Eagles legend Jason Kelce and his brother, Travis, broke down the Eagles’ Week 8 resurgence, yet another Tush Push-related controversy, Brandon Graham’s unretirement, and more on the latest episode of their podcast, New Heights, which featured 76ers legend Allen Iverson. Here’s what you missed:
Enjoying an Eagles win
The Eagles (5-2) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 28-22 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Jason, who spent 13 seasons as the Birds’ center, addressed the frustration from fans leading into the matchup, speaking from experience.
“In Philly, when you’re struggling, they’re going to let you know, especially when the expectations are high,” he said.
But he had little sympathy for his former teammates, insisting that pressure from fans would push the team to climb out of the midseason struggles. He also addressed concerns about the running game, encouraging listeners to trust in “inevitable” running back Saquon Barkley.
“Jalen Hurts has been under a lot of scrutiny,” he said. “I like it. Bring it on. I feel like the Eagles, when everybody doubts them early on, I would rather the fans get on them. It’s like, ‘We’re going to have to hunker down together and figure this thing out.’ Nine times out of 10, it makes the team better.”
The brothers look forward to the Eagles’ rematch with the New York Giants on Sunday (1 p.m., Fox29) at Lincoln Financial Field. They emphasized the opportunity for vengeance after Jaxson Dart led the Giants to a 34-17 win on Oct. 9.
Allen Iverson joins as a guest
The Kelce brothers brought on another retired local sports legend in Iverson as a special guest. Iverson discussed his upcoming docuseries on Prime Video, Allen Iv3rson, and the emotional process of looking back on his career in Philadelphia.
“I became a man in Philadelphia,” the former point guard said. “I was 21 years old when I went there. But they were with me throughout my turbulent life. … [The fans] always stood beside me, and that’s why that sentiment is everlasting.
“[Philadelphia fans] are the most loyal, beautiful fans in the world. I just feel like there’s no other relationship between players and fans like it is there.”
The Vikings debuted a new way to defend against the Eagles’ infamous Tush Push — by having defensive lineman Tyler Batty lie down on the line of scrimmage.
Travis, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star tight end, brought up a viral X post depicting the controversial play. It ultimately was unsuccessful as the Eagles converted an attempt on third-and-1.
Jason, however, was open to it.
“I just liked watching the creativity of it,” he said. “[The Eagles] still got the first down. I understand their strategy, take out the guy’s legs and have the other guy go over the top. It’s a good strategy, and they didn’t get another opportunity to do it, so I would be curious to see what it would look like the more times they executed it.”
The brothers also discussed a different athlete’s podcast.
On Tuesday morning, defensive end Brandon Graham, 37, announced his decision to return to the NFL on his podcast, Brandon Graham Unblocked.
Jason congratulated his former teammate as he embarks on his 16th season in Philadelphia.
“I’m just happy that Brandon is doing what he wants to do,” he said. “He wants to continue playing, and the opportunity is there. To be honest, the Eagles can use him in multiple ways. Not just as a player, but his personality, he brings a lot to that locker room that I think would be awesome.”
Travis responded with the natural question of whether Jason, also 37, would consider following in Graham’s footsteps. As for coming out of retirement, it was a hard no. But that did not stop Jason from completing a “humbling” three-hour workout with the Eagles last week.
After Temple’s 49-14 win against Charlotte on Saturday, quarterback Evan Simon decided he wanted to give out a game ball to someone who stood out. Usually, that’s the coach’s job.
This time, it was K.C. Keeler’s turn to get recognized.
Simon exclaimed that the victory was Keeler’s 275th, which puts him in the top 20 all-time in wins among college coaches. The team erupted and mobbed Keeler.
In honor of reaching 275 career wins, Keeler took a trip down memory lane, recounting some victories that stood out and the people who helped him along the way.
“This is not just business to me,” said Keeler, who’s in his 32nd year as a head coach. “I truly want to be successful so [my players] are successful. I truly do want to help them through life. I explained this to our staff, if this is just a business arrangement, your cap is only so high. But, like, if this is truly like something where you’re in this thing together and there’s love and trust between the players and the coaches, it takes your ceiling so much higher.”
Success at Rowan
Keeler was named the head coach at Rowan before the 1993 season. He had been the offensive coordinator and was promoted when his predecessor, John Bunting, left for a job with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Profs beat Newport News, 54-7, in Keeler’s debut as head coach, and the victories did not stop there. Rowan won 10 more games that season and played for a Division III national championship. Although Keeler’s squad lost to Mount Union in the final, it was a banner first year for him.
“First game, there’s funny things that I can remember like stopping at a rest stop on the way home with the fellas and just kind of hanging with the players and just enjoying being with them,” Keeler said. “I remember my wife made it down for the game also. And so it was a big deal. It took a lot of pressure off getting that first win. It really did.”
Keeler continued to stack wins and Rowan won at least 10 games from 1995 to 1999 under his guidance. As Rowan continued to build momentum under Keeler, there was one program that had its number, Mount Union.
The Purple Raiders beat the Profs in the national championship in 1993, 1996, and 1998. They brought a 54-game winning streak into a matchup with Keeler and Rowan in 1999 in the playoff semifinals. In that game, however, Rowan was on the right side of the outcome.
“Larry Kehres is a legend, a phenomenal football coach,” Keeler said. “We beat him in overtime out there to break the longest win streak ever.”
K.C. Keeler took over as head coach at Delaware in 2002.
Keeler won 88 games in nine years at Rowan, which set him up to land a job at his alma mater, Delaware, in 2002. That jobmeant more to him than just being a head coach. Keeler played linebacker at Delaware from 1978 to 1980 and described it as his dream job.
Without Rowan, he never would have ended up at Delaware.
“I show up at a [Rowan] team meeting, and I get a standing ovation. What I realize is those kids realize they got me my dream job,” Keeler said. “They knew how much I loved Delaware. … I got really emotional. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, they’re giving me permission to leave.’ They got me this job. It was so powerful. There’s a couple of moments in your life you remember forever. I wasn’t expecting it. It wasn’t something that was on my radar. That was something that I’ll always remember about Rowan. They didn’t want to lose me, but they felt good. They were turning me over to my alma mater.”
Taking Division I-AA by storm
Keeler went 6-6 his first year at Delaware. It was the first time in his career he did not finish above .500. That one season was all Keeler needed to turn the Blue Hens into a national power.
At Rowan, Keeler was in a “do it all” role and got involved in everything football-related. That was not the case for him at Delaware. He moved into more of a “CEO” role in which he was more of a manager.
Once Keeler realized he needed to change his approach as a coach and trust his coaching staff, Delaware took off.
K.C. Keeler holds the trophy after his Delaware squad defeated Colgate, 40-0, in the NCAA Division I-AA championship on Dec. 19, 2003.
In his second season, Keeler guided the Blue Hens to a 15-1 record. Delaware cruised through the playoffs in Division I-AA (now known as the FCS) and faced Colgate in the national championship. Keeler lost five national championships with Rowan, but his luck finally turned at Delaware.
“We went out and won, 40-0, and had the biggest point differential in the history of a national championship game,” Keeler said. “They had me, and the energy level we came out with was off the charts. They say you take a championship, that team took a championship. That would be my most memorable win just because it’s a national championship at your alma mater and they had never won a FCS national championship.”
Keeler spent nine more seasons with the Blue Hens and amassed 86 wins, ranking second in school history behind Tubby Raymond. He was fired after the 2012 season when the Blue Hens went 5-6 and decided to take a year off from coaching.
He worked as a commentator for ESPN and for NFL Matchup. It did not take long for Keeler to realize he missed being around the game. The Sam Houston State job opened in 2014, and it was the last job available in the cycle. Keeler took it.
Once Keeler was back on the sideline, it was like he never left.
He won double-digit games in his first four years with the Bearkats, then in 2020, he won the FCS national title.
Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler watches during an FCS quarterfinal against Villanova on Dec. 13, 2014. Sam Houston State won, 34-31.
“We ended up beating the only three teams to win an FCS national championship in the last decade in 16 days,” Keeler said. “We beat North Dakota State, James Madison, and South Dakota State in 16 days. All three of those are the only teams besides Sam Houston now that have won national championships in a decade. Some people said there should have been an asterisk because of COVID. There should have been an asterisk because of how we did it. We had to do it during COVID and we beat the best three teams in the last decade in 16 days.”
Sam Houston’s success under Keeler boosted the program to the FBS in 2023. The Bearkats won only three games in their first year but won 10 in 2024.
