About 50 years ago, paging through the Sunday Inquirer, you would find it stuffed with man’s-world staples — stories on the NFL, NHL, pro and college basketball.
But on Page 16 on Nov. 28, 1976, sandwiched between two men’s basketball previews, a headline read: “Move over guys, here comes another Top 20 poll.”
Conceived by Inquirer sports editor Jay Searcy and nurtured by Mel Greenberg, the poll gained popularity and became a building block in the growth of women’s basketball.
It took 28 years after the inception of the Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll for the women to get one. Most newspapers and TV stations ignored women’s basketball coverage.
But if there was a hotbed, it was the Philadelphia area, from Immaculata dominating the AIAW days of the ’70s to the Norristown-raised Geno Auriemma creating a dynasty at UConn.
In 1978, the AP began distributing Greenberg’s women’s basketball poll. In 1994, Greenberg ceded its compilation to the AP. The poll was a cornerstone of the game.
While Sixers center Joel Embiid was not chosen as an All-Star Game reserve, he still could be added as an injury replacement.
Joel Embiid is content with spending his All-Star break on a family vacation, instead of at the game, after he was not selected as an Eastern Conference reserve. The Sixers center said he doesn’t need “any validation from anybody,” but he still could be named an injury replacement, with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo out with a calf strain. His teammates and coach, though, were a bit surprised that Embiid was not among those selected, considering his production in recent weeks.
The Sixers should approach this week with the intention of ensuring that a roster spot is available to convert Dominick Barlow to a standard contract. His career-high 26 points and 16 rebounds in Monday’s win against Clippers proved that the Sixers need to keep him around.
What we’re …
⏱️ Counting down: The days until baseball begins as the Phillies loaded their spring training truck on Tuesday.
🤔 Wondering: Will Roger Goodell and the NFL expand the regular season to 18 games? The commissioner says it’s “not a given.”
🏀 Learning: With Thursday’s NBA trade deadline looming, can the Sixers realistically replace Paul George? Here are six questions the team faces.
📖 Reading: A former Temple soccer player turned football kicker got the Seahawks on the board in their first NFL season. But he made his name playing the accordion.
Christian Elliss has had an impactful playoff run for a Patriots team that has retained his services through three coaching regimes.
Christian Elliss was cut from an NFL roster six times in the first two seasons of his career — five times by the Eagles. The last time was at the end of the 2023 season: “They didn’t see me as piece for them. But luckily Bill [Belichick] did.”
The linebacker went from tears after the Eagles cut him to joy with a Patriots team that has made him a key part of its defense, and it has landed him back in the Super Bowl.
Flyers general manager Danny Brière said Tuesday that Matvei Michkov and Rick Tocchet have “a good relationship” and that this is all part of the learning process for the young winger.
Much of the talk in Flyers Land the past few weeks has been about Matvei Michkov, his lack of ice time, and whether coach Rick Tocchet is the right coach for his long-term development.
That speculation reached a climax on Sunday at the Flyers’ Carnival, after Tocchet doubled down on his previous revelation that Michkov showed up to training camp out of shape and is still fighting to catch up. On Tuesday, Flyers general manager Danny Brière met with the media to refute any potential rift between the Russian winger and his head coach. Here’s what he had to say.
Trevor Zegras prefers to play center. Entering Flyers training camp, the consensus from the player and the front office was that Zegras would get a chance back at his natural position. However, that hasn’t been the case — until recently. Tuesday marked the third straight game with Zegras playing down the middle.
If all goes well, the 24-year-old could help solve one of the organization’s biggest issues. Time will tell, and for now, Rick Tocchet is sticking with it.
On the ice, the Flyers snapped their four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals. Jamie Drysdale scored the go-ahead goal in the third period.
Bryce Harper and the Phillies will soon be getting back to work at their spring training home in Clearwater, Fla.
Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow on Monday, but spring training waits for no groundhog.
The Phillies’ trucks have been loaded with gear, including thousands of baseballs and one hot dog launcher, and have begun their journey toward Clearwater, Fla. Camp is set to open on Feb. 11, officially starting the long buildup toward October.
Sean Mannion’s former coaches predict he will be “a home run hire” for Eagles.
While some may be skeptical about of the Eagles’ hiring of Sean Mannion at offensive coordinator, his former coaches say he’s “a home run hire.” Take a look at who said it here.
What you’re saying about Philly’s best first-round pick
We asked: Who was the best first-round pick ever in Philadelphia sports? Among your responses:
With the fourth overall pick in 2013, Lane Johnson, University of Oklahoma. He has led the Eagles 3 Super Bowl appearances and 2 Championships. A cornerstone of the offensive line, the team does not excel when he is not in the game. — Bob C.
Best first round draft pick EVER for all Philly sports teams was of course Wilt Chamberlain by the then Philly Warriors in 1959. Best 76er 1st round pick Allen Iverson 1996, best Phillies Cole Hamels 2002, best Eagles Chuck Bednarik 1949, Bob Brown 1964, & Lane Johnson 2013. And best 2nd round Bobby Clarke 1969, and Mike Schmidt 1971. — Everett S.
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson signs autographs before the game against the New York Giants on Oct. 9.
Without a doubt Bobby Clarke. Kind of sad that it happened over 50 years ago and they’ve never done better.— Tom M.
Hard to beat Lane Johnson. Foundational, dominant, long-standing with over a decade of elite performance leading to two Super Bowl victories. — John C.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Frank Fitzpatrick, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Jeff Neiburg, Matt Breen, Ryan Mack, Devin Jackson, Jackie Spiegel, Gabriela Carroll, Owen Hewitt, Jonathan Tannenwald, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Jeff McLane, and Ariel Simpson.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thanks for getting your morning started with me. Have a wonderful Wednesday, and Kerith will catch back up with you on Thursday. — Bella
Dan McQuade had such a way with words that it’s almost impossible to find the right ones to contemplate a Philadelphia without Dan writing about all the bat-guano crazy things we do here. Dan, who wrote for a variety of sites including glory-days Deadspin and Defector, died from cancer last week. He’d just turned 43 — way too young. We started blogging at the same time in the mid-2000s, and I was blessed to know him from that long-lost scene. He leaves behind his wife, a 2-year-old son, and a remarkable body of work — like essential coverage of the Wildwood T-shirt scene, or his analysis of Sylvester Stallone’s absurd 30-mile run in Rocky II — that people will still be reading and talking about for many years to come.
The twisted, deadly culture of U.S. immigration cops can’t be fixed with training
Border Patrol agents detain a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 11.
The fear was palpable even before the ink had dried on what Donald Trump called his “Big Beautiful Bill” — the 2025 legislation that funneled a whopping $170 billion toward immigration enforcement, including doubling the number of agents in the field from 10,000 to 20,000.
