It seems like, all of a sudden, everyone is watching soccer. I have never been a real fan. To me, there is too much insignificant action, not enough scoring, and I just don’t understand all the intricacies of the game. I know it is the world’s most popular sport, but it has never been part of my world. Even in high school, my basketball coach wanted me to play soccer because of the “eye-foot” coordination. He thought, probably correctly, that it would make me a better basketball player. I chose football instead. Obviously, World Cup soccer has become the rage. The US is certainly playing well despite the heartbreaking tie on Sunday, and I feel obligated to give it some attention. After all, the hockey playoffs and the NBA playoffs ended quickly and, except for major league baseball, there is not much going on in the sports world right now. So here is what I will do:

1. Focus on the skill level needed to control the ball, pass the ball, shoot the ball, etc. I know free kicks and corner kicks are important so I will pay special attention to those aspects of the game.

2. Like any sport, soccer has their star players. They seem to be the most involved on the soccer field – everything seems to run through them so I will pay special attention to them and their skills. I am also sure that the announcers will make me aware of an up and coming player on every team. I will try to see what makes them special.

3. I don’t like stalling and there is plenty of it in soccer. Teams in the lead try to keep possession of the ball, walk to throw-ins, feign injury, etc. They will do just about anything to keep the clock running. After all, 1-0 in soccer is not all that unusual. So maybe I have to appreciate the skills involved in just plain stalling with the lead. I don’t find it exciting but understand the strategy.

4. Passing is the most enjoyable part of the game (unless it’s a last-second Portugal cross for a header into the US goal). Sharp passes to open teammates, long kicks into the offensive end, cross passes to set up a shot on goal are all to be appreciated. Momentum, like all other sports, seems to be particularly important in soccer.

5. Feel the emotion! Players inevitably will physically challenge one another for a 50/50 ball, throw an elbow here or there, push another player in the back, and force the official to reach for a yellow or red card for a major violation. This I know I can get into.

6. Yell when someone scores. If you really don’t care who wins, cheer for any goal by any team! Goals don’t come very often, so cheer when you have the opportunity.

I will let you know how this strategy works for me. USA! USA! USA!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. I’m sure by now you heard about the “rookie dinner” paid for by Eagles’ offensive lineman Lane Johnson with some help from fellow linemen Todd Herremans and Evan Mathis. He took 16 fellow linemen out for dinner and ran up a bill of $17,747.86 or $1044.00 per man. How do you get such a high bill, you might ask? 14 – 1 ounce shots of Louis XIII de Remy Martin for $3,150. 5- 2 ounce glasses of the same – $1,375. A bottle of cabernet – $3,495. A side of creamed corn was $10. Five 32-ounce steaks were ordered at $90 each. What are you having for dinner tonight? I’ll enjoy my meatloaf.

2. As a kid, I remember people always thinking that big-time professional sports were “fixed” to go the limit in a “best of” series like MLB baseball, NBA basketball and NHL hockey. I never would go along with their reasoning that it was all about the extra money. When the NHL Kings and the NBA Spurs won in five games this year, I smiled. It is nice to feel right once in awhile.

3. Speaking of the Men’s US Open – for the first time in history, the women played the same course as the men, Pinehurst #2, the following week for their US Women’s Open Championship. The previous week, the women practiced with the men to prepare for their tournament. The women played very well and women’s golf got a big boost with Michelle Wie winning. After all, she was labeled the “Tiger Woods” of women’s golf years ago. Now, can she maintain her momentum?

4. This past week a federal trademark board ruled that the Washington Redskins nickname is “disparaging of Native Americans” and that the team’s trademark protections should be canceled. It would mean the Redskins would not have financial protection for the use of the trademark. The appeal process, however, could take years. For now, they will remain the Washington Redskins.

5. The World Cup has been a ratings boon for ESPN. For the opening US-Ghana match, ESPN had 11,093,000 viewers. It was the highest-rated and most-viewed men’s soccer match ever on ESPN. This was their highest rating since the BCS National Football Championship had 25,572,000 on January 6.

I would like to put in my one-and-a-half cents on the biggest high school sports story this month in the Lehigh Valley area. The merger between the “Lehigh Valley Conference” and the “Mountain Valley” conference to form the new “Eastern Pennsylvania Conference” or “EPC 18” for short, is a major accomplishment. I present in today’s blog a few opinions of my own, along with reactions from the new league’s administrators and local sports personalities.

