DALLAS — Being relegated to a supportive teammate is tough for Kelly Oubre Jr.
The 76ers small forward was having a great season before spraining the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 14. Thursday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks marked the 20th game he has missed since.
“Just not being able to play basketball,” Oubre said of the most frustrating part of his injury. “Not being able to be with the guys on the court in battle. I’m with them every day, off the court. And I can help and say things that I see.
“But just being in that motion with the guys is everything that I want. And, you know, just kind of losing that groove a little bit.”
The 6-foot-8, 200-pounder is expected to give the Sixers a lift once he returns. Before his injury, he averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 12 games. In addition to excelling when the ball was moving, he did a solid job of guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
“I think Kelly’s playing arguably his best basketball of his career this year,” coach Nick Nurse said, “so getting that back, the energy, and leadership defensively that he always shows — always plays hard, man. I think that’s definitely needed. He’s got a little bit more size, too.”
Oubre participated in a live four-on-four scrimmage on Wednesday in Texas. That comes after he partook in a live three-on-three scrimmage on Monday in Memphis.
“I’m doing a lot of running,” Oubre said. “But I’m also doing a lot of playing now and individual skill work. But, obviously, getting to that five-on-five and that actual live bump where I’m moving around and constantly guarding full court, that’s the next step for me.
“But other than that, I’m just going off pain management. No pain, you know, but, obviously, I have to get stronger in certain areas and get my wind up again.”
Sixers Kelly Oubre Jr. has averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in his 12 games played this season.
Nurse said Tuesday that the Sixers hoped Oubre would play during this road trip. His only chance to do that would be Saturday, when the Sixers conclude the five-game trip against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. But his availability might depend on whether Oubre can get in a five-on-five scrimmage on Friday and how his body responds.
“I’m getting there,” Oubre said of getting closer to returning. “Every day, we have to take advantage of, I’m getting there.”
But how close does Oubre think he is to returning?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just going off what the trainers and the docs say. So for me, I don’t feel any pain, any shortness after workouts, and things like that, which is a good sign. So I take that as a positive and just continue to build from there and get stronger.
“But I’m leaving it to the docs and the trainers.”
When he does return, Oubre doesn’t think he’ll have a problem with reintegrating.
He has yet to play in a game this season with Paul George, who was sidelined for the first 12 games because of left knee injury management. Oubre has only played six games with Joel Embiid.
But Oubre has played with Embiid the past two seasons and with George last season.
“I played with everybody already,” he said. “They know what I bring, and they know how I play. So, it’s just about finding that footing and that rhythm together again. But I don’t think it’s going to be difficult at all. I try to adapt to whatever my situation is on the court. And everybody, we flow off of each other, and I’m just going to be another piece to the puzzle.”
Weather concerns have snarled Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day plans.
The string band competition has been “suspended until further notice,” the Philadelphia Mummers Parade and Philadelphia String Band Association announced Thursday morning.
High winds, “wind damage during unloading and setup and safety concerns” prompted the call, officials said in a statement.
“In the spirit of celebrating New Year’s Day and this important milestone for our city and nation, the String Bands will all still march in full costume and makeup and perform for TV, internet, and live audiences on Broad Street and City Hall,” the statement said. “They will march without props. Times and order will remain the same. Safety of performers is of utmost importance when making this decision.”
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the iconic parade.
Sam Regalbuto, president of the String Band Association, at the Mummers headquarters hotel Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, after the string band competition was suspended because of high winds that destroyed props and caused injuries to club members during morning setup.
Sam Regalbuto, president of the String Band Association, said that the clubs were caught off-guard by “the squalls that came through, the wind changes that happened without us knowing.”
Several club members were sent to hospitals with minor injuries sustained during attempted setup this morning, Regalbuto said. All have been treated and released.
“We’ve lost sets, we’ve lost props that we’ve worked 365 days to put together to bring you the best possible string band spectacular that we do every year,” he said. “It was very hard for all of us, as a unit, to make this decision.”
The call came after String Band Association delegates voted on whether to postpone, Regalbuto said.
Ultimately, “we just think, safety, safety, safety, first,” he said.
It was important to clubs to still put on a show for those fans who are crowding Philadelphia streets expecting to see Mummers, said Regalbuto. Though there will be no props, the string bands will “still come in full costume, full makeup, and entertain you, the viewers, at home, and our fans here on the parade route. So please, if you’re thinking of not coming, we’re here. We are performing for you, and we will give you the best show that we can possibly give you.”
An early morning snow squall left a dusting in LOVE Park before the start of the Mummers Parade near City Hall Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. This year marks the 125th anniversary of Philly’s iconic New Year’s Day celebration.
A 5 a.m. shocker
Nick Guzzo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, said snow squalls and wind “did not come out of nowhere.”
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a warning for snow squalls between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m. Thursday.
“Snow squalls can produce intense bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds, resulting in rapidly reduced visibility and poor road conditions, making travel difficult and potentially dangerous. Extra care should be taken as a result with any travel early on New Year’s Day,” officials wrote on Wednesday.
Regalbuto said the string bands were closely monitoring hourly weather updates and city messages overnight, but were expecting lesser winds, and gusts, not the sustained wind blasts that ultimately came “shooting from City Hall, straight up Market, and straight up JFK.”
Because the string bands are essentially “a mobile Broadway show,” with heavy, elaborate pieces that require significant work to install, that setup began in the predawn hours, at about 5 a.m., Regalbuto said.
It became apparent quickly that a Thursday string band competition would be dangerous.
