Are you still having trouble writing 2015?  I am, too.  For me, it’s probably because I continue to ponder the events of 2014.  Therefore, before I jump into the new year, I would like to reflect back on my top ten RCN moments for the past year:

10. The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference was unveiled in the fall and the jury is still out whether this league is good for the Lehigh Valley schools or not.

9.  Even though I do not cover wrestling anymore, RCN was there to cover Nazareth’s win for the District championship over Liberty, their first since 2007.  It should also be mentioned that Easton coach Steve Powell won his 500^th dual meet during the year, the first District XI coach to do so.

8.  Parkland boys’ basketball won the District AAAA title for the second straight year.

7.  The Easton Red Rovers football team went undefeated to win the first EPC championship, only to fall to Parkland and Phillipsburg in their final two games.

6.  Central Catholic’s Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman finished his basketball career having scored 2,136 points, being named to the All-State team for four straight years, and accepting a college scholarship to play at Michigan.  I miss him on the court.

5.  Bethlehem Catholic’s wrestling team was absolutely awesome winning everything – Districts, PIAA team championship duals, PIAA individual team title, and crowning three individual state champions.

4.  The Colonial League had three football co-champions for the first time ever and they were all very good – Northwestern, Southern Lehigh, and Saucon Valley.  The League is already proving to be just as competitive in basketball this season.

3.  Parkland played a memorable game in the first round of the state playoffs losing to the eventual state champs, St. Joe’s Prep, by a 34-30 score.  A controversial no-call by the officials late in the game proved costly to our home team.  Ironically, the only loss the current Parkland basketball team has this year is to St. Joe’s Prep by a 50-47 score.  I’m certain the Parkland basketball team will be close to the top in next year’s highlights.

2.  No girls’ basketball team took us further into state playoffs than the Bethlehem Catholic girls.  They won the LVC, Districts, and went to the second round of states before losing.  Then strange things happened: head coach Bill Lanscek was let go; former Southern Lehigh head coach Megan Delegrotti was hired, then she resigned, leaving Jose Medina in charge.

1.  My #1 highlight this past year was the play of the Central Catholic boys’ basketball team. They won 29 straight games, the LVC championship, the District XI AAA championship and suffered their only loss to eventual state champ Neumann-Goretti in the PIAA quarterfinals.  It was a team for the ages!

Strangely, my most vivid memory had nothing to do with a game we broadcast, but I will never forget the scene at Yankee Stadium for the 150^th meeting between Lafayette and Lehigh.  I was a part of the pre-game festivities on the field and after interviewing the two college presidents, I was able to pull a “Gentlemen, start your engines!” moment as I announced to the 48,000 in attendance the official start of the game.  It was the best!

On to 2015!!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. There are certainly too many bowl games. Except for the competitors’ fans, there seems to be little interest in most of them.  With that said, I loved the semifinals of the first BCS championship playoff.  I have seen plenty of football over the years, but Oregon’s offense was amazing to me.  It’s the Eagles on steroids!  I was awed watching them.  And, like many others, I assume, I did not expect Ohio State to beat Alabama.  In fact, early on, I thought it was going to be an Alabama rout and an embarrassment for the Big Ten.  It was not and I am glad I stayed up to watch until 1:00 AM.  Two terrific games to watch.
2. By the way, I think Oregon versus Ohio State will be an amazing contrast in football styles – old-fashioned, hard-nosed Ohio State football against the video-game look of the Oregon Ducks. I like Oregon to win.
3. I am writing this the day after the NFL’s wild card weekend and I am still waiting for an explanation from the officials for picking up the flag on an obvious pass interference call in the Dallas-Detroit game. I had no vested interest in the outcome, but I think the Lions were unfairly treated when the call was negated.  The official in the FOX broadcast booth felt it was definitely pass interference.
4. Is it me, or does Chris Christie still look quite heavy, despite having some sort of gastric bypass surgery?  There were plenty of shots of him in the Cowboys’ booth with owner Jerry Jones.  I know TV adds 10 pounds, but c’mon.
5. One sad reminder that another year has passed occurred when I read that Kobe Bryant of the NBA Lakers was taking days off because of his age. I remember doing one of his high school games.

(Last week – 3-1)  (174-83-1 overall – 68%)
            NEW ENGLAND
            SEATTLE
            GREEN BAY

Whitehall High School dedicated their court to Coach Dick Tracy this week. I was honored to emcee the event.

“Pleasant”, “congenial”, “sympathetic”, “sociable”, “complaisant” are all words I would NOT use to describe Dick Tracy. “Cranky”, “obstinate”, “hard-nosed”, and “ornery” seem to come to mind more easily. Yet, he was absolutely loved by his players, respected by his peers and loved by me. Dick Tracy has always been an enigma. I went to visit him at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Center two weeks ago and asked the receptionist to direct me to Dick Tracy’s room. She said there was no Dick Tracy there. I knew there was some mistake. Maybe he was listed as Coach Tracy. No. But they had a Frances R. Tracy on the third floor. I worked with the man for forty years, thought I knew him better than anyone, and never knew his name was Frances. And yet, I was not surprised. He was always hard to figure out, but, one thing he did figure out was how to motivate people and how to coach basketball. Boy, could he do both!

