Scott Barr is the RCN wrestling “guru”.  He has even written a book about District XI wrestling which goes back to its inception.  This past weekend, Scott announced the District XI individual wrestling championships as he has done for so many years.  He, along with Jim Best, did their usual impeccable job.  But one occurrence happened for Scott while doing the match that has NEVER happened before – the Easton Red Rovers did not crown a champion!  I asked him to reflect on the end of what came to be known as “The Streak”.  Here is his essay:

And, so, it’s over.

Just like that, when the buzzer sounded on the final weight class of the 2016 District XI Wrestling Championships, it was over.  After 14 championship bouts, for the first time since 1947, none of the winners was wearing an Easton Red Rover singlet.  All I could muster, on the air, was, “It feels weird.”

Jack Logic first told me about “The Streak” in the late 1980’s.  Nobody except Jack was really talking about it, but it was a remarkable accomplishment even then.  By the turn of the century, with The Streak still intact, I began calling it “the greatest streak in all of high school sports.”  Though I can be prone to exaggeration, I believed this statement to be true.

When Dick Rutt won the first championship, ever, for the Red Rovers, Harry Truman was president.  It was the first time that Easton had ever fielded a team.  His coach was Gust Zarnas, a man who played professional football for the Bears and Packers before World War II.  Last week, we were in Liberty’s Memorial Gymnasium to see if Easton could crown their 186^th champion, 69 years later.   Of course, they could not, and The Streak went from reality to immortality.

There were years where the Red Rovers had only one champion.  Bob Ferraro, Dwight Danser, Dan Kasperkowski, Greg Geiger, and Elijah Brown come to mind.  More often, multiple champions represented the legendary teams from Easton.  In 1949, there were nine champions.  In 1996, the first seven weight classes had Red Rover champions.   A friend of mine, Pete Stoelzl, was crowned as the 100^th champion in Easton history in the mid-1980’s.

The Streak was already six years old when Steve Powell, Easton’s current coach, was born.  Steve is on my “Mount Rushmore” of District XI wrestling, and I can’t imagine the pressure he has endured throughout his tenure.  He told me, years ago, that he never thought about keeping The Streak alive.  I’m sure he was lying.   By tournament time, for the past 10 years, it’s all anyone was thinking about.

Face it—no matter who you cheer for, you liked The Streak.  When you talked with wrestling fans in other parts of the country, you told them about it.  And you spoke with pride about how tough District XI is in wrestling.  You may even have called it “Wrestling Country”.  And you told those folks how one school has epitomized the consistent excellence produced in this area.  You have been amazed by The Streak, and you wanted them to be amazed, too.

Perhaps, in a way, it’s fitting that 2016 should be the end.  This season, District XI Wrestling has lost icons Ray Nunamaker and Tony Iasiello who passed last summer.  Bill McCoach, the “voice” of the wrestling tournament for 50 years, has announced that he will not return.  Bob Kern, the long-time referee and coach, announced his retirement as well.  And now, we will not have The Streak, either.

At the end, it was long-time rivals from Nazareth and Northampton that had the honor of dispatching The Streak.  It was a merciful blow, dealt by deserving champions.  Like Maximus lying on the floor of the Coliseum in the climactic scene of “Gladiator”, we all knew that the time had come to honor this ‘once in forever’ accomplishment.  None of us will be here when this record is broken.

Indeed, the wrestling gods have spoken and The Streak is dead.  Long live The Streak.

This is the time of the year when NFL fans get really nervous about some of their favorite players looking elsewhere, presumably for more money.  There are currently 650 free agents on the market.  650!  Free agency is a somewhat complicated process, which most of us, I would venture to speculate, do not understand.  I did a little research and will try to offer up in the simplest of terms, NFL Free Agency for Dummies.  Keep in mind this is written by a dummy.

For my example I will use Sam Bradford, last year’s starting quarterback for the Eagles.  By the way, there are 29 NFL quarterbacks right now in free agency. Sam Bradford is an unrestricted free agent (UFA).  The Eagles had until March 9 to sign him to a new contract before he was allowed to begin talking to and negotiating with other NFL teams.  In other words, after March 9, Bradford was “unrestricted”.  The Eagles could have named Bradford a franchise player before March 1, and he would have stayed with the Eagles for another year.  The cost to the Eagles would be the average salary of the top five players at his position.  The Eagles chose not to do that so Bradford is free to look elsewhere.

