The Eagles are no longer the defending champions, and their early exit from the playoffs one month ago has already ushered in major changes. Out is offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, in is new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, and with him more changes to the offensive coaching staff.
The Eagles are facing a key offseason as they aim to make changes and improvements to make sure their Super Bowl window remains open in 2026 and beyond.
Stoutland’s departure is a big one, as he has long been regarded as the best offensive line coach in the NFL. The Eagles hired his replacement on Monday by bringing in former Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper, who was with Minnesota as the line coach for the last four seasons before his contract expired. Kuper crossed paths with Mannion in 2023, when Mannion was a quarterback on the Vikings’ roster. He also worked under Vic Fangio as an assistant offensive line coach when Fangio was the head coach of the Denver Broncos (2019-21).
The new hires also indicate that Parks Frazier, the pass game coordinator this season, and Jason Michael, the tight ends coach, could be on their way out with the Eagles as the team revamps its offensive scheme under a new coordinator.
On the defensive side, there was a brief scare when Fangio was mulling retirement, but the defensive coordinator made the decision to return to the Eagles for the 2026 season. Fangio’s exit would have been a big blow, especially considering that the Dallas Cowboys plucked Eagles defensive backs coach Christian Parker, a highly regarded, 34-year-old up-and-comer, to be their new defensive coordinator. It had always seemed like a matter of time until Parker, who was also the defensive pass game coordinator, was lured to a better job with another team, and that time came.
Parker, of course, has been instrumental in helping the Eagles develop their two young All-Pro defensive backs, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Those young players will now be under the tutelage of Joe Kasper, who will assume the role of defensive backs coach after being promoted from safeties coach, a position the Eagles need to backfill.
Did Jaelan Phillips show the Eagles enough to get a new contract from them this offseason?
Roster decisions
Scheduled free agents
The Eagles have 20 pending free agents — 10 on offense, nine on defense, and punter Braden Mann.
Offense
TE Dallas Goedert: Goedert reworked his deal last offseason to stay with the Eagles and scored a career-best 11 touchdowns, a tight end record for the team. Considering the Eagles don’t have any tight ends on the roster, they may look to bring the 31-year-old back after he got through the season relatively healthy.
WR Jahan Dotson: The little-used third receiver could find a new home this offseason. WR3 is a tough position on this team behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and it seems unlikely the Eagles will find it worth bringing Dotson back.
OT Fred Johnson: Johnson left for free agency after last season, but the Eagles traded for him before the season for some insurance at tackle, and they needed it. It remains to be seen how the Eagles approach the draft and free agency, but Johnson’s return would put an experienced body on the depth chart.
TE Grant Calcaterra: As mentioned, the Eagles don’t have any tight ends. Calcaterra has been productive when the Eagles use him as a pass catcher, but he’s not a great blocker, and the Eagles need their tight ends to block.
OL Brett Toth: The do-it-all lineman has been a valuable asset in the offensive line room. He can fill in at any position.
TE Kylen Granson: Granson was a big part of the Eagles’ special teams, despite having a limited role in the offense. The tight end position is in flux, but Granson could return as a depth piece.
OL Matt Pryor: The Eagles brought back a familiar and experienced face in the offseason for some depth. Pryor gave that and provided positional versatility. But he wasn’t all that great in relief.
RB AJ Dillon: Dillon started the season in the mix to get snaps behind Saquon Barkley, but he fell out of favor after the Eagles traded for Tank Bigsby. Dillon was inactive for most of the second half of the season and logged just 12 carries. The Eagles are pretty set at running back with Barkley, Bigsby, and Will Shipley.
QB Sam Howell: The Eagles weren’t comfortable with Kyle McCord as QB3, so they acquired Howell before the season. McCord has since landed with Green Bay.
FB Ben VanSumeren: VanSumeren changed positions from linebacker to fullback and made the 53-man roster, but his season ended with an injury on the opening kickoff in Week 1. The Eagles signed Kansas City’s Carson Steele to a futures contract. Will they bring back VanSumeren and have a fullback competition?
Defense
Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips: The deadline acquisition stepped in right away and was a difference-maker along the defensive line. The Eagles need a top-end edge rusher to add to a unit that has Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith under contract. Phillips would make sense.
LB Nakobe Dean: Dean returned from patellar tendon surgery in the middle of the season and looked like he didn’t miss a beat. But the Eagles drafted his replacement last season in Jihaad Campbell.
S Reed Blankenship: Blankenship has been a big part of the defense for the last four years. He has started 50 games and is a leader. The Eagles are thin at safety, but it remains to be seen what Blankenship’s market looks like and if the Eagles will be in the mix.
CB Adoree’ Jackson: Jackson was up and down in training camp and to start the season, but he played his way into a starting job opposite Mitchell. He’ll be 31 next season, and the Eagles probably want to get better at CB2.
S Marcus Epps: Epps stepped in as a starter after Drew Mukuba went down. He just turned 30, although he could find his way back to the Eagles and compete for a job.
Edge rusher Brandon Graham: Graham came out of retirement and briefly changed positions when Jalen Carter went down and the interior needed a boost. Will he go back into retirement?
Edge rusher Joshua Uche: Uche seemed to be playing his way into a bigger role when the Eagles brought Graham out of retirement, which forced Uche to a lesser role. The Eagles are thin on the edge, though Uche seems to be more of a depth piece right now.
Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari: Ojulari ended up behind Uche on the depth chart and then missed most of the season after being placed on injured reserve.
Edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo: Okoronkwo made the team out of training camp as a depth edge rusher but suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4, the only game in which he played.
Special teams
P Braden Mann: Mann had a great season. He ranked fifth in the NFL in punt average (49.9 yards). It would make sense for the Eagles to want to bring him back.
New deals?
There are a few players under contract who could be in the running for a new contract with the Eagles.
DT Jordan Davis: The Eagles picked up Davis’ fifth-year option last offseason and he remains under contract for the 2026 season. But after a breakout 2025 season, he likely earned himself a lot of money.
DT Jalen Carter: The Eagles likely will do what they did with Davis and pick up Carter’s fifth year, but it might be time for an extension now. Carter didn’t have his best season after a dominant 2024. The Eagles may be able to sign him to a more team-friendly deal, though Carter and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, may opt to play 2026 on his current deal and revisit the big-money deal next offseason.
DT Moro Ojomo: Ojomo is set to play the final year of his four-year rookie deal in 2026. The seventh-round pick has been a major success story. Will the Eagles look to lock him up beyond 2026? Will they be able to afford all of these defensive linemen with big contracts coming in the future for other defensive stars like Mitchell and DeJean?
Contracted players who could be on the way out
The Eagles have some players on the 2026 roster who may not be here when training camp starts.
K Jake Elliott: Elliott has had two consecutive seasons in which he didn’t perform well enough. His 2025 field goal conversion rate was just 74.1%, the lowest of any kicker who played a full season.
WR A.J. Brown: Will his frustrations with the offense cause him to ask for a trade? It would be a costly move for the Eagles, but they’ve willingly taken on dead cap in the past. The Eagles would have a big hole to fill if it came to that.
RT Lane Johnson: Johnson remains one of the best tackles in football, but his availability was an issue this season. He missed the final eight games after suffering a Lisfranc injury in his right foot. The Eagles probably would love him back, but Johnson will be 36 in May and won’t play forever.
