A year ago, Brad Keller was trying to win a job with the Cubs as a nonroster invitee to spring training. Now, he’s a key member of the Phillies’ bullpen on a two-year contract. And in a few days, he will join the most talented U.S. team ever assembled for the World Baseball Classic. Keller sat down with Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss how much has changed in a year, what led him to Philadelphia, why he believes he can duplicate his success in 2025, and more. Watch here.
Category: Sports
Sports news, scores, and analysis
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Rare Wilt Chamberlain rookie uniform could fetch millions at auction — and might still be a bargain
Wilt Chamberlain isn’t just a legendary name in Philadelphia sports history — he’s a legendary name throughout all of sports history.
So it’s no surprise that a uniform bearing Chamberlain’s No. 13, from the season he shot to NBA stardom, is among the most sought after collectors’ items in sports. Chamberlain’s 1959-60 Philadelphia Warriors uniform, which he wore during his historic rookie season, is headlining Heritage Auctions’ “Winter Platinum Night Sports Auction.” Bidding was at $862,500 as of late Friday afternoon — and is expected to go much higher.
During the 1959-60 season, the 7-foot-1 Chamberlain set the NBA’s single-season scoring and rebounding records, which were surpassed by Chamberlain later in his career. In his debut NBA campaign, he recorded 2,104 total points and 2,149 total rebounds — or 37.6 points and 27 rebounds per game — and became the first of just two players to win league MVP and rookie of the year in the same season.
According to Chris Ivy, the Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage, bidding for his uniform is estimated to exceed $3 million. The auction will close Feb. 28.
The Wilt Chamberlain rookie uniform up for auction at Heritage Auctions has been photo-matched to six games from the 1959-60 season. The Warriors uniform was photo-matched to six games from Chamberlain’s rookie season. The item’s age and its notability as Chamberlain’s first uniform make it of significant interest to collectors. It’s also exceedingly rare to have full uniforms from that era.
“At the time, these uniforms didn’t have any intrinsic value,” Ivy said. “Most of them were just worn until they were tossed or donated to another team. So this uniform was able to survive the decades. It was in Wilt Chamberlain’s personal collection, and he eventually sold it to a collector several decades ago. Now, we’re happy to have the opportunity to present it to the collecting community.”
Ivy compared the sale of Chamberlain’s jersey to that of current Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, which Sotheby’s privately sold this month for $1 million. While Flagg’s career is just getting started, Chamberlain’s enduring presence in NBA record books increases the value of his uniform to collectors.
“Cooper Flagg has the potential to be an NBA great, but Wilt’s career is over,” Ivy said. “We know that he had the best rookie season of all time. We know that he was one of the greatest players that ever stepped foot on court. And so, if you extrapolate from that Cooper Flagg price, this uniform should be worth $10 million. I don’t think it’s going to hit that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did eventually.”
Chamberlain’s uniform isn’t the only item with Philly ties at Heritage’s Winter Platinum Night Sports Auction. The event also features a LeRoy Neiman painting of Joe Frazier taking on Muhammad Ali in the “Thrilla in Manilla” and a rare 1909 baseball card featuring Hall of Fame Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Eddie Plank.
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Tyrese Maxey finished a highlight-reel dunk over Anthony Edwards. VJ Edgecombe was not impressed.
Tyrese Maxey dunked over Anthony Edwards Sunday night and had everybody talking, as the 76ers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 135-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
No, Edwards wasn’t looking at him the whole way. But the play still ended in a great highlight clip for Maxey against one of the league’s best players.
The left-handed dunk has become one of his go-tos — he made a similar play in Thursday’s loss to the Hawks. Maybe that’s part of the reason rookie VJ Edgecombe had a higher standard when ranking just how good the dunk was.
“I’d give him a six out of 10,” Edgecombe said. “I’ve seen better. Six out of 10, not really impressed. In the moment I was, but looking back I’m not really impressed.”
Maxey, hearing about Edgecombe’s take, was in disbelief.
“That was a good dunk,” Maxey said. “Six out of 10? He can’t even dunk on people. He gave me a six out of 10?”
Maxey and Edgecombe each took a look at video replays of the dunk before coming to a final decision.
“From my angle, I was impressed at the beginning,” Edgecombe said. “But from other angles, I was not.”
“Tough critic,” Maxey said, shaking his head.
