The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Last week here at “The Shop” we brought you samples of our high school sports interviews featuring local coaches and players (more can be seen on our “SportsTalk” program).

This week, we have our pre-season high school football poll and the return of the “Pick 4” game predictions, along with samples of our interviews previewing the Lafayette College football season.

Now the unveiling of our pre-season high school football poll for District XI teams…

“ Big” Schools Poll

1)  Parkland

2)  Emmaus

3)  Freedom

4)  Easton

5)  Nazareth

“Small” SCHOOL Poll

1)  Bethlehem Catholic

2)  Palisades

3)  Central Catholic

4)  Notre Dame

Other schools receiving votes:   Saucon Valley

Our poll remains in its’ standard, tried-and-true format that we have utilized for many seasons.  We will take the 400-male enrollment number as the cutoff for schools within the District XI/RCN-TV footprint.  All of the schools above that number qualify as “big schools” in our poll. These schools consist of Parkland, Liberty, Allen, Easton, Emmaus,  Dieruff, Freedom, Stroudsburg, Pleasant Valley, Northampton, Nazareth, Whitehall, Southern Lehigh, East Stroudsburg-South, and Pocono Mountain East & West.

“Small schools” (below 400-male enrollment) consist of Bangor, Saucon Valley, Central Catholic, Bethlehem Catholic, Northwestern, Wilson, Palisades, Palmerton, Salisbury, Notre Dame, Pen Argyl, Northern Lehigh and Catasauqua.  Each pollster will identify their top five teams in each group—the top school gets five points, the second team gets four points and so on, with an average score determining the order of teams in the poll.  Check back each week here at “The Shop” to see if your favorite teams make our list!

Now, here are our RCN football experts weighing in on four of the biggest high school games this weekend…

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

It’s just about that time of year—when high school and college football games play “meaningful” games (and the NFL isn’t too far behind).  Consequently, our RCN Sports team is getting geared up for our wall-to-wall coverage of scholastic pigskin action in the Lehigh Valley (plus interviews in the Philadelphia and Washington DC areas as well) on our upcoming “SportsTalk” programs.

RCN Videographer Alyssa Sheckler and I have been out talking with local high school football coaches and players.  Here are samples of some of our conversations so far:

One of the things that has impressed me the most so far this preseason is the fortitude of the Whitehall football team.  They lost their head coach and their starting quarterback (due to transfer) this spring, but they’re not using any excuses and still are setting the lofty goal of competing for an EPC title (they are still the favorites to win another District XI 5A crown, although they’ll have a little more competition this fall).

They also graduated quite a bit of talent defensively and along their offensive line,  but even with all these things working against them, the coaching staff and players have been working hard preparing for the upcoming season.  Keep an eye on the Zephyrs as they will have several key match-ups this fall.

We are busy editing these and collecting even more interviews this week, with many more to air on our Thursday show!

Don’t forget to check out “RCN SportsTalk” the next few weeks on RCN-TV, On-Demand and our podcasts to get more interviews, insights and predictions for many of the fall sports programs this season.

Also, next week here at “The Shop,” we’ll have the return of our “Pick 4” predictions and high school football polls, featuring RCN announcers, local media members and special guest-coaches all making contributions each week!  Make sure you bookmark our blog each week to check out where to find your favorite teams.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

 We hope you have been enjoying our summer basketball coverage both here on our blog and on “SportsTalk,” the television show, on RCN-TV.

Here’s a gallery featuring many of the teams, coaches and players that we have seen over the last few weeks in our travels at different stops in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Don’t forget! To hear our summer basketball interviews with local coaches and players as well as our experts who’ll break down the last few months of HS hoops action, check out “SportsTalk” through RCN On-Demand as well as previous blog entries here at “The Shop”.

On the next several editions of “SportsTalk” we’ll begin our previews of the upcoming high school fall sports season. Our in-studio guests over the next few weeks include several schools within the RCN Lehigh Valley region that captured District XI titles for both their boys and girls programs. We’ll start with the boys & girls Easton cross country teams and the Parkland boys and girls defending soccer championship squads. Yes, we will be attempting to set a new record for the number of athletes/guests in our studio!

