Groller's Corner

The latest Lambert Cup football rankings

Here are the latest Lambert Cup football rankings, measuring Eastern football supremacy in all classifications. I am a voter at the FCS (I-AA) level:

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf

1. Cincinnati

2. Pittsburgh

3. Penn State

4. West Virginia

4. South Florida

6. Boston College

7. Rutgers

8. Navy

9. Temple

10. Connecticut

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Championship Subdivision (FCS) Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf

1. Villanova

2. Richmond

3. William & Mary

4. New Hampshire

5. Holy Cross

6. Lafayette

7. Penn

8. Colgate

9. Delaware

10. Harvard

ARV: James Madison, Massachusetts, Wagner.

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Division II Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf

1. Shippensburg

2. California (PA)

3. East Stroudsburg

4. Edinboro

5. Bentley

6. Clarion

6. West Chester

8. Bloomsburg

9. Southern Conn. State

10. Merrimack

ARV: Gannon, Mercyhurst, Assumption.

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Division III Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf

1. Wesley

2. Thomas More

3. Delaware Valley

4. Kean

5. Washington & Jefferson

6. Alfred

7. Albright

8. Montclair State

9. Dickinson

10. Lebanon Valley

ARV: Amherst, Cortland State, Union, Johns Hopkins, Susquehanna, Curry, St. John Fisher, Ithaca, Rowan, Wilkes.

Salisbury football coach is a special guest on this week's "Calling All Sports"

Rob Sawicki, who is doing a nice job turning around the Salisbury High football program, is a special guest on this week's edition of The Morning Call's "Calling All Sports."

Sawicki, a former teammate of James Mungro at East Stroudsburg, will talk about the Falcons' District 11 playoff game at Northern Lehigh this Saturday night.

He will also talk about his star-studded coaching staff featuring local coaching icons such as Fritz Halfacre, Gene Legath and Chuck Sonon.

Sports Editor Bill Kline will also break down a tough week for some of the area's favorite teams -- the Phillies, the Eagles and Penn State football team.

Also, see who is the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame player of the week.

Tune in at 8 p.m. tonight (Monday) on Service Electric TV2 and at 6 p.m. Tuesday on RCN-4.

Can Eagles save the week?

A lot of people I know root for the Philadelphia teams -- especially the Phillies and Eagles -- and Penn State football.

Obviously, those people are having a tough week thanks to Hideki Matsui and Terrelle Pryor.

But a lot of those same folks will forget all about the World Series and canceling those plans for Pasadena if the Eagles can thrash the hated Cowboys tonight.

I don't know what's more fun -- watching the game or watching the two fan groups square off at the area sports bars. I don't know if I'd want to hang out with either group for very long, especially as the beer flows, but it's fun while they're still standing.

I had a blast just listening to the Giants and Eagles fans bark at each other in the parking lot while walking into Citizens Bank Park for the World Series last Sunday.

The big winners tonight are the sports bars. They should be doing boffo business as will NBC with another Sunday night ratings winner.

I'm looking for a few winners with my NFL picks, which continue to struggle against the spread. Was 9-4 outright last week, but just 5-8 against the number. Now 71-44 outright, 56-58-1 against the spread on the season.

Again, this is just for my amusement only.

HOME TEAMS IN CAPS

JACKSONVILLE (-6.5) 24, Kansas City 17

BALTIMORE (-3) 20, Cincinnati 14

INDY (-8.5) 38, Houston 21

ATLANTA (-9) 24, Washington 14

Green Bay (-10) 27, TAMPA BAY 13

CHICAGO (-3) 27, Arizona 21

NEW ENGLAND (-10.5) 27, Miami 24

NEW ORLEANS (-12.5) 34, Carolina 24

SEATTLE (-10.5) 19, Detroit 14

Tennessee (+4.5) 27, SF 49ERS 24

NY GIANTS (-5) 30, San Diego 24

Sunday Night

PHILADELPHIA (-3) 31, Dallas 27

Monday Night

Denver (+3) 24, PITTSBURGH 20

Eight LVC, eight Colonial teams going on to the playoffs

The regular season may have ended Saturday for high school football, but 16 teams from the immediate Lehigh Valley area -- eight Lehigh Valley Conference and eight Colonial League -- are going to either the district/state playoffs or the Eastern Conference version.

And in the Lehigh Valley Conference while Northampton is one of the four (Allen, Dieruff and Freedom are the others) not going on to the playoffs, the Konkrete Kids aren't done either because they have their Thanksgiving game with Catty to play.

Most intriguing to me are the Liberty-ES South and Nazareth-Easton matchups in 4A. Most people are going to think those are automatic Liberty and Easton wins, but ES South is better than they have been in the past and Nazareth has come on strong in recent weeks. Most people are already thinking about another Parkland-Liberty showdown, but in the words of ESPN's Lee Corso "Not so fast my friend."

Some intriguing all-Colonial matchups in 2A, like Catty-Palisades and Northern Lehigh-Salisbury. One of those four will reach the finals where unbeaten North Schuylkill will likely be waiting.

And, in the Eastern Conference I am happy that Emmaus, Whitehall and Becahi -- all solid teams that lost a bunch of close games and may be better than their record indicates -- will get a chance to play on.

Here are the brackets which will be finalized on Sunday from the District 11 website:

Class AAAA----------------------------

Unofficial Projected Pairings for the District XI AAAA Playoff Bracket

Fri Nov 13	Fri Nov 20	Fri Nov 27

1 Easton
Game 411

8 Nazareth	Game 421

4 Hazleton
Game 412

5 Williamsport		Game 431

3 Parkland
Game 413

6 Wallenpaupack	Game 422

2 East Stroudsburg South
Game 414

7 Liberty

Eastern Conference AAAA Playoffs



N1 Wyoming Valley West


S2 Whitehall

S1 Emmaus


N2 Delaware Valley

----------------------------Class AAA------------------------

Unofficial Projected Pairings for the District XI AAA Playoff Bracket

Fri Nov 13	Fri Nov 20

1 Allentown Central
Game 311

4 Southern Lehigh

Game 321

2 Wilson

Sat Nov 14 Game 312

3 Pottsville

Eastern Conference AAA Playoffs



1 Northwestern Lehigh


4 Scranton Prep

2 Wilkes Barre Coughlin


3 Bethlehem Catholic

-----------------------------Class AA-----------------------------

Unofficial Projected Pairings for the District XI AA Playoff Bracket

Sat Nov 14	Sat Nov 21	Sat Nov 28

1 North Schuylkill
Game 211

8 Pen Argyl	Game 221

4 Panther Valley
Game 212

5 Tamaqua		Game 231

3 Catasauqua
Game 213

6 Palisades	Game 222

2 Northern Lehigh
Game 214

7 Salisbury

Eastern Conference AA Playoffs



1 Carbondale


4 Hanover

2 Schuylkill Valley


3 Mt Carmel

------------------------------Class A-----------------------------

Unofficial Projected Pairings for the District XI A Playoff Bracket

Sat Nov 14	Sat Nov 21

1 Pius X

Game 111

4 Schuylkill Haven

Game 121

2 Williams Valley

Game 112

3 Tri Valley

Eastern Conference A Playoffs



1 Lourdes


4 Muncy

2 Canton


3 Shenandoah Valley

Lehigh football team loses another heartbreaker, 24-20 to Holy Cross

I am not sure why this didn't make it to www.mcall.com. Filed this report at about 3:45 p.m. on Saturday and it never made it online.

But here was my initial report from Goodman Stadium on Lehigh's tough 24-20 loss to Holy Cross.

