Late Saturday afternoon, sports fans, I would think, were quite disappointed that they were unable to witness history when California Chrome finished fourth in his bid for the Triple Crown of horse racing. We now must wait for the 37th straight year to see if a 13th horse can win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness and create, once again, the excitement generated this past Saturday for the 102,000+ in attendance at Belmont in New York and the millions and millions watching at home. The silence was deafening on Saturday when Tonalist, Commissioner and Medal Count all finished ahead of California Chrome. The empty feeling of disappointment got me to thinking about some of the high expectations and negative results for Philadelphia sports fans over the years. Much like the Belmont Stakes, Philadelphia fans have reached feverish levels of excitement only to be very disappointed in the end. Here are the top three that stick out in my mind:

The 1997 Stanley Cup Finals: The Philadelphia Flyers vs. Detroit Red Wings
The Flyers looked unbeatable throughout the season and Philly fans were ready to celebrate a Stanley Cup when they made it to the finals. Hope was squashed quickly as Detroit won the series 4-0. The Flyers scored only six goals in the entire series and their star, Eric Lindros, scored only one goal in the last thirty seconds of game 4. Even Kate Smith could not thwart this embarrassing end to such a highly anticipated season.

The 1993 World Series: The Phillies vs. Blue Jays
First, there was game 4 when the Phillies led 14-9 in the eighth inning only to lose 15-14 in the highest-scoring game ever. Larry Andersen and Mitch Williams could not hold the lead. Then they lost it all when they took a 6-5 lead into the 9th inning and Mitch Williams (again) served up a game-winning and Series-ending home run to Joe Carter. Ironically, both Mitch Williams and Larry Anderson were rewarded with announcing jobs with the Phillies!

The 2003 NFC Championship: The Eagles vs. Bucs
This was the final game in Veterans Stadium history and the Eagles sure made it “memorable”.
1. In the three previous games between the two, the Eagles outscored the Bucs 72-22.
2. It was cold – very cold – at 22 degrees. The Bucs were 1-21 in games played under 40 degrees!
3. The Bucs never won a playoff game on the road.
The Eagles scored a touchdown in the first minute of the game. A Super Bowl appearance seemed to be a sure thing.

But much like California Chrome’s bid for the Triple Crown on Saturday, the Eagles sent home a disappointed crowd by losing 27-10. At that point, the Eagles’ fans had suffered through 33 years of disappointment. Both horse racing fans and Eagles fans continue to hope that their high expectations for a Triple Crown and a Super Bowl win will eventually yield the desired result. Try not to get TOO excited for either.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. By the way, if you bet $2 on the trifecta (picking the first three horses correctly in order), you would have won $3,390.50. Just betting $2 on Tonalist to win would have garnered $20.40.

2. Steve Coburn, the owner of California Chrome, ranted after the race that horses should be required to race in all three legs of the Triple Crown or, as some others have suggested, allowed longer time between the three races. It’s a five-week stretch now. To me, if you want to be listed with the other twelve horses that have won all three in one year, you have to do it the way they did it – all comers, in five weeks!

3. As of Monday, the Phillies had the worst record in the National League – yes, they were worse than the Cubs. There is absolutely no sign that they will get better either. They were 11 games under .500 and had lost 13 series this season. They got their first day off this past Monday after playing 20 consecutive games. Maybe that will help. Doubt it.

4. Continuing the theme of “flops” this week, how about the Rangers? They go to LA to play the Kings, get two goal leads in both games only to lose both in overtime. The Kings never led in either game until they did and the game ended immediately. When the puck is dropped Monday night at Madison Square Garden, it will be the first time a Stanley Cup game has been played there in twenty years.

5. The baseball draft was held this past week. In an “ah” moment, the Yankees drafted Mariano Rivera’s son, Mariano, Jr., in the 29th round. At Iona this past year, he went 2-6 with a 5.40 ERA in 12 starts and 70 innings. Last year, the Yankees drafted Andy Pettitte’s son, Josh, out of high school in the 37th round. He decided to go to college first.

Last week, I wrote about our nominations for the 2014 College Sports Media Awards. These awards include all the major networks – NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN, FOX, etc., at the national level. There are also collegiate sports broadcast categories. LSN (RCN-TV) was the only college broadcast network to garner two nominations for the award in the “live event production/collegiate athletics” category. Many entrants received “honorable mention” status so there were plenty of submissions that were not nominated. This was the second consecutive year that LSN was nominated for an award. Once the submissions are made, nominations are determined and this past Thursday in Atlanta at the SVG College Sports Summit, the winners were announced.

To recap for you, the nominees for the live event production/collegiate athletics category were as follows:

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Kansas State University/K-State HD | Women’s Basketball – Kansas State vs. Oklahoma
Lafayette College | Football – Lafayette Football Postgame: Nov. 23, 2013
Lafayette College | Football – Lafayette vs. Lehigh
Rochester Institute of Technology | Men’s Ice Hockey – RIT vs. Michigan
University of Alabama | Football – Alabama National Signing Day
University of Kentucky | Football – Kentucky National Signing Day
University of North Carolina | Baseball – NCAA Regional Game 7: Florida Atlantic vs. North Carolina

Obviously, we were up against some big-time college programs. Well, the votes were tabulated and the winner was the University of North Carolina’s broadcast of a regional baseball game.

