On Wednesday, February 26, the new Phillies’ announcers, Jamie Moyer and Matt Stairs, made their announcing debut when the Phillies played a rain-shortened game against the Toronto Blue Jays. They certainly got off to a good start, and play-by-play man, Tom McCarthy, did a nice job directing traffic (three in a booth can be difficult). With that said, I thought you might be interested in the tips I give to a “newbie” when we are going to work together for the first time:

MY TOP 10 ANNOUNCER TIPS

1. BE PREPARED
a. Follow all the games each week so you get a feel for the top players, the teams, and the conference.

2. BE NATURAL
a. Try to stay conversational and relaxed.
b. With TV, the pictures can speak for themselves – just try to add interest to the game.
c. Relax and respond to the situation and the play-by-play guy.

3. KNOW THE NAMES
a. Learn the proper pronunciation prior to the game. Take time to find the names before talking about a play. It is not a panic situation. There is time to find the number and the name in the program. This will become second nature to you with experience.

4. DON’T HESITATE TO BE HUMOROUS
a. The only caution is try not to demean a player; you certainly can point out a mistake (but it is still better to give the player who did the right thing more air time).

5. IF YOU THINK YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN’T SAY SOMETHING – DON’T!

6. POINT OUT AND CLARIFY
a. You can truly add to the game by pointing out things, emphasizing a player’s skills, clarifying why a play worked, etc.

7. DON’T RESPOND TO THE DIRECTOR IN THE HEADSET – THE PEOPLE AT HOME CAN’T HEAR HIM
a. If a question is asked by the director, work the answer into the conversation.
b. P.S. – the crew will always try to test a rookie and make him answer a question on the air. You’ve been warned.

8. DON’T TALK OVER THE PLAY-BY-PLAY MAN
a. There is ample time to get your analysis in after the play has been called. Relax and jump in at the appropriate time. Remember – “Dead ball is you”; “Live ball is not you”.

9. LISTEN
a. To coaches, sportswriters, players, and play-by-play announcers.

10. BE READY TO BE NOTICED
a. People will eventually get to know you and talk to you at the mall, on the street, at the corner store like you are their friend. I have found that a simple “Thank you” for a compliment and an “I’m sorry you feel that way” or “I hope not to do that again” for a valid criticism works pretty well.
b. Remember – you are a representative of RCN.

ALSO, REMEMBER – PEOPLE TUNE IN TO WATCH THE GAME – YOU SHOULD, HOPEFULLY, JUST ADD TO THEIR ENJOYMENT!!

I have been so fortunate to work with the likes of Dick Tracy, Tom Stoudt, John Leone, Mike Joseph, Scott Barr, etc. They truly understood what our roles as announcers are. I already get a sense the new Phillies’ announcers do, too.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. Speaking of the Phillies, they ended the Philadelphia championship drought (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB) of 25 years in 2008 when they won the World Series. None since for any franchise and, the way the four professional teams are looking, it could be another long time before a Philadelphia team wins the overall championship again.

2. Did you know that Allen High School is the 7th winningest boys’ basketball program in Pennsylvania with @1680 wins? Central Catholic is 10th. By the way Reading is #1 and Chester is #2.

3. I enjoy watching Villanova basketball these days because of Darrun Hilliard of Liberty High School. This is what a Philadelphia sportswriter said about Hilliard after a Feb. 2, Sunday game with Marquette:

No. 8 Villanova beat Marquette 73-56 in Philadelphia. The leader, offensively speaking, on Sunday was junior guard Darrun Hilliard. Hilliard made seven of his eleven shot attempts, finishing with a game-high 26 points to go along with four assists and three rebounds. Averaging 13.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, Hilliard’s versatility is one asset that has helped propel Villanova to the top of the Big East. Hilliard’s a capable perimeter shooter, as evidenced by his 5-for-8 afternoon against Marquette and the fact that he’s shooting 40.9% from deep on the season. He’s also good off the dribble, and from a decision-making standpoint Hilliard committed just one turnover on Sunday.

Not bad for our local kid!

4. Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman broke the Central school career scoring record on Friday night with his 34 points giving him 2,052 points. Larry Miller (1960-64) of Catasauqua holds the Lehigh Valley boys’ record with 2,722 points. One other Lehigh Valley player is ahead of Abdur-Rahkman by just 25 points, but that is my trivia question on Friday night. Tune in for the answer.

5. Congratulations to the Parkland, Central Catholic, and Notre Dame boys for their District Championships. Ironically, they all repeated as champions. Also, to the girls’ champions – Parkland and Bethlehem Catholic. Bethlehem Catholic was, also, a repeat champion. It is now time for the PIAA state playoffs. Please join us.