A spirited, tenacious effort by the Lehigh football team only resulted in another difficult defeat on Saturday afternoon.

Freddie Santana hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dominic Randolph with 1:03 left to lift Holy Cross to a 24-20 come-from-behind win over the Mountain Hawks before 9,797 fans at Goodman Stadium.

It dropped Lehigh to 2-7 overall, 2-2 in the Patriot League and was the Mountain Hawks’ fifth defeat this season by seven points or less.

The Mountain Hawks got two turnovers and didn’t give it away, but couldn’t stop All-American quarterback Randolph and the Crusaders offense on a game-deciding eight-play, 81-yard drive that ended with Randolph’s second TD pass of the game.

Lehigh got two TD receptions by tight end Alex Wojdowski – a 14-yarder from J.B. Clark and an 18-yarder on a halfback option pass by Jay Campbell. Campbell also rushed for a career-high 131 yards on 21 carries.

(Wojdowski, No. 88 left, celebrates his first TD reception with lineman Frank Giacalone -- Photo by Denise Sanchez)

Freshman Jake Peery kicked a pair of field goals and his 38-yarder with 13:36 left Lehigh a 20-17 lead.

But the Mountain Hawks didn’t do anything on offense the rest of the way and Randolph responded with the late drive.

Randolph, who has set all kinds of school, Patriot League and FCS records, finished 23-for-37 for 247 yards. Randolph was sacked three times and pressured several other times by an aggressive Lehigh defense.

Clark was 16-for-31 for 186 yards for Lehigh.

The Mountain Hawks play at Fordham next Saturday.

Holy Cross (8-1, 4-0) will host Lafayette in a game that could decide the Patriot League title.

**********************

Holy Cross head coach Tom Gilmore, a former Mountain Hawks defensive coordinator, gave a lot of credit to the Lehigh defense after the game.

"I wasn't surprised with how they came out," Gilmore said. "They came out and made plays. I said before the game that I'd be happy getting out of here with a one-point win. It doesn't matter how much you win by as long as you get the job done and we did just enough to get the job done.

"Matt Cohen is a great football player and B.J. Benning gave us trouble at times. Their secondary did a good job of locking down on our receivers. They changed things up well. A play would be there and we'd come back to it again, and they would have it defended the next time."

Gilmore did not hear the final score of the Lafayette game -- The Leopards' won an all-timer 56-49 over Colgate -- and said he didn't want to think about the matchup with the Leopards next weekend right away. "I'll probably start thinking about them on the way home," he said.

That should be a dandy game in Worcester, Mass. a week from today.

As for Lehigh, all they could think about was another disappointing loss.

You can fault a lot of things about this Mountain Hawks team, but effort and attitude are not among them.

(Lehigh QB J.B. Clark, No. 17, on left, was 6-for-6 on the game-opening drive -- photo by Denise Sanchez).

"Our kids fought their tails off, I thought we had a great plan going in and we executed the plan very well," said coach Andy Coen. "We wanted to make life tough for (Dominic) Randolph and I think we were able to do that. Unfortunately he was out there one series too long and was able to make the plays to get them in the end zone.

"The one area where we hurt ourselves was with penalties (9 for 91 yards). We had a few huge penalties that hurt us and may have cost us points but I can't say enough about the effort of these kids."

Yes, I know, I know....I picked them ninth

Central Catholic president, the Rev. Scott Ardinger, reminded me on the field tonight after Central Catholic beat Emmaus 14-6 that I picked the Vikings to finish ninth back in a preseason story on the Lehigh Valley Conference.

I like Father Ardinger and think he's a good leader, but by now, I am little tired of being reminded of that pick.

I think I've heard it about 50 times or more by now since that prediction hit print back on Aug. 31.

Look, Andre Williams, the writer and not the tailback, is the LVC beat person and I was just filling in for him back in the preseason while he was helping out on the Eagles beat.

Preseason rankings and predictions generally are guessing games, but this one truly was. I will admit it. I looked at a Central team that was 4-6 last year and two of the wins were over Allen and Dieruff. Suffice to say, I wasn't impressed no matter how many kids they had coming back.

Back in August, I didn't know how good sophomore quarterback Brendan Nosovitch was, and evidently coach Harold Fairclough didn't either because Nosovitch (No. 5 in white below) wasn't even the clearcut starter when we asked him for preseason information.

I knew Kevin Gulyas and Shane McNeely and David McFadden, among others, were good athletes.

But I also heard CCHS had a thin roster and was just a key injury or two away from struggling.

So, I picked them ninth. And yes, I was wrong. Very wrong. If people want to keep bringing it up, go right ahead. I'm sure if they have a banquet for this team, they'll refer to it again: "Can you believe it, Keith Groller of The Morning Call picked them ninth and boy, did they ever prove him wrong." Maybe some CCHS people would like it inscribed on my tombstone.

I overvalued Emmaus, Northampton, Whitehall, Freedom and couldn't have predicted Liberty's Anthony Gonzalez being out with an injury when CCHS beat the Hurricanes in Week 3.

I don't know that I can still say Central's better than Parkland despite the better record because the Trojans beat the Vikings handily -- 42-21 -- on Oct. 16. And while Parkland has two losses, and they were to Easton and Freedom, two teams that CCHS didn't play.

If you're looking for a true champion in the LVC, you really don't get one because everybody doesn't play everybody. If Allen and Dieruff are allowed to leave the league as I think they should for the good of the league and themselves, you'd have a great situation because everybody could play everybody and you'd still have room in the regular season for a nonleague game in Week 1.

No matter, CCHS deserves credit. The Vikings have made a nice turnaround and with Gulyas, Nosovitch, McNeely back for two more years, there's no reason the Vikings shouldn't stay strong for awhile. Nosovitch, I think, has a chance to become one of the great quarterbacks around here.

I was also happy for Ian Majczan (No. 32 above) who overcame several knee surgeries to become a major factor for CCHS.

And I think CCHS is the clearcut favorite to beat Southern Lehigh and Wilson in the 3A tournament and will advance at least a round or two in states.

For those like me who remember what it was like, it's nice to see this team turn back the clock to the 1990s when Central football was truly something special.

As for Emmaus, well, they were 1-5 in games I covered this season. I don't think I ever really figured the Hornets out. They could have won four of the five games they lost and they were never truly dominated.

It looks like they may get an Eastern Conference berth and maybe the Hornets can get another win and put a positive ending on a season that has to be considered largely disappointing and quite frustrating.

It's the same story every week. Emmaus competes hard, shows nice flashes and does a lot of good things, but ultimately makes a key mistake here or there that proves costly. And the coaching staff, a veteran group full of quality people, also has to share in the responsibility of looking at itself and what it could have done better.

There are very few seniors on the Green Hornets roster and the thought is that this program will be back stronger again next year. But in the short term, all they can do is look at those agonizing five losses by eight points or less and wonder what might have been.

Morning Call photos by Rob Kandel

Souvenir from Series could be used as crying towel

One of the neat things about covering the World Series is that on the final night when it ends, they allow the media on the field to do interviews and observe the podium ceremonies. They also do it after earlier clinchings.

So there I was standing on the Yankee Stadium infield on Wednesday night (actually Thursday morning) and watched the whole thing unfold. I was thinking about scooping up some of the dirt as a souvenir, maybe some of the pieces of confetti that came pouring out of the rafters.

And then I realized that on the ground just a few feet from me was a white towel.

I kept my eye on this towel for a few minutes, thinking someone would come back to get it. But 5-10 minutes went by and no one did.