Here are a few of the highlights of the EPC 18:
• 3 divisions for “most” sports (one division with teams from the old MVC, a 2nd division with Allen, Dieruff, Becahi, Freedom, Liberty and Easton and a 3rd division with the remaining “LVC” teams)
• 8 teams qualifying for “most” sports’ playoffs (3 division winners & next 5 teams w/best div. records). Seeding for these playoffs will be based solely on best division records (ie, a division winner is not guaranteed one of the top three “seeds”)
• Football is split into 2 divisions (one is the old MVC schools, plus Allen, Dieruff, Becahi) with two “cross-over” games with the other division
• Football will have 2 winners (one from each division); there will be no “conference champion”
• Wrestling with have a “three-tier” system and teams’ status will be recalculated each year based on the previous year’s success
• Sports with fewer participating schools will have adjusted divisions, playoff schedules and formats

First a few of the positives.
There is clearly no perfect way to align all the schools and their sports teams together, but the league organizers have been successful in many ways trying to balance the league as much as possible. I am encouraged by some of the non-athletic programs, among them one spearheaded by Nazareth’s Rusty Amato, to be included in the new league. Since the MVC was facing an uncertain future with just six teams potentially entering the 2014 school year, this merger definitely helps those schools maintain a solid sports schedule going forward. And, contrary to some people’s views in the Lehigh Valley area, there are a number of high quality sports programs from the Poconos and it will not be a ‘cake walk’ to play against all the teams from the former-MVC. I think the Pocono schools that have struggled against the Lehigh Valley teams in the past will benefit and continue to improve by being a member of this conference.

My biggest concern is that the attendance at high school sporting events–which appears to be declining in some districts in recent years–may suffer. There’s no question a Whitehall/Becahi football game or a Nazareth/Easton baseball contest (which will not happen in 2015) would draw more interest than, say Becahi’s football team playing East Stroudsburg-North. For “big games” or come playoff time, it may be harder for parents and fans to travel from one extreme area—geographically speaking—to attend the event at the opposite end of the conference’s territory. Also, and this pertains mostly to football, you lose the option of playing a school from outside the district during the regular season. Coaches would use this opportunity to travel to a different venue or give players a chance to see a different style of play—something that would help a program that has state playoff aspirations.

Plus, I don’t see how prior concerns of an “uneven playing field”–justified or not–will be solved solely based on the new league concept. However, with the dawn of the new era and a regenerated feeling of good-will in the sports community, one can hope past issues will not resurface.

League scheduler and long time sports administrator Mike Schneider told me that he feels the griping over the travel concerns is overrated and I trust he’ll be correct. After all, it is true that many Lehigh Valley schools already play teams from the Poconos as part of their non-conference schedule. I do feel there could be some issues because of the weather. While games scheduled in the southern, slightly warmer regions have a better chance to get played, the games to be played up north are more likely to be postponed, which may force a tougher playing schedule for some teams. Also, many Mountain Valley schools are going until June 25th or later for their school year, which could cause scheduling nightmares for athletic directors. However, the officials in our area have done tremendous work coordinating events around postponements (this past year is an excellent example) and I’m confident they’ll overcome any logistical issues that may arise due to postponements.

Here are some additional thoughts and reactions about the EPC 18 from local personalities (additional interviews and details are available by viewing our June 5th edition of “RCN SportsTalk” through Video-on-Demand):

There have been a long line of bad feelings expressed between certain sports programs and school districts…wounds I am hopeful that will heal in time. I am cautious, but very optimistic about the new EPC. I am excited for the opportunity to become more familiar with all the players, coaches and administrators from our neighboring schools to the north and am anxious for the fall 2014 sports season to get underway. I also wish all involved a very pleasant and restful summer season. I think the region’s athletic directors certainly deserve one!

What are your thoughts on the “new” EPC? What do you feel are the positives and negatives of the merger? Post a comment here or email us at RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and we’ll be sure to talk about the new league throughout the 2014-15 school year.

I have heard many times from baseball fans that the reason they love the game is that “there is no clock in baseball”. That has never been more evident to me than this past Friday when RCN-TV was producing for the 14th consecutive year the PIAA Baseball Championships for the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). The games are played at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in University Park. Yes, the same location where Penn State fans enjoy watching the Nittany Lions play football at nearby Beaver Stadium. So, for me and the crew, it is a three hour ride on Thursday to the motel so that we can prepare for the four-game marathon on Friday. We discovered the next day that “marathon” was not a strong enough description of the day.

