Andy Weaver Information Page: September 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Two Chuck Bednarik ceremonies planned for Liberty on Friday

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Chuck Bednarik will be honored in two separate ceremonies on Friday at Liberty High School with the second one culminating in the unveiling of a statue of "Concrete Charlie" at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.

The first ceremony will take place inside Memorial Gym at 12:30 on Friday afternoon. A plaque will dedicated at that ceremony.

The second ceremony will occur at 6:30 during the pregame of the Lehigh Valley Conference game between Central Catholic and the host Liberty Hurricanes.

Liberty athletic director Fred Harris confirmed the ceremonies and said that Bednarik's statue will be unveiled on the Greenadier Blvd. side of the stadium in the corner by the home stands.

The ceremonies are being held in conjunction with the Pro Football Hall of Fame's "Hometown Hall of Famer" program, according to Harris. Allstate Insurance is the sponsoring partner.

According to the Hall of Fame's website, this is the Hall of Fame's first nationwide plaque program and will lead into the celebration of the Hall's upcoming 50th anniversary in 2013.

"Honoring the hometowns that helped create the foundation for Hall of Famers' pathway to the Hall will be truly special as these plaques will live forever in their hometown communities," said George Veras, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises president and CEO. "The Hall of Fame is pleased that Allstate has recognized the significance of this program and given all of us - the players, their communities and the Pro Football Hall of Fame - a chance to celebrate the hometown stories of these legendary professional football players."

The Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate will honor a total of 90 Hall of Famers through 2014.

Following each presentation, the plaques will live permanently at a designated local venue in the Hall of Famer's hometown community. In addition to the plaque, each community will receive two commemorative Hometown Hall of Famer™ road signs to proudly display in their hometowns.

Bednarik attended Liberty High School in the early 1940s. After graduation, he entered the US Air Forces and served from 1942-46 and then was a two-time All-American at the University of Pennsylvania before embarking on a storied 14-year NFL career with the Eagles from 1949-62. He helped the Eagles win NFL titles in 1949 and '60. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

Bednarik, now 88 and living in Coopersburg, is expected to attend both ceremonies.

Sports Media Digest- September 30, 2013

NFL Today Analysts to Get Work on Game Sites as Game Analysts

CBS Sports announced today that three members of its NFL Today crew, Boomer Esiason, Sterling Sharpe, and Bill Cowher will leave the studio and serve as second analyst at three game sites during week six of the NFL.

The trio will call games featuring the teams they either played for or coached: Cowher will form a three-man booth with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms to call the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets; Esiason will join Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots to call Cincinnati at Buffalo; and Sharpe will head back to Denver to team with Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts for the Jacksonville-Denver game.

Bart Scott and Amy Trask will fill the trio’s role on the NFL Today, moving from That Other Pregame Show that day.

“We wanted to try something new and showcase the insights and perspective of our studio analysts during a game broadcast,” said CBS Sports Chairman McManus. “Looking at the slate of regional games during Week 6, with three involving the former teams of our studio analysts, we thought it was the perfect time to have some fun and add Coach, Boomer and Shannon to our game coverage.”

SEC Football Continues to Score Big on CBS

CBS Sports reports that the overnight ratings for Saturday’s LSU/Georgia SEC football game earned the network an average rating of 4.9, up 75% over the game from the same week last year (Tennessee/Georgia)

CBS also announced that this Saturday’s SEC match-up will feature Georgia at Tennessee while the game on October 12th will pit Florida at LSU.

Former Coach George Karl Joins ESPN as NBA Analyst

ESPN announced today that it has hired former NBA Coach of the Year George Karl as an NBA analyst.

Karl will make his debut on the 11 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter on Saturday, October 5 and also make regular appearances on NBA Coast 2 Coast, NBA Tonight and other news and information programming.

“I’m excited to be back at ESPN and to offer the insights that I’ve gathered from 25 years of coaching,” said Karl. “It’s going to be a fun season ahead and I’m looking forward to sharing it with our viewers.”

ESPN Digital and Yahoo! Sports Claim Victory in Latest Online Viewership Numbers

Yahoo! Sports remains the leader in terms of unique visitors while ESPN is claims the top spot of average minutes of the audience, audience share, and minutes per user, according to the latest monthly online figures provided by comScore.