On Sept. 28, 2024, Bearkats squared off with Texas State in a battle to “take back Texas.” Texas State led, 22-0, before Sam Houston stormed back to win, 40-39.
“Their whole thing was take back Texas,” Keeler said. “So when we played them, we took back Texas. That was really a cool moment for the program and for a rivalry that had not been played in 10 or 11 years.”
Keeler left as the second-winningest head coach in Sam Houston State history with 97 victories. He decided it was time to head back home.
Writing a new chapter
Keeler was hired at Temple on Dec. 1, 2024, and tasked with turning around a program that finished 3-9 for four consecutive seasons. Keeler needed seven games to surpass the three-win mark, doing so in the milestone victory over Charlotte.
Entering a road matchup against Tulsa, Temple is 4-3. Each win this season has meant a great deal to Keeler, especially the Owls’ 42-10 victory against UMass in the season opener.
“That obviously is a really memorable game because [the players] put their trust in myself and the staff, and they had results that they really hadn’t had in a while,” Keeler said. “I think we all felt really good about that, and it was a great way to start the building.”
K.C. Keeler led Temple to its fourth victory of the season Saturday after the Owls finished 3-9 in four straight seasons.
Keeler is tied with Monte Cater for 20th all-time in wins among college football coaches. He had plenty of people to look up to on the way to 275, especially his father, Ralph Keeler, and Raymond, his coach at Delaware whom he replaced.
While the milestone is special, it’s just another win in Keeler’s eyes.
“That 275 is just a symbol of the fact that I’ve done this a long time,” Keeler said. ”I coach a lot of great players, and I put together really good coaching staffs. And that’s how I got to that number. Every one’s significant. I am going to be as happy for 276 as I was for 275.”
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Former Penn State coach James Franklin recruited every player, hired every staffer, and had a say in nearly every decision within the football program since 2014.
So after his firing, the players with whom he developed relationships, whose homes he visited, whose families he befriended, were devastated.
“We all failed Coach Franklin,” interim coach Terry Smith said. “Sunday was traumatizing to [the players]. They are all hurt and torn, disappointed in what happened.”
Penn State interim coach Terry Smith says he feels like the team failed former coach James Franklin.
Franklin may no longer patrol the team’s sidelines or walk arm-in-arm with his offensive linemen as the Nittany Lions take the field, but his philosophies remain entrenched within the program, notably his “1-0” mantra.
The saying still is etched on the team’s locker room doors at Beaver Stadium. It still graces the video board outside Holuba Hall, the site of the team’s practice field. And it remains ingrained in the minds of Penn State players.
“[The 1-0 standard] is all I know. Since I’ve been here, that’s what we do,” defensive tackle Zane Durant said. “How can we win this one rep? How can we win this day? I’m going to continue to have that mindset, and Coach Terry preaches it, too. So we just keep pushing it throughout the team.”
Who’s under center
After a much-needed bye week, the Nittany Lions (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten) will seek to go “1-0″ against No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 (noon, Fox 29).
Again, they will have Ethan Grunkemeyer under center.
Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer performed under a good deal of pressure all night from Iowa’s defense.
The redshirt sophomore quarterback replaced Drew Allar, who is out for the season after suffering a broken ankle against Northwestern. Grunkemeyer, who threw for 98 yards without a touchdown in last Saturday’s 25-24 loss to Iowa, inherits a sputtering offense searching for answers.
Center Nick Dawkins, a team captain in his sixth season, said he has “all the confidence in the world” in Grunkemeyer. Durant said the quarterback can “make all the throws.” Zakee Wheatley called him “100% ready.”
Grunkemeyer will need the backing of his teammates when Penn State battles Ohio State (7-0, 4-0), which allows just 5.9 points per game, the fewest in the FBS. Entering that environment could be daunting to some, but not to the 6-foot-2 quarterback, who, before the Nittany Lions’ game against Iowa, noted that he just wants to play ball.
“I definitely feel prepared. … It is a bigger role, but the preparation has been the same,” Grunkemeyer said. “I’m a guy that likes to go out there and just play, so whatever [offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki] dials up, I’m ready for it.”
Smith has been in charge for less than two weeks, but his fingerprints are visible throughout the program. He tells players to “check their feelings at the door.”
The Nittany Lions entered last Saturday with a 3-3 record. After losses to UCLA and Northwestern, they had a 0.1% chance to make the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN. Now, with the loss to Iowa, that vision is all but obliterated. And with two of Penn State’s five remaining games against Associated Press Top 25 opponents, clinching bowl eligibility is not even a given.
But two-time captain Dom DeLuca remains motivated. The fifth-year linebacker said Franklin took a chance on him when no one else would, which is all the inspiration he needs to go 1-0 in the next game.
“Do your job,” DeLuca said. “Do it for Coach Franklin. Do it for the guy to the left and right of you. Do it for all the Penn Staters who love the game and love the Nittany Lions.”
Durant added: “Do it for your brother. Do it for your goals. Do it for each other. [We’ve] got a lot of ball left.”
NBC managed to do the unthinkable — making a regular-season NBA game feel big.
Broadcasting their its NBA game in 23 years, NBC made the league’s season opener between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets feel like a playoff game. The crowd was loud, the camera work and graphics were crisp, and enough can’t be written about John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock.”
The opening was just about perfect, balancing nostalgia for the NBA of the 1990s with current stars like LeBron James and Joel Embiid, who had “no idea” when asked about his memories of the league during that era. (Embiid was 2 years old when Jordan won his fourth NBA championship in 1996.)
“TNT — as good as it was, as comfortable as it was — never made Opening Night feel as much as an event as tonight,” wrote Sports Media Watch’s Jon Lewis, adding “the moments leading up to tipoff felt bigger than during the Finals last year. And that’s not me taking shots at ESPN, it’s just kind of obvious to me.”
Then there’s Mike Tirico, who has developed into an announcer whose voice makes a game feel bigger.
Other than practice games with the Sixers and Boston Celtics last season, it was Tirico’s first time calling a national basketball game since 2016. You would have never known it — Tirico knew the rules and was on top of every call. Officials missed Kevin Durant’s call for a timeout when the Houston Rockets had none during the closing seconds of overtime, but Tirico was all over it.
Tirico was part of an entertaining three-person crew alongside Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford, which is likely a preview of how NBC will handle this season’s Western Conference Finals.
“We don’t really have a lead crew,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said on a recent episode of the Sports Media Watch Podcast. “Jamal and Reggie are equals, and so you’ll see us going two-man crews and three-man crews at different times. And then we’ll see how the season goes.”
There were also nice touches during the broadcast, like NBC’s scorebug showing an animated hand after three pointers and shaking following a slam dunk.
The question is whether it will all be enough. NBC is reportedly paying $2.5 billion a year over the next 11 years for its NBA package, and the Wall Street Journal reported parent-company Comcast is projecting losses between $500 million and $1.4 billion during the first few years of the deal.
“It’s a long-term deal. We’re not trying to measure this based on quarters but the next 10 years,” Matt Strauss, chairman of NBCU’s media group, told the Wall Street Journal.
Hopefully we’ll get more from Michael Jordan
The idea of Michael Jordan, NBA pundit is interesting. After all, who wouldn’t want arguably the greatest player in the history of the game dishing on the league’s current players and situations?
Viewers, apparently. Jordan appeared via a pretaped segment for three minutes during halftime, where he told a nice story about the last time he shot a basketball and not much else.
“I wish I could take a magic pill, put on shorts, and go out and play the game of basketball today,” Jordan said.
“We have an obligation to pay it forward. That’s part of what this is all about.”
Watch Michael Jordan’s first conversation with Mike Tirico in the first edition of MJ: Insights To Excellence. pic.twitter.com/7tfzGm6SpM
Is it an improvement over quick-hit segments where studio analysts hurry through banal comments so networks can squeeze in as many sports gambling ads as possible? Yes, but that’s a pretty low bar to clear.
The good news is NBC plans to air more segments featuring Jordan’s interview with Tirico in the weeks to come. NBC said he’ll be back next Tuesday to discuss load management, a subject Jordan — who played 82 games nine times in his career — has strong views about.
Beyond that, it’s unclear how often Jordan, promoted as a special contributor, will appear on NBC this season.
NBC should ditch their AI deepfake of Jim Fagan
Older NBA fans probably felt something was off with Jim Fagan’s voice during the opening of Tuesday night’s broadcast.