Winds “destroyed multiple sets for different organizations,” he said. “We did everything precaution wise — sandbags, and all of that. But as they were trying to assemble, things were just being ripped out of our hands.”
It was then that Regalbuto convened his delegation. The vote was clear.
“We knew that there was already an unfair advantage, because some clubs had already lost their sets,” he said.
Weather reports called for gusts of up to 30 miles per hour well into the afternoon.
“We just had to batten down the hatches,” Regalbuto said.
A rescheduled competition, Regalbuto said, will be held “very soon” at a to-be-determined venue once logistics and financials are worked out. Planning meetings will begin Friday.
A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed an overnight report that the Union are preparing to transfer longtime defender Kai Wagner to English Championship side Birmingham City.
News of the deal was first reported by soccer reporter Jose R. Nunez via X, late Wednesday. The Inquirer learned that while both parties are ironing out the terms of the deal, the transaction could be announced before the week’s end, ending Wagner’s seven-year run in Philadelphia.
While the terms of the deal have not been announced, Sky Sports reported a transfer fee of €2.3 million for Wagner, or roughly $2.7 million. Upon completion, Wagner will join a Birmingham City side that’s currently 16th in the EFL Championship standings and winless in its last five games.
NFL great Tom Brady became a minority owner of the club in 2023 and has since been on a publicized push to return it to the top of the EFL Championship standings and even compete for promotion to the English Premier League.
Kai Wagner (27), who is said to be heading to English side Birmingham City, appeared in 251 games in all competitions for the Union.
Wagner, 28, coming off an All-Star season with the Union, is considered one of the best defenders in Major League Soccer. He has made 204 league appearances and 251 in all competitions since the Union acquired his rights from German side FC Schalke on Feb. 6, 2019.
During that span, Wagner is credited with eight goals and 58 assists (11 assists in 2025). In addition to being a staunch defender, Wagner was effective in attack, delivering pinpoint crosses into the penalty area. Over his years in Philadelphia, Wagner was the subject of several trade rumors within and outside MLS, with the latest before the Birmingham news suggesting that current MLS champion Inter Miami could’ve been his next stop.
Wagner is set to be the club’s latest in a trio of blockbuster trades this offseason. Last month, the team traded forward Tai Baribo to D.C. United. Baribo, named an MLS All-Star, was the team’s top scorer in 2025 and was sent for a reported $4 million transfer fee.
Additionally, the Union parted ways with longtime defender Jakob Glesnes, now with the Los Angeles Galaxy, for a reported $2.2 million in allocation money. Glesnes ended the 2025 campaign on MLS’s Best XI.
Wagner (left) stands will fellow 2025 MLS All-Stars Tai Baribo (center) and Jakob Glesnes in July. The latter two left the Union this offseason, with Wagner said to be up next.
Wagner’s playmaking ability was undeniable during his time on the Chester waterfront. Concerns about his character, however, arose after he was suspended in 2023 for violating MLS’s on-field discrimination policy, following allegations that he used a racist slur toward former New England forward and U.S. men’s national team forward Bobby Wood.
The incident resulted in Wagner being hit with a three-game suspension during the heart of the MLS playoffs and needing to undergo the league’s restorative practices program established in 2024. That suspension would have run into the start of the 2024 season, but MLS confirmed that Wagner had completed the required training and lifted his ban.
The Union will kick off their 2026 preseason campaign on Jan. 17 in Marbella, Spain. The season will begin in the Concacaf Champions Cup with a game against Trinidadian side Defence Force on Feb. 18 in Port of Spain, followed by a return leg at Subaru Park on Feb. 26.
The club’s MLS opener will be on the road against D.C. United on Feb. 21 (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).
Villanova capped 2025 with a 71-66 comeback win over DePaul on New Year’s Eve at Finneran Pavilion.
Villanova (11-2, 2-0 Big East) trailed DePaul (8-6, 0-3) by as many as 10 points in the second half but rallied for its fourth straight win. It was the Wildcats’ first victory of the season after trailing at halftime.
“I mean, I thought we did a good job battling and still playing hard while not playing well,” Villanova coach Kevin Willard said. “And when you have a young team, sometimes it could be a little frustrating when you’re not playing well offensively, it kind of affects your defense. I thought we hung in there as close as we could while not playing overly well offensively.”
The Wildcats were limited to 27.3% from the field in the first half.
Redshirt sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay continued his sharpshooting, scoring a team-high-tying 19 points that included back-to-back three-pointers in a second-half scoring run to help complete Villanova’s comeback.
Lindsay is averaging a team-leading 16.8 points, which is second in the Big East. He also is shooting a conference-best 44.8% from beyond the arc.
Junior guard Tyler Perkins also scored 19 points, his fifth game of the season in double digits and second in the last three games.
DePaul, which entered the game ranked 187th offensively by KenPom.com, shot 46.2% from the field to help itself to a halftime lead.
Leaning on defense
At the beginning of the season, Willard didn’t like how Villanova was executing defensively. He thought there was “nothing” good with it when asked about it in November. However, in the win over DePaul, the defense allowed Villanova to stay close.
“I think we have had a really good pick-and-roll defense,” Willard said. “I think sometimes coming back after Christmas break, you’re just not as sharp. And you got to give Chris [Holtmann] and [DePaul’s] staff credit. They just kept running the same play, and it was just a matter of we had to take that away and just make sure they were not getting too many easy layups. So we switched into a zone and just had the guards take the pick and rolls and scramble.”
Villanova is now ranked higher defensively (35th) than offensively (40th) on KenPom.
Willard was happy with how the team played physically and defensively despite not playing well on offense.
