I would think any of us who covered the Darrun Hilliard era at Liberty High School became Wildcat fans the minute he accepted his scholarship at Villanova to play basketball there.  He has had a terrific career and is now looking forward to the start of the NCAA tournament after winning the Big East and getting a #1 seed in the East Region.  Darrun is the Wildcats leading scorer on a team where balanced scoring is the norm and defense is their greatest strength.  I have watched many of Darrun’s games throughout his career and the “I knew him when” thoughts constantly crept into my psyche.

But on Sunday at 6:20pm, he suddenly became the enemy.  His Villanova team was paired up in the NCAA bracket with #16 seed Lafayette!  The game is scheduled for Thursday, March 19, in Pittsburgh at 6:50pm.  For this one game, I will root against Darrun Hilliard and cheer on the underdog Lafayette Leopards.  I am not alone.

Imagine how Lafayette head coach Fran O’Hanlon feels.  Fran played at Villanova under Jack Kraft, who died this past August at the age of 93.  The Villanova players remember Coach by wearing his initials on their uniforms.  Fran is a 1970 graduate.  He was the team co-captain for the 1969-70 Wildcat team that reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.  Fran averaged 13.1 points per game and still holds the record for assists in one game (16).  He is a true Philadelphia guy, having gone to St. Thomas More high school, being named to the Villanova Hall of Fame in 1992, and coaching at Monsignor Bonner High School and assisting under current Temple head coach Fran Dunphy at the University of Penn.  When you are in Fran’s company in Philadelphia, the stories flow and the fun is non-stop.

All of those good feelings will change for two hours on Thursday night.  This is Fran’s third trip to the NCAA tournament, having made the tournament in 1999 and 2000, losing to Miami, Fla. and Temple.  Lafayette will be a huge underdog again.  No #16 team has ever beaten a #1 team since the tournament began.  Then again, look what had to happen for Lafayette to even get to this game:

(1) Lafayette needed to beat Army in the last regular season game in order for Lafayette to qualify for a quarterfinal home game (they did);
(2) Holy Cross needed to upset Boston University in the final game played in the regular season in order for Lafayette to actually get a quarterfinal home game (they did);
(3) #4 seed Lafayette needed to beat #5 seed Boston University, a team that beat them by 14 at home in their previous match-up (they did);
(4) #6 American University needed to beat #3 seed Lehigh at Lehigh (they did);
(5) #4 seed Lafayette needed to upset #1 seed Bucknell at Bucknell, a feat NEVER accomplished before in the Patriot League semifinals (they did);
(6)  #6 American University needed to beat #2 Colgate in the following game for Lafayette to get a home championship game (they did);
(7) #4 Lafayette needed to beat #6 American after losing to them twice during the regular season for the Patriot League Championship (they did!)

Are they a team of destiny on Thursday night in Pittsburgh?  My head says, “No”.  My heart says, “Maybe”.  Go, Leopards!!

P.S. If Villanova wins, I will jump on the Wildcats wagon.  Go, Darrun!!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. I like Virginia, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Duke in the Final Four for the tournament. Kentucky beats Duke in the final.
2. The Eastern Washington Eagles will upset Georgetown and be the lowest seed to go the deepest in the brackets.
3. Look for my reports from Pittsburgh this week on goleopards.com.
4. As I write this, District 12 out of Philadelphia is dominating the PIAA playoffs again in boys’ basketball. Out of the 16 teams remaining in the four classifications, District 12 has eight of them.  They do the same in football.  Time to investigate?
5. Enjoy the NCAA Tournament. Don’t forget to get some sleep!

Generally speaking, I would think everyone who is employee is evaluated at some point on their performance.  Most of us have nervously and, hopefully, eagerly awaited the trip to the boss’ office so that he or she can assess your past year’s work, ask for comments, offer you suggestions to improve, and set the goals for the upcoming year. Once you hear that there ACTUALLY are goals for the next twelve months, you are then pretty much assured that your job is safe until the next evaluation.  Hopefully you exit the office with a smile on your face.

But what if you were evaluated every day you came to work?  What if each single, solitary decision you made throughout the work day was rated by an observer?  What if your ability to continue working at your current level was dependent upon the watchful eye and determined by an outside judge?   What if bystanders were allowed to boo or cheer your decisions to try and influence the evaluator?  You probably believe none of this could possibly happen.  Well, you are wrong.

High school basketball officials work under the stipulations listed above throughout the regular season, the district playoffs, and the state playoffs.  Since we are currently in the state playoffs, let me describe the system at work.  A game evaluator, normally a retired official who over the years has literally earned his stripes and credibility, will be assigned a game.  Every state playoff game has one.

