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  • Sixers’ Big Three thrives, Quentin Grimes effective in new role, and more from win over Mavericks

    Sixers’ Big Three thrives, Quentin Grimes effective in new role, and more from win over Mavericks

    DALLAS — The 76ers are stacking days with their Big Three.

    Paul George is expected to remain primarily at small forward after Kelly Oubre Jr. returns from injury.

    Quentin Grimes is adapting to a different role as players return from injury by providing solid defense and taking open shots.

    Those things stood out in Thursday’s 123-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

    Big Three

    This marked the second straight game in which the Sixers’ Big Three of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and George played together. And it’s starting to provide positive results, as they won both games to improve to 18-14.

    The Sixers lost the first four games that the Big Three played this season. The trio actually had a nine-game skid, dating back to last season.

    Give the Sixers credit. They didn’t panic and believed things would be fine once they developed a rhythm.

    Kelly Oubre is anxious to return to the Sixers lineup. It won’t be long now.

    “Just trying to get more games with them,” Nick Nurse said. “I think that’s the key that we can move positively. Again, I still say they need more minutes, more rhythm, more time, more conditioning — all that kind of stuff. So the more games we can do in a row, the better. I think I said last time, we’re on five or six or something, we can use a lot more than that, and to have some in a row would be nice.”

    Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey (right) tries to steal the ball from Mavericks forward Anthony Davis during the first half on Thursday.

    Against the Mavs, the Sixers had a balanced attack with Maxey (34 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, two steals, two blocks), VJ Edgecombe (23 points, four steals), Embiid (22 points, six assists, one block), Grimes (19 points), and George (14 points) scoring in double figures.

    Embiid is averaging 29.2 points over his last six games after averaging 18.2 in his first nine.

    “I feel like I’m getting back to myself,” he said. “Then I think tonight is a perfect example, different than Memphis [on Tuesday, when he scored 34 points]. Memphis, I had to be more aggressive. Tonight … I could make plays for some of the guys, all these guys on the team. So, taking what the defense gives me.

    “But physically, where I felt most [like myself] is defensively. I’m getting back to that level of [protecting the rim], blocking shots, and being that defensive presence.”

    His play over the last two games is a significant reason for the consecutive victories.

    George at the three

    George came to the Sixers last season to play small forward. But the plan was for him to slide to power forward while Oubre switched from shooting guard to small forward.

    However, with Oubre sidelined for the past 20 games with a lateral collateral ligament injury in his left knee, George has played mostly small forward this season.

    And while his shots aren’t falling, George has contributed nicely at the position. In addition to his 14 points, he had seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal with a game-high plus-20 against the Mavs.

    VJ Edgecombe’s short career is full of milestones. The Sixers think there are more to come.

    Oubre was the X-factor at the position before his injury. That’s why Nurse was asked if he sees George as more of a three or a four once Oubre returns.

    “A three, mostly,” Nurse said. “I just think that it does matter who we’re playing. I think it seems to go really one end of the spectrum or the other. Like, it seems like all of a sudden, you are running into a team that’s huge all over the place. Play your big lineups. Then all of a sudden, playing four guards. … So I think that’s when he will go to the four more. But this is a pretty big team tonight, so pretty good chance to play him at the three most of the time.”

    George did play some power forward against Dallas when the Sixers went with their three-guard lineups.

    So, who will start at power forward? Are the Sixers comfortable moving Oubre from small to power forward once he returns? Or has Dominick Barlow, who made his 19th start on Thursday, entrenched himself as the starting power forward?

    “He’s played great,” Nurse said of Barlow, “Nothing to not play his minutes. I think it’s Paul. I think it’s Barlow. Could be a little Oubre. Could be a little [Adem] Bona. But I think it just depends on who we’re playing. Hopefully, we can be versatile enough to figure out what we are doing in all those different lineups. That’s what’s going to take some time.”

    Paul George (left) scored 14 points against the Mavericks.

    Those options might be a good problem for the Sixers to have.

    Against the Mavs (12-23), Grimes, Andre Drummond, Jared McCain, Jabari Walker, and Bona came off the bench. Nurse was asked if this could be the deepest team he’s had since taking over the Sixers on June 1, 2023.

    “Well, let’s hope so. I don’t want to get carried away,” he said. “I think our last 18 to 20 months have been three guys in, four guys out, three guys in, two guys out. It’s been nonstop. Let’s get about 10 or 12 games under our belt with pretty much everybody healthy, and then we can start worrying about that kind of stuff.”

    New role for Grimes

    Grimes’ new role with players coming back could be flying around on defense and taking shots as they come.

    “Joel is getting a lot more comfortable, getting his rhythm,” he said. “P’s getting his rhythm out there, just me finding my rhythm being in attack mode, taking shots, not thinking about stuff, and that turns into easy offense for us, for sure.”

    Sixers mailbag: Are the Sixers better on defense without Joel Embiid?

    The combo guard quickly made a defensive impact after entering the game with 7 minutes, 31 seconds left in the first quarter and blocked Cooper Flagg’s drive to the basket 20 seconds later. Then, on his first shot attempt, Grimes buried a corner three-pointer to give the Sixers a 37-35 lead with 9:15 remaining in the half. His three-pointer with 1:49 left in the game gave the Sixers a 118-108 cushion.

    “He was great, man, offensively and defensively,” Maxey said. “But we need that from him, night in and night out. He’s kind of a good wild card for us. He can get hot. He can make threes. He can drive the ball. He can play defensively, too. That’s what’s really good for us. He can play with a lot of lineups, too.”

    Grimes made 7 of 9 shots — including 5 for 7 from three-point range — along with seven rebounds, two assists, and three blocks. And as the primary defender, he did a solid job of making Flagg (12 points) work for shots.

    “Just make it physical for him,” Grimes said of defending Flagg. “I mean, he’s a rookie. He’s got a different little physicality. He’s super talented out there, so I’m trying to be physical with him. I’m trying to make it as hard as possible. I feel like I did a pretty good job of that tonight.”

    Sixers guard Vj Edgecombe (center) attempts a layup against the Mavericks on Thursday in Dallas.

    And none of the Sixers were surprised.

    “He really tries on defense, and he has the tools to do it,” Nurse said. “He’s an athlete. He’s strong. He can jump. He got some quickness. I love … the way he takes it to the rim. Still don’t think he does it enough. … He’s explosive. He can move it around up there and score. Obviously, we need his three-point shooting.”

    But the Sixers do need to figure out where Grimes and McCain fit in when the team is fully healthy.

    Jared McCain has physically healed. But he’s not rushing the on-court results.

    They had primary roles during different stages of last season on a depleted team. McCain had to provide the offense at the start of last season while Embiid and George were sidelined.

    “At the end last year, Q was like the last [healthy] guy left,” Nurse said. “He kind of had to score. [He] showed some great abilities to do that. I think the key to being a good basketball player is figuring out how you can impact your team to win and play a role a little bit.

    “I think they are both still looking and feeling that out.”

  • These Philly bars are making their own liqueurs, from amaro to nocino

    These Philly bars are making their own liqueurs, from amaro to nocino

    Pennsylvania-made amaro — bittersweet liqueurs made by macerating herbs and spices — is a nascent booze category. But its production isn’t restricted to larger distilleries like Philadelphia Distilling, which makes the popular Vigo Amaro. Bartenders around the city are making their own in-house.

    A Negroni at Percy, in Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 2025.

