As I write this, Serena and Venus Williams are next scheduled to play one another in the fourth round at Wimbledon.  It will be the twenty-sixth time that the two sisters have met with Serena leading 14-11.  Venus is 34 and Serena is 33 years old.  It must be especially difficult for Serena to play against her older sister these days knowing that physically, Venus’ career is winding down with fewer Grand Slam title opportunities.

I racked my brain to think of other sibling rivalries or, to be honest, I just Googled “sibling rivalries in professional sports”.  There were some on the list that stretched the concept of “rivalry” because they did not really compete against one another. In the interest of competition, I have chosen the sibling winners, if there is one:

Ozzie and Jose Canseco (baseball) – Ozzie only played 24 games in the major leagues. Jose used steroids and squealed on his fellow players.  But Ozzie was so bad, Jose still wins.

Jason and Jeremy Giambi (baseball) – Jeremy’s career was one of obscurity and Jason’s was tainted by steroids.  No winner here, but Jose Canseco wins the steroid battle over Jason Giambi.

Tiki and Ronde Barber (NFL) – Tiki has records and Ronde has a Super Bowl win and records.  Ronde wins in a squeaker.

Rob and Rex Ryan (NFL) – I don’t like either one.  I refuse to call a winner here.

Leon and Michael Spinks (boxing) – They never fought each other; Michael lost only one fight, but Leon beat Muhammad Ali!  I call this one a draw and demand a rematch.

Eli and Peyton Manning (NFL) – Both have a Super Bowl win.  They seem to really like each other and root for one another all the time.  No real rivalry so no winner!

Lest you think I do not have the credentials to judge here, I will tell you that sibling rivalry was rampant in my house. I grew up with an older brother (six years older) and two younger sisters (one year younger and six years younger).  I don’t think my older brother cared for me that much.  He used to throw darts at my leg and was the happiest when he drew blood.  We settled disputes by putting on boxing gloves and fighting and do I have to remind you that he was six years older (how’s that for parenting?).  I never won.

Since I was always losing to my older brother, I, obviously by default, tormented my sisters.  I used to do whatever I could to upset the oldest one – you know, fake bugs in her hair, or squealing on her so she would be grounded (she spent more time confined to our yard than most of our trees).  I finally stopped when she hit me in the head with a roller skate.

My brother and I told my youngest sister she was adopted and promoted that lie for about seven years.  I’m sure we ruined her self-esteem for years to come.

You see, sibling rivalries are not supposed to be fun; they are not supposed to include wishing your brother or sister well; they are supposed to be highly competitive in all aspects of life.

UNTIL you grow up!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. In case you missed it, you can sleep better now knowing that P. Diddy ( aka “Puffy”, “Diddy”, “Sean Combs”) had his felony charges dropped this past week after his altercation with his son’s strength coach at UCLA. His son was chastised for missing a workout to attend the NBA All-Star game.  “Puff” was just being today’s parent.
2. ESPN says Pete Rose bet on Cincinnati Reds games as a player, not just as a manager. This information was allegedly found in a notebook that has been sealed for the past 26 years.  This may also seal Rose’s fate and keep him out of the Hall of Fame.
3. Sports Illustrated has chosen its Top 50 Fittest athletes in the world – 5. Dez Bryant; 4. Floyd Mayweather; 3. Usain Bolt; 2. Cristiano Ronaldo; 1. LeBron James.

If you want to see all fifty, go to: http://www.si.com/edge/photos/2014/08/05/sports-illustrated-fittest-50-athletes-sports/50

4. The Atlantic League, minor league baseball, adopted some rule changes this past week to speed up the game – Pitchers must deliver a pitch within 12 seconds with no one on base and batters must keep one foot in batter’s box; 2. Defensive teams get three 45-second timeouts per nine innings; 3. Relief pitchers get six warm-up pitches and must complete them in one minute; 4. Intentional walks require no pitches be thrown; 5. The rulebook strike zone will be enforced.  It’s already working – now, on to the Major Leagues!
5. I attended George Pektor’s basketball camp this week to talk to the players right before their lunch break. George is the 16-year-old I wrote about a few weeks ago who put together a camp for inner city kids who could not afford to attend on their own.  I was supposed to give an inspirational talk.  The tables were reversed; George, the coaches, and the kids inspired me!  Congratulations to all.

As a high school English teacher for almost thirty years, I used to get frustrated by the misconception about young people.  Based on newspaper reports and TV news, the only stories readers and viewers often saw about the young were reports of teenagers getting into trouble.  As a teacher, I saw so many really terrific young students, who far outnumbered the troubled ones, that I thought it unfair when people spoke of the “youth of today”.

This week offered up two very good examples of what I am talking about.  On Thursday night, the 45^th annual McDonald’s All-Star Football Classic was held.  This event is held every year to raise money for the many McDonald charities including the Ronald McDonald houses that offer a residence for the families of their hospitalized children.  The game has been responsible for raising close to a million dollars.