Once the game begins, every whistle, every stoppage, every potential whistle, every rule interpretation, and every situation is judged.  The categories are familiar to a basketball fan – foul, violation, held ball, technical, no call.  Accuracy is described as follows: Correct Call, Incorrect Call, No-call Correct, No-call Incorrect.  There are usually @ 50 decisions assessed in every game, sometimes many more, sometimes less.

After the contest ends, there is a post-game assessment between the officials and the evaluator.  In a generalized fashion, the evaluator discusses situations, offers helpful tools to improve performance based on years of experience, and jointly analyzes the entire game.  No individual is ever called out in front of his peers. It is not adversarial in any way.

The evaluation is then sent to the state with thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of a given crew.  The PIAA then decides future assignments based on the evaluations.

The entire process has one goal in mind – improve the quality of the men and women who are working the games. And what fan does not want that?

There may be a lesson to be learned here for all of us.  I certainly am not advocating that someone follows us around all day, but it would not hurt if we all did some self-evaluation every now and then of all aspects of our lives.  If we could move closer to improving our “correct calls” and decreasing the “incorrect calls”, we would all benefit.  Try it.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. If anyone was shocked by the early exits of all but three of our District XI representatives in the state playoffs, you weren’t watching all season. It was not a quality year in the Lehigh Valley.  However, the Parkland boys’ and the Bethlehem Catholic girls’ teams were outstanding and, as I write this, continue to compete.  I am not surprised.
2. Look at the unbelievable circumstances that led to Lafayette getting the Patriot League championship game at home – (1) Lafayette needed to beat Army in the last regular season game in order for Lafayette to qualify for a quarterfinal home game (they did); (2) Holy Cross needed to upset Boston University in the final game played in the regular season in order for Lafayette to actually get a quarterfinal home game (they did); (3) #4 seed Lafayette needed to beat #5 seed Boston University, a team that beat them by 14 at home in their previous match-up (they did); (4) #4 seed Lafayette needed to upset #1 seed Bucknell at Bucknell, a feat NEVER accomplished before in the Patriot League semifinals (they did); (5)  #6 American University needed to beat #2 Colgate in the following game for Lafayette to get a home championship game (they did).  Up next – the championship game AT Lafayette.  Lafayette has never lost a Patriot League tournament game at home –uh-oh!!
3. An intriguing thought – should Lafayette win the Patriot League, I’m guessing they would have to play in the play-in game. Some projections say the opponent would be St. Francis/Brooklyn which features Jalen Cannon of Allen High School.  Jalen, a 1,000 point scorer, was the Northeast Conference Player of the Year.
4. Bracketology is one week away. Is there a real college basketball fan willing to pick against Kentucky?
5. The Philadelphia professional football, basketball, hockey, and baseball front offices all seem to be cleaning house at the same time. Is it for the better?  Probably not.  But at least the Philly fan base is a patient bunch – SAY WHAT?

It is time! And this is a double entendre.  It is time to introduce a play clock in Pennsylvania high school basketball.  In other words, it is time for time!  There are currently eight states that use the shot clock in high school.  They are California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, and Washington.  Some use a 35-second clock and some use a 30-second clock.

I am in favor of a 35-second clock similar to what the men use in college basketball.  Some of the reasons it has been opposed are: 1) it takes away strategy from the coaches to slow the game down against a more formidable opponent; 2) the governing body that oversees the rules (National Federation of State High School Associations) has not adopted the shot clock; 3) this rule would burden schools with another piece of equipment to purchase and more personnel needed to operate the equipment; 4) a shot clock erodes many of the fundamentals of playing the game; 5) there would be more lopsided scores if the weaker teams had to speed up the pace.

Let’s look at these reasons one by one:
1)  35 seconds is plenty of time to run your offense, utilize your game plan, and reward the defense if they stop you. If there is a reward for a well-run offense (a score), then there should be an equal reward for the defense if they stop the offense.

2)  Eight states HAVE adopted the rule and it works very well for them. In fact, all, for the most part, have said that the rule did not change the game much at all.  The rule did, however, eliminate “stall ball”, a fan’s nightmare.

3)  I have no defense for this argument. The cost for the equipment ranges from $2,000-$5,000.  When you add to that the installation, the wiring and the extra worker at the scorer’s table, the investment is high.  Most schools have used sponsorships for their scoreboards.  Perhaps a similar sales pitch would work here.

4)  This argument is often used, but a team still has to pass, dribble, run an offense, set screens, make shots, etc. What fundamentals are missing here?  Shouldn’t defending for a set period of time also be a fundamental?

5)  It is the rare team that uses the “stall” tactic now and most use it because they feel that is the only way their good team will beat a superior team. Poor teams cannot hold the ball for minutes on end.

I do not want this piece to reflect at all on the AAAA championship game that was played between Whitehall and Parkland on Saturday night.  Parkland is the best boys’ team in the area.  I do not think anyone would argue.  Whitehall is a good team.  On Saturday, Whitehall did not stall, but they did try to limit Parkland’s possessions so they could be in a position to win the game at the end.  It was the perfect strategy.  Parkland won anyway and I do not believe a shot clock would have had any effect on the way this particular game was played.