If you watch our Lafayette basketball games on RCN-TV or WBPH Channel 60, the name Joey Ptasinski should ring a bell… well, three bells, actually. I have been broadcasting basketball games for a long time (43 years to be exact) and Lafayette games for 17 years. I can safely say I have not seen a 3-point shooter quite like Joey Ptasinski. He is accurate, his release is exceptionally quick, and his vertical jump is exceptional. He has made 72-3’s this season alone to hold a comfortable lead in that department in the Patriot League. Joey has made 169–3’s in his career and currently sits in 5th place all-time in the Lafayette record book. You should know that he has done this in less than three seasons, with at least three more games to play this year. He also missed nine games as a freshman due to shin splints. The Lafayette record is held by Andrew Brown who had 285. Joey has a shot at that record.

This past Sunday Ptasinski made five 3-pointers, scored a career-tying 23 points and led the Leopards to a six-point win over arch-rival Lehigh. He shot with his usual deadly accuracy, making five of eight 3-point shots taken, 6-9 overall and was 6-6 from the foul line. In the previous game, he made 4-3’s out of six shots. He is good – he is really good!

However, he didn’t even have the best 3-point shooting week in his own family! Joey’s sister, Anna, set a new school record this past Tuesday with a jaw-dropping 10-12 performance from beyond the 3-point line for Regis Jesuit High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Anna’s head coach, Carl Mattei, said he had never seen anything like it. She tied the state record with three other girls, the most recent in 2012. Amazingly, because the game turned into a route, Anna spent a great deal of time on the bench. She now has 57-3’s for the season in 22 games. Joey’s 72-3’s has come in 27 games. Anna has one more regular season game and then on to the Class 5A state playoffs.

Joey’s career high is seven, both in a game at Regis Jesuit and again in college against Morehead State. No big deal for Anna – she hit seven in a game just two weeks prior! And this sibling rivalry will not end when Anna plays her final high school game. You see, she has enrolled at Lafayette College (poor Joey) and will play basketball for the Leopards.

Anna and her father were at the Kirby Sports Center on Sunday afternoon to watch Joey’s performance. I am sure John Ptasinski was really pleased with Joey’s performance. If Anna is anything like my sisters, she probably just yawned! But, after having met Anna, I don’t think she is anything like my sisters.

P.S. Joey, I feel for you, man!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. It sure looked like the US hockey team would accept no less than a gold medal in Sochi. They accomplished that goal. No gold and no medal. They were shut out in the bronze medal game. No “miracle on ice” this time.
2. The University of Oklahoma turned itself in to the NCAA this past May because three of their student-athletes ate too much pasta! In violation of NCAA rules, the three were served an extra pasta buffet at a graduation banquet (they all returned for an additional year of competition). They were required to donate $3.83 to a charity of their choice in order to be reinstated. They decided to donate $5.
3. Congratulations to Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman for attaining 2000 points in his high school career at Allentown Central Catholic High School. The boys’ school record is 2051 points by Billy McCaffrey. Muhammad has at least two more games and probably a few more than that. By the way, there have been four 3,000 point scorers in the state.
4. Wouldn’t you know, however, that the Central scoring record is held by a girl (seems to be the theme this week). Michelle Marciniak scored 3,025 points and is ninth all-time in the state.
5. The District XI basketball champions for boys and girls will be crowned this weekend in four classifications. Then on to the state playoffs. You’re always invited to join us!

I find it a bit harder to watch the Winter Olympics than I do the Summer Olympics, especially when it seems so much nicer there, weather-wise, than it does here. I find that one of the major problems for me is just plain ignorance. I can relate to swimming, baseball, basketball, track and field, etc. during the Summer Olympics. The Winter Olympic events, however, just do not compute for me. Let me explain:

• Alpine skiing – Too long and too cold.
• Biathlon – Shoot at something when I am exhausted? Not so far in my life.
• Bobsleigh – Closest thing to a childhood pastime, but still looks awfully dangerous.
• Cross-country skiing – I don’t look forward to cross-country DRIVING!
• Curling – What weekend college party led to this sport?
• Figure skating – Can’t skate, let alone make figures.
• Freestyle skiing – This probably WOULD describe my skiing if I actually skied.
• Ice Hockey – Right. A hard, rubber puck flying around my head and body while I am NOT skating  because I can’t – SERIOUSLY?
• Luge – Claustrophobic, speedophobic; dangerous-phobic; chicken-phobic – GOT IT?
• Nordic combined biathlon – I can’t comprehend a sport where I only understand one of the words.
• Short track speed skating – I would like this if I COULD skate because it always appears to me that you can CHEAT your way to victory!
• Skeleton – Huh? This is what eventually you become if you stay in this sport too long.
• Ski jumping – Sliding board maybe; with snow and ice on it and 300 times longer – nah!
• Snowboarding – Jump on one FAT ski and do gymnastics. What planet are these people from?

