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  • Phillies sign outfielder Adolis García to one-year deal

    Phillies sign outfielder Adolis García to one-year deal

    At a time when righty-hitting outfielders with power are in short supply across baseball, the Phillies will wager on a onetime postseason star to have a bounce-back season.

    The Phillies signed free-agent outfielder Adolis Garcia to a one-year contract, which major league sources said is for $10 million. The deal was reported first Monday by Beisbol FG.

    García, 32, is expected to replace Nick Castellanos in right field. The Phillies intend to trade or release Castellanos, who is owed $20 million in 2026 but lost his everyday job in August amid declining performance and clashes with manager Rob Thomson.

    Adolis García could be the new Nick Castellanos, and he looks the part. Uncomfortably so.

    The Phillies’ signing of García comes 361 days after an identical one-year, $10 million free-agent deal with outfielder Max Kepler.

    It represents a similar bet, too.

    García, who will be 33 next season and played for the Rangers since 2020, wasn’t tendered a contract last month after batting .225/.278/.397 with a 96 OPS-plus over the last two years. He was projected to make $12.1 million in salary arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

    Adolis García had a 30.3% strikeout rate last season with the Rangers.

    In particular, García struggled to make contact, with a 30.3% whiff rate last season and 33.6% the year before. For context, Castellanos had a 29.9% whiff rate last season and 30.1% in 2024. García’s bat speed has also dipped in the last two years.

    But when García connects, he still hits the ball hard. He ranked in the 89th percentile among all hitters last season in average exit velocity (92.1 mph), which mirrored his mark from 2023 when he smashed 39 homers and had a 127 OPS-plus, career-best totals. García also batted .323 with eight homers in the 2023 postseason and was MVP of the American League Championship Series en route to helping the Rangers win the World Series.

    The Phillies will count on hitting coach Kevin Long to bring about a revival for García. And maybe he will benefit from hitting in Citizens Bank Park.

    The Phillies intend to move on from Nick Castellanos. But will they find a trade match?

    Even if García’s decline at the plate continues, he figures to be a massive defensive upgrade in right field. Known for his elite arm strength, García tied for third among all outfielders with 16 defensive runs saved above average and was a Gold Glove finalist. He won a Gold Glove in 2023.

    Castellanos rated among the worst defenders at any position last season, 11 runs saved below average, according to Sports Info Solutions. His offense is in a three-year decline (OPS-plus: 112, 104, 88 over the last three years). And Thomson benched him in June in Miami for insubordination in the dugout after being removed for defense in the ninth inning.

    Even with Castellanos, the Phillies, like many teams, looked everywhere in recent years in search of righty-hitting outfield help. After committing to Johan Rojas as a rookie in 2023, they traded for Austin Hays and Harrison Bader on back-to-back July deadlines.

    Last winter, the available righty-hitting outfield options were so scarce that the Phillies signed lefty-swinging Kepler, who batted .216/.300/.391 with 18 homers and an 88 OPS-plus. And although president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has defended Kepler’s season, he also said multiple times that the Phillies would not re-sign him.

    Adolis Garcia has 44 homers over the last two seasons, 10th among all righty-hitting outfielders in baseball.

    The scarcity of righty-hitting outfielders was evident earlier in the offseason, when the Orioles traded a pitcher with four years of team control (Grayson Rodriguez) to the Angels for Taylor Ward, a corner outfielder entering his last year before free agency.

    García ranks 10th among all righty-hitting outfielders with 44 homers over the last two seasons.

    “There’s just a lot more left-handed hitters nowadays than there are right-handed hitters, for whatever reason,” Dombrowski said last week. “We’ll talk about something that comes up, and I’ll say, ‘Yeah, but that’s a left-handed hitter again.’”

    The Phillies are sticking with a veteran core in 2026. But this time the kids have to play too.

    García’s presence in right field likely means top prospect Justin Crawford will play center with Brandon Marsh in left, at least against right-handed pitching. The Phillies could still add a righty-hitting outfielder, or open the door again to Rojas, to share time with Marsh.

    García’s contract will boost the Phillies’ 2026 payroll commitments to approximately $295 million, as calculated for the luxury tax. That figure includes Castellanos’ salary. If the Phillies are able to trade him, they almost certainly will have to swallow all or most of the $20 million.

    Kyle Schwarber found his way back to the Phillies, and he hopes J.T. Realmuto does the same

    The Phillies still hope to bring back free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, which would put them in range with their final 2025 payroll figure of roughly $312 million.

    During the winter meetings last week in Orlando, rival team officials painted the Phillies as interested in trading from the major league roster to create payroll space to add in other areas, including the outfield and bullpen. They remain interested in re-signing Bader, although he’s believed to be seeking to parlay a career-best season at the plate into a three-year contract.

    It’s possible, then, that García will represent the Phillies’ biggest outfield addition.

  • Philly roads will be closed for Highway Patrol Officer Andy Chan’s funeral

    Philly roads will be closed for Highway Patrol Officer Andy Chan’s funeral

    Philadelphia roads will be closed Monday and Tuesday for the funeral services of Highway Patrol Officer Andy Chan.

    Several streets in the Callowhill, Chinatown, and Center City neighborhoods will begin closing Monday evening for a first viewing, with additional roads closing Tuesday for the second viewing and funeral.

    Chan, 55, who suffered a critical brain injury six years ago in a motorcycle crash on his way to work, died Dec. 2. Since the crash, the 24-year police veteran had required around-the-clock care. His fellow officers fundraised for his medical expenses.