To view the winning entry:
http://vimeo.com/channels/750659/92877180

I now understand when watching award shows why the “losers” say “it is an honor just to be nominated”. Because it is! TWICE!! Maybe next year… Darned Tarheels!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. Donald Sterling, the now infamous soon-to-be former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, invested $12.5 million to buy the team. It appears his wife has agreed to sell the team for $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer. That’s a $1,988,500,000 profit! Maybe he can buy friends.

2. Okay, I may be accused of being unprofessional here, but I cannot listen to the Phillies TV announcers anymore. Sure, it’s hard enough right now just to watch them play (no timely hitting and poor bullpen), but analysts Matt Stairs and Jamie Moyer along with play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy are just plain BORING (there, I said it) and rarely insightful. I am not alone in my criticism. At the beginning of May, on AwfulAnnouncing.com, they finished 26th (out of 30 teams) in the fan voting and ended with an average grade of 1.9 = D+. Watch the game on TV but listen to Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen on the radio. It’s much more enjoyable.

3. California Chrome will try to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978 on Saturday at the Belmont Stakes. He will be able to wear nasal strips. The strips support the tissue over the nasal passages behind the nostril and keep it from collapsing. They cost less than $15. California Chrome has won his last six races with the strips. Sounds like the $15 is a good investment.

4. The SEC wants to provide full-attendance scholarships, simplify recruiting rules, and provide long-term medical coverage for student-athletes. It appears the SEC has the support of the ACC, the Big 12, the Big Ten, and the Pac-12. Maybe this will be the first crack in the autonomous power of the NCAA.

5. Remember the name Mike Nikorak. He is completing his junior year at Stoudsburg High School and has verbally committed to Alabama as a pitcher if he decides not to enter the Major League draft. He is 6’4”, consistently throws the ball 94 miles per hour, and strikes out 1.4 batters every inning. He is a blue-chipper. Even more impressive, this year’s Parkland baseball team beat him 3-0.

As the Sports Director at RCN TV, I certainly am a bit biased toward what is the really important programming on RCN TV. As a matter of fact, I am tremendously biased. However, when I was teaching school, I had many lessons that would promote just the opposite. I wanted my students to be tolerant. I wanted that they not to prejudge before gathering all the facts. I wanted them to forego bias. If I truly believed my own lessons, than I am doing a disservice to all the other fine programming on RCN TV.

Certainly I am proud of all of the fine sports programming that we put out on a yearly basis ( Sports programming ). Our coverage of football and basketball, both high school and college, wrestling, baseball, stock car racing, etc., is both prolific and, I hope you would agree, presented in a very professional manner. In fact, just about a week ago we got great news about our Lafayette sports coverage.

Lafayette entered two submissions from our production of the Lafayette-Lehigh football game to the 2014 College Sports Media Awards. Both entries earned nominations (finalists) in the “Live Event Production” category. The progression for these awards is: submission – nominations – award winner (announced May 29). There’s a long list of “honorable mention” submissions that did not earn nominations.

The nominees for the live event production/collegiate athletics category are as follows:

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Kansas State University/K-State HD | Women’s Basketball – Kansas State vs. Oklahoma
Lafayette College | Football – Lafayette Football Postgame: Nov. 23, 2013
Lafayette College | Football – Lafayette vs. Lehigh
Rochester Institute of Technology | Men’s Ice Hockey – RIT vs. Michigan
University of Alabama | Football – Alabama National Signing Day
University of Kentucky | Football – Kentucky National Signing Day
University of North Carolina | Baseball – NCAA Regional Game 7: Florida Atlantic vs. North Carolina

We were the only ones to receive two nominations in any category.

Here are the links to view our entries in the College Sports Media Awards:
Lafayette vs. Lehigh live action: http://vimeo.com/91928076
Lafayette Championship postgame coverage: http://vimeo.com/91345767

However, sports coverage is not our only niche. After doing some research, I discovered that RCN TV airs 14 hours of programming every day – that’s 98 hours a week! And the programming is as diversified as the viewing audience.

We offer shows on cooking, educational and how-to programming, outdoor interests, and public affairs (Entertainment and Lifestyle ), as well as a wide variety of classic movies and TV shows. (Classic TV, Classic Movies, RCN TV Original)

In addition, throughout the year we present special events such as the Dream Come True Telethon, Celtic Classic athletics and music, the Delaware County Symphony and International Ballet Classique performances, community parades, the Allentown Fourth of July celebration, a Halloween marathon, a Christmas marathon, and on and on.