You may notice, if you are a Winter Olympics elitist, that I did not mention slopestyle, mixed parallel snowboard slalom, halfpipe, or mixed-relay biathlon (do they shoot at each other?) I didn’t mention them because I don’t know what the hell they are!!

And that’s really not the worst of it. For me the hardest thing to relate to is putting on those skintight outfits. That should be an Olympic event – Donning the Outfit. It would be far more interesting than cross-country skiing. Unless, of course, once again, I was the one doing the “donning”. Not so interesting and no chance at GOLD!!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. Should the goal of an interviewer be to make the subject cry? Christin Cooper went way too far to drain the emotion out of US skier, Bode Miller, after his third place finish in the men’s Super G. She was relentless in her questions about the death of Bode’s brother. Shame on her.

2. It has been a long time since I watched a sporting event with the excitement of the USA’s hockey win over Russia Saturday morning in eight overtime shootouts. The drama was riveting and gut-wrenching. They may meet again for the gold. Don’t miss it.

3. Did it cost Russia $7 billion, as Putin claimed, or $50 billion, as Russian officials claim, to put on these Olympics? Would Putin lie? Does he want the names of those Russian officials?

4. Unlike the Summer Olympics, there is a scarcity of prominent black athletes in these events. I can only think of Shani Davis, a US speed skater. Is it the type of sport exhibited here or does this deserve further sociological research?

5. Now that we have crowned League and Conference champions, phase three (regular season and league championships being the first two) of the basketball season takes center court this week leading to the District XI championships for boys and girls on February 28 and March 1. Come along with us on RCNTV.

Say the word “recruit” or “recruiting” in the Lehigh Valley and get ready for an argument. Whether it’s football, basketball, or wrestling (and even baseball a few years ago), the term riles up athletic directors, coaches, athletes, and parents. Everyone has an opinion on what should determine the eligibility of any student who “transferred” or was “recruited” to another school for athletic reasons. I will leave this volatile subject up to the powers-to-be and I wish them well in finding a solution, if there is one to be found.

I want to talk about the best use of “recruiting” I have seen in my many years of doing high school sports. It came in the final game of the season for the Nazareth Blue Eagles basketball team when they played in their rivalry game against Northampton. For that last game, they added a player to their roster, not only to help them win, but in a way, to help all of us to understand the value of athletics and the value of working with young people.

Joe Arndt, the Nazareth coach, decided to add Devon Roe to his roster. Devon had tried out for the team in the fall, but despite all the encouragement he got from his fellow teammates, he just could not crack the roster.

You see, Devon Roe is a special-needs student who was supposed to be in a wheelchair by the time he was a teenager. However, Devon is not in a wheelchair and spent this past season serving as the Nazareth manager for the basketball team. He dutifully fulfilled his responsibilities for the first 20 games. Devon has many disorders including autism and OCD.

Friday was Senior Night and Coach Arndt felt it would be the perfect opportunity to do some “recruiting” of his own. He “recruited” Devon. Devon wore number 32 and was placed in the starting lineup. There were no protests from Northampton or their coach, Coy Stampone, who, ironically, was an assistant to Coach Arndt for many years. The District XI and the PIAA would not get involved in this case.

Devon led his team onto the floor for warm-ups, received a resounding standing ovation from the fans when he was introduced as a member of the starting lineup, and caught the opening tap. He quickly left the floor. He would re-enter the contest for the final six seconds.

His mother spent most of the day in tears and cried throughout the night. She has watched Devon overcome so much adversity in his life. He participates in the Nazareth job-study program and she sends him off to work at Petco and Giant a few days a week. She has had, I’m sure, many proud moments with her son, but Friday night was certainly a special one.

Congratulations to the coaches, the administration, and especially the players for teaching all of us a valuable lesson about rewarding hard work, teamwork, and compassion. And I offer special congratulations to Devon. He did what the coach asked, did not complain about playing time, and basked in the victory of his teammates.