    The practice of making in-house amaro is a result of a relative lack of access. In Pennsylvania, amari are often expensive and the selection comparatively small due to what the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board makes available. On the Fine Wine and Good Spirits website, there are only 41 amari listed, compared to 838 tequila and tequila-based drinks available.

    Some bars, like Borromini and Le Virtù, maintain lists of 70-plus amari by sourcing them through what’s called Special Liquor Orders, or as Le Virtù’s general manager and beverage director Chris O’Brien explains, “something that is brought in from a smaller importer instead of getting it directly from the state.”

    But bars with a limited winery, brewery, or distillery licenses — a vastly more affordable and increasingly popular path to a liquor license than a full restaurant license — can only serve beer, wine, and liquor that’s produced (or at least bottled) in Pennsylvania. That winnows the PLCB-stocked options from 41 to two, giving some establishments good reason to make their own amari.

    Amaro Spritz at Percy, in Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 2025.

    The family of liqueurs known as amaro (Italian for “bitter”) are made from steeping botanicals in alcohol. They can be enjoyed before dinner (aperitivo) or after (digestivo). There are numerous types and subdivisions, like fernet. Nocino is a similar liqueur made from walnuts. Here in Philly, ambitious bartenders are making all kinds of variations.

    Almanac

    At Almanac in Old City, which is tucked above Ogawa’s omakase counter, large mason jars filled with witchy green-black liquid cover the shelving on one entire wall. Lead bartender Rob Scott brews his own amazake, a spirit typically made from fermenting rice with koji mold spores, and steeps mostly foraged nuts and leaves in Everclear and brandy for Almanac’s unique, house bitters.

    The Juban District, a take on a Manhattan, made with black walnut nocino at Almanac.

    Spinning one jar of amaro from October in his hands, studying the aromatics still steeping within, Scott recited each of them, “Fig leaf, apples of some sort, trifoliate orange, yomogi which is a cousin of mugwort, chrysanthemum, rosemary. We keep a book downstairs where we weigh and measure everything and write them down. Otherwise it’s easy to forget.”

    They’re all autumnal flavors, and they steep for months in Laird’s Jersey Lightning, an un-aged apple brandy.

    The jars of amaro sit next to about a dozen similar jars of nocino, made from local black walnuts. “You can taste a bit of astringency with nocino, but it goes away with time,” Scott said. “But if you make an amaro with, say, cardoons or wormwood, those will always be bitter.”

    The nocino currently sitting on Almanac’s shelves were started on June 24, when their team harvested the nuts in Merchantville with Danny Childs, sliced them in half, put them all into 2-liter mason jars, and covered them with Everclear, a neutral grain spirit. They steeped until Thanksgiving, when the nocino was tempered with water and sweetened with Demerara sugar.

    The black walnut nocino at Almanac.

    Scott offered a sample of what he called “hot nocino,” used for Almanac’s Manhattan. “We only put the nocino into cocktails because the other flavors in the cocktail temper its hotness. In order to get a true, sipping nocino, I would let this age for another six to eight months for it to become a more evolved drink. You can’t really over-extract [the walnuts], so we use them when they feel right.”

    Almanac, 310 Market St., Second Floor, 215-238-5757, almanacphilly.com

    Percy Diner and Bar

    Percy Diner and Bar’s limited winery license means they can only serve Pennsylvania-made amari. So they decided to make their own.

    Percy, which is part of the Forin group, serves Forin’s black currant and cherry fruit wines and their oaked ube and ube honey wines straight ($10) and blends them into cocktails.

    A Negroni at Percy, in Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 2025.

    They’ve used the honey wine as a base for their amaro, but more recently, the in-house selection is made with mostly neutral grain spirits. Lead bartender Sean Goldinger is hoping to slowly cultivate a series of house-made amari to feature in cocktails. At the moment he has made both a straightforward amaro with bitter orange peel, angelica root, fresh orange peel, star anise, hibiscus, gentian, wormwood, and sweetened with Demerara sugar, as well as an aperitivo that follows a similar recipe but is sweetened with a syrup made from clarified fresh-squeezed orange juice.

    Housemade Amaros at Percy, in Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 2025.

    The aperitivo is wonderfully citrusy and significantly less bitter than the amaro. Goldinger also makes a house riff on Benedictine, a French herbal liqueur typically consisting of a couple dozen secret ingredients, with Stateside vodka and Dad’s Hat whiskey, Fell to Earth sweet vermouth, and Peychaud’s bitters. It’s infused with cinnamon, cloves, fresh thyme, lemon and orange peel, vanilla, cardamom, wormwood, fresh ginger, star anise, and angelica root, sweetened with both Demerara sugar and honey.

    Percy Diner and Bar, 1700 N. Front St., 215-975-0020, percyphl.com

    The bar area at Le Virtú on Feb. 20, 2025.

    Le Virtù

    While the majority of Le Virtù’s robust menu of amari and other liqueurs is sourced from Italy and Eastern European countries, the East Passyunk restaurant also offers some house-made options. Three house-made digestivi stand out: acqua santa (an agrumi, Italian for “citrus fruits”), genziana (a traditional Abruzzese gentian digestivo), and caffè, a coffee liqueur. These aren’t amari, as they use far less ingredients, but they serve the same purpose — helping you to digest the pasta dinner you’ve just indulged in.

    For $15, you can get a generous pour of one of these digestivi. They’re all made by owner Francis Cratil Cretarola’s brother Fred, who’s been making amari since 2013, when he attended a wedding in Abruzzo, in the town of Pacentro and “became drinking buddies with a guy who taught him,” according to Francis. “Amari are much more complex, with 10 to 12 different ingredients, but these are the things Abruzzese are making in their homes,” he said.

    Acqua santa is a light golden yellow. Le Virtu’s beverage director, Chris O’Brien, referred to it as a “high-octane limoncello.” It’s made with lemon, grapefruit, orange, and lime. With less sugar than limoncello, it’s much more nuanced in its citrus flavors.

    For the caffè, Fred takes fresh espresso grounds and infuses them in Everclear for 30 to 40 days, turning them each week to make sure they’re evenly distributed, Francis explained.

    The genziana is clear, amber-hued, and bracingly bitter, but still very balanced. It opens with a bright citrusy burst and is made bitter with gentian root, a common ingredient in amari. The root, brought to the U.S. by Francis’ friends who live near the Maiella mountains, steeps in Trebbiano or Pecorino wine from Abruzzo. Fred adds some lemon peel and coffee beans to it, along with Everclear.

    Le Virtù, 1927 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-271-5626, levirtu.com

    Products from Fell to Earth Vermouth.

    Fell to Earth

    You may recognize Tim Kweeder’s name from his viral concoction, Dumpster Juice, a line of vermouths born at Bloomsday, but his making of liqueurs has come a long way. He’s the producer, bottler, salesperson, and delivery person for Fell to Earth, Philly’s first vermoutherie. It’s technically both a winery and a distillery: “The state made us get both licenses,” said Kweeder.

    Fell to Earth’s liqueurs can be found at about 40 different Philly bars. Kweeder sources fresh ingredients for his fernet, like nepitella and chamomile, from Green Meadow Farms. He sweetens them with blackstrap molasses from Bucks County, then blends them with a neutral grain spirit and lets them sit for a week before blending the tinctures.

    The base of his amaro starts with spruce tips from Green Meadow. “There’s a two-week window where you can forage for them, between late March and April. I throw them all into a big vat with neutral grain spirit … That becomes a base for amaro, and I build on top of that, blending in other tinctures,” he said.

