Sports Blog

PHILLIES MINOR LEAGUE CUPBOARD FAR FROM BARE

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:57:23 -0500

Baseball America has the Phillies minor league system ranked #12 when it comes to prospects. If you're talking about pitching prospects, and let's be honest that's what everyone wants and needs, the Phillies are loaded. Tonight in Reading, Johan Flande will make his AA debut. The 23-year old Dominica was 7-1 in Clearwater with a 2.52 ERA and will pitch in the MLB Futures Game at next month's All Star Game in St. Louis.

Flande comes to Reading less than a month after Kyle Drabek made the jump to AA. Drabek, the Phillies 2006 first round draft pick, is also throwing in the futures game. Since coming to Baseballtown is 4 and 0 and has looked every bit like a staff ace. The fact is, Drabek doesn't need to be an ace in Reading because Joe Savery has already taken care of that. Savery was the Phils' first round selection in the 2007 draft. Over his last eight starts with the R-Phils, Savery is 7-0 with a 2.15 ERA. Mike Stutes and Vance Worley round out the current Reading staff and they are both young and improving. Reading has never before had so many young arms in the rotation at the same time.

Not only is Reading loaded with pitching, but the R-Phils have already seen multiple pitchers who were on the roster opening day move up to Lehigh Valley and the Phillies. Antonio Bastardo and Sergio Escalona have both helped out the Major League Club this season. Lehigh Valley also boasts Andrew Carpenter and the team's #1 prospect Carlos Carrasco. Yes, Carrasco's development has been slower that the organization would have hoped, but he still has electric stuff and is only 22 years old. If Carrasco can develop mentally he still could be a front of the rotation starter in the majors.

So next time someone tells you the Phillies aren't developing young talent, don't buy it. The arms are there on the farm. Now it's the team's job to figure out who to keep and how to deal. There's not enough room for all of these arms in Philadelphia.

Tim McMaster

PARKLAND, NORTH PENN SET FOR ALL-AREA STATE FINAL

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:22:00 -0500

Parkland has pounded out 13 runs in its last two state playoff games. North Penn cranked out 12 runs in the semifinal round alone. But when the two area teams meet for the PIAA 4A Championship this Friday, don't expect a slugfest.

On the heels of Andrew Kulp's near-no-hitter against St. Joe's Prep on Monday, Parkland will likely send junior Casey Cooperman to the mound in the title game. All he's done is scatter seven hits and one run during his last two starts. They also have the option of starting Kulp on three days rest. Either way, they'll be confident in their pitching.

North Penn will counter with a sterling stopper of its own. Senior Eric Ruth has been dominant all season, and struck out a whopping 23 batters in his two state playoff starts. He's been the catalyst in the Knights' surprising playoff run (they were the 5th and final seed to make the playoffs from District One).

So while the offenses have been potent, expect pitching to steal the show on Friday. It should be a whale of a state final out in Altoona.

And note the time change - the originally scheduled 7:00pm start has been bumped up to 4:30pm. Be sure to tune into to 69 News at 10:00 Friday night, for a complete recap of the state championship game.

PARKLAND SOFTBALL MAKING RAY'S FINAL SEASON SPECIAL

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:51:31 -0500

For a team that didn't even win its District Championship, Parkland sure has made the most of its state tournament appearance. The Trojans have advanced to the PIAA 4A title game, thanks mainly to lights out pitching and excellent defense.

Deanna Stinner has had a great career at Parkland, but she's taken her game to a whole new level in the state playoffs. In Parkland's three wins, she's allowed a total of one run, and has posted back-to-back shutouts in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

And you can't forget the sentimental element for the Trojans. Glen Ray, who's been at the helm of the Parkland softball program for the last 26 years, has announced that this season will be his last. What better way to go out than riding off into the sunset with his third state championship.

Best of luck to the Trojans on Friday. They'll face District 7 runner-up Shaler at 10:00am out at Shippensburg University. You can catch the highlights on 69 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 that night.

SURPRISING RUN CARRIES BECAHI ALL THE WAY TO THE SHIP

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:43:36 -0500

I'm not sure how many people expected Bethlehem Catholic to be playing at this point in the season. But when you spend the entire regular season playing against top-notch, 4A competition, you've set yourself up pretty well to make a run in the 3A state tournament.

The Golden Hawks have followed up their District 11 Championship with an impressive run through the state playoffs. The highlight, without a doubt, came in Monday's semifinal win.

