On Dec. 1, 1898, about 1,000 people gathered at a court in Textile Hall — today’s Kensington neighborhood. They were there to watch the Philadelphia Hancock Athletic Association play the New Jersey Trenton Nationals in America’s first professional basketball game.
According to an article in the following day’s Philadelphia Times, the game got a late start because referees were still ironing out the rules of the world’s newest professional sport.
But once the game got underway, it was fast and furious.
Hancock “started with a rush, scoring two field goals before the players had become warmed up to their work,” the story reads.
“Throughout the entire first half, the home team had the better of the argument, taking advantage of every opportunity finishing the half in the lead by a score of 11 to [0].”
In the end, Philadelphia lost by two points, a disappointment Philly sports fans know all too well, even in these modern times.
The final score: 21 to 19.
Daniel Lipschutz blended history into his love of the modern day sport for this sculpture.
That first game of the National Basketball League will be feted this Saturday at a Firstival at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Firstivals are the Philadelphia Historic District’s weekly day parties celebrating events that happened in Philadelphia before anywhere else in America, and often the world. They are part of a yearlong celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
James Naismith, a YMCA coach in Springfield, Mass., invented basketball in 1891 to keep kids active during winter months. The sport incorporated elements of rugby, lacrosse, and soccer. Instead of throwing balls into a bottomless net to score, players threw balls into peach baskets.
(In other words, there was no such thing as a rebound.)
James Naismith, inventor of basketball, with a ball and a basket.
Basketball quickly became popular with college students and in 1898, Naismith was recruited to coach the University of Kansas basketball team.
That same year, Horace Fogel, sports editor of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, organized the first professional basketball league with three teams from Philadelphia and three from South Jersey.
A 12-foot chain-link cage separated players from the fans. Ropes replaced these iron cages in the 1920s.
Fogel’s National Basketball League lasted just five years, folding in 1904 because of quick player turnover eating into profits. A second league was formed in 1937 and was sponsored by Goodyear. In 1946, the Basketball Association of America was established.
And in 1949, the BAA and NBL merged to create today’s NBA.
“This really goes to show that Philadelphia is a sports city,” said Shavonnia Corbin Johnson, vice president of civic affairs for the 76ers. “When people talk about Philadelphia sports rooted in history, tradition, and passion, it’s true, but now we know that America’s true love of sports can trace its roots right back here.”
This week’s Firstival is Saturday, Jan. 24, 11 a.m. — 1 p.m., at Xfinity Mobile Arena, 3601 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. Premium Access Entrance on the Broad Street side, near Lot C. The Inquirer will highlight a “first” from Philadelphia Historic District’s 52 Weeks of Firsts program every week.
While we all wait with bated breath to see who Jalen Hurts’ seventh offensive coordinator in seven years will be (technically, 11th if you count his college years), we’re going to switch gears and talk a little Sixers — specifically the timeshare that has transpired at the center position.
Both Andre Drummond and Adem Bona have been key contributors at the position, both under the backdrop of Joel Embiid, who, despite a litany of injuries, has been the constant at the position for the latter part of a decade.
So how do you compete with that? Well, according to both Drummond and Bona, you don’t; instead, you make the most of your minutes. Drummond, who has even been getting starting minutes recently, knows that “I probably won’t take my warmup pants off some games.”
And while you’d think it would be a battle of the big men trying to occupy minutes on the court, Drummond and Bona have become friends, reveling in each other’s moments, however fleeting or prosperous, night after night.
Inquirer writer Gina Mizell offers this rare look at selflessness on what’s shaping up to be a warmer day across the region, with highs expected to peak into the low 40s in many spots.
Ranger Suárez left the Phillies for a $130 million contract with the Red Sox.
Former Phillies pitcher Ranger Suárez took the podium in a Red Sox jersey for the first time Wednesday when he was officially introduced at Fenway Park.
