Former center Jason Kelce was one of the first people to share his thoughts when Jeff Stoutland announced last week that he was stepping down after 13 seasons as the Eagles offensive line coach.
Kelce, who spent 11 of his 13 seasons studying under the dean of “Stoutland University,” talked more about the departure of the longtime assistant on the most recent episode of New Heights.
“I mean, [he] just coached a ton of incredible players: Jason Peters, Todd Herremans, Evan Mathis, myself, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata — turned him from a rugby player into an All-Pro left tackle,“ Kelce said. ”He got Cam Jurgens to a Pro Bowl last year, Landon Dickerson to some Pro Bowls, Isaac Seumalo. He’s just done such an incredible job within the Philadelphia Eagles organization, and he’s been such a mainstay throughout multiple head coaches at this point.”
Kelce, who remains a regular at the team facility since his retirement and worked with the Eagles’ young offensive lineman during training camp at the request of Stoutland, also had personal reasons for not wanting to see his mentor go.
“It just sucks to see him go, selfishly. As an Eagles fan and somebody that played for him, and somebody that still goes to the facility — I still go to NovaCare on a regular basis — and I’m not going to be able to see Stout anymore,“ Kelce said. ”And that’s just frustrating for me, and I think frustrating for a lot of people in that building because he was a personality that a lot of people gravitated toward. And this is the reality of the business.”
In addition to Jason Kelce (left), Jeff Stoutland also coached left tackle Jason Peters (right).
He even offered a personal message to Stoutland, who won a pair of Super Bowls with the Eagles and has coached football longer than the 38-year-old Kelce has been alive.
Said Kelce: “Coach, I love you. I don’t know what’s next, but whatever it is, whether it’s coaching or whatever, I know you’re going to be great at it, as you always are.”
Stoutland’s greatness wasn’t lost on Travis Kelce either. While he never played for him, the younger Kelce brother admired him from afar, all while seeing the impact Stoutland had on Jason.
“You already know, man, we’ve got so much respect for him,” Travis said. “He’s one of those guys that you meet in crossing just because you were playing for him … And he’s one of those guys that you would [expletive] just know you’d love playing for, man. And it’s across the board, anybody that runs into him knows you’re going to get everything this guy has and on top of that he’s going to be real about it and we’re going to get [expletive] done.
“One of the best ball coaches I’ve known from afar, and couldn’t be more proud to say congrats on everything your career has gotten to at this point.”
Cam Jurgens (left) was Jason Kelce’s replacement at center. Kelce helped Stoutland coach him up before retiring.
In addition to serving as offensive line coach, Stoutland was also the Eagles run-game coordinator for many years, but Nick Sirianni shifted some of those responsibilities away from Stoutland last year with the ground attack struggling, as Jeff McLane reported. The team also made a change at offensive coordinator, with Kevin Patullo (now reportedly headed to the Dolphins) being replaced by Sean Mannion. And while Jason Kelce understands the nature of the business, he wishes the veteran assistant could’ve stuck around through yet another coordinator change.
“I get that the team is trying to move forward and really embrace this new system and really redesign what this offense is. I wish Stout could’ve been a part of that, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way,” Jason added. “Anyways, love you, coach. Couldn’t be more happy to have been coached by you.
“And 27 Pro Bowl linemen were with Stout over that 13 years. Wild.”
After five seasons with the Eagles, including a yearlong stint as the offensive coordinator last season, Kevin Patullo reportedly will not return to Philadelphia in 2026.
The Miami Dolphins are hiring Patullo as their pass game coordinator, according to NFL Network, joining a revamped coaching staff under new head coach Jeff Hafley and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
The Eagles removed Patullo from his post as offensive coordinator in January following their wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Eagles offense, which returned 10 of 11 starters from the Super Bowl LIX-winning team, regressed under Patullo. The unit finished the season ranked No. 19 in scoring and No. 24 in yards after ranking No. 7 and No. 8 in those respective categories with Kellen Moore at the controls in 2024.
Patullo had technically remained on Nick Sirianni’s staff for the last month, although it seemed unlikely that he would find a role on the offensive coaching staff under Sean Mannion, whom the Eagles hired as their new offensive coordinator on Jan. 29.
The offensive staff has undergone sweeping changes in a short span, underscored by veteran offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland announcing his exit after 13 seasons. Mannion filled Stoutland’s offensive line coach duties by hiring Chris Kuper, his former colleague with the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles hired another of Mannion’s former coworkers when they named Ryan Mahaffey, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, as the team’s tight ends coach and run game coordinator.