That’s because the longtime NBA on NBC narrator died eight years ago.
NBC got permission from Fagan’s family to create a deepfake version of Fagin’s voice to intro games and provide promos for upcoming NBA games, as well as on other sports airing across NBC.
The AI-generated voice of Jim Fagan is back, proclaiming Liverpool-Manchester United as "one of the fiercest rivalries in all of English football": pic.twitter.com/dwi6KZA8l0
It isn’t the first time NBC has leaned into using artificial intelligence. During last year’s Olympics, NBC used a deepfake version of veteran announcer Al Michaels for personalized recaps on Peacock. But Michaels, who currently handles play-by-play on Amazon’s Thursday Night Football, is still alive.
Pregame show marred by glitches
As for NBC’s pregame show, it was largely forgettable. Despite featuring three NBA hall of famers — Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady — nothing memorable was said.
In fact, the most notable part was the technical issues that plagued the first few minutes, including some audio issues and a couple of bad microphones. At one point, host Maria Taylor slammed her microphone down on the desk after McGrady asked her to repeat a question, causing static to overrun the broadcast for a few seconds.
“Hey, this is the first night, so it’s not going to be perfect NBC family, but we’re going to get it right,” McGrady said.
NBC comes on the air for an NBA broadcast for the first time in 23 years… and it's marred by audio issues 😬 pic.twitter.com/5Z1Wc9uVIb
While the pregame show lacked much interest or excitement, at least NBC decided to take the high road and avoided sideshow antics involving shouting pundits and LeBron James vs. the world debates.
The Sixers are scheduled to appear exclusively on NBC five times, beginning with their Nov. 11 matchup against the Boston Celtics at the newly named Xfinity Mobile Arena. They’ll also play exclusively on Peacock on Jan. 5 against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Here’s when fans will see the Sixers on NBC and Peacock:
Nov. 11: Celtics at Sixers, 8 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
Nov. 25: Magic at Sixers, 8 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
Dec. 30: Sixers at Grizzlies, 8 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
We’ve all been there. The game is finished, now it’s time for you to run your own play: Escape the Linc. So what’s the fastest way out of the sports complex? Naturally we decided to settle this age-old debate with a race.
On Sunday, Oct. 5, Inquirer staffers braved the post-Eagles game crowds to test five ways to beat the rush. They began on foot at Xfinity Gate and their destination was a neutral location far enough to test postgame traffic across the city – Dalessandro’s in Roxborough, where they would be rewarded with a bracket-winning cheesesteak.
story continues after advertisement
Meet our racers and their modes of transportation:
ARIEL SIMPSON
Ariel grabbed a rideshare.
HENRY SAVAGE
Henry parked in Lot Q.
JASEN LO
Jasen hopped on his bike.
JULIE ZEGLEN
Julie parked in FDR Park.
JOHN DUCHNESKIE
John rode SEPTA.
Loading…
TIME ELAPSED
ARIEL
HENRY
JASEN
JOHN
JULIE
ARIEL
HENRY
JASEN
JOHN
JULIE
Five minutes after the conclusion of the Eagles’ 21-17 loss to the Denver Broncos, fans rush out of Lincoln Financial Field and it’s time to Escape the Linc. The race is on and our competitors head their separate ways.
JASEN
Bicycle
I strategically locked my bike to a street sign just a few feet away from the starting point. I’m motivated by my stinging defeat two years ago in the Race to the Shore, when I finished last despite a two-hour head start. I’m feeling good about my chances today though.
ARIEL
Rideshare
Weaving my way through fans, I order an Uber at the corner of the rideshare lot and quickly receive a call from my Uber driver. “I’m across the street, can you just meet me here?” the driver asks.
Of course, I agree. First place is starting to feel more achievable. Skipping the rideshare lot entirely, I am in his car four minutes later. I have never been this lucky getting an Uber after a game.
JOHN
SEPTA
I scurry to NRG Station, along with some of the 15,000 to 17,000 fans who use the Broad Street Line to get home after Eagles games. I make it to the station in 10 minutes. The intercom is announcing that one of the 10 Sports Express trains is now boarding. The express train is packed. There’s a single standing-room spot by one of the train doors, and I snag it. The doors close, and a sweaty mass of disappointed Eagles fans is off.
HENRY
Car from Q Lot
I parked in Lot Q specifically due to its distance from the major traffic chaos, and if you can beat the rush, you can get out of the direct stadium traffic. But I’m taking a car on I-95, so getting out of stadium traffic is only the beginning.
story continues after advertisement
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
I’m a pretty fast walker, but it takes me 17 minutes to get back to FDR Park, where I’d paid $50 to park. Henry has probably already left Lot Q! Though I’m not-so-secretly rooting for John and public transportation to win it all, I’d like to beat the other driver, for the sake of my pride.
Also, something I hope other competitors aren’t contending with: angry drivers, like the guy behind me who appears to be screaming as he pounds on his steering wheel. But let’s be real, they probably are. That game sucked.
ARIEL
Rideshare
It’s never gone this smoothly leaving an event at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Because of the speed and location of my Uber pickup, at the end of the normal pickup area, I am able to avoid most of the Eagles traffic. We made it onto I-95 less than 15 minutes after the race started and now we’re quickly making our way north toward the Vine Street Expressway.
It’s been 20 minutes since our racers set off from Xfinity Gate and the contestants are spread across the city. Jasen is out ahead, but Ariel is close behind. John is already at City Hall and about to transfer to Regional Rail. But our drivers, Julie and Henry, are still making their way toward I-76 and I-95, respectively.
JOHN
SEPTA
Feeling good about my chances, I stroll into Jefferson Station, look up at the board for the train schedules, and see that the 5:10 p.m. Regional Rail train on the Manayunk-Norristown Line is canceled. My heart sinks. It’s all over. I’ll be the biggest loser.
The Route 32 bus could be my lifeline, but it’s scheduled to leave City Hall in two minutes. I rush outside onto Market Street, and then, to my surprise, I’m doing something I’ve tried to avoid my entire life. I’m running.
JASEN
Bicycle
I bypass the Schuylkill River Trail in favor of MLK Drive, which is closed to motorized traffic on the weekends during the warm-weather months. Instead of having to pass pedestrians and slower cyclists on the trail, I can safely speed as fast as I can in pursuit of cheesesteak victory. My plan is only made possible thanks to the timely opening of the MLK Bridge, which reopened to the public in September, after three years of refurbishment.
ARIEL
Rideshare
We hit some traffic as we get onto I-76, and I take in the scenes of the Philadelphia Art Museum as we slow to a crawl on the Schuylkill Expressway. The slowdown hardly matters though, and we are already approaching Manayunk.
JOHN
SEPTA
Why does it seem that the only time a SEPTA bus is on time is when you need it to be late?
I miss the 4:56 p.m. bus leaving City Hall, and my options are dwindling. My best bet is to stay where I am and wait for the next Route 32 bus to roll around in about a half hour. That would get me to Dalessandro’s after 6 p.m., when I presume my fellow contestants will be polishing off their cheesesteaks.
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
It takes about 15 minutes to get from Pattison Avenue to Penrose Avenue to 26th Street. From there, my co-pilot, Ben, and I make our way to I-76 fairly easily, albeit slowly. This is not fun! There’s definitely residual game traffic, even farther out. But at least we’re moving.
HENRY
Car from Q Lot
The ride – or wait – along Oregon Avenue takes nearly 20 solid minutes of standstill traffic. Drivers are constantly speeding past lines of cars only to try and nudge their way back into the lane farther down the road. It takes seven minutes just to traverse the exit from Front Street onto I-95.
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
We pass the University City exit and I briefly fantasize about ditching the competition and heading home to West Philly. The will to beat Henry wins out. I really should have eaten before embarking on this trek. I start to feel carsick.
Meanwhile, SEPTA is causing its own chaos for John. And farther north, Ariel and Jasen are leading the pack.
ARIEL
Rideshare
I arrive at Dalessandro’s in just 48 minutes. The ride cost $73.47, before tip. Despite an Eagles loss, the cheesesteak sure did taste sweet after the win.
JASEN
Bicycle
I can’t help but think that the race planners chose Dalessandro’s just because it sits on a steep hill range, the same one that cycling legends have climbed in the storied Philadelphia International Cycling Classic. I’m only less than a mile away, but climbing up Ridge Avenue is tough going given the roughly 250 feet of elevation gain.
