Gary will be returning with a new blog on August 11. 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.
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Only those who have ever earnestly invested themselves emotionally in the life of a chosen major league sports franchise will understand the following. Others need not indulge me. I’m not talking about the weekend warrior here. I’m talking about those loyalists who pass along their rooting legacies to their young children, who risk otherwise happy marriages, whose palms sweat in the late innings of innocuous game number 86 sometime in July, or during final fourth quarter drives in late September. I’m talking about those for whom the major national and religious holidays include the first day of spring training and the start of OTAs in the middle of summer. I’m talking about those of us for whom the line between healthy diversion and debilitating vice has become dangerously blurred. How debilitating, you ask?

I have been a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball and the NFL’s Cleveland Browns for the past half century.

Those of you who’ve read this far may be old enough to remember a time when such loyalties could be deemed well-placed. Younger folks, on the other hand, will have the sense that the author here is the Marquis de Sade. But remember, we’re talking cornerstone franchises here – Rust Belt cities where these respective sports were born and whose roots run deep. These were franchises that represented the best in us – blue collar players who bled for blue collar towns with a blue collar effort…and yes, an occasional championship. These were franchises that actually did have glory days. To underscore such history, the Browns are likely the only franchise that has ever effectively traded its owner. When Art Modell took his collection of football paraphernalia to Baltimore, a city revolted and fought the good fight to keep its soul at home. I mean, who are “The Ravens” anyway? The name, the colors, the records, and the memories are where they should be – with the Cleveland Browns. But I digress.

Once the NBA Syracuse Nationals left my hometown in 1963 for greener pastures in Philadelphia, I became the very young resident of a city without a major sports franchise. In retrospect, I was in essence a free agent fan lured not by big contracts and perennial championships, but rather by the enticements that all kids gravitate toward – cool team colors, gaudy box scores, a first trip to a big league stadium, and extended family influences. How could I have known that the two teams of my choosing would represent rival cities, 90 miles apart, and whose fan behavior toward one another on game day would make the Bloods and the Crips blush?

But how I arrived at this precarious place – a die-hard fan of two franchises whose decades-long run of ineptitude has been nothing short of epic – is a story for another time. My younger friends and even my own children have come to look at me with a mixture of sympathy and incredulity. Why would an otherwise normal person, not a resident of either town, actually choose to follow these teams? Only recently, the Pirates set a DiMaggio-like record for franchise futility, failing to reach .500 during a streak spanning two full decades. Be aware, that includes all franchises from all major professional sports – not just baseball. But even by the Browns’ more recent standards, the Pirates have been in a good place.

Remember, this is a franchise (the Browns) whose failures have been classic. So iconic have their heartbreaks been that they’ve christened them in a sort of morbid remembrance. Even casual NFL fans know of them by name. So while the Steelers have “The Immaculate Reception,” the 49ers, “The Catch,” and the Titans (who are they, anyway), “The Music City Miracle,” we Browns fans are left to ponder “Red Right 88,” “The Drive,” and “The Fumble.” Even our stadium has been unofficially dubbed, “The Factory of Sadness.” I could go on, but you get my point.

And still, fully aware of my own fatal attraction, as my Pirate summers would all too soon inevitably melt into baseball oblivion, I could always turn to Cleveland’s football-version of Christmas morning: Draft Day. And like most gifts on Christmas morning, the newness and glitter of the next promising draft class would soon fade, as the promising packages of highly-touted future stars invariably represented as so many lumps of coal. And just as quickly I’d be back to the Bucs, trying to keep up with which veterans they’d jettison to contending teams at the trade deadline for more promising prospects – again, and again…and again. Perennial sellers.

And so the cycle would go: year, after year, after excruciating year. My children are grown now. As heirs to my Browns-Bucs plight, they’ve witnessed and lived through the years of frustration. And if I’ve failed to teach them anything worthwhile, at least loyalty and persistence haven’t been among the lessons lost.

None of my kids are named Job, (though my wife, Julie, is most certainly the female equivalent) but maybe, just maybe, they are about to experience the Biblical lesson for which he is known.

Clint Hurdle has at long last energized the baseball ghosts of Clemente and Mazerowski in Pittsburgh. And anyone who still believes that “there’s no crying in baseball” wasn’t witness to the Bucco’s wild card win over the Reds last October. One TBS broadcaster’s eloquence captured the moment that night. As the camera panned the packed stadium and the hysterical crowd, I heard him say, “Now I know what 20 years of frustration, unleashed and dressed in black and gold, looks like.” How can you not love the romance of baseball?

And even Cleveland’s (new again) football front office has NFL followers taking notice with the drafting of Johnny Manzeil. That gift hasn’t been opened yet, but there it sits. And if nothing else, Browns football is relevant again and hope springs eternal.

