This is the time of the year when NFL fans get really nervous about some of their favorite players looking elsewhere, presumably for more money.  There are currently 650 free agents on the market.  650!  Free agency is a somewhat complicated process, which most of us, I would venture to speculate, do not understand.  I did a little research and will try to offer up in the simplest of terms, NFL Free Agency for Dummies.  Keep in mind this is written by a dummy.

For my example I will use Sam Bradford, last year’s starting quarterback for the Eagles.  By the way, there are 29 NFL quarterbacks right now in free agency. Sam Bradford is an unrestricted free agent (UFA).  The Eagles had until March 9 to sign him to a new contract before he was allowed to begin talking to and negotiating with other NFL teams.  In other words, after March 9, Bradford was “unrestricted”.  The Eagles could have named Bradford a franchise player before March 1, and he would have stayed with the Eagles for another year.  The cost to the Eagles would be the average salary of the top five players at his position.  The Eagles chose not to do that so Bradford is free to look elsewhere.

Bradford originally signed a six-year contract in 2010 with the St. Louis Rams for a signing bonus of $17,975,000.  He received an average salary of $13,007,500 per year.  He received bonuses from 2010-2012 totaling $17,300,000.  In the final year of his contract, the Eagles paid him $12,985,000.  His six-year contract totaled around $78 million.  When he signed the contract, he was guaranteed $50 million, but he obviously greatly far exceeded that.

So now what?  Of the 650 free agents, Bradford currently is the highest paid on the list primarily because he is a starting quarterback.  The second highest paid free agent on the market is defensive end Chris Long at $12,500,000.  Since the Eagles decided not to name him a franchise player or try to sign him before the deadline, Bradford now has his agent looking for a deal.  One service has his calculated market value at an annual salary of $18.6 million.  This value is arrived at by comparing Bradford to Ryan Tannehill, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, and Joe Flacco, all NFL quarterbacks.  Of course, his true value will be determined by the team that eventually signs him.

So, in a nutshell, you now have the numbers that a general manager must analyze to determine if Sam Bradford is the man for you.  In addition, a GM must concern himself with salary caps, but that explanation is for another time.  Remember, the Eagles can still be a part of the negotiations.  Once they have a sense of the offers being made, they too can present their offer or perhaps look at the 28 other quarterbacks available.

So what is Sam Bradford really worth to an NFL team?  Should the Eagles do whatever they can to bring him back?  Or would you just keep shopping?  If it was your money, how would you spend it?

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Now, you might be wondering what other NFL quarterbacks are available. To name a few – Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Schaub, Tavaris Jackson, Chase Daniel, Kirk Cousins, etc.

2. The Yankees announced this week that they will no longer honor print-at-home tickets saying there is too much fraud in the process (“rampant, on a daily basis, every single game”). StubHub claims that they encounter fraud in 0.01 percent of transactions.  Is this the Yankees just showing their power against StubHub or a concern that will expand to other entertainment venues?

3. Jay Wright’s Villanova Wildcats continue to be the #1 team in college basketball, according to this week’s poll. They are 24-3 and garnered 25 of the 32 votes by the coaches.  Villanova is the team that knocked out Lafayette in the NCAA tournament last year in Pittsburgh.

4. The PGA tour is literally in Tiger Woods’ backyard this week in South Florida and he did not commit to playing. There has been no word about his health since December.  He had a major back operation 19 months ago and two similar surgeries since then.  He is no longer listed in the top 450 golfers.

5. Watch our local teams battle for the District basketball and wrestling championships this week on RCN-TV. The PIAA state basketball playoffs begin Friday, March 4.

There are some great high school match-ups over the next few days that I’m very excited about–especially on the girls basketball side.  Here are some observations and notes about District XI teams in the RCN coverage area to get you ready for this week’s playoff coverage on RCN-TV.

The 4A Girls Bracket
It was a coming-out party for Northampton freshman Victoria Keenan, who made her RCN debut last Friday with a spectacular performance en route to a big win over the second-seeded Parkland Trojans.  Despite her (and her frontcourt mates) getting in some early foul trouble, Keenan showcased her ball-handling and shooting abilities from different spots on the floor all game long.  I immediately noticed her poise and confidence in the pre-game warm-ups and she did not seemed fazed in the least about the win-or-go-home contest in front of her.

She finished with a game-high 23 points (no one else on either side finished in double figures) and set up her team to face their area rivals, Nazareth, in the semifinal matchup (7:30pm LIVE, Tuesday, RCN-TV).

I don’t often make predictions about players, and even more rarely do I single out a freshman, but after seeing Keenan play last week I feel confident in saying she’ll become one of the top girls basketball players in the area, if she’s not almost there already.