This year, 90 senior football players, cheerleaders, and their volunteer coaches suffered through two weeks of practice in extremely hot, humid, and wet weather in order to prepare for the game.  Their only “compensation” was a plaque signifying their participation and the RCN banquet on the eve of the game to thank them.

Their assignment is three-fold – have fun, play competitively, and fill the stands.  They met all their goals.

On Thursday afternoon, I was introduced to George Pektor.  He had just finished his sophomore year at Blair Academy.  George, also, attended Moravian Academy prior to this past year.  George Pektor is a special person.

He understands that he is a person of “privilege”.  He attends elite schools and has had many opportunities not afforded to many and, most importantly and most impressively, he knows it.  He, also, loves the game of basketball.  That love has taken him to a number of expensive AAU and travel basketball programs.  And, despite his young age, he came to realize that there are potentially many good inner city athletes who have not been offered the opportunities he has had.  He felt a duty to do something about that.

During the next two weeks, at the Jewish Community Center in Allentown, the very first GO PRO SKILLS CAMP will take place.  120 boys, ages 13-17, who would not be able to afford or participate in such a program, will learn basketball skills.  In addition, the program will offer both motivational and inspirational messages from both pro athletes and renowned coaches.  Athletic development, as well as personal development, for these young people, were George’s primary goals for the program.

This camp, like all the ones George attended, is expensive.  There were transportation costs, equipment costs, and unforeseen meal costs (the Jewish Community Center required more expensive kosher lunches be served).  Suffice it to say, George needed sponsors.  No problem.  He found seventeen of them!

The years in teaching and in athletics have taught me there are plenty of really good young people out there.

I met 91 of them this week alone!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. The US Open was professional golf at its most dramatic. The course was controversial, prime time TV, the play exhausting to watch at times, the finish spectacular.  ABC coined the phrase – “The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat”.  For this tournament it was the opposite – “The agony of defeat (Dustin Johnson’s missed putts) and the thrill of victory (Jordan Spieth wins it in the clubhouse).
2. I suppose that the ending of the US Open should have been bizarre considering that the golf course looked nothing like a golf course, but more like 30,000 people landed on Mars to watch greens become “browns”, water become “sand traps” (the color was the same), and golfers become lightheaded (Jason Day’ vertigo). Add the new and unfamiliar voices of FOX Sports, the inability, at times, for the cameras to follow the ball, and the overuse of the shot “tracker” and the entire event was most bizarre, indeed.
3. Dustin Johnson’s awful three-putt finish at the US Open did not come close to his final 11-over round in 2011 which included a triple-bogey and double-bogey on consecutive holes.
4. No one was more frustrated with Chambers Bay than Bill Horschel. Watch:

5. The “deflategate” suspension appeal by Tom Brady is this week. Roger Goodell will hear the case.

Guest blogger, Cathy Neelon, is filling in while Chris takes some time off.  Cathy is a member of the RCN-TV staff and an avid fan of horse racing.  Chris will return with a new blog June 29.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Saturday, June 6, 2015…

There I was, hunched over in my seat at Coca-Cola Park, in the midst of a crowd of waving, hollering IronPigs fans. With eyes closed and fingers jamming my earbuds as far into my ears as they could go without coming out the other side, I desperately tried to shut out all the noise and distraction so I could hear the faint sound of the radio broadcast of this year’s Belmont Stakes.

The closer to post time it got, the more hunched over I got, the more I ignored or waved off any attempts to engage me in conversation, and the more I wondered why oh why I had come to the game in the first place when my attention was clearly not on what was happening on the field right in front of me.

During the race itself, I was still as stone, listening to the call, gripping my smartphone, almost breathless, not daring to believe what I was hearing as the horses made their way down the backstretch, then rounded the far turn into home. During the run down the homestretch, I quickly wondered – after all the years of disappointments and near-misses, when would American Pharoah lose this one? Which horse would be the one to thwart yet another promising attempt at the title? Would I ever see another Triple Crown champion in my lifetime?

And then I had my answer.

The first words to go through my mind?

Holy…

I was stunned. He’d done it. I was shocked. American Pharoah was the Triple Crown champion. I almost couldn’t believe it. After so many fabulously hyped and talented horses had tried and failed, this colt had found success.

And somewhere in the background, I think there was a baseball game going on…

As most of my RCN Studio colleagues could tell you, I have long been a rabid fan of the Triple Crown races. Chris Michael himself could probably attest to the number of times that I’ve bugged him to include a horse racing topic in the ‘Roundtable’ section of “RCN Sports Talk” or piped in with a suggestion for an equine ‘Shoutout’ when Derby time came around each year. What many of my colleagues might not realize is exactly how long I’ve been a fan. And what I did not fully appreciate until this past Triple Crown season is just how much my experience of those three races has changed over the years.

My first Derby-Preakness-Belmont viewing came in 1977, the year of the sensational Seattle Slew. Cable TV was around, but not nearly as ubiquitous as it is today. We certainly didn’t have it yet at my house, so, like most of America, I watched the three races live on broadcast network TV. Like cable, consumer-grade VCRs were around but the market was still in a relative infancy, so chances were if you missed a race live, you were out of luck and had to wait to read about it in the newspaper the next day.

