It’s Bryce Harper’s show | Sports Daily Newsletter

Bryce Harper has been named to the National League All-Star team eight times, but because of injuries, he has not played in the Midsummer Classic since 2018.

He’ll be starting at first base tonight, representing the Phillies for the first time. His teammates call him “The Showman” for a reason, and it’s worth wondering: What will Harper have up his sleeve to entertain us?

He has worn Phanatic and Wawa cleats. He performed a perfect soccer-style knee slide after a homer in the London Series. As a rookie, he flipped off his helmet to reveal a mohawk hairstyle. For his part, Harper says something is possible tonight. “I’ve got it all,” he says. “I’m excited.”

“He knows what gets people watching,” second baseman Bryson Stott says. Aside from the postseason, The Showman won’t get a bigger stage.

⚾ Where the Phillies stand: At the All-Star break, they have the best record in baseball at 62-34.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ Which current Phillie has the best chance of becoming a Hall of Famer and why? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

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Marcus Hayes has never been a fan of in-season All-Star games, whether it’s baseball or any other. All-Star games made sense in eras when leagues were desperate to promote themselves, but they’re all billion-dollar businesses now. It ain’t 1933 anymore. That said, the All-Star break could benefit the Phillies immeasurably this year. Here’s how for each of their eight All-Stars.

Coming into the Home Run Derby with the fewest home runs with 11, Alec Bohm put on a show in the first-round at Globe Life Field with 21 dingers. He came up one homer short though of forcing a second swing-off in the semifinals against eventual champion Teoscar Hernández.

The Phillies made 10 more selections on Day 2 of the MLB draft, and their haul was heavy on college position players.

Central Bucks East’s Chase Harlan and Penn’s Jackson Appel had their names called during the draft on Monday. And the A’s selected a former Taney Dragon.

The Phillies haven’t seen this many fans at Citizens Bank Park since 2012. Here’s where they rank among all teams in attendance at the All-Star break.

Next: The National League, which includes six Phillies, takes on the American League in the All-Star Game tonight at 8. (Fox29).

Flush with salary-cap space and tradable assets, the 76ers entered NBA free agency as a major player — and they made good on their investment. The Sixers signed Paul George, Caleb Martin, and Eric Gordon and re-signed Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Kyle Lowry, turning into an Eastern Conference contender. So how does Sixers coach Nick Nurse feel about his new-look roster? “We certainly had a great summer,” he said. “There’s just no other way of looking at it in that there’s a lot of guys that we targeted that were at the very top of our list, and a lot of categories that we needed to fill, and we got a lot of them.”

After the Eagles retained Nick Sirianni as head coach coming off a nosedive to the season, it is clear that if things don’t turn around, a change could very well happen. That’s from the head coach himself. “If we don’t win enough, it’s going to be hard for me to continue to work here, and I get that,” Sirianni says after having ceded some control of the offense.

Danny Garcia is still training, but the former world champion has not had a fight in two years. The Philadelphia native is already dabbling in real estate and is on the brink of another line of work: Garcia, 36, will promote his first boxing card in the city on July 20 at the 2300 Arena in South Philly.

Which Phillie had two hits and scored two runs in the infamous 7-7 All-Star Game tie in 2002? (No Googling!)

A. Scott Rolen

B. Jimmy Rollins

C. Pat Burrell

D. Bobby Abreu

First with the correct response here will be featured in the newsletter.

We asked you: What is your favorite All-Star Game memory? Among your responses:

It was 1964. I was 14 years old and was in love with the Phillies. I was working in my father’s deli. He gave me the afternoon off to watch the all-star game. Johnny Callison was the representative from the Phillies. He pinch hit in the ninth inning, and he hit a 2-run homer off Red Sox reliever Dick Radatz to win the all-star game. He was named the MVP of the game. The 1964 Phillies will live in infamy among Philly fans, and this memory has lasted me 60 years. — Peter M.

When John Kruk stood back out of the batter’s box while Randy Johnson whizzed fastballs by him. — Lewis L.K.

First of course has to be Johnny Callison’s walk-off 1964 NL win at Shea Stadium. That will always be special. Then in 1976 I got to go to the AS Game at the Vet when the NL knocked out the AL, 7-1. There were 7 Phillies on that team and a couple such as Pete Rose who would later become Phillies. Then in 1989 I attended the AS game at Anaheim Stadium where I think Bo Jackson hit the first pitch over the center filed wall. The AL won that one 5-3 and the only Phillies on the team were Mike Schmidt and Von Hayes. I hope our large group of Phillies make significant contributions to this 2024 one. — Everett S.

Johnny Callison’s home run at Shea Stadium on the black and white TV. — George W.

Johnny Callison’s Home Run — John G.

My all time favorite was Johnny Callison’s game-winning home run. He was not well known outside of Philly and was probably our only representative, but he made us all feel good. Another famous one was Pete Rose crashing into Ray Fosse at home plate. Fosse was a rising star for Cleveland who never fully recovered, definitely shortening his career. — Ken C.

1964 Johnny Callison’s game-winning 9th inning home run off the Red Sox’s Dick “the Monster” Radatz. Callison wore the Cubs’ Billy Williams’ batting helmet as his equipment never made it to Shea Stadium. Alas, the rest of that magical season fell apart in the last 2 weeks. We were all devastated. — P.M.

When Philly last hosted in 1996, I took my daughters to the All-Star Fan Fest at the new Convention Center. We met former Phillie Jay Johnstone, posed for photos wearing our favorite team’s jersey and recorded a play-by-play inning of the 1993 World Series, which ended badly! — Bob C.

That’s easy. The 1976 all-star game at The Vet. During introductions, the fans booed President Ford, and both the American and National League all-stars. The Phillies on the team even got scattered boos. — Fran T.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Isabella DiAmore, Lochlahn March, Marcus Hayes, Keith Pompey, Jeff Neiburg, Matt Breen, Jackie Spiegel, and Jonathan Tannenwald.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Enjoy the All-Star Game and thank you for reading. Kerith will be at the Sports Daily controls on Wednesday. — Jim