Phillies legend Mike Schmidt has been in Alec Bohm’s shoes | Sports Daily Newsletter
The Hall of Famer wigged out to calm a 1985 clash with fans.
Monday was an evening to forget for Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm.
Committing three throwing errors in the first three innings against the New York Mets was bad enough, before the 25-year-old made matters worse by drawing the ire of Philadelphians everywhere by muttering, “I [bleeping] hate this place” on TV after being serenaded by a Bronx cheer.
But to Bohm’s credit, he owned it and apologized. He also isn’t the first Phillies player to have angered the fans with a pointed comment. In 1985, the greatest Phillie of all time, Mike Schmidt, had a similar run-in with them, after saying Phillies fans were “beyond help” and calling the atmosphere at Veterans Stadium a “mob scene.”
Schmidt defused the tension with the fans by humorously wearing a disguise out for warmups when the Phillies returned home. Scott Lauber caught up with Michael Jack to talk about his episode with Phillies fans 37 years ago along with his reaction to Bohm’s flub on Monday night.
— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport
What was your initial reaction to Bohm’s comments that were picked up by a television camera? Innocent words in the context of a moment of frustration or something more? Tell us at sports.daily@inquirer.com.
Off the Dribble
Sixers assistant Dave Joerger remembers the moment he learned about his diagnosis with head and neck cancer. He was sitting in a Toronto hotel room late last year when a text from his doctor came through on his cellphone: “He’s like, ‘Hey, we found something. You need to call me right away,’” Joerger recalled. “That’s when your heart sinks.”
Joerger, who once required a feeding tube and still has trouble swallowing, is now back with the Sixers. He came back to the team in less than a year, making a return that coach Doc Rivers called “a miracle.” And now his team is facing the Toronto Raptors in a first-round playoff series that will soon take him back to the city where he received his diagnosis.
Speaking of coaches, Rivers has been linked as a potential candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers vacancy. But as Mike Sielski writes, Rivers needs to worry about doing a better job in his current role before looking toward the future.
Next: The Sixers will take the court Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of their first-round series at the Wells Fargo Center (ESPN).
Extra Innings
The Phillies promoted 28-year-old Jeff Singer from triple A to the majors on Tuesday, seven years after he signed with the team while he was working with his father at Dunphy Ford on Frankford Avenue and pitching to a 50-year-old catcher in a South Jersey baseball league. And now he’s a big leaguer. “He just kept going for it,” said his father, Mark. “The ultimate dream is here.”
Singer’s opportunity with the Phillies came after closer Corey Knebel experienced flulike symptoms and was placed on the COVID-related IL.
Zack Wheeler made his Phillies debut Tuesday night and pitched well against the Mets. The Phillies’ bats went silent, though, in a 2-0 loss.
Next: The Phillies wrap up their three-game series against the Mets and Max Scherzer at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday (NBC Sports Philadelphia).
Early Birds
The Eagles don’t necessarily have to select a running back in this draft. But with 10 picks and Miles Sanders’ future uncertain after this season, there could be reason to take a back in the middle rounds.
The Eagles will have second-year back Kenneth Gainwell along with Boston Scott while Jordan Howard — a big part of their top rushing offense — is a free agent. Still, could one of these running back prospects help the Eagles?
On the Fly
The Flyers celebrated two big milestones on Tuesday, although the players celebrating them were of smaller stature.
Against Washington, Cam Atkinson (5-foot-8) played his 700th career NHL game while Bobby Brink (also 5-foot-8) made his NHL debut.
There was no dream debut for Brink, though, as the Flyers were beaten, 9-2, by the Capitals.
Next: The Flyers are back on home ice on Wednesday against the New York Rangers (7 p.m., TNT).
Fleet Street
Can Atletico Madrid overturn a 1-0 first-leg defeat to Man City? Jonathan Tannenwald previews Wednesday’s spicy Championship League affair, as well as the top games on TV this week in the Europa League, Concacaf Champions League, Europa Conference League, and the NWSL Challenge Cup.
The U.S. women’s soccer team wowed the crowd at Subaru Park in Chester on Tuesday night. Trinity Rodman scored her first goal with the national team in a 9-0 rout of Uzbekistan.
Worth a Look
Best of the Big 5: Monday night was the annual Big 5 banquet at the Palestra, and the stars were out in numbers for the occasion. Villanova was the big winner with Jay Wright and Collin Gillespie winning awards on the men’s side and Denise Dillon and Maddy Siegrist taking the top women’s honors. As Mike Jensen writes, they were far from the only notables in the house for an evening celebrating the best of Philadelphia basketball.
Rocking the boat: Molly Duncan was an accomplished high school hoops player, so much so that she played a year of college ball at Ursinus. After transferring to St. Joseph’s, Duncan has found a new sport: rowing.
Owls updates: It was a busy few days for Temple’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, as one player declared for the NBA draft and another went unselected in the WNBA’s draft. Sam Cohn and Isabella DiAmore catch you up on all things Temple.
Trivia Answer
We asked: Which NBA player was the first to win two NBA Finals MVP awards?
The answer is C: Willis Reed, who won Finals MVP with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973. A couple of you guessed Wilt Chamberlain, but the “Big Dipper” won the award only once, in 1970 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Congratulations to Dale J., who was first to answer correctly!
Wednesday Wager
While it remains to be seen whether Joel Embiid will win the MVP award, he won the NBA scoring title on Sunday after finishing the season with an average of 30.6 points per game.
That was good news for one bettor who cashed in a $100 ticket at 40-1 on Embiid to win $4,000 with DraftKings. This fan must have been thrilled to see Milwaukee sit Giannis Antetokounmpo, Embiid’s closest competitor, on the final day of the regular season!
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Mike Sielski, Olivia Reiner, Mike Jensen, EJ Smith, Giana Han, Jonathan Tannenwald, Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Gina Mizell, Sam Cohn, Isabella DiAmore, and Nick Klingman.