Not to be left out was Aja Blount, who came into the quarterfinal match-up averaging 20 points per game.  The Trojans played stifling defense on her and did not allow Blount her usual amount of touches, but Aja returned the favor by playing her own brand of ‘shut-all-windows-and-doors” defense against a talented Parkland frontcourt in the victory. Devon Saul, Lauren Sterner, Jenna Rogers, Brielle Ringo and (despite some quick fouls called on her) Sophia Eckroth all played well and I’m looking forward to seeing their next game on Tuesday.

I have not seen the Blue Eagles in person this year, but I’m well aware of the high level of play from returning players Tessa Brugler and Jessica Durnin, and the strong defense Head Coach Rick Bickert always cultivates.  This semifinal game should go right down to the wire.

I was very impressed by my first look at this year’s Easton game–a squad I saw last year and knew they would surpass those levels from a year ago.  We’ve spoken quite a bit about the Red Rovers on recent “SportsTalk” shows and podcasts (which you can hear here).  Pottsville has been led by two outstanding scoring threats, Kyra Schenk and Sadie Cresswell (the latter really shoots well from three-point land and will play college ball at East Stroudsburg University).  The Tide have some size and could create some interesting match-up issues for Easton (Tuesday, 6pm Live, RCN-TV).

Was Parkland vs. Allen the best HS game in decades?
I had a number of people answer in the affirmative about the above question between the boys teams from Allen and Parkland.   Emmaus’ Saturday victory over the Canaries will keep area fans from seeing a rematch of this contest (Parkland and Allen did not play each other during the regular season).  While I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was the greatest local game in over ten years, I will say unequivocally that on any given night, the Allen boys team can be as entertaining to watch as any team in the RCN viewing area.

Remember, nearly all of Allen’s key players were juniors or younger this winter and should return in 2017.  With Parkland graduating a number of the area’s top performers, I think you could certainly put the Canaries as one of the two or three best teams heading into the next high school basketball season, and should be a fun team to watch during the summer leagues.

With the Hornets win, we’ll see another great Parkland vs. Emmaus battle on Wednesday night (live, 7:30pm, RCN-TV).

We’ve talked about both teams quite a bit this season, and on paper, it still seems that the Trojans are heavy favorites.  The Hornets have battled through some tough games this season and we’ll see if Emmaus can come up with a new wrinkle or two to try to frustrate top-seeded Parkland.

SHOUT-OUTS
* Pocono Mountain West’s Lance Singh (a junior) had one of the best individual men’s performances I’ve seen in quite some time.  He scored 35 against Allen in the EPC semifinal and owned the first and last quarters, with the ability to score despite sometimes being triple-teamed, but also set up his teammates well down the stretch run.  Jalen Vaughns (also an 11^th grader) is also a difficult match-up—a guy who can score from different spots on the floor and is also a beast on the boards, and Isaiah Wiggins (another junior, by the way) also has a very similar skill set.  I think it’s safe to say PMW is clearly the single most talented scoring machine that Bangor has faced all season, and the Slaters will have their hands full in their semifinal match-up.

* Speaking of Bangor, props to last week’s “SportsTalk” panelist Toomey Anderson (from “LV Basketball Rankings”) for stating on the show that the Slaters will have a breakout performance and post a statement-declaring win over Whitehall in Saturday’s quarterfinal game.  We have been touting the great teams in the Colonial League since early December here at the “SportsTalk Shop” (feel free to go back through our past blog entries to see for yourself) and it is no surprise to me that there are two Colonial League teams still alive as we advance to the semifinal round of the District XI playoffs.

* Another correct “lock” prediction made on last week’s program was Andre Williams declaring that Bethlehem Catholic would beat Allentown Central Catholic in the so-called “Lehigh Valley Holy War.”   First-year Head Coach Ray Barbosa has done a remarkable job since taking over the program, even before his big win over the Vikings last Friday.  He has his team playing its best basketball of the season at just the right time.  They face undefeated Pottsville on Tuesday night (9:30pm, tape-delayed, RCN-TV).  The Tide have played some quality opponents and are an athletic team.  If Becahi can play like they did against Parkland in the EPC Quarterfinals, they’ll have a shot.  Regardless of this game’s outcome, the Golden Hawks already have had a tremendous season after winning just three games a year ago.

Send us your high school basketball comments and opinions via email (RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com) and enjoy all the playoff basketball action coming your way on RCN-TV over the next week!

Now that the NFL has completed play and with college basketball, the NBA, and the NHL moving to their respective championships, I find I am desperate for some intense competition.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching the serenity and landscape of golf, but it does lack the “mano a mano” aspect that the aforementioned sports offer up.  But, I am happy to say I have found a new “blood sport” – the Republican Debates!

I was for many years the Debate coach at Wilson High School and I am proud to say that we competed quite well against the bigger schools like Allen, Dieruff, Easton, and others.  I remember the parameters quite well.  There was the debate topic (an issue or resolution), the two sides – one supporting the issue and one opposing it, and the judges who would decide who won.  In other words, both teams formulated their arguments and presented them in a formal way and then the arguments were rebutted by the opposing side.  There could be no interruptions and each speaker must wait their turn.  There were very formal rules of procedure to follow. The debate was to be only about the issue, not about the personalities making the presentation.

