I know one of last year’s “SportsTalk Shop” blogs that drew the most feedback on my part was my analysis following the NFL draft, with thoughts on both the Eagles and Redskins’ selections.  I hope I’m up to the challenge again this year as we take a look at both teams’ efforts last weekend.

REDSKINS: 1^st ROUND
There were a couple ways the Redskins could have gone.  There was a plethora of defensive lineman/linebackers available (including several from Alabama) that Washington could have selected to fill some holes.  They could have moved down to accumulate talent.  Or, they could have gone for a flashing wide receiving name like Laquon Treadwell to groom to potentially replace DeShawn Jackson after his contract expires at the end of 2016.

However, they went with a less flashy, but probably better all-around receiver in Josh Doctson from TCU.  While Treadwell and Will Fuller received more pre-draft hype while a few national mock drafts didn’t even have Doctson going in the first round, many people I talked with thought Doctson was the best receiver in the NFL Draft.  The multi-sport athlete has overcome some adversity during his high school and college careers (one story includes his mother reportedly wanted him to quite football after breaking his collar bone in a scrimmage when he was 16 years old).  With multiple picks remaining and several more defensive options seemingly available for the later rounds (and the fact Washington actually traded down a spot to get him), I’d give the ‘Skins an…

GRADE:  A

EAGLES: 1^ST ROUND
Philadelphia followed the Rams by making a major move up to secure a “franchise” quarterback in Carson Wentz.  While a final, definitive decision on whether this was a good move or not won’t be known for a while, you had to give Vice President of Football Operation Howie Roseman credit for being aggressive and, at least on the surface, making an apparent good deal.

Wentz rated high in all the off-season activities, camps, interviews, et al, and even though he did not play for a major Division I-A school, it seems like they rolled the dice on a quality prospect.  Wentz has the physical skills, a good head on his shoulders and, if Sam Bradford returns to the team, the time to be able to get up to speed of the pro game.  If he turns out to be two-thirds of what some Eagles fans are currently dreaming about…?

GRADE:  A-  (they gave up a huge amount in draft picks with a number of holes yet to fill)

REDSKINS: 2^nd & 3rd ROUNDS
Washington needed help at corner and on the outside linebacker positions, and grabbed two excellent players in hybrid LB Su’a Cravens (USC) and DB Kendall Fuller (Virginia Tech).

Fuller is a great young corner with speed who could make an impact with the ‘Skins this fall.  I remember watching him two years ago and thought then he could be a later first-round option in the draft (before he was injured last year).  I really believed the Eagles could have really benefitted by selecting the DMV native and Good Counsel alum and, quite frankly, I’m shocked they didn’t select him, which makes this an even better pick for their division rivals.

To be completely honest, I had to go to NFL.com to look up more details on Cravens and don’t recall even watching him play on TV, but what I did find online did impress me.  He comes from a long pro-football lineage and there’s nothing I found to suggest he wasn’t a very solid pick at the 53rd spot.

GRADE:  A

EAGLES: 2^nd & 3rd ROUNDS
Coming into the draft, I felt that the Eagles needed to add at least one higher-end cornerback or safety.  After all, they probably need at least two, if not three, quality defensive backs if this team seriously wants to contend this fall–something they apparently think they’re capable of, since they committed $36 million to non-quarterbacks-of-the-future.  After not getting enough depth via free agency (nice job picking up Josh Norman, Washington, by the way), the Eagles clearly had to select someone to help the latter-half of their defensive with their next couple picks after Wentz.

Granted, Chip Kelly’s bone-headed move (or one of them) to trade for Sam Bradford prevented the Birds from a second-round pick in this year’s draft.   And I know the prevailing wisdom (and usually my personal preference) is to draft the “best available” options in which you are presented (something they clearly did NOT do when they drafted Marcus Smith two years ago).  However, to pass on Kendall Fuller, Nick Vigil or Brandon Williams is inexcusable for Roseman & Co.

I like Guard Isaac Seumalo a lot (even though he needs to improve on his pass protection—according to CBS Sports–which is a concern if true).  However, to not select one of the available corners or safeties in the third round or at least try to try to move up to get another pick was a big mistake.

GRADE:  C+

REDSKINS: LATER ROUNDS
There was speculation that the Redskins might try to target an early-to-mid-round quarterback as insurance in case Kirk Cousins regresses this fall.  However, quarterback Nate Sudfeld is probably not a guy who will make Washington fans chant his name if Cousins struggles this fall.

I do like some of the selections made elsewhere in the later rounds.  I love Temple product Matt Ioannidis to add depth along the defensive line (full disclosure: yes, I am a Temple University grad).  Keith Marshall might help out on special teams and as a later-option running back.  The Redskins added a nice piece with Steven Daniels.  I saw him play a couple games at Boston College–he hits hard and impressed me against the run.  Daniels might actually contribute in limited opportunities.

GRADE:  B

EAGLES: LATER ROUNDS
Still no defensive backs…until the 196th (sixth round) pick? Really?  Is Chip Kelly still in charge here?

