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  • Horoscopes: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ve traversed this territory long enough to understand two things at once: Having goals and direction is helpful, but obsessing over the result can make you miss the enjoyment and the opportunity to learn from what’s happening along the way.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). In the same way a certain smell can unlock a forgotten room in your memory, today’s encounter will reconnect you to a part of yourself you have not visited in years. All that you carry inside you has a purpose and a reason.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ll experience a relationship with unusual magnetism. Attraction thrives in mystery. Enjoy the electricity without rushing to conclusions. This one needs time to develop. Time will tell what’s real and what stays in the realm of fantasy.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). Wins and losses are just temporary circumstances, but character is the thread through all of it. The moves you make today are for the win, not because they will strategically guarantee a prize but because they reflect your stellar soul.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It’s not arrogant to recognize what makes you special. Because you understand your own uniqueness, you’re able to see and acknowledge the uniqueness in others. Today, you’re careful to see people as individuals instead of lumping them into categories or types.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Maybe there are no past mistakes, only past ways of doing things that turned out to be suboptimal. You’re doing it better because you know better, and tomorrow you’ll know even more, thanks to your stellar attitude and forward motion.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Considering the daily bombardment of messages telling us what we should want, it’s easy to give into societies strong suggestions. For your true wants, turn inward, noticing what fascinates, delights, intrigues and satisfies you.

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Around certain people, you hardly have to explain yourself. This easy compatibility is among your favorite blessings. You’ve been around enough difficult people to realize the value and possibility that comes from relationships that fit your life well.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Pause, reassess and reorder priorities. It’s all part of setting yourself up for success. It takes time but doesn’t waste time. Every preparation, each rehearsal and all the reps you do to practice will pay off when it’s go time.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your imagination is always collaborating with reality. Today, your creative gears will lock in and turn an ordinary event into something much more promising — maybe even epic. At the very least, you’ll create a compelling story.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re starting with the end in mind today. You’ll make sure you have the resources and permissions needed to finish a project before you ever start it. Much of the project’s success will depend on assigning well-defined roles to the right people.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There’s a cost to every relationship. There are also things to ignore, points to focus on, elements to be believed even though they are not objectively believable — the things you do for love.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (June 24). It’s your Year of the Divine Instrument. You’ll discover or go deeper into learning a favorite tool and use it to create much success, harmony, refinement and beauty. More highlights: You’ll often be in good company. Lifestyle changes become permanent and healthy fixtures. By year’s end, you’ll look back and be astonished by how much love transformed your priorities, identity and inner life. Libra and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 13, 37, 2, 20 and 15.

  • Dear Abby | Truth emerges after two decades of concealment

    DEAR ABBY: Years ago, my wife and I were separated. During that time, we still spent time together, had marital relations and went on many trips with our kids. During that period, two individuals who were supposed to be my friends started talking to my wife behind my back. Because they had crossed a line, I ended my friendships with them. They knew I was going to try to win my family back, but they said things calculated to make her angry. Fourteen years passed, and I bumped into one of them. I was with my wife at the time. I wanted to quash our differences, so I spoke to him. I noticed something weird between him and my wife, and that stuck in my head.

    When we got home, I asked if something happened between them, and she said no. But then she confessed that she had gone out with him a few times. She said he wanted to have sex with her, but it didn’t happen. The way she said it sounded weird to me, and I had the feeling she wasn’t being truthful.

    Seven years later, she admitted something DID happen. Now I feel betrayed and angry that she allowed something to go on with someone who was my enemy. I no longer see her as my wife. I feel I can’t trust her. She told me she is sorry for what happened and said she had been afraid to tell me about it. She doesn’t want to separate or divorce. She says she loves me. I can’t think. Can you tell me what you think about all this?

