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  • Your Eagles guide to free agency, Part I: What changes and new faces are coming on offense?

    Your Eagles guide to free agency, Part I: What changes and new faces are coming on offense?

    A week from now, the NFL’s new league year begins, the free-agency frenzy kicks off, and rosters for the 2026 NFL season will start taking shape.

    For the Eagles, a crucial offseason is underway. They moved on from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo after the offense took a big step back in 2025, and replaced him with first-year coordinator Sean Mannion, who will bring a new scheme to an offense in need of a jolt.

    The Eagles have 20 total pending free agents and a few holes to fill, but, as of now, only have around $14 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap, before making any moves to clear room.

    How will they approach free agency? What new faces could be coming to town?

    Let’s start our two-part free agency preview with a position-by-position look at the offense.

    Will A.J. Brown stay or will he go? The answer to that question could have a domino effect for the whole offense.

    Wide receivers

    Why start here? Well, it’s the obvious place to start, because the entire offseason approach sort of revolves around what happens with A.J. Brown.

    Will the Eagles trade him or keep him? They’re certainly going to listen to offers, and it’s likely a resolution comes sooner than later given how the move could shape the rest of the Eagles’ offseason.

    With or without Brown, though, the Eagles need reinforcements at wide receiver. They’re losing Jahan Dotson in free agency and need a WR3 (or WR2, depending on Brown). It’s a position the Eagles likely will add talent to during the draft, but there are options in free agency, too.

    Romeo Doubs surpassed 700 yards for the first time in his career this past season.

    Romeo Doubs: The fit is obvious. Doubs, who turns 26 next month, was with Mannion in Green Bay, where last season he caught 55 passes for 724 yards and six touchdowns. He’s a good route runner who has produced in each of his first four NFL seasons since the Packers drafted him 132nd overall out of Nevada in 2022. It is not a loaded class, which means Doubs could be pricier than he normally would be.

    Deebo Samuel: Perhaps his beef with the Eagles could be squashed. Samuel is 30 now and the burst that made him a big-name receiver with the stats to back it up seems to come and go. Will Samuel’s market be too rich for the Eagles? It’s hard to imagine given his age, but he did still rack up 72 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns with Washington last season.

    Christian Kirk: Kirk, 29, is due for a pay cut after injuries led to a decline in his statistical output with Jacksonville and Houston over the past two seasons. With the Texans, Kirk was surrounded by talent and that limited his production, too. But with Nico Collins out for the playoffs, Kirk broke out in a playoff win over Pittsburgh, catching eight of nine targets for 144 yards and a touchdown. He caught another touchdown the next week in a loss to New England. Could Kirk be available a little bit cheaper on a one-year deal? The Eagles may want to find out.

    Other names to watch: Jalen Nailor, Kendrick Bourne, Van Jefferson

    Murphy: Why Eagles should target Kenyon Sadiq, KC Concepcion, and Germie Bernard — even if it means trading A.J. Brown

    Offensive line

    The Eagles are returning all five starters for the 2026 season along the offensive line, but it also may be the most important offseason for roster building at the position in quite some time.

    And it’s all happening without longtime position coach Jeff Stoutland in the fold.

    Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson weighed retirement until recently. Cam Jurgens flew to Colombia to treat his ailing back. Tyler Steen’s long-term viability at right guard is up for debate.

    There’s a lot to address. Let’s start with Johnson, whose eventual replacement most likely will come via the draft. Don’t be surprised to see the Eagles take a tackle with their first pick. But they also need a swing tackle with Fred Johnson as a free agent. There are two second-year tackles on the roster in Cameron Williams and Myles Hinton, but Johnson’s ability to get through a full season isn’t a lock, so the Eagles need contingency plans.

    They are relatively thin on the interior, more so than at tackle. Long-term replacements for Dickerson and potentially elsewhere are more likely to come via the draft, but the Eagles will need to mine the free-agency market.

    Could Evan Neal be an O-line reclamation project for the Eagles?

    Evan Neal: Neal fits the Eagles’ playbook. No, not Mannion’s playbook. Neal, 25, is a first-round pick (seventh overall in 2022) who has been a bust and even changed positions from tackle to guard. He’s 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds. Hello, Mekhi Becton? Stoutland isn’t around to have the same kind of makeover, but Neal will be a pretty cheap flier.

    Isaac Seumalo: Another guard, Seumalo, an Eagle from 2016-22, is a 32-year-old who made the Pro Bowl in 2024 with the Steelers. Unlike Neal, Seumalo isn’t a project. He’s a player you sign to start over Steen and be in the building for Dickerson insurance.

    Alijah Vera-Tucker: Vera-Tucker has been really solid for the Jets, but he’s coming off a torn triceps that wiped out his 2025 season and could be available on a one-year, prove-it deal. The 14th overall pick in the 2021 draft would push Steen in camp and could earn the starting job while giving the Eagles more plug-and-play depth than they have right now.

    Trey Pipkins III: It’s time to put a tackle on this list. Pipkins wasn’t great with the Chargers in 2025, but he’s started a lot of games in seven seasons and could be an option for a reliable swing tackle behind the Eagles’ starters.

    Other names to watch: James Daniels, Fred Johnson

    2026 NFL mock draft 2.0: What does the Eagles’ post-combine board look like?

    Tight ends

    Welcome to the biggest area of need for the Eagles, due respect to Jaheim Bell, Cam Latu, and E.J. Jenkins, the three tight ends on the roster.

    Dallas Goedert is a free agent after coming back last season on a restructured deal and scoring more touchdowns (11) than he had in the previous three seasons combined (8). But while he was a major red-zone weapon running routes, Goedert’s blocking took a step back. Grant Calcaterra, the Eagles’ sixth-round pick in 2022, is also a free agent and is best used as a receiver. The Eagles certainly need to add a pass catcher or two at this spot, but the scheme they’re turning to will also require much better blocking.

    The Eagles probably will draft a tight end, but they need to add in free agency as well. They seem likely to be priced out of the top of the market — think Kyle Pitts, David Njoku — in what is a relatively weak free-agent class.

    Will Dallas Goedert parlay a big scoring year into a bigger deal elsewhere?

    Goedert: What will Goedert command on the open market? How will teams view his 11 touchdown receptions after he finally got through a season mostly healthy? He’s still just 31 years old and thinks some of his best football is ahead of him. If the number isn’t too high, the Eagles could bring him back.

    Isaiah Likely: It’s unclear what Likely’s market is going to be in free agency. The soon-to-be-26-year-old has been playing in Mark Andrews’ shadow in Baltimore, and has probably benefited from having talented pass catchers around him. But Likely has shown flashes, and the Eagles could get in the mix for him. A weak class, though, means he could fetch more than some teams are willing to spend.

    Jake Tonges: Tonges is limited in his catching abilities, but he’s an elite blocking tight end that the Eagles could certainly value as TE2 or TE3. Tonges, who turns 27 in July, has been with the 49ers since 2023 and knows how to block up outside zone concepts.