LG Landon Dickerson: The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported in a podcast during Super Bowl week that Dickerson’s return was no sure thing. The 27-year-old played through a lot of pain in 2025 and his body has taken a toll with multiple injuries since his college football playing days. An early retirement would leave the Eagles with a big hole.
QB Tanner McKee: Will the Eagles look to ship McKee to another team for a draft pick? McKee’s Week 18 performance didn’t help their cause.
CB Kelee Ringo: Ringo remains under contract on his rookie deal, but he seems like a change-of-scenery candidate. He has struggled to get on the field with the Eagles, though he has been great on special teams.
2026 free agency targets
What do the Eagles need most? What kind of players will be on the market?
First, the Eagles need to know what happens with the futures of key offensive players like A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson, and Landon Dickerson.
At the moment, they have just over $20 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap. That’s not a lot, but Howie Roseman has shown the creativity to use void years and spread cap hits out over multiple seasons.
Free agency begins March 11.
Jordan Mailata (left) will be back, but what will become of tackle Lane Johnson (center) and guard Landon Dickerson (right)?
Position groups and players to target
Offensive line: Will Johnson return? Will Dickerson ever be fully healthy again? Can Cam Jurgens bounce back? Those are big questions facing the Eagles, who need to restore their offensive line this offseason. Reinforcements likely will come via the draft, but free agency offers some options.
Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith, for example, has dealt with injuries but could provide insurance for Johnson and help the Eagles bridge their way to the next young tackle. Old friend Isaac Seumalo fits that bill, too, at guard. Same with Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio.
Wide receiver: Regardless of what happens with Brown, the Eagles could use some more help at receiver. They won’t be playing in the George Pickens pool, and probably not Alec Pierce, either, but what about Romeo Doubs, Kendrick Bourne, or Van Jefferson at WR3?
EDGE: Jaelan Phillips should be at the top of the Eagles’ wish list. Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith are the only two edge rushers under contract. The Eagles will draft at least one rusher, but they need a top-end talent like Phillips. If not Phillips, other top options would be Trey Hendrickson, Odafe Oweh, Boye Mafe, Joey Bosa, and Khalil Mack. There’s always the possibility of Roseman figuring out a way to trade for Maxx Crosby, too.
Tight end: Dallas Goedert may be in the running to return. But if not, the Eagles could eye someone like Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts, who finally played to his potential this season. Pitts attended Abington and Archbishop Wood before playing at Florida in college. Other free agents include Isaiah Likely, David Njoku, and Tyler Higbee. The Eagles probably will use a draft pick on one, too.
Cornerback: Quinyon Mitchell eventually will re-sign at the top of the market, and you don’t see many teams spending that type of money on two players at this position. But there are some options the Eagles could target, like Tariq Woolen, Roger McCreary, and Jamel Dean. Will those players be too costly? We’ll see.
Safety: Reed Blankenship has been solid for the Eagles, but he’s not great in coverage. The Eagles could be looking to pair Drew Mukuba with a better player on the back line, and they could look to do that via free agency. Old friend Kevin Byard has been really productive with the Chicago Bears, though he could command a bigger contract than the Eagles are willing to give out. Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Curl could be an option.
The 2026 NFL draft will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
The 2026 NFL draft
The Eagles’ needs here will become clearer after free agency, though our Devin Jackson released his first mock draft Monday morning and has the Eagles making a key addition to their offense at a position of need.
The draft will take place beginning on Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh.
The yearly NFL Scouting Combine begins on Feb. 23; and teams have until April 15 to conduct visits, tests, and interviews with prospective draft picks.
League meetings (updated Jan. 17)
The annual league meeting is from March 29 to April 1 in Arizona. It is there that the Tush Push likely will be another big topic of conversation and could meet its demise.
But the Eagles’ lack of success using their signature play this season could result in some teams backing off a little bit. We’ll see.
There’s also another league meeting May 19 and 20 in Orlando.
2026 Eagles schedule (updated Jan. 17)
The Eagles’ opponents are known. They play home games vs. their three divisional opponents (Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Giants), as well as other games vs. the Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Houston Texans.
Besides their three NFC East road games, the Eagles also travel to play the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.
It remains to be seen if the Eagles will get an international game.
The schedule is due out in May, but international dates will likely be released before that.
“I hate to leave it,” said Stephanie Tauman, “but it’s just too big for me.”
Tauman has spent six years in her four-bedroom, 3½-bathroom 1957 mid-century modern home in Drexel Hill. She bought the house sight unseen in 2019 after viewing it online.
But now, at 3,314 square feet, “it has gotten very big,” so she is planning to move to a smaller home. Tauman, an artist and art teacher, hopes to settle in Philadelphia.
Living room
She does not know who originally commissioned the split-level house. She already owned some mid-century modern furniture and other items when she bought it.
The approach to the house is along a slate walkway with arts and crafts style light fixtures. The exterior is stone and mahogany, and the foyer has a slate and mahogany theme.
The four bedrooms are on the top level, and there are three terraces connecting to the outdoors.
Kitchen
The middle level has the foyer, dining room, kitchen, and sunken living room, which includes a working gas fireplace.
The first level has the family room, powder room, and two-car garage with a heated workroom.
The finished basement has Tauman’s art studio.
Front hall
The eat-in kitchen has a 36-inch cooktop, double convection wall ovens, Corian countertops, and refaced cabinetry.
The family room has a wet bar with sink and second dishwasher.
Terrace
The primary bedroom has an en suite bathroom with whirlpool tub, stand-up shower, walk-in closet, and views of Pilgrim Park.
Another bedroom has mahogany built-ins and could serve as a nursery or study. The hall bath has a large corner bathtub.
Primary bedroom
There is a high-capacity water heating system and landscape lighting.
The house is listed by Joseph Bograd of Elite Realty Group for $729,900.
On a bitterly cold afternoon last month, Patti LaBelle walks gingerly down Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church’s center aisle, her left hand grazing the top of each pew, steadying her balance.
Half a dozen content creators, directors, and Visit Philadelphia staff coax the Grammy award-winning songstress toward the 18th century church’s magnificent altar, their voices overflowing with encouragement, reverence, and love.
LaBelle’s stockinged footstepsare deliberate, her unblinking eyes affixed on the organ pipes in front of her.
She’s as contemplative as she is careful.
“Come on, Miss Patti,” cooed Kyra Knox, the Emmy award-winning filmmaker who is directing Visit Philadelphia’s Black History Month promotional video, “We Are the Fabric. We are the Thread,” starring the Philadelphia legend. “You are doing great.”
“We Are the Fabric” is part of the nonprofit tourism agency’s “Indivisible” campaign, a yearlong initiative highlighting Philly’s diverse tourist destinations during America’s 250th birthday and Black History Month, which, coincidentally, is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. (Carter G. Woodson introduced Negro History Week in 1926. It was extended to Black History Month in 1976.)
The videos are streaming on several online platforms including Hulu and HBO Max in seven markets, including Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. During the month of February, Visit Phillywill conduct a series of neighborhood walks through the city’s historic districts with a special focus on Black history courtesy of the historical arts organizations 1838 Black Metropolis and the Black Journey.
