I am very fortunate to be part of a live, interactive show, so that we get instant feedback from sports viewers–both on sports issues as they are happening and also about our “SportsTalk” program.  I get some great comments, questions and opinions from our viewers and they never fail to amaze me with their creativity with different topics and acuteness to the things we do on the air.  I thought it would be fun to post some of the messages that I receive from our audience.

Below are several emails I’ve received over the last few months (along with my thoughts)  regarding still-relevant sports topics.

Q:  Do you think the Phillies can contend this fall?
A:  Probably the most asked-sports question I’ve gotten this baseball season.  If I thought the Phillies were legitimate playoff contenders, I would be very concerned about the teams’ hitting—especially the lack of power.  They would probably need a big-time power hitter for the clean-up spot in the batting order, a front-of-the-rotation pitcher, and a closer with a proven track record for closing in big time situations.

Because I DON’T believe they have more than an outside chance of getting the last wild card spot, I hope the Phillies don’t look to add any of these pieces—with the exception of picking up a player with no more than one year remaining on his contract.  The Phillies can afford to add a large salary through 2017, but to add an older name (like a Ryan Braun-type) will just block the way for a possible future superstar (eg., Nick Williams, Dylan Cozens, et al) and that doesn’t make sense to me at this point.

Q:  What did you think of Washington HS basketball this season?
A:  It impressed, as it always has.  RCN broadcast a few high school games a number of years ago in the DMV region, most notably the “City Series” Championship, which, that year, featured Ballou versus DeMatha.  A few of those players (the biggest name was Victor Oladipo), went pro, and everyone on the court that day was playing above the rim, and at a level that many schools elsewhere simply cannot match.

I think HD Woodson’s undefeated season was one of the top scholastic sports stories in the RCN viewing area—if not the entire country—and it was our pleasure to feature their team highlights on a number of our “SportsTalk” shows this past season.

Q:  Who’ll win the NFC East this fall?
A:  Teasingly, I asked that question of our NFL beat writers on our show following the NFL Draft—knowing full well any prediction could very easily change between April and the start of the season.

But, since I was asked (and reserving the right to change my mind after training camp), let’s go with:

• Redskins
• Cowboys
• Eagles
• Giants

Q:  Do you and Joe Craig really argue as much in person as you do on TV?
A:  Probably more.

Q:  What do you think of the PIAA’s decision to go to six classifications?
A:  I personally am reserving judgment on this, for at least a few years.  I know some people are openly despising it, and I’m afraid others will start complaining instantly once issues/problems pop up.  I think there are some exceptionally bright people who are 100% in favor of this, so I’m willing to wait and see how it shakes out over time.

I do know it’s going to create a lot of nightmares for many of us in the media as far as trying to cover the increase in playoff games.  In past years we tried to preview ALL of the boys AND GIRLS basketball league and district playoff games—barely getting everything in the allotted time on “SportsTalk” (not to mention, all the time it takes to prepare, getting up to speed on teams many of us have not seen all year long).  This will be a challenging school year coming up, getting use to the new alignments, and it will not be an easy transition.  But, again, I’m taking a cautious, but hopeful, outlook.

Q:  How ‘bout them Flyers?
A:  I got this email after their miracle finish to the regular season, and I was thrilled that the team not only make a return to the playoffs this year, but they did it with a younger and more passionate brand of hockey that I hadn’t seen in the Delaware Valley in a few years.

The fact that they have so many people coming back, along with some talent coming up through the pipeline, should make die-hard followers for the Broad Street Bullies very happy for some time to come.

Feel free to send your questions…and opinions…to us via email at rcnsportstalk@rcn.com & tune in to our live “SportsTalk” program and/or hear our podcasts at rcn.com/atvn/sports-talk

Also, you can see our show in person this Thursday at the Buffalo Wild Wings on Grape Street in Whitehall, PA for another live, on-location edition of “SportsTalk Gets Wild,” to benefit the American Cancer Society – Relay for Life .  Our special guest will be long-time/retiring Wilson Area Head Basketball Coach Bob Frankenfield and a couple of his long-time friends and coaching assistants.

The advertisements for this year’s Summer Olympics in Rio have kicked into high gear, and people who traditionally don’t follow sports like handball, judo, table tennis and equestrian events will suddenly become experts (or at least show a passing interest) if and when these events are on television.

It is a special time, and while I admit to knowing very little about the canoe sprint, rhythmic gymnastics and the modern pentathlon, I will sit and watch almost any sport or activity that’s available to watch.  I think the Games build a spirit of unity and give people a common issue to discuss for 17 days without worry or concern of getting into a nasty debate, as politics, news events or even professional sports issues sometimes do.

(I hate to admit this, but I even enjoy the many “feel-good stories” that the broadcasting networks produce—even if it often interrupts a sport’s natural rhythm of the broadcast when they playback events on a tape-delayed basis).

We have the benefit of having some special former Olympic athletes in the RCN viewing area, and I had the absolute pleasure recently to sit down with a couple of them.  Former cycling gold medalist Marty Nothstein and four-time Olympic track star Joetta Clark-Diggs joined us on “RCN SportsTalk” to talk about many different issues (the entire show is available on RCN On-Demand and on our podcast, here).