Blake Countess and Jalen Mills are nice pieces, and the reports say they could play both safety and cornerback.  They did offer additional support with Running Back Wendell Smallwood and Offensive Lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai to help Wentz (when he’s ready), but the Eagles are still one, or two, or maybe three quality D-back options short and still lack depth at middle linebacker.  I know you can solve every problem through the draft.  I also get the argument that they wanted to add a couple O-line pieces as protection for the quarterback, but there were/are additional decent offensive line options still available to add depth.  And did they HAVE to draft another player from Oregon?

GRADE:  D+

FINAL GRADES:

REDSKINS: A-  (Solid moves all around, taking best-available players in nearly every case while upgrading several positions that needed to be addressed).

EAGLES:  C  (Cornerback?  Safety?  Middle linebacker?  Bueller?)

Your comments, complains, opinions are most welcome via email: rcnsportstalk@rcn.com

It wasn’t the typical start to the baseball season for the Syracuse Chiefs—the top minor league affiliate for the Washington Nationals!

While the parent club posted some nice wins during the first week of the regular season, their Triple-A team, the Chiefs, had to play their “home opener” in another state, and only got two games in (both part of a seven-inning doubleheader) during the first week of the regular season.  Despite that, Syracuse got off to a good start to its season as well.

We had a chance to speak with Syracuse Manager Billy Gardner and a couple of their players to ask them about this year’s team and about an unusual start to the 2016 season.

The Chiefs manager also talked about one of the organization’s top pitching prospects, A. J. Cole, who started their season opening game.  Their first game of the season was supposed to be the previous Tuesday in Syracuse, before it was moved due to unsafe playing conditions at their stadium.  Gardner speaks about Cole pitching in 40-degree temperatures and also talked about how the strong finish to the 2015 campaign can benefit him this season.

One of the top young players in the entire organization is shortstop Trea Turner, who we caught up with to ask about his style of play, his reaction to some high praise from his Triple-A manager and his goals for the 2016 season, which, he (and many Washington fans) hopes will result in a quick call-up to the Nationals.

The Chiefs should be a fun team to watch as they feature a mix of both up-and-coming prospects along with seasoned veterans that should add a lot of depth to the organization overall.   In terms of the team’s success, they do have an opportunity to finish among the top teams as currently constructed in the International League.

As far as prospects, the Opening Day roster features Turner (ranked #2 in the organization according to mlb.com), Cole (ranked seventh), pitcher Austin Voth (ninth), catcher Pedro Severino (tenth) and third-baseman Matt Skole (29^th).  Fortunately, the Nationals have not suffered nearly the number of injuries that they had at this time last year, allowing the Chiefs to benefit by holding on to just about everyone on its roster thus far.

The International League always plays a competitive brand of baseball, and the Chiefs, who have won five of their first nine games, seemed to have ‘weathered’ their rough start to the season and look to be competitive all summer long.

We’ll have more on Washington’s top minor league affiliate, along with interviews with their top prospects during the course of this season, both here at “The Shop” as well as on our Thursday “RCN SportsTalk” show.  Also, you can catch more of these above interviews by viewing the April 14^th edition of “SportsTalk” through RCN On-Demand.

Feel free to give us your feedback and send us your sports comments and questions via email (rcnsportstalk@rcn.com) and tune in to our weekly show/podcast to hear us read and respond.

Today’s “Behind the Mic” blog is written by long time RCN personality Scott Barr. He has covered a wide range of sports, including kickboxing, track and field, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, football, and baseball. Most of our viewers, of course, will know him for his work with District XI wrestling. Fans across the valley have heard him call “Give him six!” after a pin, while working with three legends of Lehigh Valley sports—Gary Laubach, Ray Nunamaker, and Jim Best. Outside of RCN, Scott helps small businesses set up retirement plans for their employees, and lives in Macungie with his wife, Melissa, and their four children.

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Hard to Believe

I have a secret that I have been keeping from wrestling fans for years.  When I discovered this about myself, I wasn’t proud, and it took a long time before I could even admit it out loud.  Nonetheless, it’s true.

I like baseball better than wrestling.

There.  It’s out.  I feel a little better now.  Because this is a blog, and there’s space to fill, there is definitely room for explanation.

Many of you know that I have a son who played baseball at a high level.  He had a great career at Emmaus High School.  He was named to various “all-conference” and “all-area” teams as a hitter and a pitcher.  He went on to pitch in college, and was actually a member of an NCAA championship team.  My love of baseball is a direct result of his career.  Each year on opening day, he sends me a “BEST DAY OF THE YEAR!” message, and we both know that it’s true.

As his career got more competitive, my understanding of the game grew as well.  I began to focus on every pitch and every movement of each player.  I even began to appreciate a team’s approach to pre-game rituals, and how they chased after foul balls that went out of play.  Baseball, played well, is a beautiful symphony of activity.  While the pace of the game is often reviled, I appreciate the time to observe, reflect, and consider what is going on.  I really do love it.

Now, baseball for the Barr family has entered a new phase.  I have a younger son—nine years old—who is playing.  From a baseball standpoint, he is NOT his brother.  Let’s just say that he plays for the love of the game.  And I have to tell you, it is an absolute joy to watch.

The little guy has taught me the pleasure of baseball without the pressure.  He, like the vast majority of nine-year olds, does not have a perfect swing.  He’s not interested in a perfect swing.  He doesn’t have a cannon for an arm, but sometimes he will make a cannon sound effect when he throws, just to be cool.  He plays to be with his friends, to get dirty, and to wear a jersey with his name on it.

