On behalf of the staff at RCN-TV, we wish all of you a Happy Holiday season!

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 10-6; Overall – 150-89-2 – 63%)
Week Seventeen

TENNESSEE
BUFFALO
BALTIMORE
WASHINGTON
GREEN BAY
INDIANAPOLIS
PHILADELPHIA
MINNESOTA
TAMPA BAY
PITTSBURGH
ATLANTA
NEW ENGLAND
ARIZONA
KANSAS CITY
SEATTLE
DENVER

Do any of you remember Christmas clubs?  I’m not sure if banks still have them, but I don’t know why they wouldn’t offer another way to keep your money and pay you very little for that privilege.  Christmas clubs began during the Great Depression so that bank customers would set aside a given amount of money each week so they would have some to spend at Christmas time.

My first Christmas club was a whopping $12.50.  I would put aside $0.25 every week (I could afford it because I had my own business – a newspaper route) and receive a check from the bank the first week of December for $12.50.  My younger sister also had a similar account except that she was subsidized by my parents (which didn’t really seem fair since I worked for my December windfall).  I’m not sure what my youngest sister or older brother did for Christmas money, but I sure do not remember any significant gifts coming my way from those two sources.

After receiving our checks, my sister and I would get on the local bus and head downtown to buy gifts for the five members of the family (three siblings and mom and dad).  Do the math – that’s $2.50 for each one.  I assume this is where the phrase “It’s the thought that counts” was originated.  The bigger problem, however, was that my sister always found something SHE liked while we were shopping.  She would always make her first purchase a gift for, you guessed it, HERSELF.

It was at that point that her shopping dilemma would rise up – she had about $2.50 left to buy five gifts.  She knew I had money – heck, I was an entrepreneur.  How could I refuse her?  She would always come home with a gift for everyone and the best gift for herself.  I didn’t like it, but I did it.

This is a long introduction to the main topic – what kind of a Christmas “club” might a top athlete have at their gift-giving disposal?  I decided to look at the highest-paid sports figures of the year and imagined what they might spend on each person on their list.  I’ll use 25 people to buy for as the cost basis and one day’s pay as the available amount of money (in essence, their Christmas club).  And I will use the 25 highest-paid athletes as the gift givers.

The athletes fell into the following categories: one boxer, three tennis players, three race car drivers, three NBA players, four golfers, five soccer players, and six NFL players.  Their annual incomes ranged from $35.9 million to $88 million.  The average yearly earnings for those 25 athletes were $50 million a year.  If you divide that number by 365 days, they make $136,986.30 per day or $45,662 per hour.  I’m thinking for their list of 25 people, some nice gifts are on the way.  On average, their Christmas club would allow them to spend almost $5500 per gift.

Now, I figure I have spent a great deal of my life working with and getting along with athletes.  I’m wondering if I could just convince one of them to let me take them “downtown” to do some Christmas shopping.  I think I remember my sister’s ploy.  Plead poverty.  Get them to financially help me make some wonderful purchases.  It worked on me for years.  Perhaps, it would work on them.

Heck, I would even buy my sister a nice gift.  After all, that’s the Christmas spirit.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Who is the best team in the NFL at the moment – New England or Dallas? Might it be Oakland or the Giants?  Or are Seattle or Pittsburgh sleepers?  No pro sport does the post season any better.  The playoff scenarios are mind-boggling and maintain interest to the very end of the season.
2. Eagles’ fans can moan all they want about their coach, their quarterback, and the defensive secondary, but no one deserves more criticism than Nelson Agholor. He is a wide receiver who does not receive.  In this past Sunday’s game against the Ravens, he caught one pass, dropped a few, never fielded a punt as a punt receiver, and never got the one-yard necessary for a very important first down because of a poor decision.  He did receive $14.5 million as part of a four-year deal with the Eagles.  I’m sure he RECEIVES that money.
3. The Roundball JAMboree held at Allen High School on Sunday was a huge success. The event was scheduled to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and honor Mike Schneider for his service to Lehigh Valley athletics.  Mike is afflicted with Parkinson’s.  Our local teams split the four games with Parkland and Allen winning while Liberty and Whitehall were defeated.
4. RCN-TV finishes up the year with Emmaus at Parkland and Nazareth at Whitehall on Tuesday night beginning at 7:00pm and Whitehall at Parkland on Thursday at 7:00pm. It was another great year for Lehigh valley sports.
5. This is my last blog until after the New Year so I want to wish all of you a very happy holiday and thank you for spending time with the RCN-TV team this past year.