But the dunk was just the highlight of a stellar, 39-point performance from Maxey, where he went 16-for-28 from the field in just 35 minutes.
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Tyrese Maxey scores 39 and 76ers hit 21 3-pointers in 135-108 win over Timberwolves
MINNEAPOLIS — Tyrese Maxey had 39 points and eight assists, VJ Edgecombe made a career-high six 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 135-108 on Sunday night to snap a four-game losing streak — all by double figures.
Maxey made 16 of 28 shots from the field and hit four of Philadelphia’s 21 3-pointers. Quentin Grimes had 19 points, which included five 3s, and seven assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points and four steals.
Coming off a 126-111 defeat Saturday night at New Orleans, the Sixers were again without center Joel Embiid, who missed his third straight game since the All-Star break due to right shin soreness. Embiid also sat out three of the last five games going into the break with soreness in his right knee.
Minnesota had its three-game win streak snapped. Anthony Edwards scored 19 of his 28 points in the first half for the Timberwolves. Jaden McDaniels added 19 and Julius Randle scored 18.
Naz Ried (shoulder soreness) did not play for Minnesota, and Rudy Gobert served a one-game suspension for accumulating too many flagrant fouls. Gobert, the four-time NBA defensive player of the year, will be suspended two games for each additional flagrant foul this season.
Joan Beringer, a 6-foot-11 center, made his first career start for the Timberwolves. Picked No. 17 overall in the 2025 draft, Beringer had two points and three fouls in five first-half minutes. Ayo Dosunmu started the third quarter in Beringer’s place and finished with 12 points.
Grimes hit a 3-pointer and then found a cutting Adem Bona for a dunk before Maxey drained a fadeaway jumper and a 3 to cap a 10-2 run that made it 35-26 at the end of the first quarter. Philadelphia led the rest of the way.
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Jasmine Bascoe’s 18 points help Villanova dominate Marquette, 64-39, on Senior Night
The Villanova women’s basketball team bounced back from a loss to No. 1 UConn with a 64-39 victory over Marquette Sunday on Senior Night at Finneran Pavilion.
With the win, Villanova (22-6, 14-5 Big East) maintained its second-place spot in Big East standings in a crucial final week of the schedule.
For coach Denise Dillon, Sunday’s game encapsulated the team’s trajectory of improvement across the season. It was a significant turnaround from the Wildcats’ 85-69 loss at Marquette on Jan. 4.
Sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe led the team with 18 points, four rebounds, and seven assists. Graduate forward Denae Carter added 14 points, and freshman guard Kennedy Henry scored 13.
“After the last game, we knew that wasn’t us, and we were ready for this game,” Bascoe said. “We’ve had quite a few in between, but it’s always kind of been in the back of our minds. I couldn’t tell you how excited we all were for this game. The win’s amazing, and we’re so proud of everyone because we fought today.”
Villanova sets the tone on defense
Sunday afternoon’s game was a testament to Villanova’s improvement on defense after giving up 85 points to Marquette (16-11, 10-8) in their previous matchup.
The Wildcats were especially effective in stopping Halle Vice, who dropped 32 points back in January. Vice finished Sunday’s game with nine points.
“We put Denae Carter on [Vice] to start the game, so that adjustment was made,” Dillon said. “Today, [Carter] rose to the occasion and certainly set the tone. I don’t think [Vice] felt that she had any breathing room. Even when she caught it on a kick-out, Denae’s closeout was tremendous. … Those defensive stops are a team positive, but when one person on the ball is setting the tone, it makes it a lot easier for the rest.”
Villanova held a 16-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Freshman guard Kennedy Henry brought energy on both sides of the ball, scoring a team-high nine points and notching three steals in the first half. The Wildcats forced 14 turnovers from the Golden Eagles in the first 20 minutes, which ended with a 29-18 advantage.
Villanova held Marquette to just 31.7% shooting from the field across the game.
“When we were leaving Milwaukee in January, this group had [this game] circled on their calendar, so they wanted this one back,” Dillon said. “They were locked in to what needed to be done defensively, and certainly executed it.”
Both teams struggled with shooting from outside the arc. Marquette was 2-for-13 from three-point range, while Villanova was 3-for-16.
Seniors go out strong
For five graduating Villanova players, Sunday’s game was their last at the Finneran Pavilion.