So, I went over, grabbed it and found it to be a Yankees World Championship towel that must have been distributed in the dugout along with the shirts and hats given to the players just before the final out.

It's a pretty big towel complete with grass and dirt stains, and a real nice Yankees' 27th world championship inscription.

So, why not? I looked around, no one seemed to be paying atttention to me with all of the hoopla going on, and I grabbed the towel and stuffed it into my bag.

I'll never know which player had the towel, if any. But I am certain it was given out in the dugout. And I am also certain that the stains are courtesy of Yankee Stadium where this historic moment had taken place.

What I will do it, I have no idea. I may give it to a Yankee fan as a gift, a souvenir of the 27th world title.

But in the short term, I can use it as a crying towel as I continue to struggle with my football picks.

On my high school picks last week, I was a season-worst 14-8, dropping me to 155-55 on the season and a mediocre .738 percentage.

Can't believe it's the final week of the regular season. Don't ask me to explain all of the playoff possibilities. My advice is to just enjoy the games, hope your team wins and then see where they stand on Sunday morning.

LVC

Easton 28, Becahi 14: Red Rovers really took it to Liberty last week. They may be the area's best at the moment.

CCHS 34, Emmaus 20: Great rivalry game. CCHS has had this one circled all season. Green Hornets shouldn't be on the playoff bubble. I've seen all four of their losses and two or three could have very easily gone their way. If they don't make it, they'll forever be thinking about the ones that got away the last couple of weeks against Whitehall and Parkland.

Nazareth 40, Northampton 19: What a turnaround for the Blue Eagles.

Parkland 27, Whitehall 20: Zephyrs still have hopes of a playoff spot and will give Trojans fits. Parkland may wear them down with Andre Williams.

Dieruff 28, Allen 14: Because of the World Series, the special multi-story series on the Dieruff football program will now begin on Nov. 15. Think you'll find it interesting.

Liberty 56, Freedom 20: Not quite the matchup it was last year. Patriots defense has become its Achilles Heel and teams have found a way to slow down Darrius Webb.

Colonial League

Bangor 20, Pen Argyl 14: A tossup between old rivals. Neither has had the kind of season they wanted.

Catasauqua 21, Northwestern 14: I've struggled to figure out the Roughies all season. I don't know if he'll win coach of the year, but Tom Falzone should at least be considered.

Wilson 56, Notre Dame 0: Warriors tune up for District 11 3A tournament.

Northern Lehigh 35, Palmerton 7: Shoutout to Mr. Palmerton Ed Hedes, who, like me, didn't always have a nice warm seat for the World Series.

Palisades 27, Saucon Valley 7: Pirates might be a factor in upcoming 2A tournament.

Southern Lehigh 39, Salisbury 14: Spartans will get a shot at spoiling the much anticipated CCHS-Wilson final in 3A.

MVC

ES South 34, ES North 13: This may be the best Mountain Valley Conference team since the James Mungro days. Don't sleep on the Cavs in 4A.

Pleasant Valley 20, Stroudsburg 14: Bears have made a lot of progress this season.

Pocono Mt. East 21, Pocono Mt. West 19: Watch out for the Cardinals in the upcoming boys basketball season. They may be the team to beat in all of District 11.

Others

Jim Thorpe 28, Lehighton 7: Indians scored 35 points in Week 1 win over Marian, but have yet to top 15 in any game since.

Panther Valley 33, Minersville 7: The Panthers' four-point loss to North Schuylkill may have been as impressive as any of their seven wins.

Tamaqua 27, Marian Catholic 7: Blue Raiders should stick around awhile in 2A tournament.

Quakertown 21, Souderton 14: I'm on my own this week. Toomey Anderson must be in full basketball mode, prepping for the upcoming high school season or traveling on the AAU trail because we haven't heard from our local Kobe.

North Penn 42, Pennridge 7: North Penn looms out there in 4A for any of our teams that survive into the second week of December.

Upper Perk 34, St. Pius X 7: I'll take a solid 3A program over a good 1A program any time.

Pius 1, Freedom Village 0: Think this pick is strange? The Royals already have two forfeit wins this season that officially go down as 1-0. With their bizarre schedule, the mystery is not always whether they'll win the game, but rather, will it be played?

There you go. Thanks to all of those who participated in the Groller-Zambelli Challenge this year. I'd like to see it continue in the playoffs, but I am not sure that's possible. Either way, it has been fun even if my picks often resembled Ryan Howard at-bats in the World Series.

Thanks Phillies for another great ride

I sit here at 2 a.m. in the Yankee Stadium press box -- yes, I was able to get a seat in here tonight rather than out in the right-field bleachers -- and despite it being so late, I am in no hurry to leave.

I will admit it. This is cool stuff. This is the stuff that you dream about covering when you grow up wanting to be a sports writer as I did.

I've gotten to cover two World Series now -- all 11 games over the last two years -- and it probably has been the highlight of my career along with the 2008 Indy 500.

I'll be back covering a high school football game Friday night. and hopefully, somebody will take us on a ride that will end in Hershey with another state title shot.

I've loved all of the state championship teams I've covered over the years, whether they be in softball, basketball or football. I even covered a marathon soccer state title game involving Freedom back in 1982 or 83. It went about 20 overtimes, and then they decided to declare co-champs. Last boys soccer game I ever covered.

Anyway, this was a lot of fun the last 3-4 weeks covering all of these playoff games, even if it meant a lot of late nights leaving ballparks and driving home struggling to keep eyes open.

For these memories, I have to thank the Phillies.

Even though we have a lot of Yankees fans in our area, we don't cover the Yankees as a beat. So, if this was Yankees-Dodgers or Yankees-Cardinals in the Series, I wouldn't have been here tonight.

And if I am thankful for these Phillies as a columnist, I can only imagine how fans of this team feel.

It really is an entertaining club that is never out of a game. I kept waiting for one big charge tonight in Game 6, but they couldn't quite muster one.

For all they have done to energize and enthuse baseball fans in our area, I appreciate these Phillies.

You never know what's going to happen in pro sports. Things can just change so quickly. One major free agent signing can tip the balance of power. But I think these Phillies are built to stay at the top for awhile.

They will enter next season as the team to beat in National League East again, that's for sure.

In the short term, their fans are going to be disappointed and that's understandable. The thought of another massive parade was enticing.

This one's going to sting because it came against the Yankees and this was Philly's chance to topple what many call "The Evil Empire." There's that inferiority complex that's always going to exist between these two cities and Philly had a chance to finally best The Big Apple.

It didn't happen, but this was a fun series while it lasted. I wasn't out in the sports bars, but I bet it was a blast out there, too.

In my opinion, this celebration here tonight didn't match the one in Philly last year. As I wrote in my column for Thursday's paper, that title was for the fans. This was more for the owner and a core group of players who were probably getting their last chance on this stage together -- I'm talking about Jeter, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera.

Still, I got down there on to the field and took it all in. Just like the Phillies, you never know when you're going to get back to something like this again, so I wanted the full experience. Took a ton of pictures that maybe I'll put on the blog if I can ever figure it out..

Baseball, more than any other sport, has a way of making you feel like a kid again, Maybe that's because it begins in the spring when we all kind of feel renewed again. I hate to baseball season end because it means winter is coming and I just don't get as attached to pro and college basketball and pro hockey like I do with baseball.

Right now, I feel a little tired, but before I sign off this computer and pack up and head for the parking deck next door to the stadium, I am going to take it all in one last time.

This was a special night, a special series and this is a special place. But Philly, you do still have a special team.