    — BROKEN TRUST IN NEW YORK

    DEAR BROKEN: I think your friends added fuel to the fire when you and your wife were having marital difficulties. I also think she was emotionally vulnerable, was taken advantage of and was afraid to level with you. I do not think you should automatically end your long marriage over something that might be able to be resolved by working with a licensed marriage and family therapist. Please give it serious consideration.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: My 31-year-old son lives with us. He has had an on-again, off-again drinking problem since his 20s. He is kind-hearted, has an associate’s degree and is back in college again, but he’s never had a full-time steady job. We buy his clothes and give him room and board. He studies, helps around our house with cleaning, washing, etc., but I don’t know how to help him stop drinking.

    He sometimes gets mean when he’s drunk. He doesn’t drink every day, but, mostly, about 12 days out of the month, he gets really drunk at home. He doesn’t seem to be finding a job, although he has applied for some. Please give me advice.

    — STRESSED MOM IN NEW YORK

    DEAR MOM: You and your husband need to find an Al-Anon meeting (al-anon.org/info) and go. When you do, you will find emotional support for what I am suggesting next. Tell your kind-hearted, sometimes mean, functional alcoholic son you and his father are giving him a deadline to get into an alcohol rehabilitation program and find a full-time job, or he will have to move out. Then stick to it. Your kindness and understanding have enabled your son to continue his unproductive and unhealthy lifestyle, which isn’t good for any of you.

  • From AJ Dybantsa’s Paris-made suit to monochromatic looks, here were the best outfits from the NBA draft

    From AJ Dybantsa’s Paris-made suit to monochromatic looks, here were the best outfits from the NBA draft

    New York Fashion Week might not be until September, but looks were on display in Brooklyn for the first round of the NBA draft held at the Barclays Center on Tuesday night.

    Here are some of the best looks from Day 1 of the two-day event …

    NBA draft news: Sixers take Labaron Philon, tells fans ‘they’re getting a dog’; Giannis trade gives Embiid new title

    AJ Dybantsa

    Not only was Dybantsa selected first overall by the Washington Wizards, but the Brigham Young product was also one of the best dressed of the night.

    Dybantsa honored his father, Anicet “Ace” Dybantsa Sr. who grew up in Paris, by getting his suit made there. His black jacket, which tied at the side rather than buttoned, featured gray muted-tone floral accents near the shoulders, bottom, and the cuffs of the sleeve. He also honored his parents with a pin that included flags of the Republic of the Congo and Jamaica.

    The jacket and pants were made from a shinier black fabric and paired with a white shirt, black boots, and a rainbow-faced watch. Dybantsa also wore a blue TC5 pin for the late Terrence Clarke, who he grew up with in the Boston area. Clarke died in a car accident in April 2021.

    Cameron Boozer

    Boozer is the son of former Olympian and NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer. But the Duke freshman standout, who was taken by the Memphis Grizzlies third overall, had a draft suit resembling that of a different NBA icon.

    In a white suit, Cameron Boozer’s look was reminiscent of LeBron James’ 2003 outfit, when he also wore a monochromatic suit complete with black and white shoes.

    While Boozer wore a warmer white hue, he had a white jacket, shirt, pants, and tie, with the only different color in his outfit coming from his brown shoes.

    Yaxel Lendeborg

    The Pennsauken High School graduate Lendeborg had a similar idea of rocking a white suit, but styled his differently than Boozer.

    Lendeborg, who was picked 11th by the Golden State Warriors after winning a national championship with Michigan, paired a white jacket, white shirt, and white pants with a brown tie and matching brown shoes.

    Pennsauken’s Yaxel Lendeborg selected by Golden State Warriors in first round of NBA draft

    He completed the look with gold bracelets, sunglasses, and a watch that all complemented each other.

    Chris Cenac Jr. arrives for the first round of the NBA basketball draft Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

    Chris Cenac Jr.

    Sunglasses were a popular accessory on the red carpet this year, with Cenac, selected 27th overall by the Boston Celtics, also sporting a pair with his look.

    Cenac went for a traditional patterned suit. The glen plaid suit bordered on a hue between gray and beige, which he paired with brown shoes, and an eggplant-colored tie and handkerchief. The big man, who starred at Houston, also added a gold watch to the outfit.

    Kingston Flemings

    Also wearing a patterned suit was the Houston standout Flemings, who was drafted eighth by the Atlanta Hawks. Fleming wore a pinstriped double breasted suit.