So you’ll please excuse me if I guffaw at the plight of the Cubs or the Curse of the Bambino. Pittsburgh football fans have had the Steelers, and Cleveland’s baseball folks have at least sniffed success with the Indians (and, of course, the “Return of the King” this NBA season). But for a fan whose enduring loyalties forever shift with the seasons between the castaway teams of these two cities – summers in Pittsburgh and autumns in Cleveland – a new standard has to have been set for, well, I’ll let you fill in the blank. My family and close friends have given up trying.

Gotta run. The Pirates are on the west coast, so it’ll be a late night. And the Browns are into their first week of training camp. Have to see how the QB competition between Hoyer and Manzeil is going.

Finally, it’s the most wonderful time of the year!!

With Chris Michael taking a few vacation days off this week, we ask “RCN SportsTalk” co-host Joseph Lynnwood Craig to offer his opinion on a hot issue going on in the sports world. Joe has his own 30-second segment on the TV show (in which he usually runs well-over his time limit) in which he sounds off on a local or national sports issues each week, and he’s been chomping at the bit to get an opportunity to express his views on the “SportsTalk Shop” blog.

The baseball trade deadline is this week and so far there has been no movement from the Philies. This is not surprising. The Phillies should just sit pat until the season is over. At that point, they need to make changes at the General Manager, scouting, and player development level. Once new people are in place, then player changes can take place. Trust in the present G.M. and staff is non-existent and changes in decision-makers have to take place first. And that’s Joe’s take.

What do you think of “Joe’s Take” on the plight of the Phillies and the trade deadline? Post a comment below on whether you agree or disagree with Mr. Craig’s opinion.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has canceled the Washington Redskins’ trademark registration. They did it because they considered the name “disparaging to Native Americans.” This would mean that the team would NOT have exclusive rights to the trademark, thus allowing others to sell merchandise using the Redskins’ logo – possibly a PR and financial disaster. Owner Dan Snyder has vowed never to change the name and has appealed the decision of the Patent Office.

There are other examples of teams dealing with similar controversy. In 1997, the Washington Bullets looked to change their name because of the rise of gun violence across the country. They became the Washington Wizards. Not the best choice since Washington is predominantly African-American and a “wizard” is the name for someone highly ranked in the Ku Klux Klan. This was a true case of “out of the pan, into the fire.”

The Kansas City Chiefs have faced attacks similar to the Redskins, but they have fought any attempt to change their name. So, too, have the Atlanta Braves. They have discontinued use of their “screaming Indian” logo, but continue to come under fire by Native Americans. Other teams of note are the Chicago Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks (considered a derogatory term for Canadians), the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Indians, even the Boston Celtics (their pot-bellied, pipe-smoking Irish leprechaun has been considered offensive by some).

Perhaps the worst choice came when an Ontario professional baseball team called themselves the London Rippers named after Jack the Ripper and their logo featured the image of Jack holding a baseball and a bat in a very menacing way. Fortunately, the team suffered financial problems and lasted only one season.

So, what’s in a name? Well, there once were more than 3,000 American Indian mascots and names used in athletic programs across K-12 programs in the US. More than two-thirds of those have been changed. So, amid all the controversy, it does appear that eventually all teams will have to consider what underlying meanings their nicknames and logos contain and whether tradition wins out over real and/or perceived insult.

Watching the appeal process by the Washington Redskins versus the US Patent and Trademark Office will be very interesting. I believe, since the trademark was first registered over 40 years ago, the Redskins will win their appeal. Whether they win in the court of public opinion, however, is a completely different story. Here, I suspect they will lose. There are just too many groups, ironically, “circling the wagons.”

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. Now that baseball is past the mid-season, are Phillies’ announcers Jamie Moyer and Matt Stairs improving? They certainly had plenty of room to get better and generated a great deal of negative criticism when the season began. My feeling is they are getting a wee bit better. Stairs still has trouble with mumbling and completing sentences. Moyer’s is more interesting, but his delivery is just plain boring. From the reports I have read, Comcast sees them as works in progress. They believe they are getting better and have confidence in their ability to stay long-term. I do not see the Philly fans being so patient.

2. The Phillies started the season at 15:1 odds to win their division. That has now dropped to 100:1 and even that seems too high. The Cubs, by the way, are 1000:1 to win their division and the Astros are 5000:1. Right now it looks like the Dodgers against the Angels in the World Series.

3. With football camps now beginning their workouts, you might be interested in the Las Vegas odds for the 2015 season. The Seattle Seahawks are favored to win the NFC Championship and the Denver Broncos are favored to win the AFC title (sound familiar?). Seattle beat Denver 43-8 in the Super Bowl last year. The Broncos are 6:1 odds to win the Super Bowl. Most fans felt the same way last year. The Eagles are 15:1 to win the NFC and 28:1 to win the Super Bowl, listed as the 10th best team in the NFL.