    Tyler Higbee: Higbee recently turned 33 and has played just 13 games over the last two seasons. He would add an experienced red-zone target to the offense, but most importantly Higbee is a solid blocker in the run and pass game.

    Charlie Kolar: Kolar’s running mate in Baltimore, Likely, is the better and more expensive option on the free-agent market. But Kolar, 27, is one of the better blocking tight ends in the league.

    Other names to watch: Robert Tonyan, Nick Vannett

    The NFL might have given up trying to ban the Tush Push (for now). Here’s why, and what it means for the Eagles.

    Quarterbacks

    This position, like receiver, also has a trade possibility that could impact how the Eagles address it in free agency.

    That depends on whether Tanner McKee fetches a draft pick that makes him worth offloading. The Eagles value the backup quarterback spot, and behind Jalen Hurts, McKee is the only quarterback under contract for 2026. The Eagles probably will take another quarterback on Day 3 at the draft, but they could add to the group in free agency, too, especially for another camp body. Last year, they drafted Kyle McCord in the sixth round and were later forced to part with draft compensation to bring in Sam Howell in the QB3 spot.

    Will Sam Howell (14) stay in the QB room in 2026?

    Howell: Keep the band together? Howell is a free agent and still has much more NFL playing experience than McKee. He didn’t see the field for the Eagles last season, but they could do worse than bringing him back to the room.

    Trey Lance: The No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft is still just 25 years old and was with his third NFL team this season when he backed up the Chargers’ Justin Herbert. Lance spent his first two seasons with the 49ers in the Kyle Shanahan offense, from which the Eagles likely will install elements during the offseason. Can’t hurt to have a player in the building with some experience hearing calls from the man himself.

    Clayton Tune: Another one for the translator category. Tune, a fifth-round pick by Arizona in 2023, was on Green Bay’s practice squad last season and could help Hurts and Co. transition into the Mannion offense and terminology.

    Other names to watch: Kenny Pickett, Brett Rypien

  • 😈 Welcome to Howie SZN | Sports Daily Newsletter

    😈 Welcome to Howie SZN | Sports Daily Newsletter

    The start of March doesn’t just mean the annual return of basketball madness. It also means that a new league year — and NFL free agency — is just around the corner. In other words, it’s about to be “Howie SZN.”

    The NFL scouting combine wrapped up over the weekend, but before the Eagles can fully dive into the draft, they’ll first have to decide which of their 20 pending free agents they’ll want to keep — a list that includes Jaelan Phillips, Dallas Goedert, Nakobe Dean, and Reed Blankenship — and how they plan on using their remaining salary cap space.

    Some of the team’s biggest questions are on offense, where the Eagles will have first-year coordinator Sean Mannion running a new scheme. But the changes on the roster are just beginning. So how many new faces can you expect? And who might they be? A lot depends on what happens with A.J. Brown and Goedert.

    Jeff Neiburg kicks off our two-part free agency preview with a position-by-position look at the offense.

    — Matt Mullin, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    ❓Which of the Eagles’ pending free agents should Roseman prioritize re-signing? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

    Stop blaming Bohm

    Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm throws a ball to a fan during Sunday’s game against the Yankees

    “The only person who takes more underserved blame than manager Rob Thomson for the shortcomings of the Phillies quarter-billion dollar lineup is Alec Bohm,” writes columnist Marcus Hayes.

    Bohm was the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, and is labeled a semi-bust by many fans. And while he’s not the next Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, or Ryan Howard, as Hayes points out, he’s also not Domonic Brown or Maikel Franco. And he’s not to blame for the Phillies’ struggles behind Bryce Harper.

    Next: The Phillies didn’t play Monday, but they’ll be back at it on Tuesday when they visit the Tampa Bay Rays. Alan Rangel is scheduled to make the start.

    What we’re …

    🤔 Wondering: How long will Travis Konecny’s upper-body injury keep him out of the Flyers’ lineup?

    🕷️ Fearing: Johan Duran’s scary nickname and blockbuster entrance were born in the minors.

    🏥 Learning: Villanova’s Matt Hodge suffered a season-ending knee injury.

    📺 Watching: Kyle Schwarber joined Scott Lauber on this week’s Phillies Extra.

    Big … big trouble?

    The Sixers host Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

    After learning that a right oblique strain will sideline Joel Embiid through at least Wednesday, Andre Drummond told Gina Mizell that he wanted to “wrap him in a bubble sheet and give him a hug, man.”

    “I just feel like he can’t get a break,” Drummond added.

    Embiid’s importance to the team was magnified in Sunday night’s loss in Boston where the Sixers allowed a career-best 27 points, 17 rebounds, and three blocks to Neemias Queta, who is not exactly regarded as a dominant interior force. The Sixers were blasted in the rebounding category, 59-37, including surrendering 19 offensive boards that Boston turned into 30 second-chance points.

    And those harrowing numbers come one game before tonight’s home matchup against 7-foot-4 NBA MVP contender Victor Wembanyama and the 43-17 San Antonio Spurs. So what are the short-handed Sixers to do?

    Next: The Embiid-less Sixers host the Spurs (NBC/NBCSP, 8 p.m.) and Utah Jazz (NBCSP, 7 p.m.) in a back-to-back this week at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    Mixing it up

    Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet made some changes to his defense over the Olympic break.

    When Rick Tocchet came to Philly, he brought his box-and-one defensive structure. During training camp, he called it “a very aggressive zone” defense where he wanted his players to double and triple up when they could to keep the puck on the outside. It worked. Until it didn’t.

    The Flyers were one of the best defensive teams leading up to the holiday break — and then one of the worst over the next month-plus. So, with time off over the Olympic break, Tocchet and his staff went to work revamping their defensive structure. So far, it’s paying off, but Tocchet believes they’ll see even more payoff “in the long run.”

    The revamped defensive structure seemed to work as the Flyers picked up their third straight win in a 3-2 shutout victory at the Maple Leafs. It was their first shutout win since the end of November.

    Next: The Flyers will be back on home ice Thursday when they host the Utah Mammoth in South Philly (NBCSP, 7 p.m.).

    On this date: Mlkvy lights it up

    Bill Mlkvy’s average of 29.2 points in 1950-51 still stands as a Temple single-season record

    It’s a week for high-scorers. Monday was the 64th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, but Tuesday marks another former Philly great’s highest-scoring night. On March 3, 1951, former Temple star Bill Mlkvy, also known as “The Owl Without a Vowel,” scored 73 points — including 54 straight — in a win over Wilkes College.

    Mlkvy, who died in December 2024 and reached the rank of major in the United States Army, was a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Warriors in 1952, and played one season with the team before opting to return to dental school.

    David Murphy’s take

    Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason.

    “The best way to get yourself into trouble at the NFL draft is to focus on immediate needs over expected future value,” David Murphy wrote in Monday’s column.