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 12-4; Overall – 140-83-2 – 63%)
Week Sixteen

GIANTS
WASHINGTON
BUFFALO
TAMPA BAY
ATLANTA
GREEN BAY
NEW ENGLAND
TENNESSEE
SAN DIEGO
OAKLAND
SAN FRANCISCO
SEATTLE
HOUSTON
PITTSBURGH
KANSAS CITY
DALLAS
 

This time of the year football fans’ cries and debates always center around “Who’s #1”?  Very rarely does anyone ask or care which team is the worst.  It is hard to determine in college football because there are just so many teams, so we are content to argue the merits of the Top 25.  But the NFL is much easier.  There are only 32 teams and by week 13, I think one could certainly stir things up by looking at which teams are the absolutely worst ones in the NFL.

The Cleveland Browns are the obvious choice as the worst team in professional football.  With this week’s loss to Cincinnati, they have now lost 16 straight games (includes the final three from last year).  The Browns have been playing in the NFL since 1950 and they have never lost this many games without a win.  They are 1-23 in the past 24 games.  Just to pile on a bit, counting last year and this season, they are 3-26.  They have games at Buffalo, home against San Diego, and at Pittsburgh.  To be realistic, none of those games seem winnable.

Going back to 1960, there have only been four other teams to go winless and two of those teams played to a tie.  Only the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 0-14 in their debut season and the 2008 Detroit Lions were the only team in history to go 0-16 and the first non-expansion team to lose every game.  So, as you can see, the Browns are among some pretty elite company.

But is there an argument to be made that there are teams just as bad?  Well, the 49ers are 1-12.  The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-11.  It’s hard to believe I am leaving the New York Jets out of the discussion, but they did just beat the 49ers this past Sunday in overtime so I will give them a pass.

Just to emphasize how bad these teams are: the 49ers two weeks ago had a TOTAL of six net passing yards and, this past week, they threw for 17 yards in the second half against the Jets.  As far as the Jaguars, let me throw this stat at you – QB Blake Bortles has thrown more interceptions for touchdowns than he has wins as a Jacksonville starter.

It does make one ponder whether these teams could beat Alabama, considered by most to be the best team in college football.  It would be men against boys for sure, but a terrific well-coached team against, well, the Browns.

San Francisco has the Giants and you could make the case they also have the Raiders, Athletics, Warriors and Sharks.  In Cleveland, thank goodness for the Indians and the Cavaliers.  Jacksonville only has the Jaguars.  Right now, none of them have a competitive NFL team.

So what’s your answer to “Who’s #32?”  Could it possibly be, “Who cares?”

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Lamar Jackson won the Heisman Trophy, signifying the best player in college football. It was the first Heisman ever for Louisville.  He is only 19 years old and a sophomore, the youngest ever to win the award.  For those of you who go way back, the great Johnny Unitas played at Louisville in the 1950s and went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NFL.  Lamar has some big high-topped black shoes to fill (an analogy for just those who remember Unitas).
2. This past weekend, Army defeated Navy for the first time in 14 years. It wasn’t easy.  After leading 14-0, Army lost the lead and trailed 17-14.  They fought back to win the game 21-17.  Emmaus’ Andy Davidson scored the first two Army touchdowns.  Both teams will play in a bowl game.
3. CBS sports announcer Verne Lundquist did his final college football game as the play-by-play man for the Army-Navy game. He announced college football for 42 years.  Watch his goodbye:

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2016/12/10/13909272/verne-lundquist-army-navy-goodbye

4. Villanova, the defending national champion of college basketball, is off to a 10-0 start. They are #1 in the nation for the second straight week and may have the player of the year in Josh Hart.  Years ago, head coach Jay Wright sat in my office for about an hour and we talked basketball and coaching young men.  He was here to appear on an RCN interview show.  I have rooted for him ever since.
5. More high school basketball next week with Emmaus-Parkland and Nazareth-Whitehall on Tuesday, December 20. We will have Whitehall-Parkland on December 22.

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 9-7; Overall – 128-79-2 – 62%)
Week Fifteen

SEATTLE
MIAMI
DALLAS
GIANTS
GREEN BAY
BALTIMORE
MINNESOTA
BUFFALO
KANSAS CITY
HOUSTON
ARIZONA
ATLANTA
NEW ENGLAND
OAKLAND
PITTSBURGH
WASHINGTON

If any college football fan doubts the wisdom of a four-team College Football Playoff system, this past weekend should eliminate those doubts.  The Selection Committee has no choice under the current system.  They can choose four and ONLY four.  The idea in the beginning was that conference champions would fill the four slots.  The only problem there is that there are five power conferences, but I’m sure the founders felt they could surely eliminate one of the champions.  But this year, the committee eliminated two – the Big 12 champions and the Big 10 champion.  The ACC will send Clemson; the Pac 12 will send Washington; and the SEC will send Alabama.  It is hard to argue with any of those choices.