Bradford originally signed a six-year contract in 2010 with the St. Louis Rams for a signing bonus of $17,975,000.  He received an average salary of $13,007,500 per year.  He received bonuses from 2010-2012 totaling $17,300,000.  In the final year of his contract, the Eagles paid him $12,985,000.  His six-year contract totaled around $78 million.  When he signed the contract, he was guaranteed $50 million, but he obviously greatly far exceeded that.

So now what?  Of the 650 free agents, Bradford currently is the highest paid on the list primarily because he is a starting quarterback.  The second highest paid free agent on the market is defensive end Chris Long at $12,500,000.  Since the Eagles decided not to name him a franchise player or try to sign him before the deadline, Bradford now has his agent looking for a deal.  One service has his calculated market value at an annual salary of $18.6 million.  This value is arrived at by comparing Bradford to Ryan Tannehill, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, and Joe Flacco, all NFL quarterbacks.  Of course, his true value will be determined by the team that eventually signs him.

So, in a nutshell, you now have the numbers that a general manager must analyze to determine if Sam Bradford is the man for you.  In addition, a GM must concern himself with salary caps, but that explanation is for another time.  Remember, the Eagles can still be a part of the negotiations.  Once they have a sense of the offers being made, they too can present their offer or perhaps look at the 28 other quarterbacks available.

So what is Sam Bradford really worth to an NFL team?  Should the Eagles do whatever they can to bring him back?  Or would you just keep shopping?  If it was your money, how would you spend it?

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Now, you might be wondering what other NFL quarterbacks are available. To name a few – Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Schaub, Tavaris Jackson, Chase Daniel, Kirk Cousins, etc.

2. The Yankees announced this week that they will no longer honor print-at-home tickets saying there is too much fraud in the process (“rampant, on a daily basis, every single game”). StubHub claims that they encounter fraud in 0.01 percent of transactions.  Is this the Yankees just showing their power against StubHub or a concern that will expand to other entertainment venues?

3. Jay Wright’s Villanova Wildcats continue to be the #1 team in college basketball, according to this week’s poll. They are 24-3 and garnered 25 of the 32 votes by the coaches.  Villanova is the team that knocked out Lafayette in the NCAA tournament last year in Pittsburgh.

4. The PGA tour is literally in Tiger Woods’ backyard this week in South Florida and he did not commit to playing. There has been no word about his health since December.  He had a major back operation 19 months ago and two similar surgeries since then.  He is no longer listed in the top 450 golfers.

5. Watch our local teams battle for the District basketball and wrestling championships this week on RCN-TV. The PIAA state basketball playoffs begin Friday, March 4.

Now that the NFL has completed play and with college basketball, the NBA, and the NHL moving to their respective championships, I find I am desperate for some intense competition.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching the serenity and landscape of golf, but it does lack the “mano a mano” aspect that the aforementioned sports offer up.  But, I am happy to say I have found a new “blood sport” – the Republican Debates!

I was for many years the Debate coach at Wilson High School and I am proud to say that we competed quite well against the bigger schools like Allen, Dieruff, Easton, and others.  I remember the parameters quite well.  There was the debate topic (an issue or resolution), the two sides – one supporting the issue and one opposing it, and the judges who would decide who won.  In other words, both teams formulated their arguments and presented them in a formal way and then the arguments were rebutted by the opposing side.  There could be no interruptions and each speaker must wait their turn.  There were very formal rules of procedure to follow. The debate was to be only about the issue, not about the personalities making the presentation.

As I mentioned, I have watched both the Republican and Democratic debates when my schedule allowed it.  The Republican frays are much more interesting even though they should not be called “debates”.  I watched the last one this past Saturday night.  There were virtually no rules.  Personal attacks abounded; interruptions were commonplace; and disparaging comments were the norm.  The clashes between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, between Cruz and Marco Rubio, between Trump and Jeb Bush are as good as any hockey fight.  And the passivity of Dr. Ben Carson in that environment is quite interesting.

Some of the phrases thrown around were, “You are the single biggest liar”; “He’s a nasty guy”; “I am sick and tired of him going after my family”; “He’ll moon anybody”, and one candidate even attacked another candidate’s mother, his mother!!  There are many, many other examples.

I am not taking any sides here, but I do think there is a much better way for these candidates to conduct themselves and conduct their debates.  What would be so wrong, since there are so many so-called “debates” now, if each debate focused on one, two, or three issues – immigration, foreign policy, taxation, the economy, abortion, Planned Parenthood, wages, the Supreme Court and so on and so on?  And wouldn’t it be fair if for each question, each candidate had an opportunity to give their answer without interruption?  And wouldn’t it be better and refreshing if the moderators had enough knowledge of the few issues for each night to challenge the candidates if, indeed, they contradicted either their past words or their actions?