In their previous game, a 64-56 win over Seton Hall on Dec. 23, the Wildcats held the Pirates to their lowest-scoring output of the season.
Second-half magic
After trailing at the five-minute mark of the first half, Villanova found itself down by 10 points midway through the second half. It was DePaul’s largest lead of the game.
Then, graduate guard Devin Askew knocked down a pair of free throws to cut DePaul’s lead to eight points. Villanova regained possession, and Lindsay sank three-pointers on consecutive possessions to cap an 8-0 scoring run.
Just over three minutes later, Perkins knocked down two three-pointers, the second of which tied the game at 56. Villanova’s scoring run reached 21-8 with under five minutes left to play.
Free-throw struggles
Villanova, which led the nation in free-throw shooting in three of the previous four seasons, struggled at the line against DePaul, hitting just 21 of 31 (67.7%). This season, the Wildcats are shooting just 68.8% from the line, which is 269th out of 365 Division I teams.
“No, I mean, [Matt Hodge, 6-for-9 from the line] just had a tough night,” Willard said. “I think in the first half we still had Christmas cookies in our stomach, it seemed like. Duke [Brennan, 3-for-7] is going to be Duke. We’re working with Duke every day, and Duke’s working hard on it. Duke’s the only one that we’re really working with [on free throws]. Everybody else, they’re good shooters. It’s just sometimes you eat too many Christmas cookies, your free throws go to [expletive].”
Up next
Villanova travels to Indianapolis to face Butler (10-4, 1-2) on Saturday (noon, TNT/truTV). Butler is coming off an 89-85 loss at Creighton on Tuesday. Villanova leads the all-time series, 19-7, and has won the last three meetings.
CALGARY, Alberta ― And with that, 2025 comes to an end.
The Flyers wrapped up the calendar year with a 5-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on the second night of a back-to-back. It moved them to a 20-12-7 record this season and a 36-34-13 record since Jan. 1.
Here are seven things we’ve learned this year about the Flyers.
Trevor Zegras is still good
It’s time to put the last two years for Trevor Zegras fully in the rear-view mirror.
In 39 games with the Flyers, the 24-year-old New York native is not only putting up big numbers (15 goals, 24 assists), but he’s also controlling play, showing off the flash and creativity that made him a star — we all saw that between-the-legs pass attempt to Travis Sanheim on the rush and him playing the puck off the boards to himself before setting up Christian Dvorak in Tuesday night’s win — and bringing a big personality to the locker room.
He is on pace to demolish his career high of 65 points and is just eight goals shy of tying his career high, with 43 games to go.
As recently stated, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and, clearly, neither was the Flyers’ power play. Although it’s not last in the NHL anymore — progress! — entering Wednesday, it was ranked 25th with 17 goals in 105 opportunities (16.2%).
And it’s cost the Flyers games, like Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Kraken, where they faced the league’s worst penalty kill and couldn’t score despite three man advantages.
There have been several iterations, with the newest tweak moving Christian Dvorak to the net front with the unit led by Zegras getting an 18-second audition on Tuesday before Jamie Drysdale was called for interference.
On Wednesday against the Flames, that unit had the majority of the time across two power plays. They had six shot attempts on the first man advantage, with Cam York swapping with Drysdale at one point.
In the final advantage, which saw Drysdale go out with the other unit, York moved to the unit with Zegras, Travis Konecny, Dvorak, and Denver Barkey. They had four shot attempts, with the other unit, which started the power play, getting two, including Drysdale hitting the crossbar.
Overall, the movement has been good, but they can’t find the back of the net.
Flyers center Denver Barkey has played in just five games but he’s shown he belongs in the NHL.
Denver Barkey is an NHLer
In the first period against the Canucks on Tuesday, Denver Barkey lost his stick in the Flyers’ end. Did that stop the 5-foot-9 rookie, who was skating in his fifth NHL game? Not at all. There he was, throwing his body around and making plays to stop the pressure from Vancouver.
Called up to the big club to provide a boost to the top nine, Barkey has shown he has the skill and the smarts to stay. He’s come close to scoring his first NHL tally and already has two assists — each coming in his debut at Madison Square Garden.
Across six games with Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett, Natural Stat Trick has the Flyers with 60.16% of the shot attempts and 69.39% of the scoring chances when they’re out there.
“Barks is an energy guy. He’s really helped,” Tocchet said. “I think he’s helped Tipp a lot. I think Tipp, our last couple of games, has been one of our best forwards, and I think that Barkey’s really helped.”
Added Couturier: “I like his game. I like the way he thinks; he’s a smart player, offensively and defensively. He does a lot of the little plays that create time and space for us, me, and Tipp. Yeah, he’s got a good vision out there.”
Barkey is just one of several players, like Alex Bump and defenseman Ty Murchison, who made his NHL debut in December, too, waiting in the wings.
Porter Martone’s ascent in the World Juniors and at Michigan State has the Flyers excited about his future in Philadelphia.
The Flyers’ prospect pool has gotten deep
Danny Brière hasn’t been on the Western Canada swing. Instead, the Flyers general manager has been in Minnesota watching not just the next draft class but six of the organization’s prospects playing at the 2026 World Juniors.
While a half-dozen is a solid number, it says more about the prospect pool that three are wearing letters with two — Jack Berglund for Sweden and Porter Martone for Canada — sporting the “C.” Heikki Ruohnen is an alternate captain for Finland.
Martone, who was selected this past June, has created a lot of buzz as he stars for Michigan State. His addition, along with players like Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, Bump, Jack Nesbitt, and Yegor Zavragin, has pushed the Flyers’ prospect pool up the rankings. Elite Prospects and The Athletic each rank the Flyers at No. 7.