He is not a future major league prospect, and would rather build Lego sets or play Minecraft if he had his choice all the time.  He truly has fun with the game, and he allows me to have fun coaching.  There is no fretting over an error, or a bad call by an umpire, or a stupid play—by either of us.  As a coach, of course, I will teach the right way to play the game, but it is not the “perfect” model that it used to be.  It is nine-year olds becoming better baseball players than they were yesterday, and that’s it.

Sometimes, while I am on the road for work, I will pull into a parking lot at an empty baseball field and have my lunch.  The scenery, and the memories, relax me.  Of course, I remember the glory of an amazing career for my oldest.  But now, as well, I chuckle to myself about some of the travails of my youngest.  It’s a true yin and yang.  I didn’t even realize that anything was missing five years ago, but it truly was.

I will always be a wrestler at heart, but as my boys and I say, “we will always have baseball.”

Scott Barr

One of the regular elements of the “RCN SportsTalk” program is that on each show, all of our studio panelists identify a person or a group of people in the sports world for doing something extraordinary (“thumbs up”) and calling out a group or individual for doing something excessively bad (“thumbs down”).    Most weeks, I don’t have much difficulty coming up with at least one “winner” to identify on each week’s show/podcast, but some weeks—like this one—I have a hard time trying to limit my choices to one, or even two.

I’m always interested in hearing what our viewers/listeners have to say and love hearing your feedback, and this week, I’d like to extend that invitation to you to help me figure out who is most deserving of these “honors.”

Here are the nominations…

“THUMBS UP” CANDIDATES
Washington Redskins
The rumors are that the Redskins, who had the number-5 overall pick a year ago will not be looking to make a big splash in this year’s draft.  Instead, the word is they’ll be looking to trade down to get more picks (we’ll have more on both the Redskins & Eagles draft options & possibilities on our April 21^st “NFL Draft Preview Show.”   I like the idea of Washington continuing to accumulate talent and add capable bodies, in lieu of getting caught up in the hip of a “named” player and think the team is continuing to head in the right direction, fresh of their division title from a year ago.

Villanova Men’s Basketball
I put the Wildcats on here for several reasons…

Not just for the fact that they won a national championship.  Not just that they did it in dramatic fashion (for my money, the most exciting finish to the tournament, EVER).  Not just for the fact that they did not have any “big named” stars, but instead won with fundamentals, great team defense, an outstanding coach and a blue-collar, workmanlike approach in their victories.  BUT…they also handled themselves with class, before, during and after the game (unlike someone else—see below).  For more thoughts and comments on the Wildcats great run, check out last week’s “SportsTalk” podcast here .

Flyers
After some tough losses on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, the team rebounded with a tremendous win over Pittsburgh to not only clinch a playoff berth, but to sweep a weekend pair of games (the second win was against the Islanders) and pay tribute to their owner Ed Snider.  Ed was one of the most passionate owners in sports and tried to do whatever it took to put together a winning team each year.  The gritty effort by the Flyers for most of the season, and especially this weekend, was exactly what that organization was all about for many years, with Mr. Snyder leading the way.   He will be truly be missed by fans, players, coaches and everyone surrounding the Delaware Valley region.

Phillies
As I stated in the above video clip (with a great response by ESPN Radio’s Eytan Shander), there were WAY too many Phillies fans that were panicking last week when the team lost its first four games of the season.  Again, it is a REBUILDING year.  No one—including the front office themselves—is looking at winning anything this season.  Take this year for what it is—the team has accumulated one of the deepest prospect pools in all of the major leagues.  It will be extremely unlikely that at least some of the young players won’t contribute at some point.  Patience is what’s needed here, and it is an exciting time to watch these guys develop, along with a few other somewhat interesting storylines (eg., how will Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz’s final seasons play out, will Darin Ruf earn a full-time spot in the future, will Cody Asche bounce back and more).  The team rebounded with two nice wins in New York and will have their share of well-played games.  But please, stop getting carried away over the wins and losses of this year’s team.  The record isn’t what’s important this summer…the maturation of their young stars IS.

HS spring athletes
I know it’s not uncommon for the scholastic spring sports athletes to deal with unreasonably cold temperatures and poor weather conditions for the first half of their sports season.  I have many memories over the last few years (and once again experienced it last Friday) of sitting in a chair in an open space, trying to make notes on games and capturing video (which is hard to do with gloves on) while the cold, gusty winds blow…to say nothing about what the athletes have to endure (hitting a metal bat is one of the most painful ‘regular’ experiences one can have in sports).  With frigid temperatures all last week and snow cancelling games the last few days, many sports programs are going to have a grueling schedule over the next month playing catch-up to get all their games in, and it’s truly not fun, even playing a sport you love, when the conditions are this bad.  However, our area young people will continue to battle and give themselves a chance to keep playing meaningful games—when the weather finally becomes more athletics-friendly.