But the game needs to be played.  A 35-second play clock would insure that.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. The District XI made a big mistake playing a double header in the Blue Mountain gymnasium on Friday night. It is a very nice facility, but was not large enough to handle the crowd.  It holds 1800 people, but each game drew around 1800 people.  Since there was no more room inside, fans were forced to wait an hour in the cold for the first game to end so there would be room for the second group.  Also, parking was atrocious and getting out of the parking lot after the game almost impossible.  I am sure the committee will reconsider their decision by next year.
2. Floyd Mayweather will fight Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 2. Now this is a fight worth watching on Pay-Per-View.  Call 1-800-RingRCN.
3. It looks like right now Villanova will be a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They would join Kentucky, Virginia and Duke.  It’s almost bracketology time.  Start studying.
4. Watch this if you are a basketball fan. It gives you a good feeling.  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-high-school-basketball-team-incredible-sportsmanship/

5. Season four begins this week. One is the regular season. Two is the league playoffs.  Three are the districts.  We’re headed to states – season four.  Come along.

The word “recruiting” in high school sports is certainly a derogatory term.  Schools who feel victimized believe another institution has invaded their territory to grab one of their finest athletes in order to make their own team stronger.  Both public and private schools have been accused of “recruiting”.  Private schools can be a bit more open with the practice because, by their very nature, they “recruit” in order to populate their institutions.  They have the advantage of bringing students in from public school territory and, often, enhancing their athletic teams at the expense of a home district.  There’s no blame here.  It’s just the way it is and the governing body of high school athletics, the PIAA, has decided it is not worth the effort or the expense to dispute these transfers in court.  It is very hard to prove allegations especially when parents choose to send their child to a private school or they find a way to establish residence in a geographical area.  “Recruiting” occurs and even though it is disdained, very little can be done to stop it.

This leads me to focus on two private schools in Philadelphia – Neumann-Goretti and Archbishop Wood.  It would not be a stretch to say these schools are two of the nation’s leaders in recruiting athletes.  Neumann-Goretti is currently ranked #1 in the nation in girls’ basketball.  Let that sink in – the very best in the nation!  They are currently beating their opponents by an average of 45 points a game.

Archbishop Wood has perennially been one of the best girls’ basketball teams in the state and in the nation.  Wood won three straight state championships from 2009-12 and has been to the state finals in three of the last four years.  They do not like the spotlight shifting to Neumann-Goretti. So the two are caught up in a recruiting firestorm!

One of the best players on the Goretti team is Christina Aborowa, a senior who came from Ondo, Nigeria.  On the day in November that Aborowa signed her letter of intent to play at the University of Texas, an email addressed to the Texas coach and athletic director arrived alleging that Aborowa was in the country illegally and that she was older than the age listed.  The email also alleged that her teammate, Felicia Aiyeotan, a 6’9” junior, was illegal and overage.  The email was sent with a fictitious name and was also supposedly sent to other colleges to discourage them from recruiting Aiyeotan.  Goretti was accused of cheating and the email implied that the FBI was looking into the case.

A Philadelphia newspaper, Philly Voice, investigated and concluded the email came from the Archbishop Wood head coach.  He had issued a “no comment” response when asked about the allegations, but has since resigned according to the Philadelphia Daily News.  The Archdiocese investigated the paperwork on the two girls and concluded that the girls are here “legitimately”.

The Bethlehem Catholic girls’ basketball team, a target in the past of recruiting allegations themselves, is in the midst of trying to win their third straight District XI basketball championship.  They are a very talented team.  State rankings have the Golden Hawks ranked as high as #2 in the state.  There is a good possibility if they are successful in the state playoffs that they could eventually meet up with Archbishop Wood, the #1 ranked team in AAA.  The Hawks could be problematic for Wood, but certainly not as problematic as the firestorm facing the Archbishop program at the moment.  Stay tuned!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. I sat in the stands this past Sunday for the Lafayette at Lehigh game. I rarely sit in the stands, since I can usually sit at the press table, even when I am not broadcasting.  My wife and daughter wanted to attend the game, so I sat with them.  It did not take me long to realize how bad some fans can be and the vitriolic nature of their disdain for another team or player. I don’t get it.  I’ll take press row seats anytime.
2. One of the positive developments sitting in the stands Sunday was getting to know the parents of Dan Trist, Lafayette’s outstanding center and the leading scorer in the Patriot League. Even though Dan’s a senior, I had never met his parents because they were watching Dan’s first LIVE Lafayette game.  Clive and Helga Trist live in Sydney, Australia and have only been able to watch Dan play through our broadcasts on the internet.  They were sure having fun.  Every time Dan scored, Helga waved a full-sized Australian flag!
3. I attended Wilson High School and played football, basketball, and baseball. I grew up being exposed to some of the great feats of Wilson Warrior athletics.  An anniversary of one such feat occurred this past week. On February 24, 1955, Wilson’s Cal Vogel scored 90 points in one basketball game and tied the state single-game record of Wilt Chamberlain.  Wilson won 95-52 over Pen Argyl.  Amazing!
4. Toot! Toot!  That’s the sound we announcers make in jest to one another when we are praising ourselves.  I am going to do just that.  I watched our District XI wrestling coverage on Saturday night.  Scott Barr and Jim Best are outstanding announcers.  They are our RCN experts and they are the best.  Toot!  Toot!
5. I saw J. K. Simmons’ Academy Award winning performance in Whiplash recently. He plays a music teacher who abuses all of his students, and one, a young jazz drummer, even more so.  It can be uncomfortable to watch.  It reminded me of some coaches I have seen over the years.

