEE
SEATTLE
GREEN BAY
BALTIMORE
NEW ENGLAND
PHILADELPHIA

The word “Philadelphia” is derived from two Greek words – philos (loving) and adelphos (brother).  Thus, Philadelphia is known as the city of “brotherly love”.

There are twelve U.S. cities with four major professional sports – Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, Washington, and, dare I say, Philadelphia.  With the Eagles losing again this past Sunday and falling to 1-3, it could be argued that the four Philadelphia teams have carried their moniker, “The City of Brotherly Love”,  just a bit too far.

I will start with the hapless Philadelphia 76ers.  During the 2014-15 season, they lost a franchise record and tied an NBA record by losing 26 games in a row!  They finished the season with a 19-63 record.  The following year, the 76ers started the season 0-17 and were within one game of the worst start in NBA history.  It appears that this upcoming season which is right around the corner will be much like the last two.  You would think that their NBA opponents just “love” coming to Philadelphia, because they are pretty much guaranteed a win.

Did you know that the Flyers are second only to the Montreal Canadiens in all-time points percentage, have the most appearances in the conference finals of all the expansion teams, and are second all-time in playoff appearances by expansion teams.  Sounds great, right?  They have now missed the playoffs in two of the last three years, despite winning 98 games, losing 80.  By Philadelphia standards, however, not making the playoffs is unacceptable for this franchise and certainly unacceptable for the Broad Street fan base.  Only a Stanley Cup would satisfy the rabid Philadelphia hockey fan.  But in early 2015 forecasts, the Flyers are picked in the bottom half of the Metropolitan Division.  That would mean they miss the playoffs again.

Then, there is the Philadelphia Phillies.  They just wrapped up a 63-99 season.  In 2013 and 2014, they lost 178 games (89 in each season).  The Phillies have not been over .500 now since 2011.  This year, they resembled a minor league team for almost the entire season.  Baseball is a long season and the Phillies died a slow, painful death this year and there is little hope that they will be much better in 2016.

That leaves the Philadelphia Eagles.  They are 1-3, 0-2 in the NFC East, and 0-3 in the NFC.  Only the Detroit Lions have a worst record.  And if you watched the first half on Sunday against Washington, you had to wonder whether this team even belongs in the NFL.  Then, they play a good second half only to lose at the end.  There were more injuries again (three defensive starters, two offensive tackles), an offense that was so bad that they had seven possessions under 1:30, a defense so tired they could not stop the Washington Redskins from scoring a touchdown at the end, and sideline clock management that made Andy Reid look like a Swiss watchmaker.  Their only saving grace, at the moment, is they play in the NFC East where everyone (but the Eagles) is 2-2.

I do not think when the founding fathers nicknamed the city they were thinking of the future professional sports teams that would occupy the boundaries.  But right now, those four teams show a great deal of “love” but it is primarily towards their opponents.  In fact, the other nickname for Philadelphia is “The City That Loves You Back”.  And their professional sports teams have been doing a bit too much of that for much too long.

Ironically, it seems they love everyone but their own fan base.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. NFL football started their televised games at 9:30am in the morning and finished up at 11:45pm – 14 hours and 15 minutes of actual on-air games. Add the “pre-game-athons” and it is all-football, all the time!  Just the way the NFL Goliath likes it.
2. There are almost as many Steelers fans in the Lehigh Valley as there are Eagles fans. They had to be sick on Thursday when they outplayed their arch-rival Baltimore Ravens in almost every category and lost!  This may be a game they look back on later in the season as a crushing defeat.
3. After Pittsburgh’s Josh Scobee missed two field goals on Thursday night (and was subsequently fired), 11 field goals were missed during the afternoon games on Sunday and many were potential game-winners. Could it be that moving the extra-point distance back has put a little more pressure on these kicks and the kickers are not relaxed on any kick?  Extra-points used to be good practice for field goals.  Now they take just as much concentration (especially when the kicker could be fired on Monday).
4. Who do you like right now to win the Super Bowl – New England or Green Bay?
5. Good tripleheader high school football action this weekend on RCN-TV. Friday, Liberty hosts Parkland and Easton visits Whitehall.  Saturday afternoon, Nazareth will travel to Central Catholic.  Every game has post season ramifications.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-5; OVERALL  40-23 (63%)

NFL PICKS (WEEK FIVE)

INDIANAPOLIS
KANSAS CITY
TAMPA BAY
BUFFALO
BALTIMORE
ATLANTA
PHILADELPHIA
GREEN BAY
CINCINNATI
ARIZONA
NEW ENGLAND
DENVER
GIANTS
PITTSBURGH

Yogi Berra, the Yankee legend and Hall of Fame catcher, passed away on Tuesday, September 22, at the age of 90.  He appeared in 14 World Series with the Yankees.  The Yankees won ten of them.