My bias was, and is, obviously unfounded. RCN TV offers a wide variety of programming to a wide variety of our viewers. What is THE most important programming? That is your decision. And that’s the way it should be. I have learned my lesson about bias.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. Would you gamble if you had a 1.7% chance of winning? Well, if you are the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, you just might. That was their chance of winning the top selection in the NBA draft. Not only that, they did it for the second straight year and the third time in four years. The bad news is, the Cavs so far do not seem to be improving. The Sixers, by the way, will get picks three and ten. You can watch the actual draft on ESPN, June 26.

2. California Chrome, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, will be allowed to wear a nasal strip at the Belmont when he goes for the Triple Crown in horse racing. It took 24 hours for the New York Racing Association to change the rule that banned the strip. If you wanted to gamble here, the odds of that rule being reversed were 100%. Do you really think they would not have allowed California Chrome to run? Since 1919, only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown. Affirmed was the last horse to do it in 1978. 21 horses failed after winning the first two races.

3. Jimmy Rollins will soon become the all-time hits leader for the Phillies, passing Mike Schmidt who collected 2,234 hits in his career. Schmidt says it can’t happen soon enough. He is a big fan of Rollins – “He’s a good man, a good family man, plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played. He’s very likable…” In case you forgot, Schmidt passed Richie Ashburn who was in the announcing booth at the time.

4. May 19, 1974 was the date that the Philadelphia Flyers won their first Stanley Cup – 40 years ago! Remember the names – Freddie Shero, Bobby Clark, Bernie Parent, Rick MacLeish, etc.

5. After broadcasting the District XI baseball championships this week, we will get ready for the PIAA State Baseball Championships on June 13 at Penn State. Let’s hope one of our local teams gets there this year.

If you have been a regular reader of this blog, you know that when I get a chance to go on vacation, my wife and I love to cruise. That is exactly what we did two weeks ago as we boarded the Freedom of the Seas on Sunday, May 4. I feel very fortunate that we are able to do this and truly understand that, financially, many cannot, although, in my mind cruising is a great family vacation value. However, I also hear many reasons why people do not cruise which seem somewhat alien to me.

For example:
“I’ll get sick” – The ships today are so large and are so stabilized that oftentimes motion is almost unnoticeable. There are still passengers who wear patches behind their ears (usually first-timers) or will get a shot that will last a week to fend off motion sickness, but it is hard to believe that such precautions are even necessary these days.

“There’s too much food” – I cannot disagree here, but certainly using a fork or a spoon to lift calories into your mouth is a personal choice, not one the cruise company forces you to do. There is food to be had at all times and the temptation to constantly be eating is certainly there. To alleviate this fear of overeating simply requires willpower.

“There’s nothing to do” – I know of passengers who go on a ship just for that reason; they simply want to rest and relax while being surrounded by beautiful scenery. BUT, if you choose to be active, there are things going on every hour of every day from the time you get up in the morning until you decide to go to bed at night (or into the wee, wee hours of the morning). A Daily Planner offers at least fifty interesting things to do every day.

“My kids won’t enjoy it” – Would they enjoy rock climbing, boogie boarding, surfing, basketball, volleyball, miniature golf, Johnny Rockets, or the many other activities for young children and teenagers, not to mention discovering fascinating ports of call?

If you think you won’t like: having your room cleaned three times a day; having a choice of multiple restaurants all offering fantastic service – lobster tail, prime rib, escargot, shrimp, etc.; top flight Vegas entertainment every single night; a chance to visit some of the most beautiful beaches in the world; sitting by the pool reading your favorite book, then, perhaps cruising is not for you.

I felt just like you 25 years ago until I went once. Now, I try to go ONCE… EVERY YEAR!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
Instead of my usual five musings for the week, I thought I would finish my “cruising” theme with the Top Ten Dumbest Questions asked by the passengers. This list was created by David Letterman, but has been stolen by cruise directors everywhere:

10. Will the elevator take me to the front of the ship?
9. Do these stairs go up or down?
8. How far are we above sea level?
7. Does the crew sleep on-board? (No, they are thrown into the life boats.)
6. Does the ship generate its’ own power? (No, there’s an extension cord hooked up
to Miami.)
5. To the ship photographers – If the photos aren’t marked, how do we know which
pictures are ours?
4. Is the water in the toilet fresh water or salt water? (I don’t know I haven’t tasted it.)
3. What do you do with the ice carvings after they melt?
2. Is there music in the Disco?
1. What time is the Midnight Buffet?

Gary will be returning with a new blog on May 19.  This week, he’s asked RCN’s John Leone to guest blog.  RCN-TV viewers should recognize John from the Lafayette College basketball broadcasts on the Lafayette Sports Network.

Pay college athletes. There, I said it. Of course, it’s certainly not nearly that simple, and after a long discussion with my lawyer daughter, well, there are more than just a few minor wrinkles that would need to be ironed out, not the least of which are legal and ethical. But it can – and many believe should – be done. Time and space preclude a detailed discussion here, but I’d like to offer a starting point. After all, dealing with a few legal and ethical details should hardly distress the NCAA. Their rulebook, after all, makes the Affordable Care Act read like “The Cat in the Hat.” I say that with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek, careful to not upset them too much. My plan will require their support. And in fact, it may make life a good deal easier for them.