    “Though most of our ingredients are from the Mid-Atlantic, we have a tiny ‘spice cabinet’ of traditional amaro ingredients that don’t grow here, like gentian, cinchona (a bark that yields quinine), etc. which we use like chefs would use seasonings. We get these locally from Penn Herb Co.”

    If you can’t decide whether you’re looking for a nocino or an amaro, you may find your solution in Fell to Earth’s Nocinaro — a hybrid of the two made from green walnuts, walnut leaf, black walnut syrup, trifoliate orange, wormwood, blackstrap molasses, and a gentle seasoning of cinchona bark and gentian root.

    Available for delivery in Philadelphia (four-bottle minimum), shipping outside the city available via Vinoshipper; felltoearth.com

  • The New Year’s resolutions that Philly’s boldfaced names should be making | Shackamaxon

    The New Year’s resolutions that Philly’s boldfaced names should be making | Shackamaxon

    This week’s Shackamaxon column proposes some New Year’s resolutions for our state and local officials, and other boldfaced names.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro

    Resolution: To put the horse before the cart. It’s hardly a secret that the Ambitious Abingtonian is eyeing a 2028 run for president. The governor participated in a deep profile written by the Atlantic’s Tim Alberta, one of the country’s preeminent presidential campaign reporters. New York Times opinion writer Binyamin Appelbaum labeled him “the future of the Democratic Party.” And, of course, Shapiro himself has a new book on the way. Given all the hubbub, you might forget that Shapiro actually has yet to win his bid for reelection this year. Until he accomplishes that goal, all the presidential talk is a waste of time.

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker

    Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson (left) records Mayor Cherelle L. Parker as she dances a (modified) mayoral Mummer’s Strut to the music of the Quaker City String Bang following a news conference at City Hall last month.

    Resolution: To lower the drawbridge. The mayor began 2025 with the Sixers, Comcast, and the NBA pulling the rug out from under her by abandoning their plans for a Center City arena. Then she spelled Eagles “E-L-G-S-E-S” during a news conference, saw the city’s blue-collar municipal union go on strike for the first time in decades, and ended the year with City Council seeking to alter her Housing Opportunities Made Easy plan.

    Despite this, Parker can point to important successes. Crime rates continue to decline: The city has posted the lowest number of homicides since the 1960s. Philadelphia is no longer the nation’s poorest big city. Despite a pandemic-induced decline in commercial property values and commuter wage taxes, the city’s fund balance stands at a record $1.19 billion. But there is one thing the mayor could do that would strengthen both herself and the city, which is moving beyond the siege mentality that has defined much of her tenure so far.

    City Council

    Members of City Council in their Caucus Room at City Hall in January.

    Resolution: To eliminate micromanagement. District Council members often defend their tradition of “councilmanic prerogative” by citing the phone calls they’ll inevitably get from irate constituents when things change. That may be true, but they should think about things a little differently. After all, the more a municipal lawmaker leans into using prerogative, the less popular they seem to be.

    Take Jeffrey “Jay” Young, for example. Young won his election by default. His opponents were disqualified over issues with their petitions, and the legal challenge against his own candidacy was dropped. He’s also the only councilmember with a declared opponent, with local lawyer Jalon Alexander openly tossing his hat into the ring. Then there’s Cindy Bass. Her record of allowing vacant-but-treasured local landmarks to sit and rot is so unpopular that — in a chamber where many incumbents go unchallenged — she won her last reelection campaign by just under 500 votes.

    Angry phone calls are a part of life in elected office. Prioritizing the squeaky wheels over the public good, however, is a choice.

    SEPTA

    SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer addresses reporters during a news conference at the SEPTA Overbrook Maintenance Facility in November.

    Resolution: To stand and deliver. It has been a tough year for our local transit agency and its new general manager, Scott Sauer. Harrisburg punted yet again on a sustainable funding solution. Train cars in the decades-old Regional Rail fleet started catching fire, and an effort to save money on maintenance led to a months-long closure of the Center City trolley tunnel. Still, despite these challenges, 2026 represents an important opportunity for our city’s transit agency to change perceptions.

    Beyond getting the tunnel back up and running, SEPTA’s riders need more reliable service on both buses and trains. They also need better conditions in stations and on vehicles. While overall crime is down, issues like smoking remain frustratingly common. With Philadelphia anticipating hundreds of thousands of additional tourists in 2026, the agency should pull every available lever to improve the quality of life for both visitors and longtime riders (a group I am part of).

    Kim Ward and Joe Pittman

    With Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) standing at left, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) speaks during a March 2023 news conference at the state Capitol building in Harrisburg.

    Resolution: To learn to love all of Pennsylvania. State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman’s rambling August speech represented one of the lower points in intra-commonwealth relations. Meanwhile, his colleague in leadership, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, spent the year essentially trying to destroy Philadelphia’s transit system. Ward frequently lobbed rhetorical bombs despite never once meeting with Sauer. It’s hard to imagine a Philadelphia-based politician ever treating rural needs with such open contempt. Their petulant approach stands out because their party’s mid-level leaders took a much more reasonable tack.

    By contrast, State Sen. Judy Ward, who chairs the Transportation Committee, represents a Central Pennsylvania district that is, if anything, more rural than Pittman’s. Yet, she’s gone as far as visiting Philadelphia and touring SEPTA facilities herself in her quest to better understand the issues facing the agency. Pittman and Ward should emulate that model and at least do their homework before making big decisions about the southeastern corner of the state.

    The rest of us

    An aerial view of 15th Street — with the William Penn statue atop City Hall — during the Eagles Super Bowl LIX victory parade in February.

    Resolution: To put our best foot forward. A crucial factor in making 2026 a success for Philadelphia is Philadelphians ourselves. The city is filled with conscientious, law-abiding, tax-paying residents. But a dedicated cadre of miscreants often creates a different impression. Let’s make 2026 a year where all of us shovel our sidewalks, park our cars legally, dispose of our litter, pick up our dog poop, stop for red lights and stop signs, yield to pedestrians, use real license plates, get proper permits for construction, wait to smoke until after leaving the station, and pay our public transit fares.

  • As the transfer portal opens, Penn State has a clear need at quarterback. Here are options to consider.

    As the transfer portal opens, Penn State has a clear need at quarterback. Here are options to consider.

    On the eve of the only transfer portal for the year opening in college football, Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who started the final seven games of the season, announced his intention to enter.

    The decision isn’t shocking, and Grunkemeyer, a redshirt freshman, could return to the Nittany Lions. But with new coach Matt Campbell coming in with his own staff and likely running a new offense, it is becoming increasingly likely that next year’s starting quarterback is not on Penn State’s roster.

    Drew Allaris making the jump to the NFL, and Bekkem Kritza and Jaxon Smolik also entered the portal, leaving Jack Lambert as the quarterbacks remaining on the roster.

    Reports: Penn State close to hiring USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn

    That means that Campbell and his new staff in Happy Valley will need to go portal hunting for quarterback — and several other positions, as the roster is expected to have significant turnover.

    Here are the options Penn State could consider at quarterback, from a player familiar to the staff to others who have had success elsewhere:

    Reuniting with Becht?

    The most obvious answer to Penn State’s quarterback conundrum is to bring in Campbell’s starting quarterback at Iowa State, Rocco Becht, who is in the transfer portal. Becht seems like a natural fit in Happy Valley, considering his experience, familiarity with staff, and the high-profile nature of the games Penn State will play.

    Could new Penn State coach Matt Campbell bring in Rocco Becht, his starting quarterback at Iowa State?