The Eagles also hired ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard as pass game coordinator shortly after Mannion was named OC.
Despite the departures of Patullo, Stoutland, and former tight ends coach Jason Michael, the Eagles will have some continuity among the offensive coaching staff. Wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead and running backs coach Jemal Singleton are among those who will be retained.
Patullo reportedly will get a fresh start in a somewhat familiar place. The 44-year-old coach attended high school in the Miami area in Davie, Fla., and played college football at South Florida in Tampa.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Head out the third base stands of the Phillies’ spring training stadium, go south a block, and you’ll start to hear another ball being knocked around.
The Union have once again made their preseason home here, too, as they prepare to kick off their campaign next week in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
They wrapped up a five-game slate Tuesday night with a 4-2 loss to CF Montréal, an unusually fractious game that included several yellow cards and two reds — one to Montréal’s manager after watching a robust challenge in front of him.
But the result mattered less than getting to see new forward Agustín Anello’s first minutes, starting next to Ezekiel Alladoh and assisting Milan Iloski for a sharp goal. New centerback Geiner Martínez also got some run as a substitute next to Olwethu Makhanya.
How will all that translate to next Wednesday’s curtain-raiser, at Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force FC (6 p.m., FS2 and TUDN)?
“I think it starts off the field,” Union manager Bradley Carnell said Wednesday in a news conference. “When we all speak about recruitment, we speak about people first. And I think all of those guys you’ve just mentioned have come in and exceeded our expectations.”
Martínez and Anello are still settling in, having just arrived to the club in recent days, but have gained familiarity when possible: the former with fellow Spanish-speakers in the locker room, the latter from having already known Nathan Harriel and Bruno Damiani.
Alladoh has been around for longer, so there’s more evidence. He is going to be a handful physically for opponents, but the ultimate verdict will come from how often he scores.
“He’s just a bunch of energy,” Carnell said. “He’s a big dude who just wants to run and compete every single day, and we’re just trying to work little angles and details to get him on the score sheet. He had a couple of chances last night, and does really well for us in the [preseason] games in Spain, and we can see the threat he can be.”
The most important thing now is avoiding the injury bug, and unfortunately it has bitten the Union. Nothing too severe, but Indiana Vassilev and Eddy Davis were in street clothes Tuesday night, and Milan Iloski took a pretty good whack on the foul that produced the other red card. Carnell said he believes it’s a contusion, but there wasn’t a full diagnosis yet when he spoke.
Tuesday’s game was a reminder of the physicality in MLS, even in a preseason game. That has also been an adjustment for the newcomers.
“You don’t know until you know, right?” Carnell said. “I think a lot of people don’t know about MLS and the rigors and the physicality of it. Even [for] a player like ‘Jeff’ Larsen, who’s played at really high levels in the Europa League and everything, playing in this league is a different animal. … Last night was a real, I would say, testament to that statement.”
Geiner Martínez on the ball during Saturday’s preseason game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the second-tier USL Championship.
Bruno Damiani has also been absent for the last few days: He’s back in his native Uruguay getting a U.S. green card. Carnell said the striker’s return to camp is “imminent.”
The biggest open question mark remains at left back. The Union are still shopping and don’t have a deal done yet.
A source confirmed a report by Sweden’s Expressen that talks are ongoing for 20-year-old Philippe Ndinga of Swedish top flight club Degerfors. Various reports have said Los Angeles FC and the Houston Dynamo previously had interest.
Union’s franchise value
Sports business publication Sportico unveiled its latest judgment of MLS franchise values on Tuesday, and pegged the Union at $740 million. That’s a 6% increase from 2025, and 14th out of the league’s 30 teams — a ranking unchanged from last year.
The Union’s franchise value ranks in the middle of the pack in MLS.
It’s no surprise that Inter Miami is ranked No. 1, and not just because of Lionel Messi. The Herons will open a big-time new stadium this year in the shadow of Miami’s airport. But the valuation of $1.45 billion is still a headline, as it’s bigger than some baseball and hockey teams — including the Marlins across town.
Los Angeles FC, the Los Angeles Galaxy, Atlanta, and New York City FC also have franchise values above $1 billion. The top 10 is rounded out by Seattle, Austin, Columbus, Cincinnati, and San Diego, the last of which is valued at $765 million.
The highest the Union have ranked since Sportico began its estimates in 2021 is 11th in 2024.
Sportico’s metrics include not just revenue projections, but “the value of team-related businesses and real estate holdings.” That works in the Union’s favor, given how much land they own around Subaru Park and the training and academy complex they’ve built there.