My high school math teacher is somewhere, cringing as I write this. But even I can calculate that the money is there to support a more palatable system. Consider that the first television contract with CBS paid the NCAA $1 billion for the rights to the national tournament. Yes, that’s with a “B.” And did I mention that was a generation ago? The latest deal (2010) was a 14-year agreement for $10.8 billion, generating $771 million per year for the NCAA. And, bear in mind that is for the tournament only. And you thought that “March Madness” referred only to the action on the court! Factor in the revenues generated throughout the regular season from concessions, parking, gate receipts, sponsorships, and yes, even more TV money, and suddenly we are talking about serious capital. That’s big business. That’s a professional system.

The true crux of the issue here lies with the NBA and the NFL and their inability, unwillingness, or more likely their lack of incentive to create a viable minor league system. But then, why should they? They have the major college programs serving the same function, and doing so free of charge. In the meantime, the impulses created by mega dollars have littered the straight and narrow pathway of college athletics with all kinds of land mines, exploding notions of academic integrity, amateurism, and in far too many instances, the broader college experience. The stories of young athletes lured to a campus where they may not belong, nor would they want to be but for the promise of an athletic proving ground, read like so many proverbs. Many colleges housing major basketball and football programs are little more than athletic incubators for youngsters whose primary – if not sole – aim is to make it to the professional level. If, as in most cases, those aims fall short of the intended target, the youngster is left with little on which to fall back. It has become a false promise, and far too many academic institutions, enticed by the exposure and tempted by the potential financial windfall for their schools, have become compliant in this charade.

The time, talent, and treasure now spent by the NCAA in its attempt to herd the cats of big- time programs into their amateur cages and preserve the slightest element of academic integrity has become the epitome of throwing good money after bad. My apologies to Kentucky, Arizona, Villanova, and the scores of other major programs for whom the pun applies, but it may be time to rethink the approach, and take some creative steps to save these major sports at the college level. If not, the college game as we know it will soon cannibalize itself at the altar of its own largesse. The advent of the “made for TV” sports of college basketball and college football have given the NCAA an opportunity to take real and effective action in the best interests of the games, the interests of its own mission, and most important, in the interests of so many young men and women misplaced on campuses throughout the country.

Of course, not every college would desire – or for that matter be required – to follow the new blueprint. The NCAA already has different rules for its different divisions, so why not simply establish one more classification? Clearly, there will be some hard decisions for those major college programs that still cling to the “student athlete” ideal. But within the parameters and rules governing the new division, schools will have the flexibility to do more or less – depending on their own interests and philosophical stance. Disparities will exist, but will they be any more pronounced than those which now separate, say, Prairie View A&M and Kentucky or Cornell and Georgetown?

For whatever system to work in favor of intercollegiate athletics and in the best interests of the young people involved, there will have to be serious and honest cooperation between the institutions and the governing body. The fallacy of academic integrity has permeated too many programs. Who among us thinks first of “academic learning or achievement” when we hear the word “scholarship”? On the contrary, the word has come to preclude most notions of higher education for so many of the athletes in question. A CNN.com article published in January underscored just how pervasive the problem might actually be.

Still, the college athletes will have to be tethered to their respective schools in some fashion. This is not only possible, but perhaps it tills fertile ground for real creative thinking. Would they be “employed” as independent contractors? Might they take courses for which they pay out of their own pocket, thereby having some “skin” in their own academic future? Perhaps some would benefit most by taking courses in basic life skills and money management. Possibly pursue a trade? In short, a system could be established to fit the needs and skill sets of the athlete, as opposed to the square-peg-and-round-hole paradigm now in play.

It is no secret – or it shouldn’t be – that the financial windfall from major college athletics largely supports all programs along the vast food chain of intercollegiate athletics everywhere. It’s an honorable end, but the means have caused significant angst and drawn more than a little well-earned cynicism from intellectually honest observers.

It may be time – especially with the kinds of dollars now pouring into the system – to take a lesson from my friends at The Rotary Club and build a system that meets their four way test. Create a system that is truthful, fair to all concerned, builds goodwill and better friendships, and is beneficial to all involved.

That’s an exam that anyone can pass.

Today’s “Behind the Mic” blog is written by long time RCN personality Scott Barr. Scott’s on-air career began in 1984 with the District XI Girl’s Tennis Championship, won by Monica Yurkonic. Since that debut, he has covered a wide range of sports, including kick boxing, track and field, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, football, and baseball. Most of our viewers, of course, will know him for his work with District XI wrestling. The 2013-14 season was Scott’s 30th season covering “the nation’s best high school wrestling.” Fans across the valley have heard him call “Give him six!” after a pin, while working with three legends of Lehigh Valley sports—Gary Laubach, Ray Nunamaker, and Jim Best. Outside of RCN, Scott helps small businesses set up retirement plans for their employees, and lives in Macungie with his wife, Melissa, and their four children, ages 6 to 22!

I got an odd voicemail a couple of weeks ago. It was my dental hygienist, saying, “Scott—please give me a call in the office when you get a chance.” I thought, “Shoot. This is bad. I missed an appointment, or they want to do something to my mouth that will hurt.” I took a deep breath and called back.