    But this year, the draft looks like its strengths could align with the Eagles’ needs — especially if Brown is on his way out.

    “If the mock drafts are to be trusted, the Eagles could have their choice of at least three potential difference-makers at No. 23 and perhaps a second if they can move up in the second round. Last year, I was beating the drum for Missouri receiver Luther Burden III, who ended up going No. 39 to the Bears. This year’s trio is even better,” Murphy adds.

    Here’s a look at that trio of pass-catchers, who are drawing comparisons being made to Vernon Davis, Antonio Brown/Stefon Diggs, and Deebo Samuel.

    🧠 Trivia time

    Speaking of receivers in the NFL draft …

    The Eagles drafted first-round wideouts in back-to-back years in 2020 (Jalen Reagor) and 2021 (DeVonta Smith). Prior to that, who was the last receiver they drafted in the first round?

    A) Jeremy Maclin

    B) Jordan Matthews

    C) JJ Arcega-Whiteside

    D) Nelson Agholor

    We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Devin Jackson, Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, Alex Coffey, Scott Lauber, Marcus Hayes, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, and David Murphy.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    Thanks for reading. Bella will be back in your inbox for Wednesday’s newsletter. — Matt

  • Travis Konecny misses Maple Leafs game with upper-body injury, listed as day-to-day

    Travis Konecny misses Maple Leafs game with upper-body injury, listed as day-to-day

    TORONTO — After the Flyers’ win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, goalie Dan Vladař said every player is a piece to their puzzle as they make a push for the playoffs.

    On Monday, they faced the Toronto Maple Leafs without key piece Travis Konecny.

    Ruled a game-time decision by coach Rick Tocchet after a morning skate that saw the forward not participate in power-play reps, Konecny is officially day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

    The Flyers made changes to their defensive structure that Rick Tocchet thinks will ‘help in the long run’

    He also missed the Flyers’ loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 10 with an upper-body injury.

    Konecny has led the team in scoring for five of the last six seasons, including the last four, and this year leads the lineup in goals (23), assists (34), and points (57). He is second in power-play points (10) and is tied with three players for the lead in shorthanded points (2).

    The heart and soul of the team and one of its most consistent scorers, Konecny has registered at least a point in 40 of his 58 games. In his last 35 games, he has 40 points, including nine in five games heading into the Olympic break, and has three in the three games since the restart.

    Flyers right wing Travis Konecny has registered at least a point in 40 of his 58 games.

    Despite being banged up and playing through it — he tallied a hat trick as he gutted out and grimaced through a demoralizing loss to Columbus on Jan. 28 — the alternate captain had all but put the Flyers on his back.

    Averaging just over 19 minutes a night, Konecny is plus-10, rebounding from his minus-17 last season. Even though he has missed a handful of games, the Ontario native is still on pace to set a career high in points with 79.

    “I had a good break, got a chance to reset, get my mind in a different spot,” Konecny said Feb. 17, the first day the Flyers returned to the ice in Voorhees. “Kind of realize where we’re at as a team and what we need to do finishing the season here. For me, just getting to the top of my game, where I need to be to help our team, and I think everyone is in the same spot.”

    Three Flyers questions to ponder ahead of the NHL trade deadline

    But not having him in the lineup will make the Flyers’ postseason push tougher. And Konecny said after the Flyers’ loss in Boston on Jan. 29 that, “I’m tired of missing the playoffs.”

    “I think it’s disappointing every year if you miss it,” he said in mid-February. “I think what’s gotten everyone to this point is everyone’s a competitor, everyone wants to compete in the big games. … It’s not going to be like the end of the world if it didn’t happen; I’d be frustrated.

    “But I know that the team we’re building, what we have, the plan, we’re going to be a playoff team, and I’m not worried about that. I know everyone believes in that in this locker room, so we keep on pushing. Hopefully, it happens, and we’re going to give everything to get there, and if it doesn’t, we reevaluate and get better in the summer.”

    With Konecny out, Owen Tippett was moved to the top wing alongside Christian Dvorak and Trevor Zegras during Monday’s game.

  • The Flyers made changes to their defensive structure that Rick Tocchet thinks will ‘help in the long run’

    The Flyers made changes to their defensive structure that Rick Tocchet thinks will ‘help in the long run’

    TORONTO ― Heading into the holiday break, the Flyers ranked ninth-best in the NHL at 2.75 goals against per game.

    Then the wheels started to fall off.

    Thanks in part to a six-game losing streak that saw them allow a league-worst 31 goals while scoring 12, the Flyers’ goals-against average ballooned to 3.90. Between Christmas and the Olympic break, it was the third-highest.

    Woof. That’s quite a plummet.

    Rasmus Ristolainen is again the subject of trade rumors. But this year could be different.

    So with time off, first-year coach Rick Tocchet and his staff went to work and modified the defensive structure.

    “We’re not strict man on man, but we’re trying to be more aggressive,” he said of the new system. “When you’re a younger team, I think you’ve got to give guys a little more, simpler rules.

    “I think that’s why I’ve decided to go a little bit differently, less reach for our team; I think that’s going to help in the long run. Now, when we change things a little bit — say graduate — we’ll go a little bit more complex, but I think right now, we’ve got to play simpler.”

    When Tocchet came to Philly, he brought his box-and-one defensive structure. During training camp, he called it “a very aggressive zone” defense where he wanted his players to double and triple up when they could to keep the puck on the outside.

    It worked. Until it didn’t.

    The opposition started to get inside, taking advantage of breakdowns and scoring more weak-side or backdoor goals. According to Natural Stat Trick, at five-on-five, up to the holiday break in December, the Flyers allowed the fifth-fewest high-danger chances (301) and second-fewest high-danger goals (26).

    From late December to the Olympic break, they still held tight, allowing the second-fewest high-danger chances (158). But they also gave up 26 goals, the fifth-most in the league. That’s a 16% shooting percentage in 20 games, rising from 8.6% across the first 36.

    “It’s pretty similar,” defenseman Travis Sanheim said of the new system, “just a couple of different reads for the forwards and helping us pressure down low. So, just end up killing plays a little bit quicker.”

    Changing a system, even slightly, is a big deal because one misread or forgotten change can cause some havoc. It’s still a work in progress, but in the three games since returning to action, the high-danger shooting percentage has dropped to 12.5% for opponents (three goals on 24 high-danger chances). On Saturday against the Boston Bruins, they allowed five high-danger chances at five-on-five, with the Bruins’ lone goal considered high-danger by Natural Stat Trick; it came off a hard seam pass that hit the leg of Charlie McAvoy and bounced in.

    “I think it might cut down on some of those weak-side goals, because [there’s] a little bit more man-to-man in certain scenarios,” Sanheim said. “And I think when it comes to some of those weak-side goals, that’s kind of been our issue with some of the reads. And if we can limit that, that would be huge for us.”