I had some ties to Yogi and his death brought those memories back. When I was doing play-by-play for the Allentown Ambassadors independent professional baseball team, I did an Ambassador – New Jersey Jackals game from (you guessed it) Yogi Berra Stadium on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls, NJ.  The stadium was dedicated to Yogi because he lived in Little Falls during his playing and managerial days with the Yankees.

While I was there to do the game, I also visited the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, which featured a reconstruction of the original scoreboard from Yankee Stadium and was loaded with Yogi memorabilia.  There was also a sky box overlooking the Stadium which Yogi often used and, in fact, at the end of this past season, where he signed autographs just prior to his death.

I also played a round of golf with Dale Berra, his son, a few years back and spent four plus hours being amused by his stories about his father and Dale’s own major league career with the Pirates and the Yankees.

So I thought it would be fitting to remember Yogi the way almost everybody remembered Yogi after his playing days were over – his famous quotes.  Some of these you have heard many, many times, but some you may never have heard.  It doesn’t matter – they still make you pause to contemplate the meaning, if, indeed, there is one.  Enjoy:

1. When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
2. You can observe a lot by just watching.
3. It ain’t over till it’s over.
4. It’s like déjà vu all over again.
5. No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded.
6. Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.
7. A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.
8. Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.
9. We made too many wrong mistakes.
10. Congratulations. I knew the record would stand until it was broken.
11. You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.
12. You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.
13. I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four.
14. Never answer an anonymous letter.
15. Slump? I ain’t in no slump… I just ain’t hitting.
16. How can you think and hit at the same time?
17. The future ain’t what it used to be.
18. I tell the kids, somebody’s gotta win, somebody’s gotta lose. Just don’t fight about it. Just try to get better.
19. It gets late early out here.
20. If the people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them.
21. We have deep depth.
22. Pair up in threes.
23. Why buy good luggage, you only use it when you travel.
24. You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.
25. All pitchers are liars or crybabies.
26. Even Napoleon had his Watergate.
27. Bill Dickey is learning me his experience.
28. He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.
29. It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much.
30. I can see how he (Sandy Koufax) won twenty-five games. What I don’t understand is how he lost five.
31. I don’t know (if they were men or women fans running naked across the field). They had bags over their heads.
32. I’m a lucky guy and I’m happy to be with the Yankees. And I want to thank everyone for making this night necessary.
33. I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.
34. In baseball, you don’t know nothing.
35. I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn’t my fault that I’m not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
36. I never said most of the things I said.
37. It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.
38. If you ask me anything I don’t know, I’m not going to answer.
39. I wish everybody had the drive he (Joe DiMaggio) had. He never did anything wrong on the field. I’d never seen him dive for a ball, everything was a chest-high catch, and he never walked off the field.
40. So I’m ugly. I never saw anyone hit with his face.
41. Take it with a grin of salt.
42. (On the 1973 Mets) We were overwhelming underdogs.
43. The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase.
44. Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets.
45. Mickey Mantle was a very good golfer, but we weren’t allowed to play golf during the season; only at spring training.
46. You don’t have to swing hard to hit a home run. If you got the timing, it’ll go.
47. I’m lucky. Usually you’re dead to get your own museum, but I’m still alive to see mine.
48. If I didn’t make it in baseball, I won’t have made it workin’. I didn’t like to work.
49. If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.
50. A lot of guys go, ‘Hey, Yog, say a Yogi-ism.’ I tell ’em, ‘I don’t know any.’ They want me to make one up. I don’t make ’em up. I don’t even know when I say it. They’re the truth. And it is the truth. I don’t know.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Lafayette got a very nice win over Wagner on Saturday night. They got it done with a number of scholarship freshmen and sophomores who have been pressed into action due to a glut of injuries.  These young players are getting valuable experience and the future is looking brighter and brighter for Leopard fans.  The Patriot League season opens this Saturday night at 6:00m when the #16 team in the nation, the Fordham Rams, take the field.  It’s LIVE on RCN-TV.
2. The Eagles beat the Jets this past Sunday, but they did not look particularly good on offense – the defense and special teams carried them to this win. Only Dallas is 2-1 in the NFC East and lost QB Tony Romo.  It should be easy to stay in the race in this division.
3. The Cubs and the Pirates have clinched the National League wild card berth. The Yankees will represent the American League wild card, but their opponent is yet to be determined – Texas, Houston, Angels, Twins, or Indians.  The wild card game is one game – winner take all.
4. With Central Catholic beating Easton on Saturday night, the once-beaten Central Catholic at undefeated Freedom game looks like a good one. It will be LIVE on RCNTV this Friday followed by the Northampton at Nazareth match-up.
5. Whew! Just when I was about to throw in the towel on trying to pick the NFL this year (7-9 the second week), I have a complete turnaround and go 14-2 this week.  So I’ll keep trying.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 14-2; OVERALL  30-18 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK THREE)