*******

“THUMBS DOWN” CANDIDATES
Philadelphia 76ers Front Office
I’m still shaking my head trying to figure out what the heck happened to the “Hinkie process.”  Was this purely a Colangelo-family hostile takeover?  Was the organization strong-armed by the league itself to make a change?  Or was there another conspiracy theory that hasn’t gotten much attention, as we speculated on last week’s program.  We’ll try to get a better assessment of the front office changes and the future direction of the franchise on this Thursday’s “SportsTalk” (live, 7-8pm, RCN-TV) as one of our guest will be Eric Goldwein (who runs the ESPN-affiliated site Hoop76.com) and also covers sports for the Washington Post.

Washington Wizards
Wow, what happened here?  Fresh off an impressive 2014-15 season and an optimistic-to-realistic chance to improve coming into this season, the Wizards fell flat and didn’t even come close to making a late run for a playoff berth—let alone not improving on their performance from a year ago.  There’s plenty of rumors as far as who gets the most blame (along with a CBS report of the players taking shots at each other).  Some long, hard questions will have to be addressed this off-season and the once promising future of this team, centered around the talented John Wall, is now very much in limbo.

North Carolina Men’s Basketball Fans
After losing the championship game to Villanova, the Tar Heel fans were so bothered by their upset loss, that they apparently lost their minds.  They are actually circulating a petition calling for the NCAA to reverse the outcome of the national championship because they questioned one of the referee’s calls.

Seriously?

North Carolinians couldn’t have just graciously accept a thrilling victory by the Wildcats and give them their rightful honor following a tremendous run in the tournament?  I know quite a few people that support the Tar Heels and really feel badly that some of their fellow-supporters tried to give all of their fan base a black eye for a tasteless attempt at redemption.

Chip Kelly
I still haven’t gotten over the way he gutted the team while harboring a nasty attitude towards just about everyone he came in contact with, then tried to take the ‘weasel’ approach after he left by saying he had nothing to do with the 2015 collapse.  I’ll probably keep him on this list for quite some time.

So, let’s hear it!  Who do you think deserves a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” the most?  Email us at rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and hear us read and respond to your opinions on our weekly show/podcast!

Gary will be returning with a new blog on May 2.  This week, he’s asked RCN’s John Leone to guest blog.  RCN-TV viewers should recognize John from the Lafayette College basketball broadcasts on the Lafayette Sports Network.

When a college has been around for nearly two centuries as Lafayette has, it stands to reason that it not only bears witness to significant historic milestones, but that it also has a hand in producing them. Francis March, for example, occupied the chair of English language and comparative philology at Lafayette College from 1857 to 1907. It was the first post of its kind. March was one of the first professors to advocate and teach English in colleges and universities. Over the years, Lafayette graduates have pioneered the use of laparoscopic surgery, orchestrated cyber-security breakthroughs, and built new companies from scratch. And of course, we loyal Leopards love to trumpet the fact that the use of “The Football Helmet” and “The Huddle” originated on College Hill.

Indeed, innovation – academic and otherwise – has been a staple of the place seemingly forever. But as the calendar turns and we close the book on a dynamic college basketball season, I’m reminded of yet another. It was the spring of 1951 when Lafayette’s former coach, player, and then-Athletic Director, Bill Anderson ’19, reached out to Butch Van Breda Kolff and brought him in as “The Coach.” He was immediately introduced to his senior point guard-in-waiting, Pete Carril, who’d someday carve his own niche among the game’s greatest coaches. That introduction was not only the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship, it spawned a style of play that would impact the game for decades to come.

VBK and Pete saw the game through a different lens as early as the late 40’s. And while the evolution of the game cannot be denied, its basic tenets remain. The pick and roll and the give and go (well, maybe not the give and go so much these days – unless it happens by accident) are still pervasive in today’s game. There is also no denying the fact that the best coaches still manipulate talent to fit into an offensive system. They plug their respective pieces into places on the court where they can be most productive – and, sadly in many more cases, where they can do the least damage. It’s called “good coaching,” and to be sure, it has its place. But too often, that process can devolve into basketball’s version of a Rube Goldberg machine – parts and pieces plugged into spaces with rigid, pre-determined roles and little opportunity for the participants to see and think and do things creatively – and in concert with the four other guys.

I’m struck by the similarities in so many of the offenses that I see these days. What made Butch’s offense so difficult to defend was the fact that it was virtually impossible to prepare for in any conventional way. After all, how could the defense predict what an offense would do if the guys running it didn’t know themselves – that is, until they saw it develop spontaneously? Even Coach Carril’s use of Butch’s basic movement and its principles took on much more structure as he developed his great Princeton teams.  Still, the fundamental premise was for players to see, think, and do – in precisely that order. After all, “the smart do take from the strong”, as Coach Carril points out in his book.

Butch would be the last to use flowery metaphors to explain his offensive philosophy. But watching him implement and grow it virtually every day for the four years we spent together gave me a special window into his genius. He called it “organized confusion”. It was jazz, not classical. And he was the ultimate maestro. Yes, it has its principles and parameters – primarily floor balance and spacing – but what makes it great is its capacity for improvisation, not necessarily off the dribble, but as much without the ball as with it.  Every move is predicated on “seeing” the guy in front of you, reading the defense, and playing “smart”. Each possession becomes a kind of snowflake – virtually never the same as anything that came before it. Put guys in the right spots on the floor, give them a template for intelligent movement, and a coach can create spontaneity. An oxymoron? For sure, but not surprising, since Butch’s life was a paradox. This, after all, was the fun stuff. Butch and Pete would simply call it “playing the game right.”

