Time is running out on the 2014 calendar, which means it’s time for our annual shows and “SportsTalk Shop” blog postings that look back at highlights from the past 12 months.  Each year we come up with new categories for our special “RCN SportsTalk” panelists to respond to on our show, which will air several times over the holiday season and also available on RCN On-Demand.  Here’s a look at this year’s topics; you are welcome to email (RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com) your responses to these questions and maybe we’ll read your opinions on the show:

Best Running Back in Eastern PA this fall
Most Intriguing Team in 2014
Most Overplayed Story of 2014
Biggest “Oh My” Moment of 2014
Most Underrated Story of 2014
A “Shout-out” to one sports personality this year
 
Biggest Sign The Sports Apocalypse is Near
Sports Personality You Would Have Liked to See More of in 2014
Best & Worst Sports Decision Made in 2014
Something Witnessed in 2014 That You Hope To See Again
Best Performance By An Underclassmen
Biggest Turnaround in 2014
Most Lasting Image of 2014 (Local & National)

Then, for our last segment…looking ahead to 2015:

Toughest Coaching Challenge for 2015
One Team & Player to watch in 2015
Something “New” You’d Like to See in 2015
One Piece of Advice for an Athlete/Coach in 2015
“Stone-Cold” Lock To Happen 2015

Here are a few of my own responses to these topics (you’ll have to watch the show to get my takes on the rest of them).

For “Most Overplayed Story of 2014,” I have to target ESPN’s thrashing of the 76ers’ ‘tanking’ strategy.  It wasn’t enough that they have been poking fun at the team’s idea of losing on purpose so that they can acquire better draft picks and clear salary cap space to pave the way for a brighter future.  They’ve piled on by constantly putting them on their “Not Top 10” list and frequently ask their NBA analysts about the team’s pitiful plight, repeatedly asking their experts if this is the worst team of all time—in any sport!  If you want to hammer the organization for its theory—fine.  But what has annoyed me of late is that, when Magic Johnson suggests that his Lakers lose on purpose to follow the same idea, they fall over themselves praising his “ingenious” theory.

Hello…national hypocrites?  You can’t bash one team’s idea for months, then praise another team for the exact same idea just because you’re fans of the greatest Lakers player of all time.  Have some backbone and either stick with your initial opinion, or get off the Sixers’ collective backs and stop trashing them every chance you get.  Yes, we know they stink—and they’re good at being bad.  That’s the whole idea.  Stop reporting their losses like you’re surprised…and remember how much you criticized them if they are contending for a world title four or five…or six…years from now.

A “Shout-out” to one sports personality this year:  Salisbury’s girls basketball head coach, Joe Mladosich.  He not only earned his 200^th coaching win this past year, but, like so many scholastic coaches, did it without the fanfare and publicity that other sports garnish.  In fact, Coach Mladosich tried to kept the approaching honor a secret from the team.  Most of his players didn’t even know when he was going to eclipse the milestone victory, and the few associated with the program who did know, he asked to keep it a secret.  I had a chance to speak with his girls and they all spoke highly of their coach and felt honored to be part of his program and his special victory.  When we interviewed him for “SportsTalk” about his accomplishment this past year, he was very unassuming about his success and instead placed the credit on his assistant coaches and his players.  On behalf of all the coaches who pass up self-promotion to put the spotlight on their team, I’d like to recognize Joe’s unselfish acts as my “shout-out” person of the year.

Most Intriguing Team in 2014.  No doubt for me…I’d have to go with the Becahi girls basketball program.  Very few Lehigh Valley teams in any sport had more success than the Hawks in 2014…only to see their head coach, Bill Lanscek, get the hook at the end of the season.  Becahi responded by hiring one of the brightest basketball minds in Megan Dellegrotti, fresh off multiple appearances (and wins) in the Colonial League Girls’ Basketball Championship game, only to have her resign less than two weeks before the start of the season.  I’m not going to speculate here on what’s going on with the program and their coaching staff.  I’ve heard tremendous things about their newest head coach, Jose Medina.  His team should again contend for a state title in 2015, but, unfortunately, the coaching storylines for this program made them my most intriguing squad from this past year.

Biggest “Oh My” Moment of 2014.  I’m going to have to cheat a little on this one and add an “s” to the word “moment.”  However, there were just too many highlights to separate just one from the games involving the Notre Dame and Catasauqua boys basketball teams (we’ll have highlights of these games on our TV show).  These two teams made for some of the most exhilarating moments of the year in both the Colonial League AND District XI 2A Championship games.  Half-court shots made at the buzzer, one player (Vincent Eze) blocking ten shots in a game, a last second rebound/game-winning basket (also by Eze), amazing baskets from Brandon Purrone, David Wetherhold, Dakota Shiffer, Tannor Reed and many others…all made for multiple great moments.  Throw-in the fact that the one championship game had to be rescheduled and came on the heels of our biggest snowstorm of the year AND came at the end of four consecutive broadcasts I did for RCN, definitely made for a memorable night.

Sports Personality You Would Have Liked to See More of in 2014.  Former Olympian, Spokesperson, Author, Coach and Humanitarian Joetta Clark Diggs was one of the many sports personalities that I was blessed to meet for the first time this past year, and was so fortunate to hear some of her stories and views on women sports issues this past year on our studio show.  She has very interesting views on many topics, runs camps that benefit local youths and recently published a new book.  In order to even start giving due to all of her accomplishments, I’m going to focus on her in an upcoming edition of the “SportsTalk Shop” early in 2015.

