1. Jason Dufner won the PGA on Sunday, the final Major of the year. Doesn’t he look like one of the guys who plays in your foursome each week? No fancy clothes, no pretentiousness, no annoying habits (well, maybe the “chew”). My kind of guy!

2. The Eagles were somewhat entertaining in their preseason opening exhibition game with the Patriots on Friday night. The offense moved the ball and put up 22 points; the defense, however, also, allowed the opponent to move the ball and put up 31 points. Both need to get better; the defense MUCH better.

3. Frandsen, Ruf, Asche, Kratz, De Fratus, Diekman, Wells, were all in the Phillies lineup on Sunday. WHO????

4. Since the Phillies are not going to make the playoffs, the next chance for a postseason game in Philadelphia would be an NFL playoff game involving the Eagles. That would be January 4, 2014 (587 days since the last playoff game). Since the Eagles are unlikely to make the playoffs, it would go to 700+ days for either the Flyers or Sixers to end the drought – also, not likely. By the way, the longest drought occurred from 1931 to 1947, a total of 5,652 days.

5. College football practice started last week and high school football practice starts this week. The bad news – summer is ending: the good news – football is beginning!

Running – Why Me?

This past week, I filled in for Chris Michael as the co-host of our weekly show, Sports Talk. I do not do it very often and I am beginning to think that Chris takes great pleasure in picking a topic that I know virtually nothing about. Before you say it, I know there is a rather large spectrum of topics to choose from if my lack of knowledge is the main criteria.

Last year, I hosted a show about hunting and fishing. I have always been a firm believer that seafood stores and butcher shops are the best place to garner a good piece of fish or an outstanding steak. I have never had such strong hunger pangs for catfish, trout, rabbit, squirrel, venison, etc. that I would have the urge to grab my fishing rod and rubber pants or my gun and camouflage jacket and rush out the door so that I would have something to eat. And, besides, I do not own any of those items.

I have not come to this conclusion out of ignorance. I have tried both. I fished up until the day I caught two eels. After the second, I cut my line, went home and sold my fishing equipment. My father and older brother both were hunters. I tried it as a young boy, went out with my loaded gun, fell down in the field climbing over a fence, dropped my gun, and my father and brother both agreed I should stick to football, basketball, and baseball. They were safer (for me AND for them).

But I digress. This week’s topic was about long distance marathon running and the triathlon. Since the invention of the tire and the motor, I have never seen the value of running for long distances. I consider running to my car in a parking lot when it is raining as exercise enough. The marathon was a charitable event run by VIA, a wonderful organization. Luckily, there were three representatives who knew about running and VIA’s cause that a few simple questions got the message out and filled the first half hour.

The second half hour was a single guest with a single, yet similar topic – the triathlon, an event which requires the contestant to swim, run, and bicycle ridiculous distances. If I could not understand a marathoner’s drive, how could I relate to this guy?

Kendrick Smith was the guest and he is an Ironman contestant, having chosen this new career full-time after success as an engineer. He is a very likable, sincere, dedicated, and passionate man. I found his goal of chasing his dream to be admirable and inspiring. He talked about setting goals and accomplishing them; about failure and overcoming it; about good health and achieving it. He summed up his life’s philosophy quite simply:

 “EXCELLENCE is the result of CARING more than others think is wise,

RISKING more than others think is safe,

DREAMING more than others think is practical,

EXPECTING more than others think is possible.”

There certainly is a message there for all of us. You do not have to swim, run, or cycle your way through life to pursue the kind of EXCELLENCE Kendrick espouses. Check out his website at www.K17SPORT.com . You will like it.

As for Sportstalk, I look forward to Chris’ next vacation when I get to discuss The Ups and Downs of Pole Vaulting.

1. Jack, Jr., the Georgetown Hoya’s live bulldog mascot, was fired this week. It seems he injured a small child and it was decided he would be better served living in a home environment. They will be hard-pressed to come up with a new mascot – it certainly will not be a Hoya.

2. Patriot League Football Media Day was this past week and Colgate was chosen to defend its title and win the PL again this year. Lehigh was second, Holy Cross third and Lafayette fourth. Only Colgate and Lehigh received first-place votes.

3. Donovan McNabb had his number (#5) retired by the Eagles recently and Hall of Fame talk began. He becomes eligible in 2017. He has good stats, but, obviously, never won a Super Bowl. His last two years in Washington were, also, very forgettable. He will have a difficult time getting the votes.