“You cannot tell the story of American culture, innovation, music, art, and food without Black Americans because they are woven into every thread of the national narrative,” said Angela Val, president and CEO of Visit Philly.
The filmmakers squeezed in a lot of places on the cold Thursday afternoon. Mother Bethel — the home of America’s first Black Christian church founded by formally enslaved Richard Allen — is the first stop on the hours-long shoot. After recording takes of LaBelle’s coffin-shaped ivory nails in prayer and the centuries-old church’s sunlit stained glass windows, LaBelle and the crew drive 14 blocks west to South Philadelphia’s Union Baptist Church.
Film rolls and cameras flash as LaBelle, wrapped in an ankle-length vintage chocolate brown fur, is reflective in front of Union Baptist’s 111-year-old stately exterior. Inside, barrier-breaking early 20th century contralto Marian Anderson once sang in the choir. Like Anderson, LaBelle got her start singing gospel at Southwest Philly’s Beulah Baptist Church.
Singer Patti LaBelle at Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church in Philadelphia during a shoot for Visit Philadelphia’s “Indivisible” initiative, part of an effort to celebrate the city’s communities of color during the city’s 250th anniversary. LaBelle is starring in the campaign’s Black History Month promotion.
After a few windy takes, the crew made its way to the southwest corner of City Hall in front of the statue of martyred 19th century civil rights leader Octavius Catto. The day ended at the Arden Theatre, a nod to Philadelphia’s vibrant Black performing arts community.
LaBelle stars in and narrates the video. She’s accompanied by 9-year-old Riley Mills and visits historical sites and modern locations, like Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books in Germantown, reminding us that Black history is to be passed through the generations.
“When the Constitution couldn’t hold us, we held each other,” LaBelle says, her voice clear, sharp, and determined.
“We made the music you move to,” she continues as images of Teddy Pendergrass, Kenny Gamble, and Leon Huff fill the screen. And then, in an “if you blink, you will miss it moment,” there LaBelle is, in an old photograph flanked by her Labelle group members Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx, followed by her powerful words: “When they wouldn’t give us a stage, we built one.”
Living Black history
Patti LaBelle is 81. She knows she’s Black history. She’s proud of it and doesn’t take it lightly.
“Black people stand for everything,” LaBelle told The Inquirer in between takes at Mother Bethel, her voice barely a whisper, worn out from her performances in the “Queens: 4 Legends Tour” starring LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight. and Stephanie Mills. They all came of age before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.
“And we continue to. We continue to fight while things are being taken away from us.”
As Visit Philly filmed “We Are the Thread,” the National Park Service was in the midst of dismantling an exhibit honoring nine enslaved people who worked at George Washington’s house when Philadelphia was America’s capital city.
“If we don’t fight to keep what is ours,” LaBelle said, her scratchy voice taking on urgency. “It will be lost.”
Visit Philly’s choice of LaBelle as its Black history spokesperson this year is thoughtful and necessary.
Her generation of civil rights warriors bridges the gap between Black Americans who lived through Jim Crow and those of us who only heard horror stories of how difficult it was for our ancestors to go to school, work, and vote.
As this administration claims that the Civil Rights Act resulted in “white people being very badly treated,” it’s important that stories like LaBelle’s aren’t just repeated but remembered and celebrated — especially as they get up there in age.
We need to give them their flowers now.
Without Patti LaBelle, Philadelphia — and its music — would be a different place.
Patti LaBelle (right) and the Blue Belles, the group with which she had her first hit, in 1962: “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman.”
A Philadelphia girl
LaBelle was born Patricia Louise Holte in Southwest Philadelphia in 1944. Her dad, Henry, came to Philadelphia from Georgia in the early part of the 20th century during the Great Migration. He worked on the railroad, was a singer, and an occasional gambler. Her mom, Bertha, was a homemaker. LaBelle was the youngest of five.
She went to Bartram High and sang at Beulah Baptist before becoming the lead singer of Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles.
The group’s 1962 hit, “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman,” sold millions of copies, cementing LaBelle’s stardom, getting her a spot on the Chitlin’ Circuit for performances at Uptown Theater. She appeared on American Bandstand and Jerry Blavat’s radio show.
By 1975, the group was simply known as Labelle and was a visual smorgasbord of Afrofuturistic sequins and space suits. It released the iconic “Lady Marmalade” that catapulted Labelle to the cover of Rolling Stone, becoming the first Black music group to be featured.
Patti LaBelle holds up a sign during a celebration on July 2, 2019, as the block of Broad Street between Spruce and Locust Streets is renamed Patti LaBelle Way.
“I’ve had a lot of wonderful moments in my career,” LaBelle said. “It’s nice to remember, to be proud. We made a lot of history.”
(Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink covered “Lady Marmalade” in 2001 for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. And in 2003 Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.)
In 2016, LaBelle received the Marian Anderson Award. Three years later, the city named a block of Broad Street between Spruce and Locust Patti LaBelle Way.
LaBelle, who lives in Villanova now, never left the Philadelphia area.
Patti LaBelle and Frankie Beverly are two of the celebrities featured on reimagined Shaheed Rucker’s ‘(re)Covering the Iconic” in in Jefferson Einstein’s community corridor. Monday, Sept. 8, 2025.
“I’m a Philadelphia girl,” she said with pride. “It’s laid back, comfortable. … How I like it.”
Over the decades, she has had a few entrepreneurial endeavors including two short-lived Philadelphia boutiques and a clothing collection on HSN. However, she’s best known for her indisputably yummy line of desserts — sweet potato pies and cobblers. Late last year, she introduced pancake mix and syrup that, she says for the record, is nothing like Aunt Jemima.
“For one,” she said, mustering up a bit of her trademark LaBelle sass, “I’m a real person.”
Real to her core.
“She’s given a lot to Philadelphia,” Val said. “She’s given so much to the country … to the Black community.”
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries and their fans — and what those fans need to know about Philly.
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is working to help keep alive the city’s project to cap the Vine Street Expressway after Washington last year yanked $150 million in promised federal money.
The project was dependent on a $159 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant covering the entire cost.
Now, DVRPC, at the city’s request, is managing the process of gathering $12.5 million to replace some of the lost money, enough to complete the final design.
“We are taking this administrative action to keep the project moving,” DVRPC spokesperson Elise Turner said.
The Chinatown project involves building a cap over I-676 from just east of 10th to 13th Streets, allowing for a park as well as more developable land. It would tie together Chinatown and the neighborhood to the north, which were united until the interstate split them.
Finishing the design will advance the project as officials look for construction funding. It’s possible building the cap will be delayed.
For the design work, $10 million would be obtained from another federal program for improvements on the national highway network. That money is available in the region’s reserve controlled by PennDot, DVRPC staff said.
The city would contribute $2.5 million.
The city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems is working to secure the money and is “confident” that will happen, a spokesperson said, while declining to disclose details.
As for construction, “funding will have to be figured out later,” said DVRPC’s Turner.
The agency determines priorities for regional transportation projects.
To receive federal funds, an infrastructure project needs the formal blessing of the DVRPC, the designated metropolitan planning organization for the Philadelphia region.
Meanwhile, preliminary engineering work is continuing, financed by the $8.4 million. The project is expected to receive environmental approvals in the spring, DVRPC said.