“It’s pretty good,” assistant general manager Brent Flahr recently told The Inquirer when asked about the prospect pool. “Obviously, we had a lot of picks last year. We’ve had some guys emerging from previous drafts that have played well and are trending in the right direction. So, yeah, overall, pretty excited.”
When the Flyers signed Dan Vladař on July 1, a lot of people scratched their heads. They’re not scratching anymore. Vladař, who came to get a chance as a No. 1, has brought his A game to the Flyers.
Among goalies who have played at least 18 games, he’s tied for seventh with a .910 save percentage. Who is he tied with? The upper echelon of NHL goalies like Igor Shesterkin, Spencer Knight, Ilya Sorokin, and Jake Oettinger. His 14 wins in 23 starts rank tied for 11th with Linus Ullmark and his old goalie partner in Calgary, Dustin Wolf.
“I think he worked on his game this summer because he went with a skating coach, and I think he wanted to work on some stuff like the next play, the rebound,” Tocchet said recently. “And I noticed him this year he’s in position for the second rebound. … I think Vladdy’s worked on that, and I think he’s really done a great job when it comes to that second save, being in position and not being out of position.”
Travis Sanheim has arrived
In June 2023, Sanheim was almost sent packing to St. Louis. On Wednesday, he was named to Canada’s 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics squad.
“With the game last night [in Vancouver], we flew to Calgary and got in, I think it was just after 2 o’clock, and then my phone went off just before 8 local time,” Sanheim said via Zoom. “I was up pretty early, not a lot of sleep, and I usually have trouble after games anyway, and I was aware of that potential phone call coming.
“So just the excitement level and receiving that, and it means to represent your country and be a part of something like the Olympics, and I’ll take the sleepless night to take a phone call like that.”
The news comes less than a year after he made his mark on the international stage for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Originally, the American and Canadian media questioned whether he even belonged; then, he was a healthy scratch in the tournament opener. But in the end, he was manning the blue line on the opening shift of overtime in the championship game.
There is no quit in this team
Since 2025 started, the Flyers have trailed 1-0 46 times in 82 games. It is tied for the second-most in the NHL with the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. Their win over the Canucks was also their 19th after trailing 1-0, which ties the Dallas Stars for the most in the calendar year.
And this season, the Flyers have 14 comeback wins, which is also No. 1 in the NHL. They are tied with the Rangers, Nashville Predators, and Detroit Red Wings for the second-most third-period comeback wins (five).
“Yeah, just resilient. We just keep playing,” Konecny said. “We believe in ourselves and trust the process that you’re going to get your opportunities. And you know, sometimes there’s a great way, but if you keep sticking with it, I think over the course of a year, it bounced out.”
Port is one of the most unusual wines on earth, and one uniquely well-suited to the long nights and cold weather of this season. As a fully sweet and fortified red wine, everything about port is riddled with contradictions. But the best approach is not to try to make sense of it — it’s to simply pour yourself a small glass to enjoy with friends and family, whether with cheeses, with desserts, or as a liqueur-like dessert unto itself.
What’s so confounding about port wines? They have always had a reputation as an expensive indulgence of the elite, despite being one of the most affordable fine wines in existence, thanks to their small portion size. Each 750-milliliter bottle contains 10 servings instead of the usual five. Port is also typecast as an after-dinner drink, since it tastes so divine with everything from blue cheeses to crème brûlée to chocolate. Yet it makes a delicious apéritif as well, on the rocks or with a splash of seltzer or tonic.
Port also has a long and strong association with British culture, down to the family names of the major port wineries, like this one from W. & J. Graham’s. However, it is a Portuguese wine through and through. The grapes for port wines may be grown in the rugged and rural mountains of Portugal’s upper Douro Valley, near the Spanish border, but the critical stages of port winemaking always take place in the coastal city of Oporto, over an hour’s drive away.
This example is what’s known as a “reserve” port, in the red ruby style. The Six Grapes brand is among the most world’s most popular and recognizable ports, one that is designed to taste more fresh and youthful than most. Its flavors evoke ripe cherries, plums, and pomegranate, with a concentration and lusciousness of texture that eclipses dry red wines. Its sweetness and booziness is on a par with that of the dark amarena cherry found at the bottom of a good Manhattan, with all the warm fuzzy feelings they bring.
Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port
Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port
Portugal, 20% ABV
PLCB Item # 8173, on sale for $25.99 through Jan. 4 (regularly $26.99)
Also available at: Canal’s in Berlin, N.J. ($21.99; canalsofberlin.com), Wine Warehouse in Clementon, Voorhees, and Sicklerville, N.J. ($22.99; winewarehousenj.com), and Canal’s Liquors in Pennsauken, N.J. ($24.99; canalsliquors.com)
Seeing the Mummers’ New Year’s Day parade became something of a running joke to Avril Davidge and her family.
You see, they live in Wales and Davidge is now a 93-year-old grandmother who rarely leaves her flat. She didn’t have a passport, nor had she been on a plane in 30 years. She’d never been to the United Statesand she jokes she could die tomorrow.
But after going down a YouTube rabbit hole and becoming what can only be described as obsessed with the tradition two years ago, she would often say things like “when we go to Philadelphia” or “when I see my Mummers.”
“It’s done a lot for me,” Davidge said. She had her granddaughter set her Mummers YouTube videos on autoplay since she can’t figure out the search function.“Even having breakfast, I put it on. It starts the day right for me.”