This is the type of player every coach should recruit. It would help all of us!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. I notice that it always takes me some time to get into the Olympics and this year is no exception. Having grown up during the Cold War, where we spent Health Class in high school learning to build a bomb shelter and going through our decision to boycott the Russian Olympics during Jimmy Carter’s presidency, I feel some resentment toward Putin as I watch him. I’m sure I will get over it. By the end of this week, I’ll be chanting, “USA! USA!” along with the rest of you.
2. By the way, there are 12 more events (98 in all) than there were at Vancouver.
3. Sochi this time of the year has an average temperature of 43 degrees making this the warmest site for a Winter Games. The Super Bowl in cold weather; the Winter Olympics in warm weather? Someone will somehow correlate this to global warming!
4. I watched the final Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday. It was quite good and Jay was very emotional. I have always been a Letterman fan and never found Leno to be all that funny. Ironically, I saw him at the Sands a few months back and his stand-up routine was hilarious. He will now do more of that and I would certainly go to see him.
5. The Beatles 50-year anniversary of their appearance in America was, also, quite good. Ringo and Paul McCartney were at their best. The Ed Sullivan clips brought back memories of watching them that night. I think everybody watched. I was a senior in high school. (And I’m feeling quite old right now! Time for a nap.)

When I invite people over for a Super Bowl party, my wife and I usually serve some pretty good food. But this past Sunday all I ate was “crow”. If you read last week’s blog, you know why. If you did not read it, let me review my predictions:

10. Prediction: Seattle is not at home. The 12th man may be part of the crowd at MetLife Stadium, but will anyone be able to hear them? “Omaha, Omaha” will be easily heard and communicated at the line of scrimmage by Manning.
Reality: The crowd was very loud and seemed to be behind the Seahawks. I did not hear “Omaha” once!

9. Prediction: New England never came close to Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship. The Seattle defense is outstanding and the front four had 44 sacks, but, first and foremost, the Denver offensive line knows they must protect their franchise player.
Reality: Manning was rushed all day. The pass rush directly led to the two interceptions.

8. Prediction: Even though the Seahawks had 28 interceptions and forced 17 fumbles during the regular season, they are not likely to do that against the veteran receiving corps of Denver and the arm of Manning. Denver only had 24 turnovers all year.
Reality: Denver turned the ball over four times!! FOUR times!!

7. Prediction: The Denver defense may not keep Marshawn Lynch in check at running back, but they should be able to keep Russell Wilson in check. Even though he is a great athlete, it is his first Super Bowl. That has to account for a mistake here or there.
Reality: I couldn’t even get this one right. Denver DID keep Marshawn Lynch in check, but Russell Wilson was outstanding.

6. Prediction: Matt Prater, the Denver kicker, converted 25 of 26 field goal attempts this season, one an NFL record of 64 yards. He can get the nod from almost anywhere on the Denver side of the 50-yard line. By the way, Steve Hauschka of Seattle was outstanding, also. He made 33 of 35 attempts and every one beyond 50-yards (3). Prater should get more opportunities.
Reality: Hauschka – two field goals. Who is Matt Prater (no field goal attempts; his “on-side” kick was awful)?

5. Prediction: The Seattle receiving group is not as good as the Denver group.
Reality: Denver receivers are REALLY good three yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Seattle actually throws the ball downfield.

4. Prediction: All defenses have trouble covering a tight end. Manning has made a star of Julius Thomas. He had 12 touchdowns and 788 yards during the regular season and Manning knows when the tight end should be open.
Reality: I couldn’t even pick the right “Thomas”. Demaryius had 13 catches (a record); Julius just four, but I don’t remember ANY of them.

3. Prediction: Efficiency should beat passion. I don’t think there is an NFL coach better than Pete Carroll in emotionally getting a team ready to play. However, John Fox is great at “x-ing and o-ing”. Strategy, not emotion, should win the game.
Reality: Pete Carroll is better at both.

2. Prediction: The Seahawks cannot outscore the Broncos (and I think that’s the object of the game).
Reality: How smug and how wrong was this prediction? 43-8!!

And the Number 1 reason the Broncos will win – Peyton Manning!
Reality: Just shut up!!

I cannot go on; I have a black feather caught in my throat!!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. The best line of the day came from Hillary Clinton – “It’s so much fun to watch FOX when it’s someone else being blitzed and sacked!”
2. Both of Seattle’s scores at the beginning of each half occurred 12 seconds into the period. By the way, the first score (a safety) was the earliest score in Super Bowl history.
3. Thank goodness for Bruno Mars! It kept the people at my house from eating and drinking for about 15 minutes.
4. My favorite commercial: Audi’s Doberman-Chihuahua hybrid dog.
5. I thought the Bud Light two-part commercial with a llama, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Don Cheadle, etc. took a long time for a weak punchline.

I DID NOT ENJOY THE GAME!!

