As you are well-aware, Muhammad Ali died from Parkinson’s syndrome on Friday, June 3.  He was 74.

He won his first championship title in 1964, the year I graduated from high school.  He was Cassius Clay then.  His last fight was against Trevor Berbick in 1981, after being pummeled into submission by Easton’s Larry Holmes in Las Vegas in 1980.  I don’t think I missed an Ali fight, even though many of them I had to listen to on the radio if I wanted to hear them LIVE.

Looking at the dates, I realize that most young people have probably never seen him throw a punch, except in highlights; never seen him brag, which was always entertaining; never seen him revered wherever he went.  He was the self-proclaimed “Greatest of all time.”  And, in my opinion, he was.  But sadly, the sport has changed so much that most young people today probably have no idea who the current heavyweight champion of the world is, how important that title once was, and have no idea how big boxing was back in the day (as they say).

Trust me, Ali was special when he was fighting and just as special after he left the ring.  Whether you were able to see him fight or too young to watch, you should certainly contemplate some of his words other than “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”  He was an inspiration and he said many inspirational things:

1. “If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can surely make something out of you.”
2. “Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter who does the hating.  It’s just plain wrong.”
3. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
4. “Don’t count the days; make the days count.”
5. “It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
6. “A man who has no imagination has no wings.”
7. “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
8. “Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion.  Impossible is not a declaration.  It’s a dare.  Impossible is potential.  Impossible is temporary.  Impossible is nothing.”
9. “If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it-then I can achieve it.”
10. “Live every day as if it were your last because someday you’re going to be right.”

I have purposely left out the famous quotes where he bragged, rightfully so, about his talent like, “I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.”  Or, “I should be a postage stamp.  That’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.”

Ali was always great theater; he was always the center of attention; he always made you take notice.  Despite some losses in his boxing career, he always put forth the greatest of efforts.  He did the same against Parkinson’s disease.  Once taken off life support this past Friday, the family said his heart beat another thirty minutes.  I am not surprised.  His heart still wanted to answer the bell!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. Billy Crystal, former President Bill Clinton, and Bryant Gumbel will all give eulogies at Muhammad Ali’s funeral.
2. Congratulations to the Easton Red Rover baseball team for their District Championship. It was their first District title since 1993.  Also, congrats to the Parkland and Bangor girls’ softball teams.  They, too, won a District title.  On to the PIAA championship tournament for all three.
3. The Golden State Warriors have managed to really garner my interest in the NBA playoffs. I love watching them play as a team and it seems as if Coach Steve Kerr makes all the right moves.  The “Splash Brothers” club is absolutely fun to watch.
4. The U.S. women’s soccer team cannot strike before the Olympic Games, according to a federal judge. The female judge ruled that the no-strike clause in earlier agreements takes precedence.  The women were looking for improved conditions and wages on par with the men’s team.  The women have won three straight Olympic gold medals.
5. The RCN Television team will once again be producing the PIAA State Baseball Championships for PCN at Penn State on June 16.

I have some very fond memories of Philadelphia Phillies’ First Baseman Ryan Howard.

I had the good fortune of seeing Ryan play when he was a hot prospect with the Reading Fightin’ Phillies (then called the “R-Phillies”), the long-time Double-A affiliate for its parent club.  While I was a big Jim Thome fan at the time, I could tell the first time I saw Howard that he was going to be a player for the ages (it wasn’t hard—he hit two monstrous home runs that day).

When the time came to move Thome, there wasn’t any doubt in my mind that it was the right move.  I had seen Howard carrying teams with his bat and be a major force in a lineup that was already belted with legendary names like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and company, and his power bat (and at that time, a productive .300 hitter) would be the perfect fit for the middle of that order.  The Phillies would go on and win a club-record five consecutive NL East Division titles and put together the greatest, successful run in the 100-plus year history of the franchise.

That time when Howard was just coming up through the organization is the first thing that comes to mind when people bring up the issue becoming the biggest elephant in the entire Delaware Valley region right now…what to do with this aging superstar?

I have to admit…I have been cringing at some of the comments that people have been bringing up to me recently regarding Howard:

• He can’t hit his weight
• His strikeout total might be higher than his batting average
• Two Phillies pitchers have higher batting averages than Howard

(All of these are either true or could be a reality!)

This whole season has not gone the way I had expected…as I had hoped.  While the Phillies win total heading into June is impressive, this team is still not going to win anything in October.  Ideally, the young prospects would play well and show that the future is bright, and guys like Charlie Morton (lost for the year because of injury) would pitch well enough to force a contending team to overpay for his services enabling the Phillies to pick up a few more pieces to help them for 2017 and beyond.

And…for purely selfish reasons, the “Big Piece” would pair with Darin Ruf for a presentable tandem in the heart of the batting order.  Not a return to glory.  Not a cry for a push for Howard to play every day.  Just hit well enough (and field decently enough) to not be embarrassed.

When the cries for Howard to be benched/traded/released started, my defense was that it was a rebuilding year and Howard wasn’t blocking the way for anyone currently pushing him for the first base job (especially with a mediocre spring training and even weaker early season performance by Ruf).