President Donald Trump and the GOP congressional majorities have been targeting Biden-era initiatives for elimination, including various transportation-equity programs — to fund projects like the Stitch — that began under the national infrastructure act of 2022.
In late 2023, construction of the cap was projected to begin in 2027, although at other points a groundbreaking was anticipated in 2028.
The timeline is currently unclear.
This story has been updated to clarify DVRPC’s role in the project.
Lou Capozzoli, 86, of Southwest Philly, a dive bar owner and band front man with a penchant for telling jokes, died Sunday, Feb. 1, after battling a brief illness at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital while surrounded by family.
Mr. Capozzoli, born April, 4, 1939, was just one year younger than the bar he would eventually take over at the intersection of East Passyunk Avenue and Federal Street, then called Ray’s after the nickname bestowed on his father, Anthony.
Almost immediately, the bar became the center of Mr. Capozzoli’s life. He grew up in the apartment upstairs and as a toddler would sit quietly on the bar downstairs, eating cornflakes, while his mom poured beers. His dad, meanwhile, would wish every customer a happy birthday, even if it wasn’t theirs to celebrate.
It was a gesture that stuck with Mr. Capozzoli, who would go on to spend the rest of his life doing whatever he could to earn smiles from strangers, whether it meant serving birthday shots of cake-flavored vodka with a candle or performing to crowds as a singer and saxophonist across Las Vegas, the Jersey Shore, and South Philly.
Mr. Capozzoli with a drawing of his father, Anthony “Ray” Capozzoli, who opened Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar in South Philadelphia in 1938. Mr. Capozzoli took over the bar when his father died in 1997.
“That’s all he wanted, for his father to be proud of him,” said Rose Capozzoli,Mr. Capozzoli’s wife.
As a boss, Mr. Capozzoli was “pretty silly,” said bartender T.C. Cole, who also played guitar in Mr. Capozzoli’s band. “He would call you at 1:45 in the morning when you’re trying to close just to tell you a joke.”
The inside of Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar. Mr. Capozzoli was known for calling regulars on the mornings of their birthdays.
If jokes were a currency, Mr. Capozzoli was a billionaire, friends and family said. He’d fire them off incessantly — during closing shifts, band performances, family dinners — and had enough discretion to whisper the most risqué in your ear. Mr. Capozzoli’s style was modeled after that of Buddy Hackett and Rodney Dangerfield, his favorite comedians, but the punch lines didn’t matter as much his delivery.
Mr. Capozzoli “would laugh with the person he was telling the joke to,” his son Anthony Capozzoli, 55, said. “If you weren’t laughing with the punch line, you were laughing at how much he enjoyed getting to it.”
More recently, Anthony said, his father would call him just to workshop material, most of which isn’t fit to print. Mr. Capozzoli’s favorite jokes were set to music in 2023 for a five minute-long comedy track as part of a studio EP for the Rage Band, the seven-piece group that Mr. Cappozoli sang with for 41 years alongside a rotating cast of characters.
Low Cut Connie front man Adam Weiner recorded the EP. He and Mr. Capozzoli grew close after Weiner played a gig at Ray’s in 2012, bonding over their shared love of captivating a crowd.
“Not everyone is about joy when they perform … People care about their ego, people care about fashion,” Weiner said. “But Lou was always about fun, just radiating 100% joy.”
Mr. Capozzoli started performing professionally when he was 14, sneaking into clubs to accompany bands on the alto sax. The stage was a calling that helped him fall in love. It also took him to the edge of celebrity.
After serving in the military in the early 1960s and playing for Sophia Loren as part of an army band, Mr. Capozzoli told jokes and sang standards at the Stardust and Flamingo casinos in Las Vegas. At the peak of his fame, he opened for Diana Ross at the Riptide Club in Wildwood in 1965. That same year Mr. Capozzoli met his wife, Rose, who was charmed by his talents at another Wildwood concert. They wed three years later.
Mr. Capozzoli bonded with Low Cut Connie’s Adam Weiner over their shared love of performing.
Mr. Capozzoli’s steadiest gig began in 1984 with the Rage Band, once the house act for Sea Isle City’s now-shuttered Springfield Inn. There, Mr. Capozzoli settled into his larger-than-life style, commanding a crowd of roughly 1,000 people a night on summer weekends. He’d serenade Burt and Ernie puppets for a medley of Sesame Street songs and show tunes, or don outlandish masks for a Mummers tribute.Both brought down the house, but never as much as when Mr. Capozzoli would cover “Those Were The Days” or ”Sweet Caroline,” which were always punctuated with jokes.
“I call him the showman’s showman,” said Brian Saunders, one of band’s saxophonists. Tony DiMattia, a bassist for the band, concurred: “He didn’t just entertain the crowd. He entertained us as musicians.”
The Rage Band stopped their Sea Isle residency in 1999, only to pick up at new one at Ray’s in 2003, where they have performed on the first Saturday of every month from October through April ever since. The band never rehearsed, DiMattia said. Mr. Capozzoli’s stage presence could smooth over just about any kink.
Mr. Capozzoli played in The Rage Band for 42 years, performing for packed houses at the Springfield Inn in Sea Isle City and Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar.
“There is no Rage Band without Lou,” Saunders said. “He was the glue that kept us together.”
Outside of music, Mr. Capozzoli’s greatest loves were his wife and children. He was a dedicated father who enjoyed cooking large French toast breakfasts, organizing tee ball games, and ensuring the family always had a rescue dog to snuggle. Laughter — and his wife’s minding — kept Mr. Capozzoli going, even as the decades of working in a smoking bar wore on him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lou angry,” said Saunders. “I don’t think he’d ever not had a smile on his face.”
Mr. Capozzoli was an accomplished saxophonist who started playing professionally when he was 14 years old.
In addition to his wife, Rose, and son, Anthony, Mr. Capozzoli is survived by his daughters, Dyan Wixted and Luann Capozzoli, and three grandchildren: Louis, Daniel, and Delaney.
Visitation with the family will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 6, and from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Feb. 7 at Pennsylvania Burial Company, 1327-31 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19147. Services will follow Saturday at 11 a.m.
Super Bowl LX will monopolize our attention Sunday as only the Big Game can. But once the buzzer sounds on Patriots-Seahawks, mitts will be poppin’ across Florida and Arizona.
With Phillies pitchers and catchers set for workouts beginning Wednesday in Clearwater, Fla., LX baseball notes:
I. Before the continuation of the “Is Bryce Harper still elite?” debate, another note from last season: Only one of the Phillies’ 43 biggest hits, based on Win Probability Added, belonged to Harper. He had four of their 13 biggest hits from 2019-24.
II. So, whatever you thought of Dave Dombrowski’s assessment that Harper “didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past,” can we agree that 2025 was un-Bryce-like?
III. It’s probably giving Dombrowski too much credit to suggest he was being calculated. But the last time anyone publicly poked Harper, he homered twice in Game 3 of the 2023 division series and stared a hole through Braves shortstop “Attaboy” Orlando Arcia. A chip on Harper’s shoulder wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Phillies.
IV. Fact: Harper faced a lower rate of strikes (43%) than any hitter in baseball last season.
V. Another fact: Harper swung at 35.6% of pitches out of the strike zone, 129th among 144 qualified hitters and far above his career mark (29.3%), according to Statcast.