It is not unusual for me to spout off to anyone who will listen about the value of athletics.  I like to point out that you learn to be a part of a team; you learn to sacrifice your time for the greater good; you learn that hard work and dedication leads to success; you learn that individual accomplishment is often aided by others; and you learn that competition makes you stronger.  That has always been my mantra and, I would like to think that over the years, the young people I have watched garner success have done so the right way and for the right reasons.

And then you get hit with some old-fashioned reality – too many people in sports these days are cheating.  Whether it is illegal recruiting, deflating footballs, using performance-enhancing drugs, offering phantom grades to athletes to keep them in college, shifting residence requirements, etc., the ultimate goal now seems to be to win at all costs.

That lesson was dramatically demonstrated again this week.   This was a particularly bad seven days.  A scandal hit the Little League!  As I’m sure you know by now, the Jackie Robinson West Little League team was stripped of its US title for changing the boundaries for its roster.  It seemed shocking; and we all felt badly for the kids who had nothing to do with the scandal.  Some adults decided that it would be best to create a Little League all-star team in order to have a better chance to win the national title, despite the fact that it was against the rules.  Disgusting, right?  Alarming, right?  But, should we have really been shocked at all?

If kids and coaches are learning anything about athletics these days, it’s that winning is pretty much everything!  Pro athletes take illegal substances in order to perform better.  Colleges allow athletes to forego the academic part of attending their institution by allowing them access to their athletic teams, but not requiring them to meet the standards of the academic institution.  Deflating footballs, illegally taping practices, recruiting athletes for college with promises that can’t be kept – this is the landscape today.

And even worse, so many current day athletes are proud and happy to demonstrate their huge egos, their sense of entitlement, and self-importance over all else.

That is not what sports are to be about.  I want to continue to announce games where kids play for the love of the game, the love of competition, and for their fellow teammates.  Fortunately, at the high school and college-level environment I work in, those attributes seem to still exist. I continue to hope that, for the most part, the glass is still half full.  But it is becoming harder and harder to keep the blinders on and not see what could be a harsh reality – winners cheat!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Remember Diana Taurasi who played for Connecticut and won three national championships. That was 11 years ago.  Well, she went on to win three WNBA titles, three Olympic gold medals, and four Euroleague titles.  She announced this week that she will not play in the WNBA this year.  Her body needs a rest.  She will get paid, however, to sit out by her European team from Russia.  They will pay her $107,000 salary to rest.  It is said she makes $1.5 million to play for the Russian team. They want her healthy.
2. Pitchers and catchers report this week for spring training. That means Alex Rodriguez is back soon with the Yankees.  It will be interesting to watch how the Yankees handle him and how Rodriguez handles himself.  Is anyone rooting for him to succeed?
3. There were 321 points scored in the NBA All-Star game on Sunday; it was 122-122 after three periods! Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City scored 41 points, one shy of the All-Star record held by Wilt Chamberlain.  I guess no one told either team that defense wins games.
4. It’s hard enough to win money when you are legally betting on a sporting event. This past weekend at Churchill Downs, it was so muddy that the wrong horse was incorrectly awarded the victory.  All the horses were caked in mud at the end; the winners were announced; and the bets paid.  Then the horses were hosed down revealing a different winner!  Officials asked that the people who were incorrectly paid return their winnings.  I’m sure that will happen.
5. District basketball starts its two-week run this week, crowning champions on the 27^th and 28^th. With no AA and A boys’ teams in the field from our viewing area, the field is narrowed considerably.  Enjoy the next two weeks.

This past Saturday, The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference ended its first regular season of basketball.  And to the delight of the fans, the final weekend was loaded with games that had significant meaning for more than half the teams involved.  Four teams were fighting for two playoff spots and others were battling for home court advantage by trying to upgrade their seeding in the first EPC tournament which will determine the overall champion.  That tournament will be played this week.  After Saturday’s win by Allen, the tournament pairings are set: Parkland-Whitehall; Liberty-Easton; Stroudsburg-Central Catholic; and Allen-Emmaus.  Parkland is the overwhelming favorite to win the title on Friday night, but there are no guarantees.  Every sports fan knows the cliché, “That’s why they play the games”.