But the team’s overall success, mixed with its offensive struggles and Tommy Joseph’s hot Triple-A start, has exacerbated the Howard issue.  Howard’s struggles have glaringly revealed him as a massive liability on a team that might just actually have a shot at the final wild card berth.

This was not the way it was suppose to be…and it’s not fair.  For Howard, for Phillies followers, or for a life-long baseball fan who is becoming more and more removed from America’s Pastime due to its continuing lack of tradition, passion and interesting story lines.

Considering…

• I have to go to a Double-A game to see a manager have a genuine argument with an umpire—something replaced at the Major League level with six minutes of standing around waiting for replays, only to have a 70% chance of getting the call correct in the first place.
• I have to look at Bartolo Colon alerting the opposing team’s catcher to throw strikes because his back hurts too much to swing the bat or run the bases.
• I have to dismiss Bryce Harper’s blatant disregard for protocol and tradition by cursing at umpires well after his ejection simply because, without him, the game would be virtually void of personalities and big time stars we can root for.

Ryan Howard use to be one of those people.  He’d literally carry teams for weeks.  He was a great interview with interesting and sometimes abrasive view points.  He brought thousands and thousands of fans to the ball park, and gave millions of fans thrill after thrill for many years.  He was fun to watch and someone everyone wanted to see hit.  And man, in his heyday, could he ever hit.

Unfortunately, Howard’s legacy is going to be tainted, at least in the short-term, by his Babe Ruthian-like demise.  It gets harder to listen to the truth about the current situation, and remembering the good times becomes more of a strain on the old noggin.

If only there were other things in pro baseball to complain about…
******
On a more positive note, be sure to check out the District XI high school baseball championships games broadcast live this week on RCN-TV.  Check out our broadcast schedule here on the RCN-TV website for the latest details on teams and airtimes.

Let me be up front with you.  I watch one auto race a year – the Indianapolis 500.  When I was a kid, I listened to one race a year – the Indianapolis 500.  There was always something intriguing for me about this race and there was almost always a local driver starting with Mario Andretti of Nazareth who would allow me a rooting interest in the outcome.  This year, Sage Karam (his father is the wrestling coach at Liberty High School and Sage is from Nazareth) and Marco Andretti (Mario’s grandson and Michael’s son) were both in the race.  I had twice the rooting interest.

Neither of the local drivers fared very well.  Sage crashed and finished 32^nd and Marco had tire pressure problems and finished 14^th.

The race continued to hold my interest throughout, however.  A rookie, Alexander Rossi, won the race right before he ran out of fuel.  Rossi said he was so bewildered by the victory that he had no idea what he was supposed to do during the victory celebration.  He had to be told how to put on the wreath and what he should do with the bottle of milk.  He had never been at an Indy 500 race before!  His first memory was watching Marco Andretti race in 2006 and nearly winning.  This was only the second time that he had raced on an oval track.  And, he ran out of gas almost immediately after crossing the finish line.  A very strange win, but a great win none the less.

My friend, sports psychologist Dr. Jarrod Spencer worked with Sage Karam during this past year and traveled to the race.  He came away from the race with the following thoughts:

10 Life Lessons I Learned at the Indy 500

1.  Life is fast. You either keep up or get left behind.
2.  Life is not fair. You get unlucky. It’s how you deal with it.
3.  350,000 fans couldn’t be more different. Diversity is good.
4.  Yet, all fans shared a love for the USA. Be proud to live here.
5.  A rookie can win anything with some luck. Be in it to win it.
6.  Fuel consumption matters in life and racing. Pace yourself.
7.  Camaraderie among competitors matters. There is more to life.
8.  Crashing is a part of personal growth. Take self-responsibility.
9.  Winning matters. But a person’s character matters more.
10. Dreams and ability are ageless. If you want something, go get it.

After seeing Jarrod’s post, I am reminded that athletic competition mimics life all the time.  Lessons are learned from both participating and watching.  This was probably my 60^th Indianapolis 500 as a listener and viewer and, once again, lessons were learned.  I will watch next year on Memorial Day weekend and learn more about life again!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. The Bangor Slater baseball team lost to Parkland on Memorial Day by a 2-1 score. This loss came during the District XI AAAA semifinals.  What made this game stand out is that prior to the loss, the Slaters had won 23 straight games and a Colonial League Championship.  Their season abruptly came to a close on Monday, but it certainly will be remembered.
2. The Phillies lost their 8^th game in the last 11 on Memorial Day. We have now experienced the successful, yet unexpected winning Phillies and, currently, the offense-starved losing Phillies.  Which one will dominate the rest of the season?
3. Ryan Howard hit a double on Memorial Day. It was his first extra-base hit since May 14 and he is now seven for his last 70 at bats (.100).
4. I watched the Golden State Warriors win three straight to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Western Conference Finals. They were only the 10^th NBA team to rally from a 3-1 deficit.  Stephen Curry is just a joy to watch and so talented.  Curry and LeBron James go at it next.  I will watch.
5. Jordan Spieth won a golf tournament in Texas, his home state, for the first time and showed off a little bit with a 32-foot putt, a 20-foot putt, and a chip-in after hitting a spectator and dropping a 34-foot putt on the last hole. At 22, he has now won eight tournaments.

This coming Monday is Memorial Day.  It is a day to remember those in the armed forces who died serving our country.  Memorial Day began in 1868.  RCN salutes all who served to defend our country and especially those who sacrificed their lives and their families.