Facing a heavily favored Milton team (they were 22-1 entering the game), the Golden Hawks went toe-to-toe with the Panthers through the first six innings. They then plated a pair of runs (with Erika Esposito and Kelly King supplying the RBIs) in the 7th inning, and held on for a dramatic, 2-1 upset victory.

Now, Becahi turns its attention to Friday's state title game, where it will face Greencastle Antrim, another powerhouse out of District 3. The game is slated for 4:00pm out at Shippensburg's Robb Field, and you can catch all the highlights on 69 News at 10:00.

National Signing Day Is Here

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:44:22 -0500

National Signing Day is a day where a lot of the focus is on college football programs and who those programs are bringing in. In the Lehigh Valley area, there are a number of football players signing today, as well as athletes from a ton of other sports.

The signing that is generating the most buzz is Parkland receiver Jaleel Clark who is going to the Big 12. Clark has signed his letter of intent this afternoon to play his college football at Missouri. Clark made his decision a while back, but today is the day he can make it official. Missouri was ranked in the top five nationally at one point this past season, but playing with Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma in the Big 12 wasn't easy.

Clark isn't the only area football standout moving on. State Champion Liberty has a few, Devin Street is going to Pittsburgh, Levi Brown is going to Temple, Horvin Latimer is going to Duquesne, and Christian Rodriguez is going to Millersville.
Freedom tailback Eddie Mateo is going to Stony Brook to continue his career. Jermel Lee is going to IUP, and Tyree Pompey will head up to Lock Haven.

A complete list of other athletes by school is below. We will continue to update the list as commitments are announced.

High School Football Survivor Contest

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:18:02 -0500

As we creep closer toward the start of the 2008 high school football season, we here at 69 Sports are introducing a brand new, season-long survivor contest. Here's how it works.

Each week, you can pick a team who you think will win its game. If you get it right, you stay alive and move on to the next week. But here's the catch: You can't take the same team more than once during the season. So if you pick Emmaus to beat Germantown in Week 1, you can't pick Emmaus for the rest of the year. The winner of the contest will receive a prize pack valued at $250.

You can pick from any game within our Big Ticket coverage area. Those games are listed on our website: www.wfmz.com/bigticket. Once you go there, click on the "schedules" link, and from there you can sort all games by Week 1, 2, 3, etc. You can submit your entry for each week by emailing us at radio@wfmz.com. Please put "Survivor Entry" in the subject line.

This contest is being offered in conjunction with our weekly radio show, 69 Sports Saturday, which airs from 10am-12pm every Saturday morning, on ESPN Radio 1230/1320 and www.wfmz.com. Each week on the show, we will run down the winners and losers for that week.

We hope this provides yet another channel through which to enjoy the high school football season. So put on your predicting hats, and good luck!

The 69 Sports Team

69 Sports Saturday Baseball Predictions

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:07:34 -0500

On Saturday we took a little time on the radio show to make our preseason baseball predictions, and as you'll see below, they vary quite a bit from one person to another. If you want to add your thoughts on who will win the divisions, send us an email and we may include it on the sports blog.

Troy Hein - AL East - Red Sox, AL Central - Detroit, AL West - A's, AL Wild Card - Cleveland
NL East - Mets, NL Central - Cubs, NL West - Colorado, NL Wild Card - Braves
World Series - Mets over the Red Sox in 6 Games

Jim Vaughn - AL East - Red Sox, AL Central - Detroit, AL West - Angels, AL Wild Card - Cleveland
NL East - Phillies, NL Central - Milwaukee, NL West - Arizona, NL Wild Card - Mets
World Series - Angels over Arizona

Tim McMaster - AL East - Red Sox, AL Central - Cleveland, AL West - Seattle, AL Wild Card - Yankees
NL East - Mets, NL Central - Cubs, NL West - Arizona, NL Wild Card - Phillies
World Series - Red Sox over the Cubs

Dave Rank (Starter's) - NL East - Phillies, NL Central - Cubs, NL West - Colorado, NL Wild Card - Mets
World Series - Phillies over Boston

NCAA "Play-In" Game Should Be Left "At-Large"

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:52:46 -0500

I first fell in love with the NCAA Basketball Tournament in 1987. That was the first year that my father let me participate in his office pool. I picked Billy Donovan and his Providence College team to go to the Final Four and didn't miss a game as the Friars actually did it. Billy the kid and his coach Rick Pitino helped me finish second in that pool. Since then I've watched as Pitino won the Championship twice at the University of Kentucky and Donovan won back-to-back titles coaching Florida. Since I first started watching "the Dance" it's always been the little schools, like Providence in 1987, that have made it great.