Is making Chase eat dirt the key to a Yankees win tonight?

Evidently former Yankees pitcher and forever loose cannon David Wells has some advice for Andy Pettitte tonight.

He borrowed an idea from Raiders' owner Al Davis and said, "Chase Utley must go down and go down hard."

I believe this is Wells' quote courtesy of my friends with the LV Yankees Fan Club:

Chase Utley needs to kiss the Yankee Stadium dirt tonight.

Enough is enough, already. I would never advocate throwing at somebody’s head,

but there comes a time when you’ve got to make an insanely hot hitter like Utley squirm.

And if Pettitte would do that, you know Pedro would retaliate and we'd have some beautiful fireworks in the bottom of the first inning tonight in Game 6 of the World Series.

This is going to be fun tonight, there's little doubt.

Two veteran pitchers trying to make the most of what could be their final time on the big stage.

You could tell at his press conference on Tuesday that Pedro loves this. Out of baseball for the first four months of this season and realizing how much he missed it, he's relishing one more shot at glory.

If he beats Pettitte tonight and takes this Series to a 7-game series, he will earn a permanent place in the hearts of Phillies fans after his gritty efforts against the Dodgers in the NLCS and in Game 2 of this Series.

I look for Pedro and revived Phillies bats to get the job done tonight at least through six (I think it's a big mistake by Girardi to rely on guys on just three days rest when they're not used to it). I see the Phillies taking a 5-2 lead or something similiar, and it will come down to the bullpen in the 7th, 8th and 9th to see if they can hold off the Yankees and send us to a Game 7.

Charlie Manuel called Shane Victorino a "day-to-day" decision concerning his swollen hand. I will be shocked if he's not playing tonight. If he isn't in the lineup, they'll have to tie him up to keep him off the field. You remember him charging in from center field to argue with that umpire back during the summer? Hey this guy is a little nuts, but you want him on your side.

Still, it's going to come down to Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz or Carlos Ruiz coming through. Pettitte has good numbers against Utley and Howard, but one of the righties could burn him.

From a Yankees standpoint, Matsui being back in the lineup as the DH is a big lift. A-Rod, Jeter and Damon get the headlines and will wreak their havoc, but the gut says that it's going to come down to getting Teixeira, Matsui and maybe even Robinson Cano, who has yet to show up in this Series, to contribute if the Yankees are going to end it tonight.

It's going to be cold tonight at Yankee Stadium. I'm going to try to get there by 3 p.m. and find some nook or cranny in that crowded press box to work and stay warm. If not, it will be out to the rightfield bleachers again, way up near the facade, where I caught that cold in Game 1 and have yet to shake it.

But no complaints from here.

I think everybody covering this Series is a little worn out from these late nights (we're generally not leaving the stadium until at least 1:30) and driving back and forth.

Still, there's no other place we'd rather be tonight. We realize that we're seeing something very special and something that might not happen again in our careers, or lifetime. So, we'll be happy to shiver and bear it for another two nights if that's what it takes. I'm sure you will, too.

Enjoy.

A nice tribute to Wayman Tisdale

The worlds of country music and big-time basketball don't converge very often.

But when I got an e-mail sent to me today from a record label talking about Toby Keith's new song "Cryin' For me" (Wayman's song) I decided to give it a listen.

I'm glad I did. It's a wonderful video/music tribute to Wayman Tisdale, the former Oklahoma basketball star who had a terrific NBA career and was an Olympic champion in 1984. Tisdale totaled nearly 13,000 points, more than 5,100 rebounds and over 1,100 assists in his career. He might have been overshadowed by Jordan, Barkley and others, but the guy could play.

He was quite a player. And an outstanding person. He left us much, much too soon -- this past May after a battle with a rare type of cancer. He was only 44.

I didn't know Tisdale had gotten into the music world -- jazz, mostly.

But evidently he formed a tight friendship with Keith -- both are from Oklahoma and Keith is a huge University of Oklahoma sports fan. Keith dedicated his latest album "American Ride" to Tisdale.

I really do like this song and tribute.

Perhaps you will, too.

Here's the link:

http://www.cmt.com/videos/toby-keith/450453/cryin-for-me-waymans-song.jhtml?id=1625032

Back to the Bronx

So there was no world championship celebration here tonight.

Whether it's the Yankees or the Phillies, the party's gonna happen in the Bronx now.

A World Series many predicted would go seven games -- and it has been since 2003 that one has even lasted beyond five -- returns to New York and it's still really hard to tell how it's all going to turn out.

If you're a fan of one of these two, you've still got some tossin' and turnin' to do.

The Phillies have yet to prove they can beat the Yankees without Cliff Lee on the mound, and yet, the Yankees blew the luxury of having a 3-1 series lead by using A.J. Burnett on three days rest here tonight. Now they will not have a starting pitcher on regular four-day the rest of the way, barring rain.

The Phillies will not be intimidated by either Andy Pettitte or CC Sabathia on their return to the Bronx and you almost feel like the pressure is on the Yankees at this point, not the Phillies.

Once they blew that game on Sunday night, most people wrote off the Phils. And that includes a bunch of their fans.

I was in both clubhouses after the game and the atmosphere was about the same in both -- tired and tense.

There was more relief than joy in the Phillies clubhouse, and with the Yankees, there were few smiles. GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi weren't despondent, but not beaming either. They feel the pressure. You always do in New York.

They could have avoided a lot of drama by ending it here, not to mention a lot of security costs that would have been skipped had the championship been won here and not in the Bronx.

Pedro Martinez gets the ball in Game 6 as does Pettitte and you wonder what these two vets have left.

And, if it goes to a Game 7, you wonder who the heck Charlie will put back out there. It's doubtful it'll be Cole Hamels.

It has been a fascinating week of baseball to this point and we've got a lot of intrigue still to come. Only Yankee fans probably wanted it to end tonight.

If the Phillies win it, Chase Utley will definitely be embraced at the podium, even if he utters lots of curse words again. He's a lock for MVP if the Phillies do prevail.

"It doesn't matter who it is," Utley said. "The bottom line is to win the game, however you need to do it, whether it's hitting, pitching, defense. It doesn't really matter who steps up. It's just a matter of when and how."

Is Allshouse the Phillies' good luck charm?

Matt Allshouse may be the Phillies version of Kate Smith.

Remember when the Flyers always seemed to win big games back inthe 1970s and '80s when Kate belted out "God Bless America" before they dropped the puck?

She was so popular that they put a statue of Kate in front of the Spectrum.

Well, former Easton High football standout and current Palmer Township police detective Matt Allshouse hopes to have the same impact on his beloved Phillies in Game 4 of the World Series Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Allshouse is 4-0 in previous singing engagements at CBP and performed during the memorable Game 4 of the NLCS when the Phillies rallied to beat the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth on Jimmy Rollins' two-out gapper off Jonathan Broxton.

He said he got the call the perform "God Bless America" on Saturday night at home while he was dozing off watching Game 3 of the World Series.

He was surprised to get the call from Chris Long, the Phillies' entertainment director.

"I figured they only had big-name singers and celebrities perform during the World Series," he said.

Allshouse said Major League Baseball hoped to stage a rehearsal for him during Sunday afternoon, but the short notice along with the Eagles-Giants game being played across the street at Lincoln Financial Field made those plans undoable.

Allshouse will just let it fly and he thinks the recent appearance will be help him.

He had gone nearly two years without a performance, but showed little rust.

"It wasn't perfect," he said. "I was very humbled by all of the positive comments I received, but there were a couple of spots where I could have done better."