On Memorial Day, RCN will offer special programming.  We will present some of the best college and high school games of the past year.  Here is a quick synopsis of the schedule:

9:00 AM – MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL – LAFAYETTE VS COLGATE
WE WILL START WITH COLLEGE BASKETBALL GOING BACK TO FEBRUARY 27, 2016. THE LAFAYETTE LEOPARDS WERE PLAYING THEIR LAST HOME GAME AND THEY WERE IN THE MIDST OF A 12-GAME LOSING STREAK.  NICK LINDNER, THEIR POINT GUARD, AND ZACH RUFER, THEIR #1 PLAYER OFF THE BENCH, WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE DUE TO INJURY AND THE LEOPARDS COULD MOVE NO HIGHER THAN #10 IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT.  NONE OF THAT MATTERED AS LAFAYETTE TOOK ON COLGATE ON THE LAFAYETTE SPORTS NETWORK.

11:15 AM – WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL – LAFAYETTE VS ST. PETER’S
NEXT UP IS A WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAME PLAYED ON NOVEMBER 29, 2015.  HALL OF FAME COACH THERESA GRENTZ TOOK OVER THE LAFAYETTE PROGRAM IN THE SPRING AND WAS LOOKING FOR HER FIRST WIN AS THE LAFAYETTE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH.  A WIN WOULD BE HER 672^ND AS AN NCAA COLLEGE COACH.  THE OPPONENT WAS ST. PETER’S OF NEW JERSEY.

1:30 PM – HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL – SAUCON VALLEY VS BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC
THE PANTHERS OF SAUCON VALLEY HAD A MAGICAL YEAR, GOING UNDEFEATED THROUGH THE COLONIAL LEAGUE AND WINNING THE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP.  BUT ON NOVEMBER 14, 2015, SAUCON VALLEY WAS POISED TO PLAY THE GOLDEN HAWKS OF BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC, AN OPPONENT OUT OF THE EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CONFERENCE.  THIS MATCHUP TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST FOOTBALL GAMES. 

3:30 PM – HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – PARKLAND VS RIDLEY
WE NOW TURN TO PIAA BOYS’ BASKETBALL.  THE PARKLAND TROJANS HAD ALREADY GOTTEN BY THEIR FIRST 4A OPPONENT WHEN THEY KNOCKED OFF CONESTOGA HIGH SCHOOL.  THAT WAS THEIR 24^TH STRAIGHT WIN OF THE SEASON.  THE SECOND ROUND WOULD PROVE TO BE MORE DIFFICULT FOR ANDY STEPHENS’ BALLCLUB IN A GAME PLAYED MARCH 9, 2016.

7:00 PM – HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – PARKLAND VS ALLEN

IT WOULD BE HARD TO DISPUTE THAT THE BEST BASKETBALL GAME OF THE YEAR TOOK PLACE ON FEBRUARY 12, 2016, WHEN ALLEN TOOK ON PARKLAND FOR THE EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP.  THE FEELING IN THE BUILDING WAS ELECTRIC THAT NIGHT AND THE PLAY OF BOTH TEAMS WAS EVEN BETTER.  THIS GAME WILL FOREVER BE AN RCN SPORTS CLASSIC.  IT’S ALLEN VS PARKLAND AT LIBERTY MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM.

8:45 PM – HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – LIBERTY VS ALLEN
WE WILL WRAP UP OUR MEMORIAL DAY SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS BY BRINGING YOU THE LIBERTY AT ALLEN GAME PLAYED ON DONMOYER COURT ON JANUARY 22, 2016.  THIS GAME TOOK MORE THAN FOUR QUARTERS TO DETERMINE THE VICTOR AND FEATURED SOME GREAT INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES AS LIBERTY’S CAMERON HOFFMAN AND ALLEN’S TALEK WILLIAMS WOULD PUT ON QUITE A SHOW.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOY OUR LOOK BACK AT SOME OF OUR MOST EXCITING CONTESTS.  WE CERTAINLY EXPECT THE 2016-2017 SEASON TO BE JUST AS EXCITING.  AND ENJOY YOUR MEMORIAL DAY.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. As I write this, Ryan Howard is hitting .226, near the very bottom of all major league ballplayers. In 122 at-bats he has struck out 44 times or 36% of his at- bats.  The only good news is he is tied for the Phillies lead in home runs and is second on the team in RBIs.  If you were the GM and aware that Howard is not attractive trade bait, what would you do – continue to play him and hope he breaks out of the slump or just play the youngsters and pay Howard to sit?
2. With locals Mario and Michael Andretti on the scene and Marco Andretti and Sage Karam driving in the Indy 500 this weekend, I’ll be watching the only auto race I watch all year.
3. The EPC baseball championships featured outstanding play this past week – terrific pitching, fielding, and clutch-hitting. The Conference should be proud of their representatives.  Congratulations to Freedom for winning their first title since 1999.
4. The NFL Giants’ fans should be happy to hear that DL Jason Pierre-Paul has been fitted with a new custom-made glove for his mangled hand. He lost his index finger and part of his middle finger to a fireworks accident last July 4.  No one was sure he would play again, but it was reported this past week that he intercepted an Eli Manning pass with the new glove.  The bad news here is that Manning threw the interception.
5. I attended the Gala in the Garden this past Saturday and hosted a “Red Carpet” event interviewing a number of VIPs. This night, which helps the Pediatric Unit at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation, raised over $302,000.  RCN was very proud to be a major sponsor.