4. Speaking of last year’s Super Bowl, it was the most watched television program in history with 111.5 million viewers. The halftime show which featured Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers had 115.3 million viewers. I guess many of the wives just wanted to watch the concert.

5. A final note concerning the Blue Mountain League. The teams are in the playoffs now with the semifinals and finals on the horizon. If the playoff games are as competitive as the regular season, get out and watch a game. It is good baseball.

One of the really nice perks about my job is the free admittance to sporting events. Granted, I have to “work” once I get there, but purchasing a ticket to an event is pretty foreign to me. Add to that the fact that I have a good seat; I get to talk to the players and the coaches; I can converse with the fans; and, sometimes, I even get free food. It’s all good.

There are some sporting events, however, I would like to attend ONCE in my life and to do that, I would probably have to buy a ticket like any other fan. So I investigated the price (in 2013) to attend some of the events on my list (obviously, in the manner I am accustomed to):

1. The Masters golf tournament – a four-day pass would cost me $4,486. I would need to travel to Augusta, Georgia, find lodging, eat for four days, and pay exorbitant prices on the grounds. I am guessing a total price around $6,000.

2. The Super Bowl – the average face-value price for a ticket for the Ravens vs the 49ers in 2013 was $1,210. Tickets were sold, it was reported, for as much as $316,000.

3. The BCS College football championship – For this one, I think I would like to sit in a luxury box suite. After all, I am used to broadcasting college football from a nice suite with free food and drink available. The best price I could find was $250,000 for the accommodations. I would be able to invite some friends – maybe I could get a half dozen to kick in $50,000 each. I am not against making a profit here.

4. Game 7 of the NBA Championship – that happened in 2010 when the Lakers met the Celtics. To sit at courtside (why would I want to sit anywhere else?) required that I purchase two tickets minimum for a cost of $115,000.

5. Major League Baseball’s All-Star game – Another event where if you wanted to sit behind home plate, you needed to purchase two tickets. That would set you back $7,200. I wonder what a hot dog and soda would cost me. Maybe I could sneak in my own peanuts.

My list may differ greatly from yours. So allow me to quickly give you some “ballpark” figures for some other major events:

Championship boxing – ringside – $30,940.
Stanley Cup Final – average price in 2013 – $1,380.
Wimbledon Championship Finals – If you are “unfortunate” to have a British finalist
(Andy Murray in 2013), and decided to buy a ticket the day of the final, it would set you back $65,000.
Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics – only $4,000.

AND, if you got caught up in the World Cup this year and were wondering what it cost to attend the championship final – a mere $990. The problem here is you have to get to Brazil – from my house, it was @$3,000 for flight and hotel!

My top five would cost me around $375,000 or so just for the tickets. My air-conditioned house, comfortable recliner, hi-def TV, and easy access to snacks and drinks have me reconsidering attendance. With the money I’ll save, I think I’ll Google the nearest Porsche dealership.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. The Derek Jeter All-Star salute last Tuesday night was very special. I particularly loved the late Yankee PA announcer Bob Sheppard’s introduction of Jeter. It was the perfect touch, along with allowing Jeter to run off the field in the fourth inning.

2. An interesting side note on Jeter’s career. Dan Szymborski of ESPN has created a formula called ZiPS (sZymborski Projection System) which takes the first three years of a player’s career and projects his career numbers (here are Jeter’s projection numbers followed by his actual numbers as of July 19 in parentheses). For Jeter, he would have projected a .289 batting average (.311); 2,947 hits (3,411); 418 doubles (534); 114 triples (66); 263 HR (258); 1,287 RBIs (1,287); 336 SB (355). Very impressive projection system if you ask me.

3. I love the British Open. Links golf is just different; the TV time is done to allow you to do other things on the weekend; and it is a Major. It was great to see Rory McIlroy play so well again and even his fellow players were happy for him. Sergio Garcia finished second, but now has played in 64 majors without a win. He and Lee Westwood (66 majors) endure the title of “best players to never win a Major”.

4. It was a sponsor’s dream on Sunday at the British Open when the top three golf corporations were so visibly represented – Rory McIlroy represents NIKE; Sergio Garcia represents Adidas; and Ricky Fowler represents Puma. Pretty much equal time for all.

5. Two more interesting British Open tidbits – 1) McIlroy’s former fiancée, Caroline Wozniacki, also won her WTA tennis championship in Istanbul on Saturday. They were to be married in November. Rory broke off the engagement with a three-minute phone call. 2) A fan kept yelling “Sergio is going to catch you” at McIlroy after every shot. McIlroy had a fan removed by security at the 15th hole. No one was sure if it was the same fan.

It has been another great season for the Blue Mountain League—especially when you consider that it is an expansion year. Entering the final week of the regular season, there are still many important games yet to be played that will determine which teams will make the 2014 playoffs.