Coach Tracy was 205-51 in his nine years as a head coach at Whitehall, winning 80% of his games. He never came close to having a losing season. His worst record was 20-9 in 1979 when he came back to coach a program that was 6-17 the year before. His teams won five League championships, three district titles, and a PIAA state championship. In 1981, his team was 33-2 winning both the conference and district championships, losing in the PIAA state semifinal to Springfield-Delco. That loss ended Whitehall’s 30-game winning streak.

1981-82 was the magical year. Whitehall lost to Allen 46-44 in the first game of the year in a non-league contest. They went 18-0 in the conference, 3-0 in Districts, and 5-0 in the state playoffs, beating Shamokin, Freedom, Williamsport, Springfield-Delco, and finally New Castle at a sold-out Hershey Arena 42-38. New Castle had been averaging close to 75 points a game. Not against the Tracy “match defense”. The starters’ names – Coval, Noack, Heydt, Bobyak, and Pizarro were etched for life in Lehigh Valley basketball history. And so was the name of their legendary coach – Dick Tracy.

I have known Dick as a coach, a teacher, a professional colleague, and, most importantly, as a friend ever since I began my broadcasting career 44 years ago. What I most remember, however, about the man I spent so much time with the past 30 plus years is the iconic persona thrust upon him by so many people. Dick is a former marine and certainly knows the meaning of “semper fi”- “always faithful.” His former students, his former players, his former assistant coaches absolutely adored the man and I always had the sense they would do anything for him and knew him so well he did not have to solicit their help. They knew what he needed. If respect and friendship are the true measure of a man, Dick Tracy is immeasurable. Today they refer to these people as “peeps” or the “posse”. Dick only hears the words “Coach” or “Mr. Tracy”. These three words represent who this man was to so many people and the love and respect they have thrust upon him. Those he has touched have remained “always faithful.”

It is very special for so many people, including myself, to walk into Coach Tracy Court at Whitehall High School!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

(Last week – 12-4)  (171-82-1 overall – 68%)
                CAROLINA
                PITTSBURGH
                INDIANAPOLIS
                DALLAS

Whitehall High School dedicated their court to Coach Dick Tracy this week.  I was honored to emcee the event.

“Pleasant”, “congenial”, “sympathetic”, “sociable”, “complaisant” are all words I would NOT use to describe Dick Tracy.  “Cranky”, “obstinate”, “hard-nosed”, and “ornery” seem to come to mind more easily.  Yet, he was absolutely loved by his players, respected by his peers and loved by me.  Dick Tracy has always been an enigma.  I went to visit him at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Center two weeks ago and asked the receptionist to direct me to Dick Tracy’s room.  She said there was no Dick Tracy there.  I knew there was some mistake.  Maybe he was listed as Coach Tracy.  No.  But they had a Frances R. Tracy on the third floor.  I worked with the man for forty years, thought I knew him better than anyone, and never knew his name was Frances.  And yet, I was not surprised.  He was always hard to figure out, but, one thing he did figure out was how to motivate people and how to coach basketball.  Boy, could he do both!

Coach Tracy was 205-51 in his nine years as a head coach at Whitehall, winning 80% of his games.  He never came close to having a losing season.  His worst record was 20-9 in 1979 when he came back to coach a program that was 6-17 the year before.  His teams won five League championships, three district titles, and a PIAA state championship.  In 1981, his team was 33-2 winning both the conference and district championships, losing in the PIAA state semifinal to Springfield-Delco.  That loss ended Whitehall’s 30-game winning streak.

1981-82 was the magical year.  Whitehall lost to Allen 46-44 in the first game of the year in a non-league contest.  They went 18-0 in the conference, 3-0 in Districts, and 5-0 in the state playoffs, beating Shamokin, Freedom, Williamsport, Springfield-Delco, and finally New Castle at a sold-out Hershey Arena 42-38.  New Castle had been averaging close to 75 points a game.  Not against the Tracy “match defense”.  The starters’ names – Coval, Noack, Heydt, Bobyak, and Pizarro were etched for life in Lehigh Valley basketball history.  And so was the name of their legendary coach – Dick Tracy.

I have known Dick as a coach, a teacher, a professional colleague, and, most importantly, as a friend ever since I began my broadcasting career 44 years ago. What I most remember, however, about the man I spent so much time with the past 30 plus years is the iconic persona thrust upon him by so many people.  Dick is a former marine and certainly knows the meaning of “semper fi”- “always faithful.”  His former students, his former players, his former assistant coaches absolutely adored the man and I always had the sense they would do anything for him and knew him so well he did not have to solicit their help.  They knew what he needed.  If respect and friendship are the true measure of a man, Dick Tracy is immeasurable.  Today they refer to these people as “peeps” or the “posse”.  Dick only hears the words “Coach” or “Mr. Tracy”.  These three words represent who this man was to so many people and the love and respect they have thrust upon him.  Those he has touched have remained “always faithful.”