I’ll be on vacation for the next several days but be sure to check back as “SportsTalk” co-host Joe Craig will also share his thoughts looking back at the past year.  Also, check out our “year-in-review” show on RCN-TV and don’t forget to tune in to all of RCN’s special holiday programming and its Christmas Takeover.  My personal favorites are the “Jack Benny Christmas Special” and a true classic—the Jimmy Durante film, “A Christmas Wish.”  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

The holidays – it’s the most wonderful time of the year, right?  Well, to some extent.  However, there are the trips to the malls, the list of gifts to buy, the holiday parties, the forgotten present, etc.  So right about now, you are probably starting to become concerned about your holiday budget.  You may have set a cost limit on gifts and entertaining and are now realizing that your budget may be totally unrealistic.  So you begin to stress over finding the money to pay the extra bills associated with the end of the year.  Imagine if that stress was totally eliminated because you earn so much money that you do not have to think about money at all.  There are many, many athletes who have that luxury.  Here are the Top Ten moneymakers for 2014:

1. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan earns $43.8 million a year or $3,650,000 per month, which is $121,667 a day and he is #10!
2. Tennis player Rafael Nadal makes “only” $14.5 million playing tennis, but gets $30 million in endorsements.
3. Golfer Phil Mickelson does much better endorsing products ($48 million) than he does playing golf, which brings in a paltry $5.2 million.
4. Roger Federer of tennis fame made $4.2 million on the court, but brought in $52 million in endorsements.
5. No one does better by not playing than Tiger Woods. He earned $55 million in endorsements and “just” $6.2 million playing golf.
6. The NBA is represented by two players. Kobe Bryant makes $31 million in endorsements and $30.5 million from the Lakers.
7. Lionel Messi of soccer fame kicks the ball around for $41.7 million and receives an extra $23 million in endorsements.
8. LeBron James does quite well playing basketball, taking in $19.3 million, but those commercials and product deals garner another $53 million for a grand total of $72.3 million.
9. The highest-paid soccer player is Cristiano Ronaldo who makes $52 million playing and another $28 million selling himself to advertisers. That is a cool $80 million.
10. Boxer Floyd Mayweather topped this list this year, earning $105 million WITH NO ENDORSEMENTS! He earned it all in the ring – $8,750,000 per month, $291,667 per day, $12,152.78 every hour of the day!

So there you have it.  Or rather they have it and you, not so much.  So as you trek out one

more time for that gift, that outfit, that box of candy, or bottle of wine, it is important that

we remember that not only do we wish for “peace on earth”, but also for “good will towards men” no matter how much money they earn. But we still have to check the price tag first!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

• Very quietly on Sunday night, Kobe Bryant moved past Michael Jordan in career NBA scoring and into third place. He scored 26 points against the Timberwolves and now has 32,310 points in his 19 seasons.  He trails only Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).
• Johnny Football (Manziel) became the 21^st starting quarterback since 1999 for the Browns and threw for just 80 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Browns lost to the Bengals 30-0. The Browns will not make the playoffs for the 12^th consecutive season and are probably looking for their 22^nd
• Speaking of a bad day at the office, Aaron Rodgers of the Packers may have had his worst day as a pro as the Packers lost to the Bills 21-13. He threw no touchdowns,  two interceptions, fumbled, and had a quarterback rating of 34.3, the worst of his career.  By the way, the Bills swept the NFC North this season.
• If you are an Eagles’ fan, you just became a Colts’ fan. You need Indianapolis, already the AFC South winner, to beat Dallas on Sunday and the Eagles must win out.  Just a note, the Colts are 2-4 against teams with winning records.
• Next Tuesday night, the Whitehall High School gymnasium will be dedicated and named for Dick Tracy. It will be a special night for my long-time fellow announcer and one of the great Lehigh Valley coaches ever.  RCN-TV will be there.  Please join us.

(Last week – 12-3)  (149-72-1 overall – 67%)
            
           JACKSONVILLE
            SAN DIEGO
            PHILADELPHIA
            MIAMI
            GREEN BAY
            DETROIT
            ATLANTA
            NEW ENGLAND
            PITTSBURGH
            CAROLINA
            BALTIMORE
            ST. LOUIS
            BUFFALO
            INDIANAPOLIS
            SEATTLE
            DENVER

I’d like to think we have “fireworks” on every edition of the “RCN SportsTalk” show in which we discuss a variety of different topics–sometimes of a controversial nature.  On last week’s program, however, we had not one, but two major blow-ups from both our panelists and from our phone callers, regarding two completely different subjects.  The two topics firing up people included our assessment of Penn State’s football season and a few questionable calls at the end of the PIAA state playoff game between St. Joe’s and Parkland high schools.  Here are two clips, back-to-back from last week’s show, which ignited the controversies.

Now, regarding the Penn State issue of which all of us on the show agreed that the Lions’ 6-6 record should be viewed as a “successful” year (the officials made sure they didn’t win a 7^th game with a couple egregious calls late in their game against Ohio State).   Shortly after we made those statements, one of our phone callers, in no uncertain terms, blasted our opinions—stating that six wins against a handful of soft opponents should not garnish a positive review.  Furthermore, the caller stated that Penn State hasn’t beaten a top- five team in nearly thirty years and the team’s true “glory years” vanished in the 1980s.  He went on to criticize their scheduling several weaker non-conference games each season.

Here’s my take on issue #1.  When you consider what the Nittany Lions program has gone through over the last four years, you’d have to be happy with six wins and a bowl bid.  There’s no way to officially say how many quality football players the scandal has cost the program.  In addition to players who left or decided on another school, you had players like Mike Hull, Christian Hackenberg and others who rode out the sanctions having to deal with depth issues throughout their careers.  Players fought through and played with injuries because of that lack of depth, an inconsistent offensive line that put Hackenberg and other backs constantly under pressure from opposing defense…I could go on stating the trickle-down effects that permeated every facet of the team.  They were close to winning a few of their games against tougher opponents while soundly defeating programs that, as of this year, are step below Penn State (yes, I would have to thrown in my beloved Temple football team in this category).