As I mentioned, I have watched both the Republican and Democratic debates when my schedule allowed it.  The Republican frays are much more interesting even though they should not be called “debates”.  I watched the last one this past Saturday night.  There were virtually no rules.  Personal attacks abounded; interruptions were commonplace; and disparaging comments were the norm.  The clashes between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, between Cruz and Marco Rubio, between Trump and Jeb Bush are as good as any hockey fight.  And the passivity of Dr. Ben Carson in that environment is quite interesting.

Some of the phrases thrown around were, “You are the single biggest liar”; “He’s a nasty guy”; “I am sick and tired of him going after my family”; “He’ll moon anybody”, and one candidate even attacked another candidate’s mother, his mother!!  There are many, many other examples.

I am not taking any sides here, but I do think there is a much better way for these candidates to conduct themselves and conduct their debates.  What would be so wrong, since there are so many so-called “debates” now, if each debate focused on one, two, or three issues – immigration, foreign policy, taxation, the economy, abortion, Planned Parenthood, wages, the Supreme Court and so on and so on?  And wouldn’t it be fair if for each question, each candidate had an opportunity to give their answer without interruption?  And wouldn’t it be better and refreshing if the moderators had enough knowledge of the few issues for each night to challenge the candidates if, indeed, they contradicted either their past words or their actions?

Even though we all seem to like a good fight, physical or verbal, it would certainly seem that it would be better for our democracy if the “debate judges” (the people) would be able to see the true differences between those running for the most powerful office in the world.

Then and only then, we would have the candidates’ positions to judge who would be the better president, not who is the best at name-calling.

I’m not taking any sides here, just wondering if Presidential debates should actually be more like debates and not free-for-alls. In other words, more “Presidential”.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Remember the footage of Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens dragging Janay Palmer out of the elevator in Atlantic City? It was revealed this week that a Revel employee was paid about $105,000 for the video by TMZ

2. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition is due out soon and already some unveiling, literally, is happening. It is reported that Tiger Woods’ former girlfriend and Olympic skier, Lindsay Vonn, and MMA star Ronda Rousey will be in the issue wearing only body paint.  Rumor has it Rousey is on the cover.

3. A really good story came out of the PGA tour at Pebble Beach this week. Vaughn Taylor (who?) won!  He last won in 2005, and only got into the tournament as an alternate. He took a carry-on bag on the plane to California just to save baggage fees.  He was ranked #447 in the world.  But he won and made $1.26 million for the victory, $165,000 more than he made the last three years combined.  By the way, Phil Mickelson missed a five-foot putt on the 18^th hole that would have tied him with Taylor.  Taylor now qualifies for his first Masters.

4. If you want to see one of the best high school games we have ever had on RCN-TV, go to Video-on-Demand to watch Allen play Parkland. Imagine scoring 27 points and being the third leading scorer in the game.  The game goes overtime and two other players score more than 30 points.  It’s a special game – one of our very best.

5. Mark your calendar on February 27. The District basketball and wrestling finals are that day with the Lafayette men playing Colgate starting the day at noon.  We will finish up very late into the evening.  We will certainly be ESPN-ish that Saturday!

Last week, we discussed a number of teams in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference or Colonial League post-season races—nearly all of them will look to be major players in the District XI tournament, which starts this week.  Today here at “The Shop,” we take a look at a few more teams that begin their district championship quests over the next few days.

“Give Me Liberty…”
Don’t let a first-round loss in the EPC playoffs fool you.  Chad Landis always seems to find a way to get his team playing deep into the district playoffs—and usually well enough to get at least one of the top-3 district seeds, which would give the Hurricanes a trip to states.

Liberty lost to a very talented Allen team last week.  On paper, however, I think Liberty could play with almost anyone in their bracket.  They have a tremendous talent on the inside in Cam Hoffman and exciting guard play with added depth now that Chance Neilly has returned and gotten some game action under his belt. They’ll open up the tournament by facing Nazareth on Wednesday (live, RCN4 at 7pm).

“…or Fly Like An Eagle”
Nazareth Head Coach Joe Arndt has to be on a short list of underrated basketball coaches in the region.  Following his great run in the post-season last year (more on that later), he has done a great job grooming young talents Jahan Dotson and Kevin Wagner to become one of the strongest 1-2 underclassmen punches among EPC teams.  Nick Youngkin has added scoring punch from different spots on the floor and probably deserves more attention that he’s received this season.  The key will be containing the likes of Hoffman, Andrew Hudak and Caleb Martinez on the inside and for Nazareth to get its share of rebounds.  More inside scoring could go along way for Blue Eagles—the loser of this ball game sees their season come to an end.