It is very special for so many people, including myself, to walk into Coach Tracy Court at Whitehall High School!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

(Last week – 10-5)  (159-78-1 overall – 68%)

            GREEN BAY
            HOUSTON
            PITTSBURGH
            INDIANAPOLIS
            BALTIMORE
            NEW ENGLAND
            MIAMI
            ATLANTA
            MINNESOTA
            SAN DIEGO
            PHILADELPHIA
            DALLAS
            NEW ORLEANS
            SEATTLE
            SAN FRANCISCO
            DENVER      

The holidays – it’s the most wonderful time of the year, right?  Well, to some extent.  However, there are the trips to the malls, the list of gifts to buy, the holiday parties, the forgotten present, etc.  So right about now, you are probably starting to become concerned about your holiday budget.  You may have set a cost limit on gifts and entertaining and are now realizing that your budget may be totally unrealistic.  So you begin to stress over finding the money to pay the extra bills associated with the end of the year.  Imagine if that stress was totally eliminated because you earn so much money that you do not have to think about money at all.  There are many, many athletes who have that luxury.  Here are the Top Ten moneymakers for 2014:

1. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan earns $43.8 million a year or $3,650,000 per month, which is $121,667 a day and he is #10!
2. Tennis player Rafael Nadal makes “only” $14.5 million playing tennis, but gets $30 million in endorsements.
3. Golfer Phil Mickelson does much better endorsing products ($48 million) than he does playing golf, which brings in a paltry $5.2 million.
4. Roger Federer of tennis fame made $4.2 million on the court, but brought in $52 million in endorsements.
5. No one does better by not playing than Tiger Woods. He earned $55 million in endorsements and “just” $6.2 million playing golf.
6. The NBA is represented by two players. Kobe Bryant makes $31 million in endorsements and $30.5 million from the Lakers.
7. Lionel Messi of soccer fame kicks the ball around for $41.7 million and receives an extra $23 million in endorsements.
8. LeBron James does quite well playing basketball, taking in $19.3 million, but those commercials and product deals garner another $53 million for a grand total of $72.3 million.
9. The highest-paid soccer player is Cristiano Ronaldo who makes $52 million playing and another $28 million selling himself to advertisers. That is a cool $80 million.
10. Boxer Floyd Mayweather topped this list this year, earning $105 million WITH NO ENDORSEMENTS! He earned it all in the ring – $8,750,000 per month, $291,667 per day, $12,152.78 every hour of the day!

So there you have it.  Or rather they have it and you, not so much.  So as you trek out one

more time for that gift, that outfit, that box of candy, or bottle of wine, it is important that

we remember that not only do we wish for “peace on earth”, but also for “good will towards men” no matter how much money they earn. But we still have to check the price tag first!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

• Very quietly on Sunday night, Kobe Bryant moved past Michael Jordan in career NBA scoring and into third place. He scored 26 points against the Timberwolves and now has 32,310 points in his 19 seasons.  He trails only Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).
• Johnny Football (Manziel) became the 21^st starting quarterback since 1999 for the Browns and threw for just 80 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Browns lost to the Bengals 30-0. The Browns will not make the playoffs for the 12^th consecutive season and are probably looking for their 22^nd
• Speaking of a bad day at the office, Aaron Rodgers of the Packers may have had his worst day as a pro as the Packers lost to the Bills 21-13. He threw no touchdowns,  two interceptions, fumbled, and had a quarterback rating of 34.3, the worst of his career.  By the way, the Bills swept the NFC North this season.
• If you are an Eagles’ fan, you just became a Colts’ fan. You need Indianapolis, already the AFC South winner, to beat Dallas on Sunday and the Eagles must win out.  Just a note, the Colts are 2-4 against teams with winning records.
• Next Tuesday night, the Whitehall High School gymnasium will be dedicated and named for Dick Tracy. It will be a special night for my long-time fellow announcer and one of the great Lehigh Valley coaches ever.  RCN-TV will be there.  Please join us.

(Last week – 12-3)  (149-72-1 overall – 67%)
            
           JACKSONVILLE
            SAN DIEGO
            PHILADELPHIA
            MIAMI
            GREEN BAY
            DETROIT
            ATLANTA
            NEW ENGLAND
            PITTSBURGH
            CAROLINA
            BALTIMORE
            ST. LOUIS
            BUFFALO
            INDIANAPOLIS
            SEATTLE
            DENVER

As the year comes to a close, it’s time for my annual thoughts on the Yahoo Year in Review.  This is their annual look back at the top sports stories (and other trends if you wish to search Yahoo for those).  Comparing the list to last year’s Top-Searched Sports Teams and Top-Searched Athletes, you will notice that some have dropped in stature, stayed the same, or have dropped off the list entirely.    Obviously, that means there are some new names, too.  Let’s opine together:

Top-Searched Sports Teams on Yahoo in 2014

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Detroit Tigers
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Los Angeles Lakers
8. St. Louis Cardinals
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Chicago Bears

Half of the teams are from the NFL; four are Major League Baseball teams; and one from the NBA.

The Dallas Cowboys stayed at #1 again.  I do not want to think of them as “America’s Team”, but it is obvious they are.  Imagine the interest if they actually won enough games to matter.  The Super Bowl champion, Seattle Seahawks, did not make the list.  I guess success does not always breed interest.

It appears that baseball fans are a fickle bunch as they seem to follow a winner.  It’s the world champion Giants this year – #2 last year was the Boston Red Sox and they are not even on this year’s list.  Baseball and “bandwagon” seem synonymous.  Give the Detroit Tigers credit, however.  They stayed at #5 for the second consecutive year.  The Dodgers (#7) and Yankees (#8) are both gone this year!  That tells you something about these two legendary franchises.  The Packers stay at #3; the Steelers remain as the most popular Pennsylvania NFL team, but, at least, the Eagles made the list this year, something they could not do last season.  The Royals, Cardinals, and Bears are all new.   The Denver Broncos (also in the Super Bowl) and the Milwaukee Bucks have been displaced.