Many warned the surge of inexperienced rookies — indeed, their training was slashed from 90 days to just 47 (or 48) days to race the new agents out into the streets — could lead to acts of police brutality, or worse, as an alphabet soup of Homeland Security agencies donned masks and went after immigrants in agitated urban neighborhoods.
Those whispers became a scream as Americans watched the horrific videos of a masked federal agent walking in front of the family SUV driven by a Minneapolis mom, Renee Good, and then firing three shots that killed her. Seventeen days later, one of the officers in a scrum beating up observer Alex Pretti — apparently not seeing that Pretti had already been stripped of his legal handgun — fired the first blast of what became a volley of 10 shots that killed the 37-year-old Minneapolis intensive care nurse.
On Sunday, the ProPublica newsroom revealed what the U.S. government had successfully kept secret for more than a week: the names of the two agents — both from South Texas — who fired the fusillade of shots that killed Pretti on a busy Minneapolis street.
They were not rookies.
Border Patrol officer Jesus “Jesse” Ochoa, 43 — who, according to his ex-wife, is also a gun enthusiast with 25 pistols, rifles, and shotguns — had his heart set on joining the federal force after earning his criminal justice degree from the University of Texas-Pan American and finally got his wish eight years ago, ProPublica wrote.
The site reported that the other shooter, Raymundo Gutierrez, joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2014 and works for its Office of Field Operations, where he is assigned to a kind of agency SWAT team, involved in high-risk operations.
The men who gunned down Pretti were well-trained and experienced, as was Jonathan Ross, the ICE and former Border Patrol officer who shot and killed Good during their Jan. 7 encounter. Their involvement in the killings that shocked America suggests that moderates calling for reforms at ICE, but not for a radical reworking of immigration enforcement, are failing to understand the much deeper problems.
Garrett M. Graff, a journalist and best-selling author who’s been tracking Border Patrol and its brother agencies since their expansion in the 2000s, told me on Monday that he was not at all surprised the three officers firing the deadly shots were highly experienced.
“I do think it’s enormously relevant that the shooters all have CBP backgrounds,” Graff said. “It’s an agency that routinely uses deadly force outside of the norms of law enforcement in the U.S., and it’s not a surprise to me that in both cases we see agents quick to resort to deadly force.”
Graff added that Ross’ fatal shooting of Good mirrored problems that have existed in the agency for years. He said it “jibes with a 2013 internal report that criticized CBP agents and officers for putting themselves in danger by stepping into the path of vehicles, and firing their guns out of ‘frustration’ rather than fear.”
I reached out to Graff, who was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his history of the Watergate scandal, because just two days before the ProPublica report, he offered some extraordinary history and background about CPB in testimony before an Illinois state commission that’s looking into misconduct during the 2025 immigration raids there.
Graff’s statement went viral on social media because it detailed a toxic culture at CPB that’s highlighted by shocking levels of criminality among its agents, from on-the-job brutality to off-duty thuggery, as well as domestic violence.
Finding that at least 4,913 Border Patrol agents and CBP officers were arrested over a 20-year period, Graff testified, “Indeed, for much of the 2010s and likely before and since, it appears the crime rate of CBP agents and officers was higher per capitathan the crime rate of undocumented immigrants in the United States.”
Ironic, huh? But why has this happened?
A lot of the problem, Graff testified, lies in the rapid surge of Border Patrol from around 9,200 agents at the time of the 2001 terror attacks to roughly 21,000 by the Obama administration. Those new hires, he said, were hastily recruited with limited background checks, rushed into the field with minimal training, and lacked the arrest powers of more rigorous federal agencies like the FBI.
On the job, this new cadre bonded over a culture that simmered in misogyny and racism, and then boiled over in backing an authoritarian like Trump. “Agents developed a strong tradition of frontier-style justice; its agency motto, ‘Honor first,’ is as much a statement of machismo as it is about integrity,” Graff testified.
This culture has proved lethal long before the frigid streets of Minneapolis. Graff said that CBP agents have been involved in at least 72 deadly shootings or use-of-force incidents since 2010, making it “perhaps the nation’s deadliest law enforcement agency.”
He’s not the only one to suggest that Border Patrol’s problem is its warped culture, not a lack of training or body cams. Jenn Budd, a former Border Patrol agent who became a whistleblower, has described CBP as plagued by abusive officers and a pervasive rape culture. In her memoir, she calls Border Patrol “a criminal organization disguised as a federal law enforcement agency.”
America’s response to the 9/11 attacks — the birth of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the dramatic expansion of Border Patrol, as well as the creation of ICE in 2003 — launched a monster that has now blown back against America’s own citizens, in Minnesota and elsewhere.
This fundamental notion — that ICE, CPB, and Border Patrol are rotten way past the point of tinkering around the margins — is what needs to be driving the debate on Capitol Hill. The incremental reforms some top Democrats are pushing, such as body cams or requiring arrest warrants, are fine as stopgap measures, but they would not have saved the lives of Pretti or Good.
The only fix that makes sense is abolishing ICE and all the other post-2001 excesses and returning to just the essential functions that are actually needed: airport security, arresting the relatively small number of violent criminals who enter America, humanely securing the border, and processing people seeking refuge from their violent homelands.
Abolishing ICE and radically reforming the rest of a broken system won’t bring back Good or Pretti, either, but it would be the most fitting and appropriate memorial to America’s slain martyrs of 2026.
Yo, do this!
As things in America have seemed to consistently get worse since the dawn of the 21st century, there was a frequent question: Why are there no great protest songs? You can stop asking now. Bruce Springsteen has channeled the golden era of Nobel laureate Bob Dylan, who sang in outrage over injustices like the assassination of Medgar Evers, with his own instant and electric protest record, “The Streets of Minneapolis.” Recorded and released in the course of a weekend, the Boss honors ICE murder victims Renee Good and Alex Pretti and heaps scorn on their killers. Already the most downloaded song in America, it shouldn’t have taken this for Springsteen to get his first-everNo. 1 single.
Just as everyone predicted at the start of the season, it’s Drake Maye’s New England Patriots against Sam Darnold’s Seattle Seahawks for all the marbles when Super Bowl LX kicks off Sunday night from Santa Clara, Calif. (Yes, that was sarcasm.) Although this is one of the least appealing matchups, on paper, in the history of the Big Game, 2025-26 has — excepting our Eagles — proved the most exciting NFL season in modern memory, so hopefully these two Cinderella QBs will do their part. The real fireworks may come when Trump-unfriendly artists Green Day (!!) and Bad Bunny take the stage. Actual football commences at 6:30 p.m. on NBC.