No doubt as a result of those early viewing limitations, the Triple Crown races became my first true “appointment TV”. For years afterward, on those three Saturday afternoons each year, you would not have been able to budge me from my lonely spot in front of the TV until the very end of each broadcast. Even now, my first inclination is to plant myself firmly in front of my TV at home and tune out as much of the rest of the world as possible. Don’t try to call me, don’t ask me to go out, don’t knock on the door – I won’t answer. It’s race time and I don’t want to miss a second of it.

However, times change. Technologies change. Personal circumstances change. I grew up, graduated from college and went to work for a TV production studio where occasionally I have to – gasp! – work on one or more of those sacred Saturday afternoons in May and June.

Usually the culprit has been our Grandview Speedway coverage. My fellow crew members on those productions have seen me go through contortions to get my live Derby-Preakness-or-Belmont fix.

A couple of times, I’ve poked my head through one of the side windows at the Grandview concession stand if they’ve had the race running on the TV in the kitchen; one of those times, I had to resort to listening to it on my old Sony Walkman (remember those?) while watching it because the volume on Grandview’s set was either turned off or busted. Most other times, when the kitchen TV was turned off, I listened to the races on the radio, either with the aforementioned Walkman or, more recently, with an app on my smartphone – pacing up and down behind the stands trying to find the quietest spot possible. At least two of those Saturdays ended in rainouts in Bechtelsville, and I either managed to catch the races on the set back at the studio office or had to settle for listening on the car radio on the drive back.

Despite all of those contortions and non-traditional viewing methods, all of those years had one thing in common. I managed to watch at least one of the three races per my original “appointment TV” mandate – live, alone, and in front of a traditional TV set.

And that held true for a long time. Until this year.

This year’s Kentucky Derby saw me at home, but with a dead TV set. I hadn’t yet signed up for MyRCN, so I couldn’t watch the Derby live online – and I was forced to listen to it through a radio app on my laptop computer. Hours later, I was able to watch a clip of NBC’s race coverage that had been posted on YouTube.

This year’s Preakness Stakes saw me at Grandview, pacing up and down by the production truck, earbuds in place as I listened to my smartphone app and relayed the dreadful Baltimore weather conditions and gratifying race results to my fellow crew members. Grandview ended up raining out that day and as soon as I got home, I popped onto YouTube to check the clips.

This year’s Belmost Stakes, as I mentioned back at the beginning of this post, saw me at Coca-Cola Park at an IronPigs game. In addition to listening live on my smartphone app, I was able to watch a delayed replay of the majority of the race on the park’s huge videoboard when the guys in the booth showed it between half-innings. Later on, there was the obligatory YouTube clip check at home and the reading of just about every online newspaper article on the race that I could find.

When I’d first realized the date on the game ticket, I had seriously considered staying home and giving my ticket away. It struck me that if American Pharoah won the Belmont, as he seemed likely to do, I would have experienced this Triple Crown in a completely different way than the last one 37 years ago.

1978 – I watched Affirmed take the Crown – on old-school live broadcast TV right down the line.
2015 – I “watched” American Pharoah take the Crown – via an weird amalgam of Internet, WiFi, radio, cable TV, websites, apps, mobile phone, videoboard and laptop computer.

Oh, what a strange new world…

One that I doubt my eleven-year-old self could ever have imagined.

RCN-TV does a large number of broadcasts.  The viewers at home get a glimpse of the announcers and they, hopefully, enjoy listening to them.  Fans often come up to those same announcers to tell them how much they enjoyed the broadcast, offer some trivia, and converse about the event.  That’s all well and good, but don’t forget the people who do the really hard, physical work behind the scenes – THE CREW!

This past week sure proved that.  As many of you know by now, RCN-TV is the production team for PCN (Pennsylvania’s Cable Network) when they broadcast the PIAA state baseball championships held in State College at the Penn State athletic complex.  That was true again this past week.

The crew arrived on Thursday to set up the wiring, the cameras, the announcing booth, the video connections, and the audio lines.  They left our studio in Bath at 7:00 AM and registered at the hotel after their work was done at @ 6:00 PM.  It was a ridiculously hot and humid day and they worked those hours in the heat and humidity.

On Friday, the day that the four games would be played, we all awoke to such humidity that when the crew arrived at the ball field at 7:00 AM, the air was so thick and heavy, that you could not see the scoreboard.  The saving grace for them, early on, was that the sun was not shining and there was a slight breeze.  That would change over the course of the day.

Despite three well-played games that fit the time frame quite nicely, the sun did come out and was searing for most of the day.  The temperatures reached the nineties; there were two rain-delays (one for ninety minutes that was accompanied by very dangerous lightning), extreme humidity, and one game that just seemed to last forever.  Suffice it to say that the conditions for the entire day were just awful.

I mentioned the crew arrived at 7:00 AM.  The last gold medal was awarded and we signed off the air at 10:15 PM – 15 hours and 15 minutes later!  My day was done.  The crew’s day was not.  Now they had to retrieve all the equipment they worked so hard to put in place the previous day – add another hour and a half – almost 17 full hours.