Top-Searched Athletes on Yahoo in 2014

1. Tiger Woods
2. Ronda Rousey
3. Danica Patrick
4. Caroline Wozniacki
5. Tony Stewart
6. Maria Sharapova
7. Hope Solo
8. Tito Ortiz
9. Ray Rice
10. Michael Vick

I wonder if you even want to make this list because, more often than not, it’s not because you had a great year as an athlete, but for entirely different and , usually, negative reasons.  Tiger Woods (injury), Danica Patrick (beauty),Caroline Wozniacki (Rory McIlroy’s former girlfriend), Tony Stewart (the death of a fellow race car driver), Maria Sharapova (beauty), Hope Solo (arrested), Tito Ortiz (DUI), Ray Rice (domestic violence), and Michael Vick (just because, I guess).

Ronda Rousey, whom I did not even know when she made the list at #5 last year, moved up to #2 this year.  She may very well be there because of her accomplishments as a mixed martial arts champion.  I hope that is why she is on the list because I should mention that she is, also, attractive.

Gone from the list (probably a good thing) are Tim Tebow (#1 last year – long forgotten), Lindsey Vonn (#4 last year; still Tiger’s girlfriend; just not as much interest), Lamar Odom (#6 -no longer with a Kardashian), Serena Williams (#8 – ho-hum, I suppose), and Gina Carano (#10 – I didn’t know her last year and still don’t).

Looking at this compilation, it appears that if you make the list as a team it’s a good thing; make the list as an individual, get your picture taken by a good photographer or, even worse, get a lawyer!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. If you are a fan of college basketball, I am sure you were stunned by the NJIT 72-70 win over #17 Michigan on Saturday afternoon in Michigan. Just a few notes – NJIT was 2-5 going into the game having lost to John’s, Albany, UMass (Lowell) twice, and Marquette.  They have no league affiliation and just a few years ago, they had a 51-game losing streak.  This was supposed to be a “guarantee” game for Michigan – the Wolverines guarantee a nice payday to NJIT and NJIT is guaranteed to lose.  That did not happen.  I guess there are no “guarantees”.
2. Speaking of Michigan, as of Monday, December 8, Central Catholic’s Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman is on the Michigan roster. He has played in five of the eight games, a total of 26 minutes.  He is 0-9 from the field, 0-1 from beyond the arc, and has not been to the foul line.  He does have an assist and has turned the ball over twice.  It’s great to see the freshman getting some playing time.
3. Watching the Eagles on Sunday against the Seahawks, it is still obvious they do not belong in the upper echelon yet. I do, however, like their defense.  They were on the field just too long on Sunday.  The offense is sporadic and it seems to me that LeSean McCoy fumbles at least once in big games.  Dallas is next up in Philly and that becomes a must win as the two teams are tied for the division lead.
4. How does Oakland beat San Francisco? Oakland lost 52-0 to St. Louis last week and had only one win until this past Sunday.  I thought just the front office wanted to get rid of Jim Harbaugh – maybe the players do, too.  Their playoff hopes came to an end with the loss.
5. Parkland’s Andre Williams had a career day with the Giants on Sunday, rushing for 131 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run. And… the Giants won!

(Last week – 12-3)  (136-69-1 overall – 66%)
            ST. LOUIS
            KANSAS CITY
            BALTIMORE
            PITTSBURGH
            INDIANAPOLIS
            CINCINNATI
            NEW ENGLENAD
            CAROLINA
            GIANTS
            GREEN BAY
            DETROIT
            JETS
            DENVER
            SEATTLE
            PHILADELPHIA
            CHICAGO

High school and college football have come to a close.  It was certainly an exciting season with the highlights easy to recall:  the outstanding individual running backs at the high school level – Shane Simpson, Saquon Barkley, Michael McDaniel, Harry Hall and others.  The quarterbacks were outstanding – to name a few, Travis Edmond, Doug Erney, Julian Spigner, and, of course, Devante Cross.  Conner Sullivan, Shane Simpson (again), and Jarey Elder were some of the notable receivers.  Parkland, Easton, Bethlehem Catholic, Southern Lehigh, Northwestern, and Saucon Valley all had chasmpionship seasons.

And then there was Yankee Stadium and the 150^th meeting of college football’s most-played rivalry, Lafayette vs. Lehigh.  The atmosphere, the history, the tradition, and the location made this day one of the best ever and I will never forget the individual efforts of Ross Scheuerman and Zach Zwiezig. Ross ran for over 300 yards and Zach managed a game he had not played in for over a year and a half. They and their teammates led Lafayette to their second straight win over their archrivals.  Is it any wonder I enjoy going to work?

The end of football always signals the arrival of the one night a year that is always memorable.  It is the night that I co-host the Dream Come True Telethon.  We at RCN TV will produce and air the Telethon for the 29^th year.  I have not hosted all of them, but I have been around for most. The Dream Come True organization, 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.