Yahoo! Sports attracted 61.6 million unique viewers last month compared with 57.8 million on ESPN’ digital platform. 114,151 people used ESPN digital properties on computers, smartphones and tablets in the average minute throughout August and had 29.5% of the online sports audience.

ESPN Radio’s Coverage of the MLB Wild Card and Division Playoffs

http://sportsmediajournal.com

ESPN Radio is the radio home for Major League Baseball’s Wild Card and League Division Series.

Here is the schedule of games on ESPN Radio, along with announcer assignments:

ESPN Radio Wild Card Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators
Tue, Oct 1	8 p.m.	National League Wild Card: Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser
Wed, Oct 2	8 p.m.	American League Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays or Texas Rangers at Cleveland Indians Jon Sciambi, Chris Singleton

ESPN Radio NLDS Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators
Thu, Oct 3	TBD	National League Wild Card at St. Louis Cardinals – Game 1 Dave Flemming, Rick Sutcliffe
	TBD	Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves – Game 1 Shulman, Hershiser
Fri, Oct 4	TBD	NL Wild Card at St. Louis Cardinals – Game 2 Flemming, Sutcliffe
	TBD	Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves – Game 2 Shulman, Hershiser
Sun, Oct 6	TBD	St. Louis Cardinals at NL Wild Card – Game 3 Flemming, Sutcliffe
	TBD	Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers – Game 3 Shulman, Hershiser
Mon, Oct 7	TBD	St. Louis Cardinals at NL Wild Card – Game 4* Flemming, Sutcliffe
	TBD	Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers – Game 4* Shulman, Hershiser
Wed, Oct 9	TBD	NL Wild Card at St. Louis Cardinals – Game 5* Flemming, Sutcliffe
	TBD	Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves – Game 5* Shulman, Hershiser

ESPN Radio ALDS Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators
Fri, Oct 4	TBD	American League Wild Card at Boston Red Sox – Game 1 Sciambi, Singleton
	TBD	Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics – Game 1 Michael Kay, Aaron Boone
Sat, Oct 5	TBD	AL Wild Card at Boston Red Sox – Game 2 Sciambi, Singleton
	TBD	Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics – Game 2 Kay, Boone
Mon, Oct 7	TBD	Boston Red Sox at AL Wild Card – Game 3 Sciambi, Singleton
	TBD	Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers – Game 3 Kay, Boone
Tue, Oct 8	TBD	Boston Red Sox at AL Wild Card – Game 4* Sciambi, Singleton
	TBD	Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers – Game 4* Kay, Boone
Thu, Oct 10	TBD	AL Wild Card at Boston Red Sox – Game 5* Sciambi, Singleton
	TBD	Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics – Game 5* Kay, Boone

Premier League Action this Week on NBC

http://sportsmediajournal.com

Here is this week’s schedule of English Premier League matches, along with network assignment, on the networks of NBC Sports:

Below is the NBCUniversal schedule for the seventh week of the Premier League season (all times ET):

Date	Time (ET)	Home-Away	Network
Mon., Sept. 30	10:30 p.m.	Barclays Premier League Review	NBCSN
Mon., Sept. 30	11:30 p.m.	Premier League Encore: Manchester Monday	NBCSN
Tues., Oct. 1	11 p.m.	Premier League Encore	NBCSN
Fri., Oct. 4	7 a.m.	Barclays Premier League News	NBCSN
Sat., Oct. 5	2:30 a.m.	Barclays Premier League Preview	NBCSN
Sat., Oct. 5	7 a.m.	Premier League Live	NBCSN
Sat., Oct. 5	7:45 a.m.	Manchester City v. Everton	NBCSN, mun2
Sat., Oct. 5	9:45 a.m.	Premier League Live	NBCSN
Sat., Oct. 5	10 a.m.	Liverpool v. Crystal Palace	NBCSN
Sat., Oct. 5	10 a.m.	Hull City v. Aston Villa	Extra Time
Sat., Oct. 5	10 a.m.	Cardiff City v. Newcastle United	Extra Time
Sat., Oct. 5	10 a.m.	Fulham v. Stoke City	Extra Time
Sat., Oct. 5	Noon	Premier League Live	NBCSN
Sat., Oct. 5	12:30 p.m.	Sunderland v. Manchester United	NBCSN, mun2
Sun., Oct. 6	12:30 a.m.	NBCSN’s Match of the Day	NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 6	8 a.m.	Premier League Live	NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 6	8:30 a.m.	Norwich City v. Chelsea	NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 6	8:30 a.m.	Southampton v. Swansea City	Extra Time
Sun., Oct. 6	10:30 a.m.	Premier League Live	NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 6	11 a.m.	West Bromwich Albion v. Arsenal	NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 6	11 a.m.	Tottenham Hotspur v. West Ham United	Extra Time
Sun., Oct. 6	11 p.m.	NBCSN’s Match of the Day II	NBCSN

Lehigh rises to No. 10 and No. 13 in the two national FCS football polls

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Lehigh's come-from-behind 34-27 win over New Hampshire on Saturday has elevated the Mountain Hawks in the FCS national polls.