“It was a big game for us, but we were thinking about [the seniors] the whole time, so we got our emotions out early,” Bascoe said. “We kind of had to bring it back in. But I’m just so proud of all of them. They’ve done so much for our team, and for me as an individual as well. So I couldn’t be more thankful for all those girls.”
As Villanova led, 60-38, with just over three minutes to play, senior forward Annie Welde came in off the bench. Dillon praised Welde, a Cardinal O’Hara alumna and team captain, for her “commitment to what Villanova’s all about, the community, and making this place better.” Welde cut inside and scored on a layup to finish her career on the Main Line.
Up next
In its final game of the regular season, Villanova will go on the road for another key matchup against Seton Hall on Thursday (7 p.m., Peacock). The Pirates (18-9, 12-6) sit third in the conference.
The Big East tournament, hosted at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., begins on March 6.
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Imhotep wins record sixth straight Public League title thanks to late flurry against West Philadelphia
With less than a minute remaining in Sunday’s boys Public League championship game, West Philadelphia High School’s Tamir Lett drilled a three-pointer to give the Speedboys a one-point edge.
While the fans at La Salle’s John E. Glaser Arena were sent into a frenzy, Imhotep head coach Andre Noble stayed calm and composed on the sideline.
He and the Panthers had been in this position before. In fact, they entered the game as the five-time defending champions and showed why to close out the game. Imhotep forced two turnovers as forward Zaahir Muhammad-Gray and guard Ian Smith’s late-game free throws polished off a 39-35 win.
“If everyone is rattled and nervous, then we’re not going to be able to execute,” Noble said. “But credit to our guys for just getting our best player the ball and him making plays to get us where we need.”
Noble’s Panthers (20-6, 9-1) have now won six consecutive Public League championships, etching themselves into history in Philadelphia high school basketball lore. Muhammad-Gray won MVP honors after scoring 15 points, while West Philadelphia (21-6, 7-3) guard Khabir Washington had 17.
The first few minutes of Sunday’s matchup began slowly, with both teams attempting to establish control. The Panthers initially got that control behind Muhammad-Gray’s efforts, especially on the glass. The junior, who missed last year’s championship due to a torn ACL, flew in for rebounds time and time again as Imhotep mounted an early 5-1 lead.
But then, West Philadelphia stormed back behind its hustle. Guard Jayden Mckie forced multiple steals while forward Isaiah Smith established control in the paint to spur a 9-0 run and give the Speedboys a 10-5 lead after forward Souleymane Bagaga knocked down a three to end the quarter.
The momentum quickly flipped back to the Panther side after the Speedboys went into halftime up by one. Muhammad-Gray poured in seven straight points to tie the game before forward Daouda Niare hammered down a dunk to give the Panthers a 21-18 lead and put West Philadelphia on its heels.
After briefly losing the lead, Imhotep rattled off an 8-0 run, which Muhammad-Gray punctuated with back-to-back steals, including one he turned into a fastbreak layup to give the Panthers a five-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Andre Noble’s Imhotep Panthers were pushed to the limit by West Philadelphia but found a way behind their defense late. “Proud of Zaahir,” Noble said. “[He] worked really hard on his recovery, worked really hard as a young man, so really proud that he gets to have this moment.”
Washington led a Speedboy surge to help West Philadelphia creep back into the game during the fourth quarter. He had West Philadelphia’s first eight points in the quarter before Lett drilled his go-ahead three-pointer with under a minute remaining. Mckie poked away two steals in the frame to stifle the Panthers’ offense as the Speedboys generated momentum.
At the end of the day, it wasn’t enough as Imhotep eventually retook the lead and pulled out a win.
“You have to show more character than the blowouts,” Noble said. “So that this game was tight and we were able to still pull it out. Even got down with under a minute to go and for us to pull it out and win the game, [that] showed a lot of character and poise from our squad.”
Noble’s team is now etched in history after recording a sixth consecutive Public League championship and his 13th overall as Panthers coach. For him, it speaks to the players and also the legacy of the program in a league and tradition that spans beyond them.
“Proud of the legacy of this program,” Noble said. “These guys and the five teams before them. This league is over 100 years old and the Imhotep Panthers are the first to win six in a row. So that speaks a lot.”
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Kyle Schwarber homers in Phillies spring home opener; Aidan Miller dealing with sore back
CLEARWATER, Fla. — It didn’t take long — four pitches, to be exact — for Kyle Schwarber to hit his first home run of 2026.