    The burgundy suit’s pinstripes were gold, which he paired with a white shirt and matching burgundy tie and black shoes. He also had a gold pin on the collar of his jacket with his initials that tied in with the suit’s gold detail.

    But the real star of Flemings’ outfit was the inside lining, which featured a collage of photos from his journey through his career as well his favorite quote: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

    Mikel Brown Jr.

    Brown, whom the Brooklyn Nets drafted sixth overall, also had a special lining on the inside of his suit jacket.

    Already at home in the Barclays Center, Brown wore a white jacket that featured a powder blue collar area, a matching powder blue vest and pants, and silver tie.

    Brown wanted to honor his heritage and the tradition on his mother’s side of the family. Brown’s mother, Marisela, grew up in Puerto Rico.

    On the inside of his jacket, Brown had a lining that showed Puerto Rico’s national flower, the Flor de Maga, in red, white, and blue, and the Puerto Rican flag as well.

  • The Sixers may have snagged a draft sleeper in Labaron Philon Jr. at No. 22

    The Sixers may have snagged a draft sleeper in Labaron Philon Jr. at No. 22

    NEW YORK — Bobby Marks was almost hesitant to bring up Labaron Philon Jr.’s name when asked during a Monday panel about potential sleepers in the 2026 NBA draft class.

    Because Marks, the ESPN analyst who once led the New Jersey Nets’ front office, did not believe the Alabama guard would slip past No. 17.

    Marks appreciated that, after Philon declared for the draft last year but then opted to return to school, he applied the feedback he received from NBA teams to his second college season. Fran Fraschilla, the longtime college basketball coach and another ESPN analyst, took Marks’ analysis a step further, declaring that Philon “could end up being the best point guard in this draft.”

    First-round pick Labaron Philon brings ball-handling, shooting ability, and playmaking to the Sixers

    That talent and potential landed in the 76ers’ lap at No. 22 overall Tuesday night at Barclays Center. Philon was a prospect new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey could not pass up selecting. And Philon’s addition further builds out a young and explosive backcourt that already features All-NBA third-teamer Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, who finished third in NBA’s Rookie of the Year voting.

    “Adding me, it’s a blur,” Philon said. “You’ve got two guys that are really shifty, two guys that know how to handle the ball, and a guy that can jump out the roof. That means everything in the backcourt. I feel like Coach [Nick] Nurse is going to have a fun time with that.”

    Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr., left, said Sixers fans will get a dog on the court when he joins the team this fall.

    From his freshman to sophomore college seasons, Philon significantly improved his three-point percentage (31.5% to 39.9%) and assist numbers (3.8 per game to 5.0). He doubled his scoring average from 10.6 points per game to a team-high 22, unleashing crafty moves and a willingness to take on defenders despite his slighter 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame. He was a defensive specialist, of sorts, when not required to carry the primary offensive load.

    And Philon believes that playing in coach Nate Oats’ system — and next to former star guard Mark Sears as a freshman — will prepare him to join the Sixers’ excellent backcourt.

    “Spending two years [at Alabama] just taught me how to play a special way of basketball,” Philon said late Tuesday. “Coach Oats, you know that style of basketball Coach Oats teaches. Being able to learn things under him and the coaching staff, I would say everybody in the program was really just looking forward to getting me better.

    “I would say making the decision to go back [to school] was important. Being able to experience the first year in the NBA [draft process in 2025] but come back and hear your name called [in 2026] means everything.”

    NBA draft news: Sixers take Labaron Philon Jr. with first-round pick; Giannis trade gives Embiid new title

    Philon’s addition also provides the Sixers with some reserve guard insurance. The Sixers lost sharpshooter Jared McCain, their 2024 first-round pick, in a controversial trade at the February deadline. And sixth man Quentin Grimes is about to enter unrestricted free agency, after signing a one-year qualifying offer following a messy restricted free agency period last summer.