Even though we all seem to like a good fight, physical or verbal, it would certainly seem that it would be better for our democracy if the “debate judges” (the people) would be able to see the true differences between those running for the most powerful office in the world.

Then and only then, we would have the candidates’ positions to judge who would be the better president, not who is the best at name-calling.

I’m not taking any sides here, just wondering if Presidential debates should actually be more like debates and not free-for-alls. In other words, more “Presidential”.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Remember the footage of Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens dragging Janay Palmer out of the elevator in Atlantic City? It was revealed this week that a Revel employee was paid about $105,000 for the video by TMZ

2. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition is due out soon and already some unveiling, literally, is happening. It is reported that Tiger Woods’ former girlfriend and Olympic skier, Lindsay Vonn, and MMA star Ronda Rousey will be in the issue wearing only body paint.  Rumor has it Rousey is on the cover.

3. A really good story came out of the PGA tour at Pebble Beach this week. Vaughn Taylor (who?) won!  He last won in 2005, and only got into the tournament as an alternate. He took a carry-on bag on the plane to California just to save baggage fees.  He was ranked #447 in the world.  But he won and made $1.26 million for the victory, $165,000 more than he made the last three years combined.  By the way, Phil Mickelson missed a five-foot putt on the 18^th hole that would have tied him with Taylor.  Taylor now qualifies for his first Masters.

4. If you want to see one of the best high school games we have ever had on RCN-TV, go to Video-on-Demand to watch Allen play Parkland. Imagine scoring 27 points and being the third leading scorer in the game.  The game goes overtime and two other players score more than 30 points.  It’s a special game – one of our very best.

5. Mark your calendar on February 27. The District basketball and wrestling finals are that day with the Lafayette men playing Colgate starting the day at noon.  We will finish up very late into the evening.  We will certainly be ESPN-ish that Saturday!

The Super Bowl was played this past Sunday.  Denver won.  Don’t stop reading yet – I know the WHOLE WORLD knows the Super Bowl was played this past Sunday and who won the game.  But it is a good starting point for this blog.

Amidst all the hoopla, commercials, the halftime show, the parties and the game itself, is the looming conversation about the danger of the sport and, in particular, concussions.  You cannot watch the NFL anymore without seeing a particular play or be reminded about a particular player in the past who now suffers from or died of “chronic traumatic encephalopathy”.  There is a film out now, Concussion, which features the attempt by the NFL to suppress the research of Dr. Bennet Omalu.  That attempt by the NFL was shameful and they deserved to be exposed for turning their attention away from the controversy.  But what we did learn and continue to learn is that the dangers of playing the game are now self-evident.  Every parent, every participant, every team from midgets to professionals now know that football can be a very dangerous game.

So where does that leave us?  Absolutely nowhere.  The choice still lies with the individual who decides to put on the helmet and the shoulder pads to play.  People decide to do things every day that endanger their health.  Choices are made to smoke cigarettes, to drink too much alcohol, to smoke marijuana, to live a sedentary life, to eat too much, to sky dive, to take on a giant wave, ski down the steepest of mountains, drive a race car at ridiculous speeds, etc.  But the participants make that choice and, I’m certain they do not make the choice blindly.  The risks are self-evident for some activities and well-documented for others.

It’s been a long time since I played organized sports.  I played football, basketball, and baseball in high school, received 11 varsity letters for my efforts.  I continued to play basketball and baseball in college.  Back then, there was not much concern for the dangers of any of those sports.  And besides, I truly loved playing them all.  I still reflect back on what being part of a team, disciplining myself to practice and work out, feeling the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”, accomplishing individual success and learning to meet difficult challenges meant to my growth and fortitude as an adult.  Risks be damned (even though I gave them very little thought).

I can say I was fortunate because I was only injured twice during my athletic career – a broken collarbone and a severe case of dehydration that put me in the hospital.  These maladies occurred, not playing the three – football, basketball, and baseball.  Both of the injuries occurred playing – wait for it – SLOW-PITCH SOFTBALL!!  That’s right and nobody ever told me how dangerous that sport could be.  It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.  I loved playing softball and continued to play even after both my body and my wife started to discourage my participation.