    A viewing will be held Monday at Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church, 915 Vine St., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The second viewing will be held Tuesday at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, 1723 Race St., from 8:15 a.m. to 10:40 a.m., with the funeral following directly after.

    Highway Patrolman Andy Chan (l) at the promotional ceremony of his old partner Sgt. Kyle Cross.

    Road closures

    Drivers should avoid the areas listed, use alternate routes, and expect delays.

    These streets will be closed at 4 p.m. Monday and will reopen at the conclusion of the viewing procession:

    • Ridge Avenue between Wood Street and Hamilton Street 
    • Vine Street (westbound) between Eighth and 10th Streets
    • 10th Street between Hamilton and Vine Streets
    • Ninth Street between Callowhill and Wood Streets
    • Callowhill Street between Eighth and 11th Streets
    • Wood Street between Ninth and 10th Streets

    These streets will close at 5 a.m. Tuesday and will reopen at the conclusion of the service:

    • 18th Street between the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Vine Street

    These streets will close at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and will reopen at the conclusion of the procession:

    • 15th Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill Streets
    • Broad Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill Streets
    • Callowhill Street between Broad and 17th Streets
    • 17th Street between Callowhill and Benjamin Franklin Parkway

    These streets will close at 6 a.m. Tuesday and will reopen at the conclusion of the service:

    • Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 16th and 22nd Streets
    • Vine Street between Logan Circle and 16th Street
    • Race Street between 16th and 18th Streets
    • 17th Street between Vine Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
    • 19th Street between Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Cherry Street

    Additional streets near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Eakins Oval may be closed or detoured.

    Parking restrictions

    Parking is not allowed on the streets listed above during the designated times. “Temporary No Parking” signs are displayed along the streets.

    Vehicles parked in these zones during the posted hours will be relocated. The Inquirer has a guide on what to do if your vehicle is “courtesy towed.”

    Public transportation

    SEPTA Bus detours will be in place, according to the city, but SEPTA has not shared these details yet. Get live service updates at septa.org.

  • Bucks man admits to killing his mother and hiding her corpse under furniture and garbage

    Bucks man admits to killing his mother and hiding her corpse under furniture and garbage

    A Northampton Township man who beat his elderly mother to death and hid her body in a pile of furniture and garbage, pleaded guilty to the slaying Monday.

    William Ingram, 51, entered a plea to third-degree murder and related crimes for killing his 82-year-old mother, Dolores, as well as drug crimes for running a sizable marijuana and psilocybin mushroom-distribution business out of the condo they shared.

    In a deal negotiated with Bucks County prosecutors, Ingram avoided a trial on charges of first-degree murder, and the potential it carries for life in prison.

    Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc Furber said that negotiation included an agreed-upon sentence of 26 to 54 years in state prison for murder, abuse of corpse, and related crimes. But Ingram’s sentencing for the drug crimes will be up to the discretion of Common Pleas Judge Stephen Corr at a hearing in February.

    Ingram’s attorney, Riley Downs, said Ingram suffers from a schizoaffective disorder, which is being treated and managed through medication while he’s incarcerated.

    During his plea before Corr, Ingram admitted to the murder but initially seemed confused about some of the details.

    Investigators said that after beating his mother in the head on June 16, 2024, Ingram left behind a chaotic and gruesome crime scene, with blood spattered throughout the home’s living room.

    Ingram buried her body under a mountain of detritus, including a shattered aquarium that once housed his two pet lizards, which police found dead nearby.

    Police found $53,000 among the items piled on top of the victim, as well as six pounds of marijuana and packaged psylocibin mushrooms. More drugs and paraphernalia, including cases of marijuana vapes, hash, and edibles, were found in Ingram’s bedroom.

    A handwritten note advertised the prices for each item, according to Furber, the prosecutor.

    Ingram stole his mother’s Honda Civic and fled Bucks County, driving four hours south to Washington, D.C.

    Just before 1 a.m. the next day, police said, Ingram, wearing no clothes, approached a police officer sitting in a patrol car and used a skateboard to smash the car’s front passenger window. When the officer confronted him, he grabbed the officer, according to police. The officer pushed Ingram away, and he ran off.

    Other officers caught up to Ingram about a half-mile away and took him into custody. He was charged with assaulting a police officer and destruction of property and was taken into custody.

    While being questioned by police, Ingram admitted to killing his mother hours earlier after he said she hit him in the face, Furber said Monday.

    He told the officers he left her body in their home.

    “There’s tons of stuff thrown all over the place, I don’t know what the [expletive] I threw. … there’s blood, just a big mess,” Ingram said, according to court filings.

  • How Rob Reiner’s career kicked off in New Hope and what we know about his death

    How Rob Reiner’s career kicked off in New Hope and what we know about his death

    Before he came to be a beloved actor on All in the Family or celebrated for directing hits like The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally, Rob Reiner was just a teenager training in New Hope, Pa.

    The late filmmaker — who was found dead alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, on Sunday in their Los Angeles home — got his start at the Bucks County Playhouse.

    In a 2016 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Reiner said his senior year at Beverly Hills High School sparked a career path in acting because drama class felt “familiar and comfortable.”

    After graduating at 17, he apprenticed at the Playhouse in 1964. As noted by Philadelphia Magazine, the Playhouse was one of a short list of regional theaters where Broadway plays would be workshopped. In turn, a lot of famous — or in Reiner’s case, soon-to-be famous — people came to New Hope, including Liza Minnelli and Robert Redford.

    Reiner’s time working on shows as a Playhouse Apprentice meant he rubbed elbows with Alan Alda, Merv Griffin, and Shelly Berman, a spokesperson said. It was the same year Minelli appeared at the Playhouse and Arthur Godfrey was in Our Town.