4. Eight Eagles, besides McNabb, have had their numbers retired – #15 – Steve Van Buren; #20 – Brian Dawkins; #40 – Tom Brookshier; #44 – Pete Retzlaff; #60 – Chuck Bednarik; #70 – Al Wistert; #92 – Reggie White; #99 – Jerome Brown.

5. I have become a Pirates and Rays fan for the rest of the baseball season – I like both managers and need a reason to stay interested in baseball through August!

Mike Matheny’s Letter to Parents

I was watching the Phillies this past week get destroyed by the Cardinals and the announcers began to talk about Mike Matheny, the new St. Louis Cardinals manager, and the letter he wrote to parents when he coached his kids in youth baseball. I looked it up. You can too at www.mac-n-seitz.com/teams/mike-matheny-letter.html.

It is well worth the read!

To paraphrase some of the points:

 1. Coach orphans – the biggest problem in youth sports are the parents.

2. Youth sports should be all about the youths.

3. He had three main goals – teach the players how to play; have a positive impact on them; do everything with class.

4. There will be bad umpiring. The boys will not be allowed at any time to show any emotion against the umpire. Parents should do the same. Get them there on time and enjoy the game.

5. A parent should be a silent source of encouragement.

6. If you hand your child over to me to coach them, let me do the job.

7. Spend time with them to help them improve – pitch, hit, field with them.

8. I will demand the proper attitude, concentration, and effort. These are things they can control.

9. Make your child responsible for his/her own drinks; don’t ask them if they are thirsty or hungry during the game.

10. The kids can miss a game or practice, but out of respect for the other kids there may be some repercussions – running, altered playing time, or batting order position.

11. The coach is always right – even when he is wrong.

12. The boys should come ready to play every time they step on the field – shirts tucked in, hats on straight, and pants not drooping to their knees. They should always hustle.

There is much more to the letter. Every parent should read it.

Mike Matheny, as of this writing, is the manager of the team with the best record in major league baseball. It has often been said of professional sports that it is men playing a boys’ game. It seems this manager certainly knows how to coach boys (of all ages).

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Phil Mickelson won the British Open this past weekend. He is fan-friendly, seems to just love being out on the course, and is a great family man. It is certainly easy to root for him to win. The only major he has not won is the US Open, but he has finished second 5 times. He said the British Open would be the hardest for him to win. Check it off the bucket list.

2. There was no question that the All-Star pitchers lived up to their billing last Tuesday. I was so impressed with their ability to put the ball right where the catchers wanted it and they did it at 95-99 mph. How does anyone hit a baseball?

3. Everything about new Eagles head coach, Chip Kelly, is so different from Andy Reid – new workout schedules, teaching techniques, play-calling, and, most dramatic for the local fans, the pre-season practice facility. The Eagles will not be at Lehigh University. No question, this area will miss them!

4. Based on the last two weeks of summer basketball (the Stellar Tournament and Sportsfest), Parkland and Central Catholic seem to be the preseason favorites in the LVC. At the end of last season, the nuclei returning on these two teams made prognosticating the future of these programs quite easy. The last two weeks confirmed those feelings.

5. Speaking of summer basketball, the 2013 Catasauqua 24th Annual Tournament of Champions begins Sunday, July 28, and concludes with the championship game on August 1. This tournament features 24 teams that have won the various summer leagues in and near the Lehigh Valley, brings them together, and crowns an overall champion. You can watch the championship on RCN at 9:30.

BEHIND THE MIC:
The NFL – Pre-season Best and Worst

I realize it is only July, but the summer seems to be flying by. I am already thinking about high school and college football. It will be here soon. And since I am writing this week’s blog and, in the fall, my blog includes my weekly NFL picks, it seemed like a good time to consider (in my estimation), which NFL teams will be the BEST and which teams will be the WORST.

Let’s start with the worst, since when these teams play (unless it’s against each other) my predictions should be easier. The five worst teams in the NFL for the upcoming season will be the:

• Jets – Tim Tebow goes; Geno Smith comes in so the Jets still have a quarterback controversy (5 on their roster including Mark Sanchez) and they have gotten worse overall as a team.

• Raiders – This team just does not have the talent to contend at all.

• Bills – QB position is really questionable. 6-10 last year and they will probably struggle to surpass that win total.

• Jaguars – They were awful last season and did very little in the draft to think they got better. Remember a 3-win season will be an improvement over last year.