The 3A Race Should be Fun To Watch
Central Catholic has an incredibly talented team, filled with underclassmen and amazing potential.  But when you have a younger group of players, there’s always an element–however slight—of ambiguity in reading how they will play together in the post-season.  They lost to a very solid Pocono Mountain West team in the first round of the league playoffs and, unlike previous years, I don’t think the Vikings are your ‘stone-cold locks’ to win the district title.  Salisbury, Notre Dame and Saucon Valley are all good, well-balanced teams who can play with Central Catholic.

Bethlehem Catholic also showed a tremendous amount of poise in hanging with the area’s best team, Parkland, in their EPC first-round match-up and have scored some impressive wins during the regular season.  Ray Barbosa has done a great job in his first year with the Golden Hawks and I don’t think a lengthy run in districts should be seen as a shocker.

Also, waiting “in the wings” is a Pottsville team that just completed a perfect 22-0 regular season.  The Tide will face the winner of Tuesday’s match-up between Saucon Valley/Lehighton (live, RCN4 at 7pm).  There will be very few “easy” games in the District XI 3A Classification this time around, and I doubt very many people could clearly predict just how this bracket will shake out this winter.

This Year’s Cinderella?
Last year it was Nazareth’s boys team that surprised people with a lengthy and exciting run through the District XI tournament—winning a few more games than many expected.

Who will be this year’s dark horse squad to last the longest? Stroudsburg is always an underrated team that seems to find a way to advance deep in the playoffs—despite the fact local experts rarely predict a successful post-season run for the Mountaineers.  If they can get by Freedom on Wednesday, they have as good a shot against Pocono Mountain West, then would face the winner of the Bangor vs. Solehi/Whitehall matchup, so another post-season run by the Mounties certainly looks like it has potential.

Also, there’s a number of talented girls basketball individuals and teams to keep an eye on that don’t get the hype they deserve.  Easton is coming off an impressive performance in its EPC Championship victory and are led by standout stars like Gabby Bloshuk, Leanna Deegan, Olivia George and Shelby Stocker.

However, this might be one of the most competitive District XI girls playoff fields we’ve seen in some time.  Parkland features Emily Piston, Rachel Medlar, Nadine Ewald and Sarah Stagaard.  Among the other top EPC talents include Nazareth’s Tessa Brugler, Northampton’s Aja Blount and Victoria Keenan.  Colonial League players to watch include Southern Lehigh’s Amanda Mobley, Olivia Snyder and Ellie Cassel (all underclassmen, by the way), Palisades’ Karlee Krchnavi, Northwestern’s Erika Thomas and Bangor’s Marissa Fernandez-Tierney.  We talked about a number of these teams and players in last week’s “SportsTalk” podcast (listen here: rcn.com/atvn/sports-talk).

Don’t forget, we’ll be discussing many more teams, previewing match-ups and making District XI playoff predictions on Thursday’s “RCN SportsTalk” show, live from 7-8pm on RCN-TV with the show’s podcast available on Friday.  Guests include RCN Basketball Analyst Tom Stoudt along with Toomey Anderson and Andre Williams from LVBasketballRankings.com.  Email your high schools opinions and questions to rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and our panel will read and respond to your comments live on the air!

The Super Bowl was played this past Sunday.  Denver won.  Don’t stop reading yet – I know the WHOLE WORLD knows the Super Bowl was played this past Sunday and who won the game.  But it is a good starting point for this blog.

Amidst all the hoopla, commercials, the halftime show, the parties and the game itself, is the looming conversation about the danger of the sport and, in particular, concussions.  You cannot watch the NFL anymore without seeing a particular play or be reminded about a particular player in the past who now suffers from or died of “chronic traumatic encephalopathy”.  There is a film out now, Concussion, which features the attempt by the NFL to suppress the research of Dr. Bennet Omalu.  That attempt by the NFL was shameful and they deserved to be exposed for turning their attention away from the controversy.  But what we did learn and continue to learn is that the dangers of playing the game are now self-evident.  Every parent, every participant, every team from midgets to professionals now know that football can be a very dangerous game.

So where does that leave us?  Absolutely nowhere.  The choice still lies with the individual who decides to put on the helmet and the shoulder pads to play.  People decide to do things every day that endanger their health.  Choices are made to smoke cigarettes, to drink too much alcohol, to smoke marijuana, to live a sedentary life, to eat too much, to sky dive, to take on a giant wave, ski down the steepest of mountains, drive a race car at ridiculous speeds, etc.  But the participants make that choice and, I’m certain they do not make the choice blindly.  The risks are self-evident for some activities and well-documented for others.

It’s been a long time since I played organized sports.  I played football, basketball, and baseball in high school, received 11 varsity letters for my efforts.  I continued to play basketball and baseball in college.  Back then, there was not much concern for the dangers of any of those sports.  And besides, I truly loved playing them all.  I still reflect back on what being part of a team, disciplining myself to practice and work out, feeling the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”, accomplishing individual success and learning to meet difficult challenges meant to my growth and fortitude as an adult.  Risks be damned (even though I gave them very little thought).