The 30-year-old Suárez, who signed with the Phillies as a 16-year-old from Venezuela and developed into an All-Star and key rotation piece, departed in free agency this winter. His five-year, $130 million contract with Boston became official Wednesday.
When prompted by a reporter at his introductory news conference, Suárez clarified the traditional Spanish pronunciation of his first name.
In a wide-ranging conversation on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball show, Jesus Luzardo said he’s interested in discussing a contract extension with the Phillies and talked about his impressive first season with the team, J.T. Realmuto’s impact behind the plate, and more.
🏈 Answering: Why were so many people from Indiana University of Pennsylvania so excited about Indiana’s national championship win, even though IUP has no ties to IU?
Lane Pederson made his Flyers debut on Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights. It was his first NHL game since March 2023.
Lane Pederson has ridden a lot of buses in the American Hockey League over the last few years in pursuit of his dream to one day play in the NHL again.
On Monday, that persistence and those long, late-night slogs must have all felt worth it, as Pederson played in his first NHL game in almost three years when he suited up for the Flyers in Las Vegas. The 28-year-old, who signed with the Flyers this summer, hoped he’d get one more chance to prove he belongs at the top level, and he’s got it after Rodrigo Ābols suffered a long-term injury on Saturday.
Can Pederson stick on the fourth line with a coach he knows well in Rick Tocchet? No offense to Allentown, but the centerman hopes he won’t be returning to Lehigh Valley any time soon.
Cavan Sullivan is seen during a Union practice at Subaru Field in Chester. Tuesday, Jan 13, 2026.
There’s no need to remind Cavan Sullivan about all of the expectations placed on his now 16-year-old shoulders. He’s got plenty of reminders. It’s why this season, Sullivan says he’s focusing on the game and less on the pomp that comes with it.
The timing couldn’t be better as there’s a real chance he could see considerable minutes as an attacking midfield presence with the Union, a spot left vacant by his older brother Quinn, who suffered an ACL sprain last season.
Ahead of the team’s two-week trip to Spain, Cavan sat down with Tannenwald to talk about what could shape up to be a transformative season for the Union’s youngest pro talent.
On this date
Jan. 21, 2006: In Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81-point performance, he led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 122-105 win against Toronto. Bryant still holds the mark for the second-highest point total in a game behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962.
Standings, stats, and more
Want the full breakdown from last night’s Flyers game against the Mammoth? Here’s a place to access your favorite Philadelphia teams’ statistics, schedules, and standings in real time.
“[Howie] Roseman might be the best GM in the NFL over the last nine years, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to have the best roster in 2026. Any top OC candidate is looking at the Eagles job as a one-year stepping stone to the 2027 cycle of head-coaching vacancies. The 2026 Eagles are richly talented on paper, but they are saddled with far more questions than answers.” — The latest take from Hayes, who explores why the Eagles’ vacant offensive coordinator position doesn’t have a line around the block.
What you’re saying about the Phillies
We all know Bo Bichette isn’t headed to Philly. That seems to work out just fine for these Inquirer readers.
We asked: What are your thoughts on the Phillies missing out on Bo Bichette?
[I don’t care] about Bichette or anyone else while the flawed hero-culture core remains unchanged and unrepentant. Schwarber did a contract year showing, and we fell for it, as if his biggest night of last year didn’t follow that pathetic series shellacking by the Mets (who were not good). What’s more interesting is how much all the Philly teams have been whiffing on big new additions in recent years — most prominently right now, desirable OCs for the Eagles. The perpetual national media’s lambasting of our town and sports culture feels like it’s winning, and we’re at risk of becoming Pariahdelphia. — D.W. Stone
I believe it’s a great move on the Phillies to force them to start the process to go young. The fact that they did not make the run in September is due to the superstars not performing well. It’s now time to watch the development of the minor league players and analyze their improvement. You are not going to out-pay the Dodgers or Mets. Have fun watching new talent instead of Dave D trying to outspend our competitors. That has been Dave’s history on all his prior teams. — Dick F.