• Browns – They traded away draft picks in Rounds 4 and 5 so they had only 2 picks in the first five rounds and they find themselves in a division where everybody is better.

• Titans – In case I’m wrong, the Titans should improve on their 6-10 record, but most of that responsibility rests on the QB Jake Locker.

Now that I have upset the Jets and Browns fans, I wish the Eagles, Steelers and the Redskins (my boss’s team) would now show up in my top 5. But, alas, that will not be the case. To me, the very best will be the:

 • 49ers – They were outstanding last year; had a decent draft and will have a new starter at safety (Eric Reid).

• Broncos – Peyton Manning and a talented stable of receivers (including Wes Welker) make this team extremely strong offensively, but they, also, have one of the top defenses. They could win it all.

• Falcons – They just needed to improve their defense and they did that with great improvement at the cornerback positions. They were 13-3 last year and, if possible, they could be better.

• Seahawks – They have a great coach, terrific chemistry, and improved in the draft on both sides of the ball. They are one of the very best and will battle the 49ers for the Division title.

• Packers/Patriots – Both of these teams have outstanding quarterbacks who could carry them to a win every weekend. The Packers got better at the running game. The Patriots did not do much with the draft and lost Welker so time will tell if they will be better this season.

 Oh, by the way, the Redskins and Giants should finish in the upper half, the Steelers in the middle, and the Eagles in the lower half.

Please, please don’t blame the messenger.

 ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. The Phillies this past week and a half completed three very important series with the front-running Atlanta Braves, the second-place Washington Nationals and the Chicago White Sox. It was a microcosm of their season – highlights and lowlights. However, they took every series and got their record to .500 at the All-Star break. It offers hope for the second half of the season and made it very difficult for Ruben Amaro to decide whether to be a buyer or a seller.

2. If you want to fill a minor league ballpark, sprinkle a major league star into the lineup every now and then. The Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders sold out their stadium (10,000+) last Saturday night because Derek Jeter was in the lineup.

3. Speaking of minor league baseball, I had the pleasure of attending an Iron Pigs game last week and was a guest in the Coca-Cola box. Joe Brake of Coke is the perfect host – good food, good conversation, great seats, and exceptional fireworks. It was a truly fun night.

4. I certainly do not profess to understand world politics, but I am intrigued by the number of protesters in other parts of the world who seem to be available no matter what the cause, no matter what the day, or the time. You work, I work, my colleagues work – when would you find time to protest?

5. Aren’t the “dog days of summer” in August? To me, July has been a “dog” every day! I think the weather people just cut and paste the same picture in the paper every day and meteorologists have been offering the same forecast every day on the TV. If they are wrong, there are no ramifications. Being a weatherperson looks like a very easy job to me. Maybe, THEY would have time to protest.

Pocono Raceway: Bad Memories

Last weekend, the local papers were full of stories about the return of Indy Car racing to Pocono Raceway. The last time Indy cars raced there was in 1989. There were plenty of stories written about the history of the venue and local nostalgia about the Andretti family (Mario, Michael, and now Marco) at the race track. It turned out that Sunday was not a good day for the Andretti racing team. It was another bad memory for them. Ironically, it, also, brought back a very bad memory for me.

I really do not know the year, but it was a long time ago when I was asked to be the main announcer for the GATR 400 at Pocono. GATR was an acronym for The Great American Truck Race. The draw was to take truck cabs off the highway and have the drivers race them for 400 miles, you know, much like truckers do on Route 22 every day.

Now, let me be up front here – I was not and am not a racing fan. My sole auto sport interest, in the past, centered around the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day, especially if a local driver was involved. I know very little about cars, their engines, and how they work. That’s what mechanics are for. To make matters worse, I knew virtually nothing about trucks!

I did not want this announcing job. I figured rather than just saying, “No, thank you”; I would offer to do it for an exorbitant price. I asked for three times my normal fee, thinking that would get me a “Sorry, we’ll look for someone else.” That did not happen. The company agreed to my “demand” (ploy) and I was now doing a broadcast about which I knew nothing.

The race was on a Saturday with time trials and practice on Friday. I decided to go to practice to watch and learn. I went into the pits, struck up conversation with the participants, and took notes. I was honest with the drivers and they were cordial in divulging information. One suggested I should ride with him around the track to get a sense of the speed and the experience. Every brain cell said, “Don’t do this”, but my pride (stupidity) took over and I accepted the offer. I jumped in the cab and off we went. It was not long before we were going down a straightaway at 90+ miles per hour. I tried not to look frightened, but I was afraid my underwear would tell a different story. Trust me, it was frightening! I was convinced we would fly over the retaining wall and that would be it! The headline would read – “Young Local Announcer Dies Covering Sport He Knew Nothing About!” I, also, have the fear that same headline might be written about every sport I have covered over the years. But, I digress. Obviously, I did not die.