Allshouse, who will attend the game with his wife Krista, said it's all a dream come true for him.

He had never dreamed of being able to attend a World Series game, much less perform during the seventh-inning stretch.

"It's very exciting, especially considering all of the interest in our area for this World Series," he said. "It's extra special because the Yankees are the opposing team. Some of my best friends and guys I work with are Yankee fans. I will wear my police uniform for the performance and then change back to my Phillies stuff after I am done and will hopefully root them on to a win."

Despite rain delay World Series Game 3 was ratings winner

Fox Sports is beaming today with the TV ratings from Saturday night's Game 3. You might have thought the late start would drop the numbers as it did a year when the 10:06 p.m. beginning for Game 3 between the Phillies and Rays -- which resulted in a 1:50 a.m. finish was the worst rated game in World Series TV history. But obviously this Series, with the Yankees involved, is generating much more appeal.

Here is the official Fox release:

Game 3 of the 2009 WORLD SERIES averaged a 9.1/18 household rating/share with an average audience of 15.4 million viewers last night on FOX according to fast national ratings issued by Nielsen Media Research. These figures make Game 3 the highest-rated, and most-watched prime-time Saturday broadcast on any network since FOX’s NFL Playoff Game on 1/10/09 (13.8/23, 23.8 mill). It also ranks as the highest-rated and most-watched Game 3 since 2006 (10.2/17, 15.6 mill), the highest-rated Saturday World Series Game since 2005 (9.5/17), and the most-watched since 2004 (23.2 mill).

Rain had an impact on World Series Game 3 in Philadelphia for the second straight year. Last night’s 9.1/18 rating for Game 3 of Yankees-Phillies is +49% better than last year’s 6.1/13 for Rays-Phillies, and +57% in audience (15.4 mill. vs. 9.8 mill.) Last night’s +49% ratings increase is the single largest in the history of the World Series for a prime-time game.

Last night's game was delayed by rain for 80 minutes. When play got underway at 9:17pm, tune-in was a solid 6.9/13, and peaked at a 10.1/18 (17.2 mill) at 10:30 PM ET. As prime time in the Eastern and Central Time zones ended, the game was in the top of the fifth inning.

PHILADELPHIA topped all markets for Game 3 with a 36.0/57, a +28% gain over their Game 3 rating a year ago (28.2/49). NEW YORK notched a 26.1/44.

2009 WORLD SERIES TO DATE

The first three games of the Fall Classic have averaged a 10.9/19 with an average audience of 17.9 million, a +42% ratings gain and +46% audience surge over last year's first three games (7.7/14, 12.3 million.) This marks the best three-game average for the World Series since 2004's 15.0/25 (24.3 million). The World Series is a powerful force in prime time as the first three games would rank as the No. 5 show season-to-date in households, and No. 10 in Adults 18-49.

Making NFL picks on a historic day in Philly

Even with the extra hour, I'm feeling a little groggy today as I awaken from a late night in Philly and prepare for another trip down the turnpike and Schuyklill.

A lot of hype about this being a historic day with Giants-Eagles and Yankees-Phillies happening a few years and a couple of hundred yards apart spotlighting this New York/Philly rivalry. I'm not into the history, just survival. The No. 1 goal for me today is to get into Citizens Bank Park while the Eagles game is going on.

That's the strategy.

As for the picks, well, haven't given them much thought, which may be a good thing because when I think hard about these games, they usually go the wrong way. Last week, I was 8-5 outright, 7-5-1 vs. spread.

Puts me at 62-40 outright, 51-50-1 against the spread this season.

HOME TEAMS IN CAPS

BALTIMORE (-3.5) 24, Denver 20

CHICAGO (-12) 31, Cleveland 17

Houston (-3.5) 31, BUFFALO 21

GREEN BAY (-3) 34, Minnesota 24

INDY (-13) 37, San Fran 17

Miami (+3.5) 24, NY JETS 21

DETROIT (-3.5) 33, St. Louis 20

DALLAS (-9.5) 38, Seattle 24

SAN DIEGO (-16.5) 34, Oakland 17

TENNESSEE (-3) 23, Jacksonville 21

ARIZONA (-10) 30, Carolina 21

Giants (-1) 23, PHILADELPHIA 19

MONDAY NIGHT

NEW ORLEANS (-11) 45, Atlanta 17

What a finish in Orefield on Friday night

Took a break from the World Series to check out some high school football and was treated to a memorable game in Orefield on Friday night.

Talk about your rollercoaster of emotions as Parkland saw certain victory dashed with that 78-yard pass completion and late Emmaus touchdown in regulation

But the Trojans regrouped to win it in overtime as special teams -- often overlooked by fans, but so instrumental -- made the difference.

I'm sure there's a lot of second-guessing going on with Emmaus. The Hornets may regret not going for a touchdown and attempting a field goal early in the fourth quarter, especially when it has been plain to see that kicker Austin O'Brien, an all-league kicker last year, has had his struggles this season.

Emmaus is now a 5-4 football team and I've been there for all four of their losses and they have yet to be dominated by anybody. A play here and a play there has been costly in each of their four losses.

Coach Joe Bottiglieri realizes he has a young team, but that doesn't make some of these tough losses any easier to take.

"You've got to put points on the board when you get a chance," Bottiglieri said. "Hindsight's 20-20, but I guess we should go to Kevin White all the time and just throw it to him because he's pretty hard to stop. They did a good job of doubling him with a guy short and another deep on him. We finally got 1-on-1 coverage and we were able to get him the ball for that touchdown at the end.

"We've got to look at the film and see what we did wrong and just get better. And we have to get better in a hurry because we play Central Catholic and that's a good football team. We've had two tough losses in a row, but our kids are tough, resilient and they're going to bounce back. They're going to be very determined against Central because that's a big rival for us. It's senior night and the kids definitely want to play well."

Quarterback Brady Knerr played well for Emmaus even though Bottiglieri said he was sick all week and just had one day of practice. Mason Spangler was also hurt and was used minimally on offense

"We've just got to get people healthy and get people back," Bottiglieri said. "These are a good bunch of kids."

It's going to be interesting when the rankings come out and you see all the variations and possibilities. Coaches, players and fans will have to get out the calculator to figure things out. A lot of teams are lumped together at 5-4 in the LVC and perhaps the best approach is to just worry about winning your game and then let the numbers fall where they may.

(The Parkland defense hits hard, right)

It's tough to say anything with certaintly, but Emmaus thinks it can get into the district/PIAA playoffs by beating Central Catholic.

One thing that is certain is that Parkland is in and will be a tough out because of Andre Williams and their defense.

Emmaus did an excellent job against Williams and he still had 128 yards rushing.

"Our kids did a great job of bottling up Andre, but Parkland's so good at running the ball," Bottiglieri said. "If you want to learn how to run the football, you go visit that staff. But our kids did a great job. They just came up a little short."

(Andre Williams, below, could carry Parkland deep into the playoffs)

Week 9 High School Picks: Nothing but home runs here

Maybe the Sports Illustrated jinx is affecting two entire teams in the World Series. I watched the two games in the Bronx the last couple of nights, games truly dominated by pitching, and get home to see my Sports Illustrated proclaiming: "WELCOME TO THE BIG BASH: Ryan Howard + A-Rod = World Series Home Run Derby."

Hasn't exactly worked out that way so far.

Howard had two doubles in Game 1 before striking out four times in Game 2.

A-Rod is back to being A-Fraud. He's 0-for-8 with six strikeouts.

And so far, this ballyhooed battle of blasters has had just four home runs with just three guys doing the damage.