Ask me anything
Question: Was the Minnesota general strike successful? And what are the prospects of a true national strike? — @exlibrophilly.bsky.social via Bluesky
Answer: The answer to your first question would have to be a yes. It was telling that 60 Minnesota corporations felt compelled to issue a statement (albeit one I viewed as milquetoast) and that the Trump regime started making some partial concessions after thousands of Minnesotans skipped work to take to the streets. On the second part, I noticed there was chatter about a national general strike last Friday, and very little came of it. That’s because a successful nationwide shutdown — something that has never happened before — would require weeks, not days, of planning and committed, full-throated support from the top labor unions and other key organizations like the Democratic Party. Given that the real power in America seems to be economic, I would urge these power brokers to join with regular folks and make it happen.
What you’re saying about …
Newsletter readers feel strongly that — while there’s nothing wrong with proposed reforms such as unmasking, visible badges, marked vehicles, and the proper use of arrest warrants — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be abolished, and immigration enforcement should be totally overhauled. Wrote Daniel Hoffman: “Any of the reforms, controls and procedures that the Democrats are likely to impose on ICE are useless as long as Donald Trump is president and he has stooges to carry out his campaigns of vengeance and nationalist bigotry.” Thomas Ceresini agreed: “Dems *should* demand that ICE be abolished immediately, and that CBP be reorganized from top to bottom, purging all the fascists from its ranks.”
📮 This week’s question: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has been all over the news lately with the release of his new book and a controversial passage about the 2024 Kamala Harris campaign. But his stock for president in 2028 seems to be falling. Would you like to see him run for president, or vice president, or neither? Please email me your answer and put the exact phrase “Shapiro 2028” in the subject line.
Backstory on the strange case of Tulsi Gabbard
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard enters the Fulton County Election HUB Wednesday as FBI agents seize Fulton County 2020 Election ballots, in Union City, Ga.
Tulsi Gabbard was in the news a lot in the first couple of shocking months after Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory, and for good reason. The 47th president’s stunning pick of the former leftist as his director of national intelligence (DNI) barely made it out of the Senate on a 52-48 vote, with Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren calling Gabbard a likely, if perhaps unwitting, Russian asset because of her history of statements that aligned with the Vladimir Putin regime.
But then something even stranger happened: Gabbard largely disappeared from sight. Most notably, the nation’s intelligence chief was not heard from during the U.S. attack on Venezuela that captured and deposed its strongman leader Nicolás Maduro, and reportedly was excluded from its planning — likely because in her Democratic past, she had vehemently opposed American intervention there. But it was even more jarring when and how Gabbard resurfaced last week: overseeing an FBI raid at the Fulton County, Ga., election hub that the president has long insisted — in a Big Lie with zero evidence — was the epicenter of some type of fraud that prevented his reelection in 2020.
Gabbard’s appearance in Georgia raised many questions, especially since the spy agencies she oversees as DNI are supposed to watch for foreign intelligence threats — not get involved in domestic policy. On Monday, Gabbard sent a letter to key Democratic lawmakers who’d demanded answers, explaining that she monitored the raid because Trump had asked her to be there, and insisting that election security is one of her duties because of the possibility of foreign interference.
The Georgia raid, and Gabbard’s involvement, has sent off all kinds of alarm bells that the Trump regime is planning to gin up a voter fraud case — even though thorough recounts proved that Joe Biden narrowly won Georgia in 2020 — as an excuse for an unprecedented federal intervention in November’s midterm election. We also learned this week that while she was in Atlanta, Gabbard even facilitated a phone call between Trump and several FBI agents involved in the raid, a stunning breach of protocol. On Monday, Trump went on a podcast with his former deputy FBI director, Dan Bongino, and declared that “Republicans ought to nationalize the voting” in 15 unspecified key states. Such a move would mean the end of American democracy as we’ve known it.
Meanwhile, Gabbard is back on the radar in a big way. Also on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the DNI is the subject of an explosive whistleblower complaint that, according to the whistleblower’s attorney, the White House has listed as highly classified and is refusing to share with Congress. Leaders on Capitol Hill need to fight to get this secret information by any means necessary. In the increasingly fraught fight to save the American Experiment, we need to know who Gabbard is really working for.
What I wrote on this date in 2022
Remember affirmative action? Four years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court was still considering the legal challenge to the use of race as a factor in college admissions, which it did strike down later that year, in a foreshadowing of the Trump regime’s much wider war against diversity. On Feb. 3, 2022, I wrote that while the threat to affirmative action was indeed alarming, the existing rules were already failing African American college applicants. I wrote: “In a nation where the Black-white wealth ratio is 20-1, recruiting Black kids was a low priority. These self-inflicted wounds had little to do with the legal status of affirmative action.”
The fallout from the deadly ICE raids in Minneapolis remains the dominant story in America, as reflected in my recent columns. First, I wrote about the looming deep cuts in news reporting at the Washington Post and CBS News, and decried how these self-inflicted wounds — both at the hands of their billionaire Trump-favoring owners — would mean fewer eyes out in the field just as Minnesota was showing the power of bearing witness. Over the weekend, I warned of the regime’s plan for new immigration raids against the beleaguered Haitian refugees of Springfield, Ohio — a scheme that seems on hold for now after a judge ruled late Monday night to continue the protected legal status of these immigrants.
While we still haven’t seen all of the government’s Jeffrey Epstein files — despite the law calling for their full release last December — the massive tranche of documents that did go public last Friday is a gift that keeps on giving for those who track the follies of America’s rich and famous. Not surprisingly, America’s founding and still sixth-largest city has numerous ties to the late financier and convicted sex trafficker. So far, The Inquirer has reported that the U.S. Department of Justice files reveal a surprising relationship between Epstein and Philadelphia-born comic Bill Cosby, who at the time was battling his own flurry of sexual abuse allegations. Epstein even offered to buy Cosby’s home at one point. In a separate story, The Inquirer traced the relationship between the financier and 76ers owner and hedge-fund billionaire Josh Harris, who “had an ongoing business relationship that included numerous phone calls and at least one visit to Epstein’s home in Manhattan.” What’s more, Epstein inquired about buying a plane from a Harris business associate, University of Pennsylvania megadonor Marc Rowan. The Epstein scandal shows that all politics — especially the most tawdry — is local. There’s more to come, but you’ll be locked out without a subscription. Why not sign up today?
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And a lawsuit challenging the legality of a special-admissions process at magnet and other criteria-based city schools was revived by a panel of federal judges this week. The policy’s constitutionality is in question.
P.S. A heads-up to the urban drivers among us: The Philadelphia Parking Authority is resuming parking regulation enforcement and towing today after a pause for last week’s snowstorm. The city also needs all parked vehicles moved from South Broad Street between Washington and Oregon avenues before 7 a.m. for a snow removal operation.
Gov. Shapiro has avoided fights over immigration for much of the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term in office. But after the fatal shootings in Minneapolis, he’s jumping into the fray.
The centrist Democrat has ramped up his anti-Trump rhetoric since federal agents killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month, especially during his author tour to promote his new memoir.