I can say I was fortunate because I was only injured twice during my athletic career – a broken collarbone and a severe case of dehydration that put me in the hospital.  These maladies occurred, not playing the three – football, basketball, and baseball.  Both of the injuries occurred playing – wait for it – SLOW-PITCH SOFTBALL!!  That’s right and nobody ever told me how dangerous that sport could be.  It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.  I loved playing softball and continued to play even after both my body and my wife started to discourage my participation.

The point I am trying to make here is that, in this day and age, we all know the risks involved in the decisions we make every day.  But they are OUR decisions and we must weigh the choices and then take responsibility for those decisions.  I am not implying we shouldn’t continue to warn people of the health hazards, the dangers, and the consequences of those choices, nor should we discontinue all the research that makes us safer and more knowledgeable about those choices or make rules that help protect the participants.  I am a fan of “concussion protocol”.  What I am saying is that if individuals decide to participate in dangerous activities, SO BE IT!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME SUPER BOWL  MUSINGS)

 Here are my favorite commercials from the Super Bowl:

1. Seth Rogan and Amy Schumer for Bud Light. It was funny from the beginning to the end and, unlike many other commercials, I got it.
2. The Apartments.com ad was good with Jeff Goldblum playing the piano, but what was it about? Landing a better apartment?  I guess it worked because I now know about the site.
3. The sheep singing a rock song in the Honda truck ad, but was the selling point – that you can listen to rock from the bed of the truck? What?
4. Hot dogs, literally, running to human catsup and mustard bottles, literally, made by Heinz. It was cute and made some sense.
5. Oh, wait there weren’t five I liked. What’s a Marmot or a “puppymonkeybaby”? The ads were pretty lame this year and the game was somewhat boring. I liked the halftime show.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-6; OVERALL 160-96 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WILD CARD) – 3-1
NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – 3-1; PLAYOFFS (6-2)
NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS – 1-1; PLAYOFFS (7-3)
SUPER BOWL – 0-1

The high school basketball playoffs have arrived in the Lehigh Valley region.  Thanks to the expanded playoff format (of which there’s been much debate amongst local sports fans–discussed at length on ‘RCN SportsTalk’), the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and the Colonial League post-season actually got underway last weekend, with the league semifinals to be played on Tuesday and Wednesday (check the RCN broadcast schedule for our coverage).

On this Thursday’s live “SportsTalk” program (7-8pm), we’ll have local coaches and experts Megan Dellegrotti (former Southern Lehigh Head Coach/fmr. DeSales Assistant Head Coach), Joe Jarjous (current Dieruff boys head basketball coach), Kyle Hutnik (Pen Argyl Boys Basketball Head Coach) and Ed Seidick (Catasaqua Girls Head Basketball Coach) on the show to give their insights on the teams involved, along with opinions, predictions and key match-ups to watch for on both leagues’ championship nights for both the boys and girls title games (also to be broadcast on RCN-TV on Friday).

To get you set for the semifinals, here are thoughts on the teams that I’ve seen so far this winter, along with the video highlights from RCN’s regular season coverage of high school basketball in the Lehigh Valley.

EPC:  PARKLAND
Despite just a five-point lead over Bethlehem Catholic at halftime, Parkland looked just as strong in the second half of its opening round playoff game as they have at any point during their season since the football players returned.  I’m sticking with my prediction from early December that the Trojans win the EPC and continue to advance all the way to the PIAA state championship.  A big key for this to happen will be for Parkland to avoid one of the top Philadelphia schools (aka., Roman Catholic) in the first few rounds of the  tourney.  However, this team is so well-balanced and has all the advantages (size, speed, shooting ability et al) over nearly every team they’ll face over the next few weeks.

ALLEN

Another prediction I made back on this blog before the season started (and I’m sticking with now) is that Talek Williams is one of the most dynamic players in the Lehigh Valley.  From what I’ve seen of his Canaries teammates this year, I don’t believe Allen is a one-star team.  At any given time, Williams and Co. could be the Lehigh Valley team to give Parkland its biggest challenge.  The key for the Canaries is their consistency—they’ve looked great at times, and have also struggled: sometimes game-to-game, other times quarter-to-quarter.  If Allen can put together a string of solid efforts, they could give the Trojans a battle for the EPC Championship Friday (RCN-TV, live, Friday at 7:30pm), provided they don’t look past Pocono Mountain West in the semis.