    Philon joins a Sixers team in an interesting spot under Gansey, who ran the draft in his previous job as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager. Gansey also kept intact the bulk of the Sixers’ front office that has made strong selections in recent drafts, including Maxey at 21 in 2020 and Edgecombe third overall last year.

    The Sixers finished seventh in the Eastern Conference standings during the regular season, with a 45-37 record. They then rallied from down three-games-to-one to beat the Boston Celtics in the playoffs’ first round, before getting swept by the eventual NBA-champion New York Knicks.

    Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansy said he couldn’t pass up the chance to select Labaron Philon Jr.

    In addition to Maxey and Edgecome, former perennial All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George are still effective — even fantastic — when available. But both veterans have struggled mightily to stay on the floor in recent seasons due to injury or, in George’s case, a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. Embiid, George, and Maxey also remain on max contracts for multiple seasons, limiting the Sixers’ financial flexibility this offseason.

    But the first move of the Gansey front office era broke in the Sixers’ favor.

    Because they may have snagged the draft’s biggest sleeper.

    “Whatever the situation I’m put in,” Philon said, “really just growing in it and being comfortable, really. I would say that’s the biggest thing for me.”

  • Bryson Stott’s ‘stay ready’ mindset helped Phillies complete an ‘epic’ 14-9 comeback win over Nationals

    Bryson Stott’s ‘stay ready’ mindset helped Phillies complete an ‘epic’ 14-9 comeback win over Nationals

    WASHINGTON — The Phillies were down to their very last strike.

    In the dugout, Bryson Stott didn’t know it. If he had, it wouldn’t have mattered. Even though it seemed like the Nationals had seized all the momentum with Jorbit Vivas’ go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, and even though his spot in the lineup wasn’t due up for seven more batters, Stott was ready.

    He was ready even after Brad Lord recorded back-to-back strikeouts to start the ninth and took Trea Turner to a 1-2 count. Behind home plate, fans started to rise from their seats, anticipating the final out of the game.

    Phillies rookie Gabriel Rincones Jr. takes pride in representing Scotland in the majors

    But then Turner — who was 0-for-4 on Tuesday night before he stepped into the box — sent a single to left-center field. And after Brandon Marsh powered a sweeper clear over the Nationals bullpen in right field for a game-tying homer, the idea that Stott might get another at-bat in the game didn’t seem all that far-fetched anymore.

    “I just stay ready,” Stott said. “I think a lot of us are ready, and we know anything like that can happen at any time. … You know who’s hitting in front of you and what they’re capable of.”

    Stott watched Marsh’s at-bat on an iPad in the dugout, and when it was his turn — after Bryce Harper and Derek Hill kept the line moving with singles — he repeated the feat. He sent a homer of his own to the second deck in right field, which stayed just inside the foul pole. The two homers highlighted an eight-run ninth inning that put the Phillies on top for a 14-9 win over Washington.

    “That was pretty epic,” Marsh said. “From everybody.”

    Brandon Marsh batted second in the lineup on Tuesday with Kyle Schwarber out with back tightness.

    Ten consecutive Phillies reached base in the ninth, all with two outs. They racked up five singles, two walks, a double from Edmundo Sosa, and the two homers. Before the Nationals ended the rally, Turner came back up to the plate and delivered his second single of both the game and inning to score their eighth run of the frame.

    The Phillies mounted the comeback — in a game they had once trailed 5-0, then led 6-5, then trailed 8-6 — without major league home run leader Kyle Schwarber, who was scratched a few minutes before first pitch with low back tightness.

    Interim manager Don Mattingly said Schwarber’s back tightened up about seven minutes before the game started and he was unable to swing. Mattingly added that Schwarber’s back was already feeling better postgame.

    “It sounds like this has kind of happened before,” Mattingly said. “I think Kyle’s probably smart enough to know to take care of it, stop right away, and don’t try to keep going.”

    ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Preston Mattingly on the trade deadline, his ‘special’ chance to work with his dad, and more

    Sosa found out minutes before the game that he was replacing Schwarber in the lineup at designated hitter. But he filled in well, recording five RBIs. Along with his two-run double in the ninth inning, he hit a two-run homer in the fifth and an RBI groundout in the seventh as the Phillies chipped away at Washington’s early lead.