Still, immigrant rights groups in Pennsylvania say they want to see Shapiro do more by ending all cooperation with ICE. His administration currently honors ICE detainers in state prisons and allows the agency access to state databases.
Notable quote: “It’s easy for him to point the finger to somebody else, but then what is he doing at home?” a local advocate said of Shapiro’s criticism of the federal operation in Minnesota.
A lawsuit challenging the legality of Philadelphia schools’ special-admissions process was revived Monday by a federal appeals panel, who ruled it could be unconstitutional and discriminatory.
The initial lawsuit in 2022 was brought forth by a trio of Philly parents, who sued the district to end a new policy that changed the way it admits students to criteria-based schools. A federal judge tossed the case in 2024.
This latest legal move could have long-term implications for the district if the case now proceeds to trial.
More on education: Broken heat and burst pipes left some students shivering in Philadelphia schools on Monday, while others learned virtually from home. Four schools were dismissed early because of the cold conditions.
What you should know today
A Temple University student was arrested by federal agents Monday in connection with the same anti-ICE protest for which journalist Don Lemon is facing charges.
A federal judge who will decide the fate of the dismantled slavery-related exhibits at the President’s House visited the site Monday. She also inspected the removed panels, which are now in a storage room at the National Constitution Center, and reported that they have not been “destroyed.”
Dozens of surveillance videos and cell phone data led Philadelphia police to Kada Scott’s accused killer, as described at a preliminary hearing Monday.
In the crowded Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, two physicians are largely self-funding their campaigns, while another candidate maintains a financial advantage.
Democrat Janelle Stelson lost to U.S. Rep Scott Perry by a little over one point in 2024. She keeps outraising him as she prepares for a rematch for the Central Pennsylvania seat.
🏆 Plus: Philly sports has seen many eras, but which one has been the best? Was it the early 1980s? Maybe the early 2000s? What about the 2020s? Is there a time that has been overlooked? Reply to this email to share your thoughts on which era was best and why for a chance to be featured in a future story.
🧠Trivia time
Some Regional Rail trains have a new look due to an effort from the transit agency to alleviate overcrowding. What is different about them?
Cheers to Betsy Flannery, who solved Monday’s anagram: Reclectic. URBN’s discount store is moving from the Franklin Mall to a larger space in the Willow Grove Park Mall this month.
Photo of the day
Melissa Krakower (left) and her daughter Lindsay Krakower carry their tubes back to the top of the hill while sledding in Rose Tree County Park in Delaware County Tuesday.
Enjoy your snow-capped Tuesday. See you back here tomorrow.
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There’s a decent chance that the top overall pick in the next NHL draft is playing right now for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
And if the Flyers keep playing as poorly as they’ve been lately, there’s a chance they’ll be able to draft him.
Gavin McKenna, 18, is an immensely talented prospect from the Yukon who is starting to live up to the hype as a Penn State freshman. He has racked up seven goals and seven assists in the last eight Nittany Lions games.
Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky sees the makings of greatness: “He’s extremely quick. He thinks the game differently. And you can see when there are drills that are game-specific, he uses time and space in a very unique way. … When you think [he’s] out of time and space, he manipulates it, and that’s what is really amazing to watch.”
NHL scouts have been watching for a long time. The Flyers, losers of 11 of their last 13 games, might have a shot at landing McKenna. According to Tankathon, they have a 7.4% chance of landing the first or second pick in the draft lottery. If they land him, maybe they can start over. Again.
The Sixers will be awarded a $5.9 million tax variance as Paul George (right) serves his unpaid suspension.
The 76ers are without Paul George for 25 games. So what comes next? Well, aside from two months without one of their most versatile players, there is also the trade deadline, a moment for the Sixers to reset and prepare for life without George.
The Sixers do have an easier path to get under the luxury tax now that they will be awarded a $5.9 million tax variance as the forward serves his unpaid suspension. But there is still the on-court product, which can be improved at the deadline as well. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell took a look at the team’s most movable contracts, an exercise that provides a glimpse into the Sixers’ opportunity to succeed on both counts.
Flyers captain Sean Couturier has not scored a goal in 27 games.
Sean Couturier ranks third in franchise history in games played, 10th in assists, 12th in points, and was the Selke Trophy winner in 2020. Not too shabby.
But the veteran forward can’t get anything going at the moment, as Couturier has just five points since the turn of the year, and has not scored a goal in 27 games. Even more frustrating for him, he’s getting the chances, as evidenced by various analytic metrics.
Demoted to the fourth line, the captain is hoping that “getting back to the basics” will help him finally find a breakthrough.
Retired former Phillie Whit Merrifield, who now has a baseball podcast, says he wants to get into media to try to explain the game for fans.
Upon signing with the Phillies as a free agent in 2024, Whit Merrifield figured he would get regular at-bats at multiple positions.
It didn’t work out that way.
Surely, then, Merrifield could relate to the deterioration of Nick Castellanos’ relationship with manager Rob Thomson last season over playing time, the fallout of which will lead the Phillies to trade or release Castellanos before spring training.
Merrifield, who retired last season, recently joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss that topic and more.
Defensive lineman LT Overton of Alabama runs through drills during practice for the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28.
The Eagles will have some holes that need filling when the NFL draft arrives in April. The team’s scouting staff got a closer look at top prospects over the last two weeks at workouts for the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl. Our Devin Jackson covered all the action. He offers an in-depth look at the all-star game process and gives his take on several players who could fit in with the Eagles.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was a recent addition to the Pro Bowl lineup.
Quick, name the last Pro Bowl that had relevance for Eagles fans. How about the 2014 version, when Nick Foles was named offensive MVP? It was still played in Honolulu then, and the game still resembled tackle football. These days, the Pro Bowl is a flag football game, which is relevant because the sport will make its debut at the 2028 Olympics.
The game will be played in San Francisco tonight at 8 (ESPN), with a seven-on-seven format and five Eagles slated for action. Two former Eagles, DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick, will serve as offensive coordinators. Who’s in for the Birds? Olivia Reiner has all the details here.
Sports snapshot
Jason Kelce (right) and Beau Allen star in a Super Bowl commercial for Garage Beer.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe is averaging 15.1 points and 4.2 assists in his rookie season.
This shouldn’t need to be said, but the Sixers aren’t going to trade VJ Edgecombe for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nor should they. Which also shouldn’t need to be said.
To understand Edgecombe’s immense present and future value, you have to watch him on the court. It’s incredibly rare for a 20-year-old rookie to average 35.6 minutes per night for a team that is six games over .500 and has a legitimate chance to make a playoff run. It’s even rarer for said rookie to do it with the maturity and grace that Edgecombe exhibits at both ends of the court. And it’s rarer still for a rookie to possess that veteran-level basketball IQ while also possessing such an electric athletic upside. More from David Murphy.