MLS hasn’t always embraced outsiders’ valuations of its teams. But it does these days, and even promotes Sportico’s figures on some of its platforms.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — For years, a tucked-away corner of the Phillies’ spring-training clubhouse has belonged to the stars. And because the roster hasn’t changed much since 2022, neither have the nameplates above the lockers.
Schwarber did a double take almost as soon as he walked through the door here Wednesday, even before Realmuto pointed it out. Left fielder Brandon Marsh stopped Miller in the hallway and said, “Man, you got a good little locker spot there.”
“They’ve all kind of made little comments here and there about it,” said Miller, the top prospect who now occupies the space once reserved for Nick Castellanos, the disgruntled $20 million right fielder who no longer has a locker (a photo of him was removed from a hallway in the clubhouse, too) because he will be traded or released by the weekend. “I was surprised seeing it myself.”
Miller shouldn’t be surprised. Nobody should.
Never mind that he is 21, the second-youngest player among 68 in camp. Or that he dressed at a temporary locker on the other side of the room last spring and lived with his parents 20 miles north of the Phillies’ complex.
Miller is in the Phillies’ plans — and sooner than later. So, it isn’t a coincidence, according to manager Rob Thomson, that he and fellow top prospect Justin Crawford (No. 80 in your spring-training program) are taking up residence on Millionaires’ Row.
“We upgraded a little bit,” Crawford said, laughing.
In 2026, after back-to-back divisional-round knockouts, the Phillies will still be led by Harper & Friends, few of whom have aged out of their prime. But they also aren’t getting younger.
As it is, the Phillies are trying to become only the 10th team in baseball history to make the playoffs with four players age 33 or older getting at least 500 plate appearances. If new right fielder Adolis García joins Harper, Turner, Schwarber, and Realmuto, the Phillies would be only the third team to make the playoffs with five. It hasn’t happened since the 2007 New York Yankees.
So, the Phillies must get younger if they’re going to prop open the proverbial window to contend long beyond this year. And that’s where Crawford, Miller, and 22-year-old pitcher Andrew Painter come in — and why they may be the three most important players in camp.
“Crawford and Miller and Andrew, we know they’re all very talented,” said Zack Wheeler, at 35 the dean of the starting rotation. “It’s good to have those guys around. You can’t have everybody under big contracts. You’ve got to have some young guys. We have a good locker room to accept those guys. They can ask any of these guys questions, and they’ll definitely help out.”
That’s the idea.
Crawford, 22, is the presumptive opening-day center fielder after batting .300 at every level of the minors. He might’ve gotten called up last August if the Phillies didn’t trade for Harrison Bader at the deadline. His time is most certainly now.
“I’ll say it feels a little different,” said Crawford, who would be the youngest outfielder on a Phillies opening-day roster since Greg Luzinski and Mike Anderson in 1973. “Last year was kind of the excitement of being in big-league camp for the first time. This, I feel a little bit more laid-back and just ready to get to work and compete. Excited to see what happens.”
Crawford insists he isn’t taking anything for granted. His dad, four-time All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford, wouldn’t allow it. Neither would his godfather, Junior Spivey, who played five seasons in the majors, or personal hitting coach Mike Easler, who had a 14-year major-league career.
And then there are Crawford’s new neighbors in the high-rent district of the clubhouse.
“I came in and still it was a little surreal,” Crawford said despite getting a heads-up from a teammate of where his locker was located. “It was like, ‘Wow,’ from being over there [on the other side of the room] last year. So, it’s pretty cool and definitely a good, nice moment.”
The Phillies did this in 2023 with Painter. They gave him a locker alongside Wheeler and around the corner from Aaron Nola and a chance to compete for a spot in the rotation as a 19-year-old. But he suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow, had surgery, and missed two seasons.
Painter has a good chance of making the team out of camp in part because Wheeler will be behind the other pitchers as he comes back from thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition in which a vein is compressed between the collarbone and rib cage. Wheeler had a rib removed in September.
But Painter isn’t merely a placeholder. The Phillies remain bullish on his future even after he struggled last season in triple A. Many rival evaluators “cut him some slack,” as one NL scout said, after the two-year absence and believe he still has top-of-the-rotation potential.
Right-hander Andrew Painter has a chance to be in the Phillies’ season-opening starting rotation.
And if Crawford and Painter are ticketed for the opening-day roster, Miller may not be far behind. It isn’t only the placement of his locker. As camp opened for pitchers and catchers, Thomson confirmed that Miller will get reps at third base, in addition to his natural shortstop, a spot occupied by Turner.