The TELETHON will take place live on Monday, December 8, 2014 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 (Channel 8) areas can watch live on RCN TV.  A popular component of the telethon each year is the auction.  This year, we are introducing a new, on-line auction.  The bidding starts Monday, November 24, and ends Monday, December 8, at 8:00PM.

CLICK HERE to bid on incredible auction items donated by your favorite networks!

Great auction items include:

• Go Pro Hero 3: HERO3+ Silver from AMC Networks
• Philadelphia Flyers-Autographed Claude Giroux Jersey from NHL Network
• Jambox Speaker System from AMC Networks
• Wolfgang Puck Cookware from HSN
• Sony Bloggie Video Camera from Reelz
• Tumi Travel Bag from AMC Networks
• “Deadliest Catch” Fleece Jacket from Discovery Networks
  and much more!

As you can see from the list above, there is always 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’ll make Scott’s night and, more importantly, some child’s dream.

Ann Savkova, our excellent parade announcer, will do many of the interviews with the children who have had their dreams fulfilled.  She is a pleasure to have as part of the team.

And, there will be plenty of entertainment.

The important facts are:
The Date:         Monday, December 8
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)

• Do you think it’s easy to be a Philadelphia sports’ fan in the winter? As I write this, the Flyers and the 76ers have played 39 games combined.  The Eagles have played 12.  The Eagles have 9 wins and the other two have 8 wins total!!
• I think I saw the two worst non-calls by officials in recent memory this past weekend and both played a major role in the victimized team losing the game. In the Parkland-St. Joe’s Prep matchup, late in the fourth quarter, St. Joe’s was facing a fourth and one on its 37-yard line trailing by three.  The St. Joe’s tailback went in motion long before the snap – no call.  A five yard penalty either forces them to punt or go for a fourth and six.  Instead, they got the first down and then scored on the very next play and won the game 34-30.
• In the Easton – Phillipsburg game, postponed from Thanksgiving Day, a Phillipsburg player called for a fair catch in the first half in his own territory, caught the ball; everyone stopped; he did not hear a whistle from the officials; and ran to the Easton 19-yard line. Phillipsburg scored quickly and won 19-15.  If the right call is made, who knows what the outcome would have been?  Two very easy calls, seen by everyone who watched, except the official who should have made the call.
• I cannot remember an NFL team as bad as the Oakland Raiders are this year. They are 1-11 and just lost to the last-place St. Louis Rams 52-0.  Their only win came over Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs.  How do they feel?
• High school basketball begins on Tuesday, December 9, when Easton travels to Freedom. Easton vs. Parkland kicks off the wrestling season on December 10.  And Lafayette College basketball is off and running already.  Enjoy the winter with the RCN-TV team!

(Last week – 10-5)  (123-66-1 overall – 65%)
            DALLAS
            BALTIMORE
            CINCINNATI
            INDIANAPOLIS
            HOUSTON
            GIANTS
            NEW ORLEANS
            DETROIT
            ST. LOUIS
            MINNESOTA
            DENVER
            ARIZONA
            SAN FRANCISCO
            SEATTLE
            NEW ENGLAND
            GREEN BAY

There are a couple of weeks every year when the college basketball, college football, and high school football seasons overlap.  This past week was particularly challenging because I was doing my first college basketball game on Wednesday, the District XI AAAA football championship on Friday night, the Lafayette-Lehigh two-hour pre-game show on Saturday afternoon, and the first Lafayette women’s game on Sunday.  So… here is how the week unfolded.

MONDAY
Monday is always “gather information” day.  I put out the request for Easton and Parkland starting lineups and statistics and await a response.  I also begin to formulate the Lafayette-Princeton basketball information.  Luckily there is a plethora of stuff on the internet at the two websites.  I can gather statistics, starting lineups, information about the players and coaches, and begin to get a feel for the match-up.  Hopefully, all is completed by mid-afternoon because I need to write a blog for the RCN website.

TUESDAY
Happily, the high school information arrives that morning so it is time to put together each team’s profile, starters, statistics, stat charts for the game itself, a team stat chart, player name pronunciations, and find out which officials will be working the game.  This pretty much fills up the day.  I am able to come up with the Keys to the Game and the Trivia question of the week if there is still time; otherwise that’s done first thing Wednesday morning.

WEDNESDAY
Keys and Trivia were done first thing (no time the day before) in the morning.  I finish up the prep work for the basketball game that night and start to look at my responsibilities for Saturday at Yankee Stadium.  I leave the office @ noon.  It’s off to the Kirby Sports Center at 4:30 to set up for the Lafayette men’s basketball game.  It’s my first of the season and it literally is like riding a bike.  You don’t forget how to do it.  The Lafayette men win 83-66 over Princeton, a team they rarely beat, and have five players in double figures.  I leave the gym @ 9:30.  It was a good day.

THURSDAY
This is supposed to be a day off, but I spend the morning collecting all the notes concerning the Easton-Parkland football championship game.  There are a number of players in the game who have already set records (season and career) and who are still chasing other records.  I have always felt responsible for giving them the credit they deserve for reaching school and career records.  Also, there is a rich history to the AAAA championship and that needs to be conveyed on the broadcast.  I finish around 1:00 and begin a day off with my wife.