The point I am trying to make here is that, in this day and age, we all know the risks involved in the decisions we make every day.  But they are OUR decisions and we must weigh the choices and then take responsibility for those decisions.  I am not implying we shouldn’t continue to warn people of the health hazards, the dangers, and the consequences of those choices, nor should we discontinue all the research that makes us safer and more knowledgeable about those choices or make rules that help protect the participants.  I am a fan of “concussion protocol”.  What I am saying is that if individuals decide to participate in dangerous activities, SO BE IT!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME SUPER BOWL  MUSINGS)

 Here are my favorite commercials from the Super Bowl:

1. Seth Rogan and Amy Schumer for Bud Light. It was funny from the beginning to the end and, unlike many other commercials, I got it.
2. The Apartments.com ad was good with Jeff Goldblum playing the piano, but what was it about? Landing a better apartment?  I guess it worked because I now know about the site.
3. The sheep singing a rock song in the Honda truck ad, but was the selling point – that you can listen to rock from the bed of the truck? What?
4. Hot dogs, literally, running to human catsup and mustard bottles, literally, made by Heinz. It was cute and made some sense.
5. Oh, wait there weren’t five I liked. What’s a Marmot or a “puppymonkeybaby”? The ads were pretty lame this year and the game was somewhat boring. I liked the halftime show.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-6; OVERALL 160-96 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WILD CARD) – 3-1
NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – 3-1; PLAYOFFS (6-2)
NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS – 1-1; PLAYOFFS (7-3)
SUPER BOWL – 0-1

So the two #1 seeds in their respective conferences will ACTUALLY meet in the 50^th Super Bowl championship.  One team (Carolina) scored more points than any other this year and the other (Denver) got up the least amount of yardage.  As I write this, Carolina is favored by 4.5 points.  I will attempt to analyze the two teams and pick a winner.

DEFENSE
“You win championships with defense.”  How many times have we heard analysts tell us that?  If, indeed, that is the case, it would still be very hard to choose a winner based on that adage.  Both teams have outstanding defenses (maybe that’s why they are in the Super Bowl).  Carolina’s defense has been particularly tough on quarterbacks.  They are the best team in the NFL for creating the lowest opponent passer rating.  They certainly made life miserable for Cardinals’ quarterback, Carson Palmer.  And linebacker David Newton, who broke his arm in the Cardinals’ game, is expected to play after having surgery this past Monday.

The Denver defense, however, has stopped almost every team and had little trouble stopping Tom Brady and the Patriots.  Von Miller is an awesome player.  The Broncos were first in the league in total yards allowed and had 20 quarterback hits last week.  I would think that the diversity of the Carolina offensive attack would be a bigger challenge than Denver faced against the Patriots.

ADVANTAGE:  CAROLINA

OFFENSE
QB’s – Cam Newton (Carolina) vs. Peyton Manning (Denver) – wow!  Talk about contrasting styles.  Newton never seems to feel the pressure of the moment and always looks like he is just having fun.  Manning, on the other hand, is like a scientist in his lab studying and dissecting.  Newton has the stronger arm; Manning has won this game, has the experience and the knowledge of many years in the league.

Receivers – Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn, Jr. (Carolina) vs. Damaryius Thomas and Emanuel Sanders (Denver).  I like Carolina here because of their defensive secondary and Greg Olsen is not unlike the Patriot’s Rob Gonkowski.

Running Backs – Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert (Carolina) vs. C J Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.  Both teams give up very little rushing yardage, but with Cam Newton as a running weapon, Carolina should be a bit harder to defend.  Both teams, however, give up @ 80 yards per game on the ground.  Running the ball (except by Newton) might be a non-factor.

ADVANTAGE:  CAROLINA

INTANGIBLES

• Peyton’s last game?  This would certainly give the emotional edge to Denver.
• Turnovers?  Carolina has a +20 turnover differential compared to Denver’s -4.
• Carolina’s cockiness? This could serve them well on such a big stage or derail them if things do not go well early in the game.
• Extra points ARE important – Just ask the Patriots; they chased that one point the whole game.

ADVANTAGE – DENVER

THE PICK
This is a really tough choice (as it should be).  On paper I like the Carolina Panthers; but I do think the emotional edge goes to Denver.

THE WINNER OF SUPER BOWL 50:
CAROLINA PANTHERS  24 – 17

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME SUPER BOWL  MUSINGS)

1. If Carolina wins, Cam Newton would become the only player to win the Heisman, a national NCAA championship, NFL MVP and a Super Bowl.
2. If Denver wins, Peyton Manning would be the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two teams. He won at Indianapolis.
3. The Browns, Lions, Jaguars and Texans are the only teams that have not played in a Super Bowl.
4. A 30-second ad this year will cost $5 million, 11% higher than last year. 4 million people tuned in last year.
5. If you like to gamble, the odds before the season started that the Broncos would face the Panthers in the Super Bowl were 184-1!

