Under the boardwalk, down by the sea. That’s where Bryce Harper wants to be, apparently.
Harper’s newest cleats — the Under Armour Harper 10 “Mad House” — pay homage to the Jersey Shore, and unlike his previous colorful, locally-inspired cleats, these are not player exclusives (PE), meaning anyone can buy the $130 cleats.
With a hyper violet base and slime-green studs that resemble a boardwalk funhouse, the cleats are “inspired by Bryce’s love for spending time at the Jersey Shore during the offseason early on in his career,” Under Armour said.
On Thursday, Harper posted a short promotional video for the new kicks. Inside the funhouse’s skull entrance, the Harper 10s are displayed in the middle of a spiraling, mirror maze — akin to one that can be found on the Wildwood boardwalk.
The latest edition of Bryce Harper 10s, “Mad House,” are a nod to boardwalk funhouses.
Harper has not gone on the record to claim one shore town in particular. In July 2022, while rehabbing his broken thumb, he spent time in Stone Harbor, taking photos with fans in a Wawa. That same month, he posed with restaurant workers at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Ocean City.
The release of the “Mad House” cleats comes after Harper and Under Armour reached a contract extension on Jan. 13. Under Armour initially signed Harper in 2011. In 2016, they awarded him with what was then the largest endorsement deal in MLB history.
Previously, Harper has made his love for the Phanatic known through apparel. Last year, Harper and Under Armour released a pair of green, fuzzy Harper 3s inspired by the Phillies mascot, equipped with insoles displaying caricatures of Harper and the Phanatic. But that was hardly the first time Harper’s cleats have paid tribute to the Phanatic — he also wore custom Phanatic cleats during his first game as a Phillie in 2019, and again during the team’s home opener in 2020, this time featuring Swarovski crystals.
Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper’s Wawa themed spikes against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, June 21, 2024 in Philadelphia.
Ever since Jason Kelce belted out “No one likes us, we don’t care” at the Eagles’ 2018 Super Bowl parade, the chant, with its origins in soccer, has become a staple of Philadelphia sports fandom. Whether they are liked or not, there appears to be a respect for Eagles fans, and recently, opposing players like Maxx Crosby and George Kittle have come out and praised them. The latest? NFC East rival Jayden Daniels.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated earlier this month, Daniels, the Washington Commanders quarterback, compared games at Lincoln Financial Field to a college football-like atmosphere.
“I love Eagles fans,” Daniels, an LSU alumnus, told SI. “I mean, they just embody what Philly brings, and to be able to go out there and play against them, it’s kind of just that their environment is the closest thing you can get to a college environment.”
Daniels has played two seasons in the NFL, and has faced the Eagles twice at the Linc. His first was a 36-33 victory in December 2024, but just over a month later, Daniels and the Commanders were routed by the Eagles, 55-23, in the NFC championship game. He missed this past season’s game at the Linc due to injury, but his backup, Josh Johnson, was also excited to play in front of Eagles fans — even if he suffered some past trauma in South Philly.
“It’s awesome,” Johnson, who was knocked out of the 2023 NFC championship game against the Eagles with a serious concussion that forced a hospital stay, told reporters before this year’s regular-season finale. “We get to go into the lion’s den. I love it. I wouldn’t change it.”
Jayden Daniels was sacked three times in the Eagles’ NFC championship win over the Commanders.
Some players don’t just like the environment, they use it for extra motivation. Daniels is one of them.
“Yeah, for sure,” Daniels said when asked if Eagles fans bring him extra motivation. “If you can go out there and beat Philly in Philly — that is a different type — but their fans bring it, man, especially as we’re rivals with them in the NFC, in the East, so I love playing against them.”
‘Exactly what you dream of’
As trade rumors swirl around Crosby, the Raiders star edge rusher’s past comments about the Eagles and their fans have resurfaced.
On a December episode of his podcast, “The Rush With Maxx Crosby,” the 28-year-old defensive end spoke about the fan base following the Raiders game against the Eagles, his first at the Linc.