    Breakaways

    Forward Travis Konecny did not participate in power-play practice at morning skate, and according to Tocchet is a game-time decision. … Dan Vladař will get the start in goal. It will be his third start in four games since the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic break, and he is coming off a masterful performance in the Flyers’ win against the Bruins on Saturday. … Forward Denver Barkey is expected back in the lineup on Monday after being a healthy scratch on Saturday against the Bruins. A native of Newmarket, Ontario, which is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the winger will have a large contingent in attendance for his first NHL game at Scotiabank Arena. … It is also the first game back in Toronto for Nikita Grebenkin, who was acquired March 7, 2025, in the deal that sent Scott Laughton north. … Defenseman Noah Juulsen did not participate in morning skate due to illness. … On Sunday, the Flyers acquired forward Boris Katchouk, 27, from the Minnesota Wild for defenseman Roman Schmidt, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 8. Katchouk has spent the majority of the season in the American Hockey League and was acquired by the Wild from the Lightning in late December. The 6-foot-2, 212-pound winger has 36 points across 179 NHL games with the Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, and Ottawa Senators. Katchouk was also a member of the 2018 World Junior team that won gold for Canada.

  • Boyd Sands, Hall of Fame educator and retired executive director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, has died at 88

    Boyd Sands, Hall of Fame educator and retired executive director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, has died at 88

    Boyd Sands, 88, formerly of Glassboro, Gloucester County, retired teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent of the Delsea Regional School District, and Hall of Fame former executive director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, died Saturday, Jan. 17, of complications from a stroke at Cape Canaveral Hospital in Florida.

    An All-Star football player in high school and college, and a longtime baseball umpire and basketball referee, Mr. Sands directed the NJSIAA from 1993 to his retirement in 2006. He and the association’s executive committee organized hundreds of statewide championship playoff tournaments, hired thousands of game officials, and enforced eligibility and sportsmanship rules for high school athletes in more than 30 sports at more than 400 public and private high schools.

    He was an expert on all kinds of rules and a champion of the state’s expanded football playoff format and more programs for girls. He oversaw ever-changing conference alignments and supervised the association’s multimillion dollar budget.

    He attracted dozens of corporate sponsorships to fund new initiatives regarding improved officiating, violence at sports events, and drug education. He forged working relationships with the state’s Sports and Exposition Authority, Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, and other organizations.

    Overall, Mr. Sands served more than three decades as a member of the NJSIAA advisory committee and executive committee, and executive director. In an online tribute, former colleagues there called him “a respected leader in education and sport. A consummate professional.”

    Steve Timko, his successor as executive director, told the Times of Trenton in 2005: “He has taken the association to the next level.” In 2003, Mr. Sands told the Record of Hackensack: “I really just enjoy high school athletics.”

    He joined Delsea in 1966 as assistant principal, was promoted to principal, and served as district superintendent from 1971 to 1994. Before school, he was known to greet students as they exited the buses in the morning. After school, he handed out programs at events, prowled the sidelines at Delsea, and officiated games at other high schools.

    He taught social studies and coached football for six years at two high schools in North Jersey before going to Delsea. He oversaw the building of the district’s middle school in the 1970s, and colleagues named the entrance road leading to the new building after him.

    The Star-Ledger of Newark featured Mr. Sands when he announced his retirement from the NJSIAA in 2005.

    “His influence lives on in the students he inspired, the educators he mentored, and the community he helped shape,” Delsea superintendent Fran Ciociola said in a tribute.

    Mr. Sands was onetime president of the Camden County chapter of the New Jersey Baseball Umpires Association. He won achievement awards from the NJSIAA, the National Federation of Interscholastic Athletic Officials, and the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference.

    He was an executive committee member of the National Federation of State High School Associations and lifetime member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials. “His spirit, kindness, and dedication will be remembered always,” colleagues at the IAABO said in a tribute.

    Mr. Sands was inducted into the Gloucester County Sports Hall of Fame in 1989, the NJSIAA Hall of Fame in 2007, and the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. He attended many continuing education classes and earned certifications at Rowan, Rutgers, and Seton Hall Universities, and elsewhere.

    Mr. Sands liked nothing more than attending a football game.

    He never changed his signature flattop crew cut. “Bear of a man, great guy,” a former student said in a Facebook tribute. A friend said online: “Boyd was a wonderful man and terrific mentor.”

    Boyd August Sands was born Feb. 16, 1937, in Newark, N.J. He played football and basketball in high school, and earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Colby College in Maine and a master’s degree in administration at what is now Kean University in New Jersey.

    He met Frances Curto at a New Year’s Eve party, and they married in 1958. They lived in North Jersey, moved to Glassboro when he worked at Delsea, and had daughters Susan, Nancy, Karen, and Lori, and a son, Michael. His son died earlier.

    Mr. Sands studied history and enjoyed road trips to family reunions in Florida and stops at historical sites along the way. He loved his dogs, followed the Eagles and Phillies closely, and was sure to be greeted by former students and old colleagues whenever the family went out.

    Mr. Sands (right) became friendly with baseball star Bryce Harper when he worked at the Washington Nationals’ spring training complex in Florida.

    He and his wife moved to Cape Canaveral in 2006, and he helped run spring training for the Washington Nationals baseball team and worked security for a cruise line. He had bypass surgery in 2015.

    “My father was a man who found joy in two of life’s greatest gifts: family and sports,” said his daughter Nancy. “My dad was a man who always showed up and pushed us hard to do our best.”

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    His daughter Susan said: “He saw everyone as a person.”

    Nearly everyone has a memorable umpiring story about Mr. Sands, like the time he got drilled by a line drive down the first base line. In 1994, he told The Inquirer that he enjoyed officiating high school baseball and basketball games more than anything.

    “It was my hobby and outlet,” he said. “I tried golf, and I figured I’d rather get hit by a hard ball.”

    Mr. Sands and his wife, Frances, married in 1958.

    In addition to his wife and daughters, Mr. Sands is survived by 16 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, a brother, and other relatives. A brother died earlier.

    Services were held earlier.

    Donations in his name may be made to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Animal Care Center, 5100 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Melbourne, Fla. 32934; and the Church of Our Saviour, 5301 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, Fla. 32931.

    Mr. Sands enjoyed time with his dogs.
  • Jhoan Duran was once a hard-throwing minor leaguer with no nickname. Then, a coach gave him one that stuck.

    Jhoan Duran was once a hard-throwing minor leaguer with no nickname. Then, a coach gave him one that stuck.

    Luis Ramírez grew up in El Taque, a small village in northwestern Venezuela. It was known for its arid climate, full of cacti and barren landscapes.

    It was also known for its critters. Ramírez, the assistant pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins, saw his fair share of snakes and centipedes, lizards, and, of course, tarantulas.

    They’d hide under bushes and tree roots and had a distinctive pattern — a dark blue body, with a mix of black and yellow stripes along the legs. The image always stuck with the coach throughout his decades-long career in professional baseball.