While the Mummers Parade can draw drastically divergent opinions at home, where some see it as a beloved multigenerational tradition and others paint it as an excuse for people to get drunk on Two Street, Davidge sees it as a connection to her late husband. She doesn’t know anyone in Wales who has even heard of Mummery, but deep in her heart, she knows it’s something her husband of 70 years would have loved. He died two years ago and she discovered her first Mummers video weeks later.
Quaker City String Band Captain Jimmy Good pushes the wheelchair of “Queen Mumm” Avril Davidge doing a Mummers strut. Davidge is a 93 year old Welsh grandma who came to the United States for the first time to see the Mummers.
Eventually, her family decided to give Davidge the trip of a lifetime to witness the 10,000-person spectacle that has ushered in the new year for Philadelphians for 125 years.Davidge will be among the many spectators watching the Mummers Parade take Broad Street on Thursday.
Using the power of social media and propelled by her family, Davidge landed Tuesday at Philadelphia International Airport, greeted by a Rocky statue — another bit of culture she loves. On Wednesday she was surprised with a trip to the Mummers Museum in South Philadelphia, where she delighted in a private tour: Yes, they’re real ostrich feathers on the costumes, and one of the more elaborate costumes can weigh 150 pounds.
Then she met Jimmy Good, captain of the Quaker City String Band, and a personal favorite of Davidge’s. Her family said Davidge often quiets them down with a “my Jimmy is on.”
“I’ll never forget this,” she told Good, complimenting what she called his beautiful smile and showing him her golden shoes, a nod to dem golden slippers. “Never.”
The two even strutted in the museum, Good pushing Davidge in her wheelchair as she lifted a gifted satin umbrella.
It was a scene Davidge’s family could hardly believe was playing out. Just a few weeks ago, they thought Davidge was at death’s door.
Divine intervention brings the Mummers to Wales
When Davidge’s husband died, she was “feeling low,” as she calls it.
Then the YouTube algorithm, programmed by her granddaughter to show her United Kingdom marching bands, showed her a clip of the Quaker City String Band performing “Make Believe,” a song Davidge and her husband loved. Her family felt it was almost a form of divine intervention.
Something about the string bands, the costumes, the performances offered a comfort Davidge needed. Soon, the Mummers were all she was watching and she quickly developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the longtime Philadelphian tradition.
The 1999 Quaker City String Band theme of “Reflections of Old Moscow” is a legendary performance, Davidge said, and then-captain Bob Shannon Jr. remains her all-time favorite.
She was in awe as she learned Shannon stood at 6-foot-10; the old YouTube clips are grainy and don’t do the performances justice.
Connecting Philly and Wales through social media
Davidge’s love for the Mummers has been contagious, family members say, not that they’ve had much of a choice.
Last year, Fiona Smillie-Hedges, Davidge’s granddaughter, asked a friend, American expat Wendy Ratcliffe, if she had heard of the Mummers.
Ratcliffe, whose maternal side of the family is scattered around Southeastern Pennsylvania, was floored.
“I said, vast swaths of the country would have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.
When Ratcliffe’s family visited her, they brought a Mummers mug and other Philly merch for the grandmother they had heard so much about. The mug is not for use and remains propped in front of Davidge’s television.
Last Christmas, Davidge even got a Mummers book, which she calls her bible.
By 2025, the joke of going to Philly felt more like an inevitability. Smillie-Hedges, 38, tried to figure out how to maximize the experience and took to TikTok and Instagram to get some advice. She needed to know how people kept warm, how to get a good view of the string bands, and where to stay.
Soon she was in touch with Jim Donio, host of the String Band Sessions podcast, a longtime Mummer who led the broadcasts from 1985 to 1987.
Donio arranged for the museum tour and asked Good to set some time aside to meet Davidge.
“I need[ed] to step in here and do what I can to make this dream happen and make this dream come true,” Donio said.
But as Donio — who calls Davidge “Queen Mumm” — worked stateside, Davidge caught some sort of virus a few weeks ago, which at her age can be deadly.
Davidge said she thought she wouldn’t make it.
But Smillie-Hedges said the family used the Philadelphia trip to motivate her into eating and staying positive.
“She’s worked very hard to be here, to be well enough,” Smillie-Hedges said. “Every time I was like, you must eat this, you must drink that. Come on, Rocky training for Philly.”
On Wednesday, Davidge was all smiles. Her hotel overlooks Broad Street should she get cold and need to duck in for warmth. Unbeknownst to her, Donio also arranged for a golf cart to get her, Ratcliffe, Smillie-Hedges, and Davidge’s daughter Kay Hedges to their VIP seats by the judges’ table.
The whole trip feels implausible to the family, yet the only natural outcome.
“[Davidge] didn’t find the Mummers until it was literally a couple of weeks after my granddad had passed,” Smillie-Hedges said. “I swear it was meant to be.”
As I reach for the hope of 2026, I am convinced that this new year is about more than the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and more than the politics of the upcoming midterm elections. This new year is a mirror that allows us to look back on who we were in 2025.
Internationally, 2025 was defined by the Trump administration’s military attacks in and around oil-rich countries like Venezuela and Nigeria, an apparent push to annex mineral-rich Greenland, and Trump-backed peace deals in Gaza and Ukraine that never quite seemed to bring peace.
Perhaps, in Trump’s mind, that’s what it means to Make America Great Again. In 2026, the country will have to decide if we agree with him, and the choice will not be easy, because the sides are completely dug in.
For millions of Americans, there’s an inherent appeal to Trump’s brand of no-holds-barred politics.
His supporters believe political correctness has robbed them of the right to say what they feel, to take what they want, and to run through anyone who stands in their way.