    Becht threw for 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns in 39 starts for Campbell. A starting quarterback following his coach to another school is not unprecedented, and Becht also would reunite with Jake Waters, his quarterbacks coach at Iowa State who holds the same position at Penn State, and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser.

    Having a proven quarterback for Campbell in Year 1 at Penn State with a favorable Big Ten schedule draw would be ideal. But nothing is certain in the portal, and there will be several suitors that need a quarterback.

    Bring back Pribula?

    Last year, before Penn State’s College Football Playoff first-round matchup with SMU, backup quarterback Beau Pribula entered the transfer portal and landed at Missouri. And after one season with the Tigers, in which he threw 1,941 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 starts, he’s back in the portal. Could he come back to Happy Valley?

    Matt Campbell is flipping commits and building out his staff at Penn State

    Pribula played well in relief after Allar was injured during the Wisconsin game in 2024, and his rushing ability was heavily utilized in Andy Kotelnicki’s offense. Kotelnicki won’t be on the staff next season, but the familiarity with the program could intrigue Campbell and his staff if they don’t bring in Becht.

    He would be a one-year player, like Becht, barring injury. He would need to take care of the football better than he did this year (nine interceptions, five fumbles), but bringing him back seems like an option. Of course, former Penn State coach James Franklin and Virginia Tech could get involved, and his staff has plenty of familiarity with Pribula, too.

    High risk, high reward

    There are several other starters from Power Four schools who entered the portal and have a big pool of teams interested in their services. Quarterbacks like Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati), Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), and DJ Lagway (Florida) are among the top quarterbacks who will be highly coveted in the portal.

    Penn State likely won’t land the top of the portal market for quarterbacks, considering the uncertainty on the roster and a new staff coming in. There are other quarterbacks who may not garner the same interest as the top names and come with some risks.

    Aidan Chiles completed 63.1% of his passes and 10 touchdowns to three interceptions this past season at Michigan State.

    Former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles entered the portal after the program’s coaching change. After an up and down 2024 season, Chiles was much more efficient in 2025 in nine starts, completing 63.1% of his passes and throwing for 10 touchdowns to three interceptions. He has big-time talent and two more seasons of eligibility, but has an 8-13 record as a starter over the last two seasons.

    Jaden Craig, the former Harvard starting quarterback for two years, is looking to make the jump from the FCS to the FBS. With the Crimson, he threw for career highs in touchdowns (25) and yards (2,869), but the level of competition in the Ivy League is much different from the Big Ten. Could he handle facing Big Ten defenses?

    Penn State also has two quarterbacks (Peyton Falzone and Kase Evans) signed in the 2026 recruiting class. Campbell has his work cut out for him over the next two weeks to build out his roster for the 2026 season and beyond. Getting a quarterback locked in should be atop the staff’s list.

  • Stories that could shake Philly sports in 2026, from Lane Johnson and A.J. Brown to Bryce Harper and Shane Steichen

    Stories that could shake Philly sports in 2026, from Lane Johnson and A.J. Brown to Bryce Harper and Shane Steichen

    You never see the biggest stories coming. That’s kind of by definition, isn’t it?

    The year 2025 was relatively quiet one as far as seismic activity goes. The Sixers’ arena switcheroo probably was the biggest pure news story next to the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. Compare that to 2024, in which Saquon Barkley and Paul George signed, Jason Kelce retired, Matvei Michikov arrived, and the Sixers went belly-up. That, in addition to Carter Hart being arrested, Cutter Gauthier forcing a trade, and Haason Reddick being traded.

    It’s impossible to say whether the earth will shake in 2026. But if it does, here is how it could happen:

    The thrill of victory and the exasperation of trying to feel good about it define the 2025 Eagles

    1. Lane Johnson announces his retirement after 13 NFL seasons and leaves the Eagles scrambling.

    At this point, nothing suggests that Johnson will seriously consider retiring after the season. The contract extension he signed last year tacked on $40 million in guarantees in 2025 and 2026. That’s a pretty good reason for Eagles fans to take comfort, especially if Johnson returns to the field for the postseason, as is expected. He’d be walking away from some serious money if he retired this offseason.

    At the same time, we’d be foolish not to at least acknowledge the possibility, given the dramatic implications it would have on the Eagles’ roster. Johnson has been the single biggest reason the Eagles have seamlessly bridged their competitive teams through a rotating cast of quarterbacks and head coaches. There will be no replacing him, at least not immediately.

    Johnson has been open about the punishment that the NFL has inflicted upon his body over the years. That’s worth noting after a regular season in which he missed seven games because of injury for the first time since 2020 and just the second time in his career.

    At 35 years and 239 days, Johnson is the second-oldest offensive lineman to play at least 300 snaps this season. Only Kelvin Beachum has him beat at 36 years, 207 days. Since 2015, only seven offensive linemen have a season of 12-plus starts at age 36 or older.

    Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown shown after making a catch against the Bills on Sunday in Buffalo.

    2. A.J. Brown gets traded for a conditional 2027 second round pick that can become a first; Eagles immediately invest in a replacement.

    Forget about Brown’s public grumbling for a moment. Consider instead this fact: In the 10 games in which Brown has seen eight or more targets, the Eagles are 5-5. In the five games in which he has seen fewer than eight targets, the Eagles are 5-0. Kind of strange, isn’t it?

    Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but Brown’s on-field performance clearly has dipped this season. In his first three years with the Eagles, he looked like a receiver who belonged in the conversation for best in the sport. That hasn’t been the case this season. The explosiveness, the burst, the strength at the point of attack and in the air appear to be diminished. The numbers reflect it. His 8.3 yards-per-target is down nearly 20% from 2022 to 2024 (10.3), as is his yards per reception (12.9, down from 15.4) and his catch percentage (52.1, down from 56.3).

    Brown is at an age at which decline can come fast at the wide receiver position. Cooper Kupp hasn’t broken 850 yards in a season since turning 29. Same goes for Brandin Cooks and Odell Beckham Jr.

    DeAndre Hopkins averaged 1,380 yards per season from 25-28 years old and 644 yards at 29-30 years old. Adam Thielen averaged 6.4 catches and 82.8 yards per game at 27-28 and 4.2 catches and 53.7 yards at 29-30.

    The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    Alshon Jeffery, Allen Robinson, Michael Thomas, Tyreek Hill … the list goes on. For Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, and Antonio Brown, the drop-off came at 30 or 31.

    There are exceptions: Davante Adams, Keenan Allen, Mike Evans. But they are very much exceptions.

    To justify trading Brown, the Eagles almost certainly would have to have a replacement lined up. Jahan Dotson clearly isn’t a suitable second option. In the four regular-season games Brown has missed over the last two seasons, Dotson has a total of five catches for 25 yards. In those four games, the Eagles’ total wide receiver production outside of DeVonta Smith was 20 catches for 94 yards.

    The Eagles would save about $7 million against the cap if they traded Brown after June 1. They might be able to accommodate a free-agent offer to somebody like Alec Pierce, the Colts deep threat whose all-around game took an intriguing step forward this season. But there are a lot of teams that will be in the free-agent market this season, with the Patriots and dream quarterback Drake Maye at the top of the list.

    Even if Brown isn’t the player at 29 years old that he was at 27, he would still be difficult to replace. Combined with the limited financial upside of moving him, we’ll have to see this story to believe it.

    Sixers center Joel Embiid has scored 27 or more points in his last three games.

    3. Joel Embiid helps to lead the Sixers to a first-round playoff upset and sparks trade interest among teams desperate to catch the Thunder and Spurs.