She wanted to know the name of the store where I get my running shoes, because she knew I was a “real runner.” Pleasantly surprised, I told her. Then I hung up the phone and laughed out loud. Just three years ago, that call could not have happened.

Dozens of RCN TV viewers have seen what has happened to me over those three years, and sheepishly asked if I was “OK”. They’ve seen my weight loss—about 40 pounds, and thought, “Maybe he’s really, really sick.” I’m not. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I’ve never, ever been healthier.

I was exactly like a lot of those same viewers. I “used to be” in shape, and I certainly wasn’t out of shape. Basically I was getting through my years of parenthood, career, and life in general—and not feeling badly about it. One night, I read a Facebook post from a work friend of mine, who happens to be a 40-something year old mother of two. She posted that she was going to Montana to participate in a triathlon! I thought, “Good for her!” Then, I thought, “Why am I reading about this?” The next day, I bought a new pair of sneakers,and took off.

I remember my first “run” well. I knew I should start slowly, so I targeted just one mile. I didn’t make it. After a slow, shuffling jog that lasted three minutes, I started looking around for anyone who looked like they had knowledge of CPR. I walked for three minutes before I started shuffling for another three. Back to walking, then three minutes of shuffling. After 21 minutes, I was done. I may have covered that mile but it was ugly. Really, really ugly. It was June 30, 2011.

The next day, I did it again.

I won’t bore you with the details of the next three years, unless you ask me in person—in which case you may regret asking. There were MANY aches and a few pains. I learned a lot about running equipment, nutrition, hydration and my body. I discovered that Lady Gaga is a really great artist to accompany my runs. I learned that I wasn’t alone in this journey. I met Bart Yasso. I chatted, during a race, with 1992 Olympian Summer Sanders. I got a high-five, during a training run, from a bride in her wedding gown! I found out that I could run a 5K. Then a 10K. I ran four half-marathons of 13.1 miles each, and now I’m training for “the full”—a 26.2 mile marathon that starts at the Lehigh Valley Hospital and ends in downtown Easton. And I want to do it in 3 hours and 30 minutes. How crazy is that?

You can do it, too. You will look silly at first, but really—nobody cares. You will hurt, but after you learn how to stretch, and get the right shoes, it will be a “good hurt.” I prefer to run alone, but there are lots of groups you can join to keep you motivated. Most importantly, you will discover something inside that has been hiding since high school. My mantra, early on, was, “I’m taking it back.” I’ll soon be 52 years old; I am just now discovering that I had no idea what this old set of bowed legs can do.

The toughest stretch of every run, even today, is from the couch to the front door. Conquer that stretch, and start taking YOURS back. It’s worth it.

Gary will be returning with a new blog post on May 19.  This week, he’s asked race announcer Randy Kane to guest blog.  RCN-TV viewers should recognize Randy from the Grandview Speedway broadcasts airing April through August each year.  Click here to read Randy’s bio from the RCN-TV “Our Broadcasters” page.

With the boom in the number of sports-oriented television networks, you can now find short track racing coverage just about anywhere. It used to be strictly on ESPN, TNN and SPEED, but those no longer have coverage as we saw back in the day. Today there is Fox Sports, CBS Sports, NBC Sports and MAV TV, all filling that void. You get national exposure, quality productions, looks at the stars and the series that are involved with short track racing.

NASCAR still brings you the complete coverage for hours each week and you get the best draw of all, the Indianapolis 500, with complete and full coverage. Those events reach millions and that is what everyone in the sport wants the most. Exposure. That is strictly the business side of things and that pleases sponsors.

You can now see dirt track Late Models, local dirt track Modifieds, different asphalt racers, several lower NASCAR divisions, plus the Midgets and Sprint Cars on your home television. These days there’s also a growing list of computer outlets that show weekly racing and series specials if you subscribe to a package that’s probably for the full season or race-to-race. Racing is all over the television dial; these days you’ll just have to surf to locate what you want.

The real racing, which appeals to the weekly fans, though, is racing such as the action you can find on RCN TV, presently from Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, PA. It’s local short track, dirt track racing. It is the local standouts. It is good, close and competitive for the most part, which is seat-of-the pants and grassroots style racing. The best part is, though, it is affordable. You don’t get dirt in your beer watching a race from Grandview Speedway on RCN TV, true, but the television program certainly gets you excited enough to get you out there to the speedway to watch it live some Saturday night.

SPEED TV became Fox Sports and the coverage is there, still, but it is much more corporate styled and a lot different from the old, much more personal, pleasing style SPEED TV had. CBS Sports is a new deal, which is looking to cut out its own piece of the overall coverage pie. Many regular viewers cried foul when SPEED TV was swallowed up by that much bigger FOX Sports television fish, but that’s the way things go these days. It is all corporate and just a lot more business, sponsorships and dollar signs.