NFL PICKS FINAL RECORD
174-92- 1 – 65%

Super Bowl XXLVIII has one of the most intriguing match-ups in years: the league’s highest scoring team taking on the team that gave up the fewest points during the regular season. It is, also, only the second time (2004) that the #1 seed in each conference made it to the championship final. It certainly appears that the two best teams will play in this one. Add the winter venue in New Jersey and you have the makings for a game we will talk about for years.

So, who will win?

Defense wins championships: Any follower of any sport is well aware of this adage and most fans believe it to be true.

That’s not my call, however. Here are ten reasons, in descending order, why Denver will win this game:

10.   Seattle is not at home. The 12th man may be part of the crowd at MetLife Stadium, but will anyone be able to hear them? “Omaha, Omaha” will be easily heard and        communicated by Manning at the line of scrimmage.

9.  New England never came close to Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship. The Seattle defense is outstanding and the front four had
44 sacks, but, first and foremost, the Denver offensive line knows they must protect their franchise player.

8.  Even though the Seahawks had 28 interceptions and forced 17 fumbles during the regular season, they are not likely to do that against the veteran
receiving corps of Denver and the arm of Manning. Denver only had 24 turnovers all year.

7.  The Denver defense may not keep Marshawn Lynch in check at running back, but they should be able to keep Russell Wilson in check. Even though he is a great athlete, it is his first Super Bowl. That has to account for a mistake here or there.

6.  Matt Prater, the Denver kicker, converted 25 of 26 field goal attempts this season, one an NFL record of 64 yards. He can get the nod from almost anywhere on the Denver side of the 50-yard line. By the way, Steve Hauschka of Seattle was outstanding, too. He made 33 of 35 attempts and every one beyond 50-yards (3). Prater should get more opportunities.

5.  The Seattle receiving group is not as good as the Denver group.

4.  All defenses have trouble covering a tight end. Manning has made a star of Julius Thomas. He had 12 touchdowns and 788 yards during the regular season and Manning knows when the tight end should be open.

3.  Efficiency should beat passion. I don’t think there is an NFL coach better than Pete Carroll in emotionally getting a team ready to play. However, John Fox is great at “x-ing and o-ing”. Strategy, not emotion, should win the game.

2.  The Seahawks cannot outscore the Broncos (and I think that’s the object of the game).

And the Number 1 reason the Broncos will win – Peyton Manning!

P.S. – If you want Seattle to win, consider this: The NFC is 5-1 against the spread in the past six Super Bowls and the underdog is 5-1 in those six games.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. The forecast for the game is a high of 37 degrees and a low of 27. There is a 60% chance of precipitation.
2. Everyone knows about Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing at the half, but did you know Phillip Phillips and The Band Perry will perform during the pre-game?
3. Troy Aikman will be the color analyst with Joe Buck. Aikman won three Super Bowls with Dallas.
4. This is not the first Super Bowl in a cold-weather city. Super Bowls were played in Indianapolis, Pontiac, Detroit, and Minneapolis, but those were all played indoors.
5. The game is televised to 180 countries in more than 25 languages. It will be broadcast LIVE from the stadium in Chinese, Danish, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and English.

ENJOY THE GAME!!

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK
(Last week – 2-0) (174-91-1 66%)

DENVER – 27 SEATTLE – 20

The teams are set for Super Bowl XLVIII – Denver vs. Seattle.

I would not think there is a tremendous number of people here on the East Coast who are passionate fans of either of these two teams. However, I would think there are a number of fans who put attending a Super Bowl on their “bucket list”. And with the game being played on the “right” coast this year at MetLife Stadium, wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to check this one off your agenda?

Before you jump at the chance, there is one very important item you need to consider: THE COST! The cheapest seat (and probably the worst) costs $500. About 39% of the 77,500 tickets will be priced under $1,000 at face value (try to find those). By comparison, the first Super Bowl ticket cost $6; in 2001 the ticket cost $325. And, to be honest, you will probably not be able to get any of these tickets anyway. The NFL controls 25% of the tickets. These end up in the hands of their corporate sponsors. 35% of the tickets go to each of the participating teams.

And making the remaining 5% of tickets available to fans may be a myth. Josh Finkelman of New Jersey believes the NFL only makes @1% of the tickets available for purchase at face value. He feels so strongly that the NFL is gouging the average fan that he has sued them in court. He complains that about 99% of the tickets must be purchased through a middleman. He is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

Even if you get a ticket, you also must consider the price of parking. That should be a little less than staying in a New York hotel. The absence of tailgating (forbidden this year) means you should be prepared to pay a week’s wages just to eat and drink inside the venue.