Emmaus
The Hornets also have the size, guard-play and speed to hang with Parkland, but have not been able to come close to a win in the two meetings between these two juggernauts.  I believe they have the biggest collection of underrated players in the area (Cam Widdoss, Brandon Rapose, Jake Freirtag, Joey Polczynski, Eric Cichocki, Jake Scarnulis).  Because of their regular-season finale loss to Whitehall, they drew Parkland in the semifinal round (RCN-TV, live Tuesday at 7:30pm).  This might be the wrong way to look at things, but if Emmaus loses to Parkland in the league playoff, the old adage of “it’s hard to beat a good team four times” might apply if these area rivals would face each other again in the District XI playoffs—or even a fifth time if they would both clinch and meet in the state playoffs.

Colonial League:  Bangor vs. Saucon Valley
While Bangor’s Michael Martino has been the headline name in the league this past year, I think both the Slaters and the Panthers have a lot of high-talent players, and their semifinal matchup (RCN4, live Wednesday at 7:30pm) should be just as competitive as their regular season meetings.  While Bangor won each contest, Mike Kane was not available for the first meeting between these two teams, and he has shown he can be a difference maker.

Another player to watch?  While he’s certainly gone under the radar, I believe Saucon Valley guard Josh Snead might just be the best point guard in the Colonial League this year.  Equally underrated are Bangor’s guard Reece Jones along with the Slaters’ frontcourt—with some up-and-coming talent also on the way.

Southern Lehigh vs. Salisbury
I haven’t gotten a chance to see in person either of these teams this year, but will this Wednesday in the first Colonial League semifinal contest (RCN4, live at 6pm).  For some great insights on the Falcons from Head Coach Jason Weaver and his players, check out their “SportsTalk” appearance on our podcast here.  In addition to talking about their successes this year and thoughts on the post-season, top scorer Tevon Weber told some great stories about his shot selection, and what he does every time he hits a three-pointer.

If you have a comment or question about the local high school basketball playoffs, email them to rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and tune in Thursday at 7pm for our “League Championship Preview Show” as we read and respond to your thoughts on the local league playoff season in the Lehigh Valley.

One of the biggest Lehigh Valley local sports winter events is happening this Saturday—the District XI AAA Team Wrestling Final & Ultimate Qualifier (live, 4:30pm on RCN-TV).  Local wrestling gurus Gene Waas and Jack Logic were on our “SportsTalk” show to discuss that event, as well as give their opinions on many local wrestling issues.  Among the topics discussed–they gave their takes on the “EPC Challenge” and on the first year of the “revamped” alignments for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.  Here’s a brief sample of our discussion of the “new look EPC” for wrestling–the entire program along with thoughts on the District XI tournament structure is available here on our podcast.

We’ve also had some great wrestling action on RCN-TV this past winter.  We covered a number of Colonial League teams on our “RCN SportsTalk” show—the interviews and videos are available on-demand for RCN customers.

To get you set for this weekend’s tournament action, here’s a look back at the highlights of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference wrestling matches featured on RCN-TV this season.

In addition to this Saturday’s team district wrestling coverage, we have more wrestling coverage coming up in the next few weeks.  On the Thursday, February 25^th edition of “SportsTalk” from 7-8 pm, we’ll have preview of that weekend’s District XI AA and AAA individual wrestling tournament.  On Saturday, February 27^th at 9:30 RCN-TV will have the AAA Wrestling Final and the following week RCN will be broadcasting the PIAA Northeast Wrestling Final at 9pm.

Keep checking the RCN-TV schedule page here on the website for the latest news and/or changes for our local sports coverage.  Also, don’t forget to email you opinions and feelings the local sports action to rcnsportstalk@rcn.com .

So the two #1 seeds in their respective conferences will ACTUALLY meet in the 50^th Super Bowl championship.  One team (Carolina) scored more points than any other this year and the other (Denver) got up the least amount of yardage.  As I write this, Carolina is favored by 4.5 points.  I will attempt to analyze the two teams and pick a winner.

DEFENSE
“You win championships with defense.”  How many times have we heard analysts tell us that?  If, indeed, that is the case, it would still be very hard to choose a winner based on that adage.  Both teams have outstanding defenses (maybe that’s why they are in the Super Bowl).  Carolina’s defense has been particularly tough on quarterbacks.  They are the best team in the NFL for creating the lowest opponent passer rating.  They certainly made life miserable for Cardinals’ quarterback, Carson Palmer.  And linebacker David Newton, who broke his arm in the Cardinals’ game, is expected to play after having surgery this past Monday.

The Denver defense, however, has stopped almost every team and had little trouble stopping Tom Brady and the Patriots.  Von Miller is an awesome player.  The Broncos were first in the league in total yards allowed and had 20 quarterback hits last week.  I would think that the diversity of the Carolina offensive attack would be a bigger challenge than Denver faced against the Patriots.

ADVANTAGE:  CAROLINA

OFFENSE
QB’s – Cam Newton (Carolina) vs. Peyton Manning (Denver) – wow!  Talk about contrasting styles.  Newton never seems to feel the pressure of the moment and always looks like he is just having fun.  Manning, on the other hand, is like a scientist in his lab studying and dissecting.  Newton has the stronger arm; Manning has won this game, has the experience and the knowledge of many years in the league.