Among many post-regular season accolades include Hull being named the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and both Hull and Anthony Zettel named to the conference’s “first team.”  There were certainly success stories with the younger players on the team, and reason for even more optimism based on their “successful” play this fall.  Among the first-year players just named to BTN.com’s “All-Freshmen Team”: safety Marcus Allen, tight end Mike Gesicki, wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton, offensive tackle Andrew Nelson and punter Daniel Pasquariello.  Despite the offensive struggles later in the year, all of these players improved as the season advanced and should be part of bigger and better things as the program continues to build itself back to a national presence.

To the issue of Penn State scheduling weaker teams: Penn State almost every year has to schedule at least seven home games to defray their enormous costs (this is due to budget issues which Morning Call’s Mark Wogenrich eluded to on our show).  Aside from the four Big Ten games that they must play, it’s pretty much impossible for one elite team—let along two or three additional teams–to grant an enormous (and costly) favor of playing the Lions at State College without having them return the favor the following season.  Penn State has to find up-and-coming programs (like my alums from Broad Street) to travel to Happy Valley to gain exposure.  These teams don’t match the status of a powerhouse team—one who, if Penn State defeated, would satisfy some fans’ requirement to call the season a success.  In my opinion, and with all the other issues Penn State is trying to put behind them, to expect something far beyond what happened this fall won’t be a possibility until 2016 at the earliest.  Until then, you must temper your expectations for the football program and give them props when they do make strides—like I still feel they made in 2014.

The second issue that fueled a heated argument on last week’s show involved a few controversial calls at the end of the Parkland/St. Joe’s state high school playoff football game.   I myself was at another game that day and did not watch it live—and instead received a biased review of the calls well before I had a chance to sit down and watch a replay of it for myself through RCN On Demand.  I must admit that I agree with all of our RCN commentators –  Gary Laubach, Mike Joseph, Tony Cocca and “SportsTalk” co-host Joe Craig—all vehemently saying on-air that they hated (and that’s using a ‘kind’ verb) the calls.  Clearly, the officials made a few incorrect decisions at crucial times.  However, I would like to address an aspect of this controversy that I haven’t heard anyone talk about since the program.

I think an enormous amount of credit should be given to Parkland for the class they demonstrated with regards to the controversial calls—all of which severely hampered them from winning the game. Head Coach Jim Morgans was furious with the calls and expressed his disappointment after they occurred.  But I’ve run into a number of coaches—both past and present—who admitted they probably would have gone ballistic if they were on that sideline and had those calls made against them at key moments in a huge game.  If Parkland won that game, it would have been an historic victory for the District XI football community.  It would have kept alive the team’s drive for a state championship.  But even with an extreme level of disappointment following the calls, the players, coaches and staff all handled themselves in a respectful manner.

There was no formal protest.  No website created to replay the controversial calls and ask people for their opinions.  No continuing, angry sound bites in the local media.  They were upset.  They were angry…but they kept themselves under control.

Clearly, they would have preferred to win the game and advance to the state semifinal game.  But all things considered, Parkland had an excellent season on the field, and showed championship-level class in the days that followed an incredibly  disappointing, and unfortunate, loss.  But one of the great things about sports is the character-building aspect that can be an even better learning experience.

What are your thoughts on Penn State’s season and the PIAA playoffs? Email your comments to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and join us each Thursday at 6pm as we discuss more hot topics each week!

As the year comes to a close, it’s time for my annual thoughts on the Yahoo Year in Review.  This is their annual look back at the top sports stories (and other trends if you wish to search Yahoo for those).  Comparing the list to last year’s Top-Searched Sports Teams and Top-Searched Athletes, you will notice that some have dropped in stature, stayed the same, or have dropped off the list entirely.    Obviously, that means there are some new names, too.  Let’s opine together:

Top-Searched Sports Teams on Yahoo in 2014

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Detroit Tigers
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Los Angeles Lakers
8. St. Louis Cardinals
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Chicago Bears

Half of the teams are from the NFL; four are Major League Baseball teams; and one from the NBA.

The Dallas Cowboys stayed at #1 again.  I do not want to think of them as “America’s Team”, but it is obvious they are.  Imagine the interest if they actually won enough games to matter.  The Super Bowl champion, Seattle Seahawks, did not make the list.  I guess success does not always breed interest.

It appears that baseball fans are a fickle bunch as they seem to follow a winner.  It’s the world champion Giants this year – #2 last year was the Boston Red Sox and they are not even on this year’s list.  Baseball and “bandwagon” seem synonymous.  Give the Detroit Tigers credit, however.  They stayed at #5 for the second consecutive year.  The Dodgers (#7) and Yankees (#8) are both gone this year!  That tells you something about these two legendary franchises.  The Packers stay at #3; the Steelers remain as the most popular Pennsylvania NFL team, but, at least, the Eagles made the list this year, something they could not do last season.  The Royals, Cardinals, and Bears are all new.   The Denver Broncos (also in the Super Bowl) and the Milwaukee Bucks have been displaced.

Top-Searched Athletes on Yahoo in 2014

1. Tiger Woods
2. Ronda Rousey
3. Danica Patrick
4. Caroline Wozniacki
5. Tony Stewart
6. Maria Sharapova
7. Hope Solo
8. Tito Ortiz
9. Ray Rice
10. Michael Vick

I wonder if you even want to make this list because, more often than not, it’s not because you had a great year as an athlete, but for entirely different and , usually, negative reasons.  Tiger Woods (injury), Danica Patrick (beauty),Caroline Wozniacki (Rory McIlroy’s former girlfriend), Tony Stewart (the death of a fellow race car driver), Maria Sharapova (beauty), Hope Solo (arrested), Tito Ortiz (DUI), Ray Rice (domestic violence), and Michael Vick (just because, I guess).

Ronda Rousey, whom I did not even know when she made the list at #5 last year, moved up to #2 this year.  She may very well be there because of her accomplishments as a mixed martial arts champion.  I hope that is why she is on the list because I should mention that she is, also, attractive.