When Trump insults those who don’t look or think like him, his supporters believe he’s speaking for them.
After all, the idea of blaming others for their problems is not only palatable, it’s delicious — because when someone else is always at fault, one never has to look at oneself.
For millions of other Americans, like me, the echoes of white supremacy that amplify the MAGA movement are repulsive.
Pro-Trump demonstrators in Washington during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. The echoes of white supremacy that amplify the MAGA movement are repulsive, Solomon Jones writes.
By implementing that strategy, the Trump White House won 21 victories in the Supreme Court. The wins allowed the Trump administration to take wide-ranging actions, including: deporting undocumented immigrants to third-party countries, ending federal funding for DEI, firing thousands of federal workers without congressional approval, accessing Americans’ Social Security data, and revoking the power of federal judges to implement nationwide injunctions.
Perhaps the ruling will stop the president’s strategy of sending troops into cities run by Democrats, or maybe he’ll find a workaround. If I were a betting man, I’d take the odds on the latter.
That’s why in 2026, if we truly want to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of American democracy, we cannot stand by and watch as our country is twisted into knots.
When this year’s midterm elections take place, we must raise our voices and vote.
For five out of the last six seasons, the Union have been the class of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. In those six seasons, the team has earned two Supporters’ Shield titles, five MLS playoff appearances, and in 2022 came close to winning arguably one of the best MLS Cup finals ever.
It’s even more incredible when you realize that the franchise has done so with an ownership and front office that have been reluctant to spend any more than they have to, wallowing near the bottom of the league in terms of payroll while consistently being among the leaders in the Eastern Conference.
It’s like that scene in Moneyball when Billy Beane, portrayed by Brad Pitt, asks owner Stephen Schott for a little more money to support championship aspirations. In the case of the Union, owner Jay Sugarman has played the role of Schott to perfection, while the team’s fans could be perceived collectively as Beane, asking for a little more star power to fuel the team to a title.
Union chairman and majority owner Jay Sugarman has been stubborn on spending to bring in top talent. But results have shown he doesn’t have to.
It’s been a stubborn approach that has proved successful enough to keep fans interested and engaged. And just like the way Beane’s Oakland team set a modern-day baseball record by winning 20 straight games on a shoestring budget, the Union lifted a trophy by knowing what they had and how much more they were willing to spend, and hiring a coach eager to prove his methods are championship-caliber.
Although the Union lost a pair of key pieces this offseason following the departures of forward Tai Baribo to D.C. United and longtime defender Jakob Glesnes to the Los Angeles Galaxy, there’s a belief that the team can go even further this season.
Their roster supports that claim — but Philly fans will be the first to remind anyone within earshot that a team on paper means very little around here.
The proof is in what the product can consistently produce on the field. Said proof arrives in a little over two weeks as the Union return to Marbella, Spain, on Jan. 17 to kick off their preseason.
The Union will play in 2026 without without Tai Baribo (center) and Jakob Glesnes (right), both MLS All-Stars in 2025 who were traded in the offseason.
It’s also going to be a massive year for soccer in Philadelphia as one of 11 cities in the United States scheduled to host matches in the FIFA World Cup. So much soccer on the horizon will have an impact on the local team. Increased exposure for Philly as a soccer city can only benefit a team coming off one of its best seasons in recent history — assuming the Union can replicate it.
If there was a crystal ball, genie, or whatever else is used to grant a wish for the new year, these are the three that probably are top of mind for most Union fans.
My Union wishes for 2026:
1️⃣ Win the CONCACAF Champions Cup. 2️⃣ Lift MLS Cup. 3️⃣ Cavan Sullivan has a breakout season that feels Messi-level magical.
There are 14 teams in Major League Soccer that have never won an MLS Cup — and seven of those teams were expansion clubs that arrived after the Union kicked off play in 2010.
If there’s an original seven of sorts, the Union are among them. In a poll of Union fans on social media, one of the biggest responses was for the team to win a major trophy. This year, they have a chance to win three: Along with chasing an MLS title, they’ll have an opportunity to lift the Concacaf Champions Cup and the Leagues Cup.
The Union will not be one of the 16 MLS clubs taking part in the 2026 U.S. Open Cup because of their Champions Cup berth, so the Leagues Cup, the competition in which MLS clubs face off against Liga MX teams, will be a third chance to take home some hardware.
A title of any sort beyond boasting the league’s best regular-season record would go a long way in validating the Union’s philosophy and a coach eager to win big.
Use the money from the sell-offs of Baribo and Glesnes for a TOP level player.
The Union have never been in the business of spending money on high-priced players. To their credit, they’ve arguably been the most successful MLS club to prove that the notion of building a roster around superstar talent isn’t a surefire way to success.
However, the obvious problem with that idea is that it’s very hard to win it all without an anchor to guide you to the promised land, in this case an MLS Cup title, Champions Cup trophy, or even a Leagues Cup or Open Cup crown.
This past season proved that bolstering a team around top talent can forge a championship as Miami, led by Lionel Messi — who, yes, just happens to be one of the greatest players on the planet — is the latest defending champion, with Messi collecting Most Valuable Player honors in both the regular season and in the title game.
1. Spend money to push this team from decent to great 2. Capitalize on the world cup via acquiring a 1a star player post World Cup. A leader who can fill Bedoya's role. 3. Win MLS Cup or CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The World Cup is one of the best possible opportunities for exposure. From the Union’s standpoint, they have a front-row seat to watching players from 48 nations, many of whom might be playing in lesser leagues. This is a chance for them to raise their stock and become an attractive move for a club full of talent but devoid of a go-to star (as yes, the jury is still out on 20-year-old newcomer Ezekiel Alladoh). Big tournaments allow players to showcase their talents and they allow clubs to get a look without having to tap their recruiting budget to find them.