FRIDAY
After reading the Express-Times and the Morning Call article on the high school game that night, I return to the office to prepare for Sunday’s Lafayette women’s basketball game against Hartford.  The Hartford Hawks played on Thursday night so no preparation could have been done before Friday.  Same routine as the men: starting lineups, season stats, human interest stories on the players, coaches’ background info, matchup keys, etc.  When that’s done, I really need to familiarize myself with the Yankee Stadium pre-game.  It is a two-hour show before 49,000 fans on the large Jumbotron screen in the stadium, and also sent out over the internet.  I am told that I will interview the Lafayette and Lehigh presidents.  Now that’s pressure.

The afternoon is taken up with packing a bag for Saturday since I am heading to New York right after the high school football game.  Warm clothes will be essential, but so are a crisp dress shirt, a tie, and a top coat.

Now it’s off to the high school game.  Parkland beats Easton.  Naturally, since I want to head to New York as early as possible, the high school game goes to overtime, but it was a very good game.  I exit Cottingham Stadium at 9:45 and arrive at the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City at 11:15.  The view of the city during the ride in is just awesome.  Now picture this.  I check in to the hotel wearing ski pants, two jackets and a sweater.  I must look like I was heading to Stowe to ski and made a wrong turn.  The check-in receptionist and I have a good laugh as she assures me there is no need to wear so many clothes.  The rooms ARE HEATED!

The view of New York from my beautiful room is spectacular, but fatigue is beginning to set in especially after removing all those clothes needed during the high school football game.

SATURDAY
I eat my $23 breakfast at the hotel and leave for Yankee Stadium at 9:45.  The traffic is bad early on due to construction, but I arrive at the Stadium at 11:00.  A pre-production meeting is held for the 1:20 start of the pre-game and then I get to soak in the mystique of the Yankees and the Stadium.  I visit the Yankee locker room, stop by Derek Jeter’s locker, check out the staff offices (why do I think of George Costanza and Seinfeld at this moment?), look at the historical memorabilia, and then walk out onto the field.  I am awestruck!  It is massive. My initial reaction was there is no way the fans will fill this stadium.  I was wrong.

The place begins to fill up with the 47,750 fans.  The pre-game goes smoothly and kickoff occurs at 3:40.  I watch the game from the sideline and the Leopards dominate with a 27-7 win!  After celebrating with the team a bit, it is back in the car to head home.  I arrive back in Easton at 9:30.

Lafayette Sports Network’s Mike Joseph, Gary Laubach, and Scott Morse at the 150th meeting of Lafayette and Lehigh football at Yankee Stadium on November 22, 2014.

SUNDAY
I review the Hartford-Lafayette basketball information and head to the Kirby Sports Center at 11:45.  First, there is set-up, followed by a nice lunch provided by Lafayette.  The game brings another Lafayette win for the week (the men won on Saturday at Penn).  Lafayette beat Hartford 74-59.

MONDAY
Back at the desk to choose the Patriot League football Players of the Week, contact the Parkland and St. Joe’s Prep coaches for information concerning this Saturday’s PIAA state football game, put in the PIAA media request for permission to broadcast the event, and start to write this blog as you can see.

When seasons overlap…

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!!

 (Last Week – 11-3; Seasonal Record – 112-61-1:  65%)
DETROIT
PHILADELPHIA
SEATTLE
INDIANAPOLIS
HOUSTON
BUFFALO
BALTIMORE
GIANTS
CINCINNATI
ST. LOUIS
PITTSBURGH
MINNESOTA
ARIZONA
GREEN BAY
KANSAS CITY
MIAMI

If you are a college football fan, you are well aware of the games that take on special prominence every year – Alabama-LSU; Michigan-Ohio State; Notre Dame-USC; Oklahoma-Texas, etc.  But these “rivalry” games are just infants compared to the one between the two colleges in our own backyard.

It is simply known as “The Rivalry”.  Lafayette and Lehigh first met on the football field in Easton on October 25, 1884.  Lafayette won that game 56-0.  There have been 148 other games between the two, making this game college football’s most-played rivalry.  The teams met twice annually except in 1891 when they played three games.  The two per year ended after the 1901 matchups.  They played 35 times in that 17-year span.  The two teams did not meet at all in 1896 due to a player eligibility dispute between the two.

This Saturday they will meet once again at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for the 150^th time and the 122^nd consecutive time (also a record)!  They have only met on a neutral field one other time – in Wilkes-Barre on November 25, 1891 in front of, at that time, a massive crowd of 3,000.  Lehigh won three times that year (22-4; 6-2; 16-2).

The rivalry game has been around for so long that it predated the invention of the forward pass and has been a part of the evolution of the various shapes of the football.  Dislike for one another was created immediately when Asa Packer of Lehigh and Ario Pardee of Lafayette could not see eye to eye on the religious choices of the two men.

Lehigh’s first win occurred in 1887 after Lafayette had won five and tied one.  The exuberance of the Lehigh team, coupled with their dissatisfaction with the administration for what the team considered a lack of support, led to the team burning down the rickety stands that were erected for the game.

There have been two postponements in the series.  In 1904 Lehigh President Dr. Henry Down, who had also been a former Lafayette faculty member, died, causing a postponement.  The second postponement occurred when the game was moved back a week following the death of President John Kennedy in 1963.