“Cities that really have substance to them and true fan bases, and love for their city and the game — and going to Philly, you can feel that energy when you go there,” Crosby said on his podcast. “There were people everywhere downtown. We stayed right downtown in the thick of it. You know how Philly is. They’re rowdy, they are crazy, they’re flipping off the [team] buses. They didn’t give a damn about anything.”
Maxx Crosby said he remembers the snow-covered trees outside the Linc as fans prepped for the Eagles-Raiders game in December.
Crosby also got a taste of what the fan base brings not just on game day, but every day.
“I low-key never do this, but I was driving into Philly, and this is the first time I’ve ever played in Philly, so that’s why I took some pictures,” Crosby said. “[I] was driving in there, trees just all white (snow) and fans everywhere in the tailgate. You can see the stadium behind it. I took a couple dope-ass pictures because this is my first time ever playing there.
“If you love football, that’s what you dream of as a kid, playing in Philadelphia in December in a grimy-ass environment. That is exactly what you dream of, so I loved it.”
If Crosby indeed hits the Raiders trading block, could Philly be a potential destination for the five-time Pro Bowler?
‘They hate all of us equally’
Kittle has also embraced the city’s fans after several battles with the Eagles. Ahead of San Francisco’s wild-card playoff game at the Linc, his fifth appearance in Philly, Kittle told reporters about the respect he has for the fan base.
“The one thing that’s really unique about Philly is that they don’t really — I mean, maybe like a division rival is different, but any other road team that comes in there, they hate all of us equally, and I just appreciate that,” Kittle said. “It’s incredibly loud, they flip you off, they moon you on your bus ride in.
“But, they do that to everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re the 49ers, if you’re the Jacksonville Jaguars. It doesn’t matter. They just give you that no matter what, and I appreciate that because you can tell how much they love their team.”
Eagles fans didn’t get the ending they hoped for last season, with the Birds falling to the Niners in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Kittle and Crosby aren’t the only ones to see the positive in Eagles’ fans antics, which can sometimes cross the line, like when fans egged then-offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s house after the team’s Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears.
Before his team’s game in Philly this season, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said the city was “probably the most hostile place to play” and recalled a time when he was playing for the Giants and a fan at Veterans Stadium dumped a cup of tobacco spit on Michael Strahan. Despite that, Campbell still loves the Philly faithful.
“You go on the road and it’s you against everybody else,” Campbell said. “And it’s very clear that it’s you against everybody else there. You go some places and they wave at you like, ‘Man, we’re so happy you’re here to play against us.’ This is not one of those places. It’s as far from that as you can possibly get. I love playing in atmospheres like that.”
Even players who have had serious beef with Eagles fans have changed their tune.
“I hate Eagles fans,” Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse repeatedly told the L.A. Times before the teams’ divisional round matchup in 2025. “They’re so annoying.”
The Eagles went on to win that game in the snow, and fans pelted Verse with snowballs on his way out after his quote was displayed on the video board for the crowd to see. But after the game, Verse said he has grown to respect Philly fans.
“I like that they stand on it,” Verse said. “They don’t shy away from it.”
Following his Rising Stars MVP, VJ Edgecombe joined former NBA star Jeff Teague and co-hosts DJ Wells and Brandon Hendricks on the Club 520 Podcast. But if listeners didn’t know any better, they might have thought they accidentally tuned into an episode of Kylie Kelce’s podcast, as Edgecombe repeatedly made it clear that he was “not gonna lie.”
The Sixers guard candidly discussed his pre-draft workouts, the intensity of Sixers practices, his relationships with his teammates, and his “Welcome to the NBA” moment. Here’s everything you missed from Edgecombe’s appearance on the Club 520 Podcast …
“At the beginning of the year, I’m not going to lie, I thought I wasn’t going nowhere,” said Edgecombe, who averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists at Baylor. “I thought I had to stay another year. And then conference [games] came around and I started hooping for real, for real.