Nothstein and Clark-Diggs gave us some great insights on what Olympic athletes really deal with behind the scenes of the Games (for many, it’s not nearly as glamorous as one might think).  They also talked about their individual stories of success, failure and perseverance.  Both Marty and Joetta also gave us insights on what goes through their mind each year when the Olympic Games gain momentum and capture the nation’s attention.  Both of these Olympic legends participated in the 1996 Atlanta games and gave us unique experiences about having this event held inside their home country, as well as talking about their 2000 Sydney, Australia experiences.

What was perhaps most surprising to me is that both of these international stars not only have strong views on today’s young people, but also spend large amounts of their time working with young people, and trying to teach many lessons to young people in the RCN viewing area.

Nothstein lent his name to a youth program that helps support young people learning about cycling but also preaches at length to his students about the importance of teamwork and helping out other people.

Joetta runs a camp each year that focuses on typical track-and-field related events, but also uses the lessons she’s learned as a standout athlete, and applies life lessons to kids who could apply to their lives, and to more everyday hurdles that they might come across in life.

Both of these great talents have written books about these issues that our young people face in addition to great insights to each one’s incredible athletic career.  It is incredibly rewarding to see these mega-stars so involved in giving back to the community—willingly—and to really and sincerely enjoy working with our youth.

If you missed our “SportsTalk” show featuring these two Olympic legends, we’ll have an ‘encore’ edition of this program coming up on Thursday, August 4^th at 7pm and again at 9pm on RCN-TV.

The spring sports season is winding down for many scholastic and collegiate athletes in the RCN viewing area.  Before we shift our attention to summer activities, here’s a look at some of the outstanding team and individual accomplishments featuring schools in our coverage region.

JILLIAN PICCIUTO
While it’s not uncommon for a freshman to have a spectacular game or two when becoming adjusted to the collegiate sports level—where the action is much quicker and more physical—it is unique for a rookie athlete to make a dramatic impact with her new squad.

Moravian College freshman lacrosse player Jillian Picciuto did just that with an outstanding first-year campaign for her Greyhounds.  Picciuto was honored no less than four times as the “ECAC Division III South Rookie of the Week.”  During her fourth week of honors, she scored 10 goals and four assists over a two-game span.

Picciuto finished the season with a school record 64 goals, 38 assists (which is also the career record) and 102 total points.  She is the first women’s lacrosse player to reach the century mark in a single season.  Picciuto also had 74 draw controls, 33 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers during her freshmen year.

Moravian’s lacrosse program is going through a resurgence and is looking to once again become a major player in its conference, and Picciuto is a big reason why fans are excited about the Greyhounds program once again.

FREEDOM & CENTRAL CATHOLIC BASEBALL TEAMS
I know many Freedom and Allentown Central Catholic sports fans often feel neglected or overlooked when it comes to the local sports landscape—and, sometimes, for good reason.  Despite a very competitive Eastern Pennsylvania Conference schedule, Freedom, who entered the post-season as the #1 seed in both the league and district playoff picture, didn’t seem to get the attention it deserved heading into the playoff season.

Central Catholic, meanwhile, was the #8 seed and no one gave the Vikings a chance to advance all the way to the EPC finals.  Despite the pre-league playoff predictions, both the Patriots and the Vikings proved naysayers wrong by not only getting to the championship, but playing a very fundamentally sound and enjoyable title game.

BANGOR BASEBALL & SOFTBALL TEAMS
It’s been an extraordinary sports season for the Slaters.  Bangor has done well at a number of different sports during this past school year, and one of its biggest achievements took place this month.  Both the Bangor baseball (going a perfect 22-0) and softball teams won the Colonial League titles.

Unlike many of the “4A” schools in the region, Bangor’s athletic programs usually do not have the high participation numbers that other schools possess, and sometimes have to share athletes intra-season in order to field teams.  Credit the coaches for all working together for the school’s—and the student athlete’s—greater good with this one.  But to also have a high level of success in many different sports, culminating with conference championships for both a spring boys and girls team, was truly as spectacular accomplishment.

Additionally…

There also were some outstanding achievements on the track-and-field circuit this spring.  We featured a number of interviews with these young men and women on our “RCN SportsTalk” show for you to check out, either On-Demand or on our podcasts (rcn.com/atvn/sports-talk).

Helping us salute the spring sports champions in the RCN viewing area include a number of athletic directors, league officials and sports chairs, who provided us with their respective “all-star” lists of outstanding individual student-athletes:

We welcome your feedback and, as always, we encourage you to send your sports news, honors and accomplishments to us via email (rcnsportstalk@rcn.com) so we can feature them here at the “SportsTalk Shop” and/or on our “RCN SportsTalk” program.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Considering…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phillies’ Nick Williams

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nationals’ Brian Goodwin & Pedro Severino

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SAUCON VALLEY GIRLS LACROSSE

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

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

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

DIERUFF BOYS VOLLEYBALL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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!