However, one has to ask if these final pairings were “fair”.  Is the new league set up in the best possible way?  After this first year, is there room for improvement?  And the answers are an emphatic “YES!”

There are 18 teams in the EPC, broken down into three divisions of six teams.  Each team plays their division opponents twice and three selected teams from the other two divisions – 16 conference games in all.  This system creates a schedule where each team does not play six teams in the conference.  This allows some teams to play a much more difficult schedule than others if that team happens to get six of the stronger teams and another gets some of the weaker teams.  This was especially true for the Lehigh Valley teams that had the much weaker bottom-echelon Mountain Division teams on their schedule while others did not.

In addition, the Skyline Division was so much stronger top-to-bottom than the other two divisions that having to play those teams twice was certainly detrimental to some.  It also means that some historically great rivalry games were lost – Allen did not play Central Catholic, their cross-town rival; Nazareth and Easton did not meet; Liberty and Parkland did not play.  I think you get my point.

Granted this league is in its infancy and certainly some growing pains were expected.  But there is a quick and fair fix.  Just eliminate the divisions (they really did not serve much of a purpose anyway) and have each of the 18 teams play each other once.  Everybody plays everybody!  That creates 17 conference games, allows five independent match-ups, and creates a regular season champion.  The only drawback I see is that a team has a home-court advantage for that one game, but that will be reversed the following year.  Choose your top eight based on the standings that were created where everyone is being judged equally because each team played the same schedule.

We have all been told by parents, teachers, coaches, and bosses that “Life isn’t fair”, but if there is a way to make it fair, then do so!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. I worked the Lafayette-Bucknell game this past Wednesday night with John Feinstein, noted author of many top-selling non-fiction sports books (A Season on the Brink, The Last Amateurs, etc.) and young-adult fictional works. He also writes for the Washington Post and is a guest commentator on the Golf Channel.  He told me his next book will be about three of college basketball’s most iconic coaches – Jim Valvano, Dean Smith, and Mike Kryzewski.  John was good friends with all of them.  Dean Smith died this past Sunday at the age of 83 from complications caused by dementia.
2. Tiger Woods withdrew from the Farmers Insurance tournament this past week because of a bad back. Despite coming off his worst year on the tour in 2014, he still earned $55 million from golf and endorsements, so in case you think his future income is threatened, ponder this.  Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus made $40 million and $22 million respectively last year.  I don’t think “washed up” works here.
3. The New England Patriots players received $97,000 for their win in the Super Bowl, the Seahawk players got $49,000. That may seem like a nice paycheck for one game, but considering that the players on the winning team in the Pro Bowl got $55,000 each and Tom Brady got $1 million a game this year, not so much!
4. Let the playoffs begin! Crowning EPC and Colonial League champions in boys and girls basketball and District champions in basketball and wrestling are all on tap in the coming weeks. Please join us for the best in high school basketball.
5. I actually had a rare Saturday off this past week because Lafayette’s game with Loyola was picked up by CBS Sports Network and broadcast on Monday, so my wife and I, daughter and son-in-law went into New York to see a show and watch my granddaughter perform at The Pit, an ”improv” theater. The show was “Beautiful- The Carole King Musical” and my granddaughter is Abigail Ludrof.  Both were great!

I think you would have to agree that Super Bowl XLIX (I like that they use Roman numerals because it helps me when I do crossword puzzles – I always confuse fifty and five hundred) was terrific.  And that was just the commercials!  The game was one of the best, but you can read about the game anywhere.  It’s the commercials that need to be discussed.  I thought there were some classics among the many and very few real duds.  Here were my top five:

1. The Fiat 500X Blue Pill – I hope I just didn’t select this one because I’m old, forgetful, and, well, because I’m old. I just thought this was the most creative of all the ads.  It certainly kept you watching as the mini-drama unfolded and went right to the (dare I say climax) end until you realized the Fiat was promoting a newer and bigger crossover vehicle.  It was ingenious.
2. Settle It the Usual way by Skittles – This one was a classic. Everyone in town – men, women, children, babies, and dogs all had, obviously, “settled it the usual way” by arm-wrestling.  I wonder, too, if there was a little NBC arm-twisting with Skittles since the candy got so many free plugs during the playoffs.  You know Skittles are Marshawn Lynch’s favorite pre-game snack (he ate some on camera right before game-time).  I laughed throughout the commercial.
3. The Tortoise and the Hare by Mercedes – I both liked and disliked this one. I really thought the animation was excellent and, again, told a good story from beginning to end.  I really dislike the fact that I certainly cannot afford this beautiful Mercedes sports car.  Much like the tortoise, I felt like a loser after watching this one.
4. First Draft Ever by Avocados From Mexico – This was a great concept for an NFL game – First Draft Ever. Doug Flutie and Jerry Rice were really good, the spot was humorous, and the choices were even funnier. However, I am not sure how I can help the company, Avocados from Mexico.  I do put avocado on my burrito and now feel it’s my way of helping Mexico.
5. Loctite Glue –I never heard of the product, but I know it now and I would think that’s what a commercial is supposed to do. This featured very ordinary people dancing, gluing, and saving their marriage.  I now think Loctite!