“You know the people that be doing all the little rankings and stuff? You know, you pay attention to that. Freshman year, they got me in like honorable mentions. I’m not even in the top 10. I’m like, it’s quiet, bro. I’m like, I’m going to have to run it back. And then conference came around and I just started hooping.”
Once Edgecombe declared for the draft, he participated in the NBA combine and decided to conduct a private workout with only one team: the Sixers.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse (right) talks to Edgecombe during a December game against the Pacers. Edgecombe won MVP of the NBA Rising Stars game over All-Star Weekend.
“I only worked out for one team. I took my chances, I ain’t going to lie,” Edgecombe said. “And that was Philly. I only worked out in Philly. I went in there, I’m not gonna lie, [and] shot four air balls. I was nervous as [expletive].
“But then I was like if they draft me or not, it’s whatever at this point. I wasn’t even trying to trip about it. But, I’m not going to lie, I’ve never been so nervous, bro. Because you got the owners, you got everybody on the sideline just watching you.”
That risk ended up paying off. Edgecombe was drafted third overall by the Sixers and has been one of the league’s top rookies, averaging similar numbers to his lone season in Waco: 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists.
Edgecombe joined a team with veteran players like Maxey, Paul George, Joel Embiid, and Kelly Oubre Jr. When asked about the intensity of Sixers practices, Edgecombe responded: “I ain’t going to lie, [expletive] about to throw hands in there at practice.”
However, Edgecombe believes that those high-energy practices — along with his one-on-one battles with Maxey — have helped the team when it comes time to compete.
“I feel like that helps us a lot though,” Edgecombe added. “Me and [Maxey] play ones. That’s the first time, I’m going to be honest, the first time I’m like I’m really losing ones, for real. That [expletive] can hoop. I ain’t going to lie. I didn’t know he was that fast, bro. And he can shoot.”
Edgecombe said he’s continually impressed by Sixers center Joel Embiid (left).
‘They be dropping gems all the time’
When they’re not getting ready to “throw hands,” Edgecombe is learning from some of the vets on the team, including George, a nine-time NBA All-Star.
“They be dropping gems all the time, bro,” Edgecombe said. “Teaching me off-the-court stuff, on-the-court stuff. I ain’t going to lie, I been working with [George] too with ball-handling and all that, just trying to get in that bag, just trying to activate a different part of my game, bro. I mean, I’m able to just run by [guys] sometimes, but you know just trying to be able to break [them] down. … I feel like it will just make it a lot easier for me, if I’m able to get to my spot and be able to break down.”
And when it comes to Embiid, Edgecombe is still impressed by the former MVP’s presence on the court.
“He cool as [expletive],” Edgecombe said. “He just chill. Be in his own little world. I swear, I’ve never seen someone really that good. I ain’t going to lie. He good, bro. I sit there and just watch him. He just be going at people. I told him, ‘Bro, if I was like 7-foot, I probably would have been able to guard him.’ But, he being drawing fouls and all type of different stuff going on, bro.”
‘That’s my welcome to the NBA moment’
When Edgecombe first made the transition to the NBA, he immediately recognized the difference in pace from college. But his true “Welcome to the NBA” moment came on the defensive end.
“I had to guard Luka [Doncic], Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], D-Book [Devin Booker], [Jalen] Brunson,” Edgecombe said. “I got to guard all of them. That’s my ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment. I’m not going to lie.”
When asked who was the toughest player to guard in the league, he responded: “I ain’t going to lie to you, it was Ja Morant. He had 40 [points].”
For the first time in over two years, Major League Wrestling will return to Philadelphia to host two nights of action at the 2300 Arena as part of the promotion’s 24th anniversary.
“With it being our anniversary this June, we felt like there’s no better place to host it than Philadelphia,” said Court Bauer, the CEO of MLW. “And since fans have been asking for two-and-a-half years for us to come back, we’re like, let’s give them a double shot. Two nights of MLW. Let’s make this as big as we can.”
MLW will visit on June 12 and 13, filming a national television taping of the new season of MLW Fusion and showcasing the promotion’s signature event, Summer of the Beasts.