Gone from the list (probably a good thing) are Tim Tebow (#1 last year – long forgotten), Lindsey Vonn (#4 last year; still Tiger’s girlfriend; just not as much interest), Lamar Odom (#6 -no longer with a Kardashian), Serena Williams (#8 – ho-hum, I suppose), and Gina Carano (#10 – I didn’t know her last year and still don’t).

Looking at this compilation, it appears that if you make the list as a team it’s a good thing; make the list as an individual, get your picture taken by a good photographer or, even worse, get a lawyer!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. If you are a fan of college basketball, I am sure you were stunned by the NJIT 72-70 win over #17 Michigan on Saturday afternoon in Michigan. Just a few notes – NJIT was 2-5 going into the game having lost to John’s, Albany, UMass (Lowell) twice, and Marquette.  They have no league affiliation and just a few years ago, they had a 51-game losing streak.  This was supposed to be a “guarantee” game for Michigan – the Wolverines guarantee a nice payday to NJIT and NJIT is guaranteed to lose.  That did not happen.  I guess there are no “guarantees”.
2. Speaking of Michigan, as of Monday, December 8, Central Catholic’s Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman is on the Michigan roster. He has played in five of the eight games, a total of 26 minutes.  He is 0-9 from the field, 0-1 from beyond the arc, and has not been to the foul line.  He does have an assist and has turned the ball over twice.  It’s great to see the freshman getting some playing time.
3. Watching the Eagles on Sunday against the Seahawks, it is still obvious they do not belong in the upper echelon yet. I do, however, like their defense.  They were on the field just too long on Sunday.  The offense is sporadic and it seems to me that LeSean McCoy fumbles at least once in big games.  Dallas is next up in Philly and that becomes a must win as the two teams are tied for the division lead.
4. How does Oakland beat San Francisco? Oakland lost 52-0 to St. Louis last week and had only one win until this past Sunday.  I thought just the front office wanted to get rid of Jim Harbaugh – maybe the players do, too.  Their playoff hopes came to an end with the loss.
5. Parkland’s Andre Williams had a career day with the Giants on Sunday, rushing for 131 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run. And… the Giants won!

(Last week – 12-3)  (136-69-1 overall – 66%)
            ST. LOUIS
            KANSAS CITY
            BALTIMORE
            PITTSBURGH
            INDIANAPOLIS
            CINCINNATI
            NEW ENGLENAD
            CAROLINA
            GIANTS
            GREEN BAY
            DETROIT
            JETS
            DENVER
            SEATTLE
            PHILADELPHIA
            CHICAGO

High school and college football have come to a close.  It was certainly an exciting season with the highlights easy to recall:  the outstanding individual running backs at the high school level – Shane Simpson, Saquon Barkley, Michael McDaniel, Harry Hall and others.  The quarterbacks were outstanding – to name a few, Travis Edmond, Doug Erney, Julian Spigner, and, of course, Devante Cross.  Conner Sullivan, Shane Simpson (again), and Jarey Elder were some of the notable receivers.  Parkland, Easton, Bethlehem Catholic, Southern Lehigh, Northwestern, and Saucon Valley all had chasmpionship seasons.

And then there was Yankee Stadium and the 150^th meeting of college football’s most-played rivalry, Lafayette vs. Lehigh.  The atmosphere, the history, the tradition, and the location made this day one of the best ever and I will never forget the individual efforts of Ross Scheuerman and Zach Zwiezig. Ross ran for over 300 yards and Zach managed a game he had not played in for over a year and a half. They and their teammates led Lafayette to their second straight win over their archrivals.  Is it any wonder I enjoy going to work?

The end of football always signals the arrival of the one night a year that is always memorable.  It is the night that I co-host the Dream Come True Telethon.  We at RCN TV will produce and air the Telethon for the 29^th year.  I have not hosted all of them, but I have been around for most. The Dream Come True organization, in case you did not know, was founded in 1984 by Kostas Kalogeropoulous, a local businessman.  The goal of the organization is simple – fulfill the dreams of children who are seriously, chronically, and terminally ill and reside in the greater Lehigh Valley area.  Children are referred by family, friends, clergy, doctors, social workers, etc., and the dreams usually fall into three categories – trips, contact with celebrities, and special gifts (computers, shopping sprees, for example).

Scott Barr will be co-hosting again this year. We have spent this night together for many, many years and I would not want to work with anyone else. He handles the auction area and, boy, is he terrific!  If you watch Home Shopping Network or any of the other television all-day shopping channels, just watch Scott do his thing during the three-hour night.  He is as good as, if not better, than the professionals.

The TELETHON will take place live on Monday, December 8, 2014 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. RCN customers in the Lehigh Valley (Channel 4, 1004 in HD), Delaware County (Channel 8, 608 in HD), and Washington, DC (Channel 8) areas can watch live on RCN TV.  A popular component of the telethon each year is the auction.  This year, we are introducing a new, on-line auction.  The bidding starts Monday, November 24, and ends Monday, December 8, at 8:00PM.

CLICK HERE to bid on incredible auction items donated by your favorite networks!

Great auction items include:

• Go Pro Hero 3: HERO3+ Silver from AMC Networks
• Philadelphia Flyers-Autographed Claude Giroux Jersey from NHL Network
• Jambox Speaker System from AMC Networks
• Wolfgang Puck Cookware from HSN
• Sony Bloggie Video Camera from Reelz
• Tumi Travel Bag from AMC Networks
• “Deadliest Catch” Fleece Jacket from Discovery Networks
  and much more!

As you can see from the list above, there is always a variety of unique items donated by local businesses as well as our friends from the cable TV networks.  If you want something really unique and not found in any store, tune us in and bid on the items.  You’ll make Scott’s night and, more importantly, some child’s dream.

