{"id":74779,"date":"2014-01-03T16:11:59","date_gmt":"2014-01-03T16:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rcntv.rcn.com\/?p=74779"},"modified":"2023-04-14T18:29:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-14T18:29:00","slug":"74779","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/74779\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sports Talk Shop:  2013 Recap &#038; 2014 Predictions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>First of all, a big thank-you for all the comments, suggestions and feedback we received prior to, during and following our \u201cYear-in-Review\u201d edition of \u201cRCN SportsTalk.\u201d\u00a0 It takes a good deal of time to go back through all the games, tapes, files, et al, trying to review all of the sports events covered over a twelve-month stretch.\u00a0 It is extremely rewarding when our viewers call us asking in advance for the show and then let us know afterwards how much they enjoyed looking back at many memories, one last time, at the end of the calendar year.<\/p>\n<p>Since it is a very busy program, we inevitably run out of time before we get through every item we hoped to address.\u00a0 Here are a few of the year-end topics and my responses that didn\u2019t make it to this year\u2019s show, along with a few predictions for the new year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0\u201cMost Underrated Coach in 2013.\u201d \u00a0Northampton softball head coach Sally Whittaker-Kahan guided her team to winning its first 19 games of the season. \u00a0Led by an outstanding pitcher in Marly Laubach (no relation to RCN\u2019s own Gary), they entered the league playoffs as the number-one team.\u00a0 Despite a semifinal loss in leagues, the K-Kids bounced back to capture the District XI title.\u00a0 After the season Whittaker-Kahan announced she would be stepping down due to a medical issue, ending a long run of success as a player at Parkland High School and Temple University, and finishing her coaching career on top.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cBiggest Challenge Overcome in 2013.\u201d\u00a0 The Allen girls and boys basketball teams each had major hurdles they had to overcome in 2013.\u00a0 The girls team found themselves without a coach, and retired head coach Tom Gallagher came on board late in the offseason.\u00a0 The Lady Canaries did not have high expectations nor returned many players from the previous year.\u00a0\u00a0 Gallagher gave the program a huge lift by agreeing to take over in a very tough situation.\u00a0 Boys\u2019 head coach Doug Snyder had to deal with several players leaving the team for various reasons throughout the 2013 season and still found a way to make the district playoffs.\u00a0 They lost more players prior to the start of this current season &#8211; not all of their losses due to graduation.\u00a0 But between Snyder\u2019s coaching and the outstanding players that remain with the program, I am sure the Canaries will once again be a force in 2014.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cTop Underclassman for a Team We Saw on RCN.\u201d\u00a0 To be honest, I had a tie between Liberty\u2019s Doug Erney and Nazareth\u2019s Justin Albert.\u00a0 I think both teams had some off-field issues that may or may not have affected the rest of their teams.\u00a0 I feel both Erney and Albert grew into their roles as quarterbacks and showed solid decision-making ability combined with strong throwing arms.\u00a0 I think both the Hurricanes and the Blue Eagles will have better records in 2014 and those two players will be a big reason why.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWorst Decision Made by a Sports Personality.\u201d\u00a0 Basically every move Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. made during the last few months of the year.\u00a0 He not only resigned nearly all of the aging core of players who have been underperforming over the last two seasons (with the exception of Roy Halladay, who retired), but also added older, inconsistent players (Marlon Byrd, Roberto Hernandez) via free agency.\u00a0 The list of question marks for next year\u2019s team has only grown since the season concluded, with a series of head-scratching moves and acquisitions.\u00a0 Amaro needs nearly all those questions answered very positively in 2014 if the Phillies are going to have any chance at the playoffs \u2014 and to save his job.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cBest Sports Addition in 2013.\u201d\u00a0 Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.\u00a0 I normally wish fans would give head coaches at least one year (at the professional level) to adjust to a new team and implement his\/her system.\u00a0\u00a0 Birds fans were all over Kelly for his moves early in the season and his 1-3 start, and questions were raised if he was going to be a long-term answer to running the team.\u00a0 2013 was a huge success for the Eagles and the team will be even better in 2014.\u00a0 Our co-host Joe Craig\u2019s \u201cStone-Cold Prediction\u201d for 2014, if time had allowed on the show, was that the Eagles will go to the Super Bowl.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cStone-Cold Lock for 2014.\u201d\u00a0 There will be much greater interest in the Dieruff football program in 2014.\u00a0 While most local football experts thought a \u201cgood\u201d season for the Huskies in 2013 would have been one or two wins, Dieruff exceeded everyone\u2019s expectations this past year with five victories.\u00a0 They almost won a sixth game, which would have qualified them for the playoffs.\u00a0 The team looks to build on the success it developed in &#8217;13 and, for the first time in quite a while, they will head into the this fall season as a team to watch.\u00a0 I envision Dieruff winning more games in \u201814, thanks, in part, to the new LVC, which will grant a more lenient and stable schedule for the long-term.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We\u2019d love to hear your responses to these topics, along with your sports predictions for 2014.\u00a0 Please post your comments below and we\u2019ll see if your predictions come true in the new year.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t forget, you can see the entire show for free on RCN On-Demand by going to channel 1 or hitting the VOD button on your remote control, then click on RCN-TV, sports and then \u201c<em>RCN SportsTalk<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Be sure to check out all of RCN\u2019s local programming, along with the latest movies and special events that are offered on RCN On-Demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Happy New Year everyone!<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First of all, a big thank-you for all the comments, suggestions and feedback we received prior to, during and following our \u201cYear-in-Review\u201d edition of \u201cRCN SportsTalk.\u201d\u00a0 It takes a good deal of time to go back through all the games, tapes, files, et al, trying to review all of the sports events covered over a&#8230;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt 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It is extremely rewarding when our viewers call us asking in advance for the show and then let us know afterwards how much they enjoyed looking back at many memories, one last time, at the end of the calendar year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Sports Talk Shop: 2013 Recap &amp; 2014 Predictions - ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"First of all, a big thank-you for all the comments, suggestions and feedback we received prior to, during and following our \u201cYear-in-Review\u201d edition of \u201cRCN SportsTalk.\u201d It takes a good deal of time to go back through all the games, tapes, files, et al, trying to review all of the sports events covered over a twelve-month stretch. 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