    Embiid entered the new year having scored 27-plus points in three straight games. That counts as an accomplishment these days. He looked like an empty husk of his former self in his first nine games of the 2025-26 season, averaging just 18.2 points on a woeful .441 effective field goal percentage.

    Question is, what if Embiid’s recent uptick in minutes and production is a signal that he has more left in the tank than we’ve given him credit for? He still needs to show a lot more defensively. And he has yet to play more than 71 minutes in a seven-day span. But he just logged 38 minutes in an overtime win over the Grizzlies, four days after playing a season-high 32 minutes in a loss to the Bulls.

    With three years and $188 million left on his contract after this season, Embiid would probably have to be playing at his prime MVP level to have positive trade value. A more realistic question is whether he can play well enough to change the Sixers’ short-term narrative.

    4. Eagles hire Shane Steichen or Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator.

    The Colts would be foolish to fire Steichen, who has somehow managed to put together a 25-25 record with the following starting quarterbacks: Gardner Minshew (7-6), Daniel Jones (8-5), Anthony Richardson (8-7), Joe Flacco (2-4), and Philip Rivers (0-3). But here is what owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon told the Athletic recently:

    Tanner McKee is ready to ‘play fast’ in his next opportunity to start at quarterback with the Eagles

    “Most people don’t like change,” said Irsay-Gordon, who has been patrolling the sidelines with a clipboard all season. “I think there’s something wrong with me, but I feel like it is the one thing that is a guarantee. I think it can be exciting.”

    Even if the Colts part ways with Steichen, a team like the Giants could easily snatch him up. I can’t imagine Nick Sirianni would demote himself from head coach in order to restore Steichen as the play-caller. It definitely would be a heck of a story.

    McDaniel might be a more realistic option, although he may be in the process of saving his job by leading the Dolphins to five wins in seven games.

    5. Bryce Harper takes another step backward, as do the Phillies.

    There has been enough passive-aggressive weirdness percolating between Harper and management that we have to at least flag him as the main character in a potential major story. Dave Dombrowski rankled Harper when he mused about Harper’s eliteness, but it is a legitimate question. At 32 years old, Harper is coming off his worst season in a decade. Another step backward would raise some serious concerns. And create some serious headlines.

  • Marcus Epps’ NFL career was in jeopardy last summer. He believes his return home to the Eagles was meant to be

    Marcus Epps’ NFL career was in jeopardy last summer. He believes his return home to the Eagles was meant to be

    Cooper DeJeanhas sat just a few stalls away from Marcus Epps in the NovaCare Complex locker room day after day, practice after practice since September.

    But, on Game Days, the second-year nickel cornerback says he hardly recognizes Epps.

    The relaxed, laid-back safety doesn’t make a peep, at least compared to the boisterous DeJean, who is constantly cracking jokes with his teammates. When Epps is on the field, though, DeJean said that calm demeanor dissipates as if a switch flips in his head.

    Enthusiasm emanates from Epps on every play. The 29-year-old wore his heart on his jersey sleeve in last Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills, especially on a critical goal-line stand late in the third quarter. After Epps stuffed James Cook for a loss of a yard on third down and Zack Baun prevented Josh Allen from scrambling into the end zone on fourth, Epps screamed and flexed on his way to the sideline.

    In moments like those, Reed Blankenship says he’s scared to give his fellow safety a high five.

    “He’ll try to slap me as hard as he can,” Blankenship explained. “I’m like, I don’t know if I want to do that. He’s just one of those dudes that you can tell that loves the game and loves the way it’s supposed to be played.”

    Epps shows his passion through his physicality, according to DeJean.

    “He loves to hit people,” DeJean said. “Loves to play downhill. You can tell he really loves to be out there just by the way he plays and his energy.”

    That love for football intensified when the game was taken away from Epps. This time last year, he was recovering from a torn ACL suffered early in the season as the starting safety for the Las Vegas Raiders.

    Initial devastation was eventually replaced by a new perspective, one that fueled Epps’ comeback in 2025 upon his return to the Eagles, the team he started for in the Super Bowl in 2022.

    Tanner McKee is ready to ‘play fast’ in his next opportunity to start at quarterback with the Eagles

    Epps says he doesn’t take any moment — even his shortcomings — for granted. His failure to make the New England Patriots roster out of training camp led him to sign to the Eagles’ practice squad two days later. Shortly after Drew Mukuba’s Week 12 ankle injury, Vic Fangio anointed a new starter in Epps, who has seamlessly slotted into one of the league’s most dominant defenses.

    Months of doubt over his NFL future gave way to a sense of gratitude in Philadelphia, even before he became an Eagles starter again.

    “I feel like this is exactly where I was supposed to be this season,” Epps said last week.

    Marcus Epps (1) started all 17 games for the Raiders in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury three games into the 2024 season.

    ‘Everything happens for a reason’

    On the morning of Las Vegas’ Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns last season, Jakorian Bennett, then a Raiders cornerback, decided to switch up his pregame look.

    Bennett donned a black No. 1 Epps jersey as he walked through the Allegiant Stadium corridors to the locker room. Bennett, whom the Eagles acquired from the Raiders in early August, sought to honor Epps, who tore his ACL the week prior against the Carolina Panthers.

    Even though Epps was four years Bennett’s senior, the cornerback considered him his closest friend on the team. He admired Epps, who went from a University of Wyoming walk-on to a Minnesota Vikings sixth-round pick to an NFL starter in a span of eight years.

    “If you’d seen how much work he put in during the offseason, when you train so hard for, what, four months? Three months? Whatever it is,” Bennett said. “It’s year-round, really, and for it to just kind of be, I don’t want to say that it was just a waste, but just for it to kind of go out that way, it’s kind of unfortunate.”

    Jalen Hurts says he trusts Eagles coaches with sit-or-start decision — and the offense’s direction

    Bennett, 25, knew just how much work Epps had put in during the offseason. Bennett’s NFL career began with the Raiders in 2023, the same year Epps joined the team after 3½ years with the Eagles. Since then, Bennett has spent two weeks of the summer training with the veteran safety at the gym he owns in Costa Mesa, Calif.

    Epps and Bennett initially gravitated toward each other because they both “do things the right way,” the cornerback explained. That approach applies to their preparation, from their film study to the way they take care of their bodies.

    Their bond grew stronger in 2024, when they supported each other through season-ending injuries. Bennett had shoulder surgery in November that shut him down for the rest of the year. While Epps called his own recovery a “difficult process” that required him to lean on his loved ones, it also put his career into perspective.

    “I realized even more so, how much I really just love football, and just want to be out there as much as I can and play this game for as long as I can,” Epps said. “That perspective just helped me every day in terms of getting up in the morning and continuing to put the work in.”

    Marcus Epps could not navigate a crowded depth chart in New England in the preseason, dimming his career prospects in the process.

    Epps said he went through plenty of “dark days” during his rehab. He understood the reality of his situation — there was no guarantee that everything he worked to achieve as a starter would be waiting for him in the end. Regardless, he said he believed that everything would work out for the best.

    Better days did not immediately arrive. Epps signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal in the offseason, a decision he said he made because they “came after me and they made it seem like they wanted me there.”

    But he never made progress up the depth chart, leading to his release at the end of August. The Eagles came calling that same day, a silver lining to his stint in New England.

    “That experience, I feel like, brought me back here,” Epps said. “Everything happens for a reason. Got to be able to just stay true to yourself, keep working, have faith in God and that he’s going to put you in the right spot.”