We asked: What’s your reaction to Paul George’s suspension? Among your responses:
Same old Sixers. They have been cursed throughout the “Process.” Just as they were jelling as a team, news of the suspension. Is Paul George finished? Were the supplements needed to keep his body from breaking down? Hard to get excited about the playoffs. — Bob C.
Find a place to trade him. If he is that stupid to take illegal drugs, who needs him. Has never helped. — Jim C.
… I think George got off lightly with a 25-game suspension. There are no excuses for any of the players who get caught. They all know the rules. … The rules are what they are and anyone (Philly athletes included) should be suspended and fined when caught. — Everett S.
Paul George’s suspension will cost him $11.7 million.
I’m flabbergasted and extremely disappointed! With the sizable financial resources he has along with the vast medical resources available to him through the team and players association, it is unconscionable that he wasn’t aware of the consequences of what he was putting into his body. To us mere mortals the NBA fine is almost unthinkable, but will have zero bearing on his lifestyle. Unfortunately, this won’t be the last time we hear a similar story. — Jim V.
My reaction is the same as when they signed him. Why are the Sixers paying multi-millions of dollars to someone who never plays? Honestly, when it comes to dedicated professional athletes who give it their all every night, the NBA has become a disgrace. How it continues to function is beyond amazing. — Bob A.
If it was doping, then it’s both insulting and frankly suspicious how quickly he *and the organization* played up the open-shut case look. … So I’ll say it, considering all the other malarkey this franchise has put us through in modern times, I’m just praying that there wasn’t involvement from team representatives … — D.W.S
Paul George has a mental health problem and the NBA gets to decide which of those drugs are in his best interest. Did this not happen to the Phillies over drugs last year? Do the employees of these organizations also have to adhere to these policies? Certainly not. … — Richard C.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Greg Finberg, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Gabriela Carroll, Scott Lauber, Devin Jackson, Olivia Reiner, Ariel Simpson, and David Murphy.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thank you for reading our newsletter. Bella will be back to bring you Sports Daily on Wednesday. — Jim
Seth Williams was once Philadelphia’s top prosecutor, building a promising political career on a possible trajectory to the mayorship.
Then came the federal corruption charges and five-year prison sentence.
Nearly a decade later, Williams has a new role serving as a chaplain at the city’s jails. Going from being the man tasked with putting Philadelphians in jail to becoming one of them himself has enabled him to offer spiritual guidance with perspective, he says.
In his own words: “I can be a better advocate, a better vessel, to help prevent crime and reduce recidivism … by helping people learn the skills they need to keep jobs and de-escalate conflict,” Williams told The Inquirer. “The best use of my experience … is helping people who are incarcerated the way I was.”
A 35-year-old Bryn Athyn man is one of nine people facing felony charges for their involvement in a Jan. 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn. The protesters said they targeted the church because one of its pastors leads the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement St. Paul field office.
In a video clip posted online two days before his arrest, Ian Austin said he believed as an Army veteran it was his duty to travel to Minnesota.
“We took an oath to the Constitution, and it’s just being shredded right now,” Austin said in the now-viral video.
Former CNN host Don Lemon, who was covering the protest, is also a defendant. Lemon’s arrest, and that of another journalist who attended the protest, has brought criticism from media and civil rights advocates.
In other ICE news: U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) on Sunday defended ICE officials who wear masks to obscure their faces, arguing that doxing is a “serious concern” for agents.
What you should know today
On the anniversary of the Jan. 31, 2025, plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia, about 100 people attended a ceremony near the Cottman Avenue site to remember those who lost their lives.
An estimated 144,000 SNAP recipients in Pennsylvania began losing benefits in January as new rules included in the Trump administration’s “Big, Beautiful Bill Act” kicked in.
Newly released documents show that Jeffrey Epstein expressed interest in buying Bill Cosby’s New York City home and closely followed the Philly-born comedian’s 2016 sex assault trial.
A freshman football player at Villanova University has been charged with rape and sexual assault stemming from a December incident on campus.
Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary and a potential presidential hopeful for 2028, has endorsed Democrat Bob Brooks, a firefighter running for Congress in the Lehigh Valley.
Immigrants are a “main driver” of the city’s economy, local leaders said at an Economy League of Greater Philadelphia event, while painting a grim picture of the future with fewer of them.
Ahead of Friday’s Unrivaled game at Xfinity Mobile Arena, professional basketball player Kahleah Copper took her teammates on a tour of “Norf” — including the corner of 32nd and Berks Streets, where it all started for her.
Philly artists won big at the Grammy Awards Sunday, including bassist Christian McBride, songwriter Andre “Dre” Harris, and rock producer Will Yip.
Quote of the day
What’s a fair price for shoveling snow that’s turned to ice? Some freelance shovelers increased their rates last week — in Wiles’ case, to about $50 — as the work became more physically demanding.
🧠Trivia time
Twenty years ago this month, a suburban vegan restaurant moved to Bella Vista and sparked Philadelphia’s embrace of plant-based food. What was it called?
More Eagles media news: Peacock’s forthcoming docuseries, Field Generals: History of the Black Quarterback, tells the history of Black NFL QBs — and features several prominent Eagles.
Photo of the day
A light-as-air Elmo balloon rolls along a sidewalk in Haddonfield, propelled by the wind as last Sunday’s (Jan. 25) heavy snow starts to turn to ice and sleet.
📬 Your ‘only in Philly’ story
Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Michael Thomas Leibrandt, who shares an appreciation for a modern Birds star:
An unfortunate early exit for the Eagles this season means that our fandom will sit waiting in the wings until the excitement of training camp at the Novacare Complex next summer. And as the season closed with all measure of analysis over recent weeks, perhaps no story has been front and center like whether or not AJ Brown will be an Eagle next season.
Whether number 11 takes the field next September in midnight green or eventually visits Lincoln Financial Field on an opposing roster, I’ll always remember seeing his talent on one of the best teams ever to play football in Philadelphia. At times, it seemed like there was nothing that he couldn’t catch, combined with that 6-foot-1, 226-pound frame that set the edge with thunderous blocks springing Saquon Barkley, DeAndre Swift, and Miles Sanders to daylight. Play him in single coverage — good luck. Bring help on him with a safety over-the-top, then risk allowing a big play from another of the Eagles offensive weapons.
For one of the NFL’s oldest franchises, AJ Brown is the best ever. He has more receptions than Terrell Owens in a single season. He has more yards in a single season than Tommy McDonald. And he has played in more Super Bowls for the Eagles than Harold Carmichael, DeSean Jackson, or Alshon Jeffery.