RCN TV and local dirt track, short track racing is a great marriage. Grandview Speedway gets coverage in addition to all the usual outlets. The shows are replayed over and over and racers from Bethlehem or Easton or Wescosville or Boyertown or Scranton, as well as other local towns, all become stars on that local level. Race team sponsors love the fact they see their names on television, thanks to racing and it sells to the viewers, also, because they can watch it live and watch a replay to see something that they may have missed.

Local short track dirt racing is a program that just continues to grow. It is “Must See” television and each show is a tremendous tool for racers to use to attract sponsors. It is a great formula for success for every person involved. Everybody wins. Racers. Sponsors. Race tracks. Car builders and engine builders. The fans also benefit from it all. Racing just grows and prospers on television.

In the 1970s, RCN TV brought racing to local viewers from the now closed Nazareth Raceway half-mile track. They brought you racing from Pocono International Speedway and the Nazareth National Speedway, a one-mile speedway that was located right next to the old half-mile track. RCN TV additionally brought you asphalt racing from Flemington Fair Speedway in New Jersey, Nazareth Raceway racing on RCN TV lasted some 17 seasons. And for the past 14 years, Grandview Speedway, a one-third-mile high-banked dirt oval, has been the main focus. All in, racing now has been on RCN TV a good 30 to 35 years. That means if you are a motorsports fan, you got to go to RCN TV. There’s no doubt about it.

At the end of the day you have close competition, great coverage of the on-track action and, together, it gets the viewers interested enough to watch. RCN TV at Grandview brings fans all types of racing divisions on the Grandview dirt track. The television production sells the product for the speedway and everybody benefits from all that success. It is not the corporate coverage. It is not the slick, national productions. It is just racing at its best and the fans get excited. Word of mouth gets even more viewers.

While national coverage has blossomed to all kinds of networks, RCN TV remains loyal to the local, hometown, dirt track, short track racers. The RCN TV formula just helps everyone involved and it’s been successful for many years. RCN TV continues to bring the viewers the best product around. A local, well-rounded, very informative and extremely exciting product. Local racing has grown through local television racing coverage and RCN TV remains the leader of the pack. Right where RCN TV has been, now, for so many years. That’s a great feeling.

If you can imagine a time before ESPN, the NFL Network, the MLB Network, the NHL Network, CBS March Madness, etc, etc., then you might know the name Zander Hollander. Before college football and basketball came into your living room on pretty much a daily basis and before there were television channels singularly devoted to professional hockey, baseball, and soccer, there was Zander Hollander. Many of you probably do not know the name. He was called “the official king of sports paperbacks” by Sports Illustrated in the 1960’s. That was my era for childhood sports development. I knew Zander Hollander and I knew his work. He died on April 11 of Alzheimer’s disease.

Zander Hollander wrote approximately 274 books, many with “The Complete Handbook of …” as the beginning of the title and ending with a particular sport in a particular year. Amazon.com lists 23 pages of his book titles in a very large price range with some carrying a $1,000 price tag. Hollander would focus on a given sport in a given year, listing statistics, records, team rosters, and even making predictions for that year. He was extremely prolific, publishing a book almost every three months or so.

Even though he specialized in the “Big Four” of national interest sports, he also wrote or co-wrote The American Encyclopedia of Soccer, Bud Collins’ Tennis Encyclopedia, Lake Placid 1980: The Complete Handbook of the Olympic Winter Games, a tome on Madison Square Garden, and more and more.

I could ill-afford to buy the Hollander books, but luckily, our high school library did have many of them. I was introduced to them while teaching in high school and would use the information often when broadcasting a sport like soccer about which I knew very little. The books would offer up rules, how a game was played, the position responsibilities, stories and anecdotes. The Hollander books also allowed me to keep track of my favorite players and teams, and, more importantly, would settle plenty of arguments or, even better, create some.

I have such fond memories of the detail, the numbers, the tidbits and the trivia that was found in the writings of Zander Hollander. I also find it quite ironic and quite sad that the man who supplied so many memories for sports fans for decades was stricken by a disease that took those memories from him and hid them away somewhere in his brain. Although it strikes me that present-day technology has diminished the joy and the importance of the works of Zander Hollander. There is also something very ironic and very sad about that.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. Actual baseball attendance seems to really be suffering early this season. Is it the weather, the price of tickets and concessions; is it the attention span of the youth of today; is it the competition of other sports; is it all of the above? Something to chew on, though, is that the Baseball Almanac says that baseball attendance is statistically up based on tickets sold, but down based on how many fans really come to the games. Why are there so many fans who can afford to NOT go to the games?

2. I watched the LPGA Lotte Championship late Saturday night (I know, get a life!) as much because of the beautiful Hawaiian scenery as my interest in seeing if Michelle Wie could win a championship. When she first came on the scene, she was supposed to be the female Tiger Woods. That certainly never materialized, but boy did she play well on Saturday, shooting five under par and winning by two strokes. It was only Wie’s third tournament win and her first on US soil. She is 24 and has plenty of time to still be a dominant force in women’s golf. If she plays like she did this past weekend, she will be.