Losing Bichette is a Godsend. We win twice by not getting him. First, we can stop hearing about getting rid of Alec Bohm, whose performance is on par with Bichette, [and who] is young and still improving every year. And then they are able to pay and retain the best catcher in baseball, even though he is a ripe old 34 years old. This roster is much better overall. BTW, why has Bohm been on the trading block every single year? totally undeserved. — John W.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Rob Tornoe, David Murphy, Jeff McLane, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, Scott Lauber, Ariel Simpson, Gabriela Carroll, Jonathan Tannenwald, Katie Lewis, Brooke Ackerman, and Jackie Spiegel.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
That’s it for today. Enjoy your Thursday. Jim will be back tomorrow to get you set for the weekend ahead.— Kerith
The primary responsibility of law enforcement is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.
Cooperation between jurisdictions and among all levels of law enforcement is a key component in obtaining that objective in our democracy. When state and local elected officials prevent their police from cooperating with federal officers enforcing federal law while allowing lawbreaking illegal aliens to roam their streets, it creates a dangerous situation for all involved — as we clearly see now. Through their inflammatory rhetoric, they incite and condone the type of resistance and violence against federal law enforcement that they would not tolerate if directed at their own police officers. Their words “inspire” Renee Good and many like her to put themselves in harm’s way while impeding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts illegally. Liberals decry Good’s death while curiously being silent when members of their community were the victims of murder and violent crime at the hands of illegal immigrants. It is a sad commentary on sanctuary states and cities when the plight of illegals is prioritized over the safety of their actual citizens.
What kind of democracy do we have where so many of these liberal elected officials ignore their oaths of office to defend the Constitution by obeying only the laws that they agree with?
Mark Fenstermaker,Warminster, markfense@gmail.com
Wait, he said what?
“The moment you start dehumanizing people, the moment you start calling people Hitler, the moment you start doing that, it’s a slippery slope to violence,” Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick said during a recent interview with CBS.
If I‘m reading this quote right, Sen. McCormick is saying if you call ICE Hitler, you’re going to get Hitler. That’s the problem in the first place: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is operating like the Gestapo. All rhetoric aside, an American mother was killed on the streets of an American city while exercising her constitutional right to protest. How can anyone be OK with that?
Michael Galante, Philadelphia
Investigation warranted
The U.S. Department of Justice has said it will not be investigating the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who killed Renee Good in Minneapolis. In Philadelphia, if a police officer discharges their weapon, it automatically triggers an Internal Affairs investigation, and I believe that is true for all local law enforcement agencies.
I retired from a federal law enforcement agency under the DOJ, and any use of force automatically triggered an investigation and after-action review by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). ICE is an agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I have not seen any reports of the DHS OIG investigating this use-of-force incident.
Julio Casiano Jr., Philadelphia
New precedent?
Since Donald Trump’s invasion and arrest (kidnapping?) of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, I have been thinking about an analogy that could put this in a different context for Trump supporters.
Let’s go back to 1970. We are deep in the midst of the war we were carrying out against Vietnam. What if the North Vietnamese sent a secret commando force to Washington, D.C., and captured Richard Nixon, brought him to Hanoi, and put him on trial for crimes against humanity? Whatever we might think of him, Maduro was the head of state in Venezuela. If another country did to our head of state what we did to him, we would be outraged, too.
Peter Handler,Philadelphia
Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been together 30-plus years. When our love was new, it was all smiles, hand-holding and thrills when we saw each other after a long day at work or school. And, I guess, that’s normal.
Now, three kids and three grandkids later, we’re edging past our mid-50s and there isn’t much left. There are no more smiles and no more hand-holding, only two sad adults. We still love each other. Neither of us wants to be apart from the other, but we don’t know how to bring back happiness.