Ezekiel Alladoh signs his new Union contract at the team’s practice facility on Dec. 3.
On the flip side, players want to come to an attractive club and in this sport, like so many others, you’re only as good as your last game. If the Union can replicate the success they had in the 2025 season (especially that stretch from mid-April to late June when they ran through teams in all competitions, setting a club-record 11-game unbeaten streak), then that’s when love affairs tend to become mutual.
Also, a successful club entices interested parties to invest, and I don’t see a world where Sugarman isn’t going to listen to those interested in a minority ownership — or dare we even suggest that after 15 years as the primary funder of this franchise, entertain offers from those who might want to take the task off his hands.
Going into the World Cup as one of MLS’s best teams when the eyes of the world are on America opens up a lot of possibilities. The last one might sound wild to envision — but it’s not out of the realm of reality.
Dave Barry, arguably the funniest columnist ever and certainly the funniest Haverford College alumnus ever, has a tradition. Every December, he writes a piece in which he reviews everything that happened over the previous calendar year. Some of the things are true. Some of them are kinda true. All of them are hilarious.
Barry got his start in journalism at the West Chester Daily Local News, was almost hired by The Inquirer in 1983, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988, and has written more than 40 books, including a terrific memoir, Class Clown, that was published in May. (Dave, when you update the “Acknowledgments” section for the paperback edition, it’s S-I-E-L-S-K-I.) So in honor of a great writer with strong local ties, let’s close out 2025 with a look back at the year in Philadelphia sports.
January
The year got off to a rough start when Howard Eskin, the Edward R. Murrow of autograph seekers, lost his very important job of telling everyone how awesome the Eagles are. Tanner McKee started the team’s final regular-season game and played well against the Giants, proving that he is better than Jalen Hurts, Tom Brady, and Joe Montana combined. Nevertheless, coach Nick Sirianni insisted on starting Hurts in the Eagles’ first playoff game, which led to wide receiver A.J. Brown’s decision to sit on the sideline and read a book called Magic in the Air, which was written by some hack from the suburbs. Hurts shook off his two tepid performances against the Packers and the Rams to play brilliantly in the NFC championship game against the Commanders, who aided him by refusing to cover any receivers or tackle Saquon Barkley.
A.J. Brown plays football and has impeccable taste in literature.
Meanwhile, the Sixers played 17 games in the month and lost 11 of them, which cut into the listenership for Paul George’s podcast. But on the bright side, Penn State lost a close game to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, inspiring optimism that James Franklin finally would guide the Nittany Lions to a national championship the following season.
February
Speculation of a pro-Chiefs conspiracy among NFL officials swirled in the run-up to Super Bowl LIX, but those rumors were put to rest once Patrick Mahomes conspired to throw the ball to Cooper DeJean and Zack Baun throughout the first half. The Eagles thumped Kansas City, 40-22, prompting Brady to provide no discernable analysis on the telecast other than shouting “WOW!” after every significant play. At the Super Bowl parade, Eagles vice president Howie Roseman was struck in the head by a full can of beer. He immediately found the fan who threw the beer and signed him to a three-year, cap-friendly contract. On WIP, Spike Eskin argued that the fan should start ahead of Hurts.
March meant a pink slip for Flyers coach John Tortorella.
March
The Phillies began the 2025 season with three wins in their first four games and the expectation that, if the team did not win the World Series, fans would storm Citizens Bank Park, bind and gag team president Dave Dombrowski, and throw him into the Schuylkill. Villanova’s men’s basketball team lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament and fired coach Kyle Neptune, which reminded everyone that Kyle Neptune had been coaching Villanova’s men’s basketball team. The Flyers lost 11 times in a 12-game stretch and fired coach John Tortorella, which reminded everyone that Philadelphia used to have a hockey team.
Brandon Graham said he was retiring after 15 years with the Eagles. Yep. He said that. There was a news conference and everything.
Aaron Nola elicited deep concern in April.
April
Aaron Nola lost four consecutive starts for the Phillies, which raised the concern that fans would storm Citizens Bank Park, bind and gag him, and throw him into the Schuylkill. Coaches and executives around the NFL began lobbying the league to ban the Tush Push. The Eagles responded by encouraging their offensive linemen to stop blocking altogether — a strategy they carried into the 2025 season. The team then drafted Jihaad Campbell, the first time that the Eagles had selected a linebacker in the first round since 1979 … two years before their head coach was born. Seriously.
Big Five Hall of Fame induction continues to elude Pope Leo XIV.
May
A busy time. The Flyers hired Rick Tocchet as their new head coach, which prompted several 55-year-old South Jersey women to dig their TOCCHET, ZEZEL, and MELLANBY jerseys out of mothballs and start wearing them again.
The Phillies won nine straight games, but bad news marred their hot streak. Major League Baseball suspended closer José Alvarado for 80 games and ruled him ineligible for the postseason after a drug test revealed he had not told gamblers that he was using a banned substance. Nola gave up 12 hits and nine earned runs over 3⅔ innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, after which the Phillies placed him on the injured list. Then Jesús Luzardo gave up 12 hits and 12 earned runs over 3⅓ innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, which raised the concern that fans would storm Citizens Bank Park and insist that Nola pitch again.