Friday begins with a RCN team breakfast at the hotel. Up at 7:00, meet at 7:30 AM. Everyone is to be ready to head to the venue at 8:00 AM. Game One is to begin at 10:30. The crew worked meticulously the day before to have everything ready to go when they arrive. They must confirm that everything is working Friday morning. I organized all the materials that I had gathered during the week from the coaches on Thursday in the motel and gave packets of that information to my fellow announcers to go over prior to the games. Upon arrival at the ballpark, our job is to meet with the coaches of the first game, confirm lineups and pronunciations, and become familiar with their teams. All is normal at this point and we are ready for Game One. We all agree that it is imperative that this game moves along in normal fashion to help the time frame for the rest of the day. That did not happen. Game one featured eight hit batsmen and five walks. Throw in only two “1-2-3” half innings and the first game and post-game festivities ended at 1:20 PM.

Game Two was scheduled to start at 1:00 PM! It was pushed back to 2:00. This game featured the big schools – labeled as the AAAA schools and usually featured the most talent. We needed a quick game from these guys. That was not to be. This game went extra innings! It took them eight full innings to decide a winner. It concluded at 5:00 PM. Game three was supposed to start at 3:30 PM. Are you beginning to get the picture?

The 3:30 game was announced that it would begin at 6:00 PM. Twenty minutes later, the stadium personnel decided that a rain storm was on the way. They would cover the field with a tarp and delay the start of the next game. The delay was approximately one hour and game three began at 7:00 PM. We could only pray that this one would have no delay again, just cruise along and we could get to Game Four as quickly as possible. Not a chance! Game Three went two extra innings and was won in the bottom of the ninth on an error. I think the whole crew wanted to hug the kid who did not catch the ball!! That just wouldn’t be right!

The 6:00 game, it was announced would start at 9:40 PM – over 3 ½ hours later than scheduled. Those two teams had been at the ballpark since mid-afternoon. This one moved along rather nicely, took only seven innings and the final medal ceremony and the awarding of the trophies ended at midnight. We just finished on the same day we started!

So, you say, you only worked a 16-hour day. No. No!!! The crew now had to pack up all the wires and the equipment that it takes to do this event. Imagine the amount of wire to run cameras to first base, third base, up high behind home plate, down low on the field for the ceremonies, and way, way out into center field. Imagine carrying very, very heavy cameras from those locations. Another hour or more for sure.

And me? Well, I always figure the games will end at 9:00 PM so I do not make arrangements to stay another night like the crew does. I always just jump in the car and drive home. Which I did. The 185-mile drive took another three hours. I finally pulled into my garage at 3:00 AM Saturday morning. My day ended after 19 hours!!

So, at least for a couple of months, please don’t tell me you love baseball because “there is no clock”. I may just punch you in the mouth and, after hearing my story, I don’t think any judge would convict me of assault.

Check out some of the game highlights below:

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
No musings this week. I’m catching up on my sleep!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Last week I gave my trimester grades on a season-gone-wrong for the Phillies through the first two months of the season. Today we take a look at how the team should proceed from here:

1) Trade AT LEAST one of the core players
I know this will be extremely painful to the Phillies front office to part ways with one of their most marketable players, but it has to happen. The Phillies have to change the mentality and the look of this franchise and show everyone – the fans, the community and the players themselves – that no one is untouchable. The debate over trading Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Cliff Lee, Marlon Byrd and others is gaining the momentum of a runaway freight train. The Phillies should be open to seeing which of these players would bring you the greatest return value for next year and pull the trigger on a deal. You need to improve this team in multiple ways, and with very few minor league options on the horizon, the only way to start accomplishing this is by dealing a major piece NOW.

2) Acquire a “dirt-baller”
Think Larry Bowa, Pete Rose or more recently, a Randy Ready or an Aaron Rowand. A high-energy guy, perhaps not the greatest talent, but someone who understands the game and will play it the right way. I’m not a big fan of the “WAR” statistic (wins-above-replacement), but those numbers do have some merit. You need to bring people that will help you find ways to win ball games and the Phillies need to find players who at least have a positive number in that category (eg., Ben Revere has a -0.4 WAR as of last week, Cesar Hernandez a -0.6, Tony Gwynn Jr. is a -0.8, Dom Brown is a -1). Each season the St. Louis Cardinals have rosters littered with players who know how to play the game and execute the fundamentals. I’m hard pressed to find very many younger players on the Phillies’ current 25-man roster who have shown the ability to do the same, and someone must be brought in to start doing that.