And now it is time for the 150^th game between the two.  Lafayette leads the series 77-67-5.  Lafayette won last year 50-28, ending Lehigh’s five-game winning streak.  Prior to that streak, Lafayette had won four in a row. There have been over 49,000 tickets sold for this Saturday, by far the largest crowd to ever see the game in person. The CBS Sports Network (channel 421 and 1421-HD on RCN) will televise the game, and thousands will gather for various viewing parties across the country.

This one should not be missed.  Watch the first 150^th game in college football history.  Watch “The Rivalry”.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

• By the way, the 100^th Lafayette-Lehigh game was played on November 21, 1964 and ended in a 6-6 tie.
• I will be part of “The Rivalry” pregame show on the field at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. The two-hour pre-game will be shown on the internet only at goleopards.com.  My streak of calling the play-by-play of the game ends after 14 years.  Hopefully, a new streak starts again next year.  I don’t think I’ll be here for the 200^th.
• Do you chalk up the Eagles’ performance against the Packers this past week to having a short week to prepare due to the Monday night game or do you just resign yourself to the fact that they are just not among the elite in the NFL? There was no aspect of the game that one could grade above a D for the Eagles.  Mark Sanchez resembled the Sanchez of the Jets, but, then again, the offensive line looked Jet-like, also.  Up next is 2-7 Tennessee.
• I dare you to put any credence in your ability to pick a Super Bowl winner right now. How do you explain Seattle’s 6-4 record; Atlanta leading the NFC South with a losing record; Denver getting manhandled by St. Louis; Arizona possessing the best record in the NFL, etc.?  No wonder New Jersey wants to legalize sports betting.
• If you love the possibility of a huge upset in sports, you might want to spend the money ($59.99) for the Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri Pay-Per-View fight this Saturday on RCN. Pacquiao is 47-0 and the WBO welterweight champion while Algieri is 20-0 with 8 KO’s.  Algieri is four inches taller and his reach five inches longer.  He has plenty of experience fighting southpaws.  Is that enough?  I doubt it, but maybe…

 (Last Week – 9-5; Seasonal Record – 101-58-1:  64%)
KANSAS CITY
CLEVELAND
PHILADELPHIA
NEW ENGLAND
GREEN BAY
INDIANAPOLIS
CINCINNATI
BUFFALO
CHICAGO
ARIZONA
ST LOUIS
DENVER
SAN FRANCISCO
DALLAS
BALTIMORE

As we near the “awards season” for high school football, I would like to discuss one a bit early – Coach of the Year for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. I bring it up sooner than normal only because my two nominees coach against one another this Friday night in the Sub-regional District #2-#11 semifinal. The nominees are – Steve Shiffert of Easton and Jason Roeder of Freedom. The choices were easy; picking the winner, not so much.

Steve Shiffert is obvious. This is his twenty-second year at the helm. His team is undefeated (11-0). They are the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference South Division champions. They score over 40 points a game and they win by an average margin of 26 points. The closest game they played was a 63-49 win over Whitehall. Mercy rule games (winning by 35 points) were the norm. Easton plays fundamental football about as well as you can imagine. They simply block, tackle, run, and defend the way coaching manuals demonstrate. There really isn’t anything that one could say detrimental about this team or the coach. The program possesses the second most wins in Pennsylvania history, more AAAA District championships than any other team, and Coach Shiffert has more wins (199) than any other Easton coach. In other words, this program just continues to roll along. This seems like an easy vote to cast for Coach of the Year, right?

Well, before you fill out your ballot, consider the other nominee – Jason Roeder. The Freedom Patriots were 2-8 last year, 4-5 in ’12, 3-6 in ’10. Winning seasons have been hard to come by and championships have been non-existent. As they prepare to play in the semifinals of the Districts, they are 9-2 this season. They were 7-0 when their quarterback, Joe Young, tore his hip socket and was done for the season. They lost the next two games against the very best of the Conference, Easton and Parkland. In the past two weeks, Freedom shut out their arch-rival, Liberty 29-0 and beat a very good Whitehall team by a 17-14 score. When you watch this team play, you have to be impressed with the heart, drive, and cohesiveness they demonstrate. There is no doubt that they play for one another, their school, and their coach. Jason Roeder has done a marvelous job putting his team in a position to win their very first District championship.

So, do you pick the coach who, year in and year out, has the acumen and the players to pretty much guarantee a successful season or do you pick a coach who has turned around a dismal year and created a highly successful one?

You should know that Easton beat Freedom 47-27 just three weeks ago and will be favored to beat them again. It would be shocking if the Patriots knocked off the undefeated Red Rovers. Should we wait to see who wins the game before making our selection? Or, better yet, do we recognize the outstanding achievements of both men and their teams and make them Co-Coaches of the Year? Now, that’s something I CAN vote for.