    “Reiner mentioned often his gratitude for the training he received on our stage, and his fondness for his time in New Hope,” Bucks County Playhouse producing director Alexander Fraser said. “He joins Grace Kelly, Jessica Walter, Robert Redford, Richard Kind and many others in using their experience as an apprentice in launching remarkable careers.”

    Here’s what else we know about the deaths of the Reiners.

    The Reiners were celebrated within the film industry and beyond

    Reiner was long considered one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and 90s, including This is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally, and The Princess Bride.

    His role as Meathead in Norman Lear’s 1970s TV classic All in the Family, alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.

    The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally and had three children together.

    The couple continued to collaborate on both film and advocacy projects. In 1997, they founded the I Am Your Child Foundation for early childhood development. In 2004, they established the Parents’ Action for Children nonprofit focused on public policy and early learning initiatives.

    Reiner was regarded as a liberal activist and praised for his work as a cofounder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which initiated the court challenge against California Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state.

    The couple was found dead in their home and a homicide investigation is underway

    A spokesperson for the couple confirmed the Reiners’ death to reporters.

    Police said they were investigating the case as an apparent homicide after a family member discovered them dead. The couple had stab wounds.

    As of Monday morning, the couple’s son, Nick Reiner, 32, was in custody on unspecified felony charges. His bail is set at $4 million, records show.

    Tributes are pouring in for the Reiners

    Tributes for the Reiners have been pouring in across Hollywood and beyond.

    Relatives of Norman Lear, the legendary producer who died in 2023, released a statement about Lear’s relationship with Rob Reiner.

    “Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” the statement said. “Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends.”

    The Obama family released a tribute praising the couple’s art and advocacy work.

    “Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose,” Barack Obama’s statement said. “They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired.”

    Kathy Bates, who starred in Misery, the thriller directed by Rob Reiner and based on Stephen King’s writing, released a statement.

    She praised the late director as “brilliant and kind” and someone who “fought courageously for his political beliefs.” She also highlighted Singer Reiner‘s photography work, including promotional photographs for Misery.

    King posted a tribute on X, calling Reiner a “brilliant filmmaker.”

    President Donald Trump criticized for his remarks about Reiner’s death

    President Donald Trump wrote a statement about Reiner’s death in a post on Truth Social that has been classified as “incendiary,” “deranged,” and “inappropriate” by reports and critics — including GOP members.

    The long-winded statement suggested Reiner and Singer Reiner’s death arose from “Trump derangement syndrome.”

    Rep. Don Bacon, R-NE, tells me, regarding the president‘s truth social post about the Reiners being murdered,”I’d expect to hear something like this from a drunk guy at a bar, not the President of the United States. Can the President be presidential?”

    [image or embed]

    — Jake Tapper, long-suffering Philly sports fan (@jaketapper.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 12:26 PM

    Reiner, who was known for his liberal activism, often publicly criticized Trump and his policies.

    Trump continued in his post, “[Reiner] was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump.”

    Republican lawmakers including Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Trump’s statement Monday morning in X posts, calling him out of line.

    The Associated Press contributed to this article.

  • How Pennsylvanians really feel about AI data centers, according to a new survey

    How Pennsylvanians really feel about AI data centers, according to a new survey

    Data center opponents outnumber supporters in Southeast Pennsylvania, according to a recent survey from Real Clear Politics and Emerson College.

    Overall, however, the poll found that Pennsylvanians have mixed opinions on artificial intelligence and the data centers that power AI tools.

    Several such centers have recently been proposed in the Philadelphia area, and some of them have been met with neighborhood pushback.

    Amazon is building a 2-million-square-foot data center in Falls Township, Bucks County. A 1.3-million-square-foot data center is proposed at the former Pennhurst State School and Hospital in East Vincent Township, Chester County. And near Conshohocken, plans for a 2-million-square-foot data center had to be withdrawn over legal issues, but can be resubmitted at any time.

    More than 150 data centers already exist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to Data Center Map, which tracks the facilities nationwide, but not all of them fuel AI.

    Human reporters explain why AI data centers are so controversial in the Philly suburbs and beyond

    According to the new survey, 38% of all Pennsylvanians support data centers being built in the Commonwealth, while 35% oppose, and 27% are neutral or have no opinion. But when asked about data centers being built in their area, residents’ opposition grows: 34% support, 42% oppose, and 24% are neutral or have no opinion about centers being built in or near their communities.

    And opposition to close-to-home data center construction is among the strongest in the southeast part of Pennsylvania, second only to opposition in the northeast, a hot spot for data center construction. In Southeast Pennsylvania, 45% of respondents strongly or somewhat oppose data centers, while 54% strongly or somewhat oppose them in the northeast.

    Among Pennsylvanians’ worries about data centers, 70% are concerned about the amount of water data centers use, and 71% are concerned about the amount of electricity data centers use.

    Edmund J. Campbell, attorney for developer Brian O’Neill, spoke to the Plymouth Township zoning board in November before abruptly withdrawing the application for a Conshohocken-area data center over legal issues. Residents, some of whom had rallied against the proposal, packed the room.

    Seventy percent of Pennsylvanians strongly or somewhat support requiring data centers to provide their own energy generation, rather than get electricity from the grid.

    When it comes to AI more broadly, just over half of Pennsylvanians told pollsters they believe AI will decrease the number of available jobs in their industry, while 16% said they think it will increase the number of jobs (29% said they thought it would have no impact).