Four baseball champions were crowned on Friday at Medlar Park at Labrano Field. Unlike the baseball teams that played one game, the crew “played” every game.  The players and coaches all received gold medals and a championship trophy.  There should have been twenty more gold medals passed out that day.  Each member of the RCN-TV crew deserved one.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Congratulations to the Bethlehem Catholic and Parkland girls for winning the PIAA Class AAA and AAAA softball championships. To be the best in Pennsylvania is an amazing achievement.
2. Any weekend golfer knows that when you are just having a bad hole, you pick up and take double par as your score. Andrey Pavlov is a professional golfer and he did not have the “pick-up” option. On the first hole, a par five, in the Austrian Open, he scored a 17!  He hit the ball in the water hazard six times!  He shot a 90, by the way, 19 strokes worse than the he shot the day before.
3. As I write this, the Phillies have more losses and fewer wins than any other major league baseball team. Does that make them the absolute worst team in baseball?
4. As you know, I have never been a big fan of the NBA, but this current championship series has me hooked. I like the coaching, the effort, the defense, and the talent.  I will watch until the end.
5. Blue Mountain League baseball coverage begins this week on Tuesday night at 9:30. The McDonald’s All-Star football banquet and game are also this week on Wednesday and Thursday. Baseball, eating, and football – sounds like a good week.

RCN’s coverage of the state baseball playoffs this past weekend officially concludes the scholastic sports season in the RCN viewing area in Pennsylvania and the Washington, DC regions.

First, a few “shout-outs” for outstanding achievements for the spring sports season.

In the DC area, Bishop O’Connell HS softball coach Tommy Orndorff coached his 700th win as his Lady Knights defeated PVI, 10-0, in six innings.  The win came later in the season, making Coach Orndorff one of only a handful of coaches in the region—-in any sport—to win that many games.  Orndorff has coached at the school for 30 years and has compiled a winning percentage just south of .900.  In addition, he has led his squad to 19 Virginia Independent School State Tournament Championships and 21 Catholic League Tourney Titles.  Orndorff was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame this past November.

Also, special congratulations are in order for the Gonzaga lacrosse team, who won its sixth consecutive title in a very competitive region for the sport.  The Eagles is one of a few teams in our coverage area that has won repetitive lacrosse titles.  This year, they overcame obstacles and faced a very tough schedule en route to its “six-peat” season here in the spring of 2015.

And although we mentioned this last year here at the “SportsTalk Shop,” congratulations once again for an ultra-impressive spring season overall for the Parkland sports teams.  The Trojans were in EVERY District XI championship game, winning titles in baseball, girls lacrosse, tennis, softball and volleyball (also winning a PIAA title).  They also recorded impressive track-and-field numbers in boys and girls conference and district meets.

The Trojans’ tremendous spring brings their overall sports record to an impressive .690-winning percentage, and ups their total to 233 conference championships, 140 district championships and 12 state titles.  This doesn’t include all the individual honors racked up in sports like track, wrestling, tennis and golf.

Speaking of Parkland’s success, we will have a chance to honor its District XI 4A-winning football team at our next “RCN SportsTalk Gets Wild” show from Buffalo Wild Wings on Grape Street in Whitehall, on Thursday, June 25^, from 7-8 pm.  Head Coach Jim Morgans, his coaching staff and members of last year’s team will be in attendance as they talk about last year’s success, its controversial finish to last season, and look ahead as they try to defend their title once again against Easton, Whitehall and a number of other teams in the area that will all be improved from a year ago.

We’ll also be doing a fund-raising event that day at Buffalo Wild Wings, focusing on a great charity in the RCN viewing area.  Keep checking back to the RCN website for details on this great opportunity to support a local organization and make sure you mark your calendar to come out and support the Trojans and local football in person. http://www.buffalowildwings.com/en/locations/Detail/0474

Before we close the door on this spring sports season, here’s a final sampling of some of the teams we featured over the last few weeks on our Thursday “RCN SportsTalk” program (you can view these features in its entirety and all of our spring sports packages by viewing our “SportsTalk” shows through RCN On-Demand).

If you happen to go through high school sports withdrawal over the next several weeks, remember that the fall season’s “double sessions” begin in less than two months.  In fact, many schools have already started their “conditioning drills” for the autumn sports season, so it won’t be long until football, soccer and other popular sports will be in full swing once again!

Tiger Woods played at the Memorial this past weekend.  He just made the cut on the very last hole.  This was a man who did not miss a cut for seven years!  On Saturday, he shot the worst score of his competitive career, an 85!  He hit seven fairways, nine greens in regulation, hit four balls into the water, and missed three putts inside of five feet.  Zac Blair (who?) played with Tiger on Saturday and beat him by 15 shots!

And, perhaps, that was not the most embarrassing part of the weekend for Tiger.  Because there were an odd number of players who made the cut, Tiger played the final round as the first one out for the day and he had to play by himself!!  He shot a 74 and finished in last place.  I know there are “Tiger-haters” out there and they are probably happy to see him fail.  I, for one, thought that this was a sad moment for one of the greatest ever in his profession.