Both the Phillies and Nationals have built strong minor league foundations and MLB fans of these two organizations will start to see the fruits of their respective front-offices’ labors over the coming weeks and months.

Here are some notes and video interviews with a few of the top Triple-A performers in each of the franchises.

Nationals’ Austin Voth
This right-handed starting pitcher has not just posted incredible numbers this spring, but he seems to be on a fast track to the Major Leagues.  Voth has cruised through Washington’s farm system.

He mixes his pitches extremely well and has great command of them.  He’s always been a pitcher who’s right around the plate, but he’s been even more accurate so far this season (just six walks in almost 40-innings pitched and seven starts).  Once more, in his worst start of the season against Lehigh Valley, when he didn’t have his best stuff, he’s a competitor and battles giving his team a chance to win.  While he’s not a dominating pitcher, he’s averaging over one strikeout per inning.

With Max Scherzer and Steve Strasberg anchoring the front of the rotation for years to come, Voth should be a nice middle-of-the-rotation hurler for many future summers—and his composure and ability to throw strikes should make him the first viable option should one of the Nats’ current starting pitchers fall to injury this year, even during a pennant drive.

Phillies’ Nick Williams

Many Philadelphia sports fans are calling for his call-up, but it’s a little premature at this point.  After raking it in the Eastern League last year in the postseason for Reading, he’s taking more time getting used to Triple-A pitching (he had just one home run up until two weeks ago).  However, as the weather has warmed up, so has Williams’ bat.  He’s also been playing more center field of late and has looked “OK” (he probably does not have the arm to be a regular right fielder).

What you don’t want to have happen is that the Phillies get involved in a pennant race and are forced to bring up Williams early (see previous outfield sensation Dominic Brown—no longer with the team).  Williams is, at best, a September call-up for a cup of tea this year, and perhaps, some time in winter ball.

He’s a great talent who could fill a couple different spots in the Phillies near-future batting order, but hold off on the screaming pleas for the Phillies to call Williams up for now.

Nationals’ Trea Turner
We featured the Nationals’ number-one rated position prospect a few weeks ago both here at “The Shop” and on our “RCN SportsTalk” program.  This is a guy who Washington fans will love.

He’s a great leadoff hitter with more power than Nationals’ current lead-off man, Ben Revere.  He has an awesome slash line (.320/.384/.471) with three home runs, is third on the team with 17 RBIs and a team leading 15 steals (all as of 5/20/16).  He’s aggressive at the plate but will still try to bunt every once in a while if a third basemen is playing back or to try to reach base in a key spot.

Also, he has great range defensively and is a nice spark on the field for his current Syracuse Chiefs’ team.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Washington fans see Turner sooner rather than later—especially if the team’s offensive struggles continue into the summer.

Nationals’ Brian Goodwin & Pedro Severino

Because of Turner’s and Voth’s successes, the better-than-normal batting averages of Goodwin and Severino have gone unnoticed by many Nats fans.  Goodwin gives Washington versatility in that he can play all three outfield positions well, has great speed (might be used as a pinch runner by the Big Club) and could be a fourth outfielder on this year’s team.  Goodwin has been hitting over .300 consistently and is tied for the team lead in homers (his Grand Slam gave his Chiefs last Thursday a 7-4 win over Toledo).

Severino has always been an outstanding defensive catcher and calls a great game.  He’s seen as the Nationals catcher of the future because of what he does behind the plate, but his near-.300 batting average this year—if he can sustain it at the Major League level—would be a nice plus.

More importantly, he understands how important it is to know his pitching staff, inside and out, and constantly monitors the Nats staff and the scouting reports so that when (not if) he gets called back up to the parent club, he’s up-to-speed on what every pitcher needs to do to have success.

Every Phillies Triple-A Starting Pitcher
Ben Lively is pitching “lights out” at Double-A Reading, but up until recently (and only then because of injury) there actually hasn’t been room on the Triple-A roster for even a chance for a promotion for Lively.

Adam Morgan was already called up to the Majors a few weeks back, but the current starting fives’ ERA (as of 5/21/16) looks like:
Mark Appel                        3.58
Jake Thompson                3.32
David Buchanan               3.92
Zach Eflin                           2.36
Alec Asher                          1.53 (just placed on the DL)

The Phillies front office made a clear decision to improve pitching this offseason, and the team is seeing the rewards of this initiative both in terms of individual and, so far, team success for both the Phillies and their upper-level affiliates.

There are a few more players within both the Phillies’ and Nationals’ farm systems who deserve some attention.  Keep watching “SportsTalk” and checking back here at “The Shop” as we continue to have more interviews and insights on players within both franchises.

Also, be sure to come out and watch “RCN SportsTalk” broadcasting  live from Buffalo Wild Wings in Whitehall, PA this Thursday and help out a great cause.  This week’s remote show will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, with 10% of your total bill going to support this great organization.  Our guests will be legendary (and Pennsylvania’s all-time winningest) Head Coach Sue Butz-Stavin and members of her State Champion Field Hockey team.