We hardly touch, and neither of us remembers the last time we smiled or even really laughed. We sit in the same room, living two completely different lives. I am partially disabled, so there are no more long walks or outside activities, which we used to do 20 years ago.
We are now wondering: Is this the rest of our lives? Are we going to spend the next 20-plus years in a depressing marriage in which we love each other but no longer have anything in common? Our youngest daughter is 8, and our youngest grandson is 5. We watch the kids (15, 9, 8, 5) in the evening so our eldest can work. Is there any hope for us?
— SAD SPOUSE IN NEW YORK
DEAR SAD SPOUSE: You say that you and your husband love each other. There is hope for reviving your marriage if you agree to go to couples counseling together. Marriage involves more than smiles, hand-holding and thrills. It is a deep and caring partnership. Few couples can sustain the excitement of their honeymoon years. You and your husband have already done the hard work. Now you need to find your way back together.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I were dining with friends in a high-end restaurant. The food was great, and so was the conversation. My husband leaned close to me and whispered, “She’s brushing her teeth!” I glanced to my left. I had thought the gal at the next table was just using a toothpick. No, she was vigorously brushing with a full-sized toothbrush!
After about a minute, she placed the toothbrush into a cosmetic bag and pulled out a denture container. She then proceeded to insert and adjust her retainer. We were flabbergasted. Never in all my years have I seen such appalling table manners. Perhaps we shouldn’t have been staring, but it was one of those moments in which you are frozen to the spot.
Abby, that restaurant has very nice bathrooms. What is happening to our society?
— SHOCKED IN THE SOUTH
DEAR SHOCKED: I understand why this woman’s performance stopped you cold. But, please, don’t blame “society” for her ignorance of the rules of etiquette, which dictate that to avoid grossing out those around us in public, we should excuse ourselves from the table and take care of our oral hygiene privately, IN THE RESTROOM if needed.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’re not trying to be unique or edgy — it just so happens that you resonate with topics that many people haven’t even heard of yet. It will be fun and fortifying to connect with those who share your interest.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re starting to question your fit in an organization or a particular role. You’re not exactly a fish out of water, but you may be a polar bear out of Alaska. The key here is to limit your time in the environment. Take lots of breaks. Is it possible to get a vacation?
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). These are stubborn conditions, and stubborn people populate the landscape. They have something to give, but you won’t know what it is until you let go of what you want it to be. So instead of needing events to line up a certain way, you let go of expectation.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Socializing will be about answering the very human need to be seen and heard. Your story is an evolving one and you tell it differently depending on who is asking. Today, someone new will be curious about you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The mood at 10 a.m. is very different from the mood at 4 p.m. — so different, in fact, you may feel like two different people. Does it help you to know it’s not an uncommon phenomenon? The world asks a lot of “a.m. you,” then “p.m. you” will ask a lot of the world.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll pull off complex plans with a simple approach: jump into and execute as you go. You’re also well aware that not everyone has access to experiences like this, and you’ll make the most of it.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’re touched by what’s around you and you’ll reconnect with possibility and a sense of aliveness. Just remember, no one comes into their own doing whatever everyone else does. Your artful approach will set you apart in the best way.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your work will be better for the obstacles you face today. A lull will give you the chance to consider the part that you usually do automatically. This is just what you need to make things better than ever.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You want a feeling you felt before, but for some reason it’s not there. Don’t force it. This is the new you, not the old you, and you are sensitive in other ways you have yet to learn about.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It’s nice to have assistance and support, but if you don’t get it today, you’ll get something even better. You’ll learn what you’re made of. You’ll dig deeper for your own true grit, which is the abiding resource that will never leave you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The French culinary term “mise en place” will apply to your current project. Get all the elements ready for use. In cooking it means peeling, cutting and measuring your ingredients, but for your current project it’s readying other resources, including your team.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your imagination is active and responsive. You’ll gather a subtle impression from a situation, then let intuition guide your decisions without overanalyzing. The day will arrange itself in supportive ways.