Ann Savkova, our excellent parade announcer, will do many of the interviews with the children who have had their dreams fulfilled.  She is a pleasure to have as part of the team.

And, there will be plenty of entertainment.

The important facts are:
The Date:         Monday, December 8
The Time:         6:00 – 9:00 PM
The Purpose:    To fulfill as many hopes, dreams and fantasies for seriously, chronically,
and terminally ill children as possible
The Phone Number to Make a Donation:          1-800-749-8099

All proceeds from the online and on-air auctions go directly to Dream Come True.

Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!  Your donation will help make a child’s dream come true!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

• Do you think it’s easy to be a Philadelphia sports’ fan in the winter? As I write this, the Flyers and the 76ers have played 39 games combined.  The Eagles have played 12.  The Eagles have 9 wins and the other two have 8 wins total!!
• I think I saw the two worst non-calls by officials in recent memory this past weekend and both played a major role in the victimized team losing the game. In the Parkland-St. Joe’s Prep matchup, late in the fourth quarter, St. Joe’s was facing a fourth and one on its 37-yard line trailing by three.  The St. Joe’s tailback went in motion long before the snap – no call.  A five yard penalty either forces them to punt or go for a fourth and six.  Instead, they got the first down and then scored on the very next play and won the game 34-30.
• In the Easton – Phillipsburg game, postponed from Thanksgiving Day, a Phillipsburg player called for a fair catch in the first half in his own territory, caught the ball; everyone stopped; he did not hear a whistle from the officials; and ran to the Easton 19-yard line. Phillipsburg scored quickly and won 19-15.  If the right call is made, who knows what the outcome would have been?  Two very easy calls, seen by everyone who watched, except the official who should have made the call.
• I cannot remember an NFL team as bad as the Oakland Raiders are this year. They are 1-11 and just lost to the last-place St. Louis Rams 52-0.  Their only win came over Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs.  How do they feel?
• High school basketball begins on Tuesday, December 9, when Easton travels to Freedom. Easton vs. Parkland kicks off the wrestling season on December 10.  And Lafayette College basketball is off and running already.  Enjoy the winter with the RCN-TV team!

(Last week – 10-5)  (123-66-1 overall – 65%)
            DALLAS
            BALTIMORE
            CINCINNATI
            INDIANAPOLIS
            HOUSTON
            GIANTS
            NEW ORLEANS
            DETROIT
            ST. LOUIS
            MINNESOTA
            DENVER
            ARIZONA
            SAN FRANCISCO
            SEATTLE
            NEW ENGLAND
            GREEN BAY

It was another interesting high school football playoff season, with plenty of drama, surprises and exciting finishes.  Today, we take a look at the bigger schools in the Lehigh Valley and their playoff runs in the district and state tournaments (more comments and opinions of this year’s high school football season, as well as Penn State football talk, on this Thursday’s “RCN SportsTalk” show—live at 6pm).

Class 4A
Among the most anticipated match-ups of the District XI players was the rematch of Freedom and Whitehall.  Both teams had outstanding 2014 campaigns and their contest during the regular season ended in overtime with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory by the Patriots.  The playoff match-up was also very competitive, with Freedom continuing its amazing turnaround season with a win over the Zephyrs.

The Patriots, as we have discussed in earlier posts this fall, were one of the most remarkable stories in Pennsylvania this season, bouncing back from a 2-8 season last year to advancing into the quarterfinals of the District 2/4/11 sub-regionals before losing to Easton.

The Rovers were another great story this year.  While the pre-season prognosticators had Easton picked anywhere from second to fifth (and don’t think for a moment that the players and coaches were not aware of those ‘lower’ expectations), one of PA’s most successful programs ran through a very tough Eastern Pennsylvania Conference without a blemish, and continued to look solid in its quarterfinal game against Pleasant Valley (the Bears were making their second consecutive district playoff appearance).

After losing to Whitehall midway through the regular season, Parkland dropped off the radar—well, as much as they can due to their decades-long success—and opened the sub-regional playoffs as the seventh-seeded team having to travel outside the Lehigh Valley to advance in the playoffs.

While the Trojans didn’t appear as dominant offensively as they might have in previous years, they were solid enough and teamed with a smothering defense to topple Easton in overtime and earn their third consecutive District XI championship.

Parkland became just the third school since 1993 to “three-peat” as consecutive District XI football champ in ANY of the area’s classifications.  With quarterback DeVante Cross and many more talented players coming back in 2015, look for the red-and-silver again to be right in, or above, the elite teams when next season comes around.

CLASS 3A
Bethlehem Catholic was once again the favorite heading into this year’s District XI 3A tourney, and certainly was on a mission to prove that it was the best team in the classification this year.  They had plenty of motivation:   a tighter-than-expected win in last year’s district playoffs, a quicker-than-expected exit in the state playoffs in 2013, a disappointing loss to Stroudsburg destroying their hopes of a perfect season this fall and, oh, yeah, the initial report that they were going to be excluded from the new league.

Despite any potential distractions, the players went out and clearly took care of business in both the opening round of the districts and the PIAA playoffs.

Two of the most exciting games I got a chance to call on RCN TV all year were the two games played between Saucon Valley and Southern Lehigh.  In the first matchup, the Panthers jumped out to a huge lead and then hung on to beat the Spartans.  In their second contest, with the right to move on to the District 3A title game up for grabs, the roles were reversed, with the Spartans taking a big lead early.  However, that didn’t stop Saucon Valley from making for an exciting finish.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Saucon Valley as the 2015 favorite in the Colonial League.  However, they weren’t very happy, as were quite a few area football fans, by the end of their 3A championship game against Becahi.

There were some interesting comments about the ending of the game, and some of the late-game actions and post-game comments did not sit well with each other’s fan base.  It would certainly be interesting to see a rematch between these two programs next year…but, well, let’s just enjoy the holiday season for now and some other sports action before we start going there!