Fans can expect appearances from MLW world heavyweight champion Killer Cross, Shotzi Blackheart, Matt Riddle, CONTRA Unit, and Don Gato.
“From a matchmaking perspective, as a promoter, it really scratches that itch and gets me thinking creatively in ways that challenges me because you know the bar is going to be high,” Bauer said. “There might be some extreme wrestling. There might be some hard core wrestling. There might be some lucha.”
Although the 2300 Arena has given fans plenty of iconic Extreme Championship Wrestling memories, MLW has its own history at the venue.
Major League Wrestling CEO Court Bauer (center) shown at 2300 Arena in 2021.
The company’s debut event, Genesis, was held at the 2300 Arena in June 2002. Since then, it has operated in major markets, including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
“There’s just something special that you can’t really find in another city, that intensity that Philly has for pro wrestling,” Bauer said. “And the 2300 Arena is kind of like the cathedral of pro wrestling in America. There’s no other place that’s held as many great matches and has shed as much blood.”
The last time the promotion was at the 2300 Arena was in February 2024 for MLW’s SuperFight card, which featured an MLW world heavyweight title match between Satoshi Kojima and Alex Kane.
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith will host his fifth celebrity softball game in Allentown on May 2, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs announced Monday. The event will take place at Coca-Cola Park, the IronPigs’ home stadium.
Smith had another successful campaign for the Eagles, recording 1,008 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 77 receptions. It was the third time Smith has topped 1,000 yards in a season.
The softball game will feature some of Smith’s teammates, friends, and other NFL players. A home run derby will take place at 1:30 p.m. followed by the softball game at 3 p.m.
Darius Slay (left) and A.J. Brown at DeVonta Smith’s celebrity softball game in 2024.
Smith’s game has provided fireworks for fans in the past. Running back Saquon Barkley, defensive end Brandon Graham, tight end Dallas Goedert, and cornerbacks Darius Slay and Cooper DeJean participated last year, along with former Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens. DeJean earned last year’s game MVP.
Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons built his own team in 2022 to face Smith’s team. That year, Smith had wide receiver A.J. Brown on his team. Brown beat Parsons in the home run derby, then hit the walk-off home run to beat Team Parsons, which featured Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and former Eagles running back Boston Scott.
Participants for this year’s game will be announced at a later date.
Kelly Oubre Jr. appears to be spending his All-Star break in the recording studio.
On Monday, the Sixers forward posted a clip of his newest single, “Fast & Furious,” on Instagram under the stage name t$unami, which he has been using since 2020 on Soundcloud. Oubre also uploaded the song to Spotify and Apple Music.
The rap song is the first Oubre has released since “A prayer for you” in 2023. He also released “Flipped the Game” in 2022, which is currently his most-streamed song on Spotify, with over 300,000 streams.
Oubre is just the latest in a series of Philly athletes who have tried their hands at music, including Allen Iverson, Brett Myers, Lou Williams, DeSean Jackson, and more recently Terrell Edmunds. Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata — better known as The Philly Specials — also released a few original songs on their three Eagles Christmas albums.
The Sixers return from the All-Star break on Feb. 19, against the Miami Heat.
Scenes from the Phillies first full spring training workout
// Timestamp 02/16/26 2:02pm
‘He’s getting there’: Zach Wheeler continues recovery from blood clot
Zack Wheeler threw out to 120 feet for the first time today. Rob Thomson said he doesn't know yet when Wheeler will get back on a mound, but "he's getting there."
The surprising things Phillies players brought with them to spring training
// Timestamp 02/16/26 12:17pm
Spring training photos: Phillies first full-squad workout
BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. ahead of the Phillies’ first full-squad workout. Bryce Harper works with new bench coach Don Mattingly. Kyle Schwarber takes some swings during batting practice. The Phillies’ first spring training game is Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter will be under no limitations this spring as he competes for a spot in the Phillies’ rotation. He is set to appear in Grapefruit League games for the first time since prior to his ulnar collateral ligament injury and subsequent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2023.