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-6; OVERALL 160-96 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WILD CARD) – 3-1
NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – 3-1; PLAYOFFS (6-2)
NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS – 1-1; PLAYOFFS (7-3)

I have never been one to think about a “bucket list” – you know, things you would like to do before you actually “kick the bucket”.  I’m more into letting things come to me or making things happen when I truly want to do something.  And I really have not been disappointed – I have been to an NCAA college national football championship, a PGA major golf tournament, a World Series game, a Stanley Cup hockey game.  I have played some of the best golf courses – Oakmont, two TPC courses, the three Saucon Valley courses and courses in Bermuda and the Bahamas.  I have interviewed well-known personalities, – Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Woody Hayes, John Legend, Tony Orlando, Liza Minelli, and others not so well-known – the world’s ugliest man, the world’s fattest woman, the youngest snake charmer, etc.  Reflecting back on these moments, I remember that there was an interesting story concerning them all.  But I would not say these things were then crossed off my bucket list because I never really had a list.

I have often thought that one thing I would like to do, however, would be to go to the Super Bowl.  After watching the NFC and AFC championship games this past weekend, I was curious what it would cost to go see Denver vs. Carolina on February 7, at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California.  I decided to investigate the cost.

I went to the NFL Ticket Exchange and found that there were tickets available in the very upper deck of the stadium at costs ranging from $4095-$4594.  I could sit in the upper deck on the 50-yard line for $4952.  I was a bit discouraged knowing I would still have to fly to California.

But then I got an e-mail from the Damien Scribner Hospitality Group.  It read:

Gary,

14 days to Super Bowl 50!  Make sure you are there to watch Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos and Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers battle for the Lombardi Trophy at Levi Stadium!

Super Bowl 50 Game Day Program
February 7th, 2016
Levis Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
*6 Upper Level End-Corner Tickets
*6 VIP NFL Players Pregame Party Tickets which include Hand Passed Appetizers, Multiple Gourmet Food Stations prepared by Legendary Chef Guy Fieri, Multiple Top Shelf Open Bars staged throughout the event, over 20 current NFL Players in attendance and introduced by our event MC, Erin Andrews- Sports Reporter for Fox for Sunday Chalk Talk with our guests as well as a special appearance by Frank Caliendo!
*All Inclusive Price:  $27,950

Super Bowl 50 Game Premier Program
February 7th, 2016

Levis Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
*3 Deluxe Double Occupancy Accommodations at the Luxurious Palace Hotel 

*6 Upper Level End-Corner Tickets
*6 VIP NFL Players Pregame Party Tickets which include Hand Passed Appetizers, Multiple Gourmet Food Stations prepared by Legendary Chef Guy Fieri, Multiple Top Shelf Open Bars staged throughout the event, over 20 current NFL Players in attendance and introduced by our event MC, Erin Andrews- Sports Reporter for Fox for Sunday Chalk Talk with our guests as well as a special appearance by Frank Caliendo!

*All Inclusive Price:  $39,500

We only have a limited amount of rooms at the Palace Hotel so please contact us right away to secure your spots to Super Bowl 50.

Thanks and I look forward to working with you on this exciting event!
Damian

That’s $4,658.33 or $6,583.33 apiece. But considering that it includes Guy Fieri, upper level, Frank Caliendo, and Erin Andrews – What more could I ask for?  I should go.

Well, to tell you the truth, the only way I could go and seize the opportunity to cross this one off my “bucket list” would be to literally pass the bucket, pass a hat, use GoFundMe or stand at the door of my favorite supermarket and plead.

Instead, once again, I will sit in my most comfortable chair, eat some snacks, and have a beverage.  You’re welcome to join me for, oh, I don’t know – $1,000?

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Last Wednesday night, January 20, the Penn Palestra and Big Five basketball celebrated their 60^th Temple played LaSalle in game one and Penn took on Saint Joseph’s in game two.  I grew up watching Big Five basketball on TV, listening to Les Keiter (“Tickle the twine”, “In again, out again, Finnegan”) call the games.  I also went to about a half dozen games over the years.  There was nothing like it and they had a great night of basketball this past Wednesday.  Happy Anniversary!
2. Speaking of exciting games, they don’t get much better than this past Friday night when Liberty played Allen. The game featured nine ties and 11 lead changes and ended tied in regulation at 59.  With Allen leading 65-63 and seconds left in overtime, Cameron Hoffman raced down the floor and hit a three-point shot for the Liberty win!  It was appropriate that Hoffman would be the hero, having scored a career high 29 points in the game.
3. As you know by now, Chip Kelly is the new 49ers coach picking up $24 million dollars for four years. (I assume he was able to get by the two weeks he was unemployed).  And the Eagles must pay $6.5 million on the final two years of his contract.
4. I was a bit surprised that New England could not handle the Broncos defense on Sunday. The defense won the game for Denver, but all TV did was focus on Peyton Manning.  Carolina looks like a team of destiny this season.
5. The Lafayette-Lehigh men’s basketball game scheduled for this past Saturday will now be played on February 8, at 7:00pm. It will be LIVE on RCN-TV.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-6; OVERALL 160-96 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WILD CARD) – 3-1
NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – 3-1; PLAYOFFS (6-2)
NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS – 1-1; PLAYOFFS (7-3)
 