This got me to thinking about some of the great “falls” in professional sports.

Pete Rose
I just loved watching the way he played the game of baseball.  He just exuded energy and enthusiasm for the game, became the career hits leader, and was destined for the Hall of Fame.  And then, there was the betting scandal, tax evasion, and imprisonment.  And still no Hall of Fame.

Lenny Dykstra
All his problems began after his baseball career – there was bankruptcy, concealing baseball gloves and other souvenirs that were supposed to be part of the bankruptcy, imprisonment, grand theft auto, and filing a false financial statement.  He was never able to “hustle” his way to success after baseball.

Lance Armstrong
He won the Tour de France seven times.  He beat cancer.  He was an American icon.  Turns out, he was a cheater who finally admitted to doping.

Marion Jones
She won five medals in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and an NCAA basketball championship at North Carolina, but she used performance-enhancing drugs.  She spent six months in jail for lying to a grand jury.

Michael Vick
Football was not enough competition for him.  He decided to finance a dog fighting group.  That turned out to be a serious crime and a public relations nightmare.  He, too, went to prison.

These are just a few of the great falls from grace.  There are plenty of others – baseball’s Ryan Braun, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, remember Tonya Harding, Oscar Pistorius, etc.

After thinking about these infamous athletes, I come away thinking Tiger’s problems with the “sticks” are not so bad.  Let’s hope that he thrills us a few more times in his career.

When I have a bad round of golf, I always use the excuse that “I’m working on things.”  At least, Tiger can continue to “work on things”.  You can’t say that for the others.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. As everyone knows, American Pharoah broke the 37-year Triple Crown jinx by winning the Belmont Stakes. The race took two minutes and 26 seconds.  The broadcast took two hours and 45 minutes!  NBC did an outstanding job with all the back stories, the atmosphere, and the actual race.  Jockey Victor Espinoza became extremely likable as the story unfolded and I’m sure was forgiven for his expletive right after winning.  Great story!
2. Since this blog talks about the demise of some of the greatest athletes, how about the amazing success of Serena Williams. She won the French Open even though she was not physically at full strength.  This was her 20^th Grand Slam singles victory of her career.  She, arguably, is the best women’s player ever.
3. For the first time in NBA history, the first two games in the finals went overtime. Two great teams with great players.  I actually watched both and was thoroughly entertained and awed by the talent.  And both teams played defense!
4. On Saturday night, the NHL playoffs continued and Tampa beat Chicago 4-3 to even that series at 1-1. There was an allowed goal that should not have been, a goaltender who left the game twice, a rookie goaltender who had five saves on five shots, and hockey at its best.
5. The RCN-TV crew will be heading to Penn State and Labrano Park for the PIAA state baseball championships to be played on Friday. The broadcasts will be LIVE on PCN beginning at 10:00 AM.

For the last several months, people have been playing the role of Phillies General Manager, trading players right and left without the burdening restrictions of having to negotiate with another team.  They’ve theorized about trading Cole Hamels for three future MVPs while swapping Ryan Howard and Jonathon Papelbon for a pair of Cy Young award winners.  However, until we get to mid-June, it is EXTREMELY rare for a major deal—no matter how optimistic you are–to actually come to fruition.

Now that we are entering the legitimate trading season, one can start seriously examining potential trade candidates as the Phillies look to move its higher-priced veterans.  The Phillies have holes in multiple areas, so, much like with the NFL or NBA Draft, they must look to acquire and stockpile talent, and not necessarily key in on a specific position.  But before checking out other teams’ prospects or reviewing this year’s MLB draft too closely, let’s take a look at what the Phils could look like in the near future.

As far as timetable, I’m looking at late 2016 (for the optimists), or more probably 2017.  This is an “as-is” lineup—looking only at the players currently in their system.  Keep in mind, this is assuming Philadelphia is able to unload ALL of its veterans.  This is unlikely, if, for no other reason than the Phillies are trying (struggling?) to get equal value in return.  Also, while I’ve been huge fans of Darin Ruf and Cody Asche, I have to admit that having both of them as everyday players on a team that (hopefully) will be successful may be a bit of a stretch and perhaps a platoon situation could eventually develop between the two of them.  With that, let’s pencil in a look into the Phillies’ future (stats are MLB-level, unless indicated otherwise).