    Inside the Phillies’ scramble to produce Jhoan Duran’s walk-out show

    Ramírez, 52, was hired by the Twins in 2006 to work at their Venezuelan academy. He gradually moved up the ranks, from the Gulf Coast League, to the Appalachian League, to the Arizona Fall League. In 2019, he was promoted to pitching coach at the team’s high-A affiliate in Fort Myers, Fla.

    It was there that he met Jhoan Duran. The future Phillies closer was a 21-year-old starter at the time. He was skinny, and tall, with blonde and black dreadlocks sprouting from his head.

    One day, when Ramírez was talking to strength and conditioning coach Chuck Bradaway about Duran’s pregame routine, he blurted out a nickname.

    Luis Ramírez (second from left) with Jhoan Durán (far right) in 2023.

    “Somehow, ‘Durantula’ came to my mind,” Ramírez said, “and I said it. And it’s been there ever since.”

    There were a few reasons the pitching coach came up with this specific moniker. One was his pupil’s last name. Another was that “duro” translates to “hard” in Spanish, and Duran was already hitting triple-digits on the radar gun.

    But the biggest reason was Duran’s hair.

    “He used to have dreadlocks,” Ramírez recalled. “And the color of his hair was brown, and kind of yellow. And the dreads were kind of long, and it kind of looked like a tarantula.

    “It kind of looked like one of those spiders. A little spider leg, hanging [off].”

    He added: “I saw a lot of tarantulas when I was a kid, and his hair looked just like it.”

    Duran, who watched the Spider-Man movie trilogy growing up, embraced the nickname. When he reached the major leagues in 2022, he began to put tarantulas on his sneakers. He eventually got a tarantula tattoo, and in 2023, an entrance fit for a WWE wrestler.

    When the closer was dealt to the Phillies at the 2025 trade deadline, the entrance came with him. Before Duran jogs from the bullpen, all of the lights in Citizen Bank Park go out.

    Fans hold up their phones, as a remix of “El Incomprendido” by Farruko and “Hot” by Pitbull and Daddy Yankee begins to play. Duran’s name appears in flames on LED screens, while a tarantula crawls from one side of the ballpark to the other.

    The display still makes Ramírez smile.

    “The nickname is the same thing with [pitches],” he said. “Sometimes you’re in the bullpen, and you move a grip, or you make a slight adjustment, and now a pitch that was maybe average becomes a weapon. ‘Durantula’ just stuck.”

    The Phillies finally have a ‘true closer’ in Jhoan Duran, and that solidifies the rest of the bullpen

    A playoff mentality

    Duran and Ramírez say their relationship is akin to that of a father and son. In 2019, the pitcher moved from his hometown of Esperanza, Dominican Republic, to Fort Myers full-time.

    He and Ramírez would train together during the offseason. They’d fine-tune his pitches, tweak his routines, and work on conditioning, but also spent time together off the field.

    Their families became close. Duran’s son began calling Ramírez “Tío Lupita” — Uncle Lupita in English — because the pitching coach would play the song “Hay Lupita” by Lomiiel while he was cooking dinner.

    Jhoan Durán (right) pictured with Luis Ramirez in Fort Myers during spring training in 2024.

    “I used to dance with him,” Ramírez said. “The song would go, ‘Hay Lupita, Hay Lupita.’ And then, from there, he just called me Tío Lupita all the time.”

    Even as early as 2019, the pitching coach saw promise in Duran. He had big-time stuff without a pretentious attitude. Duran was hungry to learn, and put in the work to do so.

    Ramírez could envision him playing a big role for the organization down the road, so when they were in Fort Myers, he started talking to Duran about one day pitching in the World Series.

    ‘You’ve got a closer.’ How the Phillies nabbed Jhoan Duran and Harrison Bader at the trade deadline.

    He didn’t specify what role it would be, but Ramírez had a hunch his pupil would eventually become the team’s closer.

    He and Duran split up in 2021, when Ramírez accepted a position coaching at double-A Wichita, and Duran was promoted to triple-A St. Paul.

    They reunited at the big league level in 2022, when Duran was converted to a Twins reliever, and picked up their conversations from there.

    Ramírez told him to prepare mentally and physically to pitch the last few outs of the biggest game of his life.

    Jhoan Duran was a star with the Twins but postseason success was elusive.

    “You are going to help us to win a World Series,” Ramírez would tell Duran. “You have to be ready for that. Because you’re going to be the guy closing the game in the World Series.”

    “I remember that like yesterday,” Duran added. “He always told me, when he saw me, he’d say, ‘Hey, remember. You’re going to be one of the guys to help the Twins win a World Series.’”

    The young pitcher kept the message in the back of his mind, but in 2023, when he closed out the game that would clinch the Twins’ first playoff spot since 2020, he struggled.

    Duran threw 34 pitches against the Angels, of which only 17 were strikes. He allowed two walks and one earned run on two hits. Duran got the save, but Ramírez could tell something was off.

    Inside the Phillies: Shane Victorino’s advice for Justin Crawford, a changing rotation, and more

    So, he approached the pitcher the next day.

    “Hey, last night, I thought the game was a little fast for you,” Ramírez said.

    “Yes,” Duran conceded. “I was a little sped up.”

    “That’s my fault,” the coach replied. “Because I should have prepared you for this moment. We should have talked more before it happened.”

    Ramírez connected Duran with the team psychologist, who began working with the closer on visualization exercises. It had an immediate impact.

    Jhoan Duran recorded 16 saves after being acquired by the Phillies on July 30, 2025.

    Duran didn’t allow a run in his four postseason appearances that year. He had six strikeouts and yielded only one walk through five innings pitched.

    The closer returned to October baseball in the National League Division Series last season. He pitched in Games 1 and 2 against the Dodgers, allowing one hit and two walks, with four strikeouts.

    His final outing came in Game 4. Duran entered in relief of Cristopher Sánchez in the bottom of the seventh, with runners on first and second and one out. He induced a groundout from Andy Pages, and intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani.

    Edmundo Sosa and Adolis García are like brothers, and they’ve been reunited as Phillies with the ‘same goal’

    In the next at-bat, he walked Mookie Betts, allowing the tying run to score. He retired his next four batters.

    Duran was charged with the blown save in the Phillies’ season-ending 2-1 loss, but only after the home plate umpire blew a call earlier in the inning.

    Jhoan Duran enters his first full season with the Phillies.

    This was not the way the closer wanted his season to end. But Ramírez isn’t worried about how he will bounce back.

    He says Duran has a short memory, and an unwavering trust in himself — good qualities for a high-pressure job.

    The coach is hopeful that the closer will have more October moments. He believes he’s built for it.

    “He feeds off of the crowd,” Ramírez said, “off of the energy, the pressure. He’s never been afraid of [a situation where] the game is on the line. He’s never been afraid of that.

    “I think that’s why he got traded there. Because, I know that in Philadelphia, the park is always full.”