It won’t be the first time. Miller played third base at J.W. Mitchell High School, up the road from here in Trinity, Fla., before the Phillies drafted him in the first round in 2023. This spring will be about “relearning” the position, he said, notably the footwork and the hops.
“I just want to get there [to the majors],” Miller said. “I don’t care where it is in the field. As long as I’m there, I’m cool.”
If Crawford, Painter, and Miller can get there, the Phillies will have threaded the needle of replenishing the roster while also contending. It’s a tricky balance.
Thomson was a coach with the Yankees in 2017 when they successfully blended youth (Aaron Judge, Gary Sánchez, Greg Bird, Jordan Montgomery, and Luis Severino) with a veteran core en route to 91 wins and Game 7 of the AL Championship Series.
“I think there’s some similarities there,” Thomson said. “If you want to have a really healthy organization for a sustainable future, you have to be able to infuse some youth along the way.”
And it starts, symbolically, with a couple of kids lockering alongside the stars for six weeks in February and March.
PORTLAND, Ore. — After the 76ers’ victory at the Phoenix Suns last Saturday, Nick Nurse was still irked about the game they let slip away at the Los Angeles Lakers two nights prior.
“Quarter here [Monday] that’s really bad, and one quarter in L.A.,” Nurse said late Monday about the 3-2 trip. “But most of it was really good basketball.”
That was all part of the Sixers’ busy week out west, which overlapped with the trade deadline. The Sixers said goodbye to Jared McCain and Eric Gordon in the middle of the trip. Joel Embiid remained dominant in the three games he played. Tyrese Maxey was invited to the three-point contest at All-Star Saturday.
Next, the Sixers have one more game against the rival New York Knicks before the All-Star break.
“Everybody will get up for [that],” veteran wing Kelly Oubre Jr. said of the Knicks game. “Take care of that one, and we feel good going into the break.”
First, here are some additional nuggets and observations from the Sixers’ five-game trip.
Maxey three-point contest
Tyrese Maxey declined an invitation to compete in the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend in 2024, acknowledging he was “nervous” and wanted to soak up the experience as a first-time All-Star.
“This year, I definitely wanted to do it, man,” Maxey said Monday morning from Portland. “I wanted to be a part of that night, and I’m going to go out there and try to win.”
Maxey was announced Sunday as a participant in the event that now headlines All-Star Saturday. He has become one of the league’s most dangerous long-range shooters because of the variety of attempts he can fire off the catch and dribble, and because he has extended his range. He entered Wednesday shooting 37.9% on 8.8 attempts per game this season.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey will participate in the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend.
Shooting off a rack, however, is quite different than taking a shot in the flow of a game. Maxey said he has a little experience in such competitions in high school and while at Kentucky, and might spend some time practicing off the rack Tuesday night. And Sixers player development coach Toure’ Murry has told Maxey since the beginning of the season that he has “got something for me” as far as strategy with where to place the “money” balls worth extra points.
Maxey has fond memories of watching former Golden State Warriors “Splash Brothers” Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson get hot in the three-point contest. Former winners Damian Lillard and Devin Booker are also in this year’s field.
And now, Maxey is far from nervous to join them.
“Everything from that weekend and being a part of it is special,” Maxey said. “It’s a blessing, and I’m not going to take any of it for granted.”
Plan for Paul George
As the Sixers walked into Santa Monica Prep for their first shootaround of this trip, Paul George was among those in attendance. George’s personal trainer also has continued to travel with the team.
George still has 19 games remaining in his 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. But he is permitted to remain around the team for practices and shootarounds.
“The organization’s equipped in any way to provide him whatever he needs,” said Nurse, alluding that George has at least partially attributed his positive drug test to mental health struggles. “ … We want to keep him as engaged on the basketball side.”
Oubre, who is now tasked with making up for some of George’s production on both ends of the floor, expressed support for his teammate during this time.
“My first thought was just praying for him,” Oubre said upon hearing the news of George’s suspension. “Obviously, that’s tough, man, especially when you talk about mental health, because that’s the unseen. You see us physically, but you don’t know what’s going on in our head and in our lives.”
Edgecombe’s bounceback
VJ Edgecombe said his 1-of-11 shooting dud on Feb. 2 at the Los Angeles Clippers was easy to mentally flush. But Nurse took things a step further, immediately calling the Sixers’ first couple of plays for Edgecombe in the following night’s matchup at Golden State.