More guests and show information to follow. Tune in to see how we pull it off and hear some great stories from last year’s teams along with thoughts on how they are preparing for the new season.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of  RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

One of the reasons why the Phillies have had the kind of “surprising” (by most fans’ expectations) season to date is the team’s flexibility.

New Manager Gabe Kapler made it very obvious in spring training that he wanted players to play multiple positions—regardless of whether or not they had any prior experience playing new spots.  Learning a new position on the fly at the Major League level is nothing less than an amazing accomplishment, and players like Jesmuel Valentin are really the unsung heroes as this team stays in playoff contention.

Mind you, it’s not just the physical aspects of playing a brand new position (and we’re not just talking about moving from second base to shortstop).  The mental aspect of going from the infield to the outfield and then back in again (and doing it with no experience at lower levels) is one of the most impressive/least talked about aspect of this year’s Phillies.

Once more, it takes a special athlete to be able to make these adjustments and carry on as “good soldiers” in the clubhouse, when players are asked to make these significant changes for the overall good of the team.  Moving to a new position is one thing—but doing it while keeping the clubhouse a positive experience for the whole squad is also something that should not be overlooked when analyzing Philadelphia’s success this year.

This unselfish approach is something that Phillies Shortstop-Second Baseman-Third Baseman-Pinch Hitter-Right Fielder-Relief Pitcher Jesmuel Valentin has shown throughout his baseball career…and MLB fans are finally getting to see what this versatile player can do at the Big League level.

I had the great opportunity of speaking with Valentin—once at Reading, again at Lehigh Valley after spring training last year, and again earlier this month in Philadelphia, about this unique ability to successfully move around, playing new positions, while still trying to prove that he can hit Major League pitching.

Here’s a portion of my interview with Valentin…

There are more “feel-good” stories surrounding the Philadelphia team—some that sports fans everywhere will be become aware of – should this unlikely collection of prospects continue to play—and beat—some of the best teams in all of baseball.

Be sure to check out our “SportsTalk” program for more Phillies interviews as they chase a playoff berth.

Also, don’t forget to catch our final “SportsTalk Gets Wild” program of the summer as our “RCN SportsTalk presented by ‘The Morning Call’” will broadcast live from the Buffalo Wild Wings on Grape Street in Whitehall, this Thursday, from 7-8pm.

Our guests will be members of the World Champion Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleading Squad (complete with their Super Bowl Pendants to showcase).  Come on out to see the program in person and 10% of your food bill will go to support the Miller–Keystone Blood Center.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

We got some great insights on teams in the Eastern League, including the minor league franchises for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and more from Play-by-Play Voice Mike Ventola on our “SportsTalk” program.

Ventola also gave his thoughts on future prospects to watch in the upcoming months, along with a predicted winner in the Eastern League’s East Division.

Speaking of baseball guests, a special thanks to ABC-8 News’ Sports Director/Anchor Natalie Kalibat for joining us on last week’s “SportsTalk” show. She provided us with a live report from Washington, DC, previewing the city’s preparations to host Major League Baseball’s All-Star game, and giving her opinions on sports events in the DMV region.

Natalie also gave insights on the lingering “good vibes” from last month’s Capitals’ Stanley Cup championship and renewed enthusiasm for the Washington Redskins under new Quarterback Alex Smith and their upgrades on defense, along with thoughts on their upcoming training camp.

If you missed these interviews, you can see them in their entirety through RCN On-Demand or hear our podcast at rcn.com/atvn/sports-talk

Coming up on this week’s show, Morning Call Baseball Writer Tom Housenick and Fox Sports Baseball Insider Chuck Hixson are our guests recapping Tuesday’s All-Star game, giving thoughts on the first half of the baseball season and previewing what to expect for the second half. We’ll also be discussing the various playoff possibilities for both Major League and Minor League teams of interest to baseball fans within the RCN-TV area.

We’ll also discuss other relevant topics like the drop in attendance at baseball games, the increased use of analytics and off-season news for high school wrestling in the Eastern Pennsylvania region.