And to be clear, even with so many teams so close together in the standings, the baseball this season has been of good quality rather than mediocrity. I believe all those fighting for the six playoff spots are strong teams who have had outstanding seasons. I honestly haven’t seen a “bad” or poorly played ball game in years (including our broadcasts, covering games for “RCN SportsTalk” and just attending games as a fan). The games are low-scoring with very few errors and good pitching each night. With that in mind, we take a closer look at all the teams that I have seen in person that are fighting for a playoff berth.

Bulls
The Bulls have ascended from the middle of the pack to recently taking over the #1 spot in the league (including two dramatic wins on RCN-TV that were part of their second half success). Player/Manager Mike Cudwadie spoke with me about the team’s approach a few weeks ago: don’t make mistakes and take advantage of every opportunity the opponent gives you. They have nine players with a batting average of .300 or better (with at least 33 plate appearances) and their pitchers collectively have a very impressive 2.65 ERA. Their key turning point this year was coming back from a 7-4 deficit with one out in the 7th inning to winning the game in extras.

Giants
I am thrilled to see Manager Ed Wandler’s team very much in the hunt for the top spot in the playoffs. No team has had more hard-luck losses over the last several seasons. Wandler has taken lumps in previous years by acquiring very young talent. However, he has groomed them through more than their share of one-run losses while building his players’ confidence and fundamentals for the game. Pat Kregeloh and Preston Koehler have two home runs each and have combined for 25 RBI this season. Ben Hammel, Justin Aungst and Darron Whitmore are the Giants’ pitchers who have the most wins heading into the regular season’s final week.

Royals
The 2012 BML champs had spent nearly the entire regular season in first place (their lead vacillated between one and three games over the last month). The team boasts some of the league’s best hitters in Ricky Rivera, Ian Burley, Logan Winchester and Dave Toth and three of the top pitchers (Ryan Amey, Jeff LaPorta and Jim Sawyer—all with ERAs under 3). Despite several tough opponents during the final week, Hellertown should qualify for the postseason and will be a very tough match-up in a short series with three great starters anchoring their pitching staff.

Dodgers
Like Northampton, the Dodgers have had some tough previous seasons and have had their share of tough losses so far this one as well. However, they have overcome adversity this season and find themselves in the heart of the playoff hunt. They feature arguably the most dangerous hitter in the league—Matt Edwards—who is hitting about 80 points lower than his career batting average and is due for a breakout week. The team overall is hitting just .227 but has seven pitchers with an ERA under 3. They will close out their regular season with another team fighting for its playoff life, the Orioles.

Orioles
This team seems to be the most volatile in that they have bounced between being anywhere between second to tenth in the standings during the season. They also could be very dangerous in the playoffs. I think Player/Manager Dave Stoudt has done a tremendous job of mixing a ton of young talent in with some of the league’s most established veterans. The Orioles also lost a few quality players from a year ago but the young guys have stepped up and will benefit now that they’ve had two turns through the schedule. They have one of the best receivers in the BML in Doc Neiman, a player capable of hitting anywhere in the lineup, and six-time All-Star Justin Jackowicz has pitched to a miniscule 1.18 ERA while leading the team in innings pitched.

Creekers
I thought Player/Manager Eric Schmitt made some great additions to his team over the last two seasons–one of them being Eric Forth, who is currently second on the team in both home runs and RBIs. But the story of Martin’s Creek season belongs to stellar southpaw C. J. Saveri, who has won eight of the team’s 11 victories so far this year, and has posted some awesome numbers, including ERA (1.72) and WHIP (1.08). The question I’ve been hearing from the long-standing BML faithfuls has been whether or not other pitchers will step up. If they do, and the bats hit the way they are capable of, the Creekers could still defend its 2013 BML crown in the postseason.

I have not seen the other teams battling for the top six playoff spots, but the team that I keep hearing about is the Yankees. They have three very good starting pitchers, which is key to winning in the postseason. They also have several impressive hitters and don’t hurt themselves defensively. With many of these teams playing each other in the regular season’s stretch run, it’s still impossible to get a solid idea of which teams will make the playoffs.

Which teams have impressed you in the Blue Mountain League? Which players also deserve some praise for having an outstanding season? Feel free to post your comments here or email us your sports opinions to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and be sure check out some of RCN-TV’s final broadcast on Tuesday, along with our coverage of the BML this season on RCN On-Demand.

The End of the Innocence
Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didn’t have a care in the world….