JASEN
Bicycle
Coming down Walnut Lane, I wait to cross Henry Avenue at a stoplight — for what feels like an eternity, thanks to the ridiculous configuration of this four-lane highway. As soon as the light turns green, I zip across and catch my first glimpse of our photographer. Mistakenly thinking my legs had won the day, I hoot and holler — only to spot Ariel taking a video of me. Private equity takes the crown today. I’ll settle for second. My ride took 56 minutes.
JOHN
SEPTA
At 5:32 p.m. — and right on time, despite my low expectations — my chariot arrives.
story continues after advertisement
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
Henry and I are neck-and-neck, according to the Slack chat where we’re sharing updates, and Dalessandro’s is in view. Ben and I hit a red light at the intersection of Walnut Lane and Henry Avenue and have a quick decision to make: turn left onto Henry, or stay straight for another block. I’m seized by a sudden, urgent, competitive rush. I will roll out of this car to get third place! The light changes. Ben follows Google Maps and says it’ll be easier to find parking on Wendover Street. He’s right, but we waste precious seconds making two (!) left turns.
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
We park halfway down the block. I throw open the car door and sprint up Wendover. I round the corner and see Jasen, Ariel — and no Henry. Victory is mine! That’s bronze, baby.
HENRY
Car from Q Lot
It’s the final leg and the final boss of this race in a car — finding a parking spot near one of the top cheesesteak tourist traps. I pass the restaurant and am lucky to find a spot across the street. Little did I know that right as I passed the restaurant, Julie was making her final sprint up Wendover Street.
Henry arrives at Dalessandro’s 1 hour and 14 minutes after leaving the Linc.
While the other racers celebrate with cheesesteaks (in Henry’s case, a vegan cheesesteak he picked up from Triangle Tavern), John steadily brings up the rear on the bus.
JOHN
SEPTA
Finally. After a smooth and uneventful 36-minute ride, I hop off the bus, steps away from Dalessandro’s. My fellow contestants have been waiting for me, with a curious mix of relief and pity. I realize that if I had gone straight to the bus stop after getting off the subway, I would have come in third — behind Ariel with her expensive Uber trip and Jasen on his bicycle, but ahead of Julie and Henry with their cars.
In a shocking upset, at least in the mind of trending sports reporter ARIEL SIMPSON, the rideshare won. She was in her rideshare within 10 minutes of the start of the race. She finished in first place, making it to Dalessandro’s in just 48 minutes. All for the low price of $73.47, before tip … one way.
Riding his bike, JASEN LO was close behind, finishing in 56 minutes. If you’re able to bike to the game, you’ll avoid pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Although some hills in Philly can prove to be a serious workout.
JULIE ZEGLEN and HENRY SAVAGE both drove and paid $50 to park. Julie walked about a mile to her car and had to deal with less stop-and-go traffic than Henry. Henry was parked closer to the stadium, but spent half of his trip crawling through traffic. The difference was marginal, though. Julie’s trip took 1 hour and 12 minutes and Henry’s trip took 1 hour and 14 minutes.
John Duchneskie regales his competition with tales from his journey on SEPTA.Bastiaan Slabbers
After a strong start on the Broad Street Express, a canceled train stalled JOHN DUCHNESKIE and he had to wait 30 minutes for the next bus to take him north to Manayunk. His trip took 1 hour and 43 minutes.
After this completely scientific test, how should you Escape the Linc? You’re going to need some combination of luck, money, or physical exertion. For everyone else, there are traffic jams and the seemingly endless wait for the Route 32 bus.
Staff Contributors
Design and Development: Aileen Clarke
Reporting: Ariel Simpson, Henry Savage, Jasen Lo, John Duchneskie, Julie Zeglen
Editing: Sam Morris, Aileen Clarke, and Matt Mullin
Photography: Bastiaan Slabbers
Photo Editing: David Maialetti
Copy Editing: Jim Swan
Subscribe to The Philadelphia Inquirer
Our reporting is directly supported by reader subscriptions. If you want more journalism like this story, please subscribe today
“;if(e)return Promise.resolve(i);if(t){t(null,i);return}return i}if(e)return Promise.reject(n);if(t){t(n);return}throw n}}function yn(r,e){return(t,n,i)=>{typeof n==”function”&&(i=n,n=null);let s={…n};n={…m.defaults,…s};let o=pi(n.silent,n.async,i);if(typeof t>”u”||t===null)return o(new Error(“marked(): input parameter is undefined or null”));if(typeof t!=”string”)return o(new Error(“marked(): input parameter is of type “+Object.prototype.toString.call(t)+”, string expected”));if(ui(n),n.hooks&&(n.hooks.options=n),i){let a=n.highlight,l;try{n.hooks&&(t=n.hooks.preprocess(t)),l=r(t,n)}catch(c){return o(c)}let u=function(c){let f;if(!c)try{n.walkTokens&&m.walkTokens(l,n.walkTokens),f=e(l,n),n.hooks&&(f=n.hooks.postprocess(f))}catch(p){c=p}return n.highlight=a,c?o(c):i(null,f)};if(!a||a.length{a(c.text,c.lang,function(f,p){if(f)return u(f);p!=null&&p!==c.text&&(c.text=p,c.escaped=!0),h–,h===0&&u()})},0))}),h===0&&u();return}if(n.async)return Promise.resolve(n.hooks?n.hooks.preprocess(t):t).then(a=>r(a,n)).then(a=>n.walkTokens?Promise.all(m.walkTokens(a,n.walkTokens)).then(()=>a):a).then(a=>e(a,n)).then(a=>n.hooks?n.hooks.postprocess(a):a).catch(o);try{n.hooks&&(t=n.hooks.preprocess(t));let a=r(t,n);n.walkTokens&&m.walkTokens(a,n.walkTokens);let l=e(a,n);return n.hooks&&(l=n.hooks.postprocess(l)),l}catch(a){return o(a)}}}function m(r,e,t){return yn(Z.lex,N.parse)(r,e,t)}m.options=m.setOptions=function(r){return m.defaults={…m.defaults,…r},Vr(m.defaults),m};m.getDefaults=gn;m.defaults=ee;m.use=function(…r){let e=m.defaults.extensions||{renderers:{},childTokens:{}};r.forEach(t=>{let n={…t};if(n.async=m.defaults.async||n.async||!1,t.extensions&&(t.extensions.forEach(i=>{if(!i.name)throw new Error(“extension name required”);if(i.renderer){let s=e.renderers[i.name];s?e.renderers[i.name]=function(…o){let a=i.renderer.apply(this,o);return a===!1&&(a=s.apply(this,o)),a}:e.renderers[i.name]=i.renderer}if(i.tokenizer){if(!i.level||i.level!==”block”&&i.level!==”inline”)throw new Error(“extension level must be ‘block’ or ‘inline’”);e[i.level]?e[i.level].unshift(i.tokenizer):e[i.level]=[i.tokenizer],i.start&&(i.level===”block”?e.startBlock?e.startBlock.push(i.start):e.startBlock=[i.start]:i.level===”inline”&&(e.startInline?e.startInline.push(i.start):e.startInline=[i.start]))}i.childTokens&&(e.childTokens[i.name]=i.childTokens)}),n.extensions=e),t.renderer){let i=m.defaults.renderer||new ye;for(let s in t.renderer){let o=i[s];i[s]=(…a)=>{let l=t.renderer[s].apply(i,a);return l===!1&&(l=o.apply(i,a)),l}}n.renderer=i}if(t.tokenizer){let i=m.defaults.tokenizer||new ve;for(let s in t.tokenizer){let o=i[s];i[s]=(…a)=>{let l=t.tokenizer[s].apply(i,a);return l===!1&&(l=o.apply(i,a)),l}}n.tokenizer=i}if(t.hooks){let i=m.defaults.hooks||new le;for(let s in t.hooks){let o=i[s];le.passThroughHooks.has(s)?i[s]=a=>{if(m.defaults.async)return Promise.resolve(t.hooks[s].call(i,a)).then(u=>o.call(i,u));let l=t.hooks[s].call(i,a);return o.call(i,l)}:i[s]=(…a)=>{let l=t.hooks[s].apply(i,a);return l===!1&&(l=o.apply(i,a)),l}}n.hooks=i}if(t.walkTokens){let i=m.defaults.walkTokens;n.walkTokens=function(s){let o=[];return o.push(t.walkTokens.call(this,s)),i&&(o=o.concat(i.call(this,s))),o}}m.setOptions(n)})};m.walkTokens=function(r,e){let t=[];for(let n of r)switch(t=t.concat(e.call(m,n)),n.type){case”table”:{for(let i of n.header)t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(i.tokens,e));for(let i of n.rows)for(let s of i)t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(s.tokens,e));break}case”list”:{t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(n.items,e));break}default:m.defaults.extensions&&m.defaults.extensions.childTokens&&m.defaults.extensions.childTokens[n.type]?m.defaults.extensions.childTokens[n.type].forEach(function(i){t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(n[i],e))}):n.tokens&&(t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(n.tokens,e)))}return