Email your comments, questions and opinions to rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and we might read and respond on this Thursday’s program.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

There are a number of intriguing storylines developing in local high school basketball this summer following last weekend’s tournament at Cedar Beach in Allentown. Among the highlights:

• Emmaus’ Mark Swedberg did not disappoint. In addition to reaching the final round of Saturday’s Slam Dunk competition, he and his teammates provided a balanced attack throughout the tournament, enroute to the Hornets’ second straight summer tourney championship. Following this past season, Emmaus figured to be one of the top teams this winter based on the returning talent. Don’t forget, the team gets an added lift from Whitehall football/basketball transfer Ethan Parvel…so don’t hand the upcoming winter’s EPC trophy to Bethlehem Catholic just yet.
• Emmaus’ rival to the north—Parkland—also looked very impressive and features some very talented rising underclassmen. At the end of the scholastic basketball season, we talked on “SportsTalk” about players like Nick Rappa, Jared Kucharczuk, Jake Melany and other young players who really started to gel as the winter went on…and that continued improvement is evident even more in their summer play.
• Nazareth also looked strong last weekend, with some new players in the mix joining an already tall and lanky frontcourt.

• In Colonial League action, Palmerton continues to be a standout team this summer. They have a number of returning top tier players and look like they are definitely going to be major players in the winter season’s playoffs.

• Saucon Valley is another team that has lots of players returning—including a pair of players approximately 6’5”. Height like that in the Colonial League is hard to beat and should make the Panthers more of a force for the 2018-19 campaign.

Coming up on this Thursday’s edition of “SportsTalk,” we’re going to have even more videos featuring interviews of coaches and players participating in summer basketball action.

In addition, we’re going to have a live report from the Washington, DC area as the DMV region gets ready to take on the national spotlight as hosts of Major League Baseball’s All-Star game next Tuesday.

Also, keep checking back here at “The Shop” over the upcoming weeks as we bring you additional news, rumors and images from different venues featuring athletes from the RCN-TV viewing area.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

Thanks again to Mother Nature for the high school calendar year getting stretched due to all the snow days (some schools in the Poconos didn’t officially finish until last week!), but we finally completed the 2017-18 school year in Eastern Pennsylvania.

The honors and accolades are in for high school sports, and we would like to mention these student-athletes’ special accomplishments.

First, here is a look the spring Eastern Pennsyvlania Conference All-Stars for local softball players….

Next, the EPC Scholar Athlete Award Winners for each sport…

Wrestling – Greg Bensley (Pocono Mountain West)

Girls Basketball – Leanna Deegan (Easton)

Boys Basketball – Jake Lisicky (Whitehall)

Cheerleading – Amanda Wagner (Nazareth)

Boys Swimming/Diving – Matthew Ceh (Parkland)

Girls Swimming/Diving – Zoe Sheridan (Parkland)

Rifle – Amber Zegler (Emmaus)

Boys Tennis – Seungkwon Son (Parkland)

Softball – Krista Colussi (Nazareth)

Baseball – Collin Duff (Parkland)

Girls Lacrosse – Leanna Deegan (Easton)

Boys Lacrosse – Ryan Miller (Nazareth)

Boys Volleyball – Robert Corba III (Parkland)

Girls Track & Field – Emily Deschler (Allentown Central Catholic)

Boys Track & Field – Habeeb Salau (Parkland)

And, here are your “EPC18” All-Stars for local wrestling….

Last but not least, you can find the latest results for local track-and-field results for the Colonial League Championship, here:

Thanks to the administrators, coaches and athletic directors for passing these lists along to us to promote these student-athletes to all of you. And, special congratulations to all the recipients!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

The summer high school basketball season is underway and our “SportsTalk” cameras have been out and about covering the action on the macadam (and hardwood, when the weather forced games inside) over the last month.

On this Thursday’s program, our in-studio guests will include local coaches and media members talking about the spring/early summer hoops action so far, giving their thoughts on teams and players to watch for the rest of the summer basketball schedule, and giving their early predictions on this winter’s scholastic basketball campaign.

In the meantime, here’s a gallery of some of the teams, coaches and players that we have seen in our travels over the last several weeks at different stops in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Also, we’ll be talking NBA basketball as well on this Thursday’s show. NBA Writer Ben Mehic on via Skype will recap last week’s NBA Draft as well as give insights on offseason news and free agency predictions for the 76ers, Wizards and other teams of interest in the RCN viewing area.