Now we come to Ohio State.  Should they go or should the committee have chosen Penn State – the Big 10 champion?  I have no argument with Ohio State’s pedigree.  They lost only one game; they beat Michigan; they were ranked in the top three all year; and they beat Michigan.  That’s good enough for me.  EXCEPT….

Penn State won the Big 10 championship, while Ohio State did not play at all last week.  Penn State gave Ohio State their only loss of the year 24-21.  Penn State’s losses were to Pitt, which, by the way, beat Clemson and they lost to Michigan.  Both of those losses were on the road.  And if “playing well at the end of the year” means anything, Penn State has not lost since September.  They have won nine games in a row.  Ohio State lost to Penn State in October and Michigan lost two of their last three.

Winning a conference title is supposed to give the winning team a 13^th data point.  Penn State earned that point; Ohio State did not.  Conference championships should matter.  For two teams, it did not.

As I said earlier, Ohio State, with only one loss should be in the mix for a national championship.  My fault with the system is four teams.  If you make it eight you add only one more week to the schedule and that should be palatable.  I know if you add eight, then nine and ten will feel shunned.  But eight gives you the five conference champions,   (the Big 12 will start playing one next year) and three “wild cards”.  A similar system works quite well for the NFL and six of those teams have gone on to win the Super Bowl.

So Penn State will play in the Rose Bowl against USC and that certainly is a justified reward for their season, but should they have been playing for a national championship?  What if you were on the committee – how would you have voted?

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. I really started to watch Penn State because of Saquon Barkley, the former Whitehall Zephyr. Now I watch them because they are one of the most exciting and dramatic teams in college football.  Their win over Wisconsin, after being down by 21 points and being totally dominated early in the game, was nothing short of miraculous!
2. The Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks played almost as well on Friday night against undefeated Imhotep Charter out of Philadelphia. Imhotep is the defending state champion and has won 28 games in a row.  No team stayed within 30 points of them this season.  Until they met the Hawks!  The Hawks lost 24-13 when Imhotep scored a TD late in the game. Beca was in it right up until the very end of the game and actually led at one point.  It was a great year for Coach Kyle Haas and the Beca football team.
3. Notre Dame High School did not win a game two years ago. On Friday night, they played in the PIAA state semifinal game against undefeated Middletown.  The Crusaders lost that game, but their resurgence in the past two years has been amazing.
4. The Eagles looked like a team that cannot make the playoffs this past Sunday. The Bengals just crushed them.  Maybe it’s not a good thing for the coach to say they are looking towards the future before the present is completed.  The Eagles took major steps in the wrong direction this past Sunday.
5. High school basketball begins next week with Freedom-Allen and Liberty-Easton on Tuesday, December 13. We will have Liberty-Central and Saucon Valley-Wilson on Friday, December 16.  The wrestling season begins on Wednesday, December 14, with Liberty taking on Nazareth.

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 12-3; Overall – 119-72-2 – 62%)
Week Fourteen

OAKLAND
PHILADELPHIA
MINNESOTA
DETROIT
CINCINNATI
ARIZONA
INDIANAPOLIS
DENVER
CAROLINA
PITTSBURGH
JETS
TAMPA BAY
ATLANTA
SEATTLE
DALLAS
NEW ENGLAND

High school football is winding down and college football has come to a close.  College basketball has begun and high school basketball is right around the corner.

That can only mean that it is once again time for one of my favorite nights of the year and it has nothing to do with athletics.  It is the night that I co-host the Dream Come True Telethon. Believe it or not (and I am a “not”), we will be doing the Telethon for the 31^st year.  I did not host in the early years, but I have been around for most.

Dream Come True, in case you did not know, was founded in 1984 by Kostas Kalogeropoulous, a local businessman.  The goal of the organization is simple – fulfill the dreams of children who are seriously, chronically, and terminally ill and reside in the greater Lehigh Valley area.  Children are referred by family, friends, clergy, doctors, social workers, etc. and the dreams usually fall into three categories – trips, contact with celebrities, and special gifts (computers, shopping sprees, for example).