So, if you are still interested and really want a ticket, you can get a $2,600 ducat for the club level and this, too, will give you access to the indoor restaurants. There are $1,500 tickets that do not give you the restaurant access (so see above for additional food costs).

If this all sounds like a hassle and you are reconsidering your “bucket list”, you might want to just literally “go for broke” and consider a VIP Package. Allow me to entice you:

• (4) Upper Level Corner End Zone Super Bowl Tickets
• (4) VIP Pregame NFL Players Party Tickets which includes Hand- Passed Appetizers; Five Gourmet Food Stations prepared by a Legendary Super Chef; Multiple Top-Shelf Open Bars staged throughout the Event; Over 20 Current NFL Players introduced by our Event MC, ESPN Sports Center Anchor Lindsay Czarniak, for Sunday Chalk Talk with our Guests; and VIP Round trip Transportation to Metlife Stadium on Game day!
All-Inclusive Price for Four Guests: $14,500

If you’re like me, you have decided to invite a few friends over for some good food, good drink, and good conversation. Sit back, turn on the TV, enjoy the commercials, the game, go to bed at a decent hour, and sleep knowing you might need to revise your “bucket list” in the morning.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. I do not think the high price of a seat has anything to do with it, but Commissioner Roger Goodall will not be sitting in a luxury box for the Super Bowl. His seat will be outside in the stands. By the way, the coldest Super Bowl in history was 39 degrees for Super Bowl VI at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. That record will be broken this year.

2. With one NFL game left to pick (you’ll have to wait until next week), I finished the season guessing 66% of the games correctly. The last four weeks, I have gone 23-3 and have picked the winner the last six games. It was a good year.

3. “Omaha! Omaha!” Am I the only fan who finds Peyton Manning’s skills to be so good that they are boring? He rarely gets sacked, rarely runs, rarely throws an incomplete pass, rarely looks like he is confused by a defense, rarely throws for less than 350 yards, rarely has fewer than three TD passes, and rarely loses. He’s so consistent; it takes all the fun out of the game.

4. In contrast, I thoroughly enjoy watching Colin Kaepernick play quarterback for the 49’ers. He runs like a running back, avoids sacks like a magician, and sometimes loses. If I was a general manager, I’d rather have Peyton.

5. Ironically, the NFL Network is looking to give up its own Thursday night game broadcasts. They say their viewing audience wasn’t large enough. So ESPN, NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC and Turner Sports are expected to bid @ $800 million for the eight games.

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK
(Last week – 2-0) (174-91-1 66%)

SUPER BOWL PICK COMING NEXT WEEK!

No, this is not a “typo” and yes, I do know how to spell. I can read, too. I was also a college athlete. And from what I have read of a recent analysis of college football and college basketball by CNN’s Sara Ganin, there are too many athletes with very limited ability to read and/or write representing academic institutions:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/07/us/ncaa-athletes-reading-scores/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

A career learning specialist, Mary Willingham, researched the reading levels of 183 University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill athletes who played football and basketball from 2004 to 2012. 60% read between 4th and 8th grade levels. Between 8% and 10% read below a third grade level!!

How can these athletes possibly earn a college diploma? Well, that answer lies in cheating on tests, having papers written for them, getting passing grades for classes they never attend, and so on. And why do colleges turn a blind eye to many of these practices – MONEY!!

According to Ganin, the Louisville Cardinals basketball program made a profit of $26.9 million and the University of North Carolina made $16.9 million last year on their men’s basketball programs alone. This is the justification for admitting students with abysmal SAT scores and reading levels below fourth grade (estimated to be @10%). Student-athletes were admitted with SAT scores between 200 and 300 and the lowest possible score on this test is 200 (the highest is 800).

And, perhaps, the first question we should ask is, “How did they ever get a high school diploma?” The system of “rewarding” outstanding athletic talent by not requiring academic success begins here and is perpetuated at the next level.

My collegiate broadcasting experience is with the Patriot League and Lafayette College. Their goals are summed up in their Mission Statement (the underlines are mine):

Mission
The Patriot League promotes opportunities for students to compete in Division I intercollegiate athletics programs within a context that holds paramount the high academic standards and integrity of member institutions, and the academic and personal growth of student-athletes.

Vision
The Patriot League will be the exemplary intercollegiate athletics conference in the country for student-athletes who demonstrate success both in academic achievement and athletic competition.

• Offering broad-based and diverse athletic programs, the League schools are dedicated to shared values of integrity, character and the personal development of all students.
• Student-athletes are provided the opportunity to achieve their athletic potential and compete successfully at the NCAA Division I level.
• The Patriot League will be recognized nationally for the effective integration of Division I athletics into the educational mission of the institution.
• Student-athletes are prepared to become leaders and to make meaningful contributions to society.