But “Happily ever after” fails
And we’ve been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers dwell on small details
Since daddy had to fly

We’ll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
You can lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence

–Don Henley, “The End of the Innocence”

This song came to mind the other day following a conversation I was having with some of our RCN-TV crew members about, strangely enough, the Philadelphia 76ers. At that time, there were rumors about potential deals the Sixers could make, and one of the more prominent ones discussed included Jeremy Lin coming to Philly. During our debate, one person said that Lin might be the best available player to help the team this year—to which I quickly jumped in and said that they’re not looking to acquire him to help the team win this year. I explained the, uh hem, logic, behind the philosophy that the 76ers don’t want to improve this year. In fact, having a significant improvement this season could set the franchise back years. Let me explain…

For folks not familiar with the peculiarities of the NBA salary “cap,” the 76ers are trying to peel away as much money as possible to try to clear cap “space,” so that they have funds down the road (aka, 3-4 years from now) to acquire big name talent. The flip side of that is there is also a salary “floor” where the team must spend a certain amount of money to avoid paying a penalty. What the Sixers are trying to do is find the most expensive (overpaid?) player(s) they can find to help them get to the salary minimum, but make sure they don’t acquire enough “quality” players so that the team struggles again this season and has a better chance of a lottery pick next summer.

The benefit of acquiring Lin or an expensive option like him (he has since gone to the Lakers) is that they could pick up a player with a big enough contract so that they wouldn’t have to add additional players to get to the salary floor. The Sixers are looking to avoid bringing in additional “better” players because higher quality players mean the team would win more games—which is clearly not something they want to do. To put it another way, the team would rather bring in one slightly better player with a huge contract (like Lin), instead of having to bring in, say, three quality players making less money to avoid running the risk of winning more games.

To people who are not familiar with this new, ‘unique’ strategy, this approach to building a sports franchise may seem somewhat bizarre. Yet most Philly sports fans have accepted and even embrace the “together we build” mantra and are perfectly willing to be successfully bad for the near future (although I don’t think some fans realize just how long this may actually take). If successful, it will probably be the mold that other teams use for years to come.

In full disclosure, I have basically been on board with this strategy from the beginning. Sure, I did a double-take when the team traded away their only premium piece in Jrue Holiday last year. And I certainly had to catch my breath in last month’s NBA draft when the team selected injury-riddled Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, who, if he plays for the 76ers at all, won’t be available until 2016. But when I stopped to consider “the plan” the team adopted, it all seemed to make perfectly good sense.

Until I said it out loud.

Is this really what professional sports is turning into…and what exactly are we grooming the sports fans of the future to accept?

If my son was a Sixers or pro basketball fan—which he is not—how exactly do I explain this “anti-winning” strategy to someone under the age of 16, and have it make enough sense to get them interested in the sport? Should we encourage our young people to ignore badly played basketball for the next two to three seasons because we really don’t want to win anyway? Do we put the parental control lock on the Sixers for three years until they become something worth watching? Or do we follow another team and show examples of how well they play only to then “bandwagon-jump” over to the 76ers when (if) they start having a winning season? This is the Delaware Valley after all, and the proposition of the third idea disgusts me.

In the meantime, the young people in Eastern Pennsylvania will find some other things of interest to them…the Eagles, Flyers, video games or what have you. Hopefully, they’ll somehow find a way to get excited about the sport of basketball and learn about the excitement of the sport by watching some local high school and college teams. And IF the team is good by the 2017-18 NBA season, possibly the novelty of a winning pro basketball team will attract older kids back to the sport.

Or perhaps we need to start teaching kids about all the business aspects of sports before we tell them to work on their free throw shooting or teach them how to figure out players’ rebounds-per-game averages. Maybe it’s time to sit our young people down and say that, while winning is stressed, and sometimes, over-stressed, at the lower levels, there are certain situations when it’s OK if we don’t go all-out and try our best to succeed.

Perhaps we should be having more adult-type conversations on how the modern sports world is evolving, and cut back on teaching sports fundamentals, the histories of our favorite teams and simply, having fun with games.

Maybe it is the end of the innocence.

“That’s why you play the game.” This phrase has been spoken many times in the sporting world after a huge underdog leaves the arena of competition with an almost unimaginable victory. For example, in the early 1900’s, Man o’ War had never lost a horse race in its career until it was defeated by a 100-1 long-shot named, appropriately, Upset.

• In 2007, 27-point underdog Appalachian State traveled to Ann Arbor to take on college football’s powerhouse, the Michigan Wolverines. App. State was a 27- point underdog. Appalachian State won the game by a 34-32 score.
• Super Bowl III was won by Joe Namath’s New York Jets 16-7 over the Baltimore Colts. The Colts were overwhelming favorites. Namath announced his team would win and they did.
• The New England Patriots took a perfect record into the 2007 Super Bowl against the Giants. The Patriots were favored by 12. The Giants spoiled their perfect season with a 17-14 win.
• And who can forget perhaps the greatest upset of all when the United States defeated the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics? The Soviets were a team loaded with experience and players known to be the best in the world. The US was a bunch of random players from college hockey. This is usually listed as the greatest upset ever in sports.