Scott Barr will be co-hosting again this year. We have spent this night together for many, many years and I would not want to work with anyone else. He handles the auction area and, boy, is he terrific!  If you watch Home Shopping Network or any of the other television all-day shopping channels, just watch Scott do his thing during the three-hour night.  He is as good as, if not better, than the professionals.  Here are the specifics:

The TELETHON will take place live next Monday, December 5, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. RCN customers in the Lehigh Valley (Channel 4, 1004 in HD), Delaware County (Channel 8, 608 in HD), and Washington, DC metro (Channel 8) areas can watch live on RCN TV.  A popular component of the telethon each year is the auction.  This year, we will again utilize the on-line auction.  The bidding began on Sunday, November 6, and ends Monday, December 5 at 8:00PM. You can get to the auction here:

Great auction items include:

• A Kindle Fire HDX 8.9
• 2 Ski passes and 2 Snow Tube passes to Blue Mountain Resort
• Autographed Eagles football helmet signed by All-Pro tackle Jason Peters.
• One year subscription to the Morning Call
• Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Harry Potter 3D Experience
• Relaxing Spa treatments at Bear Creek Mountain Resort
• And much, much more!

Again, you can find all of the items by clicking here:

You will find a variety of unique items donated by local businesses as well as our friends from the cable TV networks.  If you want something really unique and not found in any store, tune us in and bid on the items.  You will make Scott’s night and, more importantly, some child’s dream.

The interviews with the children who have had their dreams fulfilled will demonstrate to you just how valuable your donations are.

The important facts again are:
The Date:         Monday, December 5
The Time:         6:00 – 9:00 PM
The Purpose:    To fulfill as many hopes, dreams and fantasies for seriously, chronically, and terminally ill children as possible
The Phone Number to Make a Donation:          1-800-749-8099

All proceeds from the online and on-air auctions go directly to Dream Come True.

Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!  Your donation will help make a child’s dream come true!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. As Penn State fans are well aware, the Ohio State win over Michigan on Saturday put Penn State in the Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin. Now, if Penn State wins that game, what does the FBS committee do to create a final four – put in Penn State or will they stay with Ohio State even though Penn State beat them?  Up until now, every final four has had only conference champions.
2. And with all the turmoil as to which teams belong in the top four for college football’s championship game, is it time to go to eight teams? Or does this past Saturday prove that the final games leading up to the FBS final four ARE playoff games?  You judge.
3. Notre Dame University is 4-8! Will they fire Brian Kelly?  Kelly says no, but Notre Dame does not go 4-8 without some coaching change.
4. Congratulations to the Whitehall and Parkland football teams for making it to the PIAA state quarterfinals, but, once again, both ran into Philadelphia private school powerhouses and were eliminated. There is no shame in losing to those teams.  They put an outstanding product on the field.
5. Two teams remain in the PIAA playoffs from our area – Bethlehem Catholic and Notre Dame. Beca will face one of those Philly powerhouses when they take on Imhotep Charter.  We will have that game on RCN-TV LIVE on Friday night at 7:00pm.  The Notre Dame-Middletown game will be on at 11:00 pm from Hersheypark Stadium.  No matter the outcomes, this weekend will end our football season.  The state championship games will be on PCN next weekend.  Thank you for spending Fridays and Saturdays with us.  Basketball is up next!

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 11-4; Overall – 107-69-2 – 61%)
Week Thirteen
DALLAS
ATLANTA
BALTIMORE
CHICAGO
PHILADELPHIA
GREEN BAY
DENVER
NEW ENGLAND
DETROIT
OAKLAND
ARIZONA
PITTSBURGH
TAMPA BAY
SEATTLE
JETS

I know this will show my age, but when I was a little kid, I was a Baltimore Colts fan.  Does anyone remember the Baltimore Colts (not the Ravens, not Indianapolis – Baltimore).  I was seven years old in 1953 when the Colts took the field at Memorial Stadium.  I don’t remember if I became a fan then, but I do remember when Johnny Unitas took over the quarterback position in 1956.  His crewcut and high top shoes and, more importantly, his great right arm and the ability to make the Colts winners made him an instant hero in my eyes.  Penn State’s Lenny Moore, Alan Ameche, and Raymond Berry were also stars of that team.  They won back-to-back NFL titles in 1958 and ’59 defeating the Giants both of those years.  They won another in 1968 when I graduated from college.

But after 30 years of rooting for the Colts, Bob Irsay took the team in the middle of the night to Indianapolis.  Baltimore lost the Colts and I lost my team.  From that point on, I watched NFL football, but never felt a real attachment to any team.

And then the Eagles signed Carson Wentz of North Dakota State.  In 2011, I flew with the Lafayette football team to North Dakota State to do a football game.  The fan base out there was so passionate about their team.  They closed down the town at 4:00pm on game day so everyone could go to the game.  Realistically, there wasn’t much else to do in Fargo anyway.