VI. It’s about Harper’s swing decisions, then, as much as lineup protection. “If he gets that [chase] number down to 32, just drop it 3%, now he’s swinging at better pitches, he’s going to do more damage,” hitting coach Kevin Long told The Inquirer’s Phillies Extra podcast. “The onus falls on me to make sure he’s swinging at the right pitches and him to make sure he’s not expanding. No matter what, he has to control his at-bats.”
Kyle Schwarber batted in front of Bryce Harper for most of last season, when he hit 56 homers and was runner-up for NL MVP.
VII. Still, don’t be surprised if Rob Thomson puts Kyle Schwarber behind Harper in the batting order. It was the other way around for most of last season.
VIII. A month before the Mets signed Bo Bichette — out from under the Phillies’ nose, by the way — they pushed hard for Schwarber, league sources said. The Phillies re-signed Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million contract, the biggest deal ever for a full-time designated hitter.
IX. Speaking of Bichette, set a calendar reminder for June 18-21, the Mets’ first visit to South Philly.
X. The Mets lost 18½ games in the NL East standings in 108 days, missed the playoffs, then overhauled the roster … and fans bemoaned not bringing back Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Edwin Díaz. The Phillies won another division title, had a bad week in October, then ran back the core of the roster … and fans bemoaned keeping the band together. Strange days.
XI. BetMGM set the Phillies’ over/under win total at 90.5. Same as the Mets’.
XII. July will be a big month for business at the corner of 11th & Pattison: Futures Game (July 12), Home Run Derby (July 13), All-Star Game (July 14), Mets (July 16-19), Dodgers (July 20-22), and Yankees (July 24-26).
XIII. Schwarber has 340 homers. If he hits 32 per year — and a work stoppage doesn’t wipe out part of the 2027 season — he would reach 500 homers before his new Phillies contract runs out in 2030.
XIV. Harper has 363 homers and would need to hit 23 per year to reach 500 before the expiration of his 13-year contract in 2031.
XV. Players who hit their 500th homer with the Phillies: Mike Schmidt, on April 18, 1987.
Zack Wheeler is recovering from thoracic outlet decompression surgery in September.
XVI. After being diagnosed with a blood clot in his upper right arm, Zack Wheeler had venous thoracic outlet decompression surgery in September. The recovery for a pitcher typically takes up to eight months, Thomson said, which would put Wheeler on a May timetable.
XVII. Bet on Wheeler to beat that projection. He began throwing from a mound this week, a source close to the 35-year-old righty said. The Phillies won’t push Wheeler, but he’s motivated to make as many starts as possible in what he has said will be his second-to-last season.
XVIII. Not every pitcher recovers at the same rate, but Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly had vTOS surgery in September 2020 and started Arizona’s second game of the 2021 season.
XIX. If Wheeler isn’t ready, top prospect Andrew Painter almost certainly will occupy a spot in the season-opening rotation. Painter, who turns 23 on April 10, could be the Phillies’ youngest starter since Ranger Suárez on Aug. 16, 2018 (22 years, 355 days).
XX.Justin Crawfordturned 22 on Jan. 13. If he makes the team out of camp, as expected, he will be the youngest position player on a Phillies opening-day roster since Freddy Galvis in 2012 and the youngest outfielder since Greg Luzinski and Mike Anderson in 1973.
XXI. Crawford’s ground-ball rate in triple A last season (59.4%) would’ve easily led the majors, topping Christian Yelich’s 56.7% mark.
XXII. But Crawford also would’ve ranked fifth with 67 bolts, defined by Statcast as sprints of at least 30 feet per second. (Trea Turner led the majors with 117 bolts.)
XXIII. Is it really so bad, then, that Crawford tends to hit a lot of balls on the ground? “Hopefully it doesn’t matter,” Lehigh Valley hitting coach Adam Lind said. “His approach works right now. He’s super fast. His swing works to where he can hit the ball all over the yard. Whenever a defender has to take one step away from first base, that usually means he’ll be safe.”
XXIV. Quiz: Crawford could be the Phillies’ eighth different opening-day center fielder in nine years. Name the others. (Answer below.)
XXV. Upon stepping down as Twins president last week, Derek Falvey cited ownership’s “different plan” for the team’s direction. If Minnesota enters a full rebuild, All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton would be widely coveted, including by the Phillies. Buxton, 32, has three years and $45 million left on his contract, plus no-trade rights.
XXVI. The Phillies’ projected luxury-tax payroll is $316.3 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, trailing the Dodgers ($402.5M), Mets ($376.6M), and Yankees ($335.5M). For a second consecutive year, the Phillies will pay a 110% tax on every dollar spent above $304 million, the highest of four thresholds.
XXVII. In 2025, the Phillies paid $56,062,903 in luxury taxes on a $314,329,912 payroll, the Associated Press reported. Their tax bill has risen from $2,882,657 in 2022, $6,977,345 in 2023, and $14,351,954 in 2024.
XXVIII. Owners will gather Wednesday in Palm Beach, Fla., for their quarterly meetings. Many owners are pushing for a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement. The players’ union has historically opposed a cap. It would take eight of 30 owners to block a salary-cap proposal. The existing CBA expires Dec. 1, with a lockout likely to follow.
XXVIX. Last month, commissioner Rob Manfred told a New York radio station that MLB has discussed schedule changes, including an in-season tournament similar to the NBA Cup. The players would need to agree to any new formats.
XXX. The Phillies will send 11 players from their 40-man roster to the World Baseball Classic: Schwarber, Harper, and Brad Keller (U.S.); Cristopher Sánchez and Johan Rojas (Dominican Republic); José Alvarado (Venezuela); Taijuan Walker (Mexico); Aaron Nola (Italy); Garrett Stubbs and Max Lazar (Israel); Edmundo Sosa (Panama). Preliminary round games begin March 5, with the final set for March 17 in Miami.
XXXI.Jesús Luzardo was invited to pitch for Venezuela and Team USA but declined. “It’s very important for my family, for me, to represent Venezuela,” Luzardo told Phillies Extra. “But just in terms of intelligent decision-making, after a long last year and looking forward to a long this year, I thought the correct decision would be to take a slow spring training and make sure everything’s along the right line to be prepared for the year.” Luzardo is eligible for free agency after this season.
XXXII. Left-handed pitcher A: 3.59 ERA, 544 strikeouts, 1.287 WHIP, 117 ERA-plus in 588⅓ innings since 2022.
XXXIII. Left-handed pitcher B: 3.83 ERA, 602 strikeouts, 1.186 WHIP, 116 ERA-plus in 529⅓ innings since 2022.
XXXIV. Suárez (Lefty A) signed a five-year, $130 million contract with the Red Sox last month that will cover his ages 30-34 seasons.
XXXV. Luzardo (Lefty B) will pitch at age-28 this season.
XXXVI. Quiz answer: Brandon Marsh (2025), Rojas (2024), Marsh (2023), Matt Vierling (2022), Adam Haseley (2021), Roman Quinn (2020), Odúbel Herrera (2019), and Aaron Altherr (2018).
Jesús Luzardo posted a 3.92 ERA in a career-high 183⅔ innings in his first season with the Phillies in 2025.