If colleges would begin to raise the academic standards required to be admitted and public education would stress those standards at the elementary and high school levels, wouldn’t everyone benefit? If the most motivating goal for some high school athletes is to play at the next level, wouldn’t they raise their bar if the institutions raised the requirement bar? The question remains, however, who is willing to take the first step? My guess is – No One!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. Chris Wheeler and Gary “the Sarge” Matthews were dismissed from the Phillies broadcast booth this past week by Comcast SportsNet. Comcast SportsNet signed a 25-year, $2.5-billion contract with the Phillies and, thus, now have control over the TV broadcasting team. What’s done is done. I personally enjoy the radio team of Scott Frantzke, Larry Anderson, and Jim Jackson. Frantzke has said he is not interested in doing television.

2. In other Phillies news, the games that used to be on Channel 17 will now be on Channel 10 which is owned and operated by Comcast.

3. DeSean Jackson’s home was robbed this weekend and the burglars made off with $125,000 in jewelry and $250,000 in cash. He also lost two semi-automatic handguns. I’m having a little difficulty relating to his loss!

4. Speaking of outrageous money, did you see where A-Rod paid $12,000 a month for Performance Enhancing Drugs? His ultimate goal was to hit 800 home runs. He has 654 and will miss all of next season. He will still make $3 million for the year. And, at least, he’ll save $144,000 in “medical” expenses.

5. Did you see that in the last three weeks, I was 21-3 on my picks? 4-0 this past weekend. The NFL matchups this coming weekend could not be much better. So, please don’t bother me on Sunday.

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK
(Last week – 4-0) (172-91-1 65%)

SEATTLE
DENVER

Behind the Mic:  No More BCS

Well, hopefully, we have seen the last of the BCS College Football Championship. It will be replaced with the CFP (College Football Playoff) in order to determine a national champion for the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (why does it have to sound so complex?).

Under the new system, four teams will play in two semifinal games (#1 vs. #4, #2 vs. #3), with the winners advancing to the championship. There is a rotation system in place to keep the major bowls viable. On consecutive days around New Year’s Day, the Rose and Sugar Bowls will host the semifinals; in 2015, the Orange and Cotton, and in 2016, the Fiesta and Chick-Fil-A. During the off-years, these bowls will have the remainder of the games featuring the other top eight teams not in the top four. Computers will not be used to select the teams, as they are now. Instead, a committee of 13 people, made up of ADs, former ADs, coaches, media members, etc. will select and seed the teams. Throughout the season, this committee will meet and release rankings. They will weigh strength of schedule, records, conference champions and head-to-head results.

Next year’s championship will be played on January 12, 2015 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. ESPN has the rights to the playoff games through 2025 at a cost estimated to be $7.3 billion ($608 million per year for the seven games). If you do not want to do the math, that’s $86 million a game!

The system differs from the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) where Lafayette and Lehigh reside. Their playoff system consists of 24 teams with the top eight getting a bye week. It takes five weekends to name a national FCS champion. That is still the fairest system.

In a year where I felt Auburn should have played Alabama again for the national championship (before I watched the Oklahoma-Alabama game), the new system will certainly be an improvement. I would have liked to have seen an 8-team playoff system, where a champion could be determined in three weeks, but this is certainly a better system. But there will still be plenty to debate between #4 and #5. Who gets the shot and who doesn’t? With that said, I still really look forward to the last two weeks of college football in 2016 for sure.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. How about those NFL wild card games this past weekend? Could there have been more exciting and, for some fans, more excruciating games? Three of the four came down to the very end and three of the four played in the worst possible weather. The Indianapolis game in the dome turned out to be a pleasant relief from the “freezer” games.

2. The Eagles game, in particular, had so many “what-ifs”. What if they make an early field goal and put three points on the board (they lost by two)? What if Riley Cooper catches a wide-open pass which most assuredly would have led to a score of some kind? What if the Eagles score the go-ahead touchdown and do not leave so much time on the clock for the Saints and Drew Brees? What if a horse-collar tackle is not made and the runback goes for a touchdown on the kickoff and the Eagles have time to score themselves at the end? What if?

3. Is there a rule in the NFL that offensive and defensive linemen cannot wear long shirts? I know these guys are tough, but in subzero weather!! Is “tough” defined as “stupid”?