3) Stop evaluating with rose-collared glasses
John Mayberry, Jr. last year had a WAR of -1.2 and the organization REWARDED him with a near $ 1.1 million raise. He’s had three different seasons to prove himself as a starting outfielder, a platoon outfielder, than a fourth outfielder, a capable pinch-hitter…and has not delivered in any of these roles on a consistent basis (despite a dismal first eight weeks, Mayberry fans would argue he’s deserved more money based on the red-hot June he’s having offensively). The Phillies say Darin Ruf is not an everyday player…fine, then show me a young player who is. Sticking with Revere, Brown and the like when you no longer have reasons to believe in these players is fool’s gold that the team has continued to purchase for three years now.

4) Stop tolerating mental mistakes
Jimmy Rollins made a innocent comment about preseason games being meaningless and he was benched three days IN SPRING TRAINING. If Mayberry can’t shag a fly ball against the fence, then don’t put him out there anymore until he can. If Revere doesn’t remember to tag up on a fly ball with less than two outs or isn’t taking the appropriate lead off a base, then bench ‘em, outright ‘em or option them to Triple-A. Granted, there’s not many major league available players waiting in the wings right now, but giving these guys repeated chances and watching them fail multiple times with mental lapses is not working. I’d rather see Triple-A players Steve Susdorf or Clete Thomas try to fight their way to remain on the big league roster than to see listless players (Brown) not running hard to first base.

There’s another issue to address here: Ruben Amaro, Jr. The current Phillies general manager is pretty much in a no-win scenario, of which he is responsible for creating. If he conducts a massive fire-sale over the next two months, he’s admitting that his five-year plan of sustaining what was a World Series contender has failed miserably, thereby inviting a changing of the guard to take place. If he does nothing, or next to nothing, during the next few weeks, then he could be fired for not being proactive in correcting this out-of-control team. There’s no easy road here and accomplishing the above-listed tasks will not be easily achieved mid-season, but actions must start coming…and soon.

I do believe Amaro’s hands were tied somewhat in trying to rebuild this team a few years ago. Remember that in 2011 Ruben stated that the team needed to take a different direction: produce more runs, work counts, play more fundamentally sound baseball and similar comments. The moves that have transpired since that time are mostly contrary to that belief. Like him or not (and I certainly have not agreed with very many of his decisions over the last three years), Amaro is still an intelligent man with a solid baseball background. I don’t believe he completely gutted this team without outside influence, whether it be pressure to keep popular players in town, bad advice on player evaluations, poor scouting reports, or a combination of all three.

Full disclosure: I backed Amaro when he was making the trades for Lee, Doc Halladay, Hunter Pence, et al, while ravishing what top prospects were a part of the system. I don’t believe I was the only one in the Delaware Valley that enthusiastically bought in to the ‘win now’ mantra and threw caution to the wind when making those deals. I remember the euphoria that ensued when the cash vault was opened and we woke up hearing of Lee’s triumphant return to the Phillies. We all salivated over the “Four Aces” rotation during the thrill ride that garnished 102 regular season wins, and no one back then was worried about Jonathon Singleton, Kyle Drabek and the other prospects exiled to acquire those major chips. I for one was prepared to sacrifice several years of bad baseball for one more World Series championship….a second title that never materialized.

What in-season moves to you think the Phillies should (or will) make this summer? Do you think Amaro will be retained or even make it through the 2014 season? Post a comment below or email us at RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this year’s Phillies team.

OK, Ruben. You didn’t listen to me. Nor did you listen to most Phillies fans when it came to our free advice on how we could bring the team back to playoff contention…or even recapture our interest in the club.

But before the season spirals out of control even further, I’m going to offer my unsolicited critique on this year’s team to Ruben Amaro, the Phillies General Manager. Forget the mid-term grades – we need a comprehensive analysis here at the one-third mark of the regular season–before it is too late and 2014 turns into a complete waste of a baseball campaign. So today I’ll evaluate the best and worst points of the Phillies this year and have broken down the players into the following categories. Next week I’ll be back with my suggestions on where the team should go from here.