    A ‘seamless’ transition

    There’s a little bit of weirdness that comes with being the guy who returns to his former squad after a hiatus, according to Epps.

    No, that feeling wasn’t associated with his having signed with another team in free agency following the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss. Rather, Epps returned to a familiar place filled with unfamiliar faces, especially on a defense under second-year Eagles coordinator Fangio. Of course, he had to learn Fangio’s scheme, too.

    “[Epps] was asking me questions,” said Bennett, who had arrived in Philadelphia just a few weeks earlier. “I’m like, ‘Hey, brother, can’t really help you with that one.’”

    The uniform might have been familiar for Marcus Epps (39), but there was a lot to learn after three years away.

    While Epps acknowledged he had to make an adjustment, former teammates such as Blankenship, Jalen Hurts, and A.J. Brown, plus safeties coach Joe Kasper, who was a defensive quality control coach during Epps’ first stint, made his transition easier.

    “Everybody really just greeted me with open arms,” Epps said. “And I can’t say enough about that and how much I appreciated that, this locker room and this building just welcoming me back and making me feel like I was wanted here and appreciated here.”

    Blankenship’s appreciation for Epps dates to his rookie season in 2022, when the elder safety became his mentor. As Blankenship learned Jonathan Gannon’s scheme, Epps implored him to start small. He wasn’t going to become Ed Reed overnight.

    Even when Epps wasn’t starting earlier in the 2025 season, he took that same approach with the younger safeties in the room, all while staying ready for his opportunity. Blankenship said he knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of the wisdom that Mukuba, Sydney Brown, and Andrè Sam received.

    “He helped me out a lot with doing that, how to break down film, just how to communicate as a whole,” Blankenship said. “I feel like he does a really good job of doing that now.”

    Then wearing No. 22, Marcus Epps (center) played 54 games as an Eagle from 2019-22, starting all 17 games in the final season of his first run with the team.

    DeJean also highlighted Epps’ communication skills, stating that it’s the reason why he has been able to make an impact on the defense so quickly. Epps is adept at making sure his teammates are on the same page by communicating what he sees from the opposing offense before the snap.

    His familiarity with Blankenship has helped his transition, too. Blankenship and Epps started five games together between the regular season and postseason in 2022. Their trust flourished in that span, when Epps saw firsthand just how much work Blankenship was putting in behind the scenes. Epps said he knew the rookie would be ready to play every week.

    Even though they’re playing in a new defense now, Epps said they picked up where they left off three seasons ago.

    “Just having played with him before and having that chemistry and trust especially, I think that’s a huge thing, especially in this system,” Epps said. “The safeties have to have a lot of trust and a lot of chemistry. And it made that a lot easier that we already had that in place. So from there, it’s just communication. And it really felt like it was seamless.”

    Epps won’t see the field in the season finale against the Washington Commanders. Instead, he’ll continue his recovery from a concussion after he reported symptoms following Thursday’s practice.

    Three reassuring Eagles stats, and three reasons to worry ahead of the NFL playoffs

    Then, the playoffs await — Epps’ first postseason appearance since the Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The veteran safety is eager to bring his playoff experience to the team this time around. He said he knows what it takes to make a long postseason run, even though he didn’t lift the Lombardi Trophy three years ago.

    His teammates appreciate his presence, too. Epps may not garner much attention off the field with his subdued personality, but Blankenship didn’t shy away from giving him his flowers.

    “It’s not just me, Cooper, or Zack back there,” Blankenship said. “It’s Epps, too. He knows what he’s doing. We’re very comfortable with him back there.”

  • Looking for New Year’s resolution inspiration? Here’s your Lower Merion guide.

    Looking for New Year’s resolution inspiration? Here’s your Lower Merion guide.

    It’s the first week in January, which means the gym is packed and the health food section at the grocery store is more picked over than usual, as many of our friends and neighbors vow to start the new year off on a healthier foot.

    Around 3 in 10 Americans made New Year’s resolutions in 2024, according to the Pew Research Center. At the top of the resolutions list were aspirations related to diet and exercise, finances, relationships, and hobbies. The percentage of resolution makers was even higher among young adults (ages 18 to 29), around half of whom committed to dropping, or picking up, a habit when the clock struck Jan. 1.

    Here’s how to get started on a New Year’s resolution in Lower Merion. If you haven’t picked a resolution yet, take this as some inspiration to get going.

    Try a new workout (for free)

    “Exercise more” is often at the top of New Year’s resolution lists. While a walk around the block or a visit to the gym is a reliable way to get back into the swing of things, fitness studios across the Main Line are offering free trials, from Tai Chi to yoga sculpt.

    Get your first class free at Pure Barre in Wayne, a workout studio chain that fuses yoga, Pilates, and ballet to strengthen and tone. Try your hand at Tai Chi at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. or on Zoom. Your first Tai Chi class is free. BodyX Kitchen & Fitness Studio, a boutique studio in Bryn Mawr with group fitness classes, personal training, and healthy cooking classes, offers a free week of fitness classes to all new participants. If you’re interested in CrossFit, Ardmore’s CrossFit Main Line offers a free trial for new participants. The gym also has locations in Wayne and Plymouth Meeting. And if you want something more personalized, Train and Nourish, a women’s-only personal training studio in Ardmore, offers free consults for new clients.

    Get thrifty

    As economic concerns loom and the “thrifting” boom persists, many shoppers are looking to secondhand and consignment stores for household items, clothing, furniture, and other unique finds.

    As John Romani, owner of Sales by Helen, a Philly-based estate sale giant, told The Inquirer early last year, the Main Line abounds with great secondhand shops. Romani recommends Bryn Mawr Hospital Thrift, a top spot for furniture, high-end clothing, art, and collectibles, and Ardmore’s Pennywise Thrift Shop, which has a rotating inventory, low prices, and some luxury brands. Romani also has high praise for thrift stores in Wayne and Berwyn, including the Berwyn Goodwill and Neighborhood League in Wayne.

    Romani’s tips? Use your phone to look up items, seek out high quality, and be assertive.

    Go analog, and get off that phone!

    By now, we’re all familiar with the intoxicating pull of the smartphone. Adults and children are spending more time on their phones, a phenomenon that’s been linked to troubling mental and physical health consequences, especially for young people.

    The explosion in screen time has prompted a counter-wave of interest in “analog” activities, from knitting and painting to journaling and board games.

    The Main Line Art Center in Haverford offers art classes and workshops for adults. Take tapestry weaving or portrait painting, learn to make jewelry, or try your hand at pottery.

    Looking for a book club? Ardmore’s Mavey Books has book clubs for adults and teens. The Lower Merion Library System also hosts book clubs across its locations, including in Ardmore, Belmont Hills, and Penn Wynne. Ludington Library has a book club dedicated specifically to LGBTQ+ stories.

    The Lower Merion Library System also hosts board game cafés, family puzzle nights, film discussions, and art events (you can see their full calendar here).

    Declutter your house by donating

    After all holiday presents are unwrapped and the last Christmas cookies are eaten, it’s customary to look around and think: “How did I accumulate so much stuff?“ If you’re looking to declutter, nonprofits in and around Lower Merion are accepting gently used clothing, furniture, kitchen tools, and other items.

    Our Closet In Your Neighborhood (OCIYN), a program of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia, accepts casual clothing and shoes for men, women, and children of all sizes. OCIYN is a free mobile program that provides Philly-area residents with food, clothing, and access to services and benefits. Those looking to donate clothes to OCIYN can contact Skylar Fox, program manager, at 267-273-5537 or sfox@jfcsphilly.org.