Lehigh (4-0) has moved up to No. 10 in the coaches poll and to No. 13 in The Sports Network poll.

Last week, Lehigh was No. 17 in the coaches poll and No. 21 in The Sports Network rankings.

Lehigh has another major showdown looming on Saturday in the Bronx against unbeaten Fordham.

The Rams are one spot ahead of Lehigh in The Sports Netwok poll, checking in at No. 12 and are three spots behind the Mountain Hawks in the coaches poll.

he Sports Network FCS Top 25

College Football Poll

Team (First-place votes) 2013 Record Points Previous Rank

1. North Dakota State Bison (157) 4-0 3949 1

2. Sam Houston State Bearkats (1) 4-1 3673 4

3. Towson Tigers 5-0 3645 3

4. Northern Iowa Panthers 4-0 3492 5

5. Eastern Illinois Panthers 4-1 3156 8

6. Eastern Washington Eagles 2-2 3050 2

7. South Dakota State Jackrabbits 3-2 2581 6

8. Montana State Bobcats 3-2 2561 11

9. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 5-0 2478 12

10. Montana Grizzlies 3-1 1964 7

11. McNeese State Cowboys 4-1 1836 9

12. Fordham Rams 5-0 1832 16

13. Lehigh Mountain Hawks 4-0 1764 21

14. Central Arkansas Bears 2-2 1763 13

15. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 3-1 1711 24

16. Georgia Southern Eagles 3-1 1635 15

17. Wofford Terriers 2-2 1203 17

18. Cal Poly Mustangs 2-2 1195 18

19. New Hampshire Wildcats 1-2 1162 10

20. Villanova Wildcats 2-2 1002 19

21. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 3-1 947 20

22. Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 3-1 724 23

23. Maine Black Bears 4-1 702 NR

24. Delaware Blue Hens 4-1 671 NR

25. Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs 4-1 570 25

Others receiving votes: Youngstown State 555, James Madison 544, William & Mary 235, Southern Utah 180, North Carolina A&T 126, Richmond 83, Tennessee State 59, Samford 46, Illinois State 45, Charleston Southern 41, Southeastern Louisiana 33, Harvard 31, Jacksonville State 27, Chattanooga 27, Stony Brook 17, Western Illinois 9, South Carolina State 7, Murray State 6, Portland State 6, Liberty 4, Sacred Heart 3.

RANK SCHOOL (FIRST-PLACE VOTES) RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS

1. North Dakota State (26) 4-0 650 1

2. Towson 5-0 623 2

3. Sam Houston State 4-1 599 4

4. Northern Iowa 4-0 567 5

5. Eastern Illinois 4-1 485 12

6. Coastal Carolina 5-0 477 11

7. Montana State 3-2 465 10

8. Eastern Washington 2-2 450 3

9. South Dakota State 3-2 432 6

10. Lehigh 4-0 345 17

11. Central Arkansas 2-2 336 13

12. Montana 3-1 330 7

13. Fordham 5-0 328 16

14. McNeese State 4-1 320 9

15. Wofford 2-2 298 15

16. Bethune-Cookman 3-1 256 18

17. Northern Arizona 3-1 242 22

18. New Hampshire 1-2 222 7

19. Cal Poly 2-2 198 19

20. Villanova 2-2 168 21

21. James Madison 3-1 122 14

22. Youngstown State 4-1 117 25

23. Maine 4-1 103 NR

24. Gardner-Webb 4-1 49 NR

25. Delaware 3-1 47 NR

Turner Announces Broadcaster Assignment for Wild Card and Division Series

http://sportsmediajournal.com

Turner Sports announced today the announcer assignments for TBS’ coverage of the MLB Wild Card games and Division Series.

