Start wine-ing | Sports Daily Newsletter

Napa Valley once was Joe Blanton’s pause button.

Now it’s his home.

The former Phillies pitcher, he of the World Series home run, purchased a vineyard there a few years before his retirement. Now, he produces 250 cases a year of Cabernet Sauvignon.

He leaves the day-to-day production to the pros, but he helps out where he can — with his family alongside him.

And that homer? Definitely still a core memory, even if he remembers circling the bases and thinking about how he had to go back out and pitch. Our Matt Breen caught up with Blanton as part of a series on where the 2008 team is now.

— Maria McIlwain, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ Who was your favorite player on the 2008 World Series squad and why? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

One day in late August, as they were jogging to the outfield together, Nick Castellanos stopped Johan Rojas, unfastened the top of his jersey, and sent him on his way. The message, according to Castellanos, was to “loosen up and chill out.” The rookie has taken it to heart. He is comfortable here, giving the Phillies elite defense in center field and a surprisingly productive bat, all with a little “flow” mixed in.

The Cristopher Sánchez-Michael Lorenzen tandem didn’t exactly work out on Tuesday night against the Braves.

Next: The Phillies wrap up their series in Atlanta at 12:20 p.m. Wednesday (NBCSP). Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.62 ERA) will start against Braves right-hander Bryce Elder (12-4, 3.50).

Jalen Hurts hasn’t been very productive throwing the football this season. And the offense that’s built around him hasn’t clicked so far. While the Eagles are 2-0, this is an issue for the Eagles that needs fixing. As Mike Sielski writes, there will be pressure on Nick Sirianni and Brian Johnson to get Hurts going on Monday night.

D’Andre Swift, on the other hand is coming off a career performance. He’s the first Philadelphia native to score an offensive touchdown for the Eagles since 1949, and naturally, his touchdown celebration was a Philly thing.

Meanwhile, starting linebacker Nakobe Dean has been on injured reserve but is optimistic he’ll have recovered from a foot injury in time to be able to play in Week 6. While he has been out, Dean has been staying sharp and watching film and continues to take time to give back to the community.

Can Kelly Oubre really make a difference for the 76ers? Well, that depends on his willingness to become a player he has never been — and compete in a way that he never has. Oubre was a touted player in high school and at Kansas, but he has been middling at best in the NBA, feasting on empty calories and rarely making a dent on the defensive end. With the Sixers, he’s need to subsist on a steady diet of rebounds, defensive stops, and opportunistic points to truly fit in and play winning basketball for the first time in his career, The Inquirer’s David Murphy writes.

The Flyers’ public acknowledgement that they are beginning a rebuild has led many to compare the team to the Sam Hinkie 76ers.

But there will be no Process 2.0, at least according to general manager Danny Brière. Ahead of training camp, which opens on Thursday, Brière spoke to the media and was quick to clarify the differences between rebuilding and tanking. He said that the Flyers are “not tanking,” and that while they are building toward the future, they are hoping to do it while winning.

The Flyers also released their training camp roster and schedule on Tuesday. That can be found here.

Aaron Rodgers’ recent Achilles injury has once again sparked a movement to rid North American stadiums of artificial turf, but that movement is more than a decade old in Major League Soccer circles.

Ahead of the Union playing on turf in Charlotte tonight, Jonathan Tannenwald looks at the debate around turf in American soccer — the latest involving Lionel Messi — and the league’s slow movement toward its extinction.

Next: The Union are on the road tonight to face Charlotte FC (7:30, Apple TV).

Come together: The XFL and USFL are in talks about a potential merger.

Dragons roar: Drexel’s men’s basketball schedule is out and features some tough opponents.

Home sweet home: James Franklin has a lot to be hopeful about after Penn State’s Big Ten opener.

We asked you: Who is the Phillies’ all-time leader in postseason home runs?

Answer: D: Jayson Werth. Werth hit 11 postseason home runs as a Phillie (and then hit a couple more as a National). Stephen T. was first with the correct answer.

Love him or hate him, Gritty made his debut as the Flyers’ mascot five years ago. We’re asking for your opinions on the big orange guy. Take part in our Inquirer.com survey here.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, Alex Coffey, Mike Sielski, Josh Tolentino, David Murphy, Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald, Lochlahn March, Anders Pryor, and Seth Engle.