Don’t forget, you can relive all of these teams’ biggest playoff games by watching them again, for free, on RCN On Demand.  These games will be available to watch for two months following their initial airdates, and you can purchase DVD copies of the games as well by contacting us at RCN.  And don’t forget to join us on next week’s “SportsTalk” show as we’ll feature some of the state championship teams on our Thursday program.

First of all, a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day holiday to all of our faithful “SportsTalk” viewers and blog readers.  We’ve gotten some wonderful feedback about the show and our blog the last few months and appreciate all the positive responses. We hope to continue earning your interest and attention as we transition to the winter sports season very soon.  Chris Michael is taking a few days off for the holiday this week and in his place is “RCN SportsTalk” co-host Joe Craig manning the “SportsTalk Shop.”  Joe gives his commentary on a variety of sports issues for each edition of the “RCN SportsTalk” show on (what is suppose to be a short) segment, entitled, “Joe’s Take,” which you can see every Thursday at 6pm on RCN-TV.  Here, Joe gives his opinions on who he thinks are the top ten football players—EVER—in the Lehigh Valley area.

Picking the top 10 football players to ever play in the Lehigh Valley is absolutely the toughest assignment I could have undertaken.  There’s no way anyone is going to agree with me because there have been so many worthy choices.  Now, before you jump all over me, remember that I’m not very bright.  But I will put up these 10 guys against anyone’s list.

Here goes!  The list is not in any particular order but I do believe the very best player ever is Chuck Bednarik of Bethlehem Liberty.  How can anyone argue with this choice?  Following Chuck is Jim Ringo of Phillipsburg.  Both of these men played in the Lehigh Valley, went on to play professional football, and are members of the Hall of Fame.

So far, I have listed two great linemen.  Now for two great backs.  How about Bobby Pilz of Easton, 1968.  Pound for pound he may be the best ever.  In three years at Easton, they went 28-1-1 and that 1968 team is considered by many to be the best team ever to play in the Lehigh Valley.  Pilz had a stellar career at N.C. State under Lou Holtz.  Another back has to be the great Artie Owens of Stroudsburg.  He played in the early 1970’s and went on to become an All-American at West Virginia under Bobby Bowden.

No list of linemen would be complete without the next two greats:  Mike Hartenstine of Bethlehem Liberty and Matt Millen of Whitehall.  Hartenstine was All-State and an All-American in high school who went on to play at Penn State under Joe Paterno.  He went to the pros and had a great career with the Chicago Bears.  Neshaminy All-Stater Bruce Traney called Mike “the scariest player I ever faced.”  Now, Matt Milen was also Mr. Everything at Whitehall and became an All-American at Penn State again under Joe Paterno.  Matt went on to become an all-pro linebacker at Oakland and finished his career with the Washington Redskins.  He was a five-time Super Bowl champion.

Two more backs:  actually Andre Reed of Dieruff became a Hall of Famer in the pro ranks as a wide receiver with the then-great Buffalo Bills.  He played in four Super Bowls.  A Kutztown graduate, Andre excelled at receiver and quarterback at Dieruff.  That brings us to James Mungro of East Stroudsburg.  James held the state record for rushing yards for many years.  He went on to play at Syracuse and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts where he had a fine career.

The last two members of my top 10 are both from across the Delaware River.  How about Dick Lynch from Phillipsburg Catholic and the great Ned Bolcar of Phillipsburg.  Dick Lynch played for coach Mickey Frinzi at the now-closed P’burg Catholic.  Dick went on to Notre Dame University.  While at Notre Dame, he scored the game-winning touchdown that beat Oklahoma and broke the Sooners’ 54-game winning streak.  He was then drafted and played for seven years for the New York Giants as a defensive back.  He was an all-pro during this time.  Ned Bolcar was best known as a tough linebacker at P’burg.  He played for Phil Rohm and Tom Dominic from 1983-1985.  Ned was a two-time All-Stater in New Jersey.  He went on to Notre Dame where he started at middle linebacker for three years.  In 1988 he captained the Irish to a national championship.  He then was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks and finished his career with the Miami Dolphins.

Well, there you have it.  I know what you’re thinking:  “How could Joe miss ______________ (fill in the blank)!”  Yeah, there are plenty of other great players that we have been blessed to see play right here in the Valley.  And while you could make another deserving list, I think you’d agree that at least some of my top 10 transcend time.  Let me know what you think by emailing us at rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and who you would include in your top 10.  Until next time, that’s “Joe’s take”.

There are a couple of weeks every year when the college basketball, college football, and high school football seasons overlap.  This past week was particularly challenging because I was doing my first college basketball game on Wednesday, the District XI AAAA football championship on Friday night, the Lafayette-Lehigh two-hour pre-game show on Saturday afternoon, and the first Lafayette women’s game on Sunday.  So… here is how the week unfolded.

MONDAY
Monday is always “gather information” day.  I put out the request for Easton and Parkland starting lineups and statistics and await a response.  I also begin to formulate the Lafayette-Princeton basketball information.  Luckily there is a plethora of stuff on the internet at the two websites.  I can gather statistics, starting lineups, information about the players and coaches, and begin to get a feel for the match-up.  Hopefully, all is completed by mid-afternoon because I need to write a blog for the RCN website.

TUESDAY
Happily, the high school information arrives that morning so it is time to put together each team’s profile, starters, statistics, stat charts for the game itself, a team stat chart, player name pronunciations, and find out which officials will be working the game.  This pretty much fills up the day.  I am able to come up with the Keys to the Game and the Trivia question of the week if there is still time; otherwise that’s done first thing Wednesday morning.