Here is the schedule and assignments for the two Wild Card games:

Date	Time (ET)	Games/Commentator Teams
Tuesday, Oct. 1	7 p.m.	*MLB Postseason Pre-Game on TBS presented by Jeep*Keith Olbermann (host), Mark DeRosa, Dirk Hayhurst, Pedro Martinez and Tom Verducci (analysts).
	8 p.m.	N.L. Wild Card Game: Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates Ernie Johnson (play-by-play), Ron Darling and Cal Ripken (analysts) with Craig Sager (reporter)
	Postgame	*The Postseason Show on TBS presented by Johnnie Walker* Olbermann, DeRosa, Hayhurst, Martinez and Verducci

Wednesday, Oct. 2	7 p.m.	*MLB Postseason Pre-Game on TBS presented by Jeep*Olbermann, DeRosa, Hayhurst, Martinez and Verducci
	8 p.m.	A.L. Wild Card Game: Tampa Bay Rays / Texas Rangers at Cleveland Indians Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Joe Simpson and John Smoltz (analysts) with Rachel Nichols (reporter)
	Postgame	*The Postseason Show on TBS presented by Johnnie Walker* Olbermann, DeRosa, Hayhurst, Martinez and Verducci

Here are the assignments for the Division Series:

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves – Ernie Johnson (play-by-play), Ron Darling and Cal Ripken (analysts) with Craig Sager (reporter)
N.L. Wild Card vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Bob Brenly (analyst) with Matt Winer (reporter)
Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics – Don Orsillo (play-by-play), Dennis Eckersley and Buck Martinez (analysts) with David Aldridge (reporter)
A.L. Wild Card vs. Boston Red Sox – Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Joe Simpson and John Smoltz (analysts) with Rachel Nichols (reporter)

Pocono's NASCAR and IndyCar race dates in 2014 have been set

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER

The 2014 race dates for Pocono Raceway have been set and they're almost identical to the dates of this past summer.

The two NASCAR Sprint Cup series will again have its races on the firt weekend of June and August.

The Pocono 400 is set for the weekend of June 6-8 and the GoBowling.com 400 is scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 1-3.

The IndyCar series returns for the second straight year on the weekend of July 5-6.

In addition, the Raceway will add a couple of events -- the Tough Mudder Poconos April 19-20 and the Warrior Dash on Aug. 23.

“The past year was incredible,” Brandon Igdalsky, Pocono Raceway President and CEO, said in a release. “Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson, dominated and took the checkers in our June race. Local favorite Marco Andretti set a new track record as he earned the pole for the INDYCAR race in July, but during the race, Scott Dixon came out of nowhere to capture the first open-wheel victory at Pocono since 1989.

"Then the thrilling duel, at the end of the GoBowling.com 400 in August, between teammates Jeff Gordon and eventual race winner Kasey Kahne, capped off our exciting 2013 racing season.

“We are so excited about how our 2014 schedule is shaping up. We’re not only bringing back some of the best motorsports races in the country; we’re also adding great events like the Tough Mudder and theWarrior Dash. As we shift gears and give fans more events to enjoy, our goal is to turn Pocono Raceway from the motorsports venue it currently is into one of America’s premier sports and entertainment facilities.”

Tickets for the 2014 NASCAR and INDYCAR race weekends at Pocono Raceway, which will include the same supporting series events as 2013, will go on sale October 1, 2013. Fans can visit www.poconoraceway.comor call 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929).

PFN releases Week 5 Statewide Rankings

http://www.d11football.com/news/09/30/pfn-releases-week-5-statewide-rankings/

2013 Scholastic Football Rankings – WEEK 5

By The Pennsylvania Football News

PFN’s scholastic football rankings are released for publication Sundays and include the team, geographic district, season record and previous week’s result. Teams listed as honorable mention are arranged in numerical order by geographic district.

AAAA:

1. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 3-1), def. Roman Catholic 42-7

2. Coatesville (1, 5-0), def. Bishop Shanahan 37-13

3. Upper St. Clair (7, 5-0), def. Baldwin 44-0

4. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7, 5-0), def. Seneca Valley 42-0

5. La Salle College High School (12, 4-1), def. Archbishop Ryan 28-14

6. Neshaminy (1, 5-0), def. Harry S. Truman 35-7

7. McKeesport (7, 5-0), def. Altoona Area 34-7

8. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 5-0), def. Cedar Crest 35-0