    Nearly twice as many residents think AI will have a net negative impact on the economy compared to how many think it will have a positive impact (48% said negative, 25% said positive). When respondents were asked about the environment, the results were similar (46% vs. 21%).

    The survey of 2,000 Pennsylvania adults was conducted online and via text between Nov. 19 and 23.

  • Jalen Hurts makes a statement, the NFC is wide open for the taking, and what else they’re saying about the Eagles

    Jalen Hurts makes a statement, the NFC is wide open for the taking, and what else they’re saying about the Eagles

    It feels good to play a week of football where the Eagles aren’t the number one topic of the national conversation, doesn’t it?

    But some in the national media still had things to say about the Birds after they snapped a three-game losing streak with a 31-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders …

    Injuries catching up with rest of NFC

    The Eagles aren’t out of the woods offensively, even after delivering against a weak Raiders team. But with the Cowboys’ loss to the Vikings, the Eagles are just one win or Cowboys loss away from clinching a playoff berth — and becoming the first team to repeat as NFC East champs in 20 years.

    But what Week 15 showcased for former Eagle Chris Long is that the NFL is wide-open this season. The Eagles still have work to do, but they’re not the only contender with issues.

    “If you’re the Eagles, you kind of feel like, if we can get our [expletive] together, the Rams … might have lost Davante Adams for a little bit … Green Bay’s lost Micah [Parsons], Christian Watson, Tucker Kraft, these are tough injuries to overcome for these other teams,” Long said.

    The Eagles can still get to the Super Bowl, but only if their defense drags them there

    Eagles are ‘in a good spot right now’

    Were the Eagles the biggest winners in Week 15? Damien Woody said on ESPN’s Get Up that he thinks so.

    “Obviously, you win the game against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, but the Dallas Cowboys lost, and you look at some of the other losses in the conference,” Woody said. “If you’re Philadelphia, you come out of this week thinking, if we get our offense back on track and these other teams lose, we’re still in a good spot right now.”

    The Birds are one game back of the Bears for second in the NFC and two games back of the Rams, with the easiest remaining schedule of the three. It’s extremely unlikely that the Birds could secure the bye at this point, but second in the NFC is still very much in play.

    NFL playoff picture: Eagles No. 1 seed scenarios, Chiefs eliminated, two teams clinch
    Jalen Hurts was incredibly efficient against the Raiders, throwing as many touchdowns (3) as incompletions.

    Hurts ‘had a statement to make’

    After a career-worst performance against the Chargers, Jalen Hurts needed a game like Sunday’s against Las Vegas. Hurts went 12-for-15 for 175 yards and three touchdowns, and was out of the game by the fourth quarter.

    Emmanuel Acho said on Speakeasy that he wasn’t ready to say Hurts was fully back, given the opponent, but was encouraged that the Eagles took care of business instead of falling into the trap.

    “The Eagles played the second-fastest game in NFL history against the Raiders,” Acho said. “Here’s why that matters, you got in, you got out, you got on with your life. You did what you needed to do and you did it efficiently.”

    ‘That was amazing:’ Return of Jalen Hurts as a runner — and run-heavy offense — is the Eagles’ winning formula

    Former Eagle LeSean McCoy was also impressed with Hurts’ performance.

    “I don’t want to say he’s silenced all doubt because it is this Vegas team, but it’s the way he looked,” McCoy said. “He looked really, really good, he looked really confident, like he had a statement to make.”

  • Enough with the holiday bars

    Enough with the holiday bars

    ‘Tis the season of spiked hot cocoa in novelty glassware and donning Christmas sweaters before waiting in line to take Instagram photos.

    The holiday bars are back, baby. And this year, they’re making me feel like the Grinch.

    Holiday bars typically run from the weekend after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve, and Philly has no shortage of them. This season brings pop-ups that serve cocktails inside snowmen-shaped mug, a mini-golf course with a greased North Pole, and a slew of Santa impersonators looking to make some extra cash.

    And cash they will make: Holiday pop-ups can give bars and restaurants an extra leg up during what already is the busiest time of year, with the most successful — such as New York City’s Miracle on 9th Street — spawning lucrative franchise opportunities. Sometimes, however, they yield more coal than Christmas magic, like when drunk St. Nick impersonators spill into the street at the end of the annual SantaCon bar crawl.

    Philly is in festive mode: The holiday bars are here.

    Holiday bars have always struck me as late-stage capitalism holly jolly-ified, because they commodify something as simple (and cheap!) as the joy of drinking with your friends in December.

    Despite this, I have a soft spot for them. I love taking in the slightly tacky displays and sipping on a sugary cocktail from a novelty glass that I’ll pay extra to take home. There’s also something magical about the tipsy train ride home that comes after, where my friends and I crack enough jokes to turn an overrated experience into one we end up doing annually.

    Christmas lights hang from the bar inside the Emo Christmas pop-up inside foundation at 699 N. Broad Street.

    This season feels different to me . One bar has ruined it for the rest by stripping away the whimsy and up-charging for something more nefarious: A holiday bar distilled down to its barest elements — gimmicky cocktails and Hobby Lobby discount-bin decor held together by a barely-there theme. There’s no sentiment behind the displays of miniature nutcrackers and colorfully wrapped (empty) gift boxes, just profit motive.

    The batch’s most egregious offender is the Emo Christmas bar pop-up that runs through Dec. 28 at Foundation., an event space beneath the Divine Lorraine on North Broad Street. It’s hosted by Bucket Listers, an New York City-based company that puts on limited-run events in cities across the U.S., from a Christmas Bar co-signed by Mariah Carey in Los Angeles to a murder-mystery dinner series in Miami.