So with that small professional reference, I decided to jump on board and root for the Philadelphia Eagles and “Wentzylvania”.  And I am not sorry.  I have watched every Eagles game from start to finish, thanks to TIVO and, in all honesty, they have all been entertaining.  Even though they are 3-5, they were competitive in every game.  I think I will enjoy watching this team and their young quarterback develop under first-year head coach Doug Pederson.  But like any fan, there are some things that are already starting to bother me:

1. Nelson Agholor cannot catch the football. He is a “wide dropper”.  Wide receivers are supposed to catch the football.  He seems to have more “drops” than catches and Sunday against the Seahawks Agholor had no catches and a touchdown was called back because he did not line up properly.  Give me a break.
2. Jason Peters is a penalty machine. Does anyone in the league hold more often than he does?  And he is really good when he is not costing the team yards in crucial situations.  Then he is really bad.
3. Do the announcers have to put all of the Eagles’ woes on their young quarterback? They make it seem that he is responsible for every drive that stalls.  Between penalties and dropped balls by his wide receivers, he seems to always be in 3^rd and long.  I, for one, think he has actually played quite well for his first year.
4. The Eagles seem to turn the ball over at the very worst times. Two more wins would have been there for the taking if not for costly fumbles.
5. Doug Pederson has sadly managed games, at times, like his mentor Andy Reid. Is poor clock management contagious?  If so, Andy passed on the virus.

The fact that I even now care about these things tells me that I am starting to become a fan of the Eagles.  I hope, like the Baltimore Colts of old, they take me to the promised land.  E-A-G-L-E-S!  Go, Birds!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. The 152^nd addition of Lafayette-Lehigh was not competitive. Lehigh dominated in every aspect of the game.  Most disappointing was the lack of a sellout crowd.  Blame that on the Lafayette season.  Due to their record, it did not look like a good match-up and it wasn’t.  But I still look forward to 153.
2. What was good about the broadcast, however, was the use of a drone for aerial shots. The drone really added to the very professional look of the game and gave us some beautiful shots during the game.
3. Even more ironic, however, concerning the drone is that one flew over J Birney Crum Stadium on Friday night during the Parkland – Freedom game. The officials stopped the game and ordered both teams to their respective locker rooms which are about a quarter of a mile away.  Luckily before the long walk was completed, the drone left the area and the players came back.  So, one drone enhanced a game and another stopped the game – go figure.
4. They are still playing golf. Jordan Spieth won the Australian Open on Sunday in a playoff with two Aussies.  It was the second time he won the title.  Up until this week, it was still nice enough to squeeze in a round here.
5. PIAA playoffs this week are on RCN-TV. Whitehall will play Archbishop Wood on Friday at 7:00pm.  Parkland takes on St. Joe’s Prep on Saturday at 1:00pm.  Both games will be LIVE.  Good luck to Bethlehem Catholic and Notre Dame as their football teams take on Johnstown and Delaware Valley Charter.  Both games are on Saturday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 10-3; Overall – 96-65-2 – 60%)

Week Twelve
DETROIT
DALLAS
INDIANAPOLIS
TENNESSEE
HOUSTON
BUFFALO
BALTOMORE
ATLANTA
MIAMI
NEW ORLEANS
GIANTS
SEATTLE
OAKLAND
DENVER
NEW ENGLAND
PHILADELPHIA

If you were a Seinfeld fan, like I was, you probably remember the episode when George shouted, “The worlds are colliding, Jerry, the worlds are colliding!”  He simply meant that Jerry’s girlfriend and his girlfriend were friends and, therefore, sharing secrets about the two of them.  It was not good.

This week, my worlds are colliding for a whole other reason.  It is the time when sports seasons begin to overlap.  The collision takes place when basketball begins as football is continuing.  The other two “worlds” are high school athletics and Lafayette athletics with a sprinkle of other internet work on the Lafayette campus.   Trust me, I do not want your sympathy, but as a response to the many people who ask, “Do you just do games?”- Here is my schedule for this week:

Monday

• Choose the Patriot League offensive, defensive, special teams and rookies of the week and submit my ballot.
• Notify the Parkland and Liberty head football coaches that I will be doing their championship game on Friday night so I ask them to send me their starting lineups and season stats as soon as possible.
• Get the season stats off the internet for Lafayette and Lehigh. Do my stat sheets for the Lafayette and Lehigh game charts.  This entails putting all the offensive and defensive stats on my game charts.  I alshave to update the starters, the individual and team sheets to be used during the game.  I put together a pre-game sheet for the opening and come up with Keys to the Game.
• Now it’s on to writing this blog which I will submit Tuesday morning after all the NFL games are played.
• Make a recording for ESPN Radio discussing Lafayette’s outlook for the game. This will be played prior to their broadcast of Lafayette-Lehigh on Saturday.
• Prepare my notes for a one-hour interview with Lafayette President Alison Byerly, discussing the state of the college.
• Arrive at Lafayette at 5:30PM to rehearse. Interview the President LIVE on Monday night for the internet from 7:00-8:00 PM.