On the eve of his national championship in 1987, Bob Knight was asked by a reporter which coaches had the greatest influence on him. After invoking the names of guys like Hank Iba and Pete Newell, he told the Times-Picayune in New Orleans that “Butch Van Breda Kolff’s offense at Princeton (1962-66) always mesmerized me.”

In the four years that I worked with Butch at Lafayette, a different position player led us in scoring each year: a center, a forward, a point guard, and an off-guard. Butch refused to put numbers on players. It was no accident, but rather the product of playing the game in a way that allowed the ball to find the right guy at the right time. It would always take a little more time. But around mid-January to early February, the music and the voices would begin to harmonize.

There are plenty of folks who watch the game, whether sitting in packed arenas or flipping channel to channel to witness the thrills and upsets of March Madness.  There are far fewer who see the game. Still fewer have the unique ability to translate and convey what they see into the kind of choreography that allows five bodies to move to the rhythm of a single brain. It’s a different way to coach and teach the game, but the rewards are – at least in my view – infinitely greater.

This point was driven home to me again just last December when I had lunch with Coach Pete. Whenever we meet, we invariably talk basketball – even if not in the same language that most others might understand. I’m not nearly as wise as The Coach, but I always sense that I can “see” what he’s thinking. Pete’s record at Princeton is now the stuff of college basketball legend. But I was struck when the “Old Professor,” an icon in his own right, glanced away wistfully and suggested, “Nobody saw the game like Butch.” High praise from the guy who gave us the Princeton Offense. But Pete still calls him “Coach,” and that’s good enough for me.

Today here at “The Shop,” we bring you comments from the Phillies minor league prospects followed by some insights on their “ceilings” and potential arrival times in the Big Leagues.

Starting right-handed pitcher Jake Thompson and left-handed hitting outfielder Nick Williams, seems to be the odds-on favorites among the top blue-chip prospects to get the call to the major leagues.

Williams could be helped by the fact that Cody Asche won’t start the season on the Phillies roster and Aaron Altherr won’t be ready until late in the summer.  Both Asche and Altherr were penciled in as starters for the parent club before spring training began.  Because of the ‘numbers’ issue in the outfield—or, more appropriately, LACK of numbers, Williams could be one player that gets bumped up a little earlier than expected.

Plus, Williams had a torrid September last year, during the Reading Fightin’ Phillies playoff run, which the organization’s top brass saw first-hand.  A quick start by Williams might give Phillies fans what they’ve already started clamoring for—and that’s a fast promotion to the Big Leagues for some of these high-profile prospects the team received in trades over the last year.  However, it has usually been the Phillies objective to get young players as much minor-league seasoning as possible before reaching the major leagues.  Given the team is not ready to contend and there’s really no reason to start these players “free agency clocks” (the time teams have players under contract), you probably won’t see many of these players before Memorial Day.

A quick example that supports this theory if Maikel Franco, who got hot in Triple-A to start last season and was promoted while he was swinging the bat well.  Dominic Brown is probably a good example of the ill-effects of rushing a young prospect through a system too quickly.

If a team’s success starts with pitching, Philadelphia should be in good shape when you look at their Triple-A starting rotation.  Joining Thompson are Mark Appel (a former top draft pick), Zach Eflin, David Buchanan and Adam Morgan (the latter pitched well enough to make the Phillies out of spring training but was demoted in favor of power-armed Vincent Velasquez).    The Phillies have so much depth in fact, that two pitchers (Alec Asher and Severino Gonzales) who pitched for the Phils last year will start this season down in Double-A.  While not all of these hurlers may be impact players at the major league level, the team has much needed depth and find themselves in the fortunate situation in which not all of these young arms HAVE TO mature into top-level pitchers in order for the franchise to have continued success.

If a couple of these guys can contribute consistently for the Phillies, they will have a nice pitching staff for years to come.  This is a sharp contract when the team looked at having just a couple blue-chip prospects in the farm system and, when most of these guys fizzled out, the team struggled with very few reliable reinforcements available to help out.

For more insights on the Phillies top minor league prospects, check out our most recent “SportsTalk” podcast, here .

Don’t forget to share your baseball opinions by emailing us (rcnsportstalk@rcn.net) and tune in to hear us read and respond to your opinions on our Thursday “RCN SportsTalk” show live at 7pm and on our weekly podcasts.