    In Philly, Bucket Listers’ track record is mixed: When I attended their cereal-themed pop-up bar in March, plastic bowls of resin Fruit Loops fell from the photo wall. But I had also won putt-putt at this year’s Christmas collaboration with Libertee Grounds (the second of Bucket Listers’ three holiday pop-ups), where the mini-golf course was decked out in Philly-centric holiday decor, like a sleigh covered in Philadelphia Parking Authority tickets.

    The Taking Back Christmas welcome cocktail (left) and the I’m Not Okay cocktail (right) sit in front of an Emo Santa Claus at the Bucket Listers’ Christmas pop-up at Foundation.

    So when I learned before Thanksgiving that Bucket Listers was hosting an Emo Christmas pop-up, I was undeterred by any red flags. I love Christmas, and I spent high school on the outskirts of a clique of emo teens, cool enough to partake in My Chemical Romance listening sessions but not cool enough to vape with. If I was going to love a holiday bar, it should’ve been this one.

    A poser bar that preys on nostalgia

    I paid $57.20, after fees, for two Friday night tickets to Emo Christmas. The cost included one welcome cocktail per ticket, but, as I would later learn, any drinks or food beyond that would be pay-as-you-go.

    The only thing that’s punk rock about Bucket Listers’ Emo Christmas bar is that it doesn’t care about first impressions.

    The decorations feel half-baked, amounting to fake Christmas trees and a trio of full-sized nutcrackers that had black Sharpie smeared under their eyes to mimic eyeliner. Across from them stood a mannequin dressed as Santa, with swide-swept fringe bangs so you know he’s emo. Like everything else in the bar, he smelled lightly of kitchen grease.

    I was shut out of the city’s holiday bars. Here’s how to get a seat.

    Each Bucket Listers pop-up is clearly designed as Instagram bait, as evidenced by the influencers that post about each one. Yet the space is too dim to take any photos. The only lights in the room emanated from the Christmas trees or red-tinted neon signs with phrases that no one has ever uttered seriously, such as “happy holidays, you bastard.”

    Christmas stockings hanging on the wall at the Bucket Lister’s Emo Christmas bar Philly pop-up. One honoring Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker has his name misspelled.

    It’s clear the space was decorated by posers. The back wall is covered in Christmas stockings labeled in chicken-scratch with the names of so-called pop-punk greats: Brendon Urie, Pete Wentz, and my personal favorite, Tavis B., a misspelled bastardization of Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker.

    I cringed, and cringed again while skimming the food and drink menus, which read as a list of poorly constructed puns. There’s the Panic! at the Pizza Bites (deep-fried pockets of sausage and cheese) and the Blink Wing82, which come in sets of six with either Buffalo sauce or dry rub. The most unfunny is the Still Into-fu, a tofu hoagie on a long roll named after “Still into You,” a pop love song from Paramore.

    My friend had already sent of photo of the menu to be flamed by her groupchat. “The obvious choice is Panic! At the Disco Fries,” she read from her phone. “BlinkWing182? All the Small Wings is right there.”

    An unexpected silver lining was our bartender. A true elder emo, he led with apathy, dodging questions about what’s good on the menu and the decorations with a shrug and a simple answer: “I don’t know. I just work here.”

    Buffalo cauliflower, pizza bites, and a slider from the Bucket Lister’s Emo Christmas Bar pop-up in Philly. Tickets start at $16.00 and do not include food or drink beyond a welcome cocktail.

    The bartender’s eyes roll while squeezing black food coloring into the aptly named I’m Not Okay, a vodka-club soda cocktail zhuzhed up with a whisper of blackberry. By the time he got to my Mezcal Confessional, he was was over it, leaving out the orange bitters to serve me a clear glass of mezcal spiked with brown sugar.

    Not that it mattered. Both drinks tasted like rubbing alcohol despite being made with completely different spirits. That’s a first — a Christmas bar where the drinks aren’t sweet enough. We toasted to the bartender’s commitment to the bit while an overdramatic ennui overtook me.

    I felt like I was taken for a ride, and not one on Santa’s sleigh.

    Christmas trees decorate the dimly lit seating area inside the Bucket Listers’ Emo Christmas Bar pop-up at Foundation.

    Emo Christmas preys on nostalgia. All holiday bars are designed to do this. Maybe the decor reminds you of a favorite window display from childhood or a scene from your guilty-pleasure Christmas movie. Or perhaps the peppermint espresso martini recalls the Schnapps you downed on your first pre-Thanksgiving Blackout Wednesday. The anticipation of it could even feel like waiting for a turn with mall Santa.

    I usually don’t mind paying extra for an experience like this. When done right, these bars conjure feelings that are more difficult to come by in adulthood: whimsy, silliness, glee.

    I came to Emo Christmas in search of all of those things. I left with none, only a check for $82.00 and a shriveled-up Grinch-sized heart.

  • Brandon Graham set the Eagles’ shutout tone Sunday; NFL’s injury epidemic changes the playoff picture

    Brandon Graham set the Eagles’ shutout tone Sunday; NFL’s injury epidemic changes the playoff picture

    Cooper DeJean committed two penalties on the same play in the first quarter Sunday. First, he held Tyler Lockett, then he pushed him, which drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. However, that was not the most important thing that happened on the play.

    In the backfield, 37-year-old unretired defensive end Brandon Graham, playing his second career game at defensive tackle due to depth issues, sacked Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett. It was about 25 degrees, it felt about 25-below, and the turf was as cold and as hard as Graham’s heart when it comes to quarterbacks.