t};m.parseInline=yn(Z.lexInline,N.parseInline);m.Parser=N;m.parser=N.parse;m.Renderer=ye;m.TextRenderer=Pe;m.Lexer=Z;m.lexer=Z.lex;m.Tokenizer=ve;m.Slugger=Re;m.Hooks=le;m.parse=m;var vs=m.options,ys=m.setOptions,ws=m.use,xs=m.walkTokens,bs=m.parseInline;var ks=N.parse,Ss=Z.lex;var wn=1,Xe=class{constructor(e){this.el=e,this.contentPosition=”default”,this.possibleSteps=new Array,this.currentStep=null,this.offset=window.innerHeight*.9,this.focus={},this.zoom={},this.instanceOfSteps=wn,wn++,this.setPossibleSteps(),this.updateContent(),this.bindings()}setPossibleSteps(){this.el.querySelectorAll(“.js-steps-step”).forEach(e=>{e.dataset.step&&(this.possibleSteps.push(e.dataset.step),this.focus[“is-“+e.dataset.step]=e.dataset.focus.split(“,”).map(t=>t.trim()),this.zoom[“is-“+e.dataset.step]=e.dataset.zoom)})}bindings(){window.addEventListener(“scroll”,()=>{this.updateContent()}),window.addEventListener(“resize”,()=>{this.updateContent()})}updateContent(){this.updateCurrentStep(),this.findExactTime()}updateCurrentStep(){let e;if(this.el.querySelectorAll(“.js-steps-step”).forEach((n,i)=>{n.getBoundingClientRect().top{let o=”is-“+i,a=”is-“+s;this.possibleSteps.indexOf(i)s.dataset.step==this.currentStep.replace(“is-“,””)),n=e[t],i=e[t+1];if(i){let s=n.getBoundingClientRect().top,o=i.getBoundingClientRect().top,a=o-s,u=1-(o-this.offset)/a,h=parseInt(n.dataset.time),f=parseInt(i.dataset.time)-h,p=Math.round(f*u),b=h+p;Q.updateTime(b)}else{let s=parseInt(n.dataset.time);Q.updateTime(s)}}else{let e=this.el.querySelector(“.js-steps-step”),t=parseInt(e.dataset.time);Q.updateTime(t)}}},xn={init:()=>{document.querySelectorAll(“.js-steps”).forEach(r=>{new Xe(r)})}};var gi=(r,e,t)=>{document.querySelectorAll(“.js-subscribe”).forEach(n=>{n.classList.toggle(“is-unsubscribed”,!r),n.classList.toggle(“is-preview”,e),n.classList.toggle(“is-dev”,t)})},bn={init:()=>{gi(ke(),Se(),ue())}};var di=()=>{},kn={init:()=>{di()}};var Sn={init:()=>{ct.init?.(),ie.init?.(),yt.init?.(),bt.init?.(),Tt.init?.(),Q.init?.(),xn.init?.(),bn.init?.(),kn.init?.(),X.init?.()}};var mi=()=>{},Tn={init:()=>{mi()}};var vi=document.querySelector(“.js-inno”),zn=()=>{Sn.init(),Tn.init()};vi?zn():new MutationObserver((e,t)=>{if(document.querySelector(“.js-inno”)){t.disconnect(),zn();return}}).observe(document,{attributes:!0,childList:!0,subtree:!0});})();
For a coach who’s had success at every level, Nick Nurse has had his share of celebratory offseasons.
But this offseason was a nightmare for the 76ers coach.
“You live your summer based on how your last season went,” Nurse said. “It’s reality. Or for coaches, I guess. … My main goal is that when two people get up from their seats and are walking out the door, they’re saying, ‘Man, those guys played their [butts] off tonight.’ We didn’t do that, either, and that’s what I’m striving for, and I think that’s what this fan base deserves, and that’s what we’re going to keep striving for.”
It’s hard to know whether these Sixers will continue to be the product they fielded a year ago, when Joel Embiid and Paul George spent more time in street clothes than jerseys and Tyrese Maxey struggled to score enough points to produce wins without a consistent costar.
Or, by getting younger, bigger, and more athletic, have the Sixers made a significant modification, with an emphasis on playing faster and being more balanced?
The Sixers open the season Wednesday night with a mandate for change. A second straight losing campaign for a team with three max-contract players — Embiid, George, and Maxey — will force that.
From left, Sixers Trendon Watford, Paul George and Kyle Lowry did not play in the preseason. Watford (hamstring) and George (knee) were sidelined with injuries, while Lowry, who is more of a player-coach, sat out the games to rest.
Yet the desired changes might be challenging to implement when the core players the Sixers depend on essentially are the same.
And that could become even more problematic, because with every sudden move or on-court collision, Embiid’s health odometer could max out.
Embiid looked good in his new role as a facilitator in Friday’s exhibition finale against a makeshift Minnesota Timberwolves squad. We’ll get a better idea of his level of play Wednesday against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
But the Sixers are taking a day-to-day approach to the availability of the 2023 MVP, who underwent two left knee surgeries in a span of 14 months and played in just 58 games over the last two seasons.
And what about George, who signed a four-year, $211.5 million contract two summers ago? He played in only 41 games last season because of various injuries. Knee surgery three months ago will sideline him at the start of the season for a second straight year. Additionally, Trendon Watford (left hamstring tightness) will miss Wednesday’s game.
George had been a full participant in this week’s practices. In fact, Jared McCain, who is recovering from right thumb surgery, was the only Sixer who did not practice on Monday and Tuesday.
Sixers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. said the players are locked in and have that chip on their shoulders.
The Sixers probably don’t know when they last had that much practice participation.
“We are all just locked in,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said. “And we all have that chip on our shoulder and those voices in the back of our head about the disappointment from last year.
“So it’s just going out there and winning one and playing the right way and creating that identity each and every night.”
The Sixers trust that their new identity will pay dividends. It’s about playing fast, playing hard, and playing differently while having fun.
“Like I said, with what we have and the versatility we can put out there on the court, it’ll be nice when we play in different ways,” Maxey said.
The Sixers want to get out and run to take advantage of the speed of Tyrese Maxey and the other perimeter players.
Defensively, the Sixers want to cause havoc when they pick up the ball. Their up-tempo offense will help them take advantage of a roster loaded with athletic perimeter players.
“But sometimes we’re going to have to slow the game down,” Maxey said. “We do have Joel; we do have Paul. Those guys are really good in the half court. And we also have VJ [Edgecombe], Jared, Quentin [Grimes], who are very good in the full court. So we’ll see.”
After facing the Celtics, the Sixers will head home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday and the Orlando Magic on Monday. In a positive for them, they’ll play 14 of their first 23 games at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
They’re also slated for 16 sets of back-to-back games, beginning with Monday’s game against the Magic, then at the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
A good test of their ability to compete in the Eastern Conference comes in their Nov. 5 road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are the conference title favorites.
And we’ll get a pretty good idea of this team’s competitiveness during a crucial 12-game stretch starting in December. Nine of those games are against teams that reached last season’s playoffs, highlighted by a Dec. 28 road game against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
But for now, the Sixers are beaming with confidence.
“Competitiveness. Extremely competitive. Extremely versatile,” Maxey said of what stands out about the team. “We can do a lot of different things. We’ve got a lot of guards that can do a lot of different things, some bigs that can play different positions. A lot of talent, and I think this team’s buying in early.
“As long as we can stay in that space, buying into what we’re trying to do … good team. Good opportunity.”
Tyrese Maxey poked his head around a makeshift curtain inside the 76ers’ practice facility, then dropped a smiling “Hey, buddy” to VJ Edgecombe.
Edgecombe, the prized rookie guard, had just revealed during his first media day news conference that, on a summer visit to Disneyland organized by Maxey, Edgecombe’s new teammate had made him “wear some, like, Goofy hat. I had no choice.”