He started his spring and the Phillies’ home opener at BayCare Ballpark on a high note with a solo shot that cleared the right-field fence in the first inning Sunday. Schwarber’s homer, off Pirates righty Braxton Ashcraft, clocked an exit velocity of 108.7 mph off the bat.
“Just trying to simplify, first at-bat, and just happened to get a good piece of it,” Schwarber said. “Good first day overall, but nice getting back in a little bit of competitive setting.”
Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Pirates marked the spring debuts of Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh, and J.T. Realmuto.
Manager Rob Thomson said there is a plan, similar to last spring, for Schwarber to eventually get reps at first base and left field to keep his skills there sharp in case he’s needed in the field. At the moment, though, the focus is on getting his bat ready for the World Baseball Classic, where he will represent Team USA. He was designated hitter Sunday and went 1-for-2 with a hit by pitch.
With one game under his belt, Schwarber already has half as many homers as he did last spring, when he hit two home runs in 17 Grapefruit League games. He said he didn’t start swinging any earlier this offseason with the WBC on the horizon, but instead mainly focused on getting his body in shape.
Kyle Schwarber celebrates his solo home run in the Phillies dugout during the first inning against the Pirates. “I just found that just over the course of time that more quality things that I do don’t really need as much time,” Schwarber said. “I feel like you want to get a good, solid foundation of working out and working, getting your body going more, before you just start going out there and swinging right away. So get that set, and then get the swinging in the offseason. But I don’t try to overthink it too much.”
Shortstop prospect Aidan Miller has not played in the Phillies’ first two Grapefruit League games and will not travel to the East coast of Florida for their next two road games because of a sore back. Thomson said the Phillies are being “super cautious” with Miller, and he is getting treatment to calm down the soreness.
“Just came in one day and it was sore,” Thomson said. “He took live BP, he got hit by a pitch, but wasn’t in the back, so I don’t know whether he jarred it or did something trying to get out of the way.”
Who stood out: Bohm laced a double to center field in the first inning. Realmuto and Stott also collected hits.
“Bohmer looked good,” Thomson said. “Stung the ball pretty good, and and Bohmer during all our BPs, he swung the bat really well. It’s good to see.”
Infield prospect Carson DeMartini homered in the sixth inning.
On the mound: It was a bullpen game for the Phillies. Trevor Richards, Zach Pop, Kyle Backhus, Tim Mayza, and Génesis Cabrera each pitched an inning, and each recorded at least one strikeout.
Jonathan Hernández pitched the sixth. After inducing two quick outs, he issued three straight walks to load the bases and was removed for minor league call-up Jack Dallas. Pirates prospect Esmerlyn Valdez then crushed a four-seam fastball for a grand slam.
Backhus, a lefty sidearmer competing for a bullpen spot, retired the side in order in the third. He struck out Jesus Castillo on a sinker that touched 94.3 mph. In 2025, Backhus’ sinker had an average velocity of 91.9 mph.
Quotable: “He’s been really impressive,” Thomson said of Backhus. “All his bullpens, all the BPs he’s thrown, and then, obviously, in the game today. The velocity is higher than it was last year. There’s not many guys that throw from that slot, so it’s tough to pick up. Slider’s been really good. He’s been really good on lefties. And he’s working on a changeup that could get the right-handers off him. So he’s been really impressive the whole camp.”
On deck: The Phillies hit the road to West Palm Beach, Fla., to take on the Washington Nationals on Monday (6:05 p.m., Phillies webcast and 94.1 WIP). Alan Rangel will start for the Phillies.
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Dan Vladař relishes in his Olympic experience; Flyers’ Americans celebrate Team USA’s historic gold
Dan Vladař had goosebumps when he first saw his jersey hanging in his stall.
For the first five minutes of his lone start, he just thought to himself, “wow,” as he looked around and saw the fans waving flags and the Olympic rings plastered everywhere.
“This is actually happening,” he thought.
Indeed. The Flyers’ No. 1 goalie returned to practice on Sunday for the first time after donning the red, white, and blue of Czechia at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
Vladař played in one game, allowing three goals on 12 shots in a 6-3 win against France in Czechia’s second game of the tournament. France took a 3-2 lead at one point in the second period before David Pastrňák tied it up, and Czechia never looked back.