    The penalties dulled the impact of the sack, but that sack changed the game.

    To that point, Pickett was 4-for-5 for 16 yards, plus an 8-yard scramble. The Raiders had gained 20 yards.

    They gained just 55 more yards all game as the Eagles secured their first shutout since Dec. 30, 2018. Graham was the only current Eagles defender to play in that game; the next afternoon, Pickett, a sophomore at Pitt, lost to Stanford in the Sun Bowl.

    After the Graham sack, Pickett looked like he wished he was back in El Paso. Pickett went 11-for-20 for 48 yards, with an interception, minus-1 rushing yard, and three more sacks. Every drop back, he’d glance at the coverage and then look for Graham & Co.

    “It was big, man,” Graham said. “Whenever we can hit the quarterback like that … you just abort the plan that you had.”

    Moro Ojomo sacked Pickett on the very next play.

    Graham later collected another sack on a day when he became the oldest Eagle in history to record a sack. They were his first and second since he returned to the field six games ago, when the Birds found themselves shorthanded at end. Now, in the absence of Jalen Carter, Graham, at 265 pounds, is playing tackle, to great effect.

    He was good at the Chargers last week, but he was great Sunday. It was his first game with at least two sacks since Jan. 1, 2023, against the Saints, which was Game 16 of the 2022 season.

    DeJean was grateful that, thanks to Graham laying wood while he was fouling Lockett, nothing much came of his penalty.

    “It had this, like, carryover effect,” DeJean said. “It gets into the mind of a quarterback, and we were just able to come after him.”

    Graham didn’t win every play. In fact, not only did Graham not see Zack Baun intercept Pickett’s pass early in the third quarter, he was rendered completely irrelevant.

    “Oh, my goodness,” Graham said after the game, shaking his head and smiling. “Oh, my goodness.”

    Graham had left the middle for one play and lined up on the left edge. There, he told tight end Michael Mayer, “You better not chip me!”

    Mayer chipped him as right tackle DJ Glaze blocked him.

    Graham wound up on his back.

    He was still there when Mayer, who’d raced across the field, tackled Baun.

    “I didn’t think he was going to chip me,” Graham said with a shrug. “He got me. But trust me, it looked worse than it felt.”

    Shutout football with two sacks at the age of 37 can be a powerful anesthetic.

    Injury earthquakes

    Micah Parsons is the Packers’ best defensive player. He entered Sunday’s game with 12½ sacks and a league-high 60 QB pressures, a brilliant return on the Packers’ investment. He cost the Pack two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark in a blockbuster trade with Dallas, then signed a four-year, $188 million contract extension.

    Then, Sunday. Parsons left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter just before the Broncos took the lead for good in their 34-26 win. Reports indicate that he has a torn ACL.

    The Packers’ Micah Parsons reacts after suffering a knee injury Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

    The loss dropped the Packers to 9-4-1, a half-game in the NFC North standings behind the 10-4 Bears — the team they visit Saturday night — but Green Bay leads the 9-5 Eagles, in case that matters. Parsons’ absence might matter more than anything. It would be like the Browns losing Myles Garrett, or maybe even like the Chiefs losing Patrick Mahomes.

    On that point …

    Mahomes left the Chiefs’ loss Sunday with a torn ACL. The Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention.

    So, suddenly, the best player on an elite NFC team is gone, and, while the return from an ACL injury can be as short at eight months, Parsons, a dynamic athlete who relies on speed, probably won’t be the same until 2027.

    Also, suddenly, the best player in the NFL over the last eight seasons on the best team in the NFL over the last eight seasons is gone, and, as perhaps the most effective mobile quarterback in history, Mahomes probably won’t be the same until 2027, either. Neither will the Chiefs.

    Finally, star wideout Davante Adams left the Rams’ comeback win against the visiting Lions when he aggravated a hamstring injury. Adams has 14 touchdown receptions, which leads the league by six. He’s seventh on the all-time TD catches list with 117, and he’s the active leader by 11. The Rams sit atop the NFC at 11-3, which might be enough to secure the No. 1 seed, but the impact of a diminished Adams could resonate in the playoffs.

    Philip Rivers gave the Colts a chance to win in Seattle but came up just short at age 44.

    Extra points

    The Cowboys’ home loss to the Vikings left them at 6-7-1 and essentially ended their hopes for a playoff berth. The Cowboys would have to win the NFC East, and to do that they’d have to go 3-0 and have the Eagles go 0-3. … Josh Allen led the Bills to five touchdowns and a third big comeback win, this time at New England, which kept the Patriots from clinching the AFC East. … Unretired grandfather Philip Rivers, signed by Indianapolis to replace injured Daniel Jones, threw a touchdown pass and an interception but the Colts (8-6) lost their fourth in a row when Seahawks kicker Jason Myers kicked his franchise-record sixth field goal, a 56-yarder in the final minute. Seattle, with quarterback Sam Darnold, is 11-3. … Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars (10-4) to a fifth straight win with a career-high five TD passes, ran for another, and has his team on top of the AFC South.

  • Flyers takeaways: Trevor Zegras on pace for a career season; Dan Vladař continues to be ‘amazing’

    Flyers takeaways: Trevor Zegras on pace for a career season; Dan Vladař continues to be ‘amazing’

    RALEIGH, N.C. — On Sunday night, the Flyers dropped their third straight game, and their third straight after regulation, with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

    Yes, it’s a losing streak, but the Flyers were facing the Eastern Conference’s best for the second straight night. And while things started slowly for Philly, it was able to find its footing and snag a point.