Like most around our region, the Eagles are a generational obsession in my family. My great-grandfather saw another NFL franchise — the Frankford Yellow Jackets — run to a championship in 1926. My grandfather saw the Eagles go to three championship games between 1947 and 1949; they won two. As far back as my young mind can recall, he told me about an Eagles unstoppable running back named Steve Van Buren. My father saw the Eagles win the title in 1960.
I’ve seen something better than all that: a period of Eagles on-field excellence spanning half a decade. I’m not sure that it would have been possible without AJ Brown.
🦅 P.S. If you’re planning to watch the Birds-less Super Bowl next Sunday, you can still enjoy some Philly flavor. We rounded up some of the best local spots to get game-day cheesesteaks, hoagies, wings, and tomato pies.
Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. See you back here tomorrow.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
There’s nothing like surprising news on the weekend to jar you out of a deep, deep freeze.
The first new flash came Saturday when we learned that the NBA had suspended Paul George for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug program. There’s more on our coverage of George directly below in this newsletter.
The second news flash came Sunday when Jeff McLane reported that the Eagles have yet to receive a final decision on whether Vic Fangio plans to return next season.
Will the molder of the team’s dominant defense retire? ”He keeps talking retirement, but he did the same last year,” an Eagles source told McLane last week.
The defensive coordinator, 67, has not responded to questions about his future since the end of the season, nor has the team. Just in case, the Eagles reportedly considered reaching out to two former coordinators about the job. More about the possibility of Fangio’s retirement can be found here.
Sixers forward Paul George will serve a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Here’s what George said in a statement about his suspension:
“Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication. I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates, and the Philly fans for my decision-making during this process.”
Just like that, George’s tenure with the Sixers is back to being recognized as a disaster, Keith Pompey writes.
The suspension will cost him $11.7 million. In the meantime, his teammates will try to pick up the slack for the star forward until he is eligible to return on March 25. “There’s a number of guys there to do it,” coach Nick Nurse said. “That’s where we are. We’ve been in this kind of next man up mentality for quite a while, and we’re going to have to dig in and do it again.”
Sixers fans reacted to the news about George in their own way. Said one: “We pick up a little traction and we’re doing our thing and something always bad happens to us. We have some sort of bad luck.”
Penn State held its first outdoor game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
Cold enough for you? There were 74,575 fans packed into Beaver Stadium on Saturday to watch the first outdoor hockey game at the home of the Nittany Lions. Bundled up in 16-degree weather at the game’s start (it only got colder), they witnessed No. 2 Michigan State’s 5-4 overtime win against No. 5 Penn State.
The atmosphere at the football stadium impressed Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky, to say the least. “I couldn’t believe it was a hockey game; I really couldn’t,” he said. “It just blew me away.”
Allen Iverson is flanked by former Sixers teammates Eric Snow (left) and George Lynch (right) during the tribute to the 2001 NBA Finals team.
On Saturday night, the Sixers paid tribute to the team that rolled all the way to the NBA Finals 25 years ago. Hip-Hop, the bad bunny mascot, returned to entertain the fans. Former team president Pat Croce acknowledged Hall of Famer Allen Iverson’s greatness but also paid tribute to a glue guy, Eric Snow. George Lynch, Theo Ratliff, and others took their bows. (And rest in peace, Dikembe Mutombo.)
Iverson acknowledged other key contributors that season: “We couldn’t have accomplished anything without the fans of Philadelphia, the best fans in the world.”
St. Joseph’s Dasear Haskins gestures to the student section after the Hawks beat La Salle on Saturday.
The St. Joseph’s Hawks have won six of their last seven games and might even find a way to the NCAA Tournament if they continue to climb in the Atlantic 10 Conference. That’s a remarkable turnaround when you consider that coach Steve Donahue, fired from the Penn job, suddenly inherited the Hawks’ head coaching chores in September. Jeff Neiburg writes about the rebirth on Hawk Hill.
Meanwhile at Division II Thomas Jefferson University, Chris Cervino has emerged as a TikTok influencer. Here’s how he did it.
Sports snapshot
Kahleah Copper goes to the hoop during the sold-out Philly Is Unrivaled doubleheader on Friday.
With forward Paul George (8) being suspended for 25 games, the Sixers hit another speed bump.
From Marcus Hayes:
It goes without saying that Paul George’s carelessness and selfishness are inexcusable. George told ESPN that he mistakenly took a banned medication to address a mental health concern.
We’re all in favor of addressing mental health, we’re also in favor of telling team doctors about every chemical you put in your body. That’s how you stay available. That’s how you earn that four-year, $211 million contract, the biggest free-agent deal in franchise history. There is simply no excuse.
From David Murphy:
Sean Mannion may not be the next Andy Reid. The Eagles didn’t hire the 33-year-old Green Bay assistant with the thought that he would become Reid. But Reid was Mannion at one point in time: an under-the-radar position coach without play-calling experience who was hired for a big boy job well ahead of schedule.
The Eagles will need Mannion to be a good play-caller but also a good coach, especially when it comes to his dealings with Jalen Hurts.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff McLane, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Ariel Simpson, Marcus Hayes, David Murphy, Jackie Spiegel, Jeff Neiburg, Isabella DiAmore, Sean McKeown, and Ryan Mack.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Could today be the day when we actually climb above freezing around here? I’ll believe it when I feel it. Thanks for reading. Stay warm and I’ll see you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Jim
Sunday is set to be partly sunny, and wind chills from an offshore storm will make it feel subzero in Philly. The Shore is expecting minor flooding, made potentially worse by the full moon.
From a young age, Will Yip dreamt of working in music. Tonight, he could go home with his first Grammy.
Yip is a go-to collaborator for acclaimed bands like Philly’s Mannequin Pussy and Baltimore’s Turnstile. He recorded Turnstile’s breakthrough Never Enough in Los Angeles, which netted five Grammy nominations.
But even without his first golden gramophone, the producer will come back home to his new state-of-the-art studio in South Philadelphia, ready to cook up more bangers.
In Yip’s own words: “Everyone is like, ‘Bro, why are you building a million-dollar studio? Aren’t studios dying?’ They are. But my brand of music, that I’m lucky enough to work with, is flourishing. Rock is back. I’ve waited my entire life for this, for people to want electric guitars. I’ve felt it bubbling for the last 10 years. And now it’s happening.”
An Inquirer investigation found that Philly-area real estate agents brokered $45 million in questionable deals for student rentals around Temple.
The findings: More than two dozen professionals helped arrange the sale of apartment buildings at inflated prices. These rentals had sat on the market for months, then abruptly sold for about double their asking prices.
The key player: Patrick C. Fay of Coldwell Banker was involved in every deal. After The Inquirer published a report concerning 33 of Fay’s deals around Temple, Coldwell cut ties with him. But Fay had a counterpart on the other side of every transaction, including agents at Coldwell and other major brokerages.