That ignited the rookie guard’s 25-point outburst on 11-of-20 shooting, a significant lift as the Warriors’ defense relentlessly swarmed Maxey.
“Just to say, ‘We’re going to VJ,’” Nurse said “ … I didn’t know it was going to be that good. But I figured he’d be ready to go, and we just wanted to let him know we believe in him.”
Consider that another example of the immense — and rare — confidence Edgecombe has instantly instilled in his coach and teammates. And Edgecombe feels that reciprocated.
“Once your teammates have trust in you, I feel like you can just go out there and just go hoop,” Edgecombe said. “ … You don’t have to worry about if they care if you’re missing. It’s a team game. They know I’m going to make the right plays. They just have a ton of faith in me.”
That performance also arrived in his second matchup against mentor and former Bahamian teammate Buddy Hield, whom Edgecombe playfully talked trash to after taking him off the dribble for a score. Edgecombe also jawed with fellow Bahamian teammate Deandre Ayton during Thursday’s loss to the Lakers, and said goodbye to Eric Gordon when the Sixers traded him at the deadline.
Nurse credited Gordon with helping foster Edgecombe’s poise as an immediate impact rookie.
“That type of steadiness and calmness that Eric kind of always has,” Nurse said, “I think was valuable to VJ. He probably picked some of that up.”
Bona’s hands
Adem Bona nabbed a steal against the Warriors, and had a wide-open court in front of him. The reserve center methodically dribbled and threw down the dunk, prompting a more-excited-than-usual reaction from the Sixers’ bench for a fairly routine transition bucket.
“It’s kind of a joke from the previous game [against the Clippers],” Bona said, “where I was running too fast and I fumbled the ball. I was taking my time this time. I was a little slower. … I was super slow.”
Sixers center Adem Bona has worked diligently to be able to catch passes on the move.
Bona’s hands have warranted critique since taking on a more important role as the backup center, whether Joel Embiid or Andre Drummond starts the game. He regularly drills those fundamentals, including before games while working with assistant coach TJ DiLeo on moving up and down the court while dribbling between his legs and behind his back.
Evidence that this is still a work in progress: He mishandled an alley-oop catch during Saturday’s victory at the Phoenix Suns.
Tardy in San Francisco
Even NBA travel parties can get caught in San Francisco traffic. Especially while immersed in Super Bowl week hubbub before the big game played in nearby Santa Clara.
The Sixers’ team buses were more than an hour late to the Chase Center last Tuesday, throwing off pregame routines for players who are creatures of habit. Nurse secretly hoped players would ditch those warm-ups entirely, because “I’m not that big of a believer” in expending that energy on the second night of a back-to-back.
Nurse, meanwhile, used the additional bus time to flip on some film that he planned to watch in his office. And it caused him to expedite a series of meetings with various coaches that typically begin about two hours before tipoff.
“They’re just review, review, review,” Nurse said, “one last time before we take the test.”
The move was somewhat anticlimactic, given his impact this season as a rebounder, cutter and all-around hustle role player. And his postgame comments about the conversion were somewhat subdued, given that they occurred after the Sixers had surrendered a 14-point lead against the Lakers.
Yet all of that also demonstrates how much Barlow has thrived as a late signee with the Sixers, in a situation where he feels his skills are “valued and appreciated.” This career season comes after Barlow spent his first three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks, where he made a combined five starts and never averaged more than 14.6 minutes in those appearances.
“I feel that energy here,” Barlow said, “ … I’m just having so much fun being out there with everybody.”
Beauchamp makes his debut
Perhaps the one positive of the Trail Blazers’ drubbing of the Sixers Monday? MarJon Beauchamp got his first NBA minutes of the season, totaling 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Even better: That performance occurred in the arena closest to Beauchamp’s roots that the Sixers will travel all season. The 25-year-old was born in Yakima, Wash., and went to high school in Seattle before joining G League Ignite and getting drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022.
Nurse said he was impressed with Beauchamp’s quickness and aggressiveness to push the ball off rebounds. The coach also did not notice any glaring mistakes within the Sixers’ schemes or Beauchamp’s individual assignments. After suiting up for three NBA teams last season, Beauchamp said he was focused on playing with confidence in his first extended minutes at this level in an estimated 18 months.
“I just tried to be assertive, not think too much, and just play hard,” Beauchamp said after the game.
Added Oubre: “He did a really good job of picking up on everything, so that goes to show that he’s been studying and putting in the work and staying ready, just giving him confidence and making sure that he feels like we’re all together, he’s in this with us and not just visiting.”
