DIRECTLY FROM KEITH GROLLER'S BLOG FROM FRIDAY

Directly from Keith Groller's Blog from Friday

I've been on a nostalgic kick lately, talking about my 30-year anniversary of my first story for the newspaper and I'm also looking forward to my 30th high school reunion coming up on Thanksgiving weekend.

But you have to be careful when you look back because you can also uncover things you'd rather forget.

Sometimes current events trigger those bad memories and that's what happened tonight when Matt Holliday dropped that flyball that would have been the final out of a Cardinals NLDS win over the Dodgers.

Being a Cardinals fan since I was a toddler, I've had some tough moments, but tonight was as bad as I remember feeling since Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. That's the Don Denkinger game when a bad call at first base led to a Royals rally in the bottom of the ninth. KC won that game and rolled the next night and the Cardinals wound up going 24 years, 1982 to 2006, between world titles.

ToddWorrell
(left) The play that has bothered me for 24 years.

Well, Holliday's drop in left followed by poor pitching reminded me of that 1985 night and that play at first. Just a bummer.

And the shame of it for me was that I watched the game in the pressbox at Citizens Bank Park while banging away on a Phillies-Rockies column for the paper. I couldn't yell, scream or slam my fist. I had to endure that misery in relative silence and get back to the column. The people right around me knew my pain, but you can't make a scene when you're on the job.

In sports, you learn to endure the scars and turn the page and so I will and dig right back into the high school football picks which haven't been as good as I'd like either.

I was 17-7 last week, making me 87-35 on the season, a .776 winning percentage. Average at best.

In the Groller-Zambelli Challenge, I dropped back another to Mike and I am three down.

So, just like the Cardinals, I will try to pick up the pieces and see what we can do this weekend:

LVC

Parkland 56, Allen 0 -- Trojans get Darrius Webb out of their system.

Liberty 28, Becahi 14 -- Hurricanes get back to .500.

Emmaus 44, Dieruff 0 -- Green Hornets assistant and former Huskies head coach Keith Brader will be on winning side tonight, but will probably still feel John McDowell's pain. Brader's Dieruff team lost 35-0 last year.

Easton 30, Nazareth 21 -- I picked the Blue Eagles to win this game last year. Won't make the same mistake. Not even Andy "Mr. Nazareth" Weaver is picking Nazareth in this one.

Freedom 42, Northampton 21 -- This is where I'm headed and I expect another show from Mr. Webb against a Konkrete Kid team that didn't play well at all last week at Emmaus.

Central Catholic 42, Whitehall 14 -- Want to thank former Central Catholic Viking Joe Ludrof, Jr., for the very nice letter to the editor in Thursday's paper. Very touched by it.

COLONIAL LEAGUE

Bangor 21, Catasauqua 7 -- Slaters playing better after 0-3 start and Roughies are banged up.

Southern Lehigh 56, Notre Dame 7 -- Spartans tune up for big one at Wilson next week.

Northwestern 27, Palmerton 7 -- Tigers can't look ahead to next week's Northern Lehigh game.

Wilson 34, Palisades 20 -- Probably the best game in the league this week. Warriors don't blow everybody out.

Saucon Valley 14, Salisbury 13; -- Saucon's previous two wins have come by a point. Why not one more time?

Northern Lehigh 21, Pen Argyl 7 -- Bulldogs win fourth straight.

MVC

ES North 34, PM East 14 -- Don't look now but the Timberwolves have won three straight and haven't scored less than 35 points in those three wins.

ES South 49, Lehighton 7 -- Cavaliers could wind up with top seed in District 11 4A. This is a definite mercy-ruler.

Pleasant Valley 27, PM West 13 -- Bears on lose-win, lose-win pattern and this week is the Bears' turn to win.

OTHERS

Wyoming Valley West 35, Stroudsburg 7 -- Wonder what George Curry is doing these days. That guy could coach.

Panther Valley 28, Marian Catholic 7 -- Panthers are just one point shy of having perfect season.

North Schuylkill 35, Tamaqua 21 -- The game of the night as two 5-0s clash.

Jim Thorpe 27, Minersville 14 -- Battlin' Miners snapped four-game losing streak last week.

Quakertown 21, CB South 14 -- Quakertown assistant basketball coach Toomey Anderson is picking Q-town 17-13 and says he can still remember competing for Parkland against the dominant Central Bucks West team of 1998. However, TA,, this South team only shares the first two words with that great CB West team of the past.

Pennridge 21, CB South 7 -- Speaking of Rams, my St. Louis version is wearing throwback jerseys this week against Minnesota to commemorate their 1999 Super Bowl title team. You can' change the uniforms, but you can't change the talent on your team and those Rams will need a major letdown by Minnesota to have a chance.

Owen J. Roberts 35, Upper Perk 14 -- Every play run by OJR is a wildcat play. That's because their nickname is the Wildcats. Their play selection has worked since they are 5-0. But Indians aren't bad.

There you go.

Can I go 22-0? Doubt it.

Glad to be back on the football scene after spending most of the last three days in Philly for the NLDS series.

As I said before, I'm headed to Northampton where there won't be a towel-waving, sellout crowd. But there won't be any traffic jams on the Schuylkill either.

Enjoy the games.

Keith Groller