Let's see if we can do some damage with our picks. Went 19-3 last week to go to 141-47 on the season, a .750 percentage.

For what's it worth, even after the Yankees won last night, I haven't changed my thought from yesterday -- the Phillies are still going to win the Series.

Actually, this is following the exact same pattern as last year's World Series and their previous two postseason series this year -- win one, lose one, finish it off.

There's a chance we won't be going back to the Bronx. Can't say I'd miss it.

Here's the high school picks:

LVC

Whitehall 41, Allen 0 -- Zephs impressed me with their win over Emmaus.

Becahi 28, Northampton 21 -- Unless Golden Hawks are still celebrating that big win over Freedom.

Liberty 33, Easton 14 -- Beginning to think they might actually spend the holiday season in Hershey again.

Parkland 21, Emmaus 14 -- I'm heading here. Another Andre Williams Show in Orefield? Probably not. But enough big plays to sting a Hornets team still smarting from that loss to Whitehall.

Freedom 42, Nazareth 28 -- Defense may only be a rumor in this one.

CCHS 49, Dieruff 7 -- At least this is the last pounding these dogs will take before getting Allen.

Colonial

Northwestern 34, Bangor 7 -- Bet they serve some sweet hot chocolate in New Tripoli.

Northern Lehigh 27, Catasauqua 20 -- The game of the night in the northern part of this league. Bet the french fries still taste good in Slatington.

Salisbury 27, Notre Dame 12 -- They won't win a title, but the Falcons' turnaround with that legendary coaching staff has been quite a story.

Palisades 28, Southern Lehigh 27 -- The game of the night in the southern part of this league. My guess is you better watch out for deer as you make your way to Kintnersville.

Wilson 48, Saucon Valley 13 -- From the looks of it, Wilson took the week off last Saturday. Won't happen again.

Pen Argyl 28, Palmerton 12 -- Should be a gorgeous day at Pen Argyl on Saturday and a Happy Halloween for the Green Knights.

Others

ES North 20, Lehighton 6 -- Had a good time at the Country Junction Pocono Pumpkin Festival last Sunday (I think that's what it's called). Saw lots of wonderful Carbon and Monroe County people there.

Pleasant Valley 14, PM East 13 -- Bears still can get to .500 under first-year coach Terwilliger.

Pocono Mt. West 20, Stroudsburg 19 -- This is a much better boys basketball matchup in the winter than it is on the gridiorn.

Hazleton 28, ES South 21 -- If I get back up to Hazleton during this football postseason (and there's a good chance I will), it just won't be the same without Ray Saul there to greet me and talk old times.

North Schuylkill 28, Panther Valley 21 -- Saw Ed Hedes while shivering my way to the upper deck at Yankee Stadium the other night and I think Ed said North Schuylkill was the best team up that way. I hope I heard him right through the freeze.

Tamaqua 34, Minersville 7 -- Raiders regroup from 20-2 shellacking received from Panther Valley.

Marian Catholic 19, Jim Thorpe 14 -- Down year for both, but at least the Colts are showing some life with two-game win streak.

Quakertown 27, CB West 6 -- For all of his fans, all four or five of them, here's your Toomey Anderson moment: "I talked to star Qtown tailback at open gym to let him know how he must get revenge for me against CB West. (Toomey's Parkland team lost in the PIAA playoffs to West back in the Pettine Era). He promised to handle the situation for me, and since he's a good player, I'm going to ride with him." And I'm going to ride the Toomey Express to a good pick here.

Pennridge 20, CB South 7 -- Pennridge should petition the PIAA to get its nickname changed from Rams. No one should be saddled with even the most remote of associations to that pathetic team in St. Louis.

Pottsgrove 34, Upper Perk 8 -- Pottsgrove is 8-0 and giving up just eight points per game.

There you go. Happy Halloween and I hope you'll enjoy your extra hour of sleep on Saturday night as much as I will.

Jeter to receive Clemente Award

He’d probably trade it for a Game 2 victory tonight at Yankee Stadium, but Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is going to be presented with the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award before tonight’s game.

The award salutes the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team,” as voted by baseball fans and members of the media.

The award was previously called the Commissioner’s Award when it began in 1971. It was renamed in honor of Clemente in 1973 after the Pirates’ star outfielder was killed in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua.

Each year, a panel of baseball dignitaries selects one player from 30 nominees, one from each club. Teams choose their nominee during the regular season, and the winner is announced at the World Series.

The player who receives the most votes online via MLB's official website, MLB.com, gets one vote in addition to the votes cast by the panel.

This year’s Phillies nominee was Cole Hamels.

Last year’s winner was the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols.

The last Phillies player to win the award was Garry Maddox in 1986. The last previous Yankee to receive the honor was Don Baylor in 1985.

Jeter is expected to talk about the award at a pregame press conference and receive the award during a pregame ceremony.

Game 1 ratings up significantly over 2008

Fox has put out a release touting its overnight ratings for Game 1 of the World Series. Here it is:

WORLD SERIES GAME 1 up 29% OVER ‘08

Second Highest Game 1 of Decade

Game 1 of the 2009 WORLD SERIES averaged 11.9/19 (19.5 million viewers) last night on FOX according to “fast national” ratings issued this morning by Nielsen Media Research.

Last night’s 11.9/19 for Game 1 of Phillies-Yankees is a 29 percent gain over last year’s 9.2/15 for Game 1 of Phillies-Rays. It’s also the second-best World Series Game 1 of the decade (2001-09), trailing only 2004’s 13.7/25 (Red Sox-Cardinals) and it’s FOX’s best rating for a non-decisive World Series game since Game 3 in 2004 (15.7/24).

The prime-time portion of Game 1 averaged 12.0/19 (19.7 mill.) from 8:00-11:00 PM ET, making it the highest-rated and most-watched single night of prime-time this season on any network, as well as the top Wednesday night on any network since FOX’s American Idol finale in May. WS Game 1 dominated the night’s Primetime battle by every meaningful standard. Game 1’s 6.3 rating among Adults 18-49 nearly matched the combined delivery of ABC (2.5), CBS (2.1), and NBC (2.1), who totaled 6.7 rating points. Among Adults 18-49, last night is the season’s second highest-rated night on any network, trailing only FOX on Monday, Sept. 21 (HOUSE premiere).

Viewing grew steadily throughout prime time, peaking at a 13.0/21 from 10:30-11:00 PM ET. Viewing fell slightly after 11:00 PM, dropping to a 12.1/21 as the Phillies extended their lead from 2-0 to 6-0 (final score was 6-1). Despite the Phils pulling away, the post-11:00 PM rating of 12.1/21 is still percentbetter than the entire game rating, an indication that FOX is holding more audience through the final out because postseason games are starting earlier than ever before.

- PHILADELPHIA topped all markets with a stellar 44.5/59, a 25 percent gain over their Game 1 rating a year ago (35.7/53). NEW YORK notched a 29.7/43, which beats all six games of the last Yankees World Series in 2003, as well as Games 1 through 6 of the 2001 World Series. Cleveland, another market of note given that both starting pitchers are former Indians, earned a 12.0/18, up 71 percednt over last year's 7.0/12 for Game 1. Although the "Amtrak Series" pits northeastern cities whose ballparks are barely 100 miles apart, Game 1 rated well on the west coast. Last night's game averaged a 10.8 in Pacific Time Zone markets, the best Game 1 on the west coast since 2004 and even better than Game 1 of the 2001 Series (9.9), which included the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Wilson on TV tonight; Super Sunday coming

Couple of TV notes to pass along before I head back to Yankee Stadium.