Beauchamp flashed that confidence when he tried to uncork a dunk on Portland rookie Yang Hansen, who stands 7-foot-1. Beauchamp said he attempted such a feat when he was signed to a training camp deal with the Trail Blazers this past fall, but that in-game attempt was “probably the closest I’ve been” to throwing it down.
“I wanted that dunk so bad,” Beauchamp said. “Next time, though.”
Quotable
Oubre on reaching the All-Star break: “We have a blank canvas on the season, and we want to create a masterpiece at the end. We’re still painting.”
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Orion Kerkering will start spring training a little behind schedule after suffering a mild hamstring strain.
The Phillies right-hander felt the strain during his last bullpen session before spring training officially started on Wednesday, and the Phillies will be cautious with the reliever, manager Rob Thomson said.
“He’s still playing catch, and so hopefully get a little flat ground work here in the next little bit,” Thomson said.
Phillies closer Jhoan Duran throws during the first day of workouts Wednesday in Clearwater, Fla.
Other injuries and delays
Relief pitcher Michael Mercado has a right shoulder impingement and will be shut down from throwing for another week, the team said. Mercado made three major league appearances last season for the Phillies and had a 4.59 ERA in 42 games with triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Daniel Robert, 31, had a “cardiovascular event” last fall, and next week he will undergo stress testing in Atlanta. He appeared in 15 games for the Phillies as a reliever last season, pitching to a 4.15 ERA. Both Mercado and Robert were non-tendered by the Phillies this offseason but later were re-signed to minor league deals.
Nonroster invitee catcher Mark Kolozsvary had ACL surgery last year, and is able to catch and throw but not run.
Catcher René Pinto, also a nonroster invitee, is not in camp because of visa issues coming from Venezuela.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Inside a closet at Zack Wheeler’s house, preserved and tucked inside a protective case, is one of his ribs.
The Phillies pitcher’s first rib was removed as part of the surgery he underwent in September to treat venous thoracic outlet syndrome. The rib is taken out to relieve compression of the subclavian vein.
It’s common for patients who undergo that type of surgery to receive their rib afterward, though it can be weeks or months later. But Wheeler’s doctor hand-delivered his.
“He was like, ‘I wanted to give it to you personally,’” Wheeler said from his typical corner locker at BayCare Ballpark. “So he just walked in and gave it to me in a bag. It was pretty gross.”
Wheeler, making his first public comments since his TOS diagnosis, had just finished a recovery day on Wednesday, on the first official day of Phillies camp for pitchers and catchers.
“It’s not something that you expect to happen in your life or your career,” Wheeler said. “You might expect to have a shoulder or elbow [injury] throughout your career. The blood clot thing is something that’s kind of rare and you don’t expect to have. So when you get told that, it’s just something you just have to sort of sit back and think about for a second.”
Zack Wheeler said a blood clot is “not something that you expect to happen in your life or your career.”
Wheeler had first experienced heaviness near his right shoulder following a start on Aug. 15 in Washington, and Nationals team doctors identified an upper extremity blood clot.
He underwent a thrombolysis procedure to remove the clot, and multiple specialists afterward diagnosed him with venous TOS, which ended his 2025 season.
“After the surgery, you battle the tightness and the soreness and stuff like that,” Wheeler said. “The first week was really tough after it, soreness-wise, obviously. … Now, I feel pretty much normal.”
Wheeler spent the winter in Philadelphia, where he worked with Phillies trainer Paul Buchheit on getting back his range of motion and strength. Manager Rob Thomson said earlier this week that it is doubtful Wheeler will be ready for opening day on March 26, but that he shouldn’t be “too far beyond that.”
Wheeler has been encouraged by his progress, but he isn’t looking that far ahead. Instead, he’s focused on taking things day by day and checking off each box as it comes.
The next step is building up his arm strength. He is throwing at a maximum distance of 90 feet four times a week, which soon will be extended to 105 feet. Then, it’s flat-ground drills, which are the final step before Wheeler can get on a mound.
Zack Wheeler says he never considered the possibility that he might not pitch again after surgery for a blood clot in his upper right arm.
“I just kind of do what they tell me, ask what I got for the week, and kind of just go about it that way,” Wheeler said. “I try not to get my hopes up one way or the other, and that’s kind of how I’ve always been. Just take it as it comes and just do the work that I’m needing to be done that week.”
Throughout this process, Wheeler, 35, said he never considered the possibility that he might not pitch again.