“You never know if you’re ever going to get the chance, so I didn’t want to take it for granted, but it was, for me, it was just trying to focus on myself,” he said about his solo start.
“Obviously, we won, it was good. I wasn’t the best, but those games are tough when you’re just standing there, and nothing’s going towards you, and then, all of a sudden, you look up, and you’re like, one, two, three; you’re like, what’s going to happen now?”
The Czechs tournament ended in the quarterfinals with a 4-3 overtime loss to Canada on a goal by Mitch Marner against Lukáš Dostál. Vladař said he spoke with his Flyers teammate, Travis Sanheim, during handshakes and congratulated Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff, in the tunnel after. The two Flyers won silver medals on Sunday, one day after defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen won bronze with Finland.
For the 28-year-old goalie, leaving Italy without a medal didn’t diminish the experience. He stayed in the athlete’s village — goalies got their own room — and took in the sights and food of Milan. He liked the freshness of all the salads and pasta, which were cooked al dente, but didn’t have any pizza, and rode the golf cart in full gear between rinks.
Flyers goalie Dan Vladař said the Olympic experience makes him want to play meaningful NHL games even more than ever. He wasn’t able to take in other events due to a tight schedule, or get the tattoo he told The Inquirer he was planning on getting — that’s coming in the summer, he said — but “I was trying to enjoy every moment, every second there, which I thought I did.”
Vladař is now back between the pipes for a Flyers team trying to make a playoff push with 26 games left in the season. Across his first 33 games, which is already a career high, he went 17-8-6 with a 2.47 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. And while he didn’t return to Philly with a medal, he came back with some fuel.
“You don’t want to have that feeling again, losing [and] not accomplishing anything; that was probably … my biggest fire coming back here, was just, I don’t want to feel like we all felt after that overtime goal in the quarterfinals,” he said.
“I think that we still have some time to really push for it and then, at least, sneak in.”
Golden!
The Flyers’ practice was slated to start at 11 a.m., and on a typical day, guys start hitting the ice well in advance. But Sunday was not your typical day as the United States and Canada were going toe-to-toe in the men’s hockey finale at the Olympics.
Huddled in the video room, the Flyers watched — and then hooted and hollered, according to Cam York — as Jack Hughes scored the golden goal to give the Americans their first gold medal in men’s ice hockey since the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics at roughly 10:55 a.m. It came on the 46th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice,” when the plucky U.S. squad of collegians upset the powerhouse Soviet Union before beating Finland for gold. York said he won $100 off Canadian Tyson Foerster thanks to the U.S. win.
Cam York and Trevor Zegras know the feeling of winning gold with Team USA after accomplishing it at the 2021 World Juniors. “That’s my good buddy who scored the overtime winner, so that was pretty crazy,” said New York native Trevor Zegras. “It was weird practicing after that.”
“It was one of the best games I’ve ever watched, I think, just the pace of it all, the Grade A chances, both sides, goalies playing incredible,” added the Californian York, who played with Zegras for the U.S. National Team Development Program and won gold at the 2021 World Juniors.
“For USA Hockey, it’s huge, it’s been a long time coming, I think, and to see those guys win, I thought that was just a really sick game.”
It’s been a long time coming indeed. The U.S. entered the day with 12 medals but just two golds in men’s hockey, from the 1980 and 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics. The last time USA Hockey medaled was 2010, when Sidney Crosby, who was injured and unable to play on Sunday, scored a heartbreaking golden goal in the finale.
“It was a big one. [Goalie Connor] Hellebuyck was unbelievable in that game, made a lot of huge saves there,” said Christian Dvorak. “Americans came through, so it was great to watch and fun to chirp some of the Canadians in here.”
The Flyers have seven Americans on the roster in York, Zegras, Maine’s Garnet Hathaway, Dvorak (Illinois), and the Minnesotans, Nick Seeler, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink; Sean Couturier was born in Phoenix but grew up in New Brunswick and represents Canada on the international stage.
None of the players on the current roster were around for the last gold medal, and only five, including Hathaway and Dvorak, were around for the 1996 World Cup victory over Canada. For assistant coach Todd Reirden, this was another special — and defining — moment for hockey in the U.S.
“I remember clear as day, everything that went on with that ’80 Olympics, being pretty young at the time, 9 or 10 years old. So it was something I could remember very clearly, and how exciting it was, and how those guys became my heroes,” said the Illinois native.