    “I told myself, ‘Let’s have fun tonight,’” Sosa said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello.

    Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo watched the ninth inning unfold from the visitors’ clubhouse at Nationals Park with a group of teammates who had also already exited the game.

    “We all had the same reaction after every home run, so it was great,” Luzardo said.

    Luzardo tied a career-high with 13 strikeouts, but he was also charged with five earned runs as he grinded through 6⅔ innings.

    Jesús Luzardo tied a career-high with 13 strikeouts over 6⅔ innings, but allowed four runs in the fourth inning.

    For the most part, though, Luzardo got the contact he wanted. Four runs scored on him in the fourth inning on five singles and a walk, but four of those hits were ground balls and the other was a broken-bat bloop.

    After that inning, Luzardo retired seven consecutive Nationals until he issued a leadoff walk in the seventh. Jonathan Bowlan inherited two runners, but struck out Curtis Mead to strand them.

    “They weren’t really hitting him hard around the field,” Mattingly said. “Just kept giving up hits, some tough plays, and just hanging in there, giving us a chance, I thought was huge.”

    The Phillies took their first lead of the game in the eighth. The Nationals brought in lefty Richard Lovelady to face Marsh, but he made them regret it with a double to the wall, and advanced to third on a fielding error.

    Phillies call up Alan Rangel to take fifth spot in rotation: ‘We’ll see what he can do’

    Alec Bohm worked a walk, was replaced by a pinch-running Garrett Stubbs, and Stott was hit by a pitch to load the bases for J.T. Realmuto. The catcher delivered a three-run double that popped out of a diving James Wood’s glove in right field, putting the Phillies ahead, 6-5.

    “It’s a special, special group that we have, and we just got to keep feeding off each other like we did tonight,” Marsh said.

    Their momentum was temporarily stifled, however, when Orion Kerkering came out for the bottom of the eighth and struggled with command. He issued a five-pitch walk, hit a batter, and then hung a sweeper to Vivas, who capitalized with a three-run homer.

    Kerkering managed to limit the damage there, bouncing back somewhat with two strikeouts and a line-out.

    “And then,” Mattingly said, “we’re able to do our little bit of magic there.”

  • Man fatally shot while driving in Northeast Philly

    Man fatally shot while driving in Northeast Philly

    A man was fatally shot while driving a car Tuesday afternoon in Northeast Philadelphia, police said.

    Just after 3:50 p.m., police responded to reports of gunfire on the 9000 block of Frankford Avenue and found the victim in a Honda Accord crashed outside an AutoZone store at Frankford and Academy Road.

    The man, who had been shot in the face and shoulder, was transported by medics to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:22 p.m.

    The shots were fired from a tan-colored SUV that fled on Interstate 95.

    Police found spent shell casings on Frankford Avenue in front of a 7-Eleven across the street from the AutoZone.

    No other information was released.

  • Pennsauken’s Yaxel Lendeborg selected by Golden State Warriors in first round of NBA draft

    Pennsauken’s Yaxel Lendeborg selected by Golden State Warriors in first round of NBA draft

    Yaxel Lendeborg went from playing one varsity season at Pennsauken High School to an NBA lottery pick.

    The 23-year-old forward, who was the Big Ten Player of the Year this season at national champion Michiganwas picked No. 11 by Golden State in the first round on Tuesday night.

    Expressing emotion when hearing his name called at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Lendeborg embraced his mother, Yissel, in tears.

    He said on the ESPN telecast that “I don’t deserve to be here right now. I didn’t have the traditional path. … I can’t believe it.”

    Yaxel Lendeborg’s untraditional path to becoming an NBA draft pick was fueled by his mother

    Lendeborg thought his basketball career was over in high school. He played in just 11 games his senior year after being academically ineligible to play for his sophomore and junior seasons.

    That was until an opportunity arose — thanks to his mother — at the junior college level with Arizona Western College.

    “That kid got here because of her,” Lendeborg said on the telecast. “She pushed a dream, forced me to go out there and become a man.”