Tuesday

• Make the NFL picks for next week and submit this blog.
• Begin to put together the information for the high school game on Friday night. Hopefully, the coaches and stat people will have gotten me the information requested (often not the case by Tuesday).  This also requires doing all the offensive and defensive stats for these two teams.
• Begin the preparation for the Lafayette-Robert Morris women’s basketball game on Wednesday. This means filling in my game sheets with all the stats and researching pertinent information.
• Attend the Lafayette press luncheon for the Lehigh game; do an internet preview of the game; talk to the coach and a few players, and gather up the game notes (@50 pages combined for both schools).
• Spend the afternoon digesting the game notes and taking my own notes.
• Eat dinner at home for the only time this week.

Wednesday

• Complete as much of the high school prep as possible. This means profiling each team, keys to the game, starting lineups, stat charts, getting game officials and coming up with a trivia question.
• Finish all preparation for that night’s Lafayette-Robert Morris women’s basketball game and create another trivia question.
• If time permits, begin preparation for the Lafayette-NJIT men’s Thursday night basketball game.
• 5:00 – arrive at the Kirby Sports Center. Prepare the broadcast table.
• 7:00 – Tip-off for the women’s game.

Thursday

• Go over the weekly checklist to make sure all is done for the two football games.
• Complete preparation for the Lafayette-NJIT basketball game that night (another trivia question).
• Start to prepare for Sunday’s Lafayette-Cornell men’s basketball game.
• 5:00 – arrive at the Kirby Sports Center. Prepare the broadcast table.
• 7:00 – Tip off for the men’s game.

Friday

• Read all the articles in the local paper about tonight’s high school game.
• Check out all the possible individual records and numbers of significance that might be important as the game progresses that night.
• 5:00 – Arrive at the stadium and prepare the broadcast booth.
• 7:00 – Freedom vs. Parkland for the District XI AAAAAA championship in Allentown.

Saturday

• Read all the articles concerning Lafayette-Lehigh football in the local papers.
• 10:00 AM – arrive at Fisher Stadium for the game and set up the booth for the game day broadcast which is going around the world on the internet and on a number of broadcast networks.
• 12:37 – Kickoff for the 152^nd game of college football’s most played rivalry.

Sunday

• Finish the preparation for the Lafayette – Cornell men’s basketball game by completing and reviewing the game notes.
• 12:00 Noon – Arrive at the Kirby Sports Center and, once again, prepare the table for the broadcast.
• 2:00 – Tip off for the men’s game.
• I should arrive home around 5:00 on Sunday afternoon from just doing the games, realizing how right George Costanza was when he complained that “The worlds are colliding, Jerry, the worlds are colliding!” Indeed, they are!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
No musings this week.  Did you read the blog?

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 8-7; Overall – 86-62-2 – 58%)
Week Eleven

NEW ORLEANS
PITTSBURGH
DALLAS
DETROIT
TENNESSEE
KANSAS CITY
ARIZONA
MIAMI
NEW ENGLAND
SEATTLE
WASHINGTON
OAKLAND   

October is a month when people enjoy the transitional weather, the changing colors of the foliage, and the changing of clothing.  The month has some holidays – Columbus Day, Yom Kippur, and Halloween.  However, it is pretty much a “yawner” as far as celebrations are concerned.  Yet, for the sports fan, it may very well be the best month of the year.

In October, baseball comes to a close with the World Series; college football becomes real serious as the rankings begin to take shape; the NFL games are in full swing; the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association start their season.  This may be why there are so few holidays for a sports fan.  There is just too much going on to take the time to celebrate much of anything, except the wins by your team.

What could possibly be better than Game 7 of the World Series if you are a baseball fan?  That was especially true this year when you had two teams who had not gotten to the promise land for a combined 176 years.  What fan was not on the edge of their seat when the game went into extra innings before deciding the outcome?  And, honestly, could anyone really be that upset when the Cubs won for the first time in 108 years?

There is no question that college football generates a tremendous amount of excitement, especially if you are a Penn State fan.  As I write this, the Nittany Lions are currently ranked #12 in the nation and climbing.  They have a local Whitehall star in Saquon Barkley, who is under consideration for the Heisman Trophy, signifying college football’s best.  And I’m sure if you have a favorite team, you live and die every weekend following the results.

The NFL is in full swing so every Thursday, Sunday, and Monday, fans, fantasy football aficionados, and pool players are in front of their TV sets or checking their phones for scores.

Every NBA and NHL fan wants their team to get off to a great start in October so even these early games take on importance.