As great as the tournament is, I believe it now has a flaw. The play-in game was started in 2001 and with it the tournament expanded from 64 teams to 65 teams. That's great. The problem is that every year the two teams that are forced to "play in" are two teams that have already played their way in by winning conference tournaments. Meanwhile the eighth place team from the Big East or the sixth place team from the PAC 10 get a free pass into the field of 64. There's no question that if this year's Villanova team was to play one of the teams in tonight's play in game the Wildcats would probably win easily. But that isn't the point. Mount Saint Mary's and Coppin State won conference tournaments to guarantee themselves a place in the tournament, yet they're now forced to play a single game in Dayton, Ohio with the loser heading home having never gotten a true feel for what the tournament is all about.

How can we fix this problem? I'm glad you asked. Tournament organizers can make the play-in game a battle of "at-large" teams and not conference champions. The winner of the game would then receive a #12 seed in the field. Normally the lowest ranking at large bid ends up with an eleven or twelve seed. If this system had been adopted this season, tonight's play in game would most likely feature a matchup between Kentucky and Arizona. Isn't that a little more exciting than Mount Saint Mary's taking on Coppin State. Almost every year, the game would pit a pair of teams from major conferences with national reputations. Because of that, the game would bring in better ratings and it would be a win for everyone. The biggest winner would be those little schools. They ones that make this tournament so great to begin with.

Tim

Big Dance Survivor Contest

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:18:01 -0500

Most March Madness contests are typically held after the brackets have been released. But we here at 69 Sports are giving you a shot at picking the champ before the field of 64 is even set, by playing the Big Dance Survivor Contest.

The Contest

In the 11:00 hour of our weekly radio show (69 Sports Saturday, presented by Scott Cars, on ESPN Radio 1230 & 1320, and wfmz.com), we will open up the phone lines. Listeners will then get a chance to call in, and pick one team that they think will win the NCAA Championship. But here's the catch: when a team is picked, that team is then off the board. For example, if the first 5 callers pick North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA, Kansas, and Mount St. Mary's (hey, it could happen!), then the subsequent callers would have to pick someone else.

The Prize

Whoever picks the national champion will win a prize pack consisting of 4 Lehigh Valley IronPigs tickets, and a $50 gift certificate to Bennigan's.

Good luck, and we'll talk to you on Saturday!

Signing Day is a Busy Day Around Here

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:04:36 -0500

National Signing Day is when college football coaches set themselves up for the future. It's when the top high school athletes in the country sign their letters of intent to play at the next level. Today, a lot of football players and a lot of other athletes from our area did that, putting pen to paper to secure their futures. Here's a list of who signed and where they're heading.

Jared Holley - Pittsburgh Football
Chanelle Price - Tennessee Track
Jordan Oliver - Oklahoma St. Wrestling
Abby Shaffer - Virginia Tech Track
Ali Hartzell - Rhode Island Softball
Ahkeem Smith - Temple Football
Trevor Van Ackeren - Princeton Track
Joe Orlando - New Hampshire Football
Christy Jones - Michigan St. Field Hockey
Justin Rivera - Bloomsburg Football
Alex Schlener - Penn St. Field Hockey
Caitlin Donnelly - Lehigh Field Hockey
Mary Lawrence - Coastal Carolina Track
Kevin McCarthy - Virginia Swimming
Doug Marcincin - Lehigh Golf
Brendan Mohler - Franklin and Marshall Golf
Kevin Kroboth - Temple Football
Ashley Williams - St. Joseph's Track
Anthony Carter - Bucknell Football
Natasha Tukeva - Rider Field Hockey
Melanie Hay - Iona Softball
John Laub - Richmond Football
Dan Moller - Temple Baseball
Rebecca Pany - Indiana Field Hockey
Mallory Smith - Bucknell Field Hockey
Vaughan Carraway - Temple Football
Jeremy Rodriguez - Villanova Football
Tyler Sands - Illinois Football
Rayell Heistand - Connecticut Field Hockey
Courtney Hamsher - Towson St. Soccer
Lauren Leed - Central Michigan Field Hockey
Malcolm Williams - Temple Football
Francis Camarra - Holy Cross Football
Corey Hertzog - Penn St. Soccer
Lindsey Witmer - Toledo Volleyball
Christina Patrick- Albany Field Hockey
Laura Johnson - Drexel Soccer

Berks County Football Wrap Up

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:34:44 -0500

As I've mentioned on this blog before, I'm writing a column for the new Berks County edition of High School Sports The Magazine. The following column appears in the December issue on news stands now...

That�s A Wrap!