There were certainly many others that were outstanding – “Like A Girl”, the Budweiser dog, the Jurassic Park promo, etc.  I would have probably loved the Kim Kardashian, Kate Upton and Victoria’s Secret commercials, but I was probably discussing the “Daddy” ads with my wife.  I may just have to go online to check those out.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Just when it looked like the Patriots would be done in again by a spectacular catch, the Seahawks coaching staff outsmarted itself by calling a pass play on the one-yard line. Marshawn Lynch is nicknamed “The Beast” because of the way he runs.  It was second down.  Give him the ball twice and then get clever.  Oh, well.
2. It figures that right at the beginning of the Super Bowl there is a call that is questionable and NBC, unlike CBS and FOX, does not have a former official to call upon for an interpretation. Was it “roughing the kicker” or “running into the kicker”?  I believe Chris Collingsworth, but an official would have had more credibility.
3. Be honest – Did you know who Malcome Butler and Chris Matthews were before the game? I never heard of Butler and only knew Matthews because he recovered the onsides kick in the Green Bay NFC title game.  They were the least likely to be the stars of the game, but each was.
4. Are the Patriots’ four Super Bowl victories tainted by the cheating accusations? Think Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and A-Rod.  More to come on “Inflate-Gate”.
5. I have basketball games on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. And NFL football is over.  Any suggestions as to what to do on Sundays, Monday nights, and Thursday nights?

 NFL PICKS FOR THE YEAR     (Last week – 0-1)  (179-85-1 overall – 68%)   

The Super Bowl is here – Seattle vs. New England. And it is certainly an intriguing one. Seattle is going for their second straight title and that hasn’t happened in 10 years when, you guessed it, New England was able to repeat as champions. New England is seeking a fourth Super Bowl victory which would tie the record for the most by any team (Steelers and 49’ers).

There certainly have been plenty of distractions during the first week of the two weeks of preparation. Who is not talking about deflated footballs? Is Richard Sherman going to be healthy enough to play for Seattle (he certainly has been healthy enough to talk this week)? Marshawn Lynch continues to be fined for obscene gestures and for not talking to the press and when he does, his answers are senseless. Tom Brady and Bill Bellichick only got asked about the weight of footballs, not the game, all week. But now it is time to play a football game.

Putting all of the distractions aside, here are my keys for each team to win the game:

Seattle:
5. Jermaine Kearse (WR) – He needs to catch the ball, not tip the ball (two tips led to two interceptions in the Packers game); his catch won the game. Catching is much better.
4. Russell Wilson (QB) – He needs to look to run more and throw less. When he runs, throwing to receivers becomes easier.
3. Kam Chancellor (S) needs to be matched up with Rob Gronkowski (TE). He has the size and the speed to deal with Gronk.
2. Marshawn Lynch (RB) – He, as he ALWAYS does, lets his performance do the talking. He should be able to run against the Patriots. Let the Beast loose.
1.  Defense – Get pressure on Brady and combine that with great cornerback play.

New England:
5. Julius Edelman – He needs to step up as both a return specialist and a receiver, especially if Seattle successfully defends against Gronkowski.
4. Derelle Revis (CB) and Brandon Browner (CB) – Both play their positions defending the run and the pass as well as anyone. Browner played for Seattle last year and may possess some inside information.
3. Offensive line – Open holes and protect. It’s that simple, yet it’s very difficult.
2.  LaGarrette Blount (RB) – I don’t like why he is a Patriot after what he did to his Pittsburgh team and I do not want him to do well. But… Packers ran on Seattle and he must also!
1. Tom Brady (QB) – He’s the best and can join both Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as a four-time Super Bowl winner.

Coaches:
Pete Carroll – He appears to be the most energetic of the NFL coaches and his players seem to love to play for him. If that’s the case, they might want to exact some revenge for their coach since New England fired him in 1999 and hired Belichick.

Bill Belichick – Stoicism and preparation are hallmarks of him and his teams. Distractions aside, no one will be better prepared.

It sounds like the perfect match-up for a great, great game. Enjoy!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

 SUPER BOWL TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

1.   The Packers won the first Super Bowl. What team did they beat?
2.  We all know the Jets were the first Super Bowl American Football League Champions (Joe Namath). Which AFL team was the second to win the title?
3.  What Roman numerals will signify next year’s game?
4.  What three teams have appeared in eight Super Bowls?
5.  55-10 is the most lopsided Super Bowl score. Name one of the two teams in that game.