DeJean and his fellow Eagles defensive back Reed Blankenship launched their podcast, Exciting Whites, which immediately rocketed up the audience rankings in Mayfair, Somerton, and Ridley Township. The College of Cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost, a Villanova alumnus, as the new Pope. In his first declaration as Pope Leo XIV, Prevost announced that “V for Villanova” would become the official Communion hymn for every Catholic Mass in the United States, replacing “Taste and See,” “Eat This Bread,” and the ever popular “One Bread, One Body.”
The Sixers drafted VJ Edgecombe and everyone blindly trusted that the franchise made the correct choice.
June
The Indiana Pacers’ remarkable run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals — thanks in large part to T.J. McConnell — reminded Sixers fans of those halcyon days when the team tanked for three years to acquire a 5-10 backup point guard who might someday lead them to an almost-championship. Things got better once the Sixers selected VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick in the draft, allowing them to phase out Joel Embiid and George with a roster made up entirely of guards who were 6-4 or shorter.
The Flyers used their first-round pick on a promising winger, Porter Mantone, though fans remained disappointed that neither Tocchet, general manager Danny Brière, nor team president Keith Jones would be suiting up for the team himself.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles did not win a single game in July.
July
The WNBA announced that Philadelphia would get an expansion franchise in 2030, provided that the WNBA still exists in 2030. The NCAA announced that it would keep the March Madness field at 68, quelling any remaining hope that any Big 5 team would ever qualify for the Tournament again. At the MLB trade deadline, the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader, who immediately became their best player, and Jhoan Duran, who immediately increased their in-game pyrotechnic production costs by 250%.
The Eagles began training camp, and Hurts laid out the team’s message for the season: “We are focused on 2025. We’re acting like we didn’t just win the Super Bowl. We’ve forgotten that we won the Super Bowl. You either win or you learn. We are keeping the main thing the thing that is mainly the thing that we think is, in the main, what we want to be doing. What is the Super Bowl anyway? What is soup? What are bowls? Who am I? Why am I here?”
Kyle Schwarber (right, with Bryce Harper) heated up the Philadelphia summer.
August
Kyle Schwarber became the 21st player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a game, raising questions about whether the Phillies would re-sign him in the offseason — questions that Dombrowski dispelled: “Kyle is an elite power hitter. He’s the most elite hitter we have. He’s the elitist elite hitter around. Got all that, Bryce?”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced that they were engaged and that their wedding ceremony would be streamed live on the New Heights podcast. That way, someone would finally have a reason to listen to a full episode of the New Heights podcast.
Jalen Carter’s one magic loogie earned him an early trip to the locker room.
September
Seconds into the Eagles’ season opener, Jalen Carter spat on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Carter was ejected from the game and, via referendum, elected mayor of Philadelphia. The Eagles won their first four games, which everyone agreed was awful, just like A.J. Brown said on Twitter/X.
Before the ninth inning of a Phillies-Nationals game at Citizens Bank Park, Duran set himself on fire and jogged to the pitcher’s mound, where he sacrificed a goat to what he later called “the mighty spider god who gives me strength.” He then gave up two runs for his first blown save.
After manager Rob Thomson benched him, outfielder Nick Castellanos complained that Thomson didn’t communicate well. When asked to respond to Castellanos’ comments, Thomson shrugged and said, “Welp.”
Orion Kerkering could have done without all of that.
October
A not-so-great month. The Phillies lost in the National League Division Series when a Dodgers batter hit a ground ball back to the mound and reliever Orion Kerkering passed out. The Eagles lost back-to-back games to the Broncos and Giants. To adjust to their team’s limitations, Sirianni and new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo decided that Hurts would be forbidden from throwing a pass after halftime for the rest of the season. Penn State fired James Franklin after losses to Oregon, UCLA, Northwestern, Archbishop Ryan, and the Lenape Valley 10U Pop Warner team.
The silver lining? Brandon Graham — surprise! — came out of retirement to rejoin the Eagles.
Jalen Hurts and Kevin Patullo are pleased to give Eagles fans something to discuss.
November
The media who cover the Eagles grappled with a simple question: Does the offense stink because of A) Jalen Hurts, B) Kevin Patullo, or C) Yes? The Eagles then squandered a 21-point lead in losing to the Cowboys and got pushed around in losing to the Bears, leading NFL experts to wonder whether a team coached by Sirianni and quarterbacked by Hurts could ever win anything of consequence.
Tocchet faced withering criticism from Flyers fans for limiting the ice time of Matvei Michkov, who showed up for training camp weighing 350 pounds and having forgotten how to skate. The Sixers got off to an excellent start as Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey showed they could form the franchise’s best backcourt since Isaiah Canaan and Ish Smith.
The Flyers are good again and we all saw it coming.
December
The Phillies re-signed Schwarber for too many years and too much money for a 32-year-old designated hitter, handing him a contract that will prevent them from breaking down the roster and beginning the 15-year rebuild that any true fan would really want. In response to Dombrowski’s assertion that he was “not elite,” Harper began a new offseason training program similar to Robert De Niro’s in Cape Fear.
The Flyers finished the month in third place in the Metropolitan Division and on pace to make the playoffs, disappointing those fans who hated the idea of tanking right up until the Flyers stopped tanking. Maxey and Edgecombe kept up their fine play for the Sixers, and Villanova won 10 of its first 12 games, even though no one, not even new coach Kevin Willard, could identify a single player on the Wildcats’ roster.
In a possible Super Bowl preview, the Eagles beat the Buffalo Bills despite scoring one point and racking up negative-19 yards of total offense. Sirianni then chose to have most of the Eagles’ starters sit out the team’s regular-season finale, because if 2026 turns out to be anything like 2025, everyone is going to need some rest.