Instead, the next day I found myself high atop the track in the announcer’s booth ready to fake interest and knowledge and hope my color analyst was the best race announcer ever to take the microphone. To make matters worse, ten minutes prior to the start, we were informed our words would, also, serve as the PA sound to the thousands who had gathered to watch the race live – you know, the people who REALLY KNEW the sport.

The broadcast began (I still have nightmares about my scared voice “booming” out throughout the track), the race started, and I talked! It was exactly as I suspected – long, confusing (no truck should be allowed to lap another), and intense. Just like “all good things must come to an end”, it is also true of all “bad things”. I got through it.

On the way home, I wondered how much money I should ask for the next time I am offered a job to announce a race. For some reason, another offer never came.

To: Bubba Watson and Jessica Korda:
Don’t “Shoot” or Fire the Messenger

What If?
Over the weekend, I was watching the US Women’s Open Championship primarily because of Inbee Park. She was seeking to win the first three major golf championships of the season, a feat that had only been achieved once in Women’s Golf history. Babe Zaharias did it in 1950. Park did, indeed, win the Open championship on Sunday and now has a chance to become the first woman to win four (and perhaps, five) majors in one year – the Grand Slam!

Okay, that’s why I started to watch the golf, but on Saturday, a strange event caused me to sit up and take notice – Jessica Korda fired her caddie after playing the ninth hole, halfway through the round! She ordered her boyfriend, who was in the gallery to carry her bag the rest of the way. I bring this up because you may have missed it. Had it been Tiger, Phil, or Rory who did this, it would have been front page news.

There has not been any reason given as to why Korda took this unusual action. Bubba Watson blamed his caddie two weeks ago for giving him the wrong yardage on the 16th hole and it probably cost him the Travelers Championship tournament. Ian Woosnan at the British Open years ago threw all of his clubs out of the bag when his caddie allowed too many clubs to be placed there. Neither, however, fired their caddie on the spot.

So I got to thinking about famous duos that may have been broken up on the spur of the moment because of a miscalculation:

Would Bonnie have fired Clyde if he forgot the bullets?

Would Penn fire Tellar if, all of a sudden, Tellar would not shut up?

What would happen to Hall if Oates thought Hall was “pitchy”?

Would Jill fire Jack because he “broke his crown”?

What would happen to Lewis if he caused Clark to get lost?

What if Tonto thought he was more important than the Lone Ranger (sounds like a good movie)?

What if the Beast got more press than Beauty?

So, you may ask, “What did I learn from Jessica Korda’s actions?” Just this – If I mess up and I have any kind of reason to blame my administrative assistant, Kristin, I will. I may even fire her, but first I have to make sure my wife knows Microsoft Word!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. The Phillies continue to be awful and the TV ratings and ballpark attendance are declining rapidly. Can they right the ship? Answer these questions:

Is it Charlie’s fault?
Is it Ruben’s fault?
Do you just blame the hitters and the pitchers?
Do you want to trade Ryan Howard, Cliff Lee?
Will Cole Hamels, your ace, LOSE 20 games?
OR, will they just get very healthy the second half of the season and turn this whole mess around?
Stay tuned!

2. My main blog this week was about not saying the right things. Read anything written about or quoted by Lehigh’s soon to be drafted by the NBA player, CJ McCollum, and you get a sense that here is a young man who has had the proper upbringing, has good values, a solid work ethic, and appreciates his talents. I hope he stays that way.

3. NFL training camps start in a month. Bad choices by the players during their down time will continue, however.

4. Every story I read about the Tampa Bay Rays coach and former Lafayette student, Joe Maddon, makes me wish he managed closer to home. Try to find a bad word written about him and/or his managing skills. He usually has inferior talent battling for a playoff spot, with great player support. And he gave us an interview the last time he was on the Lafayette campus. My kind of guy.

5. Football in June? The Lehigh Valley McDonald’s All-Star Football Classic was last Thursday. It was well-played and, more importantly, well-attended. The banquet for the players, cheerleaders, coaches, parents, and friends was held last Wednesday, sponsored and televised by RCN.