WEDNESDAY
Keys and Trivia were done first thing (no time the day before) in the morning.  I finish up the prep work for the basketball game that night and start to look at my responsibilities for Saturday at Yankee Stadium.  I leave the office @ noon.  It’s off to the Kirby Sports Center at 4:30 to set up for the Lafayette men’s basketball game.  It’s my first of the season and it literally is like riding a bike.  You don’t forget how to do it.  The Lafayette men win 83-66 over Princeton, a team they rarely beat, and have five players in double figures.  I leave the gym @ 9:30.  It was a good day.

THURSDAY
This is supposed to be a day off, but I spend the morning collecting all the notes concerning the Easton-Parkland football championship game.  There are a number of players in the game who have already set records (season and career) and who are still chasing other records.  I have always felt responsible for giving them the credit they deserve for reaching school and career records.  Also, there is a rich history to the AAAA championship and that needs to be conveyed on the broadcast.  I finish around 1:00 and begin a day off with my wife.

FRIDAY
After reading the Express-Times and the Morning Call article on the high school game that night, I return to the office to prepare for Sunday’s Lafayette women’s basketball game against Hartford.  The Hartford Hawks played on Thursday night so no preparation could have been done before Friday.  Same routine as the men: starting lineups, season stats, human interest stories on the players, coaches’ background info, matchup keys, etc.  When that’s done, I really need to familiarize myself with the Yankee Stadium pre-game.  It is a two-hour show before 49,000 fans on the large Jumbotron screen in the stadium, and also sent out over the internet.  I am told that I will interview the Lafayette and Lehigh presidents.  Now that’s pressure.

The afternoon is taken up with packing a bag for Saturday since I am heading to New York right after the high school football game.  Warm clothes will be essential, but so are a crisp dress shirt, a tie, and a top coat.

Now it’s off to the high school game.  Parkland beats Easton.  Naturally, since I want to head to New York as early as possible, the high school game goes to overtime, but it was a very good game.  I exit Cottingham Stadium at 9:45 and arrive at the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City at 11:15.  The view of the city during the ride in is just awesome.  Now picture this.  I check in to the hotel wearing ski pants, two jackets and a sweater.  I must look like I was heading to Stowe to ski and made a wrong turn.  The check-in receptionist and I have a good laugh as she assures me there is no need to wear so many clothes.  The rooms ARE HEATED!

The view of New York from my beautiful room is spectacular, but fatigue is beginning to set in especially after removing all those clothes needed during the high school football game.

SATURDAY
I eat my $23 breakfast at the hotel and leave for Yankee Stadium at 9:45.  The traffic is bad early on due to construction, but I arrive at the Stadium at 11:00.  A pre-production meeting is held for the 1:20 start of the pre-game and then I get to soak in the mystique of the Yankees and the Stadium.  I visit the Yankee locker room, stop by Derek Jeter’s locker, check out the staff offices (why do I think of George Costanza and Seinfeld at this moment?), look at the historical memorabilia, and then walk out onto the field.  I am awestruck!  It is massive. My initial reaction was there is no way the fans will fill this stadium.  I was wrong.

The place begins to fill up with the 47,750 fans.  The pre-game goes smoothly and kickoff occurs at 3:40.  I watch the game from the sideline and the Leopards dominate with a 27-7 win!  After celebrating with the team a bit, it is back in the car to head home.  I arrive back in Easton at 9:30.

Lafayette Sports Network’s Mike Joseph, Gary Laubach, and Scott Morse at the 150th meeting of Lafayette and Lehigh football at Yankee Stadium on November 22, 2014.

SUNDAY
I review the Hartford-Lafayette basketball information and head to the Kirby Sports Center at 11:45.  First, there is set-up, followed by a nice lunch provided by Lafayette.  The game brings another Lafayette win for the week (the men won on Saturday at Penn).  Lafayette beat Hartford 74-59.

MONDAY
Back at the desk to choose the Patriot League football Players of the Week, contact the Parkland and St. Joe’s Prep coaches for information concerning this Saturday’s PIAA state football game, put in the PIAA media request for permission to broadcast the event, and start to write this blog as you can see.

When seasons overlap…

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!!

 (Last Week – 11-3; Seasonal Record – 112-61-1:  65%)
DETROIT
PHILADELPHIA
SEATTLE
INDIANAPOLIS
HOUSTON
BUFFALO
BALTIMORE
GIANTS
CINCINNATI
ST. LOUIS
PITTSBURGH
MINNESOTA
ARIZONA
GREEN BAY
KANSAS CITY
MIAMI

If you are a college football fan, you are well aware of the games that take on special prominence every year – Alabama-LSU; Michigan-Ohio State; Notre Dame-USC; Oklahoma-Texas, etc.  But these “rivalry” games are just infants compared to the one between the two colleges in our own backyard.

It is simply known as “The Rivalry”.  Lafayette and Lehigh first met on the football field in Easton on October 25, 1884.  Lafayette won that game 56-0.  There have been 148 other games between the two, making this game college football’s most-played rivalry.  The teams met twice annually except in 1891 when they played three games.  The two per year ended after the 1901 matchups.  They played 35 times in that 17-year span.  The two teams did not meet at all in 1896 due to a player eligibility dispute between the two.

This Saturday they will meet once again at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for the 150^th time and the 122^nd consecutive time (also a record)!  They have only met on a neutral field one other time – in Wilkes-Barre on November 25, 1891 in front of, at that time, a massive crowd of 3,000.  Lehigh won three times that year (22-4; 6-2; 16-2).

The rivalry game has been around for so long that it predated the invention of the forward pass and has been a part of the evolution of the various shapes of the football.  Dislike for one another was created immediately when Asa Packer of Lehigh and Ario Pardee of Lafayette could not see eye to eye on the religious choices of the two men.

Lehigh’s first win occurred in 1887 after Lafayette had won five and tied one.  The exuberance of the Lehigh team, coupled with their dissatisfaction with the administration for what the team considered a lack of support, led to the team burning down the rickety stands that were erected for the game.