BALTIMORE
JETS
INDIANAPOLIS
BUFFALO
CAROLINA
PHILADELPHIA
OAKLAND
ATLANTA
CINCINNATI
SAN DIEGO
GREEN BAY
ARIZONA
DENVER
DALLAS
SEATTLE

I have now wasted approximately seven hours watching the Philadelphia Eagles.  Which is nothing compared to how much time the Eagles wasted so far preparing for this season.  Imagine all the hours Chip Kelly invested in putting this team together and all the hours this team has spent trying to learn to play together.  And for what?  To be embarrassed two weeks in a row; to be described as the “worst performance I have ever seen” by both Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson and, I am sure, scores of others.

Just consider these ten thoughts after Sunday’s game:

1. Against the Cowboys, the Eagles rushed for a total of seven yards. It was actually worse because they only got to positive yardage late in the game.
   1. S. – Cowboys backup QB Brandon Weeden rushed for 11 yards!
   2. P.S. – Brandon Weeden’s rushing total matches DeMarco Murray’s total for the year!!
2. DeMarco Murray is on pace to rush for 88 yards for the season. He has now carried the ball 21 times for 11 yards.  He carried 13 times for two yards on Sunday against his former team.  This is the worst rushing start to a season in the history of the NFL.  Last year, he ran for a league-leading 1,845 yards and had 285 yards rushing in his first two games last year with Dallas.
3. The Cowboys were on the field more than twice as much time as the Eagles – 40:30 vs. 19:30. The hurry-up offense is nice when it works, but it destroys the defense when it doesn’t.
4. The Eagles had one, that’s right – one, first down in the first half and that was via a penalty.
5. Sam Bradford looks so uncertain in the pocket, when there is one. There is no deep threat and he looks very unsure of himself as he goes through his progressions, often missing an open target.  Add to that the double negatives that there is no run game and no deep threat.  It is easy to understand his uncertainty.  I thought this was a great trade when it was made, but without some blocking up front, it does not matter who stands in the pocket.
6. The whole offense lacks any creativity. The first-round draft pick was supposed to be a deep-threat receiver, but there has not been a deep threat yet.
7. Jordan Matthews MUST catch the ball.
8. Eagles’ special teams allowed a punt block which resulted in a score.
9. The defense lost two starting inside linebackers in the game and yet, overall played pretty well considering…..
10. There are so many people to blame – the offensive line, the quarterback, the receivers, the defensive secondary, the special teams, the coaching staff, etc. The NFL season is a long one, but is it long enough for all of these problems to get solved?

The fans were booing by the second quarter this past Sunday.  After watching the Sixers, Flyers, and the Phillies, they could be a very angry mob by mid-season.

Perhaps the Pope could stop in the locker room and offer up a prayer.  Trust me – it cannot hurt.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. I suffered through the Eagles loss on Sunday after suffering through Princeton’s domination of Lafayette on Saturday night. The Leopards have so many players injured it is unbelievable.  Their top running back was injured on Friday when the team was doing their walk-through.  Wagner is up next on Saturday at 6:00pm on RCNTV.
2. I am really anxious for the baseball post-season to begin. Joe Maddon, former Lafayette baseball player, is managing the Cubs and they should get in.  My announcing buddy, John Leone, is a life-long, die-hard Pirates fan and they should get in.  The Yankees and Mets will be there.  Toronto looks terrific.  There are so many storylines.
3. Is it any wonder that legal betting venues like Las Vegas love the NFL? Before Monday night’s game, seven underdogs won out of the 15 games played.  The biggest upset occurred in New Orleans where the 10-point favorite Saints lost by seven to Tampa Bay.  I bet (should I use that word?) that quite a few “survivor” pools were destroyed by that loss.
4. Having seen both Parkland and Easton play the past two weeks, I cannot wait for that matchup on October 16. It should be a great high school game. If you cannot make it to Cottingham Stadium, watch it LIVE on RCN4 or RCN 1004 in HD.
5. I have been doing NFL picks for many, many years and I cannot remember ever being under .500, but my early results (16-16) are much like the Eagles – embarrassing.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 7-9; OVERALL  16-16 (50%)

GIANTS
CAROLINA
PITTSBURGH
MINNESOTA
HOUSTON
JETS
NEW ENGLAND
CINCINNATI
CLEVELAND
INDIANAPOLIS
ATLANTA
ARIZONA
SEATTLE
BUFFALO
DENVER
GREEN BAY

I spent 35+ years working alongside Dick Tracy announcing football, basketball, and baseball.  I knew Dick as a coach, a teacher, a professional colleague, and, most importantly, as a friend ever since I began my broadcasting career.  He passed away on Friday, September 4.

