‘Hollywood’ ending | Sports Daily Newsletter

Sports Daily is back after a two-day Juneteenth break, and a lot has happened in the interim. Willie Mays, arguably the greatest baseball player ever, died Tuesday at 93, and we’ll ask for your memories of the Say Hey Kid in just a moment. Also below, an epic response from many readers on their favorite Phillies center fielders ever. Now, it’s on with the final newsletter of the week ...

Cole “Hollywood” Hamels is not the Phillies’ greatest left-hander ever (that would be Steve Carlton), but he’ll have a special place in the hearts of fans in this town forever. When you’re the MVP of a World Series, people tend to remember you.

Nine years after his no-hitter farewell as a Phillie, Hamels will be honored tonight with a retirement ceremony at Citizens Bank Park. He’ll be the last member of the 2008 World Series team to retire.

“The big chunk of my career was in Philly, and the big chunk of my accomplishments were in Philly,” Hamels says. “What I really wanted to do was to acknowledge how special the opportunity was, how thankful I am for the support.”

You can be sure Phillies fans will return the love tonight.

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

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❓ What are your fondest memories of the all-time great Willie Mays? Let us know here for a chance to be featured in an Inquirer article.

Former Inquirer columnist Claire Smith weighed in on Willie Mays’ legacy.

Nick Castellanos doesn’t respond to a lot of technical information thrown at him when it comes to hitting. He goes by feel. But seeing a video of an at-bat when he was at his best compared to another when he was struggling resonated with the Phillies right fielder. What followed was a subtle but important change that has led to some progress at the plate for a hitter in poor form for most of the season.

As for the rest of the Phils, who else has cooled off after a sizzling start? David Murphy offers three ways to jump-start another Phillies hot streak.

Next: The Phillies open a home series against Arizona at 6:40 p.m. tonight (Apple TV+). Taijuan Walker (3-2, 5.33 ERA) will start opposite Diamondbacks left-hander Jordan Montgomery (5-4, 6.00).

Flyers general manager Danny Brière met with the media Thursday to discuss his philosophy for the June 28 NHL draft, recent trade speculation, and the team’s plans with its restricted free agents.

“There’s a lot of good players, especially in the top probably 16, 17 of the draft,” Brière said. “We’re [going to] get a good player. That’s how we feel.”

The Flyers have the 12th overall pick. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård of Norway likes to stir things up on the ice, so he might just be on the team’s radar.

All eyes are on the 76ers’ free agency plans at the moment, but they still hold the No. 16 pick in the NBA draft. What could they do with it? Bench depth was a major issue last season, particularly behind Joel Embiid at the center position. The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey takes a look at Purdue star Zach Edey and considers whether he could be a candidate to fill that role. Speaking of new roles, former Sixer JJ Redick has agreed to a four-year deal to become head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Matt Fallon, a junior from Warren, N.J., became the first Penn swimmer to earn an Olympic berth when he won the 200-meter breaststroke final on Wednesday night at the U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis. His time of 2 minutes, 6.54 seconds broke the American record. Another swimmer with local ties, Chris Guiliano of Douglassville, won the 100-meter freestyle to punch his ticket to Paris.

Also on the Olympic front, the U.S. track and field trials for the Paris Games begin today in Eugene, Ore., with plenty of local athletes competing. Here’s a guide to the trials.

Who is the only Phillies reliever to win the Cy Young Award?

Answer: D. Steve Bedrosian won the Cy Young Award in 1987 after he notched 40 saves with a 2.83 ERA. Thomas M. was first with the correct response.

It’s worth noting that Jim Konstanty was named the National League MVP in 1950 before the Cy Young Award existed.

We asked you: Who was the Phillies’ best center fielder in your lifetime and why? Among your responses:

Richie Ashburn‚ .308 lifetime average, speed (inside the park HRs), good arm, could foul balls off until he got his pitch. I still don’t know why he had to wait 15 years to get into the HOF, with so many .250 hitters there. — Joe R.

The “Minister of Defense” Garry Maddox was the best centerfielder of my lifetime. Richie Ashburn could probably win that debate as well, but I was a little young when Richie played. Maddox could cover the outfield like no other. He just glided around with no effort and made his corner outfielders look more adequate. His bat wasn’t too bad either. — Tom G.

Ashburn and it is not close. In the era of Mays and Mantle in their prime, not to mention Snider, Piersall, Busby, Pinson, Flood, Minoso, etc. Rich led them all in putouts year in and year out. ... At the plate when you add in his 100-120 walks to his .300-plus batting average (lifetime .306) you had an on-base machine leading off. And no one not a soul could wear out a pitcher with incessant foul balls like Ashburn. ... Anyone who names someone else was NOT in Cooperstown in August of 1995! — Jim M.

I got to go with Lenny Dykstra. I know he has issues now, and who knows what he was putting into his body, but from a production standpoint, not many in my lifetime (I’m 72) were better. He hit for average, hit with power, had good speed on the basepaths, and played a decent center field. Perfect leadoff hitter. — Harv S.

I will never forget the magic of Garry Maddox who was outstanding as the Phils’ center fielder from the mid 70′s through the mid-80′s. Both a defensive whiz and an offensive threat, Garry also had a great demeanor that aligned with the Phils’ personality at that time. He played a big role in helping to finally bring another Phillies’ title in 1980 and nearly winning again in 1983. — Chuck B.