Overall it’s a great time to be a sports fan in the DC region.  The Nationals look solid and should be major players in the MLB post-season.  The Redskins seem to be the favorites to repeat as NFC East Champs  (and, for the first time in a while, they appear to have a proved franchise-type quarterback).  The Wizards are coming off a disappointing season and have renewed optimism with Scott Brooks taking over as head coach.  The Capitals also had a quicker-than-expected end to their playoff run, but still have a quality team coming back next fall.

One question popped into my mind when thinking of all the success in the DMV region right now…who’s the best athlete in town?

THE TOP SUSPECTS…
John Wall
There would not nearly be the amount of optimism there is in DC right now among basketball fans if not for the fact that Wall is still in his prime. The former Kentucky product will still be just 26-years old as next season opens and he’s coming off a season in which he reached career highs in points, assists, and steals per game and hit a personal best 115 three pointers, combined with a career high 35% shooting from behind the arc.

Failing to make the playoffs this year was a major disappointment, but Wall’s ability to do many things well, and his proven ability to show unselfishness is a major plus as the Wizards look to add some much needed pieces to the team. His lack of ego should make for a smooth transition when (if?) they add a major free agent or player-trade addition (and don’t count on Kevin Durant).

For several reasons it is clear that the Wizards must improve this year and make a major playoff run. While Wall has been completely loyal and has said all the right things, one has to wonder that if the Wiz rebound dramatically in 2017 (and he gets closer to becoming a free agent), Wall might look elsewhere to try to capture an NBA championship.  Hopefully, a deep post-season run keeps even a thought of departing from the mind of one of the classiest players in town.

Alex Ovechkin
While a little older than Wall, Ovechkin (who’ll turn 31 in September) was a steady as even during the regular season, totaling a team high 50 goals and was only surpassed by Evgeny Kuznetsov in total points (77 to 71). Ovechkin held up well over the course of the season by play in 79 of the team’s 82 regular season contests.  While not as vocal on a national level as the other members on this list, he has clearly established himself as one of the greatest Washington pro hockey players of all time.

The Capitals left wing was the main focus of the Flyers in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs and he proved he’s still the man with a key performance in the game two contest against the Flyers (two goals, including the game winner, and an assist).

Ovechkin followed it up against the Penguins with two goals and seven points in the series (82 points in 84 post-season games). Unfortunately, his team once again failed to get passed the second round of the playoffs.

While he is not to blame for the earlier than expected departure from the post-season again this spring, as the leader, the Cup drought has been a small blemish on an otherwise outstanding career.

Kirk Cousins
We had several football media members on our “SportsTalk” show last summer and in early fall—nearly all of them felt Cousins would not be a successful starting quarterback with the Redskins—let alone a franchise QB.

Flash forward to this summer and Cousins has become one of the most recognizable sports stars in the region. With a catchy motto and the support of his teammates following the falling-out with Robert Griffin III, Cousins now looks to prove the 2015 season wasn’t a fluke—both on an individual level and for the entire organization.

The Redskins added some nice pieces and solid moves in the draft (see our “Draft Recap” blog below), but Cousins must sustain success for both himself and his team this fall in order to be considered among Washington’s most elite athletes.

Bryce Harper
He has become one of the most recognizable and outgoing personalities on a short-list of Major League Baseball’s greatest current stars.

He’s attacked baseball’s slow-pace and lack of youth appeal (and he wasn’t wrong) and he’s trying to reinvigorate a National Pastime that has seen its popularity fall far behind that of the NFL’s. He’s backed it up with solid, all-around play (not just great hitting) and a passion for the game (granted, his ejection the other night was a little over the line).  He’s become the cornerstone of a team that should contend for a World Series championship—probably for many years to come.

There’s been speculation that the 2018 free-agent-to-be could command as much as a $400-million dollar contract—an issue we debated on last week’s “RCN SportsTalk” show (see this program On-Demand or hear our podcast, here (LINK).

He’s clearly the most vocal and the most recognized nationally of this group…but is he the best?

Email us (rcnsportstalk@rcn.com) your vote on who you think is the most valuable professional sports player in the Washington area and be sure to join the sports conversations on our live “SportsTalk” show (Thursdays, 7-8pm, RCN-TV).

I appeared on Sports Talk this past Thursday with Chris Michael and Joe Craig.  I always enjoy the repartee between Chris and Joe, and Chris and the guests.  The second guest was Brian Ludrof, Lafayette’s Assistant Sports Information Director, who just happens to be my grandson.

It was the 500^th Sports Talk and that deserves special mention.  Chris and Joe have continuously made this show better.  The guests have gone from just being very local to today, with the advent of Skype, where guests can be from pretty much anywhere.  The show continues to look and sound better and that’s a tribute to the “behind the scenes” group that deals with graphics, audio, and directing.  We all look forward to the next 500!

Chris always has a segment on the show called the “Roundtable Discussion”.  It is a rapid-fire reaction to some of the current sports stories of the day.  The five topics this past week were all intriguing so I thought I would elaborate on my thoughts:

• Is Bryce Harper worth $400 million?
  • The Washington Nationals’ may have the best player in baseball in Harper, but $400 million? Right now, Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins is signed to a $325 million contract.  I have reservations about saying anyone is worth that much, but I also have no doubt $400 million is going to happen soon.  Harper is the most likely candidate to get it.