    He spent three seasons at Arizona Western, including a COVID-19 season, where he emerged in his third year, averaging 17.2 points and 13 rebounds. In 2023, he transferred to Alabama-Birmingham and played two seasons with the Blazers.

    Yaxel Lendeborg celebrates with his family after being selected by the Golden State Warriors.

    In his final season at UAB, he averaged 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds. He also was named the American Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and an all-conference selection twice.

    Lendeborg, who is 6-foot-9, graduated from UAB in 2025 and entered the transfer portal for his final year of eligibility, which brought him to Michigan. Lendeborg averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in 40 games for the Wolverines.

    Tuesday was the second time in Michigan program history that three players were drafted in the first round.

    NBA draft news: Options for the Sixers as pick nears; Giannis trade gives Embiid new title; Pennsauken product heads to Warriors

    Center Aday Mara was picked by the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 12 after forward Morez Johnson Jr. went ninth overall to the Mavericks, reuniting with his college coach, Dusty May, who on Tuesday was named Dallas’ head coach.

    After he was selected, Lendeborg said his mother told him, “We did it. All the sacrifice we made, we finally accomplished it — you did it.”

    He’ll join a Golden State team that finished 10th in the Western Conference, with a 37-45 record this season.

  • USMNT players are waiting with everyone else to learn what changes will come in the group stage finale

    USMNT players are waiting with everyone else to learn what changes will come in the group stage finale

    IRVINE, Calif. — Trying to guess what’s on U.S. men’s soccer team manager Mauricio Pochettino’s mind when it comes to starting lineups is usually a fruitless endeavor. He likes to keep his cards close to the chest, and doesn’t reveal them until he has to on game day.

    But all of his players, not just outsiders, know the four players sitting on a yellow card suspension threat heading into Thursday’s group stage finale against Turkey (10 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62): Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, and Antonee Robinson. And they know the risk of playing Christian Pulisic as he finishes recovering from a calf injury.

    That opens the door for backups who haven’t featured much yet to get a shot. Two of them have talked with the media so far this week, left wingback Max Arfsten and attacking midfielder Alejandro Zendejas. They both said they’re ready to jump in if called.

    “Training hard, been waiting for the opportunity, but I’m sure it’ll come,” Zendejas said. “That’s obviously a coach’s decision, and something I’ve got to respect, but I’ve always said it all depends how I’m on the field. I’m working hard, having fun, really enjoying this dream that I’m living right now, so I couldn’t ask for more.”

    Alejandro Zendejas (right) shares a laugh with Haji Wright after hitting the deck during a drill.

    Arfsten said before Tuesday’s practice that as of then, the players “haven’t heard anything about” who will start Thursday.

    “That’s obviously the coach’s decision and whatever he decides, obviously we’re going to be on the same page with that,” he added.

    The next big question for the USMNT: Managing yellow cards in the World Cup group stage finale

    As Arfsten continued at the mic, he left no doubt that all 26 players are well-trained at handling pesky inquiries from the media.

    “It’s a tough question — good thing I’m not a coach,” he said at one point. “But honestly, I think the most important thing is, no matter who’s playing, to go out and try and get three points. Just because I think the momentum of the two wins is what’s keeping the energy high right now, and three would be even more.”

    Max Arfsten jogging during Tuesday’s practice.

    He at least signaled that the tone of training sessions hasn’t changed with first place in the group sealed.

    “Obviously everyone’s happy that we’ve already advanced, but at the same time, regardless of if we’ve advanced or not, training is still very competitive, it’s very intense,” Arfsten said. “And I think that’s the culture that the coach has created: no matter what, that everyone’s still trying to prove something.”

    Can the USMNT really win this World Cup? Probably not, but the players are allowed to believe it.

    One starter likely to keep his place is goalkeeper Matt Freese. The Wayne native showed in the first two games why he earned Pochettino’s trust as the No. 1 in net.

    He is also perhaps the team’s most steadfast player when it comes to a one-day-at-a-time mentality. So when he was asked about potential lineup rotations in front of him, he barely flinched.