(Last week – 2-0) (179-84-1 overall – 68%)            

AND THE WINNER WILL BE:
            SEATTLE – 27-23

  
ANSWERS:

1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. L
4. Pittsburgh, New England, Dallas
5. San Francisco over Buffalo (1990)            

“Please join us for the christening of our daughter…”  That’s how it all began.  My niece and her husband were baptizing their baby daughter on Sunday, January 18, at 12:45 PM, with a luncheon to follow.  Nice, right?  Not with the AFC and the NFC Championship games that day!  But I was not worried.  I have TIVO.  I just needed to strategize the day so that I would be home in time to watch both games and get to bed at a decent hour.

You may recall that, on Sunday morning, the roads were a sheet of ice.  The church was supposed to be twenty minutes away.  It was not that morning.  We passed a jack-knifed truck on Route 22 and slid our way to the church on treacherous roads once we left the highway.  Cars were sliding off the roads we needed to travel, police lights were flashing every 5oo yards, and on one of the back roads, we looked at a cliff to our right that seemed like a 100-foot drop.  But, thanks to my SUV, and some expert driving (I must say), we made it to the ceremony on time.

Next, it was on to the luncheon.  It was about 2:00, one hour before the Packers were to meet the Seahawks.  No sweat.  TIVO was ready to save the day.  The meal was nice and the conversation was pleasant.  Everything was going well.  Then one of the guests pops up from the basement and yells – “Packers – 3, Seahawks – 0”.  No!!  I wanted to shout, “Don’t tell me anything about the game.  I have TIVO!!”  But I held my tongue.  My wife warned me not to mention the games during the luncheon.  That same guest returned shortly after that to proclaim, “Packers – 6, Seahawks – 0!”

“No more scores!  I have TIVO”, slipped out, rather loudly, I must say.  I went on to quietly say that I would appreciate if there would be no more updates.

Knowing that “Goodbye” takes about 30 minutes to an hour to complete, I suggested around 4:00 that it might be time to leave.  Thank goodness, we weren’t the first to start putting on coats or I may have gotten the evil eye.  I think we left around 4:45.  And, most importantly, I was now sheltered from any further reports on the game.

Upon arriving at home, I settled into the recliner, offered to put on my headset so my wife didn’t have to listen to the broadcast, and turned on my TIVO (I love my TIVO!).  However, as is always the case when I put on my headset, that is the EXACT time my wife wants to talk to me!  I either have to listen to her or to Joe Buck.  I can’t do both, but I try to do both.  That doesn’t work too well.  Finally, I have acquiesced enough that I can now watch the game in peace.  In the middle of the second quarter, my headset batteries die.  The headset is no longer an option.  I put the sound on, zip through the commercials, and avoid the half-time inanity.  The Packers are up 19-7 late in the fourth quarter and then I get a text from my daughter – “What a game!! Brian is probably crying!”  Brian is my grandson and a huge Packers fan.  Why would he be crying with the Packers up 12?  Oh, no.  My daughter’s TIVO was ahead of my TIVO!!  Next, she texts, “Brian said it was one of his worst experiences ever as a Packers’ fan!”  What!!! It was now 19-14 with 2:09 to go.  Then the onsides kick, the Seahawks TD, the 2-pt. conversion, the Packers’ field goal and we go to overtime.  But it is now apparent that the Packers must lose and they do.  Rather anticlimactic after the texts!  One of the great comebacks ruined!

I ask my daughter not to ruin the AFC game for me, but now my wife wants to talk about the game.  What’s an onsides kick?  Why didn’t the Packers player catch the ball?  She likes the way the ref’s pants are tapered, wonders why they play in the rain, and finds the Colts’ quarterback’s name (Luck) rather amusing.  Keep all sharp objects away from me!!

And… there was no way to ruin the AFC game for me – the game itself ruined the game – New England – 45, Indianapolis – 7.  Why didn’t someone tell me that score in advance so I wouldn’t have watched it?

In two weeks, I will hibernate in a room with no windows, no doors, no people, and no cell phone.  I will sit and enjoy the Super Bowl with my favorite person – ME!!!  Unless, of course, someone invites us to a First Holy Communion!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1.  Late Saturday night (thanks again to TIVO) I watched Lafayette’s Ross Scheurman in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Ross ran for 28 yards on just four carries and had a 51-yard touchdown called back.  It was a typical Scheurman run – he ran away from everybody.  This was a game to showcase players for the NFL.  I hope some team gives him a chance.

2.  Joe Paterno is the winningest coach in college football history again after the NCAA restored the 112 wins they took from him during the Sandusky scandal. Can the restoration of his statue at Beaver Stadium be far behind?