How does this happen? What is it that would motivate an athlete to achieve what many obviously considered impossible? How can we use some of these lessons to overcome many of the obstacles that fate throws at us in our everyday lives? Perhaps, the answers can be found in a new book titled, The Sky Is NOT the Limit, Discovering the True North for Your Life’s Path.

First off, I have not yet read the book. It was just published. However, I am very familiar with both authors. Dr. Jarrod Spencer is a Lafayette graduate who is president and founder of Mind of the Athlete, “a sports psychology company committed to the emotional health of athletes”. Jarrod sends me an interesting e-mail every week with tips on improving performance in sports and in life. The book is co-authored by Phil Richards, who is a renowned businessman, a successful author, and a member of Easton High School’s Hall of Fame. He is also my son-in-law’s uncle. I did read his Secrets to Sustainable Success. He just finished Practice on Purpose. These are men I highly respect.

When these men write, the underlying theme is ‘There are a few rules to govern all you do’:
1) Give your best effort
2) Don’t be afraid to fail
3) Capture your passion for something and it can motivate you to great results.

You can order the hardcover work on Amazon for $29.95. It just might motivate you to “play the game” no matter the odds, no matter the result, no matter the game!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. I know many caught World Cup fever. But 120 minutes of play in the championship final before the first and ONLY goal was scored left me WITH a fever. I already feel better today and I have four years until I risk another soccer malady.

2. “Defense wins championships”. Another sports adage. The Phillies have not committed an error in their last 59 innings. They enter the All-Star break 10 games out of first place and a winning percentage of .442, their lowest since 1997. Defense will not win a championship for the Phils.

3. Don’t you hate when one of your favorite team’s ex-players comes back and just plays great? And you can’t help but think about the “what if he still played for your team?” Former Phillie Jayson Werth has been all-world in July – 40 at bats; .375 average; 14 runs scored; 6 home runs; 19 RBI’s; 8 walks! What if…?

4. Did you notice that LeBron James signed with Cleveland? If you didn’t, what planet were you visiting the past month? So put yourself in the seat of a Cleveland fan. Your baseball team is playing pretty well, the Browns drafted Johnny Manziel, and the Cavaliers now have LeBron. The last championship in Cleveland occurred in 1964 when the Browns won the NFL championship. There’s another one coming, baby!!

5. The Parkland boys’ basketball team won the prestigious Stellar basketball tournament this past weekend, going 6-0. It was the fifth title, but the first since 2009. They won it with talent and depth. Parkland will be heavily favored to win the inaugural season of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. By the way, the Parkland girls finished second to Boyertown.

We’re under a month away from the Major League Baseball trading deadline.  The Phillies, after a brief five game win streak, have fallen once again into the NL East basement.  With the lack of life shown in the team’s most recent series again the Braves, the speculation over what possible moves the Phillies could/should/might make are reaching a fevered pitch (forgive the pun).  Today, I break down the latest news and insights and throw in my own one-and-a-half cents’ worth on the “tradeability” of the Phillies position players (pitchers will follow in my next blog entry).  Players are rated on a scale of 1 (least likely) to 10 (most likely) in three categories: how easily they could be traded, chances they will be dealt and, in my humble opinion, SHOULD they be shipped away.

CHASE UTLEY
After a torrid start, Utley has rather quickly slumped badly over the last several weeks (his batting average over the last month is lower than Ben Revere’s).  He’s also made several glaring physical and mental errors in the field that have hurt the team.  Is there something wrong with him?  Utley–being Utley–is remaining tight-lipped.  Should this be the time to unload the team’s most popular player and gain arguably the biggest return of any position player?
TRADEABILITY:  8 (even at his age, his ability, track record and team-friendly contract make him an ideal pickup for several bigger market teams).
WILL THEY: 2 (the Phillies organization has resisted trading away its core and highly marketable players, and Utley’s departure would be met with the most resistance from the fan base).
SHOULD THEY: 1 (the Phillies insist they will not rebuild, and Utley is an ideal player who can lead newer players–whoever they are–over the next two to three seasons).

JIMMY ROLLINS
Now that he has captured the Phillies all-time hit record, there have been several stories written about whether or not Rollins would waive his no-trade clause–opinions seemed tied directly to whether the team is winning or losing.
TRADEABILITY: 5 (he’s nearly achieved his easy goals, which would activate another guaranteed contract, which makes him harder to deal, along with his advanced age and declining numbers in recent years–although his batting average is up from where it was a year ago).
WILL THEY: 5 (the team has to move someone, and there will be several teams in larger markets who could use a proven infielder who has a history of big hits and leading his team to a championship, which adds to his trade value).
SHOULD THEY: 2  (the Phillies “shortstop of the future” –J.P. Crawford–is at least two years away and currently playing Class-A ball in Clearwater.  Plus, the team would miss Rollins’ underrated defensive ability, which has continued to be stellar throughout his career, regardless of any offensive slumps).