“I’ll make him wear it again when we go to Orlando,” Maxey said before disappearing back behind the curtain.
That playful public exchange demonstrates another step in Maxey’s evolution into a Sixers cornerstone. Now entering his sixth NBA season, Maxey is a bridge between veterans such as former MVP Joel Embiid (who nicknamed Maxey “The Franchise” because of his diligent work ethic and endearing personality) and youngsters such as Edgecombe, who can learn plenty from Maxey’s impressive early career.
But the 2024-25 season was miserable for the Sixers and disappointing individually for Maxey, who missed the final 22 games with a finger injury after becoming an All-Star and being named Most Improved Player in 2023-24. Now, the 24-year-old point guard feels responsible for setting the standard with daily habits and a playing style that can fuel an immediate turnaround — and last into the future.
To do that, Maxey has continued to commit to connecting with teammates. And to playing freely. And, now, to speaking up.
“I have just been a lot more vocal on things that I see and things that I want to try to help fix,” Maxey said. “And that’s not just because I’m older. I think it’s more because I want to win.”
Once Maxey’s injured little finger healed, he invited Justin Edwards to his hometown, Dallas, to train. A few weeks later, right after the draft, Maxey called Edgecombe to arrange workouts together in Philly. They wound up in Los Angeles, where Sixers assistant coach Rico Hines stages his well-known summer pickup games.
Cue the detour to the Happiest Place on Earth.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey (right), with VJ Edgecombe, is taking on a more vocal leadership role this season.
Though it was silly to witness “a lot of 6-foot-7, 6-foot-8 guys trying to ride a roller coaster,” Maxey recently said, he does believe fostering off-court friendship can lead to on-court cohesion. It is why Maxey also has begun dabbling in video games, which he previously did not play much but is a common hobby among his younger teammates.
Yet the fun peppered what Edgecombe now realizes were “regular ’Rese workouts.” During those morning sessions, Maxey drilled shooting and finishing with the rookie, how to play with pace, and how to find different angles while handling and distributing the ball.
“It was a sign that he actually cared,” Edgecombe said. “He actually wants to also see me get better and build chemistry.”
This has been an emphasis from coach Nick Nurse since the James Harden trade in 2023, when the ball literally and metaphorically was handed to Maxey. Using one’s voice is simply part of organizing the team as a point guard, Nurse said. When asked for examples of Maxey’s vocal uptick during this preseason, Nurse repeated the word “many.”
“I don’t want to tell you what they are,” Nurse said. “But there have been many. Many that would have been surprising, that he wouldn’t have done a couple years ago. Many.”
That description already is different from last season. There was not as much opportunity for Maxey to arrange summer workouts with teammates because he uncharacteristically backed off his own training to limit injury risk before he could sign his max contract in July. He said he planned to immediately become more vocal with teammates once practices began, but “I didn’t really get going the way I needed to.”
Neither did the Sixers, to be fair. A team with championship aspirations face-planted during a 3-14 start, with Embiid and fellow perennial All-Star Paul George sidelined by injuries that lingered for the rest of the season. One time Maxey did hold a teammate accountable when he called Embiid out for tardiness during a postgame team meeting in a November loss at the Miami Heat, and it leaked to the media.
And although Maxey had morphed into an effective on-court partner for Embiid, he struggled as the team’s top offensive option.
Maxey acknowledged that he faced defensive coverages he had never seen before. He averaged a career-high 26.3 points and 6.1 assists, but his efficiency dipped and turnovers went up. The finger injury derailed his normally dangerous three-point shooting, including an 0-for-10 mark in a late-February loss on the same Madison Square Garden court where he had catapulted himself into national stardom in the previous spring’s playoffs.
As the season progressed, Maxey did gain confidence in “manipulating” the opposing defense. That became a focus in offseason film study, during which he critiqued possessions when he got sped up and deciphered how to lure specific defenders into an action. He also recruited high school friends to mimic “blitzing” and other swarming schemes, a callback to when he used those pals to help him identify passing reads during the 2023 offseason.
“My rookie year through my third year, I used to get so angry at Joel sometimes when [he’d] be getting double-teamed,” Maxey said, “and I’m like, ‘Bro, I’m wide-open.’ And he’s like, ‘Bro, I can’t see you.’
“Then people started double-teaming me, and people were like, ‘Bro, I’m open.’ And I said, ‘Trust me I really can’t see you.’”
Sixers center Joel Embiid formed an effective offensive duo with guard Tyrese Maxey.
Beyond Maxey further establishing that leadership, Nurse now wants him to resume firing a barrage of three-pointers in transition and from even farther beyond the arc. His offseason checklist also included increasing strength on his 6-foot-2 frame so he can play with more physicality when driving into the paint.
Those skills are weapons within the Sixers’ systemic offensive tweaks, with a goal to play faster, emphasize passing, and generate buckets even when Embiid and/or George miss time.
Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and, eventually, Jared McCain also are capable ballhandlers, allowing Maxey to play more shooting guard. Maxey’s experience — first in a three-guard lineup his one college season at Kentucky, then while sharing the floor with Ben Simmons and Harden as a young professional — has prepared him to toggle between both backcourt roles.
During early practices, Nurse said, Maxey would alternate between bringing the ball up on one possession, then deferring to Edgecombe on the next. By Day 3, the coach said, Maxey began to identify gaps in the defenses and opportunities to unleash his speed on cuts and when coming off screens.
And when Maxey told his coach that he did not feel he had the ball enough in the Sixers’ preseason opener against the New York Knicks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Nurse countered with, “That was about as free and easy as you’ve played offense that I can remember.”
“You had great shots,” Nurse told his point guard. “You had some cuts for backdoors. … You did that without dribbling in circles for 20 seconds and trying to find something, flying into brick walls. You just were really moving.”
That on-court rhythm is powered by a fresh mindset. Maxey candidly acknowledged the emotional weight of last season, while absorbing the mounting losses (and being tasked with attempting to explain them in interviews) for the first time in his basketball life. There were times his family and close friends remarked that he was not smiling as much.
So he began “really focusing” on his mental health, regularly journaling and putting goals in writing. His joy had noticeably returned during an appearance at summer league in Las Vegas, when he held a joint media availability with close friend and new Sixers signee Trendon Watford. At media day, he opened his press conference by asking onlookers if he should keep the white arm sleeve with his game day jersey.
“My spirits have to be high for this team and for this organization and for my game as well,” he said. “I think that’s what I’ll do this year, and we’ll be better.”
Tyrese Maxey chasing down the ball in a preseason game against the Timberwolves on Friday.
That spirit has appeared during one-on-one drills at the end of practices, when his opponents have ranged from George to Edgecombe to two-way forward Dominick Barlow. Kyle Lowry, a 20-year NBA veteran and long-respected leader, has “pushed” Maxey to speak up during the more intense segments of practice. Ditto for fellow veteran Eric Gordon, who recently said “it’s been time for [Maxey] to be a leader.” Embiid first approached Maxey about this at the end of the 2023-24 season and appreciates that the point guard balances Embiid’s quieter demeanor.
“That’s why it’s such a good match,” Embiid said. “… But it goes back to just him being a good kid. Willing to learn. Humble. Listens. I think that goes a long way.”
When a reporter began a media day question to Maxey with “Six years ago,” he jokingly responded with a whistle and “Why you got to do that?” He called himself “old” several times during the preseason, even though he turns 25 next month.
But after totaling an efficient 27 points and seven assists in the Sixers’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Friday’s preseason finale, Maxey casually leaned back in his locker room chair. He spoke glowingly about Embiid’s return from knee problems and Edgecombe’s early development, bridging the veteran and young portions of the roster. When asked about his final preparations before Wednesday’s season opener at the Boston Celtics, he started with “just stay in a flow state,” a mantra he heard from his younger brother during the summer, and “I took it from him.”
Three days later, Maxey stood under a basket inside the Sixers’ practice facility, arm slung around McCain. He told McCain that he missed playing with him, that he will make the Sixers even better once he returns from thumb surgery.
Then, Maxey walked across the court for his final media session before the 2025-26 season begins. Six minutes later, he chugged right back to that basket on the opposite end, to put up more shots.
“He’s happy. He’s a worker,” Nurse said. “He’s in here early. He wants to practice. He wants to go over things. And that’s part of being a leader, too — that you’ve got that mental motor that’s capable to continue to work over and over every day.”
Forty-five years ago this week, the Phillies won their first World Series.