4. I still vividly remember the trip to North Dakota State back in 2011 when Lafayette opened their football season. It is a unique place for sure – meat raffles, dogs on bar stools, a town that closes down on football day, etc. Lafayette lost 42-6 that night. Well, that same North Dakota State team just won their third straight FCS national football championship this past weekend by a 35-7 score over Towson. Head coach Craig Bohl is now headed to Wyoming to coach the Cowboys. I would not think Wyoming is a booming metropolis either.

5. I sure hope we get to broadcast some high school sporting events this week. Three high school basketball games are on tap and a huge wrestling match (Nazareth at Bethlehem Catholic). Now we just need some cooperation from the weather.

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK
(Last week – 2-2) (168-91-1 65%)
SEATTLE
NEW ENGLAND
SAN FRANCISCO
DENVER

Gary is on vacation this week so he asked Jim Best, RCN high school wrestling color commentator, for his thoughts on local high school wrestling: 

The winter sports season is in full swing, and with it comes extensive coverage of local high school wrestling action. This will be my ninth “RCN” season, working alongside Scott Barr, commentating on some of the best high school wrestling action in the nation. With every new season, Scott and I find ourselves in conversations about District XI wrestlers that graduated and went off to college to 1) further their education, and 2) extend their respective wrestling careers. This season has been no different, and we are fortunate to have plenty of wrestlers to discuss. District XI has long been considered a “hot bed” of high school wrestling by college wrestling coaches, so it is no surprise that the most recent Division 1 college wrestling rankings have eight former District XI wrestlers ranked among the top 20 wrestlers in their respective weight classes. Although I have never been a huge fan of “rankings” in any sport (I much prefer the pecking order to be determined via head to head competition), the rankings that I trust the most come from the writers of the Amateur Wrestling News publication.  This publication is the Sports Illustrated for passionate wrestling fans like myself – we rejoice on the day that the monthly publication arrives in the mailbox!

Corey Keener (freshman, Central Michigan) from Blue Mountain High School is ranked seventh in the 125 pound weight class. Zach Horan (sophomore, Central Michigan) from Nazareth High School is ranked eleventh in the 141 pound weight class. Josh Kindig (junior, Oklahoma State) from Blue Mountain High School is ranked sixth in the 149 pound weight class. Mike Ottinger (junior, Central Michigan) from Parkland High School and Elliot Riddick (freshman, Lehigh) from Bethlehem Catholic High School are ranked ninth and fifteenth respectively in the 174 pound weight class. Jimmy Sheptock (senior, Maryland) from Northampton High School is ranked third in the 184 pound weight class. Brandon Palik (senior, Drexel) from Saucon Valley High School is ranked thirteenth in the 197 pound weight class, and Justin Grant (senior, Bloomsburg) from Easton High School is ranked nineteenth in the 285 pound weight class (also referred to as “heavyweight”).

In addition, there are several other former District XI wrestlers that are making noise in the college wrestling world. Mitch Minotti (Easton/Lehigh), Mike Racciato (Penn Argyl/University of Pittsburgh), Cole Sheptock (Northampton/University of Pittsburgh) and Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic/Lehigh) are all “knocking on the door” to enter the top 20 rankings. At the Division 2 level, Ziad Haddad (junior, Kutztown University) from Bethlehem Catholic High School is ranked first in the 285 pound weight class, Evan Yenolevich (senior, Kutztown University) from Northwestern High School is ranked ninth at the 133 pound weight class, Bradan Turner (senior, East Stroudsburg University) from Northampton High School is ranked eleventh at the 165 pound weight class, and at the Division 3 level, Mark Hartenstine (senior, Wilkes University) from Easton High School is ranked fifth at the 149 pound weight class.

Now, these are just the guys that I currently keep track of. There are plenty more former District XI wrestlers who are “out there” and competing at the collegiate level, and I apologize for not recognizing them in this blog. Some of these wrestlers continue to compete because they receive the rare wrestling scholarship money as a reward for their wrestling abilities, but all of them continue to compete because they love the sport of wrestling. My guess is that none of them are competing to get mentioned in this blog!

Like every athlete that competes at the collegiate level, these wrestlers need to delicately balance the demands of training and competing with the demands of excelling in the classroom. As an observer from afar, and as a former college wrestler, I have the utmost respect for how these young men conduct themselves and keep their priorities in perspective. Over the years, numerous District XI wrestlers, that competed at the collegiate level, returned to the area after graduation and have since contributed to the local high school wrestling scene in a coaching role.

As a District XI wrestling community, we should be proud of these athletes and continue to fully support them, in whatever ways that we can, no matter where they are now.

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK
 Last week – 15-1; (Overall:  166-89-1 – 65%)
Kansas City
Cincinnati
San Francisco
Philadelphia