If you can’t see the show live and would like to pose a question or comment, email us at rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and we’ll try to read and respond to your email on the show (check out the program through RCN On-Demand or hear the podcast at rcn.com/atvn/sports-talk )

Check back to the “Shop” in a few weeks as we have more news, observations and videos of this summer’s hot basketball action!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

It’s time once again for our “SportsTalk Gets Wild” shows, broadcasting live on location from the Buffalo Wild Wings patio on Grape Street in Whitehall.

We had a great show in May featuring the senior football players and Lehigh Valley All-Star participants.

This month we are going to follow it up by featuring Lafayette Head Football Coach John Garrett, his assistant coaching staff and a number of his players.

There will be plenty to talk about! Garrett–a former player at Villanova and brother to the Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett — is coming off a very active spring sports season. (Lafayette’s Spring Football Scrimmage is available to watch on RCN On-Demand).  He got great performances from a number of skilled position players and there’s a ton of optimism on College Hill that something special is on the horizon for the Leopards football program.

Several of Coach Garrett’s assistant coaches will also be in attendance, as well as current players, including Julian Spigner (a Bethlehem Catholic HS graduate), Kevin Zataveski, Eric Mitchell and Jerry Powe.

We’ll learn more about these players, get updates on how some of the former high school players from around the RCN viewing area are now doing with Lafayette and get thoughts on the upcoming Patriot League football season on this show.

You can pose a question to our guests and make a comment if you come out to see the show in person and be part of the fun.

Those of you attending will have a chance to win a “SportsTalk” koozie, but also, you will be helping a local charity. Proceeds raised in our “patio section” of Buffalo Wild Wings (10% of your total food bill) during the show will benefit Lehigh Valley’s Dream Come True organization.

You can find more information on this Thursday’s event here on the RCN-TV website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

During the first week of the pro baseball season, the Morning Call’s Senior Sports Writer Tom Housenick sat down with us and gave some predictions about the Phillies new season, with an emphasis on “prospects to watch” this year.

Two of those predictions included starting pitchers Enyel De Los Santos and Cole Irvin having breakout years.

So far…both pitchers have done just that.

Both pitchers have very different styles, but each with a great rate of success through the first two months of the season.

De Los Santos, acquired in the Freddy Galvis deal, is a flamethrowing right-hander. He won’t be 23 until next season but certainly looks like he’s near-ready to pitch in the Big Leagues.  He throws in the mid-90ies deep into his games, features a wicked slider and mixes his pitches well.

His ERA has been under two since the third game of the year and he currently has struck out 62 batters in 58 innings while walking 20 (plus three hit-batsmen.)

He has rarely been challenged but, when he has, Irvin has certainly kept his composure when working out of the stretch and/or getting caught in jams. If the Phillies are in a playoff chase and legitimately believe they can make a run in the post-season, he also could be a very effective reliever, especially if the Phillies find themselves in need of another hard-thrower out of the pen.

Cole Irvin is quite the opposite of De Los Santos, but has been almost as effective.

The soft-tossing southpaw relies on pinpoint control and has also made a habit of getting ahead of hitters early in the count.

In his most recent outing, he nearly went the distance in a four-hit, six strikeout win over Charlotte (just one walk). He has walked just 15 batters while pitching 62 2-3 innings, with his WHIP just over one.

He also never seems to get flustered on the mound and also has been busy talking with some of the veterans on Lehigh Valley’s roster, trying to pick their brains and learn as much as he can to better himself and make him a Major League-ready pitcher.

While he may not be a flame-thrower, he would be the lone lefty in Philadelphia’s starting rotation—something that would work in his favor should the team be matched up against a strong lefty-swinging opponent.

One more name to keep an eye on that Phillies fans haven’t seen first-hand so far this spring is Pedro Beato. While he does have a career ERA north of 4 coming into this season, Beato has found comfort in the role as Lehigh Valley’s closer.  His control (just six walks through his first 26 innings pitched) combined with his velocity (aka ability to make batters swing and miss) could make for another nice edition for the parent club.

Keep checking back here at “The Shop” for more on the Phillies and their up-and-coming prospects. For more on “up-and-coming” position players in the organization’s system, check out last week’s entry.

To hear more about Philadelphia’s young prospects as well as other teams of interest in the RCN viewing area, check out last week’s podcast featuring MLB.com’s Jim Callis at rcn.com/atvn/sports-talk or watch the show through RCN On-Demand.