Receivers – Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn, Jr. (Carolina) vs. Damaryius Thomas and Emanuel Sanders (Denver).  I like Carolina here because of their defensive secondary and Greg Olsen is not unlike the Patriot’s Rob Gonkowski.

Running Backs – Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert (Carolina) vs. C J Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.  Both teams give up very little rushing yardage, but with Cam Newton as a running weapon, Carolina should be a bit harder to defend.  Both teams, however, give up @ 80 yards per game on the ground.  Running the ball (except by Newton) might be a non-factor.

ADVANTAGE:  CAROLINA

INTANGIBLES

• Peyton’s last game?  This would certainly give the emotional edge to Denver.
• Turnovers?  Carolina has a +20 turnover differential compared to Denver’s -4.
• Carolina’s cockiness? This could serve them well on such a big stage or derail them if things do not go well early in the game.
• Extra points ARE important – Just ask the Patriots; they chased that one point the whole game.

ADVANTAGE – DENVER

THE PICK
This is a really tough choice (as it should be).  On paper I like the Carolina Panthers; but I do think the emotional edge goes to Denver.

THE WINNER OF SUPER BOWL 50:
CAROLINA PANTHERS  24 – 17

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME SUPER BOWL  MUSINGS)

1. If Carolina wins, Cam Newton would become the only player to win the Heisman, a national NCAA championship, NFL MVP and a Super Bowl.
2. If Denver wins, Peyton Manning would be the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two teams. He won at Indianapolis.
3. The Browns, Lions, Jaguars and Texans are the only teams that have not played in a Super Bowl.
4. A 30-second ad this year will cost $5 million, 11% higher than last year. 4 million people tuned in last year.
5. If you like to gamble, the odds before the season started that the Broncos would face the Panthers in the Super Bowl were 184-1!

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-6; OVERALL 160-96 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WILD CARD) – 3-1
NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – 3-1; PLAYOFFS (6-2)
NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS – 1-1; PLAYOFFS (7-3)

I have never been one to think about a “bucket list” – you know, things you would like to do before you actually “kick the bucket”.  I’m more into letting things come to me or making things happen when I truly want to do something.  And I really have not been disappointed – I have been to an NCAA college national football championship, a PGA major golf tournament, a World Series game, a Stanley Cup hockey game.  I have played some of the best golf courses – Oakmont, two TPC courses, the three Saucon Valley courses and courses in Bermuda and the Bahamas.  I have interviewed well-known personalities, – Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Woody Hayes, John Legend, Tony Orlando, Liza Minelli, and others not so well-known – the world’s ugliest man, the world’s fattest woman, the youngest snake charmer, etc.  Reflecting back on these moments, I remember that there was an interesting story concerning them all.  But I would not say these things were then crossed off my bucket list because I never really had a list.

I have often thought that one thing I would like to do, however, would be to go to the Super Bowl.  After watching the NFC and AFC championship games this past weekend, I was curious what it would cost to go see Denver vs. Carolina on February 7, at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California.  I decided to investigate the cost.

I went to the NFL Ticket Exchange and found that there were tickets available in the very upper deck of the stadium at costs ranging from $4095-$4594.  I could sit in the upper deck on the 50-yard line for $4952.  I was a bit discouraged knowing I would still have to fly to California.

But then I got an e-mail from the Damien Scribner Hospitality Group.  It read:

Gary,

14 days to Super Bowl 50!  Make sure you are there to watch Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos and Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers battle for the Lombardi Trophy at Levi Stadium!

Super Bowl 50 Game Day Program
February 7th, 2016
Levis Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
*6 Upper Level End-Corner Tickets
*6 VIP NFL Players Pregame Party Tickets which include Hand Passed Appetizers, Multiple Gourmet Food Stations prepared by Legendary Chef Guy Fieri, Multiple Top Shelf Open Bars staged throughout the event, over 20 current NFL Players in attendance and introduced by our event MC, Erin Andrews- Sports Reporter for Fox for Sunday Chalk Talk with our guests as well as a special appearance by Frank Caliendo!
*All Inclusive Price:  $27,950

Super Bowl 50 Game Premier Program
February 7th, 2016

Levis Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
*3 Deluxe Double Occupancy Accommodations at the Luxurious Palace Hotel 

*6 Upper Level End-Corner Tickets
*6 VIP NFL Players Pregame Party Tickets which include Hand Passed Appetizers, Multiple Gourmet Food Stations prepared by Legendary Chef Guy Fieri, Multiple Top Shelf Open Bars staged throughout the event, over 20 current NFL Players in attendance and introduced by our event MC, Erin Andrews- Sports Reporter for Fox for Sunday Chalk Talk with our guests as well as a special appearance by Frank Caliendo!