SUPER BOWL PICK NEXT WEEK

As I write this on January 18, 2016, I am reminded that exactly one year ago today the New England Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts by a 45-7 score in the AFC Championship.  Prior to the start of the game and during the game, the Colts accused the Patriots of underinflating the footballs.  Tom Brady was at one point suspended for four games to start this season, only to have the punishment upheld twice on appeal and then have it eventually rescinded because a judge found that there was an absence of “fairness and due process”.

“Deflategate” became the center of fans’ attention and media controversy for months on end.  Nothing similar has caused a stir this year, but that doesn’t mean the NFL has been without its share of on and off-field problems.  It’s just that the microscope has not been as focused on team and player conduct.  The Cincinnati-Pittsburgh debacle during the Wild Card weekend may have changed that as rule violation after rule violation occurred.  Lest you think this has been a very quiet year for the NFL as far as conduct is concerned, let me give you some interesting facts:

There have been 16 players suspended this year for a total of 49 games.  The common infractions were labeled as “violation of league’s personal conduct policy”, but they also included punching and breaking the jaw of a teammate, domestic violence, vehicular assault, poking an eye, helmet-to-helmet contact, and repeated violations of safety-related playing rules.  Vontaze Burfict of the Cincinnati Bengals was recently accused of the latter and was suspended for three games next season.  He was certainly no angel in the Pittsburgh game.

Violations of the NFL drug policy are considered separate from the previous infractions.  That is a separate category.  Substance infractions fall under two headings – 1) those that improve performance; 2) those that are for recreational use.

Fifty-three players were suspended for these infractions this year accounting for 189 games. Not included in that number are the four players who were suspended for the entire season and two who are listed as “indefinite suspensions”.

And, by the way, two coaches were suspended for 1) punching a teenager and 2) an undisclosed violation.  In addition, the league suspended a general manager for texting his personnel during a game, two equipment handlers, and an official for his failure to catch an 18-second mistake on the clock.

That is a total of 108 individuals associated with the NFL who required severe discipline by the league.  It is a shame we do not hear more about the exemplary players who do a great deal for their community and various charities.  Those players do not seek out the headlines, nor do their stories garner much attention.  But then there are those who proclaim that they “are not role models”. I hope young people take those athletes at their word.  Because, obviously, too many of them are not.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. I’m sure that Eagles fans saw “déjà vu all over again” as Yogi used to say, when they watched the horrible clock management by Andy Reid on Saturday night when the Chiefs lost to the Patriots. If you watched the end of each half, I’m sure you were appalled at the total ineptness to control the clock in obvious scoring situations.  That is, unless you remember how the Eagles used to do it.
2. I invite you to read Greg Joyce’s highly entertaining piece in the Express-Times on former Liberty player Greg Noack, whose basketball season at Monmouth was curtailed due to concussions. He and some teammates, known as the Monmouth Bench Mob, have become nationally known for their sideline antics.  It’s a great story.  Click here to read it.

3. The Eagles hired Doug Pederson on Monday to be their new head coach. He was a career backup quarterback (3-14 in 17 games).  As the offensive coordinator in Kansas City, he did not call the plays.  His head coaching experience was in high school with the Calvary Baptist Academy.  Keep your fingers crossed!
4. All the home teams won in the NFL this past weekend. I hope you got to see the end of the Packers and Cardinals overtime game.  Just amazing!!
5. It’s the first match-up of the season Saturday when the Lafayette men play Lehigh in Patriot League basketball. If you are snowed in (which might be the case), give the game a look.  It’s LIVE on RCN at 2:00pm.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-6; OVERALL 160-96 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WILD CARD) – 3-1
NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – 3-1; PLAYOFFS (6-2)
 

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP PICKS
NEW ENGLAND
CAROLINA