“I’m sure he’s excited. It’s really the first full year where he’s completely healthy, and where he’s got everything back,” Thomson said. “And when I’m talking about everything, I’m talking about stuff, combined with command and control. So I think he’s really excited. I would think so. I’m excited for him, because I’m thinking he’s really going to be a big piece for us.”
Mike Trout talks position change, being prevented from playing in World Baseball Classic
Mike Trout wants to move back to center field this season.
Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout plans to be back in center field this season, he told reporters Monday at the team’s spring training complex in Tempe, Ariz.
Trout moved to right field last season in an attempt to keep the 34-year-old South Jersey native healthy, but in April he was sidelined for a month by a bone bruise and finished out the year as a designated hitter.
Mike Trout says he is playing center field again. He said playing right wasn’t comfortable and he felt like it was more running.
Also said he feels good about where his swing is. He finished last season on a hot streak.
Trout played 130 games last season, the most since 2019. But Angles general manager Perry Minasian signaled back in December he’d be open to Trout returning to center field.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” Minasian said, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger. “We’ll see where the team looks like when we get to Spring Training and what’s in place and what gives us the best chance to win games. Might be playing center. One day might be playing left. One day might be DHing. I don’t know.”
Trout also told reporters he wanted to play in this year’s World Baseball Classic, but was prevented due to insurance issues related to his 12-year, $426.5 million contract with the Angels that runs through the 2030 season.
Essentially, Trout couldn’t find insurance coverage to cover the roughly $37 million he’s owed this season if he were to be injured during the global baseball tournament.
Mike Trout says he’ll move back to playing CF this year. He also wanted to play in the WBC but insurance prevented him from playing, calling it disappointing
They also sent lefty Matt Strahm to the Royals for Jonathan Bowlan in a reliever swap. And they added bullpen depth with Zach McCambley (Rule 5 draft), lefty Kyle Backhus (trade with Arizona), Yoniel Curet (trade with Tampa Bay), Chase Shugart (trade with Pittsburgh), and Zach Pop (free agent).
So which new Phillies is most intriguing for 2026?
Lauber: Does Justin Crawford count as “new?” Oh, OK, we’ll get to him later. In that case, García. In 2023, he hit 39 homers, got down-ballot MVP votes, and dominated the postseason for the World Series champion Rangers. The Phillies bet on bouncebacks last year from Max Kepler and Jordan Romano and went bust. Will their latest free-agent gamble work out better?
March: Keller. The right-hander had been a starter for most of his career before his breakout season last year as a high-leverage reliever for the Cubs, and he has retained his starter’s arsenal of four-seam, sinker, slider, changeup, and sweeper. That, plus a jump of over 3 mph on his fastball in 2025, makes him an intriguing back-end option in the Phillies’ bullpen.
Which Phillies players to watch at spring training
All eyes will be on prospect Justin Crawford during spring training.
What’s the Phillies’ biggest roster decision?
Lauber: Although the decision to commit to Justin Crawford was made early in the offseason, it’s about to play out in real time. At 22, he would be the youngest outfielder to make a Phillies opening-day roster since Greg Luzinski and Mike Anderson in 1973. As the Phillies turn over the keys to center field, Crawford will be at the center of attention.
March: The Phillies stocked up on potential bullpen depth this winter, making a host of minor league deals, a few trades, and a Rule 5 selection of Zach McCambley. Six reliever spots are likely spoken for, barring injury: lefties José Alvarado and Tanner Banks, and righties Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller, Orion Kerkering, and Jonathan Bowlan. There will be some stiff competition for the final two spots.
Which prospect should fans look out for?
Lauber: As you watch Crawford and Andrew Painter, don’t take your eyes off Aidan Miller. The Phillies intend to expose the 22-year-old shortstop to third base in spring training, but it will be interesting to see how much third he actually plays — and how fast they push him if he starts hot in triple A and/or Alec Bohm falters again in April.