TODAY’SBIRTHDAY (Jan. 22). It will be fun to know you inspire envy along with the other benefits your hard work reels in this Year of the Big Finish. You’ll be crossing the metaphorical finish line with several projects and goals, and the prize comes in money and position, hearts won and security attained. More highlights: cash through something simple, fun gatherings and beautifully supportive friendships. Aries and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 38, 42, 11, 4 and 18.
SALT LAKE CITY ― The Flyers were in control until they weren’t.
After ending a six-game losing streak on Monday, and snapping the Vegas Golden Knights’ seven-game winning streak in the process, they lost to the Utah Mammoth, 5-4, in overtime on Wednesday.
The Flyers had a 3-0 lead early in the second and led by two going into the final frame. It was only the fourth time after leading after two periods that they did not come out victorious.
Clayton Keller scored in overtime from the slot after he tied the game with 35 seconds left in regulation during a six-on-five situation.
The Utah captain tied the game when he knocked a bouncing puck away from Travis Sanheim. Keller skated around the defenseman, cut across the crease, and backhanded one over Sam Ersson. On the game-winner, Travis Konecny lost the puck deep in the Utah zone to Dylan Guenther, who carried it up the ice and eventually fed Keller for the shot.
Philly had chances to extend its lead several times, with Owen Tippett ringing one off the post after a sick dangle with 5 minutes, 55 seconds left, and Garnet Hathaway with the puck on his stick and skating in alone toward an empty net with just under 1:30 to play. But Hathaway didn’t pull the trigger fast enough and had his pocket picked by Nick Schmaltz.
It was a stinging loss as the Flyers led the game just 30 seconds in.
Defenseman Cam York slammed home the rebound on a turnaround shot by Sanheim. The goal came off sustained pressure by the defensive pair with the line of Christian Dvorak, Konecny, and Trevor Zegras, with the latter two using the boards before Konecny fed Sanheim.
The goal was York’s fourth of the season, tying his total from last year across 66 games.
Just over four minutes later, the Flyers were up 2-0 for the first time since Jan. 4 against the Edmonton Oilers. The Flyers broke out of their own end with Noah Juulsen sending an outlet pass up in the air to Konecny at center ice.
Konecny knocked the puck down and led Dvorak with the pass and he took off. The center skated between the defense, cut across the crease, and put the puck around the right pad of Karel Vejmelka.
The Flyers took a 3-0 lead with a power-play goal 58 seconds into the second period. After a clean zone entry, the unit of Zegras, Konecny, Jamie Drysdale, and Bobby Brink got to work.
Zegras and Drysdale played catch above the circles before Zegras put a shot on goal from inside the blue line. Brink had been in the bumper but then rotated into the left circle before dropping down and burying the rebound on Zegras’ shot.
The goal was Brink’s 12th of the season, tying his career high set last season.
Utah started to pick up its game after a hard and borderline high hit by Liam O’Brien on Tippett in the neutral zone. Initially, the referees called a major penalty, but after a video review, ruled that it did not warrant a penalty. Tippett left the game but returned to the bench later in the second period.
The Mammoth then scored two quick goals 36 seconds apart, the first by JJ Peterka and the second by Lawson Crouse.
On the goal by Peterka, there was a scramble at the side of the net, and he jammed in the loose puck. The Crouse goal came after Sean Durzi’s shot went off the stick of Brink, and Emil Andrae couldn’t handle the bobbling puck. Crouse knocked it away from the Flyers defenseman, and Schmaltz fed Crouse for the quick snapshot.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet called a timeout to settle down his club, and it worked.
The Orange and Black had some chances, and then Dvorak added his second of the night with a power-play goal. He got the puck in the neutral zone, gained the zone, and fired a wrister from the right circle. Vejmelka couldn’t control the rebound, and Dvorak knocked the follow-up in.