The NFL got real serious this past weekend with the start of the playoffs.  It’s called Wild Card Weekend.  I picked three of the four games correctly, but should have had three out of four wrong!  Two teams lost that should have never lost.  Here are my thoughts on the four games:

Kansas City at Houston
The Kansas City Chiefs had not won a playoff game in 22 years.  Their last win was against the Houston Oilers in 1994.  They were led by Joe Montana and Marcus Allen.  Even though they had to travel to Houston, since they were the Wild Card entry, they were favored to win this game and they did not disappoint.  It took 11 seconds for Knile Davis to go 106 yards with the opening kickoff and that turned out to be enough points to win the game.  The Chiefs won 30-0.  The hometown crowd was booing their own team by the second quarter and Houston’s ineptness never changed throughout the game.  Texan QB Brian Hoyer was just awful throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble.  The Chiefs have now won 11 games in a row and are the hottest team in the NFL.

Is there a bit more Philadelphia anguish attached to this win because the Chiefs are led by former Eagles’ coach Andy Reid?  And the Chiefs could beat the New England Patriots – they are on a roll (the Patriots lost their last two games); they are 7-3 on the road; and they, obviously, are strong on defense.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
I must admit I had trouble watching this game – there were so many cheap shots, so much trash talking, and so little control by the coaches and the officials of their players and staff that all of my enjoyment was lost.  And the final straw was the hit by the Bengals’ Vontaze Burfict on the Steelers’ Antonio Brown which, to me, was an obvious attempt to seriously maim the wide receiver.  It was an ugly moment.  And then the Bengals during the same sequence pick up another 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.  So with 0:18 seconds on the clock, the Steelers were awarded 30 yards in penalties after gaining 44 yards on their own and left with a “chip shot” field goal to win the game 18-16.  I picked Pittsburgh.  They should have lost.

This game was an embarrassment to the NFL and each play should be reviewed to fairly assess all of the warranted fines and suspensions.  And there must be a message sent here by the league.  In particular, Vontaze Burflict must be punished severely 

Seattle at Minnesota
It was -6 degrees when this game started and the weather kept both offenses in the deep freeze.  The Vikings led all the way until a Viking fumble led to a go-ahead field goal with 1:42 to go in the game.  Seattle was up 10-9.  The Vikings were aided by a pass interference call and drove deep into Seattle territory.  The game-winning field goal would be a 27-yarder, pretty much automatic by high school, college, and NFL standards.  The kick by Blair Walsh was wide left and the Seahawks won.  Someone noted Walsh’s new Vikings’ jersey:

Or do you agree more with this post about the Vikings:

I picked the Seahawks and should have, also, had this one wrong.

Green Bay at Washington
I should have known better.  For some reason, I really felt like the Redskins would be able to beat the Packers.  I could not believe I felt this way, but the Packers had been so inconsistent, particularly their running game and they had lost their last two games and looked bad doing it.  And the Redskins were playing their first playoff game under head coach Jay Gruden and with a revived Kirk Cousins.  When DeSean Jackson did not score when he should have and I was reminded of the problems he caused the Eagles, I should have been forewarned about the outcome.  11-0 should have been 15-0.  All of a sudden, Aaron Rodgers played like Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the game was dominated by the Pack.

I picked the Redskins.  I hope I learn from my mistakes.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. After watching football all day on Sunday, I watched the golf tournament from Hawaii. That was almost as hard to watch as the Pittsburgh – Cincinnati game.  The setting was so beautiful, the golf course was magnificent, and Jordan Spieth ran away with the tournament.  I was jealous.  But it was nice to see athletes compete and be cordial to one another.  No trash talking.
2. I mentioned last week that the decision to play the NCAA national college football semifinals on New Year’s Eve was just awful. The ratings dropped around 38% for the two games.  Well, guess what?  The NCAA decided to do it again next year, January 1 the following year, and New Year’s Eve the following two years.  Who is running the asylum, I mean, the Association?
3. Just in case you are not keeping up with the other Philadelphia teams – the ‘76ers are now 4-36. They are four games ahead of the Lakers in the loss column.  The Lakers are 8-31.  Six teams have fewer wins than the Flyers; 24 have better records.  When is spring training?
4. So the Eagles are interviewing Tom Coughlin this week for the head coaching job. Rebuilding with a 70-year-old coach??  No way, but picking Coughlin’s brain in a subtle way about the Giants, the NFC East, and Coughlin’s assistants may be a good idea.  Dumb or smart like a fox?  Wait and see.
5. No high school basketball team in the area is better than Parkland, but it sure is hard to figure out the rest of the competition. Emmaus, Allen, Whitehall, Central, Freedom, Beca, Liberty, Northampton, Pocono Mountain West, and Nazareth would really battle for the Conference title if not for Parkland.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-6; OVERALL 160-96 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WILD CARD) – 3-1

KANSAS CITY

DENVER

CAROLINA

ARIZONA

Each New Year we are made to feel guilty because we adopt resolutions for ourselves that we rarely keep.  Supposedly, this tradition was started by the Babylonians when they promised to pay off their debts.  Well, now there is a tradition we have maintained – Always being in debt.