Starting Lineup
CF                   Roman Quinn (.302 BA, .351 OBP, 27 for 36 in SB attempts in double-A )
SS                    J. P. Crawford (recently promoted to double-A after hitting .392 in 20 games in single-A Clearwater)
RF                   TBD
3^rd Base           Maikel Franco (a team-high slugging percentage (.529); 2^nd in home runs (6) despite only playing 22 games)
LF                   Cody Asche (.237 / .277 / .331, 2 HR, 6-RBI in 39 games)
1^st Base            Darin Ruf (3 HR, 10-RBI when he does get a chance to play)
2^nd Base           Odubel Herrera / Freddy Galvis / Caser Hernandez
Catcher            Jason Knapp / Deivi Grullon (ONLY assuming a gigantic, progressive leap ahead of their development schedule)

Starting Rotation
Ace                  TBD
#2                    TBD
#3                    Aaron Nola
#4                    Zach Eflin
#5                    Ben Lively / Tom Windle / Matt Imhof / Jesse Biddle
Closer            Ken Giles

Now for some explanations…

• I don’t think there is a legitimate #3 hitter currently in the organization:  a clutch player you want up to bat with the game on the line, and someone who can hit for power and average on a consistent level.  I have a hard time banking on anyone currently in the farm system for this role.  Franco might be that guy, and I’ve seen flashes of plate-patience needed for this spot, but I would really like for them to try to look for a guy to fill this spot in the batting order.  Keep an eye on this week’s MLB draft.  While there are seemingly more top pitching options than hitters available (the Phillies first selection overall is #10), a shrewd big bat pick-up, if one’s available, could go a long way in solving the issue.  For more on this week’s draft and insights on prospects, you can check out last week’s “RCN SportsTalk” On-Demand featuring ESPN Draft Analyst Eric Longenhagen.
• Who’s your Right Fielder?  In my opinion, they might not have a “true” right fielder outside of Aaron Altherr or even Kelly Dugan anywhere on their “top 20 prospects” chart.  I was optimistic Cam Perkins could be the guy but he took a major step backwards after struggling at Triple-A last season (for the record, he was just named Eastern League Player of the Week in double-A).  Asche, Ruf, Brown, Revere and probably Herrera (assuming Quinn takes his spot in center field) are all better suited to playing left and would not be an everyday option to play right.  Take current Phillie Jeff Francour’s ability to patrol right field and slap it on any of the others’ offensive potential and you might have something.  But as a guy who thinks this team still needs to make strides defensively, I think one of their targets needs to be a regular right field option.
• The organization is still in desperate need of receivers.  I placed Knapp (more offensive minded) and Grullon (more of a defensive presence) here but neither really is expected to reach Philly before 2018.  Any significant blue-chip offensive weapons would be welcome, but it would be A LOT easier to buy into a sooner-rather-than-later turnaround if they could pick up a legit top prospect behind the dish.  I did get a chance to see Gabe Lino play at Lehigh Valley last week and he does showcase a strong arm.  Lino has thrown out 45 of 101 attempted base-stealers over the last year-and-a-half at single-A and double-A.
• Dominic Brown is not on this list.  There is no way the Phillies could convince me they don’t have serious reservations about his future with the ball club.  The organization has brought up Franco and transformed Asche into an outfielder before they’ve contemplated bringing Brown up to the Big Club…the fact he’s still in Triple-A despite an improved swing is further evidence of this.  Unless he makes a dramatic improvement in his overall game, I really don’t think he’ll be more than a role player on any Phillies team beyond this season.
• In addition to a number-three hole hitter, I’m not enamored with the idea of Asche or Ruf hitting behind the clean-up hitter.  On top of all the other position player-needs, they could probably use another RBI-type bat to come from…somewhere?
• People are clamoring for Nolan, Eflin, Lively, et al due to their success at Reading, and I, too, am anxious to see them perform in Philadelphia…at some point.  Remember, however, Nola is their number-one pitching prospect, yet still is projected as just a number-three/middle-of-the-rotation hurler.  Even if he continues his success at the higher levels, the Phillies will need at some point to add one, or two, stalwarts to their starting staff.  Oh, if they only had a player the caliber of Cole Hamels on board….

What do you think of this Phillies lineup of the future?  Am I missing an in-house prospect who could realistically crack the starting lineup in the next 12-18 months?  Is there a young player out there you think the Phillies need to make a real push to acquire?  Email me your thoughts to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and we might read/respond to your comments on an upcoming addition of “RCN SportsTalk” on RCN-TV.  Be sure to mark your calendars and set your TiVO schedules: on July 2^nd, our special guest will be Associated Press’s MLB writer Rob Maaddi to discuss the Phillies, Nationals and other sports issues.

Last week we took a look at the 76ers lottery “success”  and their outlook to the June 25th NBA Draft.  Today, we take a look at a Wizards team that finds itself looking to continue building on its already established core.

After a sweep over Toronto in the opening round of NBA Playoffs, the Wizards want to take the next step in going further than a six-game, round-two playoff loss to a Hawks team–that in turn was bounced in four-straight by Lebron James and the Cavaliers.  No matter what Washington does in the draft along, they still would not much up well–right now–in a seven game series against James, J.R. Smith and a steady and effective (but not spectacular) frontcourt.  However, I think they can still take a dramatic step “forward” (pardon the pun) by added a big man this off-season.