HEAD OF THE CLASS
Despite the poor record, there are several strong positives on this year’s team. Relievers Jonathan Papelbon, Mike Adams, Mario Hollands and Jake Diekman each have had a few unforgettably bad moments during this very forgettable season. Aside from that, they have been nearly as good as one could have asked. Papelbon has been lights-out as the team’s closer and looks like a shoo-in to make the All-Star team after the team spent a good chunk of time this past winter trying to unload him. Overall, Adams and Diekman have been very steady middle-to-late-inning guys, getting called in to extinguish opponents’ rallies. In addition, Diekman, along with Hollands, who most people knew nothing about at the beginning of spring training, have served as useful two-inning bridges in several Phillies’ wins in getting the team to Papelbon. Both Hollands and Diekman can be counted on as two of the few reliable young arms going forward, and Adams and Papelbon both could be used in trades if this season continues to unravel (again, more on that in next week’s blog entry).

Fans also have to be happy with what they have gotten out of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Marlon Byrd. Utley has been leading the league in doubles and, as of this past weekend, was on a pace to set a new Major League record for a season. Rollins is closing in on the Phillies’ all-time hit record and has kept his on-base percentage around or above .350 all season. While most people were not impressed with the Byrd signing in December, he has been one of the most consistent bats on an incredibly inconsistent offensive team, and has certainly added respectability with his defense in right field.

VERY SOLID
A.J. Burnett was a guy I was hoping they’d sign this off-season and, although they waited until the outset of spring training to do so, has filled in the “number 3” spot quite nicely. He hasn’t been stellar nor consistent in every start this year, but has been solid enough to balance this rotation and make the starting pitching staff one of the strengths of this year’s team.

Also, for a number-five starter, I have to give solid marks to Roberto Hernandez, a player I quite honestly wasn’t expecting much out of this season. With an ERA under 4.00 and the flexibility to come out of the bullpen in a pinch, this is a move that you actually have to give Amaro and Company credit for. I’ll also put Wil Nieves in this class and give a definite “B” for his efforts. In addition to admirably filling in behind the plate and hitting over .275 so far, his greatest attribute may be that he has adequately filled in the backup catcher’s spot, deflecting attention from another trade gone south that sent previous number-two catcher Eric Kratz and a minor league reliever to Toronto for Brad Lincoln (see below).

OK BUT WAS EXPECTING MORE OUT OF…
I have to be honest – I’m a big fan of Chooch, but was frankly expecting more out of Carlos Ruiz than one home run, 10 RBIs and a slugging percentage lower than Nieves’, his backup (through June 2nd). While his on-base percentage is leading the team, I am disappointed at a number of bad pitch selections he has made this year. With all the young arms coming out of the pen, I have to place the blame on the experienced Ruiz for not taking charge and for making some questionable calls behind the dish. I had defended the Phillies signing this 35-year old catcher to a three-year deal, largely in part due to his ability to handle pitchers behind the plate. A little better offense and a few less mistakes in pitch selection might have helped the Phillies have a better shot at being closer to .500 than they are presently.

I’ll also put Kyle Kendrick, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels in this category. While they have had moderate-to-very-good success on the hill this year and each deserves a few more wins, they each have had meltdowns at inopportune times—and a team like this year’s Phillies club that needs everything to go right to contend, can’t afford to have mental lapses. I’ve seen each of these players make base running errors and/or pitiful attempts at laying down bunts which, for the money they’re making, is inexcusable.

One may put Ben Revere in a “failing” category but honestly, why would anyone expect him to be anything more than what he has shown throughout his career? He’s a slap hitter with excellent speed who will steal bases when he gets on and will provide some highlight film material with great catches in the outfield. He also has no arm, is prone to base running and route-taking mistakes and has never shown the ability to work a count or coax walks. Revere showed these traits in Minnesota and again last year in Philadelphia. This brings me to my biggest, most grating issue with the Phillies—why do you expect something from players when there’s no evidence to suggest a result different from what you’ve been getting? It’s been a reoccurring issue for three years now and, in my opinion, will continue until the team takes a more practical approach to building a team.