In medieval times, the New Year caused knights to vow to be chivalrous.  The last time I checked there are very few knights around these days and chivalry does not seem to be all that abundant either.  The overall concept, it appears, was for each of us to aspire to self-improvement.  I guess we could all do a little introspection, so I did.

Since I rarely ever even think about New Year’s resolutions, I sought some guidance to come up with some.  I found a list of the top ten so I analyzed them for myself:

1. Spend More Time With Family and Friends  I like the concept, but I think my family and friends see just about enough of me.  I have no way of gauging this, but no one seems to be clamoring to spend more time with me.  I’m hoping it’s already just enough.
2. Fit in Fitness  This sounds clever and healthy.  I know exercise is good for you, but who has the time.  Between working and “spending more time with family and friends”, fitness takes a backseat.
3. Tame the Bulge  I know 66% of Americans are considered overweight or, even worse, obese.  I am not obese and I am usually in the majority (overweight).  No need to be “taming” anything yet.
4. Quit Smoking  Never started, so I’ll make this resolution.  Accomplished!
5. Enjoy Life More  Now here is a resolution I can wrap my head around.  I will do my very absolute best to fulfill this resolution, so if it looks like I am trying to finish this blog quickly, see #5.
6. Quit Drinking  I do not drink very much as it is, but what about those people who are telling me to drink wine in moderation?  Do I just snub them and run the risk of spending less time with friends?  See #1 – I am confused.
7. Get Out of Debt  This is a leftover from the Babylonians.  If we couldn’t fulfill this resolution thousands of years ago, what makes you think it will work now?
8. Learn Something New  Learn a new language, a new hobby, more do-it-yourself stuff, to become more tech savvy?  Nah – See #5.
9. Help Others  I like this one.  I will do my best.  Do you need me to do anything for you?
10. Get Organized  At work, I am very organized; at home, not so much, but I married a great organizer.

I think I have figured out this resolution thing.  If you have a good job, a nice family, good friends, and a wonderful wife, there is only one resolution that really matters –Don’t change anything!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. This past Sunday was not the best time for the Eagles to play well, since the only thing that was accomplished was playing Seattle at Seattle next year and not playing Kansas City in London. Am I yawning?  I apologize.
2. Am I the only one who thinks the decision by Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg to go into the NFL draft was a good one – FOR PENN STATE! In the games I have watched, dare I say, I was less than impressed.  I will be very interested in what the NFL thinks.
3. Who are the geniuses who thought it would be a good idea to put the FBS college football semifinals on New Year’s Eve? Is this really what ESPN wanted for their huge investment – a ratings drop of 38.5% for game one?  The late game between Alabama and Michigan State dropped 36.8%.  Besides agreeing to have a ridiculous number of bowl games (mostly bad), this decision is even worse when you are trying to showcase the best of college football when most people just want to party.  I watched one and taped the other which kept me up until 2:30 AM.  I’m still cranky.
4. I know you can’t wait for my NFL picks each week. I had 63% correct for the year.  And I picked 63% of the division winners, also, getting Denver, Cincinnati, New England, Carolina, and Minnesota correct.  I did not pick Houston, Seattle, or Washington to win their divisions.
5. If you watch the FCS championship (that is the Lafayette and Lehigh group) on Saturday from Frisco, Texas on ESPN2, look for the familiar face of the field judge. He is our local football, basketball, and baseball official, Frank DAngelo.  He is very good in every sport.  Congratulations to him.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-6; OVERALL 160-96 (63%)

NFL PICKS (WILD CARD)
KANSAS CITY
PITTSBURGH
SEATTLE
WASHINGTON
           

from the RCN-TV Staff

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 9-7; OVERALL 150-90 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK SEVENTEEN)

JETS
CAROLINA
NEW ENGLAND
CINCINNATI
ATLANTA
HOUSTON
PITTSBURGH
KANSAS CITY
INDIANAPOLIS
WASHINGTON
DETROIT
GIANTS
MINNESOTA
DENVER
ST LOUIS
ARIZONA