“I think that any athlete, you have surgery, you’re optimistic about it,” he said. “You always had that good mindset where you come back and be the same performer as you were. So that’s kind of my mindset the whole time. I’m moving back to where I was, and I think that’s the right mindset to have.”
The next time he does step on the mound, he’s expecting to be the same Wheeler, even if he is one rib lighter.
“Hopefully,” Wheeler said, “I can get back out there and do my thing.”
“Smokin’” Joe Frazier is heading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Philly’s statue of the famed heavyweight boxing champion is slated to be installed at the base of the museum’s steps later this year following a Philadelphia Art Commission vote Wednesday that approved the move. All five commissioners present Wednesday voted in favor of the statue’s relocation from its longtime home at the sports complex in South Philadelphia.
The proposal, presented by Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office for the creative sector, will see the Frazier statue installed where Philly’s original Rocky statue stands today. The Rocky statue, meanwhile, will be installed at the top of the museum’s steps.
“Placing the Joe Frazier statue at the Art Museum allows us to share a more complete history about Philadelphia’s spirit,” Marguerite Anglin, the city’s public art director, said Wednesday. “One rooted in real people, real work, and real pride in this city.”
The Frazier statue should move to the Art Museum sometime this spring, Anglin said. That relocation coincides with the move of the Rocky statue currently at the base of the steps, which is slated to be temporarily installed inside the museum for the first time as part of the forthcoming exhibition “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments.” That Rocky statue will then be installed at the top of the museum’s steps in the fall, while the Rocky statue now at the top of the steps will go back into actor Sylvester Stallone’s private collection.
Created by sculptor Stephen Layne, the Frazier statue was unveiled in 2015 at what is now Stateside Live! at the sports complex in South Philadelphia. Its debut came years after Frazier’s death in 2011, which kicked off a campaign to erect the statue in his memory. Standing at 12 feet tall, it depicts the boxer moments after knocking down Muhammad Ali during the “Fight of the Century” — a famed March 1971 bout in which Ali suffered his first professional loss after a brutal 15-round skirmish.
For years before its creation, Frazier’s supporters lamented the fact that Philadelphia had long had a Rocky statue, but lacked one showing its own real-life champion. Our Rocky statue, in fact, has been around for more than 40 years, and has stood outside the Art Museum for two decades — about twice as long as the Frazier statue has even existed.
Creative Philadelphia’s plan featured widespread support from leaders including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, as well as Frazier’s family and friends. It received little pushback at Wednesday’s meeting, with Gabrielle Gibson, a granddaughter of Frazier’s, asking what is perhaps the most obvious question about the placement: Shouldn’t the Frazier statue be at the top?
He was, after all, a real person, a real Philadelphian, and a real champion. Rocky, meanwhile, is a fictional character who appears to be an amalgamation of several real-life boxers’ stories — Frazier included, according to Creative Philadelphia. Many speakers Wednesday noted that, like Rocky, Frazier was known to run up the Art Museum’s steps and was said to have boxed sides of beef during his training, among other parallels.
And then there is the symbolism of where the Rocky and Frazier statues will stand.
“During Black History Month, I think we need to understand the new placement,” Gibson said. “A real boxer and a Black man’s image and likeness would be placed at a lower position beneath the fictional white character whose story was inspired by real boxers.”
The Frazier statue’s placement at the bottom of the steps, Anglin said, was for two main reasons. First, she said, having Frazier at the bottom makes it the first statue visitors will encounter at the Art Museum — even if they are there expressly to see Rocky — which will provide “an opportunity to be grounded in history.”
Second, the Rocky statue’s footprint is roughly half the size of the Frazier statue, which would not be “safe or feasible” to install on high, Anglin said. Putting Rocky at the top, Anglin said, allows for better circulation around the monument, and avoids the potential logistical and code-related issues putting Frazier there could present.
His son, and former heavyweight boxer Marvis Frazier (right), and Rev. Blane Newberry from Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church bless a 12-foot-tall 1,800-pound bronze statue of “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier after it was unveiled in 2015.
Jacqueline Frazier-Lyde, Frazier’s daughter, a retired professional boxing champion and a Municipal Court judge, expressed support for the move Wednesday, calling the statue a reminder that “we can overcome any obstacle and achieve.” She also recounted her father’s feelings on the Rocky statue, specifically when he would see tourists taking photos with Stallone’s character.
“At times,” she said, “he would say, ‘Don’t they understand that I’m the heavyweight champion?’”