P.S. You can watch the game LIVE on Friday night at 7:00 followed by the Parkland – Delaware Valley game at 10:30 PM.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

• There was some good sportsmanship on Sunday night when Mike McCarthy, the head coach of the Packers, pulled Aaron Rodgers after he threw six touchdown passes in the first half alone. Even though Rodgers was close to the NFL record of eight TD passes in a game, McCarthy mercifully sat his quarterback down and did not embarrass Chicago any further.
• Arizona Cardinal quarterback, Carson Palmer, has never won a playoff game in his career. His team is off to an 8-1 start, he signed a $50 million contract extension this week with a guarantee of $20.5 million. He suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sunday. So much for a great week.
• Michael Vick believes the Jets would have won more games if he had been their starting quarterback. That’s easy to say since they only won one without him. It is somewhat bewildering that the Jets waited this long to give Vick an opportunity. In upsetting Pittsburgh this past Sunday, Vick became the first NFL quarterback to rush for 6,000 career yards.
• No surprise that the state of Alabama has the highest concentration of college football fans. Facebook did a survey of the highest proportion of the population who root for any college football team. What with the University of Alabama and Auburn enjoying great success, 34% of the population were college football fans. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa fill out the Top Five. The five lowest states showing interest in college football were all from New England. Pennsylvania was 31^st.
• The AAA District XI championship will be decided LIVE on Saturday night on RCN-TV at 7:00. The Matchup is somewhat intriguing – Colonial League co-champion Saucon Valley vs Eastern Pennsylvania Conference member and defending champion Bethlehem Catholic.

(Last Week – 8-4; Seasonal Record – 92-53-1: 63%)

 
MIAMI
CLEVELAND
CHICAGO
GREEN BAY
SEATTLE
ATLANTA
NEW ORLEANS
WASHINGTON
DENVER
SAN FRANCISCO
SAN DIEGO
ARIZONA
NEW ENGLAND
PITTSBURGH
 

The regular season has come to a close in high school football, leaving many teams putting away their uniforms this week. In addition, the college football teams that have no prospect of continuing their season will play out their schedule hoping to create some positive moments to carry over into next season. These teams must deal with the fact that they were just not good enough to play post-season football and, even worse, they must deal with some fans and parents who will berate them and their coaches for perceived incompetence and failure. Rest assured, the players and coaches hear it and read it. In this day of social media, it is hard to avoid.

I was one who always stayed away from the various forums that are out there which attack individuals, teams, and coaches. I just didn’t feel comfortable lending an ear. And I really dislike the anonymity of the process. You can say anything you want without taking any personal responsibility for it.

But, this past week, I took a peek at what was being said and, as I expected, I did not like it. Players were being accused of quitting. Coaches were referred to as “morons”. School administrators were described as “gutless” for not firing a particular coach. And so on. It was not pretty.

So, I got to thinking – what type of person does this? Do they really understand the game? Did they ever play the game? Do they really think kids practice hard all season to lose? Have they ever tried to coach? Do they know what goes in to preparing to play an opponent? Do they take into consideration the strength of the opponent? Do they believe a coach does not play his best players? What makes them think they know personnel better than a coaching staff? Finally, who do they think THEY are?

Granted, part of the enjoyment of watching any sporting event is walking in a coach’s shoes or a player’s cleats and pontificating on what call you might have used or what player decision you might have made. “Monday morning quarterbacking” is certainly part of the game, but so is the reality that a coach and a player have to make split decisions in a very short period of time. You, on the other hand, only make a call when one fails. Would you have made the same call when one is successful? It’s hard to tell because you rarely talk about the successful plays. Instead, those critical forums, in an anonymous fashion, simply fester and breed negativity. No coach is good enough, no line blocks very well, no defense defends, no quarterback makes the right decisions, etc., etc.

I would like to see forums that are fair, accurate in their assessments, impartial, respectful, and knowledgeable. Aren’t these the same attributes we want to see in our coaches? What’s good for one should be good for the other. The down side for coaches and players is that we know their names; we do not know yours!

What would be our evaluation if we came to see you work?

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. So fans went to a NASCAR race in Fort Worth, Texas, and a “hockey game” broke out! Driver Brad Keselowski bumped Jeff Gordon in a two-lap sprint to the finish and eliminated any chance that Gordon had to win the race. Gordon then confronted Keselowski and “all-hell” broke loose between the drivers, the crew members, with NASCAR officials in the middle. Both drivers and crew members were bloodied. There were no “game misconducts” awarded, but there may be some stiff fines.

2. If you’re counting, Tom Brady is 9-3 all-time in regular season match-ups against Peyton Manning after the Patriots destroyed the Broncos 43-21 this past Sunday.

3. Although you rarely hear his name mentioned with Brady and Manning, Ben Roethlisberger has accomplished some things even the two greats haven’t. In the last two weeks, Roethlisberger has thrown 12 touchdown passes – 6 against Indianapolis and 6 against Baltimore. No quarterback has ever done that in a two-week stretch.

4. We have done our last Lafayette football broadcast for the season and I just wanted to thank the RCN crew, the Lafayette sports information staff, my fellow announcers, and the game managers at the various venues we visited. No matter the results on the field, it’s always a pleasure to be a part of such a great team.

5. District football begins this week on RCN-TV with a AAAA doubleheader on Friday (Whitehall at Freedom -7:00; Pleasant Valley at Easton – 9:30). On Saturday, there will be a AAA semifinal doubleheader (Lehighton at Beca – 7:00; Saucon Valley at Southern Lehigh – 9:30). It is step one to a district title and a trip to the PIAA state playoffs.

(Last Week – 7-6; Seasonal Record – 84-49-1: 63%)
CINCINNATI
DALLAS
DETROIT
NEW ORLEANS
BALTIMORE
PITTSBURGH
TAMPA BAY
DENVER
ARIZONA
SEATTLE
GREEN BAY
PHILADELPHIA