9. Cumberland Valley (3, 4-1), def. Chambersburg 31-14

10. Easton (11, 4-1), lost to Emmaus 14-7

HM: Bayard Rustin (1, 5-0), Central Bucks South (1, 4-1), Garnet Valley (1, 5-0), Pennridge (1, 4-1), Pennsbury (1, 4-1), Wyoming Valley West (2, 4-1), Penn Manor (3, 4-1), Bethel Park (7, 4-1), Gateway (7, 5-0), North Allegheny (7, 4-1), Seneca Valley (7, 4-1), Woodland Hills (7, 3-2), Parkland (11, 4-1), Whitehall (11, 4-1)

AAA:

1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 5-0), def. Susuehanna Township 36-19

2. Archbishop Wood (12, 5-0), def. Cardinal O’Hara 41-0

3. Thomas Jefferson (7, 5-0), def. Albert Gallatin 49-0

4. Cathedral Prep (10, 5-0), def. Youngstown Ursuline (OH), 37-8

5. Manheim Central (3, 5-0), def. Lebanon 72-0

6. West Allegheny (7, 5-0), def. Central Valley 13-7

7. Berwick (2, 5-0), def. Selinsgrove 36-0

8. Central Valley (7, 4-1), lost to West Allegheny 13-7

9. West Mifflin (7, 5-0), def. Ringgold 42-28

10. Pottsgrove (1, 5-0), def. Spring-Ford 14-7

HM: Abington Heights (2, 5-0), Scranton Prep (2, 5-0), Cocalico (3, 5-0), Conrad Weiser (3, 4-1), Franklin Regional (7, 4-1), Mars (7, 4-1), New Castle (7, 4-1), University Prep (8, 4-0), Clearfield Area (9, 5-0), Bethlehem Catholic (11, 4-1), Southern Lehigh (11, 4-1)

AA:

1. Imhotep Charter (12, 4-0), def. High School of the Future 83-6

2. Aliquippa (7, 5-0), def. Mohawk 56-8

3. Richland (6, 5-0), def. Bishop McCort 70-21

4. South Fayette (7, 5-0), def. Seton-LaSalle 45-3

5. Catasauqua (11, 5-0), def. Saucon Valley 56-34

6. West Catholic (12, 4-1), def. Bishop McDevitt (12) 52-14

7. Berks Catholic (3, 5-0), def. Blue Mountain 37-7

8. Danville (4, 5-0), def. Central Columbia 34-6

9. Beaver Falls (7, 5-0), def. Keystone Oaks 54-15

10. Montoursville (4, 5-0), def. Mount Carmel Area 18-13

HM: Bermudian Springs (3, 5-0), Littlestown (3, 5-0), Lewisburg (4, 4-1), Central-Martinsburg (6, 4-1), Ligonier Valley (6, 5-0), Tyrone (6, 4-1), Jeannette (7, 4-1), Mt. Pleasant (7, 5-0), Seton-LaSalle (7, 4-1), Shady Side Academy (7, 5-0), Washington (7, 5-0), Kane Area (9, 5-0), Karns City (9, 4-1), Greenville (10, 5-0), Hickory (10, 4-1)

1. Southern Columbia (4, 5-0), def. Muncy 55-13

2. Dunmore (2, 5-0), def. Holy Cross 62-21

3. Clairton (7, 4-1), def. Fort Cherry 36-28

4. Sto-Rox (7, 5-0), def. Northgate 58-0

5. Bellwood-Antis (6, 4-1), def. Mount Union 20-6

6. Pittsburgh North Catholic (7, 5-0), def. West Shamokin 60-27

7. Old Forge (2, 4-1), def. Riverside (2) 57-7

8. Monessen (7, 4-1), def. Bishop Canevin 40-6

9. Steelton-Highspire (3, 5-0), def. East Pennsboro 21-14

T-10. Clarion Area (9, 5-0), def. Union-Rimersburg 62-0

T-10. South Williamsport (4, 4-1), def. Warrior Run 63-28

HM: Bristol (1, 3-1), Lackawanna Trail (2, 4-1), Berlin Brothersvalley (5, 5-0), Northern Bedford (5, 5-0), Penns Manor (6, 5-0), Portage (6, 3-1), Avonworth (7, 5-0), Neshannock (7, 4-1), Curwensville (9, 4-1), Farrell (10, 4-1), West Middlesex (10, 4-1), Mahanoy Area (11, 5-0), Tri-Valley (11, 5-0), Williams Valley (11, 5-0)