With his second multigoal game of the season, Dvorak now has 12 goals, tying his total last season with the Montreal Canadiens. His career high is 18 set in 2019-20.
Utah cut it to a one-goal game with 7:13 left when Barrett Hayton deflected a Guenther shot from the left circle on a power play past Ersson. The Mammoth had the man advantage after Juulsen dropped the gloves with Jack McBain and got an extra two minutes for roughing. Juulsen went after McBain, who ran over Drysdale.
Breakaways
Making the start for the second straight game — the first time since Dec. 18-20 — Ersson stopped 22 of 27 shots. … Forward Carl Grundström was a healthy scratch for the first time since entering the lineup on Dec. 9. In that 21-game span, he had seven goals and nine points. … Defenseman Hunter McDonald and forward Nic Deslauriers were also healthy scratches. … The Flyers extended their point streak to two games.
Up next
The Flyers head to Denver to face the NHL’s best team, the Colorado Avalanche — who have only five losses in regulation on the season — on Friday (9 p.m., NBCSP).
Jaeden Marshall’s 25 points off of the bench led La Salle to a 67-64 victory over Dayton on Wednesday.
Marshall shot 7 of 11 from the field, including 4-for-7 in three-pointers, and went 7-for-7 from the line for the Explorers (7-13, 3-4 Atlantic 10). Josiah Harris scored 10 points while shooting 4 of 7 from the field. Jerome Brewer Jr. had seven points, including two free throws with 21 seconds remaining.
Keonte Jones led the Flyers (14-5, 5-1) in scoring, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals. Dayton also got 11 points and five assists from Javon Bennett. Bryce Heard also had 10 points. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the Flyers.
Marshall scored 12 points in the first half for La Salle, which led 40-29 at the break. Marshall led La Salle with 13 points in the second.
The character Tracy, played by actor Samantha Cutaran, shows up to cover the unexpected success that the school has seen while operating out of an abandoned mall. (They were forced to relocate after Abbott’s furnace broke.)
Four weeks into the disruptive move, student grades begin improving and incidents go down.
“You’re changing the face of education,” Tracy tells the teachers. “So much so, we think this is worthy enough for the front page. You guys are rock stars!”
It would’ve been funny to see how each of these characters would act in an interview — Janine (creator Quinta Brunson) might be nervous about saying the wrong thing, Jacob (Chris Perfetti) would (hopefully) praise the free press, and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) would be skeptical and uncooperative — but the show cuts directly to the newspaper delivery. (Yes, we’re still in print!)
“Extra, extra, read all about … us!” says Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) as she drops the paper on a table.
Designed by Abbott Elementary’s props and production team, the mock front page pictures the teachers and principal Ava (Janelle James) surrounded by students with the headline, “Do schools even need schools?”
A mock front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer as seen in Season 5 of ‘Abbott Elementary.’
Janine is thrilled that the article includes her quote, “Teaching is fun.”
“Did they use mine?” Melissa asks. “‘The Giants suck.’ Is that in there?”
(Sadly, it’s not.)
The reporter, in her objectivity, excluded that insight (no matter how many real readers would agree), but Melissa is still impressed.
“The Schemmenti family name on the front page,” she says, “and nowhere does it say ‘evasion, tax, or conviction.’”
The Inquirer calls the Abbott crew “heroes” for the work they have done, drumming up positive press for the school district and leading Scholastic to donate new school supplies.
But the excitement peters out when the shrewd guidance counselor (Marcella Arguello) points out that the school district continues to be vague whenever the teachers ask when they’ll be returning to Abbott. The students are performing so well, she reminds them, so there’s “no sense of urgency.”
They later discover that the district has pulled Abbott’s construction crew to address facility problems at other schools.
It’s not all bad news, though: While the rest of Abbott Elementary was caught up with The Inquirer (we love that for us), Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) clashed with the new janitor who was sent to help him clean the massive mall. Miss Carroll is played by newcomer Khandi Alexander.