XXXVII. Sánchez threw the most changeups (1,084) in baseball last season. Among 72 pitchers who threw at least 300, he ranked ninth in opponents’ batting average (.170) and slugging (.243) against his changeup.
XXXVIII. Changeup artist Cole Hamels on why Sánchez’s is so dominant: “One thing I’ve noticed is you cannot recognize the spin. It’s the same [as the two-seamer]. So, it’s a coin flip: Am I going to try to hit 97 [mph] with sink, or am I going to hit 87 with drop-off-the-table [action]? And he’s not scared to throw it in any type of count, with anybody on.”
XXXIX. By finishing second in the Cy Young voting last year, Sánchez’s club options for 2029 and 2030 increased by $1 million apiece to $15 million and $16 million.
XL. The automated ball-strike system is coming to MLB after being tested last year in spring training and the minors. Each team is allowed two challenges per game. Thomson prefers that challenges be initiated by the catcher or batters, with specific hitters getting a green light to challenge.
XLI. Opinions about ABS are varied. “There’s a human element pitchers like with umpires,” reliever Tanner Banks said last month. “Maybe you steal [a strike] because the catcher does a great job. But at the end of the day, you want consistency. The umpires I’ve talked to are for it if it helps make the right call.”
XLII. Imagine if the Phillies could’ve challenged umpire Mark Wegner’s missed strike call on Sánchez’s 2-2 pitch to Alex Call with one out in the seventh inning of Game 4 of last year’s NL division series. Call walked on the next pitch and scored the tying run. Sánchez said Wegner admitted that he got it wrong.
XLIII. A catcher’s game-calling is among the last skills that are largely immeasurable through analytics, which explains why it took so long for the Phillies and J.T. Realmuto to reach an agreement in free agency. At 35, amid three years of declining offense, Realmuto’s value is tied to his intangible impact on the pitching staff.
XLIV. Since 2023, opponents had a .682 OPS and Phillies pitchers had a 3.75 ERA with Realmuto behind the plate. The major-league averages were .722 and 4.18.
XLV. “In my opinion, catchers are undervalued as far as contracts and dollars go,” said Realmuto, who eventually accepted a three-year, $45 million offer. “I truly believe it’s one of, if not the most important position on the field, and I just enjoy fighting for that.”
XLVI. Quiz: Realmuto started a career-high 132 games behind the plate last season. In the last 80 years, how many catchers started that many games at age 34 or older? (Answer below.)
XLVII. Player A: .260/.306/.426, 121 doubles, 82 homers, 100 OPS-plus in 2,477 plate appearances.
XLVIII. Player B: .237/.296/.441, 118 doubles, 110 homers, 107 OPS-plus in 2,473 plate appearances.
LIX.Nick Castellanos (Player A) in four seasons with the Phillies (ages 30-33).
L.Adolis García (Player B) in the last four seasons with the Rangers (ages 29-32).
LI. Castellanos ranked last among all outfielders in defensive runs saved (minus-41) since 2022; Garcia was tied for ninth (plus-23).
LII.Bryson Stott lowered his hands, moved them closer to his body, and batted .294 with an .855 OPS after the All-Star break last season. It’s one reason Phillies officials are confident in running back almost the same lineup.
LIII. Here’s another: Marsh batted .303 with an .836 OPS after May 1.
LIV. If depth is a factor, and it usually is, the open seats in the bullpen could go to Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley and Zach Pop, who is out of minor league options. But Thomson is talking up Kyle Backhus, a lefty with a low arm slot who was acquired in a trade with Arizona.
LV. Righty-hitting outfielder Bryan De La Cruz will be in camp as a nonroster invitee after signing a minor-league contract in November. De La Cruz, 29, has major-league experience, mostly with the Marlins. He was MVP of the Dominican Winter League, batting .301 with eight homers and an .888 OPS in 46 games.
Chase Utley is getting closer to being elected to the Hall of Fame.
LVI. Lefty reliever Génesis Cabrera also will be in camp as a nonroster invitee. Once a promising reliever with the Cardinals, Cabrera hit Harper in the face with a 97 mph fastball in 2021. The Phillies will be his sixth team since 2024.
LVII. It’s clear that Chase Utley will eventually get elected to the Hall of Fame after reaching 59.1%, 68 votes shy of the requisite three-quarter majority, in his third year on the ballot. But will it take one more voting cycle or two for him to get to the 75% mark?
LVIII. The electorate changes each year, depending on how many writers join the process upon reaching 10 years of membership in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. But consider Carlos Beltrán’s path to election: 57.1% in 2024, 70.3% in 2025, and finally 84.2% this year. So, pencil in Utley for the Class of 2028 … and maybe book a hotel in Cooperstown for 2027 just in case.
LIX. Quiz answer: Six. Realmuto (2025), Yadier Molina (2017), Jason Kendall (2008), Tony Peña (1991), Elston Howard (1964), and Bob Boone (1982-86).
Think you know your news? There’s only one way to find out. Welcome back to our weekly News Quiz — a quick way to see if your reading habits are sinking in and to put your local news knowledge to the test.
Question 1 of 10
Former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams' tenure imploded as he was prosecuted on federal corruption charges nearly a decade ago. What is he up to now?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The role’s expectations are modest. Williams offers spiritual counseling and religious programming to the 600 or so prisoners held at Riverside Correctional Facility. It is part-time and pays about $21 per hour.
Question 2 of 10
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this week, indicating six more weeks of winter are yet to come. That clairvoyant groundhog calls this famed Pennsylvania place home:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The weather-predicting groundhog saw his shadow Monday outside his hole at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney. If you believe such things, that means the entire country — including our snow-covered section of the Northeast — can expect below-average temperatures for the next six weeks.
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Question 3 of 10
Formerly known as Lou Turk's, Delaware County’s lone strip club is changing its name, but keeping its highly anticipated flower sale. What holiday marks the occasion?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The annual Mother’s Day and Easter flower sales outside of the strip club will remain intact, despite the name change to The Carousel Delco. You wouldn’t want to tell your mom you bought her flowers at the Acme, would you?
Question 4 of 10
One South Philly restaurant has a popular cocktail that mimics a beloved style of soup. The soup is:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Chef Thanh Nguyen’s signature pho cocktail at Gabriella’s Vietnam is a many-layered marvel. It’s not like drinking pho broth spiked with vodka. A tiny squirt of Sriracha muddled with fresh culantro and ginger adds a soft orange hue.
Question 5 of 10
After weeks of uncertainty over their potential retirement, which Eagles staff member ultimately decided to return for another season with the team?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Fangio’s decision to stay brings some stability to an Eagles coaching staff that is already in the process of undergoing change. Hours before Fangio's return was official, Stoutland announced that he would be leaving his post as the Eagles offensive line coach after 13 years.
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This Mount Airy ice cream shop previously said it was closing for good, but will be sticking around after all:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Founder Danielle Jowdy announced in December 2024 that she planned to end her 14-year run at the end of 2025. But Liz Yee, a pastry chef at the nearby Catering by Design who also creates desserts for Doho restaurant, also in Mount Airy, plans to reopen Zsa’s on Saturday, Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.