First of all, I don’t think Kris Humphries is, or will ever be, a starting power forward that can take you to the next level.  Nene did not look very impressive during the Atlanta series and will be entering the final year of his contract.  If  Paul Pierce returns, you’ll still need someone down the road that you can depend on to start at the four spot.  While a team should always select talent over need, the Wizards should have the benefit of doing both, with several quality power forwards available when their turn in the draft comes around.  Here’s a few of the players to consider:

BOBBY PORTIS, PF (Arkansas) — Nearly a double-double guy for his college career (18 ppg, 9 reb last year), who also shot well (just under 75%) from the free throw line this past season.

CHRISTIAN WOOD, PF (UNLV) — Wood is bouncing around the 20-ies in most national mock draft versions.  However, he could be the best available, and most polished, power forward on the board at #19.  I don’t think he’ll stay available for long if Washington doesn’t pick him.

KEVON LOONEY, F (UCLA) — He’s a little undersized right now (he’s only a freshman) if you need him to play the ‘four.’ I saw him play several times on TV and I liked the way he rebounded and seemed very athletic.  He would definitely need a year or two of development and would not make an immediate impact, which is a concern for a team that is looking to improve next year to get to the next level.  However, he might have the best upside of any forward still available at this point in the draft.

TREY LYLES, F, (Kentucky) — I’m not a big fan of the Kentucky program overall, but the Wizards could benefit from a big man who can shoot from the outside.  If the Wizards want to at a big man with range–and don’t want to pursue a player like this in free agency–then they might want to take Lyles with their pick.  He might have the lowest ceiling of the four guys mentioned here, but he might just be the most reliable pick who, at worst, would give you some nice depth in your frontcourt in the very near future.

While there are also several free agent options available that can occupy the four spot, I think it would make sense for the team to take a long look at these four guys.  I think you can count on the Wizards’ front office to do due diligence over the next few weeks in working out these and other potential draftee.  If they feel one can develop into a steady, starting player, they’ll take a run at a college player, and look to add some depth elsewhere via the free agent market.

As far as trading, I don’t think Washington is in a position of strength in terms of trying to move up—or down—in the draft and think their best bet will be to make a selection right where they are at the #19 slot.  They already have a solid foundation of players to build around.  Plus, I was impressed by the continued growth of John Wall this past season.  Speaking with people who covered the team this past year on our “SportsTalk” program, they all remarked at the maturation of the fourth-year player, and his overall goal to make those around him better—something that I think will continue for future seasons.

With a solid first round selection, and a free agent pick-up or two (especially a bigger player who could stretch opposing team’s defenses), the Wizards should be able to upgrade and keep their momentum going for the 2015-16 season.

What are your thoughts on the Wizards’ potential draft picks?  What do you think are the team’s most pressing needs going into next season?  Email us your sports comments and opinions at any time to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and catch our next live show, this Thursday, June 4^th from 7-8pm on RCN-TV.

Everybody has an opinion.  We hear it all the time. That’s especially true when the conversation turns to sports – the more passionate the subject, the more vehement the position.  I suppose I am no different.  But there is one new area in college athletics that has me on the proverbial “fence”.  I just do not know where I stand.

There is a new eligibility rule that will go into effect in 2016 for high school athletes looking to compete in college athletics as a freshman.  The rule, adopted in 2012, requires that a high school athlete has a grade point average of 2.3 (up from 2.0) in 16 (up from 13) core courses, 10 of which must be completed by the junior year.  The NCAA adopted the change to insure young athletes are more academically prepared for the rigors of college academics.  This standard must be achieved in order for a student-athlete to play as a college freshman.

The new standards will most impact college basketball and football. The NCAA reported in a poll taken in 2010 that, under the new standard, 43% of college basketball players and 35% of football players would not have been eligible to play as freshmen (15% for all athletes).

The NCAA likens this to an academic redshirt year.  Students can still receive scholarships and practice with the team and be considered a freshman the following year in terms of eligibility.  The hope is that students are as academically prepared for the demands of college as much as being athletically prepared.  It sounds good.

On one hand, requiring greater standards for college students cannot be a bad thing especially in light of the grading scandals that have occurred recently at some of the more revered college programs.  Some would certainly argue that a student who cannot meet this minimum requirement does not belong in college anyway.

Many coaches, however, disagree.  They point to the fact that a student’s senior year in high school has little or no value if minimum standards have already not been met by their junior year.  The NCAA found that 37% of New York students and 44% of Philadelphia students would not be certified to play under the new rule.  Historically, that number had been about 10%.  Some coaches feel that the new rule unfairly targets young minority athletes from both low-income homes and less than stellar school districts.  Add to that, those who go to prep school can only use one course to apply for certification.  The critics of the rule cite many examples of student-athletes who used the opportunity to attain a college degree to create a better life.