In my youth, Garry Maddox was considered to be the Gold Standard of Center Fielders. I can still see him nonchalantly covering the vast outfield at the Vet. Lenny was probably the exact opposite but in ‘93 there was nobody better. I think my favorite though was Shane. Speed and grit similar to Lenny but not as rough around the edges. 2006-2011 were great Phillie teams and Shane was a very big part of it. — Michael F.

There have been a lot of good centerfielders, including Doug Glanville, Shane Victorino, and Len Dykstra, but the best title has to be given to Richie (Whitey) Ashburn, who later held down the analyst job with Harry Kalas in the broadcast booth for the Phillies. He gets my vote. — Ken C.

There have been many but my vote goes to Shane Victorino. That 2008 WS team holds a special place in my heart for all eternity. — Kathy T.

Garry Maddox, he was and remains the SECRETARY OF DEFENSE. NO ONE DID IT BETTER! — Rich D.

Garry Maddox, who I believe won 8 consecutive gold gloves. Someone once said that water covers 70% of the earth and Garry Maddox covers the rest. What a great centerfielder and seemingly great guy! — Bill R.

The best center fielder that I can recall was Garry Maddox no doubt! Why? Because he both floated and galloped to the ball and I recall he caught just about everything hit in left center, center, and right center fields! — Tonya C.

Garry Maddox. 8 consecutive Gold Gloves, a World Series win and a Roberto Clemente award. “Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water, the other one-third by Garry Maddox.” — Jack W.

Richie Ashburn — Frank M., Robert U., Robert J., Ken C., Fred B., Bill M., Kenny G., Jim W.

Only one ... Whitey — Robert B.

... It wouldn’t be right to not give a shout-out to some guys who handled the CF duties for a shorter period but who deserve citation. Who can forget Aaron Rowand’s faceplant into the wall, for instance? Von Hayes, who had a long albeit (unfairly IMO) checkered career in Philly, held down CF for a couple of seasons. I remember watching both John Briggs and Larry Hisle during my high-school years and thought they would both be superstars; both did eventually excel but with other teams. And I was very enthusiastic when the Phils got Ben Revere; but he was a player who played in the wrong era, when a CF’s hitting became crucial. Had he played in the ‘60s, who knows HOW high his star would’ve risen? He was kind of like Doug Glanville that way but without the engineering degree! — Marty M.

Garry Maddox. Like Willie Mays, his glove was where triples went to die. I can still see him, gliding across the grass with his amazingly long legs, effortlessly seeming to catch everything. Smooth, elegant, looked like he never broke a sweat. EIGHT straight Gold Gloves. 285 lifetime BA. Roberto Clemente Award. What more could you want? — Peter G.

Garry Maddox — George T., Reginald P., John G., Jim O., Jonathan A.

The best — Maddox. The most exciting — Victorino. My favorite, and my favorite Phillies guy of all time — Richie Ashburn. — Ed H.

Garry Maddox is my clear pick as the best Phils’ center fielder. A career .285 hitter, he was good for 65-75 RBIs and a smart base runner. But it was his silky smooth defense that set him apart. He had the range of an antelope and a great arm. It’s said a team’s strength is up the middle and Maddox’s 8 Gold Gloves attest to his distinctive performance. Some today would not know he interrupted his career to serve in combat in Vietnam and retired to build a successful office supplies business in the Delaware Valley. An all around class act. — Pat M.

The best Phillies center fielder in my lifetime was a toss-up between Richie Ashburn and Garry Maddox. Both were great defensively. The ground they covered made up for the lack speed of some of the outfielders they played with. They could also hit. Ashburn was always above .300. He had no home run power but hit lots of doubles and triples. Maddox hit close to .300 every year but could also hit a home run now and then. — Tom E.

Garry Maddox, the Secretary of Defense, with Tony Gonzalez a close second! — Kenneth W.

Garry Lee Maddox. His impressive defensive play earned him eight consecutive Gold Glove Awards. He was a lifetime .285 hitter and a great teammate with a great attitude. Sitting in the outfield was a delight at the Vet when he was out there on the prowl. He could really cover some territory. — Ken E.

Best and favorite center fielder easy choice for me. One of the first players I saw during my very first game in August 1948 and it was [the] love of Richie Ashburn at first sight. Five time All-Star, lead the NL in hitting twice at .338 & .350, in walks 4 times, hits 3 times, games played twice, led NL in steals in his rookie year, led all outfielders in putouts 9 times, and is in Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Garry Maddox was an outstanding Phillies center fielder and was more gifted physically than Richie and won 7 consecutive Gold Gloves, but did not have his offensive stats. Also liked Victorino of course, and Lenny Dykstra before discovering the strength-enhancing drugs, but Richie definitely my favorite. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, David Murphy, Claire Smith, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Lochlahn March, Jonathan Tannenwald, Isabella DiAmore, Gabriela Carroll, Ben Istvan, and Devin Jackson.

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.

Thanks for reading and thanks for the many reader responses. Isabella, my fellow Temple grad, will be at the newsletter controls on Monday. — Jim