*All Inclusive Price:  $39,500

We only have a limited amount of rooms at the Palace Hotel so please contact us right away to secure your spots to Super Bowl 50.

Thanks and I look forward to working with you on this exciting event!
Damian

That’s $4,658.33 or $6,583.33 apiece. But considering that it includes Guy Fieri, upper level, Frank Caliendo, and Erin Andrews – What more could I ask for?  I should go.

Well, to tell you the truth, the only way I could go and seize the opportunity to cross this one off my “bucket list” would be to literally pass the bucket, pass a hat, use GoFundMe or stand at the door of my favorite supermarket and plead.

Instead, once again, I will sit in my most comfortable chair, eat some snacks, and have a beverage.  You’re welcome to join me for, oh, I don’t know – $1,000?

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Last Wednesday night, January 20, the Penn Palestra and Big Five basketball celebrated their 60^th Temple played LaSalle in game one and Penn took on Saint Joseph’s in game two.  I grew up watching Big Five basketball on TV, listening to Les Keiter (“Tickle the twine”, “In again, out again, Finnegan”) call the games.  I also went to about a half dozen games over the years.  There was nothing like it and they had a great night of basketball this past Wednesday.  Happy Anniversary!
2. Speaking of exciting games, they don’t get much better than this past Friday night when Liberty played Allen. The game featured nine ties and 11 lead changes and ended tied in regulation at 59.  With Allen leading 65-63 and seconds left in overtime, Cameron Hoffman raced down the floor and hit a three-point shot for the Liberty win!  It was appropriate that Hoffman would be the hero, having scored a career high 29 points in the game.
3. As you know by now, Chip Kelly is the new 49ers coach picking up $24 million dollars for four years. (I assume he was able to get by the two weeks he was unemployed).  And the Eagles must pay $6.5 million on the final two years of his contract.
4. I was a bit surprised that New England could not handle the Broncos defense on Sunday. The defense won the game for Denver, but all TV did was focus on Peyton Manning.  Carolina looks like a team of destiny this season.
5. The Lafayette-Lehigh men’s basketball game scheduled for this past Saturday will now be played on February 8, at 7:00pm. It will be LIVE on RCN-TV.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 10-6; OVERALL 160-96 (63%)
NFL PICKS (WILD CARD) – 3-1
NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – 3-1; PLAYOFFS (6-2)
NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS – 1-1; PLAYOFFS (7-3)
 
SUPER BOWL PICK NEXT WEEK

In the fallout of record amounts of snowfall, coinciding with the cold and blustery conditions we suffered through this past weekend, I’d like to pass along the following public service announcement…

“We’re under a month away from the start of Major League Baseball’s opening of spring training!”

I said in an earlier post that I’m more confident in the Nationals’ chances of making the playoffs this year and it should be a great summer/fall for fans in the Washington, DC region.

While many baseball fans will write off 2016 year as a lost year for the Phillies—with most of the organization’s top prospects at least a few months away from being on the major league roster—I think there are many intriguing storylines for the upcoming season.

The “SportsTalk” cameras recently had a chance recently to speak with some of the key members of the organization going forward, new General Manager Matt Klentak, Manager Pete Mackanin, who’ll begin his first full year as the team’s skipper, and young right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola.  Despite the fact that Nola enters the season with just a few months of Major League experience under his belt, he holds the distinction of being one of the “oldest” members of the pitching staff, and could very well be the “eldest” pitcher on the team’s Opening Day starting rotation.

Here is Mackanin’s thoughts on a number of issues, including:

• his approach of how Ryan Howard will be used this season
• a critical season for third baseman/outfielder Cody Asche
• a peek at what his Opening Day outfield alignment could look like
• who has the edge to round out the starting rotation
• the competition for the team’s closer position
• why fans should be enthusiastic about the 2016 Phillies ball club

New GM Matt Klentak answered questions on:

• what are this year’s team goals
• why the team is headed in the right directin
• young, highly touted prospect Vincent Velasquez, who was acquired in the Ken Giles’ trade
• an off-season conversation he had with Ryan Howard, regarding his future with the Phillies

Nola also talked about his expectations for the new season, how he and his teammates will approach a “rebuilding season,” and his insights on how he’s learned to have success, even on days in which he doesn’t have command of all his pitches.

There could very well be a number of additional storylines that develop and players to watch over the next several months for the “Phightins,” as they continue to turn over the roster and look to rebuild after a period that will go down as the greatest era in team history.  With young prospects like Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, J.P. Crawford, Roman Quinn, Andrew Knapp and a host of good, young pitching prospects, it may not be too long before the Phillies return to the upper half of the division and resume stringing together playoff appearances.

Check back to the “SportsTalk Shop” as we get closer to Opening Day for more insights on the Phillies, the Nationals and topics of interested for baseball fans in the RCN viewing area.  Also, email us your baseball comments and opinions to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and we’ll read and respond on an upcoming edition of “RCN SportsTalk.”