  • At Fox 29, ‘Sreder’ is retiring after a 40-year career that began with impressing Howard Eskin

    At Fox 29, ‘Sreder’ is retiring after a 40-year career that began with impressing Howard Eskin

    Longtime Fox 29 sports director Tom Sredenschek — “Sreder” to those who know him best — is calling it a career after four decades at the station.

    His last day was Friday, which included a big send-off with colleagues and fond remembrances from a who’s who of former and current Philly sports stars, including Charles Barkley, Kyle Schwarber, and Donovan McNabb.

    Jim Driscoll, Fox 29’s news director and vice president, called Sredenschek “a mentor to many” and “a brilliant storyteller and producer,” while meteorologist Scott Williams described him as “the glue” holding many parts of the station together.

    “I have been very blessed in my career,” Sredenschek said. “They let me grow my role and weren’t afraid to take chances, and I’ve really enjoyed that.”

    Fox 29 hasn’t yet named a replacement

    Sredenschek was at the station for so long he predated Fox, which added WTAF as an affiliate a few months after he was hired. He was one of Fox 29’s longest-tenured employees, sharing that title with technical director Diana Latzko, who was hired on the same day.

    Of all the people who help him, he owes a special debt to former sports talker Howard Eskin.

    Just a year removed from graduating from Penn State, the Havertown native and Penncrest graduate was 22 and working as the overnight radio host at WILM in Wilmington in February 1986 when he got word the station was launching a 10 p.m. newscast, featuring Eskin as its main star.

    Howard Eskin, seen here in 2012 at Fox 29’s studio in Center City.

    Sredenschek previously interned for Eskin at Channel 3, and impressed the sports talker by, among other things, wearing a sport coat and a tie every day to work.

    “It showed respect,” Eskin said. “He was also very good at the job and conscientious. When Channel 29 hired me to start its late newscast, Tom was the only person I interviewed for the sports producer position.”

    “Howard had a reputation. He could be gruff, he could get into fights with people. But he was always fair,” Sredenschek said. “We clashed — the producer and talent always clash — but we were fair with one another … That’s the one thing I took from him.”

    In the subsequent 40 years, Sredenschek had a front-row seat for two Eagles’ Super Bowl victories, a Phillies World Series championship, and Villanova’s men’s basketball championship in 2016.

    “To be sitting court side watching Kris Jenkins’ game-winning shot go through stands out as a cool moment,” Sredenschek said.

    Tom Sredenschek interviews Eagles running back Saquon Barkley after winning Super Bowl LIX in 2025.

    Sredenschek grew up wanting to be a play-by-play announcer, but fell in love with all the action behind-the-scenes. He helped launch Eagles Gameday in 1994, and one of his most enduring (and widely replicated) features was “Walk 100 Yards,” where he would interview players, coaches, and even Eagles announcer Merrill Reese while walking the length of a football field.

    The first 40 to 50 yards were the typical pregame talk, but by midfield Sredenschek said the players began to open up about their lives away from the field. That included everything from former Eagles safety Patrick Chung singing his mother’s popular song from Jamaica or getting ex-Birds defender Vinny Curry to do his best Ric Flair impersonation.

    Muckraker Jeff Cole walking away from Fox 29 after 25 years

    “When you can bring out the personality of a player and bring that into some fan’s living room, that’s pretty cool,” Sredenschek said.

    Fox 29 certainly didn’t have shortage of personality over the years. During Sredenschek’s career, he worked alongside stars like Eskin, John Bolaris, current Good Day Philadelphia co-host Mike Jerrick, and sportscaster Don Tollefson, who was later fired and convicted of fraud, ultimately serving 14 months in prison.

    Sredenschek said managing the personalities that came in and out of the station was like being a parent.

    “You kind of learn to keep your mouth shut, get to know the person and what makes them tick, and how you can best work with them,” Sredenschek said.

    It also made for good stories. Sredenschek recalled after one Eagles game against the Falcons, a cameraperson found a terrific live shot for Tollefson for his Ten O’Clock News report featuring the Atlanta skyline. Tollefson, who was on crutches after injuring his ankle, suddenly began to freak out during the live shot.

    “He’s going crazy with his foot, and he’s got this boot on, so I ask‚ ’What’s wrong?’” Sredenschek recalled. “The camera guy says, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you there’s a lot of red ants up in this area. But it’s a nice backdrop of Atlanta, I hope you don’t mind.’”

    Sredenschek is walking away ahead of what promises to be a huge year for Philly sports, including the World Cup and MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. But what he’ll miss the most is telling the stories of people like Penn State grad Brett Gravatt, who became a wheelchair athlete after a snowboarding accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.

    “Stories like that affect people’s lives,” Sredenschek said. “We can cut highlights, but when you can tell stories about people, when you can expand someone’s mind, if you can leave someone with a smile on their face that there’s hope, that’s the gift.”

  • Self-inflicted wounds, new-look lineup have conspired in Union’s shaky start

    Self-inflicted wounds, new-look lineup have conspired in Union’s shaky start

    After Sunday’s 2-1 loss to New York City FC, Bradley Carnell and Indiana Vassilev agreed: if the Union had started the game with the same intensity with which they finished it, they likely would have been the victors.

    Instead, a slow start condemned the Union to chasing a second-half equalizer for the second time in their first two MLS games. Just as Tai Baribo put the Union down, 1-0, with a first-half goal in the club’s loss at D.C. United last weekend, NYCFC’s Hannes Wolf put the Union behind, 1-0, ahead of the halftime break on Sunday.

    Matt Freese thwarts the Union again, this time with his biggest USMNT games of all on the horizon

    The Union were able to tie the game, 1-1, on a Vassilev penalty in the 89th minute. But after Olwethu Makhanya was shown a second yellow card for dissent in the 92nd minute, Tayvon Gray put NYCFC back in front with a header in the 99th minute.

    “The guys know there was more here for us, to be had, during the game,” Carnell said in his postgame press conference. “I think if we started the way we played the second half, I think, for sure, we get a result.”

    The Union created their fair share of chances in the first half, but almost every scoring opportunity the team had over the first 45 minutes ended with an unthreatening shot. Of the six shots the team took in the first half, four were off target and two were blocked before they could challenge NYCFC keeper Matt Freese.

    “If we’re a little bit cleaner in the first 20 minutes, and we score a goal, and we’re up 1-0, go into half 1-0, it’s momentum,” Vassilev said. “Trying to keep the momentum, I would say, is such a big part of this game. I think we haven’t done too good of a job at it so far.”

    Freese, a former Union player and Wayne native, hardly had to move off his line in the game’s first half. His first save did not come until the 54th minute, a routine collection of a limp shot at the center of the goal from Agustín Anello.

    Union forward Augustin Anello was one of the Union’s new faces in the lineup against NYCFC.

    New pieces

    The Union’s sluggish first half is the kind of growing pain to be expected of a team that moved on from three of its most productive offensive players in the offseason.

    Baribo, Kai Wagner, and Mikael Uhre combined for 44 goal contributions across all competitions last season and all find themselves in different jerseys to start 2026.