It�s time to turn the lights out on another great season of high school football in Berks County. Both Sections of the I-C were decided with head to head matchups in week ten. Berks County took another big step with Wilson, Governor Mifflin and Muhlenberg all beating Mid-Penn teams in the opening round of districts. Our goal at The Big Ticket is to bring viewers great moments from the gridiron. Here�s a look back at some of the top moments and performances captured by Big Ticket cameras.

BEST GAME: Governor Mifflin- 28, Manheim Township- 21 (OT). The Mustangs got revenge for their only regular season loss in this District 3/6 semifinal. A low scoring first half gave way to plenty of big plays after intermission. The Mustangs overcame some interesting calls and a few defensive lapses. In the end Sam Eagleson hit Casey Hughes in the endzone in overtime for the victory.

BEST INDIVIDUAL PLAY: Vaughan Carraway�s 108 yard interception return against Pottsville. Carraway scored multiple long range touchdowns on offense and special teams, but none compared to this gem. The Muhls went on to win the game 41-6, but only lead by one point before the pick. Asked why he took it out of the endzone Carraway said, �I thought I was at the 20�� Whatever helps you in explain it to coach Yocum in the film room Vaughan.

BEST GAME PERFORMANCE #1: Codie Butler (Conrad Weiser) vs. Muhlenberg. The sophomore carried it 40 times for 266 yards in a 22-14 win over the Muhls. 28 of the 40 carries came in the second half as Butler wore down the Muhls defense. He also scored both Weiser touchdowns in the game. The win put the Scouts on the map in Section One and without it they wouldn�t have earned their first district birth in a decade.

BEST GAME PERFORMANCE #2: Nick Wilkinson (Twin Valley) vs. Wyomissing. This performance deserves mention because of what it may do for the Twin Valley program long term. Wilkinson had 20 carries for 170 yards in the game. He also completed a pass on a halfback option for 20 yards and made a key late game interception to help seal the game. The win gave the Raiders a share of the Section Two title and clinched the first post-season game in school history.

BEST COACHING: Twin Valley�s Jerry Wilczynski and Joe Domsohn. Wilcynksi and Domsohn are co-coaches in Elverson. It may have taken two to keep the Raiders on track after a 0-4 start. Heading into week five they told the team every week was a Super Bowl and the team played like it ripping off seven straight wins to get to the Eastern Conference Championship. The coaches also switched offenses after that bad start going from the spread attack to the �I�.

BEST BAND: Exeter. Over the course of the season I try to keep a running tally of the best marching bands that I see. Exeter takes the cake this season for two reasons. For one, the Eagles band is one of Berks County�s biggest and the group oozes with pride. We get emails touting the musicians every season. This season the Exeter band also helped to take the edge off of the football team�s 0-10 campaign.

Before the arguments begin remember, this list only includes plays and games captured by Big Ticket cameras. See you next September!

Tim

Extra, Extra, Read All About Berks County

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:43:56 -0500

Berks County sports fans have a new way to feed their hunger for news on their favorite high school teams. The inaugural issue of High School Sports The Magazine; Greater Reading Edition is now available at mini-mart type stores around the area.

The Magazine is a free monthly publication and is packed with photos of local athletes. Steve Miller is the publisher of the Reading version of the magazine. You may recognize the name. Steve is also the Boys soccer coach at Holy Name High School. Mike Esterly is the Associate Editor and has done a large chunk of the writing for the first issue. This is the first magazine of its kind in the state of Pennsylvania and will give local athletes some great exposure.

I'll be writing a monthly column in the magazine. My first effort talks about the increase in respect for Section One of the Inter-County League. If you don't find yourself in Wawa's or Turkey Hills very often, you can also check out the magazine online at www.hsstm.com. Enjoy!

Tim

Week 8 Eastern Conference Poll

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:22:54 -0500

The Big Ticket staff is taking part in the new Eastern Conference Poll this fall. This is not our poll, but we get a vote in it each week. Here's how it looks after eight weeks.

Eastern Conference Week 8 media poll
The Eastern Conference media poll, with first place votes in parentheses, season record, total points based on 10 points for first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote, and last week�s rank.

Big School
Rank Team Rec. Pts. Pvs.
1. Parkland (11) 8-0 119 2
2. Delaware Valley (1) 8-0 104 3
3. Hazleton Area 7-1 90 7
4. Gov. Mifflin (1) 7-1 89 4
5. Liberty 7-1 77 5
6. Wyoming Valley West 7-1 59 1
7. West Scranton 7-1 55 8
8. Berwick 7-1 50 6
9. Muhlenberg 7-1 19 10
10. Freedom 6-2 16 NR
Others receiving votes: Easton 11, Emmaus 10, Selinsgrove 5, Coughlin 4, Abington Heights 3, Dallas 2, East Stroudsburg South 1, Whitehall 1.