3. The NFL Draft is on May 8. Quarterbacks Blake Bortles (Central Florida),Teddy Bridgewater (Louisville) and Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) will all go early (top 5?). The Eagles will probably take a defensive secondary player (much needed).

4. Between the Easter dinner and the Easter dessert this past Sunday and, thanks to TiVo, my family watched the Flyers beat the Rangers in Game Two of the NHL playoffs. To me, hockey is a great television sport and NBC and NBCSN are starting to reap the rewards of higher television ratings. They really do hockey well and deserve the rising success.

5. For both your sake and mine, this blog will be manned by guest writers for the next three weeks. Randy Kane of Grandview fame will offer up his thoughts next week, followed by fitness guru Scott Barr, and then onto a very opinionated John Leone. Enjoy!

Instant replay in baseball was first implemented in 2008 for three reasons: 1) to determine if a home run was fair or foul; 2) did a batted ball actually leave the playing field; 3) did a spectator interfere with a batted ball.

The use of replay was greatly expanded for this season to include the following:

• Ground-rule doubles
• Fan interference calls
• Boundary calls (managers may not, however, challenge home run or potential home run calls)
• Force plays at all bases, except whether a middle infielder touched second base during the attempt to “turn” a double play
• Tag plays on the base paths—whether a runner was tagged or whether the runner touched a base (an appeal is still required ahead of the latter)
• Fair/foul calls on balls hit into the outfield
• Catch/trap calls on balls hit into the outfield
• Time plays (whether or not a run scored prior to the third out)
• Whether a runner passed a preceding runner
• Scorekeeping issues, including the count, number of outs, score or substitutions

Judgment calls not specified above, including, but not limited to, pitches called ball or strike, obstruction, interference, infield fly rule and check swings are not.

All games are monitored in New York City by a former umpire or umpire supervisor. Much like the NFL, if a replay is warranted, the crew chief at the game will go to a special monitor to view the disputed play. The umpire must see “clear and convincing” evidence to reverse the call. All of this is supposed to happen in 60 to 90 seconds.

So how is it working? The first challenge occurred March 31, when the Cubs disputed a double play call that their player was safe at first. The Cubs lost the challenge. The decision took 100 seconds. That same day, the first successful challenge was made when an initial single call was changed to an out when the Braves challenged. The first umpire-initiated review took place to determine if a catcher unnecessarily blocked the plate on an attempted score.

In the first 14 days of the season, there have been 21 overturned calls out of 64 challenges in 141 games. The average time is two minutes and 14 seconds. Missed calls are rare, but in a Yankees-Boston game this past week, a call was missed even after it was challenged.

So, after two weeks what can we conclude? Umpires make a wrong call every 6.7 games (not bad). For the most part, the right calls are made so the umpires do not adversely affect the outcome. There are many fewer old-fashioned manager-umpire confrontations.

Sounds good, right? Uh, not quite. I used to like the manager-umpire confrontations – dirt kicked on shoes, spit in face, baseball cap turned around for face-to-face jawing, etc. It’s a bit too civil now for my taste!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. One of the great stories (and more interesting ones) to come out of the Masters this past weekend concerned Jeff Knox. You see, Rory McIlroy, one of the favorites to win the Masters when the week started, was dead last after the cut going into Saturday. He was 51st and since players go out in twosomes, Rory needed a marker (normally their professional playing partner) to go around the course with him. Jeff Knox, a club member, was chosen to be the marker and had the option of walking with McIlroy or playing with him. Since Jeff held the course record of 11-under 61, playing from the members’ tees, he decided to tee it up. They were the first ones out, played in three hours and five minutes before a huge gallery. Jeff played very, very well. He finished with a two-under 70 and beat McIlroy by one stroke! Now, that’s cool!

2. Speaking of golf, statistics say that every year, around one million golfers stop playing. The reasons given are that it is too expensive, too hard, and too elitist. I love golf, but I have to say the quitters are right on all three accounts. The lords of golf (primarily rich, white guys) need to find a way to make the game more enjoyable and more affordable to more people.

3. If you need help in your NCAA bracket next year and if Villanova makes the tournament, choose a team that is in the Wildcats’ bracket. In the last 10 years, the NCAA champion beat Villanova five times.

4. Lafayette held their Football Banquet this past Saturday to honor the 2013 Patriot League champions. Each player received a championship ring. I have to mention Mark Ross, a senior wide receiver. Mark caught 198 passes for 2811 yards and 27 TD’s in his career and was the team MVP. In addition, Mark was on the PL Academic Honor Roll, the Dean’s List, and was the PL Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He had a perfect 4.0 GPA. He garnered a great deal of well-deserved hardware on Saturday. He is a true scholar-athlete!

5. I hope you did well on your NCAA Frozen Four brackets office pool this year. You mean you didn’t fill out your hockey brackets? Obviously, there is a significant difference in national interest between the basketball and hockey championships. Union College beat the University of Minnesota 7-4 in the final. Union College has NO athletic scholarships and only 2,241 students. Union College is located in Schenectady, New York….but you probably knew that.