March: Gabriel Rincones Jr. made a big impression last spring with a couple of towering home runs. The outfielder was added to the Phillies’ 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft, and he could get a major league look at some point in 2026. Rincones, who will be 25 next month, struggles against left-handed pitching, so any opportunity would likely be in a strict platoon. But he has some big power potential against righties.
A clean-shaven Nick Castellanos, dressed in a brown Padres hoodie, made his first public comments Sunday after signing a one-year deal with San Diego.
The former Phillies outfielder, who was released by the organization on Thursday, met with the media at the Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz. He also spent time taking reps at first base. He is expected to see time there as the Padres already have an All-Star rightfielder in Fernando Tatis Jr.
Castellanos told reporters Sunday he “had a good idea” he would not be back with the Phillies following their exit in the National League Division Series. This winter, the Phillies repeatedly expressed interest in finding a change of scenery for Castellanos after he developed friction with manager Rob Thomson.
After his release, Castellanos posted a letter on Instagram thanking members of the organization and explaining the “Miami Incident.” During the eighth inning of a June 16 game in Miami, Castellanos said he brought a beer into the dugout after Thomson replaced him for defensive purposes. He was benched for the following game as punishment.
In his letter, Castellanos wrote that he “will learn from” the incident.
“I think [what] I said I will learn from this is I guess just letting my emotions get the best of me in a moment,” he said Sunday. “Possibly if I see things that frustrate me or I don’t believe are conducive to winning, to speak up instead of letting things just pile up over time and pile up over time and finally when I address it, it’s less emotional.”
Bryce Harper responds to Phillies exec ahead of Spring Training
Bryce Harper fist-bumps Phillies teammates Sunday ahead of the team’s workout in Clearwater, Fla.
Bryce Harper touched down in Phillies camp, pulled on a black T-shirt — no, not the black T-shirt that went viral over the holidays — and summarized one of the weirdest weeks in an offseason of his career.
“For Dave [Dombrowski] to come out and say those things,“ Harper said, ”it’s kind of wild to me still.”
Key word: Still. Because this was Sunday, 122 days after the Phillies’ highest-ranking baseball official gave a 90-second answer 34 minutes into a 54-minute news conference about whether Harper’s good-but-not-great 2025 season was a one-off or the start of a downward trend.
Pardon the rehashed sound bite, but well, here goes: “Of course he’s still a quality player,” Dombrowski said, “still an All-Star-caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite [again], or if he continues to be good.”
Cue the hysteria, fomented by sports-talk radio and social media. And a candid answer to a good question exploded into unfounded speculation that the Phillies would consider trading Harper. (For what it’s worth, John Middleton is clear about wanting Harper to go into the Hall of Fame with a “P” on his plaque.)
Harper is self-aware. He wasn’t satisfied with last season. There were factors, including an inflamed right wrist that caused him to miss 22 games. But he also swung at a career-high rate of pitches out of the zone, a problem given that Harper saw fewer strikes than any hitter in baseball. He also delivered fewer hits in the clutch than ever before.
“Obviously,” he said after digesting it for four months, “not the best year of my career.”
But the substance of Dombrowski’s comments didn’t bother Harper as much as the forum.
“The big thing for me was, when we first met with this organization [in 2019] it was, ‘Hey, we’re always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same thing,’” Harper said. “So, when that didn’t happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit. I don’t know.
“It’s kind of a wild situation, that even happening.”
Pitcher Taijuan Walker looks on while wearing his hat backward Sunday. Pitcher Cristopher Sanchez on the mound as palm trees swerve in the background. Brandon Marsh shares a laugh during spring training workouts Thursday. Pitcher Zack Wheeler warms up last week. Phillies manager Rob Thomson looks on during spring training workouts.
Tom McCarthy is entering his 19th season as the TV voice of the Phillies.
NBC Sports Philadelphia will once again broadcast 12 Phillies spring training games in 2026 — 10 on the main channel and two on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.
The network’s TV schedule kicks off Sunday with the Phillies’ afternoon matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla., where the team has played spring ball for 78 years.