CARLOS RUIZ
As has happened several times this year, when a player is about to be a factor in the 2014 season, he gets hurt (see Darin Ruf, Jeff Manship, Mike Adams, Reid Brignac, et al).
TRADEABILITY: 3 (his concussion makes him a liability, and there are very few teams in need of catching help that could afford his player-friendly contract).
WILL THEY: 4 (less likely than Rollins to be dealt, although if a playoff-chasing team loses a starting catcher during the season’s second half…).
SHOULD THEY: 6 (his defense and ability to handle pitchers have made him a valuable part of this team even when he’s not hitting, but he’s getting older at a difficult position and will become even more injury prone, and unloading his contract would help free up money for the “retooling” efforts).

DARIN RUF
Seems to constantly be in someone’s doghouse in the organization (and no one knows why for certain), and Ruf’s pair of injuries have not helped his cause to stay on the big league roster this season, although, when healthy, he could be the team’s left fielder if Dom Brown continues to struggle.
TRADEABILITY: 9 (he’s shown flashes of power and, in the right situation, could boost a team’s offense for a club needing a designated hitter, a solid first basemen or average left fielder on defense).
WILL THEY: 7 (the organization has stated often they don’t seem him as an everyday player, and given Ryan Howard’s situation–see below–there may not be a full-time place for him under the team’s current front office).
SHOULD THEY: 4  (I can’t help thinking a power-hitting right-handed hitter who could spell Howard and at least platoon in left would help an offensively-starved team, but he could be packaged to bring back some value, and another injury or poor showing the rest of this year could drastically reduce his trade value).

MARLON BYRD
Maybe the brightest highlight of this team’s position players…he now leads the team in home runs.
TRADEABILITY: 8 (could help multiple teams as a outfielder, DH or a right-hand pinch-hitter/spot starter; a smaller market team would have to be in dire need to soak up his contract or get the Phillies to eat some dollars).
WILL THEY: 7 (it wouldn’t be the first time the Phillies left themselves offensively-barren in the outfield).
SHOULD THEY: 5 (he’s the team’s only proven right-handed power bat and the organization insists they want to remain competitive; plus, when the Mets traded him they didn’t exactly obtain a young Jeff Bagwell-type in return, and he was a year younger and under a more team-friendly contract, so I don’t think he can bring back much to help the team’s future).

RYAN HOWARD, DOM BROWN, BEN REVERE, JOHN MAYBERRY
These players, along with most of the reserves on the roster, are either untradeable because of their contract (Howard), or would get you so little in return, there would be very little point in dealing them, unless you get lucky with a “change of scenery” type of player.  It’s doubtful any high-level minor league player–save Mikael Franco–would get you too much in return individually and only a skilled trader could bundle several of these players to get you anything significant in return.  Only a team desperate for a “some power but little average” bat like Howard could get you some value in return, but even then you’d have to suck up a lion’s share of Howard’s remaining money-owed on his weighty contract.

Which players do you think will stay with the team after the trading deadline?  Which players should the team look to acquire in return?  Send us your comments and keep an eye out in the coming days for my next blog entry taking a look at the latest news on the possible Phillies pitchers who could be on the move.  And don’t forget to join us on “RCN SportsTalk,” Thursdays live from 6-7 pm to talk baseball with us!

About every six weeks, I am harassed by a Microsoft message telling me that my mailbox is full and I must delete messages immediately.  This message appears on a daily basis until I do something about it.  This, to me, is like cleaning out the basement at home.  I am just not that interested.  At home, I can always shut the door at the top of the steps.  No one needs to see the mess that exists down those cellar steps.  I feel the same about my e-mail.  No one needs to see the mess.  But when the order comes from a higher power like Microsoft, I listen.  Luckily, there are always items that are easier than others to just erase.  For example:

1)   A request for me to become a local baseball umpire. I have never had a desire to become even an international umpire so this one is easy – ERASE!

2)  A request for me to become a local baseball umpire.  I have never had a desire to become even an international umpire so this one is easy – ERASE!

3)   The rules of Foot Golf.  With the soccer rage going on right now, it’s no surprise that someone came up with the idea of “soccer golf”.  You kick a soccer ball instead of hitting a golf ball until you put it into a much-expanded hole!  This actually looks like it might be fun until I pull at least one hamstring.  And, there are no courses around here anyway – ERASE!

4)  Did you know that Dog the Bounty Hunter allegedly abandoned his son?  I didn’t know much of anything about Dog the Bounty Hunter let alone that he may have had poor parenting skills until I got an e-mail telling me.  I know I would be slightly concerned anyway if my father’s name is “Dog”.  His son wanted to be interviewed to tell his story.  This did not seem to fit the image of a typical guest on Sportstalk – ERASE!