Small School
Rank Team Rec. Pts. Pvs.
1. Dunmore (13) 8-0 130 1
2. Southern Columbia 7-1 108 2
3. Bloomsburg 7-1 84 3
4. Wyomissing 7-1 78 4
5. Line Mountain 8-0 58 6
6. Wyoming Area 7-1 54 5
7. Lakeland 6-2 46 7
8. Montoursville 7-1 40 9
9. Loyalsock 7-1 39 8
10. Marian 7-1 25 10
Others receiving votes: Towanda 14, Millersburg 12, Jim Thorpe 10, Riverside 9, Northern Lehigh 4, Minersville 3, Pius X 1.

D.J. Shines in Toledo Debut

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 12:37:32 -0500

I've spent the last four high school football seasons watching D.J. Lenehan set record after record playing quarterback for Wilson. When he enrolled at Division One Toledo this fall, I was confident that fans of the Rockets would eventually see the fireworks that I got to witness on a weekly basis. But I had no idea he'd work his magic this soon.

In case you missed what happened on Saturday night, here's a quick recap. After injuries sidelined Toledo's top two quarterbacks, D.J. was thrust into the starting lineup. He became only the 2nd true freshman to ever start a game at quarterback for Toledo. And he certainly made the most of his opportunity. He was the definition of efficiency, completing 19-of-23 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown. To throw just 4 incompletions in your first career start at the Division One level is absolutely incredible. But even more impressive was his poise and polish when the pressure intensified.

The Rockets trailed by 12 entering the 4th quarter. I imagine when D.J. saw that deficit on the scoreboard, he probably felt pretty comfortable. After all, the uncanny ability to engineer a comeback was one of his trademarks at Wilson. In fact, the last football game he started was the state championship game in Hershey, when he helped the Warriors overcome a 12-point, 4th quarter deficit to beat Jeannette and claim the crown. How fitting that he'd open his collegiate career by overcoming the exact margin to earn another comeback win.

D.J. led the Rockets to a thrilling, 35-34 win, on Homecoming night in Toledo. With the stands full of Rocket students and alumni, D.J. is already well on his way to winning the hearts of a horde of new fans.

So from all of us at 69 Sports, we'd like to extend a hearty congratulations to D.J. for his smashing collegiate debut. I'm sure it'll be just the first of many magical moments to come.

Jim Vaughn

69 News Sports Staff Playoff Predictions

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:35:25 -0500

With the Phillies in the playoffs for the first time in fourteen years, the 69 News Sports Department thought we'd post our playoff predictions. Despite having three life long Phillies on staff, no one has picked the Fightin's to win it all. Check out our picks and add your own picks by clicking on the comments link.

Troy's Picks
NLDS: Rockies over Phillies in 4 / Cubs over D'Backs in 4
ALDS: Red Sox over Angels in 5 / Indians over Yankees in 5
NLCS: Rockies over Cubs in 6
ALCS: Indians over Red Sox in 7
WORLD SERIES: Indians over Rockies in 5

Tim's Picks
NLDS: Phillies over Rockies in 5 / Cubs over D'Backs in 4
ALDS: Red Sox over Angels in 4 / Yankees over Indians in 4
NLCS: Cubs over Phillies in 6
ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees in 6
WORLD SERIES: Red Sox over Cubs in 6

Jim's Picks
NLDS: Phillies over Rockies in 4 / D'Backs over Cubs in 4
ALDS: Red Sox over Angels in 5 / Yankees over Indians in 5
NLCS: Phillies over D'Backs in 6
ALCS: Yankees over Red Sox in 7
WORLD SERIES: Yankees over Phillies in 6

Dave's Picks
NLDS: Phillies over Rockies in 5 / D'Backs over Cubs in 4
ALDS: Yankees over Indians in 4 / Angels over Red Sox in 5
NLCS: Phillies over D'Backs in 6
ALCS: Yankees over Angels in 6
WORLD SERIES: Yankees over Phillies in 5

Ryan's Picks (Sports Photojournalist)
NLDS: Phillies over Rockies in 4 / D'Backs over Cubs in 5
ALDS: Red Sox over Angels in 3 / Yankees over Indians in 4
NLCS: D'Backs over Phillies in 7
ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees in 5
WORLD SERIES: Red Sox over D'Backs in 5