Charlie’s back | Sports Daily Newsletter
The Phillies are overjoyed that he has returned to spring training.
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There is something heartwarming about seeing Charlie Manuel back at spring training in Clearwater, Fla., huddling with hitters and sharing his baseball knowledge.
In September, the winningest manager in Phillies history suffered a stroke and the team asked folks to “keep him in your thoughts and prayers.”
The 80-year-old Manuel recovered enough to show up in Clearwater on Wednesday night. He was cracking jokes on the field the next day. The Phillies are overjoyed that their friend and mentor is back.
“Seeing him in the cage this morning brightened my day,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “It’s his favorite place in the world to be. He and [Larry] Bowa are here for a reason. They’re still knowledgeable. They can still help us. It means the world to have them around.”
— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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As the Flyers prepared to play the New Jersey Devils in an outdoor game Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J., some of their players had warm thoughts about playing outside.
Defenseman Egor Zamula, who grew up in Russia? He remembers playing as a child when it was minus-31 degrees on the ice. Goalie Sam Ersson has “fun memories” of practicing on an outdoor rink as a teenager in his native Sweden. The stage will be a bit bigger on Saturday in the Stadium Series game against the Devils.
It’s a tradition with an honored past filled with Flyers memories. We took a look at the Top 10 most memorable moments from the time the NHL took its show outside.
Sean Couturier has been named the 20th captain in Flyers history. Can you name the other 19? Take our quiz.
It was a rough night at the office for the Flyers on Thursday in Toronto. Despite not letting the best of a three-goal night from NHL leading scorer Auston Matthews get the best of them in regulation, overtime lasted just a few mere minutes before they were on the latter end of a 4-3 final — yet taking home a crucial road point that could make the difference come playoff time.
Next: The Flyers play the New Jersey Devils in an NHL Stadium Series game in East Rutherford, N.J., at 8 p.m. Saturday (6abc).
Is this the year for Brandon Marsh to break through as an everyday player for the Phillies? Once he’s recovered from knee surgery, the Phillies left fielder will have to show he can be better against left-handed pitching. That’s why this spring training is an important one for Marsh.
How about some right-handed-hitting insurance for the Phillies in case Johan Rojas struggles? David Murphy has a couple of free agents in mind.
On the pitching front, the Phillies are hoping to wrap up a contract extension for Zack Wheeler by the end of spring training, although Dave Dombrowski won’t say much about the progress of talks.
The All-Star break has arrived for the 32-22 Sixers at what coach Nick Nurse calls “a really good” time, purely for health reasons with Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Nico Batum, and De’Anthony Melton all on the mend.
It’s a good thing that new acquisitions Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne have fit in quickly with the team.
Next: The NBA All-Star Game tips off in Indianapolis on Sunday (8 p.m., TNT).
Maddy Siegrist has moved on to the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, but the offseason has presented a unique opportunity. Six months after her stellar Villanova career ended, Siegrist came back to the Main Line to work as a special assistant to senior associate athletic director Lynn Tighe. She loves the job, saying “it really doesn’t feel like work for me.”
Siegrist will not forget her roots, whether it’s Villanova or her hometown of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where her high school retired her jersey number.
Worth a look
Misguided: Naming Penn State’s stadium after Joe Paterno is a bad idea, Mike Sielski writes.
Fighting discrimination: A new MLS policy focuses on more than just suspensions.
Soaring Hawks: The St. Joseph’s women reached three milestones in a rout of Dayton.
Feeling their oats: The Penn Charter Quakers are outright Inter-Ac champs for the first time in 20 years.
Playoff time: Roman Catholic is the top seed in the Catholic League quarterfinals.
What you’re saying about Haason Reddick
We asked you: Why should the Eagles trade Haason Reddick? Or why should they keep him? Among your responses:
They should obviously keep Reddick, one of the best in the league at his position. Unfortunately, the quarterback is making so much that sometimes you have to let good players go at other positions. I think the Eagles are making the same mistake with Hurts that they did with Wentz, huge dollars after only one good season. The result is really good players like Reddick are shown the door. — Tom E.
Very simple, just go with David Murphy’s advice and try to work out a multi-year deal with him, and if he and his agent won’t go for that, then by all means work out a trade and get something of value for him. — Everett S.
Keep Haason Reddick. Restructure his contract. He wants to stay here. — Eric B.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Scott Lauber, Jackie Spiegel, Gina Mizell, David Murphy, Mike Sielski, Jonathan Tannenwald, Brooke Ackerman, Matt Mullin, Mia Messina, Aaron Carter, Josh Verlin, and Owen McCue.
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.
That’s a wrap for Sports Daily this week. Thanks for reading and join me again for Monday’s edition. — Jim