The impact: These sales raise concerns of mortgage fraud and could affect property assessments and tax bills, and lead to foreclosures. Records show at least one such property has gone into foreclosure over an unpaid mortgage.
Some Philadelphia high schools reported difficult conditions Friday as a bitter cold snap gripped the region. Classrooms at one storied magnet fell to “untenable” temperatures below 40 degrees.
The U.S. Senate passeda bill late Friday to fund the federal government, but a short-term shutdown still went into effect Saturday. Sen. John Fetterman crossed the aisle to vote for the compromise bill. Here’s how other local senators voted.
A recently engaged South Philly couple rang in the new year in Puerto Rico. A wrong turn led to an ambush, and only one made it home.
A former Philadelphia medic is accused of taking money from a 72-year-old woman’s wallet after she was pronounced dead at her Center City apartment.
A judge ordered former Philadelphia Art Museum director and CEO Sasha Suda to submit her wrongful-termination claim to arbitration under her employment contract, rejecting Suda’s bid for a jury trial.
The NBA suspended 76ers forward Paul George for violating its antidrug policy, dealing a significant blow to the team’s season. He will miss 25 games without pay.
Before February was Black History Month, it originated from Negro History Week. It was founded in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, the child of two formerly enslaved parents.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially expanded its recognition.
Born from an effort to encourage Black people to learn and reflect from history, it would become a project between Woodson and Black schoolteachers.
Cheers to Lynne Wlodarczyk, who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Curtis Institute. The Center City music school is in the early stages of dreaming about the eventual use of the beloved Art Alliance building on Rittenhouse Square.
Broomall native Natasha Cloud (right) celebrates the Phantom’s 71-68 win over the Breeze with teammate Kiki Iriafen. Unrivaled received an energetic welcome in its first game outside of Florida.
One more musical thing: A dozen Mummers string bands got their encore at the chilly Linc on Saturday. Thousands of people cheered them on “like it’s New Year’s Day all over again.”
👋🏽 That’s it for now. Thanks for stopping by this morning, and have yourself a great day.
At a Friday hearing, a federal judge chastised a Trump administration attorney for making “dangerous” arguments over the abrupt removal of slavery-related exhibits from the President’s House. The judge said she will visit the site at Independence Mall before deciding the fate of the dismantled displays.
One year ago today, a deadly medical jet crash devastated Northeast Philadelphia. City officials plan to hold a memorial observance this evening to honor its victims.
Newly released emails reveal an ongoing business relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Sixers co-owner Josh Harris. The records — buried within 3 million documents — shed light on a yearslong correspondence.
While Di Bruno Bros. shoppers lamented the imminent closure of three grocery stores, some said that they weren’t surprised and that they had noticed a change in quality over the last few years.
A month after dangerous winds led Mummers string bands to cancel their New Year’s Day Parade competition, one string band says it’ll be too cold to play Saturday’s makeup show at the Linc. Here’s how the Eagles and other Philly pro sports teams pulled strings of their own to help make the event happen.
Journalist, tireless community activist, and “Philadelphia institution” Dan McQuade has died at 43. “He understood Philadelphians better than anyone because he was one,” a colleague said, “quirky and funny, competitive and humble, loyal and kind.”
Eli Lilly plans to build a $3.5 billion pharmaceutical plant in the Lehigh Valley to expand manufacturing capacity for next-generation weight-loss medicines.
A federal jury in Philadelphia ruled that Comcast owes a start-up company $240 million for infringing on its patent and using its voice-remote technology.
With the snow sticking around, slopes across the Philadelphia region are still being used for sledding fun.
But what happens if you come across a lonely sled? We’re answering this reader question: Every time we go sledding, my kids somehow inevitably lose a sled. And every time, there seem to be extra, unclaimed sleds lying around. Is taking one of those stealing (from a child!), or just part of the karmic redistribution of sleds?
To discuss sled etiquette, Inquirer editor Evan Weiss called on two other fathers, reporters Jason Nark and Mike Newall. Their chat touched on every possible option, from posting about a found sled on Facebook to borrowing it for the afternoon — and then just leaving it be.
They also reminisced on the “rough business” of being a kid and fighting for your sled, and using things like garbage can lids as makeshift sleds. (That reminded me of this absolutely wild reel of a guy trying his luck with a suitcase, a mattress, and … a frying pan.)
Cheers to Maria Francesconi, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Atlantic City. The resort hub’s international airport is getting more southbound flights on Breeze Airways.
Juli Pasquale, of Painted Lady Tattoo Co. in Las Vegas, tattoos the Virgin Mary and La Santa Muerte on the back of Giselle Bewley, of Los Angeles.
Hundreds of the world’s best tattoo artists and their fans got together at the Villain Arts Tattoo Festival in Philadelphia Jan. 23 to 25. Staff photographer Tyger Williams captured the ink in action.
How well did the city navigate this week’s winter storm? Well …
🧊 Some Philly sidewalks remain unshoveled, now more than four days after the snow fell. The city is responsible for many of them, including walkways outside government-owned buildings, in parks, and near SEPTA stops. Many smaller streets are still unplowed, too.
🧊 City schools reopened Thursday after days of virtual learning. Some students returned to snowbanks, burst pipes, and frigid classrooms.
🧊 Ice in the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers signals problems for the Philadelphia Water Department, which draws its drinking water from intakes along the waterways. The department also warns that the extreme cold is causing city water mains to burst — around 150 so far this month.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she supports enshrining the state’s existing sanctuary policy into law, as immigrant rights groups push for an expanded version. Her administration will also create an online database for people to upload videos they record of federal immigration officers.
A veto-proof majority of Philadelphia City Council members have signed onto the “ICE Out” proposal that would limit the city’s cooperation with deportation efforts.
The Philadelphia School District’s board met Thursday for the first time since school closures were announced. They got an earful from community members.
A jury awarded $7.8 million to the family of a Montgomery County resident and Bloomsburg University student who died in a 2019 fall after a night of drinking at a fraternity rush party.
The University of Pennsylvania will instituteanother round of budgetcutsin response to the Trump administration’s actions that threaten future funding and revenues.
As food costs rise, eating out has gotten more expensive. That doesn’t mean restaurants are making more money.
Some Philly-area eateries are adjusting their menus to reduce overhead or prices in a bid to attract diners. They say it’s more about getting creative with ingredients than shrinking portions.
Regional restaurant group Harvest Seasonal Grill, for instance, has cut out garnishes and swapped in a less-expensive scallop pasta dish in place of seared scallops served whole, among other changes.
After an adjustment period, lower check averages have come with higher customer counts and revenue, Harvest’s founder told The Inquirer — “and we didn’t sacrifice quality.”
In other food news: Amazon plans to lay off nearly 1,000 Amazon Fresh employees in the region at the end of April as it closes the grocery stores. Three of Di Bruno Bros.’ five locations will close in the coming weeks, including one in Center City. And the McGlinchey’s name and building, which closed last summer, are now on the market.