I would be happy to tell you where I stand on this issue, but I just don’t know.  But I will be quite interested to follow the ramifications of the new rule.  Will students adapt and raise their personal standards and achieve more or will fewer students ever get the opportunity to attend college as a reward for their athletic abilities?  Stay tuned.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. The Stanley Cup final should be great – Tampa Bay is the #1 offensive team and the Chicago Blackhawks are the #1 defensive team. Both teams are exceptionally quick and loaded with talent.  Well worth watching.
2. Steven Bowditch (ever hear of him?) won the AT&T Byron Nelson Golf Championship on Sunday. It was his second win in two years.  So what? Read his story, however, and you will be quite amazed that he is ever got to play: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/05/steven-bowditch-suicide-clinical-depression-to-win-on-the-pga-tour
3. What happens to World Cup soccer if the best teams in Europe do not show up? That seems to be a plan being considered in order to force reform from FIFA after 14 officials were charged this past week by the FBI for numerous offenses.  The plan – no viable teams = no sponsors = drastic changes within FIFA.
4. I just finished the District XI baseball playoffs, but I never saw anything like the AAA championship finish in Washington this past week. Watch what happened:

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/05/high-school-baseball-teams-walk-off-win-called-back-after-players-celebrate-too-early

5. Remember when the Phillies had a six-game winning streak? I bet you thought – “There’s a chance!”  As of Monday they have lost six straight, eight of 10, are 10 games out of first place and the Reds and Giants are coming to town.  The only question now is: Who gets fired first?

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll take a look at the two NBA teams in the RCN viewing area and how they’ll approach this year’s NBA Draft, which will commence on June 25.

Today, a look at your Philadelphia 76ers.

#1:  “The #3 Pick Wasn’t That Bad”
I know fans of “the tank” were hoping the franchise’s record losses would result in a mammoth takeover by the Sixers in this year’s draft.  (The “#OneSixEleven” movement was trending before the lottery got underway last week).  However, the main objective of the team doing so poorly over the last few years is to secure marquee names.  In my opinion, there are really only three of these available in this year’s draft class (sorry, I’m not buying into the whole Emmanel Mudiay frenzy).  It looks as though D’Angelo Russell will be the most probable player left over after the number-one (Timberwolves) and the number-two (Lakers, as of now) picks are selected.  Adding a second (not likely) or even a third (barely even conceivable) top 11 pick would have shifted the Sixers’ rebuild into overdrive.  However, it is far more important to the philosophy in place that they gather another major name now, and then fill in with several above-average players in future years, either through future picks and/or trades/free agency.  In fact, I think it was more beneficial for Philadelphia to have picked up one of the three best college players in the country, rather than get two picks  beyond the top three or four selections.  Ignoring the pie-in-the-sky options and given the odds and the criteria of the NBA lottery, I think Sixers fans should be very happy with their team’s outcome with a number-three selection.

#2 “The MCW Trade Worked Out After All”
Regardless of whether you prefer Russell or Mudiay, the 76ers should be getting a premiere guard who can play either the ‘one’ and ‘two’ spot on the floor.  While the trade of last year’s Rookie of the Year initially rattled the “#InHinkieWeTrust” fan base, dealing Michael Carter-Williams is now looking like a very smart deal.  The 76ers will get their front-line perimeter player to go along with their bigs (Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and eventually Dario Saric) inside.  Eventually, Philadelphia will also get an additional first round pick (a 1-3 protected pick in 2016 and 2017, unprotected in 2018), which can enhance the team’s roster.  They also unloaded a player who will probably never have as much trade value as he had this past season, without really losing out on a few months of MCW’s services in what was a meaningless season anyway.  The team can look to take its first significant step forward in this rebuilding process, as long as they abide by point #3.

#3  “Don’t You DARE Trade THIS Pick”
At a time when the Philadelphia sports fans’ patience is being stretched beyond its reasonable limits, the Sixers fans have tolerated, if not embraced, the “Together We Tank” theory.  Record-setting losing streaks have not jettisoned the fan base.  In fact, I’ve seen a resurgence in 76ers fans’ passion lately, seemingly (and strangely) invigorated by the losing.  After weathering some minor drama following the MCW deal, the fans have continued to support the team despite radical decisions and some insane comments by the 76ers’ front office (don’t even get me started on the multiple reports of Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil’s “Ferraris in the driveway” abomination).

However, if Philadelphia passes up this opportunity to get a major name, whether it be Russell, Mudiay, Jahlil Okafor or even Karl-Anthony Towns, this region will boil over with disgust.  The prospect of another full season of NBA D-League retreads occupying a majority of roster spots without a prominent name to join Noel and Embiid to start the season would destroy all the positive mojo that has been building over the last couple of seasons.  Public opinion (not to mention Head Coach Brett Brown) would rail against this regime if they trade away their highly placed pick this time around.  The 76ers made out well in the numbers game with the lottery, and have put themselves in a situation that would make it nearly impossible to NOT improve for the 2015-16 season.  A “trade down” would, at best, slow down the resurgence, and it could take years (and maybe millions of free agent dollars) to get a starting guard at the caliber available to them.  After several questionable, albeit seemingly positive moves, an incorrect decision leading up to June 25 could be disastrous for both the short-term and long-term goals of the organization.

Who do you think the 76ers should draft with their number three pick…and do you think, if Towns or Okafor become available, Philadelphia should pick up another ‘big’ and then swing a deal for a guard?  Email us your sports opinions anytime at RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and tune into our next live “SportsTalk” show, on Thursday, June 4^th at 7pm.