At the center of it all, Michael Jack Schmidt.
Schmidt went 8-for-21 with two homers and seven RBIs against the Royals and was named World Series MVP, a crowning achievement in his Hall of Fame career. But he badly needed that performance to change the narrative after several years’ worth of playoff disappointment, individually and for the team.
Here’s an excerpt from our conversation, edited for brevity and clarity. Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcaston Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Q: Kyle Schwarber has 340 home runs through age 32. What’s the key to maintaining the production on the back nine of a career?
A: You’re getting into your middle 30s, moving a little bit into your late 30s, if you can stay healthy, continue a really, really strong workout program in the offseason. Your flexibility has to be there. Your bat speed obviously has to stay up. Your eyes have to stay — you’ve got to be able to see. I had 20/10 vision when I played. And it’s important to have good eyesight as you’re going forward, like you did when you were young.
There’s a lot of nonmechanical baseball swing issues that have got to stay right because you’ve got to be quick.
Schwarber is now quick to the ball, and you have to have confidence you could hit a 95 mph fastball as you get older. That’s what kind of sent me out of the game — that fastball just started to just get by me. My reactions weren’t as strong as they were when I was young. My bat speed wasn’t what it used to be.
It’s like golf. As you get older, you wonder, ‘Why did I lose my length? How come I can only hit at 240 now? I used to be able to hit it 290-300,’ and things just change when you get older. So you’ve got to fight that off as long as you can. You’ve got to push that off into your 40s or whatever. And so, that’s a big issue.
… We’re crazy to [only] use the number 500 [homers] with Kyle Schwarber. You’re only talking about what, five more years at 30 a year to get to 500? He’s probably got, let’s say, five more years at 50 a year. Five more years at 40-45, a year. So, his No. 500, I believe, is selling a little bit short.
Q: Why do you think Bryce Harper has been such a good fit for Philly and maybe vice versa?
A: I had my doubts in the beginning, from a distance, from what I knew about [him] playing at Washington. I had my doubts about that. Plus, you add in that crazy amount of money [$330 million] the Phillies gave him to come to Philadelphia and the number of years [13], and I just had my doubts. And he has taken to Philly like a duck to water. He’s got a fantastic team around him. He’s a great family man. He plays the Philly way — down and dirty, and that’s the way he is. And he brings the crowd into his game, and the game into the crowd. He’s a little bit the opposite of me. I kind of played with those blinders on, and he’s very emotional when he plays the game. The Philly fans love that. He’s gotten a lot of big hits. He loves that big moment. The fans love to be there when Bryce comes up in a big moment. So he’s a clutch player, there’s no question about that.
And he knows the history of the game. He gives me a lot of respect. And also other players to play before him. That’s good. Players of my era like to see that in current-day players as a rule. … We don’t think that this generation of players knows as much about us as they should, because I know that when we played, we knew about the guys that came before us. We had their baseball cards when we were young, and … if somebody walked in, if Stan Musial walked into our clubhouse, we’d all rush over to meet him. We all knew who he [was]. I don’t want to get too deep into this, but I think over time, the sense of the people that came before you — and in all sports — I truly believe that is diminished from what it was 20-30 years ago. Not with Bryce. Bryce is very informed about the alumni like myself.
Pete Rose (left) was Phillies teammates with Mike Schmidt for five seasons.
Q: In May, the commissioner posthumously reinstated Pete Rose, whose name could be put before a Hall of Fame era committee for consideration for induction in December 2027. Within the Hall of Fame community, do you think there’s support to put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame?
A: I do, but I don’t know that it’s any more than 50% … There are as many detractors as supporters in Pete’s case. However [Hall of Fame chairman of the board of directors] Jane Clark forms the committee, that will determine Pete’s fate. And even if they put 16 ex-players, members of the Hall of Fame on it, I still think it would be 50/50. And if they put four or five Hall of Fame members on it, and GMs and team presidents and media people and historians, and they put all those guys on it, I still think it runs 50/50. [Note: 75% support is required for election.]
… I can’t go one way strong or the other, based upon my experiences and talking about Pete, wherever I’ve been, be it around the members of the Hall of Fame or media types, Just general conversation at a restaurant or something with people.
What a tumultuous life that man led. I don’t think he handled the whole situation very well. I’m not a proponent of him gambling on the game, which was the big issue, of course. The people’s lives that he affected through that, through his life during that period, the way he handled when he admitted on that, and the way that Mr. [former commissioner Bud] Selig was hoping that he would change his life and do some good, change his habits in life to positive things for the game of baseball and for himself and his family, which didn’t happen.
So I think he created his own fate. And now we will find out, I guess in two or three years, when this committee votes whether he will have a plaque in the Hall of Fame. And I believe that if he doesn’t, I still think there should be a big corner in the museum somewhere that shows pictures and tells the story, maybe a video of some sort, of Pete Rose happening in the history of baseball. Because I think it’s important. Whether it was a negative stain on the sport or not, that’s part of it.
The 76ers want to leave last season, when they finished with fifth-worst record in the NBA, behind them.
Tonight, the start of a new chapter begins, as they’ll tip off the 2025-26 season against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, and for the first time since February, Joel Embiid will play.
It’s hard to know whether these Sixers will continue to be the product they fielded a season ago, when Embiid and Paul George spent more time in street clothes than jerseys and Tyrese Maxey struggled to score enough points to produce wins without a consistent costar.
However, there’s been a mandate for change and a new identity. Maxey has felt responsible for setting that standard. To do that, the 24-year-old point guard has made an effort to connect with his teammates outside the facilities. And to play freely. And to speak up.
“My spirits have to be high for this team and for this organization and for my game as well,” Maxey said. “I think that’s what I’ll do this year, and we’ll be better.”
And in case you missed it, Gina Mizell broke down seven questions for the Sixers this season, which include VJ Edgecombe’s impact and Embiid and George’s health status.
Defensive end Brandon Graham retired earlier this year, but he’s coming back to help bolster the Eagles’ depleted pass rush.
Brandon Graham is eyeing Week 10 against the Packers as his first game back after the 37-year-old defensive end announced Tuesday that he’s coming out of retirement to rejoin the Eagles. Howie Roseman reached out to Graham’s agent about returning to the team earlier in the season, but Graham wasn’t ready. Then came the news that Za’Darius Smith, whom Roseman signed to help bolster the edge rusher corps, was retiring. It led Graham to reconsider how he would respond if he was approached with another opportunity. Plus, the veteran feels like he has some “juice left.”
What do you expect from Graham? We’ve seen in the past — from Reggie White to James Harrison to Tom Brady — that not all unretirements are created equally, and rejoining the NFL doesn’t always mean you pick up where you left off.
Mike Schmidt (right) respects how Bryce Harper has managed to connect with Phillies fans.
Forty-five years ago this week, the Phillies won their first World Series.
At the center of it all, Michael Jack Schmidt.
Schmidt went 8-for-21 with two homers and seven RBIs against the Royals and was named World Series MVP, a crowning achievement in his Hall of Fame career. But he badly needed that performance to change the narrative after several years’ worth of playoff disappointment, individually and for the team.
On a recent edition of Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball show, Schmidt discussed how the 1980 Phillies finally got over the October hump. He also shared some thoughts on Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Pete Rose’s potential Hall of Fame candidacy.
Flyers right wing Travis Konecny has scored 30 goals in two of the last three years.
Travis Konecny had heard enough of the questions about being “snakebit” and the fact that he had no goals through five games.
So what did he do? He ended them by scoring his first goal of the season Monday night in the Flyers’ 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. But while he hadn’t scored until Monday, Konecny’s presence has been felt in other ways, as Jackie Spiegel writes.
Speaking of that 5-2 win, the power play wasn’t the only positive for Rick Tocchet’s men. Here are our full takeaways, including a nod to a surprising combatant.
Sports snapshot
“It feels good to be back home, especially back in the Garden,” said Villanova’s Kevin Willard, who coached 12 seasons at Seton Hall.
New stage: Kevin Willard felt back at home during the Big East media day in New York, where his Villanova Wildcats were picked to finish seventh in a preseason poll.
The bid is in: Philadelphia is one of 30 U.S. cities interested in hosting games for the 2031 women’s World Cup.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse during a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 17.
It would be a fitting twist if this was the year the Sixers finally lived up to the hype of the last decade. Daryl Morey has taken the brunt of the blame for the last couple of seasons, mostly because it was his name on the marquee. But for the first time, in a long time, the Sixers have the makings of a team that is, at the very least, a fun team to root for. How well that translate into wins is a different story, writes columnist David Murphy.