This week, we’re resurfacing an explainer on Naval Square, where the U.S. Navy’s last working horse is buried. The beloved Dexter worked for two decades in the middle of the 20th century at the Graduate Hospital site, then a home for retired sailors.
At his funeral in 1968, Taps was played on trumpet as his nine-foot casket was lowered by crane on the grounds. Here’s the full story.
Cheers to Richard Freeman, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Gladwyne. A plan to redevelop the Lower Merion community has residents split on their town’s future. What happens next?
Plus: A Gladwyne estate that can be split into three lots is for sale for $8.5 million. Take a look inside.
Photo of the day
Todd Bolin (left), from Daytona Beach, Fla., and Paul Pascone (right), from Los Angeles, have an Independence National Historical Park ranger take a photo of them outside Independence Hall on Thursday.
🔓 One last revived thing: Independence Hall reopened Thursday following a four-month preservation project. Reporter Mike Newall chatted with visitors from near and very far about what brought them to the hallowed halls of history.
Thanks for ending your week with The Inquirer. Paola has you covered this weekend.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
The Eagles announced the hiring of Sean Mannion on Thursday night, wrapping up a two-week interview process in their search for a new offensive coordinator. At 33, Mannion does not have any play-calling experience.
He’ll get that soon enough with the Eagles, replacing Kevin Patullo, another guy who didn’t have previous experience calling plays. Mannion was the quarterbacks coach for the Packers, beginning his coaching career in 2024 as an offensive assistant with Green Bay.
So there is not a great deal of coaching experience there, but Mannion has the mind of a quarterback. He played for nine NFL seasons at the position, including three on practice squads, and was a record-setting player at Oregon State.
“Sean’s 11 years in the NFL have provided him a great opportunity to learn from and grow alongside some of the best coaches in the game,” coach Nick Sirianni told the team’s website. Now we’ll see if the former quarterback can help Jalen Hurts get back on track.
Here’s something to consider: In Mannion’s one year as Packers QB coach, Jordan Love had his best season with a 66.3% completion rate and a 101.2 passer rating. Jeff Neiburg looks inside Mannion’s coaching numbers.
Eagles QB Nick Foles running untouched into the end zone on the Philly Special play in the Super Bowl LII victory over the Patriots.
We remember it like yesterday: On a fourth-and-goal trick play for the ages, tight end Trey Burton tossed a touchdown pass to Nick Foles of all people and the Eagles went on to shock the New England Patriots, 41-33, in Super Bowl LII.
It is arguably the most iconic play in Eagles history and eight years later, the Philly Special is getting documentary treatment by ESPN. The Philly Special, produced by NFL Films, will debut next Friday at 9 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN app.
Part of the network’s 30 for 30 documentary series, the film features, among others, coach Doug Pederson and the four players who touched the ball on that classic play: Jason Kelce, Corey Clement, Burton, and Foles.
More from the Eagles: Defensive line coach Clint Hurtt is serving as a head coach this week at the Senior Bowl.
How aggressive will Daryl Morey be at the trade deadline?
The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching on Feb. 5 and the 76ers don’t have a lot of trade value beyond Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, who certainly won’t be dealt. Daryl Morey loves to made a deal at this time of year, but the Sixers should be cautious, Keith Pompey writes. Here’s why. They weren’t so cautious on Thursday night, when they almost lost to the Sacramento Kings, one of the NBA’s worst teams.
Paige Bueckers (left) in action for Breeze BC in an Unrivaled game earlier this month.
WNBA star Paige Bueckers will play Friday night in the Unrivaled basketball showcase before a sellout crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena. In advance of the three-on-three event, Bueckers spoke out Thursday about another subject close to her heart.
Bueckers grew up near Minneapolis, the site of recent ICE raids and the killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. She addressed the events in her home state: “We feel like, and we hope and we pray, that there’s a change in direction in where this is heading.”
Travis Konecny leads the Flyers in points and goals.
Travis Konecny came up limping Wednesday after taking a slap shot off his foot during a Flyers loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. That did not prevent the winger from scoring a hat trick, a rare bright spot in the defeat.
Sore foot or not, Konecny was back at it Thursday night in Boston, scoring a second-period goal. It wasn’t enough as his team suffered a 6-3 blowout loss to the Bruins.
Sports snapshot
Miami defensive lineman David Blay (11) pursues Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed during the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 20 in College Station, Texas.
NFL hopeful: Levittown’s David Blay played for West Chester and Louisiana Tech before ending his college career with a bang at Miami.
Do the Sixers have a prayer of trading for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Incredibly, against all odds, fate has delivered Daryl Morey and the Sixers a miraculous escape route that would repair his recent mistakes and erase the entire 13-year stench of The Process.
It’s no sure bet, but Morey simply has to push all his chips in and snag the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, in a trade with the Bucks. He should do it today, before anybody else does, and before Joel Embiid gets hurt again. More from Marcus Hayes.
What you’re saying about the Sixers
We asked: Do you agree there’s an upside with the Sixers? Among your responses:
With the current backcourt of 2 superstars (Maxey and Edgecombe) and 2 almost superstars (Grimes and McCain) they have the basis of what could become a dynasty. Embiid and George are the keys to the present team but what they do about acquiring or keeping (Oubre etc.) front court players holds the key to their future. — Richard F.
Don’t think so. Frankly I don’t care about how much money the billionaire who owns the team pays Embiid or George until it affects the teams ability to pay Maxey, Kelly Oubre or VJ Edgecombe as well as the supporting players. — Bill M.
There is always a potential upside and Edgecombe and Maxey are certainly the beginning of a possible comeback, but until they do something about either replacing or improving the play and endurance of the big guys, they will not be a legitimate contender. I sent this morning’s SD to a friend back in So Cal who is from the Bahamas and knows the Edgecombe family and will certainly appreciate the comment from the Prime Minister. — Everett S.
No. The Sixers have been playing well, hovering between the 5th to 7th seed in the conference. Can they maintain that level of play and will Joel and PG hold up during a grueling every-other-day playoff run? History tells us the team will falter during rounds 1 and 2. — Bob C.
The Sixers’ upside is huge again, but imagine the greater upside that would exist if Embiid stopped hoisting up 3-point shots at a 26% accuracy rate (ugh). And then he could stop trying to handle the ball and leading the team in turnovers. No doubt, he is a special talent who makes them better, but why doesn’t he do the other things to max their upside? — John W.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Gabriela Carroll, Devin Jackson, Jonathan Tannenwald, Matt Mullin, Keith Pompey, Gustav Elvin, Jackie Spiegel, and Sean McKeown.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Have a great weekend and do your best to stay warm. I’ll see you in Monday’s newsletter. — Jim