NEAR FAILURES
Despite the fact that Ryan Howard provided one of the top moments of the season—a walk-off home-run against Colorado last week, there are 25 million reasons why he has not lived up to his weighty contract. While his defense has improved, he came into this season as the single-most important offensive player who needed to play like he did before signing the massive contract extension. Despite his team-leading home run and RBI totals, his inability to have success off of left-handed pitching is becoming alarming. Since 2011 in now more than 250 at-bats against southpaws, he strikes out a whopping 43% of the time. Mix in Howard’s paltry .301 OBP and .434 SLG versus all pitchers and you’re left with the fact that he is just not the power-hitting force he once was. Again, if there were other players around him to pick up the slack—or if other more potent bats were acquired this past offseason, his weaknesses would not be as glaring. But since so much of this season’s potential was based on Howard’s return to being one of the most powerful bats in all of baseball—rightly or wrongly—his performance this year can only be considered slightly above failure.

One more time, for the Phillies to expect miracles from the likes of Dom Brown, Antonio Bastardo, Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernadez, John Mayberry Jr. and count on these guys doing something beyond what they’ve never consistently done before are Amaro’s biggest gaffes as the GM. For the last five years, we’ve hear it said that it’s time for guys to step up, and five years later, we’re still looking for guys to do so in right field, left field, the bullpen, the bench and now, third base. Bastardo and Galvis had quality campaigns going in 2013 before drug suspensions ended their season and called into question just how natural their successes were. None of these players has stepped in to grab the opportunities presented to them and, for most of these players, one could argue no one should count on them any longer.

OY-VEY!
Jayson Nix, Shawn Camp, Luis Garcia, Jeff Manship (prior to this past weekend’s Mets series), Brad Lincoln, Phillippe Aumont…OK I’ll stop here before you get too depressed.

INCOMPLETES
While Darin Ruf, Cody Asche, Miguel Alfredo Gonzales, Jonathan Pettibone and Ethan Martin were players looked at having key spots on the team early in spring training–and may or may not hold a larger role in the Phillies future–I don’t think you can critically analyze the performances of these players thus far because of the injuries they’ve sustained.

What areas do you think need the most improvement? What other glimmers of sunlight do you see from this disappointing season-to-date? Post your comments below or email us at RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and check back here as I outline my plan on what I feel the next steps should be for the Phillies this season.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

While I know there are some wonderful aspects of sports that have changed, and not for the better, there are also tremendous improvements that have taken place. One of them is the development of high school volleyball in Pennsylvania.

I remember when I was in high school (slightly after the advent of electricity), the governing sports body in Pennsylvania, the PIAA, sanctioned volleyball as an official sport. Watching the first official volleyball games being played was exciting and fun. However, it was clearly not at the level that it’s reached today. With off-season camps, feeder systems and JV programs, and most of those being very successful in local school districts in the RCN viewing area, the quality of play is amazing. This was clearly evident last week when I attended the District XI boys volleyball semifinals.

Here are just some of the video highlights and post-match reactions from the participants (you can see more great plays and interviews on “RCN SportsTalk” through RCN’s On-Demand services).

In the first match, Northampton jumped up two games to none on the three-time defending champion Emmaus team, only to have the Hornets storm back and sting the Konkrete Kids in five sets. The final two sets were a back-and-forth struggle and featured some key saves by Greg Lind (31 digs total), who also had to bounce back from an injury sustained mid-match. The battle also featured Northampton’s Mike Holihan, who clearly showed why he was the LVC’s MVP this year, and also exhibited a dynamic and entertaining presence out on the court.

In the second match, Parkland jumped out to a 2-0 advantage themselves before Easton stepped up their game and won the third set. Loren Skinker and Tyler Phifer were just two of the Trojan players who stepped up with some big plays throughout their contest with the Red Rovers. Parkland came back strong with three different three-set runs to win the fourth and final set. Parkland would go on to beat Emmaus in the district championship match in straight sets after dropping the opening set.

The Easton volleyball program deserves some credit for its success this year as well. They rebounded from a 3-17 season a year ago and were picked in one preseason prediction to finish dead-last in their division. The Rovers showed character all season and gave Parkland a very strong battle in the semifinal nightcap.

Both Parkland and Emmaus now advance to the PIAA state playoffs, where it is no longer uncommon to see our local teams fare well on the statewide stage. In fact, there have been several local girls and boys volleyball teams winning state titles over the past decade. With so many outstanding up-and-coming volleyball players in the Eastern Pennsylvania region, it’s a trend not likely to change anytime soon.

What other aspects of sports have dramatically improved over the last 10 to 15 years? Which sports programs and athletes do you feel deserve some extra attention? Post your opinions below or email us at RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and join us as we continue to spotlight the bright young athletes in the RCN-TV viewing area.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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