Play ball!!  Those are the words that baseball fans heard this week when the 2016 season began on Sunday.  Hopes are always high as the new season begins.  Fans from Toronto, Texas, Kansas City, St. Louis, LA, and New York hope their teams can repeat as Divisional champions.  Royals’ fans are hoping for a two-peat as Kansas City defends their World Series championship.  And Phillies fans are hoping for great improvement and a possible miracle on Broad Street.  This is how I think the divisions will go:

American League
West

1. Houston – Wild card entry last year; lost to Kansas City in the playoffs; needed a closer and got the Phillies Ken Giles; will win division this year.
2. Texas Rangers – Weak in the outfield and at starting pitching; could finish lower, but not higher.
3. Seattle – Rookie manager; weak pitching rotation; almost a whole new roster.
4. LA Angels – With Trout and Pujols, you would think they would be better, but pitching makes them “not so good”.
5. Oakland – Play poor defense and bullpen is weak; lost 35 games by one run last year – turn those around and…

Central

1. Kansas City – Defending champs; fundamentally they are terrific; offense and bullpen overcome an average starting rotation; will win division easily.
2. Cleveland – Excellent rotation; little offense; no attendance = no money to get even better.
3. Chicago – Poor offense; poor bullpen; poor rotation = poor season.
4. Detroit – 74-87 last year, horrible bullpen, but team is better than last year with off-season deals.
5. Minnesota – Manager Paul Molitor is their greatest asset; performed miracles with this team last year; not again.

East

1. Toronto – First place last year; first place this year; best offensive unit in the AL overcomes any other weaknesses.
2. Boston – “Big Papi’s” last year; might drive the Sox to emotional title, but pitching staff as a whole is very questionable.
3. New York Yankees – Great bullpen (I mean “Great!”); aging lineup; this team could finish first or last depending on starters.
4. Tampa Bay – No fan support, no money, no bullpen; starting rotation is pretty good and makes them better than the Orioles.
5. Baltimore – Can score (hit 129 HR’s last year), but can’t keep other team from outscoring them.

Kansas City will win the American League pennant.

National League
West

1. San Francisco – The Giants win in even-numbered years (what? – I read it somewhere); upgraded their pitching staff; need to upgrade their batting stats.
2. LA Dodgers – Clayton Kershaw will win almost every five days and this team is solid in every way, but team chemistry is a problem (ask fired manager Don Mattingly).
3. Arizona – Could win the division after acquiring two very good starters; bullpen is suspect for sure.
4. San Diego – Will not contend; rebuilding after trying their best with deals last year.
5. Colorado – Stadium helps them offensively, but seems to help the opponents even more. Among the worst teams in baseball.

Central

1. Chicago – Joe Madden! Joe Madden!  No real weaknesses except their own history.  Last title in 1908.
2. St. Louis – Great manager in Matheny; not as strong as last year when they won 100 games, but they always seem to be at or near the top.
3. Pittsburgh – outstanding outfield both offensively and defensively; Melancon led majors in saves; happen to be in a very tough division.
4. Milwaukee – While being weak to begin with, they got weaker in spring training when they lost their closer; pitching was bad anyway.
5. Cincinnati – Had an all-rookie starting lineup for the last third of the 2015 season; still rebuilding; not good.

East

1. NY Mets – Great pitching; same lineup as last year, except for Daniel Murphy; should win it again.
2. Washington – With Bryce Harper and their pitching, they still find a way to lose (injuries); maybe first-year manager Dusty Baker can finally get them over the hump.
3. Miami – Eighth manager (Don Mattingly) in last seven years and Barry Bonds as hitting coach makes one go “hmmm”; and still they will be better than the Phillies and the Braves.
4. Philadelphia – Pete Mackanin will have the team playing hard, but the talent level is low ( except for Franco).
5. Atlanta – Worst team last year in runs scored; won four more games than the Phillies last season; four less this year?

Chicago will beat the Mets for the N L pennant.
Cubs win it all!!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. As bad as my bracketing was this year, I did manage to pick the correct winners in the semifinals in last week’s blog – North Carolina and Villanova. As I write this on the National Championship morning and if “defense wins championships” then Villanova will win the 2016 NCAA Championship.
2.  With North Carolina in the title game, it brought back memories of Catasauqua’s Larry Miller who I played against in the 1963 District championship game at the Harrisburg Farm Show Arena. He scored 42 points and we lost the game.  The following year, Larry scored 46 of his team’s 66 points while beating Steelton in the 1964 state playoffs.  He went on to play for Dean Smith and North Carolina and was the ACC’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Year in both 1967 and 1968 and was named as one of the fifty greatest players in ACC history.
3.  I also remember back to April 1, 1985, when Villanova, under Rollie Massimino, beat Georgetown 66-64 in a big upset to win the NCAA National Championship. They were led by Ed Pinckney.  By the way, they beat North Carolina that year in the Southeast Regional final 56-44.
4.  Bourjos, Hernandez, Herrera, Franco, Howard, Galvis, Rupp, and Goedel will be the Phillies position players to start the season. Bring a scorecard – remember, “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard”.  This has never been more appropriate.
5.  And, finally, the UConn women won their 74^th consecutive game on Sunday destroying Oregon State 80-51 and will play Syracuse on Tuesday for the Women’s National Championship. A UConn win for Coach Geno Auriemma would be his 11^th national championship and move him past UCLA’s John Wooden for the most all-time.  The two teams are meeting for the first time this year or last year and no team who hasn’t played them in the last two years has beaten them in the last decade!  No need to go out on a limb – UConn wins their 4^th straight championship and their 75^th straight game!!

I have been around Lehigh Valley sports for a long time.  Some of you may think it’s been too long.  I hope that is not the majority opinion.  But I digress.  Each year, I attend the VIA All-Star Basketball Classic Banquet.  I am always impressed with the quality of the speakers (Michael Irvin and Chuck Dibilio this year), the formal venue, the attendance and, especially, the Hall of Fame selections.