5)  Someone offered to be interviewed about “How to be the Happiest Person on the Planet”.  This did intrigue me until I realized the work that would be involved in knowing I was the happiest person.  How many people would I need to survey before I would feel like I had a legitimate shot at being #1?  And… what about the guy who wants to tell me how to achieve this lofty goal?  If he is successful, where does that put him in the ranking?  Why would he want to teach me how to be happier than he is?  I would feel guilty if that happened; then I wouldn’t be happy.  It’s a vicious circle – ERASE!

6)  Are you interested in the most famous biting incidents in sports?  An e-mail thought I would want to discuss bites because Louis Suarez bit a soccer player in the World Cup.  It would be hard for anyone to surpass the Mike Tyson chomp of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a heavyweight boxing match.  That’s #1 in my book – “The Tastiest Bite on the Planet” – ERASE!

This is a small sample of the hundreds and hundreds of e-mails I need to look at today in order to avoid tomorrow’s reminder, “Your Mailbox is Full…”

NUTS!  I just got another one inviting me to interview someone concerning LeBron James’ opting out of his Miami Heat contract to pursue more money.  LeBron’s net worth is estimated to be $250 million – ERASE!!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1) This past week, I attended two events that were a first in my life (and that’s saying something since I am old).  The first was a “groom shower” thrown for a co-worker who was getting married.  The second was a “gender reveal” party to announce the sex of a baby to all including the parents.  Just think, two items in one week checked off my “bucket list” that I didn’t know were on my “bucket list”.

2) Did you know that the World Cup championship trophy will be presented by a Brazilian fashion model? That model just happens to be Gisele Bundchen, the wife of New England Patriots star quarterback, Tom Brady.  Can we assume she loves futbol and football?  The ceremony takes place July 13.

3)  Speaking of Tom Brady, his longtime Patriots center, Dan Koppen, was inducted into the Lehigh Valley Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.  Dan, who was coached by our own football sideline analyst, Tony Cocca, came into town for the award.  He retired from football having snapped the ball to two of the greatest ever to play quarterback in the NFL – Brady and Peyton Manning.

4)  The Lafayette- Lehigh football tickets for the 150^th matchup to be played at Yankee Stadium on November 22, 2014 are completely sold out.  That’s right – around 48,000 tickets have been sold!  It should be a great event for college football’s most-played rivalry!

I wish everyone a very safe and happy July 4^th weekend!

This Thursday marks the official end to the 2013-14 scholastic sports calendar year—the McDonald’s All-Star High School Football Game–played each year at Nazareth’s Andrew Leh Stadium. It is a special time as we honor our local gridiron stars one final time (for those not playing at the collegiate level) and the event raises money for a great cause.

While football is extremely competitive in the Eastern Pennsylvania region, this game is special because it showcases talented athletes one more time and, in many cases, makes long-time rivals, teammates. The one reoccurring comment that I hear year after year about this game is the memories that are created by playing in this contest. By combining one team’s great players with another’s great players, they have an opportunity to truly admire each other’s talents, can talk about how they gained their skills and share stories from their high school careers. There are many friendships forged during the weeks leading up to this game, and many student-athletes enjoy the on-field banter that takes place with new teammates. Friendships also develop with the players they are playing against for this game—sometimes facing athletes they have never had a chance to see up-close-and-personal during their careers.

For many athletes, it can be a sacrifice…giving up your first few weeks of summer vacation or summer college prep classes, practicing in pads and equipment in 90-degree heat, getting yelled at by coaches (although not nearly as loud as in the fall) when you run the wrong play in practice, et al. But to a man, I’ve never heard any athlete say that he did not enjoy participating in this event.

Here are a few thoughts from the participating coaches and players on how they’ll approach this year’s contest, and then I have a few areas to concentrate on for the game itself.

As far as the actual game, keep an eye on the quarterbacks in this year’s contest. I remember two years ago when a group of talented QBs like Nosovitch, Harding and the like all graduated, there was one sports columnist who said that the passing ability would dip a bit. But I remember seeing young players, then sophomores, with amazing potential and a number of those athletes developed into outstanding quarterbacks in their own right. The All-Star game’s rules usually lend themselves to helping a passing attack, but I think some of these signal-callers have something to prove and will want to air it out one more time on a local stage.

Also, keep an eye on the center of both team’s defenses. While sometimes undermentioned by us in the media, there were some outstanding defensive tackles, middle linebackers and safeties this past football season—and not just at the big schools. Palisades, Southern Lehigh and Catty, to name a few, had some of their top defensive players—EVER—in the school’s history. While the smaller schools sometimes get outshined in terms of publicity, this Thursday will be an excellent time to showcase all the tremendous defensive players in the Eastern Pennsylvania region.

What other players and positions will you be watching for Thursday’s game? Who do you think will win? Send us your comments to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and tune in Thursday’s live at 6pm as we talk local sports issues with you!