Sprinkle in the high school football runs to league and conference championships and you pretty much fill up the entire month.

So I offer praise for the person who foresaw that there was simply no time for many holidays in October.  The true sports fan celebrates almost every day of the month.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. In the blog, I mentioned that Whitehall’s Saquon Barkley is now in the Heisman Trophy conversation. His 20-carry, 167-yard effort Saturday against Iowa included a 57-yard touchdown scamper, and he caught a 44-yard TD pass as well.  He has 675 yards over the last four games, including a pair of 200-yarders, as well as 1,055 this season (his second straight over 1,000) and 2,131 in his career, 15th on the school’s all-time list.
2. Josh Huff, the Eagles’ wide receiver who was arrested last week for DUI , marijuana possession, and carrying a hand-gun without a permit, was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their practice squad. It’s really hard NOT to find work once you are in the NFL, no matter how hard some players try.
3. In case you did not see the Steelers’ attempt at an onside kick on Sunday – take a look:

4. Remember the, “Now that you’ve won the fill in the blank, what are you going to do now” question? And the answer was “We’re going to Disney World”.  The Cubs along with family, friends, and fans all went to Disney World.
5. By the way, Cubs’ manager and former Lafayette student, Joe Maddon, will be attending the Lafayette-Lehigh game on November 19. We will be doing our half-time interview with him.  Cool!!

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 7-6; Overall – 78-56-2 – 58%)
Week Ten
            BALTIMORE
            HOUSTON
            CAROLINA
            DENVER
            JETS
            PHILADELPHIA
            WASHINGTON
            GREEN BAY
            CHICAGO
            SAN DIEGO
            ARIZONA
            PITTSBURGH
            NEW ENGLAND
            GIANTS

I know Donald Trump constantly complains about our inability to compete with China imports.  No one says much about American exports, but this past month one such export finally was brought to fruition.  After four years in the planning stages, China imported American arena football.  And their league’s version of the Super Bowl is being played on November 6.

The first China Bowl will be played in Shanghai.  The league kicked off its inaugural season this past month with six teams playing 8-on-8 arena football.  Four Chinese players and four “foreign” players are on the field at a time for each team.

Even though this league is not affiliated with the Arena Football League in the US, the ownership is very familiar to Philadelphia Soul fans.  The whole concept is the brainchild of successful businessman, Marty Judge, who happens to own the Philadelphia Soul of the AFL.  One of his partners is former Eagles quarterback, Ron Jaworski, and the League Executive is former Eagles head coach, Dick Vermeil.  And, does the name Lou Tilley sound familiar?  He used to be the sports guy for the local Philadelphia TV channel.  He is the Vice President of Creative and Broadcast Operations for the new league.

Local Forks Township resident, Mick Moninghoff, is also spending time in China.  He is part of Lou Tilley’s enterprise and does both marketing and broadcasting work for the new league.  The games are broadcast both in Mandarin and in English and Mick is part of the broadcast team.

The league held its first draft on June 10.  500 players registered for the draft. 120 players were selected.  60 of the players were American; 43 of them had AFL experience and some had NFL experience.  60 Chinese players were from China or of Chinese descent.  Germany, Spain, and Italy were, also represented on the rosters.  The season was called the “Super Series” leading up to the championship finale – The China Bowl.

The six teams are the Beijing Lions, Dalian Dragon Kings, Guangzhou Power, Qingdao Clipper, Shanghai Skywalkers, and Shenzhen Naja.  If you want to know how to pronounce the team names and see some of the action, watch here:

Qingdao will take on undefeated Beijing for the title.  I do not know if China also imported American sports gambling so I cannot give you the spread on the game.  However, for Judge and company, this venture has to be the ultimate in “fantasy football”.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Did you see that the average ticket price to see the Cubs in Chicago this past week was $2,603 for Game 3 and $2,327 for Game 4? This was the highest average price ever sold for a World Series and topped every Super Bowl except the last two.  Game 6 looked like a bargain when the average price on the secondary market was @$650.
2. If you were in charge of your team’s draft picks and knowing what you now know, would you take Dak Prescott of the Cowboys or Carson Wentz of the Eagles? I still like the Eagles’ choice.
3. Since I made you a GM in the last musing, now I ask you as the Dallas Cowboys head coach, would you start Tony Romo once he is healthy or stick with Prescott?
4. Alabama, Clemson, Washington, and Michigan are ranked #1-4 and all of them are undefeated. Western Michigan is, also, undefeated and ranked #8.  Can the top four hold their spots to vie for the national championship?  Ohio State is looming at #5 and they want in.
5. On Friday, November 4, the District football playoffs begin. Ironically, there are not many attractive match-ups with quite a few mismatches on tap.  We tried to pick the best.  The RCN-TV crew will have the 6A Nazareth – Parkland LIVE at 7:00 PM.   That game will be followed by 4A Bethlehem Catholic at Central Catholic.  They played each other just one week ago and Central prevailed.  That game is on at 9:30 PM.  Lehighton will play Notre Dame on Saturday in 3A at 2:00 and we will have it LIVE.