St. Joseph led Fordham by 15 points on Tuesday night at Hagan Arena. After a crushing loss to George Mason three days earlier, the Hawks were on the verge of forcing a blowout against a team that had won just three Atlantic 10 games entering the contest.
Then the Rams began mounting a comeback and the Hawks had no chance to stop it. After knocking down 50% of its shots in the first half, St. Joe’s went mute as it made 7 of 24 shots (29.17%) in the second. Guard Austin Williford, who finished with a career-high 19 points, scoring 17 in the first 20 minutes, did not get another bucket until four minutes remained in the game.
Guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano scored all of his 10 points in the first half. The stagnant offense resulted in a 68-64 loss.
“Obviously the second half was not one of our better efforts offensively,” coach Steve Donahue said. “I thought we competed at a high level. Guarding was very physical, but we did not do a good job handling that in the second half, and allowed their physicality to just take us out of our rhythm.”
However, St. Joe’s (15-10, 7-5 A-10), which is now riding a two-game skid, is still in contention for a coveted top-four seed to earn a double bye in the conference tournament next month.
Game-changing moment
St. Joe’s attacked Fordham’s zone with ease for the first 20 minutes of play. Glover-Toscano scored 10 points in the first 14 minutes.
Then Williford, who has become a regular in the starting lineup, made a layup and nailed three consecutive three-pointers. His play made up for scoring leader Derek Simpson not scoring a bucket in the first half.
“I think he’s got a great future ahead of him,” Donahue said. “Even he’ll say the second half wasn’t his best, it wasn’t our best, and it got us tonight.”
St. Joe’s coach Steve Donahue says his team was making “uncharacteristic” errors in Tuesday’s loss to Fordham.
St. Joe’s success ended after Fordham (13-12, 4-8) switched up its defenses in the second half. The Rams made it difficult for the Hawks to run their offense. They ended the second half with nearly as many turnovers (six) as field goals (seven).
“That’s a sign we’re not in rhythm or there’s no synergy in the offense.” Donahue said. “When you take one with 10 or 12 [seconds] left there, you’re kind of open. We’ve done that to ourselves a few times this year. My job is to get us out of this.”
The A-10 race
St. Joe’s dropped its second straight game in a similar fashion. The Hawks allowed George Mason to snag a win after holding a second half lead on Saturday. In that loss, they shot 29.03%, despite grabbing 20 offensive rebounds.
After winning seven of eight before Saturday’s loss, St. Joe’s looked poised to earn a fourth-place finish, which is the final spot for a double bye in the A-10 tournament.
Now, Davidson, Duquesne, and Dayton all trail St. Joe’s by a game in the standings. The Flyers and Wildcats face another on Sunday, while Duquesne plays on Saturday. There’s a chance there could be a three-way tie for fourth place by the end of this weekend.
With six games remaining, Donahue is looking to get St. Joe’s back to how his team was playing in January.
“This is A to B. This is the stuff we talked about. Now we’ve got to live it,” Donahue said. “We were uncharacteristic [on Tuesday] in some ways. In particular, on the offensive end. For the next eight days, you have to do a great job.”
Up next
The Hawks will visit St. Bonaventure (14-10, 3-8) on Feb. 18 (7 p.m., ESPN+).
Two United States Olympic stars will make their debut at the Milan Cortina Winter Games on Wednesday.
Jordan Stolz, the American speedskating phenom whose dominance has been compared to Michael Phelps, is set to compete in the men’s 1,000-meter race at 12:30 p.m. Philadelphia time on NBC.
Stolz, 21, enters the race as the gold medal favorite, and is expected to be among the top competitors in the 500, 1,500, and mass start, a long-track race in which everyone starts together and the top three finishers make the podium.
The Wisconsin native holds the world record in the 1,000-meter race (1:05.37), which he set in 2024, and plans to wear the same pair of skates when he takes the ice at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
United States snowboarder Chloe Kim is trying for her third straight women’s halfpipe gold medal.
More than 140 miles to the north, U.S. snowboarder and Princeton grad Chloe Kim continued her quest for a third straight Olympic gold medal by making it through the halfpipe qualifiers early Wednesday morning.
The halfpipe finals begin Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
Figure skating duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who already won a gold medal in the team event, will compete in the free dance event beginning at 1:15 p.m. on USA Network. They sit in second place behind the French team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference from Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
As a general rule, our schedules include all live broadcasts on TV, but not tape-delayed broadcasts on cable channels. We’ll let you know what’s on NBC’s broadcasts, whether they’re live or not.
NBC
Noon: Freestyle skiing — women’s moguls final (tape-delayed)