There have been two postponements in the series.  In 1904 Lehigh President Dr. Henry Down, who had also been a former Lafayette faculty member, died, causing a postponement.  The second postponement occurred when the game was moved back a week following the death of President John Kennedy in 1963.

And now it is time for the 150^th game between the two.  Lafayette leads the series 77-67-5.  Lafayette won last year 50-28, ending Lehigh’s five-game winning streak.  Prior to that streak, Lafayette had won four in a row. There have been over 49,000 tickets sold for this Saturday, by far the largest crowd to ever see the game in person. The CBS Sports Network (channel 421 and 1421-HD on RCN) will televise the game, and thousands will gather for various viewing parties across the country.

This one should not be missed.  Watch the first 150^th game in college football history.  Watch “The Rivalry”.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

• By the way, the 100^th Lafayette-Lehigh game was played on November 21, 1964 and ended in a 6-6 tie.
• I will be part of “The Rivalry” pregame show on the field at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. The two-hour pre-game will be shown on the internet only at goleopards.com.  My streak of calling the play-by-play of the game ends after 14 years.  Hopefully, a new streak starts again next year.  I don’t think I’ll be here for the 200^th.
• Do you chalk up the Eagles’ performance against the Packers this past week to having a short week to prepare due to the Monday night game or do you just resign yourself to the fact that they are just not among the elite in the NFL? There was no aspect of the game that one could grade above a D for the Eagles.  Mark Sanchez resembled the Sanchez of the Jets, but, then again, the offensive line looked Jet-like, also.  Up next is 2-7 Tennessee.
• I dare you to put any credence in your ability to pick a Super Bowl winner right now. How do you explain Seattle’s 6-4 record; Atlanta leading the NFC South with a losing record; Denver getting manhandled by St. Louis; Arizona possessing the best record in the NFL, etc.?  No wonder New Jersey wants to legalize sports betting.
• If you love the possibility of a huge upset in sports, you might want to spend the money ($59.99) for the Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri Pay-Per-View fight this Saturday on RCN. Pacquiao is 47-0 and the WBO welterweight champion while Algieri is 20-0 with 8 KO’s.  Algieri is four inches taller and his reach five inches longer.  He has plenty of experience fighting southpaws.  Is that enough?  I doubt it, but maybe…

 (Last Week – 9-5; Seasonal Record – 101-58-1:  64%)
KANSAS CITY
CLEVELAND
PHILADELPHIA
NEW ENGLAND
GREEN BAY
INDIANAPOLIS
CINCINNATI
BUFFALO
CHICAGO
ARIZONA
ST LOUIS
DENVER
SAN FRANCISCO
DALLAS
BALTIMORE

While high school football is extremely popular in Eastern Pennsylvania, there was a plethora of great athletic accomplishments achieved by boys and girls in many different sports this fall season.  On our “RCN SportsTalk” show, we highlighted many of these outstanding programs this past year and we’d also like to add more honors in today’s blog entry.  Here’s a sampling of the great non-football Lehigh Valley sports stories that took place.

It was not a surprise the Saucon Valley boys soccer team captured this year’s District XI 2A title—they were one of the preseason favorites, but the girls’ team relished the role of underdogs all season long and joined the boys in action on championship day before falling to Northwestern.  The Panthers’ program was just one of the top soccer squads in the area.  Here’s some interviews with local coaches and athletes on their fall teams.

Southern Lehigh turned in a great storyline in its win over Emmaus in the District 3A soccer final.  The Spartans, led by long-time coach Terry Nevill, who announced he was stepping down after this season, turned in a run few soccer fans will forget anytime soon.  The Spartans defeated the teams ranked first, second and third en route to the championship.  The win marked the first time in Nevill’s career that he won a 3A title.

An exciting season for girls’ volleyball fans ended with very few surprises, as four of the most dominating programs – Parkland, Emmaus, Bethlehem Catholic and Notre Dame – advanced to the district finals.  We caught up with the ladies from the Trojans and Hornets to talk with them about their season and on facing each other four times this season.

The Whitehall girls’ soccer team captured another District XI championship by beating Nazareth.  The Zephyrs’ program, one of the last “big schools” to form a girls’ soccer team in Lehigh County, has established itself as one of the premiere programs in the region.  We highlighted Kourtney Cunningham (who scored the game winner in the district final) and her sisters playing two fall sports at the same time on a recent “SportsTalk” show.  Whitehall’s field hockey program was also strong once again this year, as was Nazareth, Northampton, Parkland and others, but perennial state qualifier (and often state champ) Emmaus once again won the District XI 3A title.

The Easton cross country team became just the second Lehigh Valley team ever to sweep the 3A District Title in their sport.  The Northwestern girls’ program (guests on “SportsTalk” this past fall) had another successful season as they shared 2A honors with Central Catholic.

The local tennis scene might have had the biggest news of them all.  The Parkland girls’ team that had gone years without a league loss, suffered a few defeats in what turned out to be a “retooling” year for the Trojans in the new Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.  Several teams that had some success in previous years rose to new heights this fall.  We had a chance to interview some of the top girls’ tennis players in the area, including the District XI’s doubles pairings.

And it was a win-win fall season for Emmaus coach Mike Mihalik.  His team not only won a District XI 3A golf title for the second consecutive year, but he was also unanimously approved by the East Penn School Board to be named the new head coach of the highly successful Hornets baseball program, succeeding longtime skipper John Schreiner.  Mihalik was a former Parkland graduate who spent time pitching in several minor league affiliates after originally being drafted by the Phillies.

We welcome you to post or email (rcnsportstalk@rcn.com) other fall sports team or individual highlights to us. We constantly look to honor the young men’s and women’s accomplishments in the RCN viewing area.  Also, to see more of these interviews and as well as recent news on our local sports programs, you can check “SportsTalk” out for yourself through RCN On Demand or live every Thursday at 6pm on RCN-TV.