    Here are two players who played a big role.

    The Flyers’ Trevor Zegras has a four-game points streak.

    Storm front

    The Flyers may have been playing the Hurricanes, but there’s a storm front coming from Trevor Zegras. Acquired in June, the 24-year-old from New York is on pace to smash his career highs.

    Zegras is riding a four-game point streak (three goals, three assists) and has 13 goals and 32 points in 31 games. He has already tied his point total from last season in 57 games.

    If he maintains this pace, he will score 34 goals and 85 points. His career highs are 23 goals and 65 points, set in the 2022-23 season.

    Flyers drop second straight game to Hurricanes in 3-2 shootout loss

    Coach Rick Tocchet agreed that Zegras was one of the better players for the Flyers right from puck drop.

    “He wants the puck. He wants to make plays,” Tocchet said. “That’s what we want from him; he’s been doing it all year. And then when he gets the puck, he’s making plays through the middle of the ice, which is nice.”

    Trevor Zegras was very active around the Carolina Hurricanes’ net, and he finished with a goal and an assist.

    Zegras tied Nick Seeler for the team lead on Sunday with seven shot attempts. Although three missed the net and two shots were blocked, two more were on goal, with one finding the back of the net.

    That goal came in the last two minutes of the game to tie it up and force overtime. But it was one moment of many by Zegras that set the tone.

    In the first period, with the Flyers trailing 1-0 and having just one shot on goal, and on their second straight power play, Emil Andrae was struggling with Seth Jarvis deep in the Flyers’ zone.

    Zegras came over and followed one of the fundamentals when there is a man advantage: If you lose possession, you need two players on the puck. He threw a hit on Jarvis — just the 11th by the lithe forward this season — with Andrae squeezing him out on the other side, ending the Hurricanes forward’s possession.

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    It wasn’t the most altering moment of the game, but it seemed to say that it was time to end the Flyers’ poor play. And the Flyers did start to pick up the pace after that, powered by Zegras.

    “I mean, it’s a team game,” he said when asked about carrying the load. “It’s a team effort, especially if you’re talking power play. I definitely just try to do what I can to be the best for my teammates. But I mean, those guys were making plays all night.”

    According to Natural Stat Trick, Zegras had one rebound attempt and created another two, with one coming from Noah Cates atop the crease as the Flyers looked for the equalizer in the third period.

    He also led the team with six scoring chances. None came during five-on-five play. Most came during six-on-five action — the Flyers scored both goals at this strength, one on a delayed penalty and the second with the goalie pulled.

    After a slow start, the new power-play units started to gel with Zegras (4:47), Cates (4:22), Tippett (4:22), Drysdale (4:02), and Brink (3:55) getting the most time with the man advantage.

    Originally, with Andrae on the power play alongside Zegras, Cates, Bobby Brink, and Owen Tippett, the Flyers had one missed shot and two more blocked. But Tocchet moved Andrae off the unit — and also off the second pairing.

    “I thought Emil was struggling,” he said about Andrae being moved down to play with Noah Juulsen. “He’s been struggling the last couple of games; not struggling, but has been a little bit off. Just trying some different things.”

    Zegras’ old power-play buddy with the Anaheim Ducks, Jamie Drysdale, was moved to the unit, and things started to pick up. This unit had eight chances, including three shots on goal.

    “I think the power play was good tonight,” Zegras said. “I think we got some looks that we wanted to.

    “We had the prescout on their penalty kill for the last couple days, so we kind of knew what to expect, and just finally broke through on the six-on-five, which was good.”

    Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar made 30 saves against the Hurricanes on Sunday.

    Here I am

    In Star Wars: A New Hope, Darth Vader says, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” He’s a lot nicer than the villain, but Dan Vladař could probably say the same to those who doubted his signing in July.

    You cannot lay any blame at Vladař on the two goals he allowed to Carolina — one off a broken play and the other a deflection on a power play — but you can assuredly praise him for the 30 shots he bested.

    “He’s a stud,” Drysdale said. “There really is no other way around it. Both of our goalies have been great this year and really, really give us a chance. So that also instills a lot of confidence in our group, for sure.”

    The Carolina Hurricanes are known for shooting from everywhere, and they did that on Sunday.

    In the first period, he faced 14 shots on goal, nine in the second, seven in the third, and a pair in overtime. He got a lot of work in the opening 5 minutes, 44 seconds, facing eight shots on goal compared to zero for the Flyers.

    The Czech netminder, who should be getting a call soon to represent his country in the Olympics, was often spotted using his blocker. He stopped Jordan Martinook in the second period and then Carolina defenseman K’Andre Miller on a breakaway.

    “He’s amazing,” Zegras said. “He saved my butt a couple of times. But, I mean, it’s every night, right? You guys [the media] see it. It’s big saves, timely saves, saves that he shouldn’t even be making.”

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    And while the official play-by-play says Jackson Blake missed the net, it was Vladař’s patience and movement that forced the son of former New York Islander forward Jason Blake wide.

    According to Natural Stat Trick, 19 shots were low-danger shots — and Vladař stopped them all.

    “You look at their shots, their shots are from the corners and stuff like that, like they’re kind of cheap shots. So we’re not too worried about that,” said defenseman Cam York, who returned to the lineup after missing four games.

    “I think we’re worried about trying to make sure those aren’t Grade A chances. And, you know, Vladdy, he’s so good that he’s going to make those saves.”

  • Sixers takeaways: Paul George’s best game, Joel Embiid’s availability, and more from loss to the Hawks

    Sixers takeaways: Paul George’s best game, Joel Embiid’s availability, and more from loss to the Hawks

    ATLANTA — Paul George is moving well.