• Is the Oakland Raiders’ move to Las Vegas a good idea?
  • Not if you ask the NFL. The League would like to maintain the façade that they are not part of the sports gambling that is associated with the NFL.  Putting a team in the gambling Mecca of the U.S., I’m sure, does not sit well with the front office.  Secondly, Vegas is very small market compared to the rest of the NFL cities.  I do think the Raiders really want to stay in California, so it may very well have more to do with what the San Diego Chargers decide (stay in San Diego or move to LA).

• Should or will Carson Wentz play three or more games with the Eagles?
  • The Ravens’ Joe Flacco started right out of Delaware, but the Ravens were desperate. The Eagles are not.  Barring injuries to both Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel or a complete collapse of the team indicated by the win/loss record, I do not think Carson Wentz will play.  The Eagles would be best served to follow the Aaron Rodgers plan of learning behind a veteran (Brett Favre) for a few years and then making him the franchise QB.

• Name a rule change you would like to see in football at any level.
  • I have a few – (1) Make the NFL extra-point rule permanent; (2) Since there seems to be more cheap shots these days, immediate ejection after the second personal foul in one game; (3) Make “half-the-distance to the goal-line” penalties the full distance in order to attain a first down.  In other words, a holding penalty on first down at the offensive teams’ ten-yard line should put the ball on the five, but move the chains to make it 20 yards for the first down (that would still make it a true 10-yard penalty).

• Name a current athlete who captures your attention.
  • Right now, at this time of the year, it’s Jordan Spieth. He has become my Tiger Woods in the sense that I will watch the tournaments he plays in.  He is not dominating right now, but will most probably be ready for the next major at Oakmont.  I know I will watch.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
 

1. Joe Maddon, former Lafayette student, has the Chicago Cubs playing the best baseball in the majors by far. His team is already eight games ahead of the second-place Pirates in the National League Central.  The Cubs are winning 75% of their games!
2. Speaking of winning, how about those Phils? They are six games over .500, own the second best record in the National League, and are only one game out of first place.  Just amazing!!
3. RCN and The Lafayette Sports Network will be celebrating their 20^th year together bringing Lafayette College athletics this coming fall football season. It sure does not seem that long since I sat in the Lafayette Athletic office and cemented the relationship.  That was 1996 and it was a long time ago.
4. The Blue Mountain League baseball schedule started this past Thursday and RCN will once again have the BML Game of the Week starting Tuesday, June 21.
5. The US Open is at Oakmont this year which is in Pittsburgh. I played the course a few years back and found it to be the hardest course I have ever played.  I spent more time in the sand than I normally do at the beach.  My caddy put a sand rake in my bag so he would not have to walk for one every time.  On one hole, I avoided the sand, but caught him raking a trap anyway.  I asked what he was doing and he replied, “Just staying in practice”.  I tipped him anyway!

Despite a long stretch of rainy weather and unplayable field conditions, there still have been some great storylines so far during the scholastic season in the District XI/RCN viewing area this spring.

Here are a few of the interesting stories that we have featured on our “RCN SportsTalk” program, along with samples of our show interviews–the completed, finished features are available to watch on RCN On-Demand or you can listen to the podcasts here.

SAUCON VALLEY GIRLS LACROSSE

Lacrosse is a very interesting sport in terms of its growth.  In many parts of the country, lacrosse–for both girls and boys—is as popular a sport as any activity in a given community and has been around as a state-sanctioned sport for decades.  In the Lehigh Valley, it’s still in its “newer” stages, with many programs still growing.  This is especially true in the District XI region, because there are only a small handful of schools that have been playing at a high level for some time, and it is much tougher for younger programs to have success.

A few seasons ago, the Panthers girls lacrosse team was 0-52.  This year, they not only clinched their first winning season in school’s history, but will be going to the District XI playoffs.

On top of that, Madison Stump scored her career 100^th goal in a recent win over Nazareth.  The entire coaching staff has been unbelievably proud of their players and the resilience of their upperclassmen over the last few years.  It’s really great to see a program faced with an incredibly competitive schedule rise to the challenge and soar to new heights, as the Saucon Valley team has done.

DIERUFF BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Like the Panthers, the Dieruff boys volleyball team has struggled in recent years, in a sport that hasn’t been around nor sanctioned as long as other sports like baseball, basketball or football.  Last year, the Huskies had just four wins.  This year, however, they clinched a district post-season berth midway through the season, and currently have won 10 of the team’s 16 matches thus far.

Once more, this team has been part of a conscious approach by many of the Dieruff sports programs to be more involved in the community.  I had a chance to see the Huskies at the Bethlehem Cops-n-Kids program a few weeks ago, and the volleyball players from the East Side were incredibly wonderful in working with young kids (from 2-15 years-of-age) in teaching them about the sport and also allowing them to have fun and win ribbons during impromptu “tournaments” that they held with kids at this event.