    However, nine of the Union’s starters for Sunday’s match were on the pitch for the team’s 1-0 Eastern Conference semifinal defeat at the hands of NYCFC in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs. Of Sunday’s starting lineup, only Anello and Japhet Sery Larsen were not with the team in November.

    The Union were without Ezekiel Alladoh, as the striker, acquired for a club-record $4.5 million in December, serving a one-game red card suspension after being sent off in the 59th minute of the Union’s opening loss to D.C. United.

    Anello and Vassilev began the game in midfield in the Union’s announced 4-4-2 formation. But both played wider on the field and closer to the front line than indicated on Carnell’s team sheet, with Anello interchanging with striker Milan Iloski.

    “Milan has some more depth in his running in behind,” Carnell said. “That’s what we wanted in the first half. It didn’t really work out that way. When [Anello] goes up top, especially in the second half, the first 15 minutes, before he came off, I thought we created a bunch … I thought that’s how we got back in the game.”

    Anello was replaced by Stas Korzeniowski in the 59th minute and broke through on a penalty he earned. Korzeniowski also had arguably the Union’s best chance for an equalizer from live play, hitting the right post in the 75th minute.

    The Union’s wide midfielders were not the only lineup oddity for Carnell, as Nathan Harriel, the team’s usual right back, played left back against New York City. Frankie Westfield, who has replaced Wagner at left back, played on the right side.

    Carnell should have his replacement for Wagner soon, as the Union’s signing of left back Philippe Ndinga was officially announced by the club on Friday.

    As Carnell noted, the Union had more success going forward as the team pushed for a goal in the second half. The Union recorded 10 shots in the second half on Sunday, five of which were on frame.

    Union defender Olwethu Makhanya walks off the field after receiving a red card against New York FC.

    Red card blues

    Unlike the D.C. game, the Union pulled themselves level thanks to Vassilev’s conversion from the penalty spot. However, the Union found themselves playing with 10 men for the second time in as many MLS games after Makhanya was shown a second yellow for dissent in the 92nd minute.

    Makhanya’s red allowed NYCFC to attack for the remaining eight minutes of additional time. Gray won it in the 99th, beating Ben Bender to the back post on a cross from Agustín Ojeda and sending a header past Andre Blake. Bender, typically a reserve midfielder, replaced Westfield at right back in the 59th minute.

    In two MLS games, the Union’s inability to secure points has been affected by players being sent off for dissent.

    “Two games, two red cards in the second half,” Harriel said. “We’re shooting ourselves in the foot. We have to just have better discipline.”

    The Union will have a full week of training before facing the San Jose Earthquakes at Subaru Park on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). The Union will be without Makhanya against San Jose (2-0-0, 6 points), as the center back will serve a one-game red card suspension.

    After San Jose, the Union will turn their attention to a Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 clash with Club América on March 10.

  • Short-handed Sixers frontcourt’s next challenge: Figuring out how to guard Victor Wembanyama

    Short-handed Sixers frontcourt’s next challenge: Figuring out how to guard Victor Wembanyama

    BOSTON — After learning of the right oblique strain that will sideline Joel Embiid through at least Wednesday, Andre Drummond told The Inquirer that he wanted to “wrap him in a bubble sheet and give him a hug, man.”

    “I just feel like he can’t get a break,” Drummond added of Embiid’s seemingly never-ending string of injuries.

    Embiid’s importance to the 76ers was magnified in Sunday night’s 114-98 loss at the Celtics. The Sixers allowed a career-best 27 points, 17 rebounds, and three blocks to Neemias Queta, who is enjoying a wonderful season for the surprising Celtics but is not exactly regarded as a dominant interior force. The Sixers were blasted in the rebounding category, 59-37, including surrendering 19 offensive boards that Boston turned into 30 second-chance points.

    Joel Embiid out at least three games with right oblique strain

    And those harrowing numbers come one game before Tuesday’s home matchup against Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 NBA MVP contender, and the 43-17 San Antonio Spurs.

    “It was frustrating for me,” Drummond said of Sunday’s sharp rebounding discrepancy, “because, like, I see them and I’m like, ‘[Expletive], I’m a little too close to the rim’ and it’s bouncing over my head. It’s one of those annoying games where you see it, and it’s just out of reach. …

    “It just felt like everything we did, it just didn’t work.”

    Embiid, in a clear attempt to protect his knees by limiting jumping, is not the rebounder or defensive anchor he once was. Yet he flashed an intimidating presence while averaging 30 points, eight rebounds, 4.5 assists, and one block during a 20-game, month-plus stretch before these latest injuries to his oblique, shin, and knee.

    Celtics center Neemias Queta, dunking on the Sixers’ Dominick Barlow, had a career-best 27 points and 17 rebounds in a win on Sunday.

    In Embiid’s absence Sunday, coach Nick Nurse again turned to the center pecking order of starting Drummond, who does not play when Embiid is healthy, and Adem Bona, who has typically been the backup whether Embiid plays or not.

    Questions about rebounding have swirled around this Sixers roster, which lacked a traditional power forward, since media day more than five months ago. It was an emphasis for Nurse coming out of the All-Star break after the Sixers ranked 26th out of 30 NBA teams in defensive rebounding (31.1) during their first 54 games.

    And Nurse said it was one of the keys to Sunday’s matchup at TD Garden, against a 40-20 Celtics team that exited the night ranked sixth in the league in overall rebounding (46.1 per game) and offensive boards (12.8 per game).

    Nurse lamented that the Sixers (33-27) did not make enough shots — they went 39.8% from the floor, including 12 of 34 from All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey — to control the boards. The Celtics, meanwhile, attempted 49 three-pointers, which often caused long and “funny” rebounds, Maxey said.

    Tyrese Maxey’s shooting was questioned entering the NBA draft. Now, he holds the Sixers’ three-point record.

    “Those are tough ones,” Maxey added. “ … If you’re not challenging [the shooter], we’ve got to try to come back and grab some of those. I got to run some of those down.”

    But Queta, the fifth-year center averaging 9.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game entering Sunday, was a beast inside. He totaled 16 points and 12 rebounds in the first half, earning a standing ovation from the home crowd when he checked out of the game in the second quarter.

    Drummond, who was once off to a resurgent start but still has not looked the same physically since a late-November knee injury, said he was trying to “blitz” to get the ball out of the Celtics guards’ hands but struggled to move defensively.

    Bona provided an energetic initial lift, but then picked up two fouls and never recaptured momentum. Nurse did not opt to go with smaller lineups, with either Dominick Barlow or Jabari Walker at center. Queta’s outing also arrived eight days after the non-Embiid Sixers allowed 37-year-old DeAndre Jordan, who had not played since Oct. 29, to amass 15 rebounds in the New Orleans victory over the Sixers.

    Sixers center Andre Drummond exchanges some friendly banter with referee Nick Buchert after being called for a foul on Sunday in Boston.