By my count, there have been 186 individuals inducted into the VIA Lehigh Valley Basketball Hall of Fame.  I have had personal contact, either as a player, coach, or broadcaster with 138 of them – 74%.  The few I did not come in contact with accomplished their success either before I was born or when I was a young child.

This year’s group is no exception.  I know them well.

Darnell Braswell played for William Allen under Doug Snyder from 2002-2006.  In his senior year, he helped lead his team to both the LVC and District XI championships.  He was the second leading scorer that year behind Terrence Roderick.  I remember that season very well.  Darnell went on to play four years at DeSales University under Hall-of-Famer Scott Coval.   He is the all-time leading scorer at DeSales and two-time player of the year in the conference.  His coach thought so highly of him that he is now the assistant coach and Coordinator of Athletic Recruiting.

Deanna Rayam played basketball at Freedom High School during the exact same years as Darnell.  And I remember Freedom’s late-season run.  RCN was there.  In 2006, her team won the District Championship by upsetting Parkland and went on to the third round in state playoffs.  She was the third girl to score 1,000 points at Freedom and was third-team All-State.  She went on to play at East Stroudsburg University leading the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists in the same season!  No one had ever done that before.  She scored 1,000 points at ESU, too.  The ESU coach wants her to be her assistant, but she has chosen to devote time to her family.

I REALLY remember Ron Hassler because I followed him as a player and continued to watch his career as a coach.  I broadcasted the game when he scored 48 points against Bangor in 1974.  I announced many, many of his games when he coached at Catasauqua, Whitehall and Central Catholic.  He won six League championships and 10 District championships.  Basketball has been his life and a Hall of Fame one, for sure.

Jack McCallum is a nationally known journalist who has spent the past thirty years at Sports Illustrated.  He has covered Super Bowls, Final Fours, the Masters, the NBA and he has written 11 books, including the New York Times bestseller, The Dream Team.  He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.  So how do I know this elite writer?  When I was pitching for Moravian College (1964-1968), Jack covered our games for the Bethlehem Globe Times.  I will always remember his article when I lost a “perfect game” after 6 2/3 innings pitching against #9 Temple University.  His article turned out to be much, much better than the outcome.  I did not register another out!

It is a pretty good career when you have rubbed elbows and, in some cases, thrown elbows with the elite of Lehigh Valley basketball.  I wish I would have known the other 36%.   But then I would be even older!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Syracuse and North Carolina will play each other next Saturday in the Final Four. North Carolina beat them twice this year.  Both schools have suffered from accusations of “academic fraud” and I am sure there will be plenty written about that this week. North Carolina should win this game.

2. I, for one, did not like the Notre Dame strategy of holding the ball until there were ten seconds on the shot clock. That approach appeared to me to force Notre Dame into desperation mode each possession while North Carolina was scoring by running their offense.

3. Can Villanova beat Oklahoma? Can anybody stop Buddy Hield of Oklahoma?  He scored 37 against Oregon and has averaged 29.3 points in the tournament.  This Villanova team has an air about them, however.  They held Kansas All-American, Perry Ellis, to four points.  There is a will and tenacity about this team and big-man, Daniel Ochefu, could be the difference.  I like Villanova.

4. I love “Match-play” golf. This week, the PGA featured the WGC-Dell match Play championship.  Scores do not matter – what matters is how many holes have you won against your opponent.  There is a winner every match and a loser.  One goes on; one does not.  Every hole matters.  That’s what I like to play and that’s what I like to watch.

5. As I write this, the Flyers will make the NHL playoffs. They are tied in points with the Red Wings, but own the tie-breaker.  That’s the good news – the bad news is they would play the Washington Capitals, the best team in the NHL.  Do you believe that the ‘76ers have still not won 10 games?  I wrote this same sentence last week.  As of this Monday, they were 9-65, losing four more games this past week.  The Phillies are coming!  And, once again, thank goodness for Villanova.

As much as I love basketball season, I do enjoy the start of the spring sports season.  If the weather cooperates and allows athletes time to get outside (and leads to warmer weather), it’s even better!

I’ve always felt the spring coaches, in general, have the toughest assignments preparing for their seasons.  They not only have to wait for the winter sports teams seasons to conclude to get going, they almost always have to wait for Mother Nature to accommodate them—not just with current weather issues, but snow, rain and cold temperatures during the previous months can literally set sports programs back days, or even weeks.

Then, they have to contend with the mandatory final days of the school year (and sports season) that sneak up on them in seemingly no time.  Factor in all the proms, socials, year-of-school activities, vacations and so many other distractions…it really is tough for high school kids to keep their focus this time of year—not to mention have success on the field (or on the court, for the tennis and volleyball athletes).

There are some interesting Lehigh Valley storylines for the spring sports high school season, including the following:

“Tony’s Return”
Our good friend Tony Cocca is making his return to coaching after a long tenure as both the softball and football coach at Whitehall High School.   Tony compiled a 90-78 record while piloting the Zephyrs teams in the early 2000s.  He takes over a Blue Eagle team that dipped a bit last year, finishing 6-10 in league play (7-13 overall), but still captured a Lehigh Valley Conference title just a few seasons ago.