Six years ago, while I was on vacation and out of the country, the news broke about Dick Tracy’s retirement after 40 years of announcing basketball, football, and baseball here at RCN.  Dick and I chatted about his decision right before I left and he specifically asked that there be no publicity.  And, at the very end of his life, he still did not want any publicity.  His instructions to the funeral director included this line:

“Others will write and talk about all of the accomplishments, so why should I pay to talk about myself.”

He was right.  I will happily write about him for free!

His coaching career speaks for itself with his phenomenal record (205-51) and a state basketball title in 1982.  I can still vividly recall following the ’82 team to their state semifinal win only to be told that we could not broadcast the state championship game from Hershey.  Bob Gehris and I could not have been more disappointed.  We had followed this wonderful team made up of wonderful young men, coached by a defensive basketball genius. We wanted to call their last game.  I watched Dick’s team put the defensive clamps on that night to win the state title.  The telecast was on Channel 6 out of Philadelphia and all night long they showed the school librarian who was on the Whitehall bench and referred to him as Coach Tracy.  I think that is where the cliché “I could have thrown my shoe at the set” came from.  The announcers and the production team did not even know the state championship coach.  They did not talk to Dick or, and this is probably closer to the truth, Dick would not talk to them.  “Pleasant”, “congenial”, “sympathetic”, “sociable”, “complaisant” are all words I would NOT use to describe Dick Tracy.  “Cranky”, “obstinate”, “hard-nosed”, “stubborn” and “ornery” seem to come to mind much more easily.  But, with that said, the game announcers did not do their homework.

They did not do their homework.  It seemed so ironic because these are words that could never be uttered ABOUT Dick Tracy.  He ALWAYS did his homework.  Nobody was more prepared for an opponent; nobody was more prepared for class; nobody was more prepared for a broadcast.  Nobody was more prepared!

Dick’s preparation, however, never got easier because he was a technological misfit.  All his notes were done by hand.  He had to write out lineups, background information, records, stats, etc. each and every time we did a game.  There was no computer file- there was no computer.  Why would there be?  Dick could never use one – a TV remote pretty much stretched his technological wherewithal.  But for Dick it all worked.  He was passionate about everything he did and everything he enjoyed.  He didn’t just root for the Yankees – he lived and died after every game.  He didn’t just love Notre Dame – he worshiped the Fighting Irish.  He didn’t just go to a game – he tirelessly understood the game before we got there.

What I most remember, however, about the man I spent so much time with the past 35 plus years is the iconic persona thrust upon him by so many people.  Dick was a former Marine and certainly knew the meaning of “semper fi”- “always faithful.”  His former students, his former players, his former assistant coaches absolutely adored the man and I always had the sense they would do anything for him and that they knew him so well he did not have to solicit their help.  They anticipated what he needed and they were “always faithful” as he was to them.

If respect and friendship are the true measure of a man, Dick Tracy was immeasurable.  Today they refer to these people as “peeps” or the “posse”.  Dick only heard the words “Coach” or “Mr. Tracy”.  These three words represented who this man was to so many people and represented the love and respect they thrust upon him.

Dick gave his time, his effort, his insights, and his friendship to his students, to his players, and to all of us at RCN for so many years.  He was a pioneer behind the microphone and he did the job with grace and humility.  His spirit, for me and my colleagues, continues to be a part of every broadcast.

Finally, on a personal note, I will miss my color analyst and my friend.  We had a great run together!  I have no greater wish than for him to meet up with his beloved Mary.  Much like the nights when I returned Dick home only to see her waiting at the door, I am quite certain she waited for him at the Gates!  They will be together again and, despite my sadness, that puts a smile on my face.

Frances Richard “Dick” “Coach” Tracy – May you rest in peace!

However, with both Dick and Mary in heaven together again, I am a bit concerned about God’s peace!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

Not in “Musing” mood this week.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 9-7 (56%)

DENVER
CAROLINA
NEW ORLEANS
PITTSBURGH
DETROIT
NEW ENGLAND
ARIZONA
TENNESSEE
CINCINNATI
ST LOUIS
GIANTS
BALTIMORE
MIAMI
PHILADELPHIA
SEATTLE
JETS