“To see where it’s come now, I think all that stuff was a culmination of the growth of the game, and now it’s going to continue. Major credit to what USA Hockey has done with the way that they’ve changed the way that they’re teaching the youth, the small area games, the smaller sheets. You see the skill level players, we see it all the time in the NHL, but it’s really made it a more exciting game, and something that hopefully will continue to rise because it’s fun to be a part of.”
Breakaways
With Vladař back from Italy, Aleksei Kolosov was loaned back to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Sunday.
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Olympic hockey drama left Phillies spellbound. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hope to join baseball’s fun in the ’28 Games.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper couldn’t look away.
Ninety minutes before the start of the Phillies’ first home spring-training game Sunday, as teammates moved about the clubhouse like commuters through 30th Street Station, Harper stood still in front of a TV and watched the NHL superstars from Team USA receive their gold medals.
Players skated victory laps with American flags draped over their shoulders. The national anthem played. Cue the team photo.
And Harper was transfixed.
For years, Harper has advocated for Major League Baseball to do what the NHL does and stop the season so that the best players in the world can compete in the Olympics. Its next chance will come in Los Angeles in 2028, when baseball will return as a medal sport after an eight-year hiatus.
What would a global best-on-best baseball tournament look like?
Exactly what the world just witnessed between the U.S. and Canada in what Phillies manager/proud Canadian Rob Thomson described as “one of the best games you’ll ever see.”
It was so good that the Phillies put it on the new 3,200-square-foot LED video board at BayCare Ballpark as they took batting practice during the third period and overtime. Kyle Schwarber did an interview from the third-base dugout so he would be able to keep one eye on the action.
Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott watches the U.S.-Canada Olympic gold medal game as he warms up Sunday in Clearwater, Fla. “Yeah, that was awesome,” Schwarber said. “That was amazing. Probably one of the more exciting hockey games in a long time. I don’t get to watch hockey that much, but that will probably get me back into watching a lot more.”
Which is precisely why MLB needs to follow the NHL’s lead.
Harper and Schwarber are among 10 Phillies who will leave camp Saturday to join their respective countries’ delegations for the World Baseball Classic. For two weeks in March, national pride will be at stake.
And players seem to be taking the WBC as seriously as ever.
Since the tournament’s inception in 2006, Team USA has had difficulty recruiting the best pitchers, in particular, to compete in an international exhibition in the middle of spring training. But this time, both reigning Cy Young Award winners — the Pirates’ Paul Skenes and Tigers’ Tarik Skubal — signed on to wear stars and stripes.
Shohei Ohtani, who famously struck out Mike Trout to end the last WBC in 2023, will return to lead Japan, albeit only as a hitter. The Dominican Republic’s lineup is loaded, with Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Julio Rodríguez, and Fernando Tatis Jr. Venezuela, Mexico, and Puerto Rico are stacked, too.
“This is our time to represent our country,” Schwarber said. “It gives you that motivation, you know? Being that we’re going to be heading into that and knowing what to expect. Obviously we’re not Olympians. But it’s our mini-Olympics. Right?”
Sure. And players will compete with intensity. Anyone who thinks it doesn’t mean much to the players should hear Schwarber talk about what he did with his silver medal in 2023.
“I don’t know where it’s at,” he said. “You only probably care about the gold one. You don’t want to get the second-place one.”
Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (right) celebrates his solo home run with Bryce Harper on Sunday. But because of when the WBC is contested, there will be pitch limits and other health-related restrictions. At training camps in Florida and Arizona, teams will cross their fingers and toes that their players return intact.
If anything, then, the WBC is closer to hockey’s 4 Nations Face-Off, last February’s riveting tournament that was still only the appetizer to the main course in Milan.
Still, as international competitions go, it’s the best baseball has.
Unless …
“I know Bryce has been very outspoken about it, and I think [the Olympics] would be great for us,” Schwarber said. “We all grew up watching the Olympics and being kids and just tuning into all different kinds of events. Back in the day, the TV dinners, go get the pull-out tray, throw it on the couch, all the family sitting down at night. We’re watching the Olympics. We’re watching the gymnasts, the swimming, the diving. Those were all big ones. I loved watching the sprinters run.
“It’d just be great for our game in general, to where you go to the Olympics and it’s worldwide. Everyone would see it, and it might reach a broader audience than just some countries that are really in tune to it.”