    “It’s a coach’s decision, obviously, and we’ve got 26 guys here who all want to play, and who all are ready to play, and are working hard every day in training,” Freese said. “And we as a group have full confidence in all 26 of us. So really, we’re focused on continuing to prepare and work hard in training, and be ready for whatever.”

  • Phillies rookie Gabriel Rincones Jr. takes pride in representing Scotland in the majors

    Phillies rookie Gabriel Rincones Jr. takes pride in representing Scotland in the majors

    WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper had a suggestion for Gabriel Rincones Jr.

    The Phillies rookie spent his formative years living in Scotland due to his father’s work there as an offshore safety adviser in the oil industry, and his parents and sisters still live there.

    Harper was sitting down one day with Zack Wheeler when Rincones walked by and said hello.

    Harper started playing the bagpipes on his phone, and told Rincones that he should incorporate the Scottish instrument into one of his walk-up songs.

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    “Hell, yeah,” Rincones said.

    He settled on “Scotland the Brave,” a patriotic Scottish song played on the bagpipes, and walked up to it in his second at-bat at home last Tuesday. (Rincones’ main walk-up song is “Zombie” by the Irish band The Cranberries.)

    It was a special moment, hearing a traditional Scottish song before a major league at-bat, but Rincones doesn’t think he will stick with it.

    “It just gets me too riled up,” he said. “It’s like I can’t focus.”

    But even if it isn’t soundtracked by the bagpipes, Rincones still takes pride in representing Scotland on the major league stage. His family moved from Venezuela to Glenrothes, Scotland, when he was 6 years old. He lived there until age 12, when he moved back to Venezuela to pursue a baseball career, and ended up in Florida after that.

    Gabriel Rincones Jr. (left) celebrates his second inning solo home run with teammate Justin Crawford last week.

    “That I have some part of representing Scotland is awesome,” Rincones said. “I grew up there, have friends there, ties there.”

    Scotland was where Rincones first learned English, so he actually speaks with a Scottish accent.

    When he’s in the United States, though, he is able to switch into an American accent. But when speaking to his family or friends back in Scotland, he slips back into it. After Phillies outfield coach Paco Figueroa told newly acquired Derek Hill that Rincones grew up in Scotland, Hill thought he was joking until Rincones broke out the accent to prove it.

    “I get stuck speaking like this sometimes. I just can’t get my words up, but when it’s talking with my friends back home, or my little sister, it’s just fluid,” he said.

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    Rincones also loves haggis, a traditional Scottish dish made of sheep organs that he would often eat at restaurants growing up.

    He visits his family in Glenrothes, Scotland in the offseason, usually spending Christmas there. It can be hard to train for baseball while he’s there, so he sometimes has to get creative for batting practice.

    “I bought this little BP machine, where it throws like little tiny balls and you can make it throw curveballs and stuff,” Rincones said. “But it’s so windy over there that I can’t just do it outside. I have to go to a fitness center and then rent out half a basketball court.”

    It’s been fun for Rincones to watch the Tartan Army — the supporters of Scotland’s national soccer team — take over baseball stadiums while they are in the U.S. for the World Cup. Many Scotland supporters went to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park last week for Scottish Heritage night, a day after their team beat Haiti in its first match.

    And ahead of its next match against Brazil in Miami on Wednesday, hundreds of Scottish fans — including a group of bagpipers — caught a Marlins game at LoanDepot Park on Monday night.

    “They’ve never cared about baseball, but they just want to have a good time,” Rincones said.

    Scotland was where Gabriel Rincones Jr. first learned English, so he actually speaks with a Scottish accent.

    In Rincones’ experience, the baseball community in Scotland is very niche. He played in a men’s league in Scotland with his father growing up to stay involved in the game he loved before eventually moving away to pursue it more seriously.

    His friends used to tease him about his major league dreams, and now many of them stay up late into the night to catch MLB games from across the Atlantic.

    But no matter how small the community may be, Rincones is proud to have a chance to represent it.

    “A part of me is always going to be in Scotland,” he said.