    “[The Celtics] made the right plays by giving [Queta] the ball,” Drummond said from his locker after the game, “and he did what he was supposed to do by finishing shots. He was around the rim getting offensive rebounds. I try to block him out, [and] those weird bounces would just fall in his hands, or it would get tipped to him somehow, some way. …

    “[Crummy] that it happened against me, but whatever. It is what it is. He had a good game.”

    It is possible that Queta learned some of those rebounding tips from Drummond, who said the two centers have shared a postgame chat after every matchup since the beginning of last season.

    Drummond has told Queta that, at the end of each practice, he watches teammates shoot to learn “what type of misses they have” and how to position himself to, in his words, become “one of the best rebounders to play.”

    Inside Sixers: Tyrese Maxey’s history with Anthony Edwards, VJ Edgecombe’s three-point routine, and more

    “Use this as momentum and build on it,” Drummond told Queta after Sunday’s game. “You should feel good about yourself. It was a great game. You played well. Do it again.”

    Queta’s final touches on his breakout night included blowing past Drummond for a one-handed dunk, before a spin and finish through contact put the Celtics up 106-97 with less than three minutes to play. Queta then corralled two game-sealing putbacks in the final two minutes, playfully shaking his head after the second conversion. The home fans serenaded Queta with “M-V-P” chants multiple times in the fourth quarter.

    No disrespect to Queta, but Wembanyama is an actual MVP contender. The Spurs, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games, are an even better rebounding team, entering Monday ranked third in the league with 46.4 per game.

    And the Sixers must face that matchup without Embiid. With or without bubble wrap.

    “We’re going to have to figure out who to guard [Wenbanyama] with,” Nurse said. “It will probably be a number of guys to take that challenge.”

  • Here comes the madness | Sports Daily Newsletter

    Here comes the madness | Sports Daily Newsletter

    Happy March, Philly. As we turn the calendar page, let’s hope that snow turns to sunshine, with the spring air upon us.

    It’s also time to lock in on my favorite time of the year — college basketball. That’s right, it’s almost time for March Madness. The regular season is wrapping up, with some conference tournaments set to tip off this week, and Selection Sunday is about two weeks away.

    Some of our Big 5 schools will struggle to get a bid without winning their respective conference tournaments, while others, including Villanova men and women, are bound to receive at-large bids. Fran McCaffery’s Penn squad also clinched the team’s first Ivy League tournament berth in three years this past weekend.

    And while Villanova suffered its worst loss in 29 years against St. John’s on Saturday, Kevin Willard is not reading too much into it. The loss, however, revealed that the Wildcats can’t climb any higher than third in the Big East.

    Also, don’t forget, while some of Philly’s schools may not be playing in the NCAA Tournament, the madness will come to the area on March 20 and 22 for men’s games in the first and second rounds at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    So whether you’re a serious fan or looking for something to watch, get ready for the games to begin, and follow along all month with our coverage of college basketball.

    — Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    ❓Do you think Villanova men or women — or another Big 5 school — could make a run in the NCAA Tournament? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

    2026 NFL mock draft 2.0

    The Eagles showed significant interest in the tight ends and offensive linemen at the combine, including offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor.

    The NFL Scouting Combine is officially over, and some team fits have began to materialize, including what the Eagles may end up doing with the 23rd pick. It seems like the Birds were interested in the tight ends and offensive linemen at the combine, and tackle Kadyn Proctor was among their formal meetings.

    The free-agency period will help paint a clearer view of what needs remain ahead of April’s draft. For now, here’s how we’re projecting our second first-round mock draft.

    What we’re…

    🤔 Wondering: Are the Flyers still in the mix to make the playoffs? Well, they took a step closer with Saturday’s win over the Bruins.

    🏀 Following: Joel Embiid’s injury status after being ruled out on Saturday of the Sixers’ next three games with a right oblique strain.

    🗞️ Reading: The relationship between Edmundo Sosa and Adolis García, and how they’ve been reunited as Phillies with the “same goal.”

    👀 Watching: Temple men’s basketball went from one of the top teams in the American Conference to nearly missing the conference tournament.

    ‘Been waiting a while’

    Andrew Painter was “calm, cool, collected,” during his two innings of work on Sunday.

    Andrew Painter’s two innings on Sunday were exactly three years to the day of his first-ever spring training start in 2023. At the time, he was 19, with a chance to win a spot in the Phillies rotation.

    Since then, he underwent Tommy John surgery, rehab, and pitched a full minor league season. Painter has been waiting a while to make it back to this point, and the wait was finally over on Sunday, where he was efficient and flashed six different pitches in two shutout innings of a 5-3 loss to the Yankees.

    Orion Kerkering is also eager to get back on the mound. The right-hander threw his first bullpen session in over two weeks on Saturday, after a mild hamstring strain had slowed his start to the spring. He’s recently been working on a new splitter and is one step closer to testing it against hitters.

    Journey to Milan

    Team USA honored the late Johnny Gaudreau by bringing his No. 13 jersey and his daughter, Noa, and son, Johnny, onto the ice after their win over Canada in the men’s hockey gold-medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 22.

    Team USA honoring the late Johnny Gaudreau after its 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the gold-medal game was one of the most impactful moments of the Winter Olympics.

    Meredith Gaudreau knew her late husband’s jersey had a place in the USA Hockey locker room in Milan, Italy, just as it had at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025. However, she didn’t expect the team to bring the jersey to the ice as it celebrated USA Hockey’s first men’s Olympic gold since 1980.

    But the Gaudreau family might not have made it to Milan without the efforts of Brian Roberts, the chairman and CEO of Comcast.

    Missed opportunity

    The Union only mounted five shots on goal against New York City FC.

    The Union entered Sunday evening’s match looking to avenge the playoff loss that halted their 2025 playoff campaign in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Instead, they fell 2-1 to New York City FC in the team’s Major League Soccer home opener at Subaru Park.

    Despite the Union outshooting NYCFC, 17-13, New York City put 10 of those shots on goal, and the Union struggled to create meaningful chances in the first half.

    Sports snapshot

    Explorers guard Aryss Macktoon finished with a double-double against Loyola Chicago on Saturday.

    Marcus Hayes’ take

    Matthew Tkachuk (left) and Brady Tkachuk pose for the team picture after receiving their gold medals.

    Several of the USA hockey lads who were involved in the debauched postgame celebration with FBI director Kash Patel that devolved into a misogynistic phone call with President Trump have issued a range of regrets in the past few days. Maybe they’ll think twice next time before laughing about women — in this instance, their Olympic gold-medal counterparts, and the best women’s team ever assembled — being treated as their inferiors, writes columnist Marcus Hayes.

    We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald, Devin Jackson, Lochlahn March, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Owen Hewitt, Ryan Mack, Conor Smith, and Avery Barber.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    Thanks for getting your week started with me. Hope you have a wonderful Monday. Jim is out this week, so Matt Mullin will catch back up with you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Bella