Eagles legend retires | Sports Daily Newsletter

For more than a decade, Brandon Graham has been a key part of the Eagles.

From his strip-sack on Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII to his career-high 11 sacks in the 2022 season, Graham, a two-time Super Bowl champion, has truly had an accomplished career across 15 seasons in the NFL.

And on Tuesday, the 36-year-old was able to reflect on those moments and more at the NovaCare Complex, where he announced his retirement.

Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, Nolan Smith, Howie Roseman, dozens of Eagles staffers, and members of Graham’s family watched as he sat between the two Lombardi Trophies he helped the organization secure and spoke about his career being defined by positivity and wisdom.

“I gave everything I had in this,” Graham said teary-eyed with a smile. “And I don’t have no regrets. That’s one thing I tell them young boys, don’t have no regrets. Fifteen years ago, I walked into this city as a young man with dreams — big dreams — a little bit of nervousness, and a whole lot of fire in my heart. … My life has been forever changed by this magical place.”

The defensive end was considered a bust early in his career, yet he endured to become a trash-talking fan favorite who will conclude his time on the field as the Eagles’ all-time leader in games and seasons played.

“Fly, Eagles Fly, my last one,” Graham said. “BG out, baby.”

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Opening day looms and that means roster decisions are closer to being made. Don’t expect much Phillies drama. Sure, injuries can crop up and minor trades can get made. But as it stands, 23 of the 26 roster spots appear settled. One reliever, a backup catcher, and one bench spot are up for grabs. Let’s examine an “either/or” scenario for each vacancy and render a prediction.

The Phillies have been working this spring to help Cristopher Sánchez get more comfortable pitching on the road. And the results are promising.

Top position prospect Aidan Miller joined Scott Lauber on Gameday Central: Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s new baseball show. Here are five takeaways from our interview with Miller.

Brandon Graham’s infectious personality, positive attitude, and ebullient smile were an intrinsic part of Graham before he arrived in Philadelphia in 2010. Before the Eagles selected the defensive tackle, one predraft scouting report read, “Great character kid who has never had a bad day.”

Those traits contributed most to his longevity with the organization. There were some tears Tuesday when the veteran announced his retirement. He was saying goodbye to the thing that had defined him for most of his life. But the kind of person he was will be his lasting legacy as an Eagles all-timer, writes Jeff McLane, because through the tough times and the imperfections, his heart was always in the right place.

And in case you missed it, EJ Smith broke down the film after the Eagles added another young edge rusher to their pass-rushing rotation Monday. They agreed to terms with Azeez Ojulari to a one-year deal that will reunite the former Georgia standout with a handful of his old teammates.

The Sixers picked up Quentin Grimes at the NBA trade deadline with hopes that he would provide spot shooting and create space for Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey to work. It’s turned out the other way, as those stars have gone down with injuries and given Grimes ample opportunity to show what he can do. Grimes has answered the call, averaging career highs in points (21.4), rebounds (5.5), assists (3.8), steals (1.5), blocks (0.6), and minutes played (33.2). Not bad for the fourth-year veteran who came to Philadelphia with career averages of 8.9 points and 2.8 rebounds.

The Mavericks might have seen this coming, as they had doubts that they’d be able to afford to retain the restricted free agent. Now the Sixers will face the same question this summer. Grimes, who has earned his keep, already views the Sixers as the front-runners for his services. “Philly definitely has the upper hand,” Grimes said. “I love what I’m doing right here. I love the coaching staff, the players. I’ve got a great relationship with a lot of people on this team and staff. Whatever happens in the offseason, it will happen.”

And as three weeks of basketball madness kicks off, here’s 10 players Sixers fans should watch out for during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

In hockey, converting on the power play can often be the difference between winning and losing. It literally provides teams with a man advantage on opponents for two or more minutes.

The Flyers might as well start declining their power-play opportunities given their futility the last few seasons. On Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, those woes continued as the Flyers went 0-for-5 with the man advantage, marking the ninth straight game they have failed to score on the PP, and dropping them to 0-for-23 during that stretch.

John Tortorella recently said flat out that the unit “stinks.” The Flyers rank 30th out of 32 teams in the NHL with the man advantage (14.3%) and are on track to finish out the league’s basement in power-play percentage for the first time in four seasons.

Who is the last Big 5 player to win the Naismith Trophy as college basketball’s player of the year?

C) Jameer Nelson in 2004 — Charles S. was first with the correct answer.

We asked: Who is the greatest Phillies pitcher ever? Among your responses:

This is an easy one, IMO — it’s Lefty! I don’t think any pitcher in Phillies history, and very few in MLB history, carried their team on their back as Steve Carlton did in 1972. I still remember that season when he set so many MVP type records for that sad team. Ofcourse, given that terrible team, his team-centric accomplishments, aside from the Cy Young Award, were tremendous. Such as, getting the Phils a win after they lost practically all other games between his starts. He was responsible for winning 50% of the Phillies games that season. Simply amazing!! — Navin S.

Steve Carlton — no-brainer. — John Q.

This one is easy.... Steve Carlton. In 1972 he won 27 games on a team that only won 59 games that year and only scored an average of about 3 runs per game. Jim Bunning was also a fantastic Phillies pitcher but Lefty stands alone, in my opinion, as the greatest. — Bob A.

It’s very difficult to choose bests. And I don’t pretend that this really answers your question. But I sometimes feel that earlier eras of play are too easily dismissed. Yes, athletes are better; yes, the game’s dynamics are heightened. But when the numbers are through the roof, I believe we should at least assume that greats from those periods could successfully compete today. As such, please give Ol’ Pete --Grover Alexander-- a mention. Like it or not, he left stats behind that no one will ever match. — Gene T.

Easy question today, and the answer Steve Carlton. His accomplishments too many to list, but 10 time All Star and 4 time Cy Young winner, Hall of Fame, and more importantly for we Phillies fans, he took us to our first ever World Series win with a 24-9 record in 1980. Robin Roberts, also a Hall of Famer, my personal favorite, pitched and won the first MLB game I ever saw in August 1948 at Shibe Park. Robin was the de facto NL MVP in 1952 when he went 28-7 for a 4th place team, even though the writers gave it to a Hank Sauer a mediocre Chicago Cubs outfielder/slugger. Being passed over after such a spectacular season prompted MLB to create the Cy Young Award. — Everett S.

This is a really difficult question because Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton, and Grover Alexander all fill the bill. — Richard F.

Three guys immediately come to mind, two righties and one lefty. They would be, in no particular order, Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton, and Roy Halladay. — Bob C.

Without a doubt it’s Steve Carlton. In 1972 he won 27 games for a last place team that only won 59 games. His slider was virtually unhittable when he had his best stuff. — Bill R.

Robin Roberts. Without a doubt. His record of consecutive 20-game victories and number of innings pitched will never be surpassed. — Frank S.

Steve Carlton! It’s not even close! He took the ball every four days, (not five, like they do now). His 1972 season will never be forgotten (especially winning 27 of the 59 wins the entire team had!). He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer. — Deborah M.

Robin Roberts due to complete games! — Phil V.

Steve Carlton. In a class of his own. Some are close, but not close enough. — Kathy T.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from EJ Smith, Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, Ariel Simpson, Jackie Spiegel, Isabella DiAmore, Ed Barkowitz, Sam O’Neal, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, and Jason Nark.

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! Have a wonderful Wednesday. Kerith will be on the controls tomorrow. — Bella