Question 7 of 10
A few months ago, the Philadelphia Art Museum took up its new moniker. But now, it's changing again. The new (?) name is:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The PhAM acronym used in marketing materials will be dropped, and the museum will once again refer to itself in shorthand as the PMA as many Philadelphians long have. Why the retreat? In short, the new name was widely disliked.
Question 8 of 10
This boxing great's former home in Cherry Hill is once again on the market with an asking price of $1.9 million:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
About 300 people have been tasked with manually breaking up ice at crosswalks and streets in residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia following the region's recent stubborn snowfall. What are they called?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Mayor Cherelle. L Parker said that the city has tapped into its Future Track Program for snow-removal efforts. The trainees are typically at-risk young adults who are not enrolled in higher education and are unemployed. They get job experience, as well as other services, and they help in beautification projects. In the snow cleanup, Parker said, the trainees cleared more than 1,600 ADA ramps.
Question 10 of 10
Anonymous hackers claimed that a recent data breach compromised data for 1.2 million students, donors, and alumni at the University of Pennsylvania. But the school now says this many people were impacted:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The school hired cybersecurity specialists to help investigate the Oct. 31 breach, which accessed systems related to development and alumni activities. A Penn source confirmed Tuesday that fewer than 10 people received notifications that their personal information had been affected.
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Coastal homes featuring wooden gambrel roofs, cedar siding, covered porches, and inside spaces that flow out to patios and pools are mainstays of Jersey Shore properties. The architect who brought that look to the area, arguably, is Mark Asher.
For more than four decades, Asher has left his imprint on homes from Cape May to Rumson to the Philly suburbs, everything from 1,200-square-foot cottages to 15,000-square-foot mansions.
Now principal of Asher Slaunwhite + Partners in Jenkintown, Asher has come a long way since designing his first house in 1986: an 1,800-square-foot Cape Cod in Ocean City for his parents.
“I suppose my parents were looking for a return on their investment,” Asher said. “The house was serviceable. It stood up and didn’t leak, which puts me well ahead of most architects’ first-house experience.”
Architectural blueprints in Asher’s office.
That first solo experience taught him many lessons, mostly “that there was a lot to learn,” he said.
One of those lessons he acquired along the way was that many cultural myths about architects exist, beginning with the notion that architects are generalists who know a little bit about a lot of things. In fact, he said, the reality is that you have to become very, very good at many, many things.
“We are balancing the skills in land use, regulatory environment, technology, budget, and design,” Asher said. “And of course, client relationships. The house — the finished product — is the tip of an enormous iceberg.”
Those relationships have been the cornerstone of his business. He has a long list of repeat customers and takes pride in designing homes for the children of former clients.
Early in his career, Shore homes on Seven Mile Island, home to Avalon and Stone Harbor, were his bread and butter. Today, about 60% of his work comes from the Shore, and the rest from coastal clients who hire him for their inland homes.
Steve and Nancy Graham had Asher design two homes: their Avalon beach house in 2003, and their primary home in Wayne a year later. Nancy had worked for a builder at the time, and was a true collaborator during the design process.
The house of Steve and Nancy Graham in Avalon, which architect Mark Asher designed for the family in 2003.
They razed an existing cottage, replacing it with a two-story, 4,000-square-foot, six-bedroom vacation home for their family, which at the time included their three children. Now, eight grandchildren make memories there.
The Graham’s Shore house was nothing like the Wayne house he designed for them, which replicated that house’s traditional, historical neighbors. Their Avalon property was Asher’s first foray into designing Shore homes and included a gambrel roof, cedar siding, and a covered porch.
“I had designed many houses like this before anyone built one, but I kept getting shot down,” Asher said. “Once it was done, it was like a hit song, and it was all people wanted.”
A childhood passion
As early as he can remember, Asher loved to sail. Spending his summers at the Shore, he’d tool around in a small dinghy, hugging the Jersey coast from Brigantine to Cape May.
“The sights and sounds, the feel, and even the smells of these coastal towns became etched in my memory,” Asher said. “So when I started to work in the various beach towns, it was really just going back to a place I’d already been.”
He had a similar passion for architecture at an early age, curious about old houses. He’d park himself on the curb, sketch pad in hand, and draw the houses he found most interesting. Those were his Architecture 101 lessons.
(From left) Laura Glantz, Jeanine Snyder, Mark Asher, and Deborah Slaunwhite chat in the office of Asher Slaunwhite + Partners in Jenkintown.
“I grew up in old houses, warts and all,” he recalled. “They were constantly being worked on. Saturday mornings invariably meant a trip to the lumberyard or the hardware store. And I love old houses still — their history and their stories.”
After graduating from Virginia Tech School of Architecture in 1982, he worked at various architecture firms, learning the subtleties of his profession. In 1992, the Ocean City Yacht Club hired Asher for a redesign, and in 1995 the Avalon Yacht Club followed suit.
“This was pre-computer, pre-Internet, so the OCYC project was drawn by hand,” he recalled. “Hard work and passion will cover the sins of inexperience.”
Building for today’s family dynamic
Asher’s first home design came in 2000, a relatively small two-coastal cottage that cost about $125 per square foot to build. Today, that same house would cost about eight times that, outpacing the inflation rate by 1,200%, Asher said.
His designs have evolved along with the needs of his clients. Shore houses today are often designed for three generations of living.
“Now you need areas for people to come together, but also to separate under the same roof,” said Michael Buck, president of Buck Custom Homes in Avalon and Ocean City, who has worked with Asher on about 30 projects.
A home in Ocean City designed by architect Mark Asher.
Although homes previously housed multiple generations, they weren’t purposefully designed to accommodate the needs of extended families. In many cases, homes are shifting to a more contemporary style, with five en-suite bedrooms, an elevator, and dedicated HVAC closet.
“Mark’s plans capture a certain simplicity of the coastal environment of the home,” Buck said. “His architecture speaks to a classic, thoughtful approach to how a house blends in with its environment on a micro and macro level.”
Asher’s entry into coastal building brought a greater emphasis on the home’s exterior, both in beauty and function.
“When Mark came to town, the shift toward second homes from purely rental properties had already begun,” said Jack Binder Sr., broker at Ferguson Dechert Real Estate in Avalon. “The affluent, personal-use buyer wanted to express themselves through custom housing that stood apart from the rest and featured high-end amenities.”
“Mark married functional interior space that flowed to exterior entertaining areas allowing his clients to enjoy their home to the max,” Binder said.
One of the homes designed by Mark Asher in Avalon.
Asher’s home interiors are thoughtfully designed, said Allison Valtri, principal of Allison Valtri Interiors in Avalon.
“His windows are very carefully placed so that the light comes in in a way that is unexpected,” Valtri said. “Some of my favorite windows are ones that are capturing the sky. That fulfilling moment of peace is very thoughtful.”
Asher also brought a desire for lush, green lawns to replace the stones that had previously filled the yards. “The stones were hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and ugly all year round,” he said.
“When I began, I was working in a very traditional architectural palette,” he said. “The ’70s and ’80s were not very kind to beach architecture — think big hair and shoulder pads or stucco and a fondness for inexplicable round windows. So I was on a sort of reclamation project.”
If it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Asher should feel quite proud.
An architectural model at the offices of Asher Slaunwhite + Partners.