District XI has always been a hotbed for outstanding softball programs, and this year will not be an exception (both Parkland and Bethlehem Catholic won State Championships a year ago).  Despite losing some very talented players to graduation, the Trojans figure to be one of the top teams in the league again this year, and Coach Cocca will have his hands full with a ton of EPC teams loaded on the schedule.

 “Another ‘Tony’ Moves On”
Speaking of Parkland, one of the area’s top baseball coaches, Tony Galucy, will not be at the helm of this year’s Parkland baseball team.  Tony was very accommodating when we in the media would ask for questions and was a great interviewee, whether his teams won (which they usually did) or lost.  I’m sure the Trojans will be in good hands this year and will be one of several teams expected to do well in the very competitive skyline division (it’s nearly as competitive for baseball as it has been for boys’ basketball).

Another team in their division, Northampton, is rumored to be fielding a very strong team this spring, and we’ll be taking a closer look at this year’s K-Kids team with a feature on them for this Thursday’s “SportsTalk” show.

“Hail Hannah”
It has not been uncommon in recent years to have Lehigh Valley athletes and teams receive national attention, but Hannah Edwards has received some MAJOR accolades on an incredibly large scale.  The Catasauqua senior softball player was just named to the 2016 American Family Insurance Preseason ALL-USA Softball Team.  Hannah is one of three outfielders who were selected on a nationwide team that included a total of 25 players.  The Rough Riders’ star was also recently named to the MaxPreps 2016 Pre-Season Softball Team and has now been named to nine All-American teams during her high school career.

Catasauqua is always competitive in softball and features a number of talented players on this year’s squad, so don’t be surprised if we hear quite a bit about their softball team in the weeks ahead.

“One More Winter Shout-Out!”
The sport that also always gets lots coverage during the winter sports season is the girls and boys swimmers and divers.  With the conclusion of their season, the names of the All-Eastern Pennsylvania Conference members were released to the media last week.

I hope everyone checks out the list of some tremendous accomplishments by these athletes in the pool this winter!

Remember, we are always on the lookout for high school teams and athletes to feature here on our blogs and on our “SportsTalk” TV show and podcasts.  Email your suggestions to us at rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and tune in for our spring shows and high school features!

Before we turn our attention to the spring sports season, we continue our final look back at the high school winter sports season in the Lehigh Valley region with video and recognition of some amazing performances.

“Dynasty-Making”
I’ve seen some great District XI Class 3A girls basketball teams over the years and, quite frankly, have watched  some rather boring district playoff games (due to one team being SO good).  However, the Southern Lehigh girls’ basketball team turned in one of the most dominant performances ever this winter.  In addition to a phenomenal regular season (they lost just their season opening game to Dunbar), the Spartans won every other game the rest of the way until they lost to Berks Catholic (with a chance to win at the buzzer) in the second round of the state playoffs.

The Spartans lost two very key seniors.  However, the team’s core–four of their five starters—is back next year.  Solehi should have no trouble building on this winter’s legacy with dominant playoff runs in the league, district and state playoffs for years to come.  Their players are a multi-dimensionally talented team AND fundamentally sound (a GREAT combination), and should have no trouble putting together successful campaigns in 2017 and beyond.

We talked quite a bit about the overall competitiveness and great amount of depth in girls’ basketball a few weeks back here at “The Shop.” Like many of the other programs we’ve seen or talked about this winter, there was a ton of talent on display, with many teams returning most of their key players. As I stated on last week’s “SportsTalk” show and podcast, I’m looking at Easton (who returns virtually everyone) to be the team-to-beat on the Eastern Pennsylvania Girls Conference side.  With many other underclassmen back in 2017, expect Nazareth, Northampton and many of other teams involved in this winter’s playoffs to be right back in the post-season again next year.

“A Return to Glory”
In addition to a tremendous season (and another state championship) for the Bethlehem Catholic wrestling team this season, there were many individual stars here in the Valley.  As usual (but following a minor dip last year), District XI was well-represented in the state tournament in Hershey, with eight gold medalists and 20 overall metal winners.  Special props go to Liberty’s Andrew Gunning who captured the school’s first PIAA individual wrestling title in over 30 years.

We invite you to go back to hear many of the teams and individual wrestlers discussed on our “SportsTalk” podcasts  from this winter.

Here’s a look at highlights from RCN-TV’s wrestling coverage during the second half of the wrestling season.

There were also outstanding accomplishments this winter by local swimmers, with their season culminating last week with the PIAA meets.  Congrats to Salisbury’s Mahlon Reihman for being named swimmer of the state meet, who beat out fellow District XI competitor Gabe Castano (Allentown Central Catholic) for the Class AA gold in the 100-meter freestyle.  Like wrestling, there were numerous Lehigh Valley athletes in the water who also posted solid performances at last weekend’s final events.

Let us know what were your top moments, teams and athletes from this past winter.  Email us at RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and tune in Thursdays, 7-8 pm, to hear us talk about your local teams on our “RCN SportsTalk” program.  This Thursday will be our final “winter show” and your last opportunity to talk about this recently completed scholastic season in the RCN viewing area.