But would the players buy in? Part of what makes Olympic hockey such a draw is the passion exhibited by the players, especially among the Americans and Canadians, many of whom put aside their day jobs as teammates in the NHL to pound on one another on an international stage.
“It’d be a no-doubter for a lot of guys,” said Schwarber, who played for Team USA in college. “When they ask you, you’re like, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ And the cool thing for us is we have so many different cultures in our game that everyone’s going to separate from the [MLB] organization side of things and go to the country side.
“I know, if I’m freaking 50 and they go, ‘Hey,’ I’ll be like, ‘Yes.’ I might be playing softball by then, but I’d say yes.”
Harper was among the first players to commit to Team USA for the WBC in 2023 but had to withdraw after having elbow surgery in the preceding offseason. He hasn’t played for his country since he was a teenager.
Kyle Schwarber hits a solo home run for the Phillies in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. “I can’t wait,” Harper said the other day. “Representing your country, there’s nothing better. Nothing better. The feeling of putting ‘USA’ on your chest and playing for something so much bigger than yourself, representing your whole country, there’s nothing greater.
“And having Aaron Judge hit behind me is going to be a lot of fun, as well.”
When Harper at last turned away from the television Sunday morning and walked to his locker, he politely declined to talk about the game. He appeared emotional, especially after watching Team USA bring two of the late Johnny Gaudreau’s children, Noa and Johnny Jr., onto the ice as part of the celebration.
Watching it all, Harper surely must have thought about the possibility of 2028 in Los Angeles.
“We’ll see,” he said.
But anyone could plainly see what it would mean for baseball to have the best players in the world in the next Olympics.
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Father Judge captures second straight Catholic League crown by beating Neumann Goretti
The Philadelphia Catholic League title is staying on Solly Avenue.
After a 27-year hiatus without winning a PCL crown, sixth-seeded Father Judge won its second straight with a 55-52 victory against No. 4 seed Neumann Goretti on Sunday at the Palestra.
Father Judge held off a late Saints comeback attempt in the final seconds. Neumann Goretti’s Deshawn Yates hit a three-pointer with 18.8 seconds left to make it a one-point game, but the Crusaders sealed the win with free throws down the stretch.
Senior Derrick Morton-Rivera led the champions with 14 points and junior Nazir Tyler added 12. Junior Marquis Newson had a game-high 19 points for the Saints.
At one point this season, Father Judge was 4-8, and the Crusaders lost to Neumann Goretti, 71-66, on Feb. 1. But on Sunday, the sixth-seeded team cut down the nets.
Father Judge’s Derrick Morton-Rivera (44) reacts after sinking a three-pointer in front of Neumann Gorretti’s Deshawn Yates. “When we first got here, we talked about the Palestra and everybody thought we were crazy,” fifth-year Father Judge coach Chris Roantree said. “The players thought we were crazy. And then it just continued to build. You’ve got guys that have come through and accepted the culture, accepted being coached hard. … I think you have a community that’s invested. You have coaches who are invested. You have players who are invested. It makes it easy, but it also makes it enjoyable.”
Father Judge went on a 19-5 run that stretched over the first and second quarters to establish a 25-16 lead at halftime. Seven players wound up scoring in the title game for the winners.
Senior Max Moshinski, who has committed to Iona, dominated the paint for Father Judge, collecting a majority of the team’s rebounds.
Neumann Goretti coach Carl Arrigale looks at the scoreboard in the second half against Father Judge. It all came down to the fourth quarter when Neumann Goretti began to chip away at Father Judge’s double-digit lead, staying within three and five points in the final minutes. Yates’ three-pointer with 18.8 seconds left was the closest the Saints got to taking a lead since they started the game with a 4-0 advantage.
But Father Judge leaned on its defense to force Neumann Goretti into bad decisions and the Crusaders wrapped it up with free throws.
“[Already] being in those situations and being in those moments, when it comes, we’re not fazed,” Tyler said. “Give credit to our coaching staff as well. They schedule some tough games in December. So when we get into these moments in January [and February], we’re ready for them. … None of us was nervous.”
Next up, Father Judge will prepare for the PIAA Class 6A state tournament, which begins on March 7.
“There are some guys that are waking up at 6.30 a.m. to get themselves to school, and they’re on time,” Roantree said. “But, they want to be a part of something special. And I think we have something special.”