“He elevates and then watches everyone else catch up,” Buck said. “For example, not long ago, a wood roof was an anomaly, but now it’s mainstream.”
But Asher sees it differently. Imitation just means he needs to challenge himself to find something better.
He shares credit for his successes with those who have helped and inspired him, including his wife and longtime collaborator, Susan Asher, as well as his architect partners, Deborah Slaunwhite and Laura Glantz, and his business partner Jeanine Snyder. He also enjoys mentoring young architects.
“Any profession has a responsibility for the generation that comes after it,” Asher said. “And I’ve often believed that my own start was a little rockier than it might have been. Some early guidance would have been helpful. So you pay it forward.”
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics doesn’t take place until Friday at Milan’s San Siro Stadium, but some of the world’s top athletes are already competing in Italy. That includes in the sport of curling, which always seems to shine on the global stage.
“I love exposing people to something that’s so special,” said Carolyn Lloyd, who’s been a member of the Philadelphia Curling Club for 20 years. “People don’t realize just how special it is. It’s different from a lot of sports, certainly in its culture. This sport captures my whole heart.”
Curling is one of the first sports to start, with mixed doubles beginning Wednesday. Team USA made its debut early Thursday against Norway and Switzerland in mixed doubles. However, men’s and women’s curling will begin on Feb. 12 and will feature a local athlete: Marple Newtown High School graduate Taylor Anderson-Heide, who attended the University of Minnesota and is making her Olympic debut.
Anderson-Heide, 30, is a five-time national champion. She trained at the Philadelphia Curling Club in Paoli with her identical twin Sarah Anderson.
“What I saw watching these kids grow up, was the dedication of coming and continuing to work through adversity,” Lloyd, who lives in Collegeville, said of the Anderson sisters. “Any sport you’re going to lose a lot while you’re learning and you have to be resilient. That’s one thing that I’m always the most impressed at when I think about them. And I cheer their successes. And when they struggle, I feel it too because you know how hard they work.”
Here’s everything you need to know about curling before it once again captures the world’s attention at the Winter Olympics …
What are the rules of curling?
Curling, which officially became an Olympic sport in 1998, involves two teams sliding granite stones across a long strip of ice known as a sheet. Players take turns sliding a 44-pound stone toward a round target, known as a house, that sits at each end of the 150-foot long sheet. Each house consists of four rings and a center, known as the button.
Two teams of four players take turns delivering one stone at a time. When delivering a stone, a player uses one of the hacks, or fixed rubber blocks, to push off and must release it before what is known as “the hog line” for it to be considered in play.
Canada’s Brett Gallant releases the stone before the hog line in one of the matches on Wednesday’s opening day.
Games are typically 10 rounds (or ends), and only one team is awarded points after each. The team with the stone closest to the button after all 16 are thrown (eight per team) receives one point — and one additional point for each stone that is both inside or touching the house and closer to the button than opposing team’s closest stone. The team that goes last has what is called “the hammer,” a distinct advantage that passes to the other team after the team that possess it scores.
A traditional team consists of a lead, second, third, and fourth — and players throw stones, two each, in that order. A fifth player serves as an alternate. Each team also appoints a captain, known as the skip, and a vice skip. The skip is in charge of directing play for the team and typically stands in the house at the scoring end of the sheet. The vice-skip takes over their duties when the skip, who typically goes last, is delivering stones.
Then there’s sweeping. In addition to the rotation of the stone helping guide its trajectory, a pair of sweepers can brush the ice, creating friction and influencing how the stone moves. You’ll often see the skip yelling out orders to these players as they quickly move down the sheet and stay ahead of the stone.
And the ice? It’s not the same as what the Flyers play on.
“You can’t curl on a skating or ice hockey rink,” former Olympic curler and current Great Britain’s chef de mission (or non-playing captain) Eve Muirhead recently told the Athletic. “The stone wouldn’t go anywhere. So you put millions of tiny water droplets on the sheet to cause less friction between the ice and stone. The droplets freeze into what we call ‘pebble’ — if you run your hand over the ice, it’s rough.”
In mixed doubles, which joined the Olympics in 2018, the rules are slightly different. The game includes just two players — one male and one female — as well as pre-placed stones, a “power play,” and fewer ends.
Curling is considered one of the oldest team sports. According to World Curling, a 16th century Flemish artist known as Pieter Bruegel painted an activity similar to curling being played on frozen ponds. Written evidence dates to the mid-1500s in Scotland, where the first recognized curling clubs were formed — and where the majority of granite for the stones is produced.
The game eventually spread across the globe, but the first official international competition didn’t take place until the 1924 Winter Games in Chamonix, France, where curling made its Olympic debut as a men’s competition. While curling made a couple more appearances over the next 60 years as a demonstration event — at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games (Lake Placid), the 1988 Olympic Winter Games (Calgary), and the 1992 Olympic Games (Albertville) — it wasn’t until 1998 in Nagano that curling was included as a full medal sport for both men and women.
Kristin Skaslien of Norway faces off against Britain at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday.
Since then, Lloyd, 49, has seen the growth in the sport on a local level.
“We went from having like a couple 50 to 75 people coming to open house to having hundreds of people outside,” Lloyd said. “The police were here and there was a line down the block. It got so crazy so fast.”
Every four years, curling again captivates the fans around the world. But why? Part of that is likely how different it is from many of the fast-paced Olympic sports. That slower pace allows for more strategy and real-time analysis, like baseball. And it doesn’t look that hard — although looks are deceiving in this case.
It can also be very satisfying to watch heavy stones effortlessly glide across ice, especially when they do it like this …
Another reason people enjoy curling is the etiquette and sportsmanship associated with the sport.
During the week the Philadelphia Curling Club will host league nights where members compete in games. After the competition, it’s tradition to stay after and socialize, with the winning team buying the losing team the first round of drinks.
The postgame ritual is known as “broomstacking,” and has become a deeply rooted tradition that focuses on the camaraderie of the sport.
“Broomstacking is usually in the more fun tournaments,” said former Philadelphia Curling Club member, and Olympic curler Taylor Anderson-Heide in a YouTube video on the spirit of curling. “Or we call them bonspiels. You can decide to stack your brooms on the house and then go have a drink inside at the bar.”
There are other unspoken rules. For instance, similar to golf, the crowd never cheers for missed shots — and you always shake your opponents hand before and after a game. There’s also no talking during an opponent’s shot, and players call their own fouls. And like in chess, you must know when to concede when there’s no way to mathematically win.
If this got you excited to watch, good news: There is curling every day of the Olympics, until Feb. 22, when the women’s gold medal will be decided. There are far too many games to list here, but you can check out the official Olympic schedule here.
The mixed doubles medal matches will take place first, on Feb. 10 at 8:05 a.m. ET (bronze medal match) and 12:05 p.m. (gold).
The men’s bronze medal match is Feb. 20 at 1:05 p.m. ET, with the gold medal match the following day at the same time. The women’s bronze medal will be decided on Feb. 21 at 8:05 a.m. ET, with the women’s gold medal match concluding the event on Feb. 22 at 5:05 a.m. ET.
How can I watch Olympic curling?
Select matches will air on CNBC and USA Network, with the women’s gold medal match on Feb. 22 scheduled to air on NBC. All of the matches will be available to stream on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. You can get the full TV schedule here.