The Phillies March 4 exhibition game against Canada ahead of the World Basball classic will also air on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
In addition, a handful of spring training games will stream live on the Phillies’ website.
Here are all the Phillies spring training games airing on NBC Sports Philadelphia:
Sunday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
Feb. 25 vs Detroit Tigers, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
Feb. 27 vs. Florida Marlins (split squad), 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 1 vs. New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 4 vs. Canada, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 5 vs. Boston Red Sox, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP+)
March 8 at Minnesota Twins, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 10 vs. New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 13 vs. Baltimore Orioles, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP+)
The Flyers are bringing Scranton to Philadelphia, with the NHL’s first theme night celebrating The Office.
On March 14 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Flyers will pay tribute to one of NBC’s most iconic TV shows to celebrate the network’s 100th anniversary.
The night will include clips from the show on the videoboard, specialty food and beverage offerings, Gritty tie-ins, and (probably) a giveaway or special ticket package of some kind to be announced at a later time.
The Flyers will be hosting a special “The Office” theme night to celebrate the hit NBC show.
“The Philadelphia Flyers are honored to partner with Peacock to celebrate The Office, an iconic piece of NBC’s legacy 100 years in the making,” said Flyers chief revenue and business officer Todd Glickman in a statement. “It’s happening! Everybody stay calm!”
While The Office has been off the air since May 2013, when it ended its nine-season run, it remains popular. NBC launched a spinoff called The Paper, which premiered on Peacock in the fall and stars Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Nuñez, who reprises his role of Oscar Martinez from the original series. The Paper, which follows a small Midwestern newspaper, is expected to return for a second season in the fall.
Other forthcoming theme nights include Fourth Wing Night, PGA Championship Night, and Margaritaville Night. The Flyers will also host Philadelphia’s last remaining Dollar Dog Night on March 24.
There was plenty of blame to go around after the Eagles’ postseason run ended early, following a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC wild-card round. But a few people are getting more heat than the rest.
One of the main culprits was offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who was fired after one season in the role and is reportedly on his way to Miami. Another person who has taken a lot of the blame is three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Brown.
Throughout the season former Eagles center Jason Kelce defended the receiver. Now, with Brown’s future in Philly still in question, Kelce was asked about the receiver’s perceived lack of effort on 94 WIP.
“How hard is it to play with a player that’s not giving full effort?” Kelce said. “It’s incredibly frustrating, right. I think any player that’s out there when you’re seeing a teammate not go all out, like that’s all you want from your teammates. And that’s all we want as fans. And it’s a really hard thing to optically watch. It’s frustrating to watch.”
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his four seasons in Philly.
Brown finished last season with 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. In the wild-card loss, Brown recorded three receptions for 25 yards and had a costly third-down drop late in the game.
“I think whatever was affecting A.J. affected the team,” Kelce said. “And I think that A.J. was clearly affected. I don’t know to what degree A.J. affected the other guys, probably a little bit. Whenever you have somebody who doesn’t have the right energy come through the building and you can just feel it. It’s not good, right? But, I think the reality is most of the words that come out of the building — from players, from coaches, from everybody — love A.J. Brown. … There’s a genuine appreciation for A.J. Do you know how hard that is when it’s so apparent that he’s frustrated on the field?
“ … He’s well respected. I think part of it is that he’s a great player and teammates want him there and know that he can be a dominating force for them. He’s just unfortunately a player who allows his internal frustrations to manifest into his play. And it makes him play worse, and makes the offense worse, and it makes his energy worse. And some guys can block that out and go out there and just play football. He is clearly not one of those guys.”
Jason Kelce on a perceived lack of effort from A.J. Brown this season:
"He's just unfortunately a player who allows his internal frustrations to manifest into his play, and it makes him play worse and makes the offense worse." pic.twitter.com/tsQxzKH1np
Kelce has since clarified his comments with a post on X.