First, from Chris Michael, here's the info on his RCN4 TV show tonight at 6:

"Sports Talk Call-in Show".

On RCN TV-4 and also on WGPA 1100-AM radio. We’ll talk HS Football featuring Head Coach Bret Comp & members of the Wilson football team.

Sports fans can email us questions/opinions at any time at rcnsportstalk@rcn.com & our panelists will respond to viewers comments live on our next show.

**************************

And then from Tom Fallon at ESPN radio of the Lehigh Valley:

"ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley continues to bring listeners the very best play-by-play. Find me a station anywhere in the country that will have this exact line-up this Sunday."

NY Giants Football @ Philadelphia – airs 12:45pm

Minnesota @ Green Bay – airs 4:15pm (The Favre return to Lambeau game)

Yankees @ Phillies – Game 4 of the World Series – airs 7:15pm

After Game 1: Gut, eyes tell me Phillies are going to win this thing

Yes, I predicted the Yankees would win this World Series back before the two LCS began.

I stayed with the pick for the newspaper on Wednesday morning, although I had a change of heart and tried to get it changed -- to no avail.

I think J-Roll was right. The Phillies are going to win this World Series and they could win it in as few as five games. They are a relentless machine at the moment. Last year, everything fell into place for them to win the series. This time, it's sheer dominance, and not luck, that's getting it done. This team is much better than the 2008 version.

And the improvement stats with Cliff Lee (below, right) who was brilliant in Game 1, but again, it's the tenacity of this lineup that continues to impress. Tonight, they had nine hits, but also six walks. They just work pitchers over and eventually get their way.

Shut a couple of guys down -- as CC Sabathia did tonight -- and someone else rises up and beats you. He got Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino three times apiece and fanned Ryan Howard twice after a first-inning double.

But he couldn't get Chase Utley out.

And that was the ballgame.

So much for the Yankees riding CC to three of the four wins needed for their 27th world title. So much for a week-long rust slowing the Phillies bats.

Now, the Yanks turn to A.J. Burnett, who was quite shaky the last time we saw him pitch in Anaheim.

I don't know what the Yankees are going to do with Pedro in what is sure to be a circus, but I do have a feeling that the Phillies are going to pound Burnett and come back to Philly up 2-0, even though they have lost the previous Game 2s this postseason.

I still think the Phillies bullpen is vulnerable, but Cliff Lee has pitched so well and the lineup has produced enough offense that the bullpen really hasn't mattered much throughout this postseason.

Closer Mariano Rivera is the Yanks' most potent weapon, but he can't do much when he's not in the game.

If things go well tonight, I see New York pressing and getting frustrated.

The Phillies never stay frustrated. They just keep working pitchers, and ultimately, pounding them.

Leftover Game 1 Notes:

Sabathia now as a 1.52 ERA in four starts this postseason. It was the fifth time in his career that he allowed a pair of homers to lefthanded hitters in one game, the third time it was done by the same hitter.

Lee's 10 strikeouts were the most by a pitcher in a World Series games since Josh Beckett fanned 10 on Oct. 21, 2003 against Florida.

It was the 51st time that a pitcher fanned at least 10 batters in a World Series game, but just the third time taht a pitcher accomplished that feat with no walks.

The only other two to do it were Pittsburgh's Deacon Phillippe in 1903 and Brooklyn's Don Newcombe in 1949.

The Phillies have won four straight Series games, their longest streak ever. They have also won their last seven World Series games when scoring first.

The attendance was 50,207 and the net receipts were $7.8 million dollars -- $586,594 going to each club, $4.7 million to the players pool, $1.1 million to the commissioner's office.

MLB Network's Muhlenberg grad predicts Phillies win in 7

Enjoyed a conversation in the Yankee Stadium press dining room just a few minutes ago with Matt Yallof, a 1990 Muhlenberg College graduate who is one of the anchors on the increasingly popular MLB Network.

We'll have more of a complete profile on Yallof later during the Series, but he had some interesting things to say about this series. Having worked in both New York and Philly (he grew up in Long Island), he's very passionate about it.

"It's special," he said. "You've got the best two teams in baseball, two powerhouses and the core of both of these teams are homegrown guys. Yes, they've both added some important pieces like CC and A-Rod on the Yankees, but the core is homegrown.

"Plus, look at the two managers. They couldn't be more different in personality. You can't find a greater contrast. One [Joe Girardi] is incredibly corporate, buttoned-up, and has a tightness about him. It's not an uncomfortable tightness, it's a business tightness.

"And the other one [Charlie Manuel] is our Casey Stengel. You don't have guys like him anymore. Those characters are gone. He's a wonderful man who deserved this job after being initially villified as not being able to handle Philadelphia."

Yallof''s prediction?

"Phillies in seven," he said. "This team is special. I've been in that clubhouse and there's something in there. They're not just good, they're special. They are not arrogant, but extremely confident. They think they're going to win and when they lose, they act like it didn't happen and they'll just win the next day. They're going to win it, I really believe it."

The Boss and Bryant Gumbel speak

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is not in great health, but he reportedly is going to be there for the first game of the World Series tonight.

The Yankees released a statement to the media from Steinbrenner.

It said:

"The Yankees' enormous will to win, tremdendous professionalism and great team spirit, backed by the best, most vocal and supportive fans have propelled us into the World Series. We're looking forward to our 27th ring."

*A mini-pregame concert featuring Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, who were going to perform their hit "Empire State of Mind: has been moved to Game 2 tomorrow night. Keys is also slated to sing the national anthem. No word yet on whether she will still be doing that tonight or tomorrow.

**And finally, here's how Bryant Gumbel closed his "Real Sports" show on HBO this week:

“Finally tonight, a few words about the New York Yankees. I will admit upfront to some bias, and I’ll certainly understand if the folks in Anaheim would beg to differ, but having the Yankees in the World Series is clearly in the best interest of Major League Baseball. As the most polarizing team in the game, they’re certain to make their matchup with the Phillies the most compelling fall classic in years.

“Now before you start throwing things at your screen, I would ask that you keep in mind one simple truth…that sports works best when there’s a gold standard…something or someone to be measured against. Like it or not, when Tiger Woods struts, when Bill Belichick cheats, when USC tops the football polls, when the Lakers are running…when the time tested best are winning, people care, no matter the sport. And no team has ever won more than the Yankees.

“With their rich, historic tradition and their obscene, exorbitant payroll, the Yankees represent, to many, all that’s right and wrong with Major League Baseball. They arouse levels of passion nationally that teams in most outposts can’t even fathom. And they remind true sports fans of why the national pastime is still baseball, and not betting on some point spread.

“Yes, Yankees fans are loud, passionate and often obnoxious. So too are these who see red when they see pinstripes. Some are provincial, some are envious, some would even claim to actually hate the Yankees…when, in truth, they probably don’t. For as Celtics great Bill Russell once wisely noted: the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s apathy.”

State football rankings

Pennsylvania high school football rankings from the Patriot-News of Harrisburg for the week of Tuesday, October 27, with school’s district in parentheses, followed by the school’s record and last week’s ranking. NR means not ranked. Honorable mention teams listed alphabetically.