    Joel Embiid is making progress in his recovery.

    VJ Edgecombe showed why he needs to be more involved.

    The 76ers also had a tough time making key defensive stops. And when they finally did, they struggled to score late.

    These things stood out in their 120-117 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at State Farm Arena.

    George’s star shining bright

    This matchup might have been George’s best performance of the season, even after the versatility he displayed in Friday’s victory over the Indiana Pacers.

    Paul George shows signs of being the versatile difference-maker the Sixers expected last season

    Against the Hawks, George took his ballhandling, scoring, and defense to another level. He didn’t look like someone dealing with left knee injury management and appeared closer to the player the Sixers (14-11) gave a four-year, $211.5 million deal on July 6, 2024, to form a Big Three with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

    George finished with 35 points while making 7 of 10 three-pointers. The 6-foot-8 forward also had four rebounds, three assists, and one block. He scored nine of his points on 3-for-6 shooting, including both of his three-pointers, in the second quarter.

    “I’m getting more and more comfortable within the system, within the offense,” George said. “At that point, now, I can kind of just be myself. Just allow the game to come to me, find my moment. And be aggressive in those.”

    George scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter. Now healthier, the 35-year-old, who missed 56 games since the start of last season, is once again able to get by defenders.

    “Last year was a lot going on,” he said. “I was just trying to patch up stuff. This year, I’m a lot healthier. I’m able. I feel like I can play my game. I feel like I can be myself.

    “There’s still some things that got to come back. I’m not all the way [100%]. But I’m more myself than I was last year. So that’s the positive that I can take. And everything else is, with time, I’m just going to continue to get better.”

    Joel Embiid (left) had his first double-double of the season for the Sixers.

    Embiid ramping up

    At the start of the season, Embiid needed at least two full days in between games to play. For instance, if the Sixers center played on a Monday, he wouldn’t play again until Thursday of that week.

    But that changed on Sunday.

    Embiid was back on the court after scoring a season-high 39 points on Friday. After that game, the 2023 MVP, who is dealing with knee issues, said he would petition to play against the Hawks. And his presence was needed with Maxey, the team’s leading scorer, missing his second straight game with an illness.

    “The main thing is he was feeling pretty good after the last game,” coach Nick Nurse said of playing Embiid. “Probably the schedule has helped a little bit, too, both pre and post these two games.

    “Listen, I thought he had some pretty good opportunities tonight. I thought he had a lot of unfortunate ones, especially some in close to the basket that rolled off here and there. And I kind of wish he would have gotten to the free throw line more tonight.”

    Embiid was rerouted on several drives to the basket, where the officials didn’t call a foul. When he did attempt free throws, he made 5 of 6.

    Embiid didn’t shoot the ball well from the field, making just 8 of 20 shots. However, he finished with 22 points, a season-high 14 rebounds, and two blocks for his first double-double of the season.

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    “I feel OK,” he said of playing on one day’s rest. “I was a little tired out there. But I feel good. I’ll take it. I came out pretty good either way. So I’ll take it. Obviously, I would have felt better if we got the win. But that didn’t happen. … We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. But it was good things.”

    Edgecombe’s dominant quarter

    The night started poorly for Edgecombe, who was summoned to the bench early in the first quarter after picking up two fouls. But he settled down upon his return and was in video game mode in the third quarter.

    That’s when the rookie shooting guard scored 17 of his 26 points. He did that while making 5 of 7 shots, including all three of his three-pointers. He was 4-for-4 from the foul line while playing the entire quarter.

    Edgecombe has been solid for most of the season. It’s just been a matter of keeping him involved. He gave the crowd in Atlanta a glimpse of what he can do when the offense runs through him.

    Sixers’ VJ Edgecombe (left) scored 17 of his 26 points in the third quarter.

    Defense improvement equals poor offensive possession

    The Sixers made clutch shots and kept mounting comeback attempts. They also had some solid defense, highlighted by Andre Drummond’s two blocked shots in the third quarter.

    But it just seemed like whenever the Hawks really needed to make a basket, they did. A prime example was Onyeka Okongwu’s three-pointer to give the Hawks a 114-109 lead with 3 minutes, 31 seconds remaining. That shot squashed a 13-5 run by the Sixers.

    Then, after Quentin Grimes’ three-pointer closed the gap to one point with 1:03 left, the Sixers made a defensive stop. However, they couldn’t score on their final two possessions.

    Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey sits out game in Atlanta with an illness

    Their ensuing possession, which concluded with George and Grimes missing three-pointers, appeared to be a few seconds of chaos.

    The Sixers got the ball after Embiid’s defensive rebound with 41.3 seconds left. They passed up several good looks in addition to their two misses before Nickeil Alexander-Walker grabbed a rebound for the Hawks (15-12) with 6.8 seconds remaining.

    Sixers guard Quentin Grimes (right) finished with 14 points against Atlanta.

    “Listen, it’s always one of those, I think, when we [get] a stop, we want to get up the floor and hit them before the defense is set, for sure,” Nurse said. “That settles down a little bit. There’s some chances to take a timeout. When you don’t and don’t score, you always want to go back and do it, maybe.

    “But I was pretty happy with — they were moving the ball. They had some looks. They had two cracks at it. Two guys who had just made shots, a bunch of shots down the stretch. I have to look at it again. I’m sitting here right now, [the possession] was probably OK.”

    Then, after Alexander-Walker made a pair of foul shots to give Atlanta a three-point cushion, Grimes missed a potential game-tying three at the buzzer.