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 7-5-1; Overall – 71-50-2 – 59%)
Week Nine
             ATLANTA
            PITTSBURGH
            PHILADELPHIA
            MIAMI
            DALLAS
            KANSAS CITY
            DETROIT
            CAROLINA
            NEW ORLEANS
            TENNESSEE
            GREEN BAY
            DENVER
            BUFFALO

The Chicago Cubs have me watching baseball again.  And I would suspect a larger number of people will tune in to see if the Cubs can win their first World Series since 1908, 108 years ago. Teddy Roosevelt was the president.  They last played in the World Series in 1945.

The Cleveland Indians have not set the baseball world on fire either.  Their last World Series victory was in 1948 during the Harry S. Truman administration.  They did play in the 1997 Series and blew a ninth inning lead and lost in the eleventh to the Florida Marlins.

It will be very interesting to see if this storyline catches on with ALL fans.  World Series ratings have declined steadily, with three of the last four years owning the lowest ratings in history.  I, for one, became interested enough to watch the Cubs in their playoff games.  I enjoyed the games and was also frustrated by the sport.  There are things wrong with baseball.  With that in mind, I, along with many others, have come to some conclusions:

1. There are too many playoff spots. Ten teams make the playoffs: five American League teams and five National League teams.  There are a possible 42 games that could be played to decide the overall champion.  42 games!  With the current set-up of three divisions, changing the format would be difficult.  Eliminating one wild card berth only reduces the playoffs by two games.  We are stuck with this system.
2. The games take too long. This is the biggest drawback to truly enjoying baseball.  Pitchers take too long to pitch.  Batters take too long to get ready to hit.  Managers have too many options available that only slow down the game.  So, what is there to do?  Here are a few suggestions:

• Hitters must stay in the batter’s box.
• Pitchers must throw a pitch in 20 seconds.
• 2:00 breaks between innings.
• Three mound visits per game, not counting pitching changes.
• Limit the number of pitching changes per inning.

3. Start games earlier. I know this is an East Coast problem, but would it be bad to actually finish games BEFORE midnight?  Regular season games take around three hours.  The playoff games usually take around 3.5 hours.  Throw the first pitch at 8:00pm and the problem is solved.  Wait to 8:30pm and lose a big part of your audience.
4. Young people are not watching. Because of reasons #2 and #3, young people have just not been turned on to the sport as far as viewership is concerned.  Sure the seats at the ballparks are filled for the most part and television revenue is up, but overall viewership is way down and the long-term outlook as far as interest has to be in trouble.
5. The All-Star game winner gets home field advantage for the World Series. The team with the best record during the regular season should get home-field advantage.  The powers-that-be should not use a game that is so unlike a real game.  Enough said.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME WORLD SERIES MUSINGS) 

1. The Cubs actually won back-to-back World Series in 1907 and 1908.
2. The Indians lost three World Series match-ups in 1954, 1995, and 1997.
3. Indians’ manager Terry Francona led the Boston Red Sox to a championship in 2004, following an 84-year drought. Ironically, he was hired by the Red Sox over Joe Maddon.  More irony in that Cubs’ General Manager Theo Epstein hired Francona over Maddon in Boston and hired Maddon in Chicago.  He seems to know what he is doing.
4. Joe Maddon grew up in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He attended Lafayette College and played baseball and football.  He received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Lafayette in 2010.  As a player, he was never able to go higher than Class A in his baseball career.
5. On Friday, October 28, the RCN-TV crew will have the Parkland – Emmaus game LIVE at 7:00 PM. Emmaus can win the EPC South championship with a win.  That game will be followed by Easton-Nazareth.  That game is on at 10:00 PM.  The crew will have Georgetown at Lafayette on Saturday LIVE at 12:30PM.  Freedom-Liberty will be on at 7:00PM.  By the way, you can catch both of these award-winning bands on November 10 (8:00 PM), 11 (6:00 PM), and 12 (8:00 AM).

And that will end the regular season with District playoffs up next!

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (Last week – 9-4-1; Overall – 64-41-1 – 61%)

Week Eight

TENNESSEE
SEATTLE
NEW ENGLAND
OAKLAND
CINCINNATI
DENVER
KANSAS CITY
DETROIT
ARIZONA
GREEN BAY
JETS
DALLAS
MINNESOTA