Who said it?
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey get ready to open the Sixers’ 2025-26 season on Wednesday.
The Sixers are entering this season with confidence behind a younger roster. Which player said this about their mindset?
🧠 Trivia time answer
Who is the Phillies’ career leader in postseason RBIs with 33?
B) Ryan Howard — Steven A. was first with the correct answer.
What you’re saying about Alec Bohm
We asked: Should the Phillies follow through on an Alec Bohm trade this offseason? Among your responses:
For whatever reason why would you want to trade Alec? He hits, he runs, he fields and he’s a great locker room guy. There are way too many others that should get their walking papers. Kepler, Castellanos,half of the bull pen just to mention a few. We have a good team but just not good enough to beat the Dodgers. Money buys talent and no team will ever outspend them. — Ronald R.
I don’t think so, he is still young and once he came back from injury he was great. He should stay, get rid of Castellanos. — Stephanie M.
Moving on from the best hitter we have seen in years. We should go all in on him for what he has done. Sucks we will probably lose hm, as money is going to be an issue going into this offseason. — Nicholas C.
No. He’s a solid .280-.290, 90 rbi, 15 home run guy who plays a decent third base. Not that easy to replace. — Richard V.
The biggest downside of trading Alec Bohm is that it’s questionable if the Phillies would improve themselves with any player in return. I say we stick with Bohm and my hunch is he’ll pay a higher dividend than expected next year. — Peter S.
Absolutely not! What is with this obsession with trading Bohm? He’s still young, is a clutch hitter and nowadays .287 hitters don’t grow on trees. With everyone wanting to hit homeruns in today’s game a good contact hitter who can hit for average is somehow considered to be under-performing. The Phillies need to let him know he’s not going anywhere so he can 100% focus on continuing to improve his game instead of worrying about where he’ll be playing it. They also need to re-sign Ranger. The old axiom is true that good pitching beats good hitting and Ranger was one of the best this year. The Phillies are expecting him to get very high offers in the free agent market. There’s a reason for that. He’s a consistent proven winner. Pay him like he deserves and stop bringing in re-treads like Romano. — Bob A.
The Phillies’ Alec Bohm reacts after striking out during NLDS Game 2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 6.
Trading Bohm would be a huge mistake. For his performance on the field and at the plate, he is perhaps the best value on the team. And unlike the big three at the top of the lineup, he didn’t completely choke in the postseason. While he might be extra sensitive when he doesn’t play well, at least he seems to care! No complaining that the game is a grind and he’d rather at be home! Bohm has been – and will be again – an all star.— Beth B.
I do not understand why they would even consider trading Bohm. He plays solid defense at third and is a consistent contact hitter. They certainly have issues to address with other players where an upgrade would make sense. — Kathy T.
I really like Alec Bohm and think he has greatly improved his fielding over the years as well as becoming a good clutch hitter, but yes I would trade him in any attempt to bring in a power hitting right handed player. Matt Snell and others have shown time after time how vulnerable we are to good left handed pitching. Bohm only played 120 games and had 11 home runs and 59 rbi’s. This team definitely needs more than that from their right handed hitters. — Everett S.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Gina Mizell, Keith Pompey, Scott Lauber, Olivia Reiner, David Murphy, Jackie Spiegel, Jeff Neiburg, and Jonathan Tannenwald.
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.
As always, thanks for reading! Happy Wednesday and have a wonderful day. Kerith will be in your inbox tomorrow. — Bella
The Sixers have figured out the key to a stress-free life.
You can’t let anybody down if they don’t have any expectations.
It would be a fitting twist if this was the year the Sixers finally lived up to the hype of the last decade. They spent eight years as a Snapchat-filter contender, entering each season with the unsubstantiated energy of a team that desperately wants to speak its self-image into existence but at the same time understands that the teams that win NBA titles usually aren’t the ones trying to channel Ben Affleck in Boiler Room. The problem with the whole “act as if” mindset is that you need to stop acting at some point or else you just become an act.
The tricky thing about the Sixers is that it is tough to pinpoint when, exactly, they became that act, given the preponderance of options. I would argue that it was when James Harden held a birthday party at which women held signs that said, “Daryl Morey is a liar.” But you could just as easily argue that it happened a year earlier, when the Sixers traded a guy who was too scared to throw down an open dunk in a decisive playoff game for a guy who showed up to a playoff press conference wearing a designer coat that looked like it was constructed from the pelt of a Teletubby.
Morey has taken the brunt of the blame for the last couple of seasons, mostly because it was his name on the marquee. If you don’t like the circus, you either blame Barnum or you blame Bailey. In selling Harden and then Paul George, Morey’s message was the classic “Don’t believe your eyes.” The scariest part of Dave Dombrowski’s press conference last week was when he channeled Morey and suggested that older players don’t get old the same way they used to. Whatever truth there is to it — and I could lay out a very strong case that there isn’t much — the marvels of modern sport science still haven’t managed to solve a conundrum that each of us encounters at some physiological age. Once you get old, there is no getting un-old. The only question is whether you can slow down the decay.
Funny thing about Morey, though. While his more vocal critics have written him off as little more than a salesman, they are giving his sales proficiency way too much credit. He has been much better at his actual job, which, let’s not forget, began five years ago with inheriting a roster that was assembled on the premise that Al Horford and Josh Richardson could be the missing pieces that would enable Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris to win a title. Back then, people felt a lot like they did by the end of last season. The Sixers’ best chance had already passed them by.
Sixers president Daryl Morey is entering his sixth season with the franchise.
What the interim has wrought is in the eye of the beholder. It has been easiest to focus on Morey’s yearly quest to push the Sixers over the top, his annual reshuffling of the deck, from Simmons to Harden to George, each one falling short of even reaching the conference finals. The Sixers have not come close to achieving the ultimate goal, but they have made a sport of it, taking the Celtics to Game 7 in 2023 and the Knicks to Game 6 in 2024 before landing George as part of a free-agent bonanza last summer. Yet even as they have tried and failed — and flailed — they somehow manage to enter 2025-26 with a roster that actually looks like the one the Sixers thought they had in those first post-Process years, long before Morey arrived. Morey drafted Tyrese Maxey and then Jared McCain and just five months ago VJ Edgecombe, who may have the most potential of them all.
You watched the Sixers this preseason and you saw the makings of the team they never actually had. The first quarter of their 126-110 win over the Timberwolves on Friday was eye-opening. Early in the quarter, Edgecombe crashed the weak-side glass and corralled a Kelly Oubre miss for an easy putback. Edgecombe and Maxey spent the period running the court like it was crumbling behind them, pushing the pace after makes as well as misses, displaying an uncanny connection for teammates whose partnership can be measured in months.
After going hard to the basket and finishing his textbook footwork with a contested layup off a fastbreak pass from Maxey, Edgecombe stole the ball from Johnny Juzang at the other end of the court, sparking another break that resulted in a free-throw trip for Quentin Grimes. But the most instructive play might have been one that failed: a cross-court, alley-oop pass from Maxey near the hash to Edgecombe on the weak-side block. They did not convert, but they came close enough to project that they will finish plenty of them.
Even without McCain, who quickly worked his way to the top of the rotation last season and who will be there again soon, the Sixers looked a lot like the kind of team people always wished they would be instead of steadily growing older, slower, and more difficult to watch.
For the first time in a long time, the Sixers have the makings of a team that is, at the very least, a fun team to root for. It remains to be seen how well it will translate into wins. It will translate into more than people think if Embiid can consistently be the guy he was in his preseason debut. Healthy. Light on his feet. Knocking down elbow jumpers and charging to the rim. Whatever they get from George will be a bonus.
And, who knows, maybe that will be enough in a wide-open Eastern Conference where two top contenders are taking gap years. Injuries to the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton have created a power vacuum. You can’t completely discount the Sixers’ chances of filling it.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe brings the ball upcourt alongside Tyrese Maxey during Friday’s preseason game against the Timberwolves.
For now, the reason to watch this team is for an early look at what the future will look like. Edgecombe has a chance to become the Sixers’ most electric star since Allen Iverson. Maxey is Maxey, and McCain is almost as fun to watch. It is a fascinating dynamic, one that complicates the more cynical narratives about the Sixers’ trajectory over the last five years.
The safe play is to not expect much out of the Sixers. But you can expect them to be fun.
Loading…