3.  Should the Eagles trade up to get either Marcus Mariota of Oregon or Jameis Winston of Florida State to fill the quarterback position? The duo could go one and two in the draft.  Or should they pay more attention to the Ohio State defensive scheme?  The Buckeyes did pretty well in consecutive games against these two QB’s.

4.  Ryan Howard is one of the more interesting off-season baseball stories.  Ryne Sandberg and the front office do not want him; he knows it; and no one can do much about it.  If he AND Cole Hamels are still on the squad during spring training, after the Phils tried to get rid of both, the atmosphere could be very interesting

5.  I bet the media is REALLY looking forward to all the time they get to spend in the next two weeks with Bill Belichick of the Patriots and Marshawn Lynch of the Seahawks. They are not exactly “Media Darlings”.

(Last week – 2-0)  (179-84-1 overall – 68%) 

SUPER BOWL PICK NEXT WEEK                       

As I write this on a miserable icy, rainy, and cold Monday morning, I am looking forward to the NCAA college football championship, which would be played that night.  I thoroughly enjoyed the semifinals and was intrigued immediately by the contrasting styles of the two winners – Ohio State and Oregon.  Ohio State plays with a physicality and swagger that have always been a part of Big Ten football.  Oregon, on the other hand, seems to be almost “video-gamish” in their approach to offensive football.  They run plays so quickly and have sets that only a computer program might imagine.  That’s not to say Oregon is less physical or that Ohio State does not play fast – it just seems like Oregon plays like they drank too much coffee all day, all week, all season and Ohio State just wants to bully you a bit more.  My “gut” feeling is that Oregon will win this game, but you will know the result by the time you read this blog.

Thinking about the game naturally led me to thinking about the two coaches – Urban Meyer of Ohio State and Mark Helfrich of Oregon.  Both men are highly esteemed in their profession and there are many who believe Meyer, who has won two national championships at Florida, is the best college football coach in the nation.  Helfrich cannot be far behind.  So, if we can agree that they might be two of the very best in their chosen profession, aren’t you a bit interested in how they are compensated for their skills?  In other words, how much do they make?

According to a USA Today survey, Mark Helfrich is #51 on the list of college football coaches. He earns $2 million a year with a possible bonus of $1.1 million.  One would think that if he won a national championship, he would qualify for the bonus which would qualify him for $3.1 million for the season and move him into the 20^th spot.

Urban Meyer makes $4.5 million a year with a potential $550,000 bonus.  He sits at #6 with the potential to be in the top five with the bonus.  He made $333,333 each week he prepared his team to play an opponent this year.

Alabama’s Nick Saban tops the list at $7.1 million.  The Michigan State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas coaches all make $5 million or more.

72 NCAA football programs pay their coaches $1 million or more.  By contrast, 35 men’s college basketball coaches have a base salary of $1 million or more, led by (no surprise) Mike Krzyzewski of Duke who collects $9.6 million per year.

I will not offer any editorial judgment here.  I will let you decide if these figures are warranted based on the income derived from the sports these men coach.  I just found the numbers interesting and thought you might, too.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. I’ll bet there are no NFL fans who still believe that “instant replay” is unnecessary. It seemed like this past weekend every one of the semifinal conference games had a play overturned that was originally called incorrectly and could have had a major impact on the outcome.  I understand that if a call went against your team (Dallas, perhaps), you might be wishing coaches’ challenges did not exist, but, in the end, based on the rule, the overturned call was correct.  And according to FOX, Packers coach Mike McCarthy had not won a challenge all year.  He picked the right one to win.
2. Home field advantage should give the Seahawks and the Patriots an edge in the conference championship games to be played this Sunday. I just don’t think Aaron Rodgers playing on one leg can do enough against the Seattle defense to win their game and, even though I do not think the Patriots play as well in the playoffs as they do during the regular season, they should be able to beat the Colts, unless the Colts have a bit more LUCK (Get it?  You may groan here).
3. Am I the only one who thinks there is something wrong with Peyton Manning? To me, he just has not looked like the great quarterback he has been for so many years in the past month or so.  On Sunday, he seemed confused, arm-weary, and, at times, disinterested.  At the very least, where was the old confidence?
4. I did not see any shots of Jerry Jones or Chris Christie during the Packers-Dallas telecast.  Did I miss them or were both maintaining a low profile this week?  That probably is best for Christie.
5. Concluding with another NFL tidbit, Rex Ryan was named the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills at a reported salary of $5 million. That means he will be in the same division as his former team, the Jets.  Ironically, Doug Marone, who opted out of his Buffalo contract after one year, may soon be named the Jets head coach.  That will make it pretty easy to see who made the right acquisition.  Stay tuned.

(Last week – 3-1)  (177-84-1 overall – 68%)

             SEATTLE
            NEW ENGLAND