    Cradles to Crayons is a national nonprofit with a Philadelphia-area presence that provides clothing, shoes, books, school supplies, and hygiene items to kids in need. The nonprofit has a small collection site at Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr and a larger site at the Haverford YMCA. Cradles to Crayons accepts new youth socks and underwear, new arts and school supplies, new hygiene items, unopened diapers, pull-ups, and diaper wipes, and new or gently used clothes and shoes in youth and adult sizes. See the full list of collection sites here and donation guidelines here.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • A new ‘Petrushka’ is bringing shape-shifting human puppets to Philadelphia

    A new ‘Petrushka’ is bringing shape-shifting human puppets to Philadelphia

    Stravinsky’s Petrushka is beloved in the orchestral world, a landmark in the dance community, and for all audiences, one of the most peculiarly passionate ballet stories ever told.

    Seedy carnival puppets come to life, fall in love, die bitterly, and haunt adversaries mercilessly. But will that music/theater package thrive when dramatically transformed by BalletX — in its latest collaboration with Philadelphia Chamber Music Society?

    Sight unseen, anticipation runs so high that the Jan. 8 and 9 performances at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater are sold out (but with waitlists). The program, including Mozart’s Piano Quartet in G Minor, promises much to be seen — far from the 1911 Paris premiere by the world-changing Ballets Russes.

    Ashley Simpson, Itzkan Barbosa, Minori Sakita, and Lanie Jackson of BalletX Company rehearse “Petrushka” choreographed by Amy Hall Garner at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre

    For the story full of loneliness and jealousy, with a street-theater puppet show, the setting is Shrovetide Tuesday during what is now called Mardi Gras season. In this new version, the time setting for the traveling troupe is updated to the Great Depression. Petrushka — a role once performed by the legendary dancer Vaslav Nijinsky — becomes Pete.

    “We’ve changed it up quite a bit,” said BalletX resident choreographer Amy Hall Garner, who has also worked with the Joffrey Ballet. “The beauty of Stravinsky’s music is that the ballet can take different routes and still support the story.”

    BalletX Company rehearse “Petrushka”
    choreographed by Amy Hall Garner at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre

    The ballet was never meant to be cute. The primary point of reference for many modern audiences was a production by the sophisticated puppeteer Basil Twist — which has been seen in several venues since 2001, sometimes with two-piano accompaniment. The challenge, outlined at that time in a video interview by Twist, is projecting intense feelings among characters that “are supposed to be puppets, not supposed to be people.”

    In Garner’s version, dancers will be humans at some turns, puppets in others.

    The murderous Moor of the original has his plot functions replaced by, among others, a circus Strong Man and a magician known as the Charlatan. Such extrapolations are relatively respectful in light of how Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring has been turned from a ballet about pagan sacrifice to a modern gangster story by the much-admired choreographer Paul Taylor.

    BalletX members rehearse “Petrushka,” choreographed by Amy Hall Garner.

    The foundation of any Petrushka is the score. In contrast to many dance companies that use prerecorded music, the lavishly orchestrated Stravinsky original has been transcribed for piano quintet (piano and strings) by the ensemble 132, a collective of musicians in their 20s and 30s, formed in 2019, many having graduated from the Curtis Institute, their name drawn from one of Beethoven’s revolutionary opus numbers. They will not only be in the 500-seat Perelman Theater, but will be seen onstage.

    Ensemble 132 is a collective of musicians in their 20s and 30s, formed in 2019, many having graduated from the Curtis Institute.

    “There’s no hiding them,” said Garner. “Dance and music are like brother and sister — with all those heartbeats onstage. It’s a special connection that we don’t get to experience all of the time in the arts. It’s an unseen dialogue with the musicians integrated into the story.”

    The project is part of a continuing collaboration between BalletX and PCMS that included a 2022 event with the Calidore Quartet — brokered in part by a mutual board member of the two organizations, Vince Tseng.

    Mathis Joubert lifts Eli Alford during a rehearsal for “Petrushka.”

    It’s also driven by the companies wanting to expand their respective audiences, both sides of which are open to such artistic cross-pollination when presented to them in their regular concert-going flight patterns.

    For PCMS, much of the attraction comes out of fascination with BalletX. “We don’t usually get involved with a brand new work like this,” said PCMS artistic director Miles Cohen. “It’s impossible not to love what they do.”

    What came first in this case was the Petrushka chamber-size version that was created a few years ago by and for ensemble 132.

    Reducing Petrushka’s many details and colors might seem daunting. But because Stravinsky was a piano-based composer, tracing his thoughts back to their sound source isn’t impossible. “My focus was to present the gesture and the mood,” said ensemble member Sahun Sam Hong, co-artistic director and pianist of ensemble 132. “It’s music about characters but I don’t attempt to make value judgments on those characters.”

    BalletX members rehearse “Petrushka” choreographed by Amy Hall Garner.

    Still, psychological questions can’t help but arise for the musicians. Since the Petrushka character has a history of being a mere puppet, ensemble 132 member Zachary Mowitz speculates, “he’s going through adult matters and isn’t prepared to handle it.”

    “Where does Petrushka belong?” asks Hong. “That’s a story to be told.”

    Such answers fall to Garner, who treats the matter both philosophically and literally: “We put him in an environment where you could see promise. It’s an open field that this traveling show comes to. It’s gritty, it’s haunting, it’s gorgeous.”

    BalletX and ensemble 132 perform “Petrushka,” Jan. 8, 9, 7.30 p.m., Perelman Theater, 300 S. Broad St. Tickets are sold out but there is a waitlist. boxoffice@pcmsconcerts.org, 215-569-8080, pcmsconcerts.org

  • My brother graduated from college 50 years after dropping out of high school. Here’s his inspiring story.

    My brother graduated from college 50 years after dropping out of high school. Here’s his inspiring story.

    Growing up in South Jersey, my siblings and I were often reminded by our mother to seek a college education to better our chances of landing a good job.

    My sister Andrea and I heeded her advice and obtained bachelor’s degrees with honors a few years after high school, and began working in our professional fields.

    It took my brother, William, the oldest, nearly 50 years to believe he could do it, too. We always knew he had the smarts and the grit. He had to believe it.

    After a circuitous journey, he proved it by graduating in December from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock at 67. His extended family could not have been more proud.

    ‘I don’t want to give up’

    He attended three colleges and took classes part time for eight years. He enrolled in remedial math, reading, and writing courses, had tutors, and took algebra four times until he finally passed after two years. He missed a semester after a major health scare in 2022, which interrupted his studies.

    “I didn’t want to give up. I was the only one in the family who didn’t have a college degree,” he said. “For me, it was the sky is the limit, and you can do it.”

    An increasing number of learners like Will, 35 and older, are joining younger students in college classrooms. More than four million were enrolled in postsecondary education in 2023, according to an Inside Higher Education report.

    Some older learners, like my brother, are retired and want to pursue a lifelong dream to obtain a college degree. Others want to change careers or increase their earning potential.

    Affectionately called “Willie Will,” my brother dropped out of Bordentown Regional High School his senior year in 1976 to enlist in the U.S. Army. Because he was just 17, our mother, Eva, had to give permission.

    William Burney dropped out of Bordentown Regional High School his senior year in 1976 to join the U.S. Army. He obtained a GED while serving in the military.

    Bored with school and failing most classes, Will decided the military would give him a new start and ease the financial burden on our single mother. During his three-year military stint, he became a medic in the Army and obtained his GED.