After the first week of major league baseball, I have a very clear (yeah, right) understanding of how the entire season will shake out. As far as I am concerned, there is no need to play any more games – let’s just get right to the Divisional Playoffs. I thought I would be so kind to tell you who will win the Divisions, the Pennants, and the World Series. I also think if you use any of these predictions, you are flat-out crazy.

American League

West
1. Oakland – I loved “Moneyball” and the system still seems to be working for GM Billy Beane.
2. LA Angels – Pujols, Trout and Hamilton could carry this team to the top, but won’t.
3. Seattle – Robinson Cano has to help.
4. Texas – The pitching staff is a huge question mark with all the injuries.
5. Houston – Manager Bo Porter told the team to “shock the world”. They would like to, but not with this lineup.

Central
1. Detroit – Tigers had the second-most wins (93) in AL last year. Another Miguel Cabrera season like last year and they could win more.
2. Kansas City – This team is on the rise – third last year means second this year.
3. Cleveland – They may have the best manager in the division; won 92 games last year; and could win it all. I am picking them third for no apparent reason.
4. Chicago White Sox – 63-99 last year. They should be better because they can’t be worse.
5. Minnesota – $24 million for former Yankee pitcher Phil Hughes – enough said!

East
1. Tampa Bay – I really like Joe Madden, the Rays’ manager – so much so, I have lost my reasoning power and picked them to win the Division.
2. Boston – Isn’t “Big Papi” now “Big Grand-Papi”? I do not think the Red Sox can possibly have the year they had last season.
3. New York Yankees – I wish the Blue Jays and Orioles were better so I could pick them lower!
4. Baltimore – Not bad last year – not good this year.
5. Toronto – Finished last in the East last season; they are better, but will still finish last in the East this year.

Tigers will win the AL pennant.

 National League

West
1. San Francisco – I know everybody is picking the Dodgers here, but Bruce Bochy is the best manager in the Division and he still has a good pitching staff.
2. LA Dodgers – Clayton Kershaw will win almost every five days and this team is solid. They are everybody’s choice (not mine) to win the National League West.
3. San Diego – In this spot last year; in this spot this year.
4. Arizona – Goldschmidt and Trumbo are not household names, but are good hitters and could move the D’backs higher in the standings.
5. Colorado – They will not improve on last year’s position because they did not improve on last year’s team.

Central
1. St. Louis – Great pitching; solid lineup; great organization. Nuts!! I wanted to pick the Pirates.
2. Pittsburgh – Needed more hitting prowess, but did not get any in the off-season. It’s hard to fathom that they will improve on last year’s record.
3. Cincinnati – They won 90 games last year and finished third. Could easily do the same thing this year. They need to switch divisions.
4. Cubs and Brewers will tie for the worst teams in this division.
5. See #4.

East
1. Washington – They do not seem to win the big games when they have to. However, they do have the best pitching staff in the League. If they don’t choke…
2. Philadelphia – Don’t ask me why. I just have a hunch and I think Ryne Sandberg will motivate this team the right way. Hold your breath, Phillies fans, that the old men stay healthy.
3. Atlanta – They always seem to find a way to win, but their depleted pitching staff will hurt them.
4. New York Mets – Hey, they’re the Mets and they can count their lucky stars that the Marlins are in this division.
5. Miami – Once again, they kept the payroll and the talent very low.

Dodgers win the Wild Card and the NL pennant.
The Dodgers will win the World Series, their first since 1988!

You heard it here first!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. “A tradition unlike any other”. That’s The Masters! And it will be unlike any other at least for the last 20 years because Tiger Woods will not be playing in it. Woods, due to his bad back, has played just 10 rounds on tour this year, breaking 70 just three times. So who will win? Well, Russell Henley, Patrick Reed, John Senden, Matt Every, and Matt Jones all have tour wins this year. Who???

2. I am writing this before the championship game, but how about the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship featuring Notre Dame and Connecticut? The two teams go into the final with combined 76-0 records. No final has ever featured two undefeated teams. Connecticut has won 44 straight, since losing on March 12, 2013 to Notre Dame.

3. “This first week of baseball will give us an indication of how bad the Phillies are or how good they just might be.” I wrote this in my blog last week. Well, the conclusion after the first two series with the Rangers and the Cubs is “no clue”. I thought they should have won every game against the Rangers (1-2) and did just fine against the Cubs (2-1). So, they were not so good and then pretty good. Stay tuned.

4. In case you are beating yourself up about your NCAA pool (and I am, for sure, since my administrative assistant TIED me!), let me offer a little solace. Out of 11 million brackets submitted to ESPN, only 612 had the Final Four. That is 0.00005%. I don’t even know how to SAY that percentage!

5. This year three teams were added to the Blue Mountain League and one left. Two of the new ones came over from the Tri-County League, which broke up after last season. They are the Northern Yankees and the Limeport Bulls. In addition, the Roseto Bandits entered as an expansion team. The Vynecrest Reds dropped out. The teams will each play 30 games, with six teams making the playoffs. Martins Creek won it all last year. RCN TV will cover the BML again this summer, assuming summer EVER gets here.