“I may be old-fashioned, but women have no business cleaning,” Mr. Johnson tells the camera. “You ask me? They need to get back to where they belong — in the Wall Street board room and coaching in the NFL.”
William Stanford Davis (Mr. Johnson), Tyler James Williams (Gregory Eddie), and Quinta Brunson (Janine Teagues) in “Abbott Elementary.”
The feud doesn’t last as the two bond over using the same homemade cleaning solution. It’s a sweet turn for the mysterious Mr. Johnson; audiences have heard many tales of his backstories, from being a Jill Scott stalker to a member of the Mafia, but he hasn’t yet had a romance plot.
Until this episode, that is.
Mr. Johnson’s odd jobs — some 400 before he came to Abbott — are part of the fun for Davis.
“I’m always surprised at what they want me to do, and I try to embrace that and have as much fun with it as I can,” said the actor in a recent interview with The Inquirer.
Davis himself has worked his fair share of odd jobs, throughout his career, like DJing a country western radio station, driving a limousine, cooking at a truck stop, and other “survival gigs,” as he calls them.
“I try to bring those real-life experiences to Mr. Johnson, because they weren’t all very pleasant either, but it helps me to continue to develop this character,” said Davis.
“As an actor, you’re supposed to be able to play everything that a human being can be, and so I try to connect to Mr. Johnson’s truth, even though his truth is a little stranger than most people’s … He’s an honest, living, breathing human being. He’s just a little different than everyone else, and he’s a little smarter than everyone else.”
There is one job that Davis hopes the writers will work into Mr. Johnson’s lore: “I’m waiting on them to make me an astronaut.”
A 60-year-old man has been accused through an indictment of drugging and sexually molesting two men who at different times rented a room from him at his home, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said Wednesday.
Craig M. Cardella, of Mansfield Township, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday at his arraignment in Superior Court in Mount Holly. He was charged by indictment in December with multiple counts of kidnapping, aggravated criminal sexual contact, and related offenses.
Robert M. Perry, Cardella’s lawyer, declined to comment Wednesday evening.
The charges involved two victims during separate time periods, Bradshaw said.
In late 2024, a man renting a room from Cardella contacted Mansfield Township police and said he awakened at night to find Cardella in bed with him, holding a mask over his mouth and nose and touching him sexually, Bradshaw said.
A search warrant was obtained for Cardella’s home and a safe was discovered in a closet that contained two bottles of chloroform, along with prescription sleep medication, medical masks, a camcorder and digital storage devices, Bradshaw said.
Prosecutors allege that Cardella used the chloroform to prevent his victims from waking while they were being molested.
Anyone who believes they were victimized by Cardella can contact Detective Ken Allen at allen@mansfieldpd.org.
Former Phillies pitcher Ranger Suárez took the podium in a Red Sox jersey for the first time Wednesday when he was officially introduced at Fenway Park.
The 30-year-old Suárez, who signed with the Phillies as a 16-year-old from Venezuela and developed into an All-Star and key rotation piece, departed in free agency this winter. His five-year, $130 million contract with the Red Sox became official Wednesday.
When prompted by a reporter at his introductory news conference, Suárez clarified the traditional Spanish pronunciation of his first name.
“My name is actually [Rahn-HER], but however you guys want to address me, [RAYN-jurr] is how most people do, so I’m comfortable with either,” he said through an interpreter.
Throughout his tenure with the Phillies, Suárez was typically referred to with an Anglicized pronunciation of his first name. His walk-out song, “Mr. Rager” by Kid Cudi, was even a nod to it.
The left-hander also expressed excitement about joining the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. He said he rooted for Boston as a child in Venezuela.
“Since I was a little kid, when we would watch baseball on TV, what would be on was Red Sox-Yankees,” Suárez said. “And everyone was going for the Yankees and I asked, ‘Why is no one going for Boston?’ And that’s where the interest started.”