To be successful on the court or playing field is a tremendous achievement, especially in the Lehigh Valley, which has featured some of the top volleyball teams in the state for several years now.  But a big “thumbs-up” to the Dieruff boys volleyball squad for going one step further, and really brightening the days of some young people in the community—and possibly opening the eyes of future volleyball stars.

NORTHAMPTON GIRLS SOFTBALL
The Lehigh Valley has been a hotbed for scholastic softball for decades.  There’s been a steady pipeline of outstanding individual stars who have gone on to play Division-I collegiate softball, and you only have to go back to last summer to find, not one, but two, Pennsylvania State Champions in this sport from the District XI region.

However, this current season has been one of the wildest seasons in quite some time (my opinion, along with several of the coaches I’ve spoken with).

There has been a number of very talented teams, but not a single-dominate club, with teams knocking each other off.  Don’t try to look at “common opponents” for inside information about who the respective favorites are in each classification and league as we come up on the playoff season starting very shortly—even the smallest school in our coverage area (Catasauqua) defeated a high-quality “4A” team.

A great softball story has been the Northampton softball program.  The K-Kids, by their own admission, started off the season slowly and at one point, was trounced 12-0 by another team.  Instead of giving up, Northampton went back to work on their hitting and rebounded from that loss by winning nine of their next 10 games and becoming, at one point, the hottest team in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (included in that stretch was ending a long losing streak to Parkland).

The K-Kids have clinched a district playoff berth setting up with a very competitive playoff season.  Currently, there are six other “4A” teams in districts (Freedom, Whitehall, Parkland, Liberty, Easton and Nazareth) and all of them have at least three losses.  In the 2A classification, there currently are nine teams with winning records that could make the post-season.  With all the rain postponing games and the schedule getting backed-up, there are still quite a few teams that can make a push, creating a very crowded District XI softball tournament.

There are a number of other great storylines that we hope to cover (weather permitting) over the next several weeks.  Among them:

• Bangor baseball team’s 16-0 record in a very competitive Colonial League slate
• Easton Head Softball Coach Ed McIntyre earning his 400^th career victory and being a contender in both the league and district playoff races
• Outstanding efforts by track-and-field stars with the league championships coming up this week
• Some impressive victories from a number of teams, including the Dieruff and Salisbury baseball programs (who play each other this Friday—cross your fingers it doesn’t rain!)

Feel free to email (rcnsportstalk@rcn.com) your suggestions to let us know which players and teams deserve some mentions over the final weeks of the season.  Also, don’t forget to check out our live sports coverage of the EPC and District XI baseball playoffs with Gary Laubach and Scott Barr coming up over the next several weeks on RCN-TV!

Gary will be returning with a new blog on May 16.  This week, he’s asked RCN’s Jim Best to guest blog.  Viewers should recognize Jim from RCN-TV’s coverage of high school wrestling.

About two years ago, when it was announced that the 2016 N.C.A.A. Division 1 National Wrestling Championship tournament was going to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, I thought to myself, Well, I will be watching the tournament on television that year because I am surely not dealing with the hassles and cost of getting in and around New York City for a wrestling tournament. However, as the tournament time got closer, and the tournament hype grew, I found myself purchasing tickets and making hotel reservations, and man, am I glad for the change of heart!

Much to my surprise, New York City and Madison Square Garden were more than ready to host such an event. Driving into the city on St. Patrick’s Day morning (the first day of the tournament), was a little tricky, but once in the city and parked, I found it easy to check-in to my hotel, walk to Madison Square Garden (which was only two blocks from the hotel), and get in and out of the arena efficiently, even with metal detectors at the front doors when fans entered for a round of wrestling. Over the course of the three-day tournament, I had a few conversations with folks who had come to the tournament from places like Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma. For the most part, they too were pleasantly surprised at how manageable it was to get around the city, and most of them were doing some sight-seeing in between rounds of wrestling because this was their first trip to “the big apple.” The only semi-complaints that I heard were over the price of beverages, particularly the ones that are golden in color and are purchased in draft form…but those folks seemed to quickly adapt to the higher than expected prices!

The tournament unfolded over a three-day time period. Similar the N.C.A.A. basketball tournament, brackets for each of ten weight classes are pre-determined by “seeds”. Each weight class has 32-35 qualifying wrestlers, and the first round of wrestling begins on a Thursday morning. Unlike the March madness basketball tournament, every competitor who qualifies for the tournament has the chance to wrestle at least two matches due to a full consolation bracket. In each round, with the exception of the Saturday morning round (that round is all consolation bracket matches), a championship round is contested, and at least one consolation bracket round is contested, with the exception of the championship finals on Saturday evening.

As for the wrestling, the tournament was action-packed and full of upsets, as it usually is. From the very first round of wrestling, highly seeded wrestlers were tested, and in many cases, upset by lower-seeded or non-seeded wrestlers. The storylines of the tournament included Penn State handily taking another team title under the coaching of Cael Sanderson. Of the nine Penn State wrestlers who qualified for the tournament, five advanced to the finals. Of the five Penn State finalists, two were freshman (both lost in the finals), and two won their respective weight class. Both of Penn State’s champions were Pennsylvania products (Nico Megaludis and Zain Retherford), and Pennsylvania accounted for the most All-Americans (to be an All-American, a wrestler must place in the top eight in his respective weight class), as has become the norm in the last few decades.