CLASS AAAA

1. Bishop McDevitt (3) 8-0 1

2. North Penn (1) 8-0 2

3. Gateway (7) 8-0 3

4. St. Joseph’s Prep (12) 6-1 4

5. McKeesport (7) 7-1 5

6. La Salle College HS (12) 6-1 6

7. Woodland Hills (7) 7-1 7

8. Pennsbury (1) 8-0 8

8. McDowell (10) 6-2 9

10. Cardinal O’Hara (12) 7-1 10 Honorable mention

Avon Grove (1) 7-1, Bethel Park (7) 7-1, Council Rock South (1) 6-2, Cumberland Valley (3) 7-1, Downingtown West (1) 7-1, Easton (11) 7-1, Garnet Valley (1) 7-1, Neshaminy (1) 7-1, North Allegheny (7) 7-1, Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7) 6-2, Ridley (1) 8-0, Shaler (7) 7-1, State College (6) 7-1, Wilson (3) 7-1.

CLASS AAA

1. Thomas Jefferson (7) 8-0 1

2. Selinsgrove (4) 8-0 2

3. Wilson Area (11) 8-0 3

4. Manheim Central (3) 8-0 4

5. Hopewell (7) 8-0 5

6. Bayard Rustin (1) 8-0 6

7. Pottsgrove (1) 8-0 7

8. Cathedral Prep (10) 6-2 8

9. West York (3) 8-0 9

10. Allentown Cent. Catholic (11) 7-1 10

Honorable mention

Abington Heights (2) 7-1, Berwick (2) 6-2, Chartiers Valley (7) 7-1, Dallas (2) 8-0, Greencastle-Antrim (3) 6-2, Hershey (3) 6-2, Interboro (1) 8-0, North Pocono (2) 7-1, Owen J. Roberts (1) 7-1, Strong Vincent (10) 6-2, Susquehanna Twp. (3) 7-1, West Allegheny (7) 6-2.

CLASS AA

1. Dunmore (2) 8-0 2

2. Center (7) 7-1 NR

3. Beaver Falls (7) 7-1 1

4. Aliquippa (7) 7-1 4

5. West Catholic (12) 6-2 6

6. General McLane (10) 8-0 5

7. Lancaster Catholic (3) 7-1 7

8. Wilmington (10) 7-1 9

9. South Fayette (7) 8-0 10

10. Keystone Oaks (7) 7-1 NR Honorable mention

Bok (12) 8-0, Burrell (7) 6-2, Forest Hills (6) 8-0, Freeport (7) 7-1, Loyalsock Twp. (4) 6-2, Martinsburg Central (6) 7-1, Middletown (3) 6-2, Montoursville (4) 7-1, Mount Carmel (4) 6-2, Northern Lehigh (11) 7-1, North Schuylkill (11) 8-0, Shady Side Academy (7) 7-1, Sto-Rox (7) 6-2, Towanda (4) 8-0, Trinity (3) 6-2, Tyrone (6) 7-1.

CLASS A

1. Rochester (7) 8-0 1

2. Farrell (10) 8-0 2

3. Bishop McCort (6) 8-0 3

4. Laurel (7) 7-1 4

5. Clairton (7) 7-1 5

6. Steelton-Highspire (3) 5-2 6

7. Old Forge (2) 8-0 7

8. Bellwood-Antis (6) 8-0 8

9. Portage (6) 8-0 9

10. Serra Catholic (7) 7-1 10 Honorable mention

Honorable mention: Avonworth (7) 7-1, Calvary Christian (1) 6-1, Cameron County (9) 8-0, Conemaugh Twp. (5) 7-1, Mercyhurst Prep (10) 8-0, North Catholic (7) 6-2, Sharpsville (10)

Enough of this mutual admiration society at the Series

We've moved Groller's Corner to the Bronx for a few days for the first two games of the World Series. You might have heard something about it. The Yankees are playing the Phillies.

Hope the rain that made this place miserable today (the tarp is on the field as I type) gets out of here tomorrow so we can play baseball and get away from all of this pre-Series chatter.

Nothing but pleasantries exchanged here today. Thank God for Jimmy Rollins adding a little spice with his prediction of a Phillies win in five.

This Game 1 pitching matchup between CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee has turned into a mutual admiration society. They're good friends. They respect each other. They developed together with the Indians. How nice. How boring.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, the former Indians skipper, loves CC, too. He was gushing about him today during one of the several media sessions here at Yankee Stadium.

The Indians got as much conversation as the Yankees and Phillies. (See Cliff, right, and CC below)

A sampling:

Q: Cliff, how did you and CC become such good friends?

Cliff: "I don't know. We had similar type personalities, laid-back personalities. I think we made each other better. We helped each other out as far as how we thought we should approach certain teams and just what's the best frame of mind to have on the mound and stuff. I honestly think we both helped each other out along the way and both became better from the relationship we developed."

Q: CC, What's your relationship like with Cliff Lee?

Sabathia: "We're close. You know we always have been. We came up together. Once he got traded over, he came to the big leagues, and we've been close ever since. You know it's going to be fun facing him. We did it on Opening Day, we opened up [this] stadium and that was pretty cool. It's just weird because a couple of years ago we were talking about maybe pitching in a World Series together. Now, we're in different clubhouses. It's just a little weird, but it'll be fun."

Q: Tell us about CC, Charlie?

Manuel: You know, CC is a great talent and he's a tremendous pitcher. One of the biggest things he's got is great desire and he loves to pitch. He's a great competitor. ... For us to beat CC, we've got to beat a good pitcher, and I have all the respect in the world for him. As a matter of fact, I like the heck out of him."

You get the gist. On and on it went today. Bleeeccch.

In the only news, Charlie announced Pedro will start Game 2 and Brett Myers was on the World Series roster and Miguel Cairo was not.

Joe Girardi said he'll announce his final roster tomorrow. And he won't name a Game 4 starter until he sees how it all unfolds.

Compared to Charlie, Girardi comes across as a no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point kind of guy, but still doesn't reveal much of anything. Then again, he knows the drill with the New York media.

When pressed on his Game 4 pitching decision, he said:

"We have a plan of what we're going to do, but that plan can be adjusted depending on where you are in the series," Girardi said. "That has something to do with it. How guys are feeling, that has something to do with it, as well. How hard they were worked. So, we do have a plan, but the series can dictate some things that you do different."

Joe Buck says he's not in Scully and Gowdy's class

This will be Joe Buck's 12th World Series play-by-play assignment for Fox, tying him with Vin Scully and the late Curt Gowdy as doing the most Fall Classic play-by-play TV gigs in baseball history.

Those who don't like Buck would probably say it was false modesty he was putting out there on Monday during a Fox teleconference, but he admitted that's he's not in the same class as Scully and Gowdy.

"I've just been lucky to have been in the right place at the right time," he said. "I happened to work for the same people since I started as a 24-year-old. I don't consider myself in that category with those two guys. Those two guys are the standard by which all others are measured. I'm certainly not in that category just because I've had some longevity. Longevity doesn't equal greatness and in my mind greatness is the other two guys and certainly continues with Vin Scully to this day. I'm not even in that same sentence."

Buck and partner Tim McCarver, who is working a record 20th World Series as an analyst, got clobbered by Phillies fans last year who accused them of favoring Tampa Bay with their comments.

(These two may have people turning down the TV sound and turning up the radio volume during the Series)

Buck says those accusations are always going to fly during a passionate sporting event like the World Series.

"We get excited when good plays happen and get critical when bad plays happen," he said. "It doesn't matter which team we're getting excited about and it doesn't matter which team we are getting critical of. I think any fan that is living and dying with every pitch is an easily explained phenomenon. They want the voices they hear to think and act like they do. I think it's only human nature. When they don't hear that or they don't hear their local announcers who do the games for them during the course of the summer and they're hearing it from someone who has a different point view, their radar goes up and it's like 'Clearly this guy is against my team.' I can tell you, I don't think like that."