    Despite not having a degree, Will always landed good-paying jobs in a variety of fields. He has been a psychiatric technician, a nursing assistant, a retail store manager, a longshoreman on the Camden waterfront, a truck driver, and a corrections officer.

    Along the way, he battled demons and a drug addiction that made him not always make good choices. He eventually sought treatment and has been sober for nearly three decades.

    No regrets

    “I don’t have any regrets,” he said. “I could have been dead three or four times, so to make it to 67, I have made it.”

    Will retired from the Arkansas Department of Corrections’ Wrightsville Unit, where he had worked as a corrections officer for three years after moving to North Little Rock with his wife, Belinda, in 2008. He suffered a light stroke at work in 2015 that left his left side weakened and affected his short-term memory.

    Thinking about his unfinished business, he began taking classes in 2017 at the University of Arkansas — Pulaski Technical College, a two-year college in North Little Rock. He also spent a semester at Arkansas Baptist College.

    Returning to the classroom for the first time in nearly five decades wasn’t easy. He was three times as old as his classmates. The technology was intimidating: He could barely type and had never used a laptop. He took virtual classes during the pandemic.

    His wife, a retired elementary teacher, became his biggest cheerleader, and his college pursuit became a family project. She found him a tutor, reviewed his research papers, and even watched Zootopia, a Disney animation, with him for an assignment.

    “I was on the journey with him,” she said with a laugh. “It was something he set his mind to, and he kept on.”

    He graduated from Pulaski in 2020 with an associate degree. The family proudly watched the commencement, which was held virtually because of the pandemic. We thought that was it.

    William Burney obtained an associate degree from the University of Arkansas — Pulaski Technical College in 2020. A virtual commencement was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Motivated by his advisers, Will decided to pursue his bachelor’s with a vengeance. He rarely missed class, turned in assignments on time, and sought help from professors when needed to stay on track.

    He missed the spring 2023 semester after undergoing open-heart surgery to replace an aortic valve. He was back in school the following semester.

    When Will informed the family he was finally graduating, I was determined to witness his big day, traveling over 1,000 miles to get there. I wanted to stand in the gap for our mother, who died in 2014. Our sister, a healthcare administrator in Florida and unable to attend, said, “I’m incredibly proud of him and this monumental accomplishment.”

    William Burney holds a portrait of his mother, Eva Moss, that he commissioned. She died in 2014.

    From the moment we stepped on campus with my boyfriend, Jeff, I chronicled every moment, snapping photos and videos, much to Will’s chagrin. I was especially proud when he led his fellow criminal justice major graduates inside as the department’s student marshal.

    “I knew I was real smart, but wasn’t using it,” he said. “It was just a matter of buckling down and doing it.”

    Always a jokester, he couldn’t resist a sibling jab. “We all know I’m the smartest in the family. I had to go the long route to get there.”

    The Burney family, from left, William Burney, Melanie Burney, mother Eva, sister Andrea Robinson, and her children, Jamil and Christopher Robinson (front).

    During my whirlwind visit, we celebrated and reminisced about our childhood and lessons from our mother. I had a chance to learn more about the man my brother had become. It was bittersweet that our mother was not there to share the moment.

    Siblings William and Melanie Burney at his graduation Dec. 13 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

    As we drove around Little Rock, Will pointed to the community garden he helped start in 2011 and served as the manager. He serves on the board of Jefferson Comprehensive Care Service Inc., which operates seven health clinics. He took me to King Solomon Baptist Church, where he was baptized in 2012.

    Inspiring others

    Will — who earned a second associate degree in addition to a bachelor’s — plans to use his experience to encourage others, especially young Black men. He’s currently weighing an offer to join the university’s faculty. He may pursue a graduate degree.

    “If you get the opportunity to become a better person, learn while you can. You have to do the work.”

    After taking classes for eight years, William Burney graduated in December from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He wants to encourage others to pursue their dreams.
  • Eagles vs. Commanders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 18

    Eagles vs. Commanders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 18

    Welcome to Preseason Week … err … Week 18 of the NFL season.

    The Eagles made the decision to rest some starters for Sunday’s season finale against the Washington Commanders to give themselves a pseudo bye week ahead of the playoffs.

    But even so, Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field presents the potential for the Eagles to move up a spot and into the No. 2 seed in the NFC if they win and Detroit is able to pull off a road win at Chicago.

    Will the Eagles’ backups do their part? Or will Washington end a miserable season on a high note? Here’s what our writers think:

    Jeff Neiburg

    It’s Tanner Time.

    And, really, is there anything near as interesting as the Eagles’ backup quarterback on Sunday? Sure, there are some young players whose progress and development will be on display, but this wacky season deserves nothing more than a phony quarterback controversy to start the postseason run.

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    In all seriousness, Tanner McKee and whichever amalgamation of offensive players take the field for the Eagles’ first series Sunday still have a very real chance at winning the game and putting the fate of the playoff seeding in the hands of the Bears.

    We can expect to see a similar McKee that we saw in Week 18 last season. He’s a capable passer who can operate the offense at a pretty high level. And Washington’s defense is really bad.

    The Commanders, meanwhile, are expected to start third-stringer Josh Johnson at quarterback. His cross-field throw into the waiting hands of Cooper DeJean in Week 16 is all you really need to know about the Commanders’ offense with Johnson playing quarterback. Jacory Croskey-Merritt got free for a 72-yard touchdown last Thursday, but otherwise he had 10 carries for 33 yards.

    The Eagles don’t typically stack the box, but if their backups are able to stop the run with success, it may be tough for Johnson to beat them with his arm. The Eagles will have some capable players on the field on defense. Imagine how long Josh Uche has been waiting to rush the quarterback in a game?

    Games like this are really hard to predict. Who plays? And for how long? But the Eagles have the advantage at quarterback, and they’re the team with more football to play beyond Week 18. I’ll take that combination in this one.

    Will there actually be a quarterback controversy? McKee will probably play well enough that the sports radio callers will engage in the absurdity. Happy New Year.

    Prediction: Eagles 27, Commanders 16

    Olivia Reiner

    The million-dollar question this week: Can the Eagles backups beat the Commanders?

    McKee will certainly give them a chance. Whenever he has been called upon, both in the preseason and the regular season, the 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford has risen to the occasion. In his last start, he led the Eagles to a 2024 Week 18 victory against the New York Giants.

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    But McKee isn’t throwing the ball to himself, blocking for himself, nor trying to stop the Johnson-led Commanders offense. Is this Eagles team as deep as they were last season at every other position?

    That’s up for debate. The players adding secondary depth were more experienced in Week 18 of last year, with players such as Avonte Maddox and Isaiah Rodgers starting at safety and cornerback, respectively. Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett are likely to get the nod at cornerback, while Sydney Brown will likely start at safety.

    On the offensive line, Drew Kendall could earn his first start at center. Last year, it was sixth-year veteran Nick Gates in that role.

    Still, the Eagles can’t rest all of the starters. Perhaps a few such as Jihaad Campbell see some playing time on Sunday.

    The Commanders aren’t exactly operating at full strength. Center Tyler Biadasz went on injured reserve this week and left tackle Laremy Tunsil isn’t expected to play, either.

    While the Eagles will be motivated to win, the banged-up Commanders have more experience playing together this season. Plus, they may still have a bad taste in their mouths given the scrum that occurred late in the Week 16 game at Northwest Stadium.

    Prediction: Commanders 21, Eagles 17