Local wrestlers who competed in the tournament this year included Zach Horan (Nazareth/Central Michigan), Mike Ottinger (Parkland/Central Michigan), Corey Keener (Blue Mountain/Central Michigan), Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic/Lehigh), Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic/Lehigh), and Pete Renda (Brandywine/N.C.State). Both Pete Renda and Randy Cruz achieved All-American status. I am sure that I missed a few names in that mix, and I apologize greatly to those wrestlers, mainly because I know from personal experience, how hard it is to qualify for that tournament, and every wrestler in the tournament deserves special recognition! All of the local wrestlers competed well, and all are continuing to maintain District XI’s reputation as one of the “toughest wrestling districts in the country.”

At the conclusion of the tournament, the “buzz” among the fans was that the championship finals may have been the most exciting in recent history. Every match was action-packed, with both wrestlers risking potential disaster at times in order to score points on his opponent. The finals ended in dramatic fashion as Kyle Snyder, a twenty year old sophomore from Ohio State, defeated Nick Gwiazdowski, a two-time defending champion from North Carolina State, in a battle of giants at heavyweight, with a come from behind, sudden death overtime victory. In the sports world, it doesn’t get much more dramatic than that!

As I have described to some of my non-wrestling friends and colleagues, attending that tournament is the equivalent to a football fan attending the Superbowl, or a college basketball fan attending the Final Four-it just doesn’t get any better in terms of action and atmosphere. For three days in March, approximately 18,000 diehard wrestling fans converge at the site of the championships to watch the best college wrestlers in the country compete against each other, and then we get to meet at the local eating establishments, in between the rounds of wrestling, to discuss and relive the most exciting moments over a burger and some cold beverages…it truly is a “live, eat and breath” wrestling experience! Next year, St. Louis, will again play host to the tournament. I’m counting down the days!

As I hope you may have noticed, I have been away from my blog for a bit.  April is a quiet sports month for us here at RCN so it is a good time for me to reunite with my wife and with my golf game.  I managed to do both this past month – I went on a cruise and followed that up with a five-day golf trip.  Those obviously made the month fly by, but it is good to be back at the computer and looking towards the baseball championships coming up this month.

The last major sporting event that I watched prior to vacation was the Masters.  I have always been intrigued by the reverence that the announcers seem to pay to this event.  So I did some research and found that, in 1979, the radio and television announcers were given rules and a terminology guide from the Masters committee that they must follow.  Some have lost their job by not obeying the edict.  Here are a few of the rules:

• Never refer to the gallery or patrons as a mob or crowd.
• Never estimate the size of the gallery.
• Never refer to players’ earnings.
• Never refer to Masters prize money.
• De-emphasize the players’ antics.
• Do not compare any holes at Augusta National with those at another golf course.
• The water in front of the 13^th green is not to be called Rae’s Creek, but a tributary of Rae’s Creek.
• Make no reference to Masters tickets having been sold out.
• Make frequent mention of the presentation ceremony to be conducted at the end of the final round.
• Do not guess where a ball might be.
• Do not estimate the length of a putt.

 In addition, there is a Terminology and Style Guide which includes the following:

• Augusta National Golf Club – not Country Club or Golf Course.
• Patrons – the people in attendance are patrons, not fans or spectators.
• Second Cut – there is no rough; the higher grass should be referred to as the second cut.
• Bunkers – they are not sand traps.
• First nine/Second nine – not front nine and back nine.
• Groupings – not “threesomes” for rounds one and two.
• Hole number 1 – not 1^st
• 1st round – preferred term for rounds and Final round for 4^th

There are more rules and more terminologies, but you get the idea.  And… if you announce the Masters, you BETTER get the idea.  Gary McCord was fired in 1994 for saying that “bikini wax” was used on the Augusta greens to make them slick and that some of the bunkers around the course looked like “body bags”.  He has not been asked back.  Long-time announcer Jack Whitaker once referred to the gallery as a “mob scene” and the Augusta committee got him removed from the broadcast.

This Masters will be remembered for the collapse of Jordan Spieth in the final round, but I, for one, paid a bit more attention to every word that was spoken during the broadcast.  And, I am quite sure, so did every one of the announcers (if they wanted to keep the job).

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Some good news out of Philadelphia – a new Eagles’ quarterback, the Flyers made the playoffs, and, better yet, the Phillies are winning. Light at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel.

2. Speaking of Eagles’ football, Carson Wentz played for North Dakota State. I did a Lafayette-North Dakota State game in Fargo, North Dakota, back in 2011.  Boy, do they love their football.  It was a packed house at the indoor stadium with the loudest crowd I have experienced.  Lafayette lost 42-6.  There is not much else to do out there.  In the local pub the night before the game, dogs sat on the bar stools and they had a meat raffle!  What?

3. I mentioned Bourjos, Hernandez, Herrera, Franco, Howard, Galvis, Rupp, and Goedel as the Phillies position players to start the season. However, it has been the pitching staff, both starters and relievers, who have been responsible for the success of the team so far.

4. As I write this, every team in the National League East, except the Braves, is at .500 or better. The Phillies have the fourth best record in the National League and third best in the NL East.

5. Jim Best will offer up his blog on this site next week. Thanks to him, John Leone, and Scott Barr filling in for me.