    Extra bases

    Kyle Schwarber was scratched from Tuesday’s game shortly before first pitch with low back tightness. Edmundo Sosa replaced him in the lineup as designated hitter. … Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.71 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday against Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas (2-6, 5.47).

  • NCAA panel approves new eligibility rules giving Division I athletes five years to play five seasons

    NCAA panel approves new eligibility rules giving Division I athletes five years to play five seasons

    Eager to lessen the chaos of the transfer portal era and court fights with players trying to extend their careers, the NCAA approved a new eligibility model for Division I athletes on Tuesday that will allow five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first.

    The Division I Cabinet unanimously approved the change from the longstanding tenet of college sports that gave athletes five years to complete four seasons of competition with their eligibility clock starting at the time of enrollment, regardless of age.

    The move will all but eliminate waivers or redshirt years for extended eligibility except for religious missions, maternity leave or active-duty military service. No longer will extensions be considered for athletes who are injured.

    “While previous NCAA rules have served college sports well for a long time, we heard also loud and clear from NCAA members and student-athletes that eligibility rules should be easier to understand,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said.

    The NCAA believes the age-based model will make rules easier to administer and help make roster management more predictable for coaches.

    “I think this new rule is one of the most sensible things the NCAA has ever done, and it will absolutely eliminate the type of eligibility litigation that’s predominated lately,” said attorney Tom Mars, who represented Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in his successful quest for an additional year of eligibility in a case that went to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

    Mars added, “Let me put it in bottom-line language: There’s no way somebody could file an eligibility case based on a medical waiver now with the new rule. Can’t be done. You can file it, I guess, but it will be immediately dismissed.”

    The rules, which will become official when the Cabinet adjourns its meetings on Wednesday, are set to take effect this fall. Division I includes more than 350 schools, some 200,000 athletes and, with football and basketball leading the way, is by far the most lucrative of the three in the NCAA.

    The five-in-five language also is included in Senate legislation intended to address numerous concerns across college sports and comes after a wave of lawsuits from athletes seeking to extend their college careers and ability to earn money through revenue sharing and name, image and likeness deals. Still to be seen is whether the new rules will withstand legal scrutiny alongside the existing challenges.

    Heisman Trophy runner-up and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia remains the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging an NCAA rule counting seasons spent at junior colleges against players’ Division I eligibility time. That case is slated for trial in February.

    “I wouldn’t say that the rule change itself will slow lawsuits down,” said Sam Ehrlich, a Boise State assistant professor of legal studies in business and management who tracks litigation against the NCAA.

    Ehrlich said athletes very well could continue to petition courts for extended eligibility based on antitrust arguments, but appellate courts recently have delivered wins for the NCAA by overturning preliminary injunctions in several cases.

    The new eligibility model will affect all athletes who enroll in 2027-28. Currently enrolled athletes with eligibility after the 2025-26 academic year, and those who are incoming freshmen this fall, can apply the age-based model or continue under previous eligibility rules. It would be advantageous this year for some incoming freshman hockey players to use the traditional model if they are coming from the junior ranks and are 20, as is common in the sport.

    For schools with current athletes who may be eligible for hardship waivers or extensions of eligibility under current rules, the D-I Cabinet indicated the deadline to submit requests to the NCAA is July 31. After that date, waivers would no longer be available.

    Ryan Downton, the attorney for Pavia in his case against the NCAA that won him a sixth year of eligibility last season, said he was happy to see athletes allowed five seasons of competition. But he said it was likely that high school class of 2022 athletes who are now cut off from further competition will go to court.

    “These athletes are still within their five-year eligibility window and spent their entire college careers competing against fifth- and sixth-year players due to the COVID waiver,” Downton wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “We hope the courts will correct the unfairness of the NCAA’s ruling and allow class of 2022 players to play their fifth season in 2026-27.”

    Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National College Players Association, wrote in a text to the AP that he had not seen the final language that was adopted but that the rule’s “general structure that has been discussed is within reason.”

    “But it’s important for athletes to have an opportunity to seek hardship waivers,” he wrote.