“It seems people are taking this as a dig on A.J. Brown, which wasn’t really the intent of the response,” Kelce wrote. “It was apparent that A.J. was frustrated, and it’s apparent that A.J. lets that affect his play at times. That’s frustrating to watch as fans and people on the outside. But it’s more important that his teammates and coaches for all of this external frustration still love and only say positive things about A.J.
“That probably means that his teammates understand where he’s coming from, and that’s what really matters. If there was an issue with it, teammates would be saying different things publicly. That was the point I was attempting to say. That was the purpose of this response and I worded it poorly. I love A.J. Brown, I loved him as a teammate, and I think if he ends up getting traded, the Eagles, and fans will end up regretting it majorly.”
Brown is under contract with the Eagles through the 2029 season.
The Phillies released Nick Castellanos on Thursday after failing to find a trade partner for the 33-year old outfielder, three days before position players were scheduled to report to the team’s spring training facilities in Clearwater, Fla.
Although the end of his time with the Phillies has been defined by a prolonged search to shed the $20 million left on his contract, Castellanos was one of the Phillies’ most intriguing characters, on and off the field.
Here’s a look back at some of the right fielder’s most memorable moments from his time with the Phillies:
Castellanos became known nationally for hitting home runs with bad timing for broadcasters. It began in an August 2020 game with the Reds when he hit a drive into deep left field while former Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman was apologizing for using a homophobic slur earlier in the broadcast.
When the right fielder logged his first hit with the Phillies in a spring training game against the Blue Jays in 2022, the Toronto broadcasters were discussing pitching coach Pete Walker being charged with driving under the influence a day earlier.
Castellanos caught Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy in the middle of a tribute to fallen service members on Veterans Day in 2022, lifting a homer to deep left field as the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast was returning from commercial in the bottom of the second.
A somber moment on Memorial Day is interrupted by, who else, Nick Castellanos. pic.twitter.com/F3cJv6vDTB
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 30, 2022
Eventually, he began delivering big hits at the same time as major news events or celebrity deaths. Castellanos hit a homer the day I-95 collapsed in Northeast Philadelphia on June 11, 2023.
A surge of bets on Castellanos to hit a homer on April 21, the day the Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis, caused FanDuel Sportsbook to temporarily lock the outfielder’s odds. Notably, Castellanos was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts that day, and the Phillies lost to the Mets, 5-4.
There is something to suggest that Castellanos was hitting coincidental homers long before anyone was paying attention. He hit his first minor league homer on May 1, 2011, the same day that former President Barack Obama announced the U.S. had killed Osama bin Laden.
Father and son
Castellanos’ son Liam became a good-luck charm for the Phillies as the team made its run to the National League Championship Series in 2023. Liam, who lives in Florida during the school year, witnessed his father play arguably the best two games of his career when the son came to Philadelphia for the team’s division series against the Braves.
With his son in the stands, Castellanos became the first player in MLB history to hit two home runs in back-to-back postseason games.
But the Phils’ ride was shorter that season as the Mets won the series in four games.
The team’s postseason luck ran dry in 2025, as the Dodgers beat the Phillies in four games of the division series. Castellanos’ final act in a Phillies uniform was to embrace teammate Orion Kerkering after the pitcher made a season-ending errant throw to home in the bottom of the 11th.
The ‘Miami Incident’
Not all of Castellanos’ moments with the Phillies were highlights. The outfielder took time to address what he called the “Miami incident” in his farewell letter to Philadelphia, which he posted to Instagram on Thursday afternoon.
Castellanos was benched last season during a road series against his hometown team, the Miami Marlins, ending an iron man streak of 236 games. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the decision to sit Castellanos was due to an “inappropriate comment” the outfielder made after being removed in the eighth inning of the previous game.
Castellanos’ letter says that he brought a can of Presidente beer into the dugout after being removed from the game. The beer was taken from Castellanos’ hand before he could take a sip, but the outfielder still let Thomson know he was frustrated.
“I then sat next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and to [sic] tight of restrictions in others are not condusive [sic] to us winning,” Castellanos wrote.
