‘Club Fridays’ | Sports Daily Newsletter

How popular was Allen Iverson during his heyday with the Sixers? The Answer could turn a chain restaurant into a jam-packed nightclub — and Iverson did just that more than two decades ago.

You may remember the fuss around TGI Fridays on City Avenue, when fans would line up around the block, all the way to the bus stop at Presidential Boulevard, just to catch a glimpse of the superstar. This was around the time that Iverson led the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001, when the City Line restaurant became “Club Fridays.”

The Sixers had been regulars at TGI Fridays for years because it was close to their practice facilities at St. Joseph’s and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. But when Iverson arrived, the place was incorporated into Philadelphia’s nightlife scene. “It was exactly like a club,” said former Sixers forward Jumaine Jones.

The Inquirer’s Alex Coffey has the story.

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

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Aside from that hiccup against the Chicago Bears on Black Friday, the defense has been keeping the Eagles in games. With Jalen Carter sidelined after a shoulder procedure, Jordan Davis has picked up the slack. The defensive tackle collected 1½ sacks and six pressures Monday against the Chargers, although the Birds still lost their third straight.

The offense hasn’t scored more than 21 points in those losses, but Davis is keeping the faith. “Offense is going to have their games,” he says. “And I’m so deep into this faith in the offense that I have, that one day, hopefully very, very soon, it’s going to click. And when it does click, watch out.”

Brandon Graham played a season-high 30 snaps against the Chargers, with more than a third of them coming at defensive tackle. That’s a new twist for the unretired Graham at age 37.

The other side of the ball is where the problem lies for the Eagles, of course. They have often played it too safe in under-two-minute situations this season, and it cost them three vital points in their latest loss.

Maybe the hand-wringing will end on Sunday when the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders visit Lincoln Financial Field. Here are our writers’ predictions for the Eagles-Raiders game.

The 76ers have coped with injuries and poor shooting from Joel Embiid. Tyrese Maxey has been pushed to the max, leading the NBA in minutes. And supporting players Kelly Oubre and Trendon Watford aren’t healthy enough to play in practice. Still, the Sixers, at 13-10, are in the hunt in the Eastern Conference and sit 1½ games out of third place. All things considered, they like their chances.

“You look at the East, it’s kind of clumped,” Paul George says. “No one’s really pulled away yet, so we do have the opportunity to kind of write our future out from this point forward.”

Thursday marked the return of Carter Hart to Philadelphia … kind of.

The former Flyers netminder, who was charged and later acquitted on sexual assault charges over the last two years, recently signed with Vegas but did not get the start against his old team.

Hart, now 27, took a leave of absence from the Flyers in January 2024 and was later charged alongside four of his 2018 Canadian World Junior teammates. All five players were acquitted this summer in London, Ontario, but Hart, who was no longer under contract with the Flyers, opted for a fresh start with the Golden Knights.

On the ice, the Flyers hung tough with Vegas but fell short in overtime with a 3-2 loss. The Flyers are now 2-4 in games decided in the extra session.

Speaking of returns, the Flyers could soon get a pair of injured defenseman back in the lineup in Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen.

Devin Jackson’s weekly notebook looks at the mess created by the College Football Playoff selections, an award for Delaware State’s DeSean Jackson, the Army-Navy game, and more.

Villanova will play the underdog role Saturday in an FCS quarterfinal against Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas.

New coach Matt Campbell is bringing several assistants with him from Iowa State to fill out Penn State’s coaching staff.

Live from Lincoln Financial Field: Beat writers Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner will preview the Eagles game against the Las Vegas Raiders at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Tune in to Gameday Central.

Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors will pick our best shots from the last seven days and share them with you, our readers. This week, coverage includes a Flyers resurgence, Villanova’s victorious women, and that disappointing Eagles loss to the Chargers.

J.T. Realmuto is on the free-agent market and this Phillie clearly wants him back. Think you know who said it? Check here.

We asked: What’s your favorite holiday sports-themed tradition? Among your responses:

Not so much now, but in the past the Bowl games were a big part of my holiday times, and especially when Joe Pa’s Nittany Lions were often involved with two national championship bowl games and many other holiday wins. Saw them twice in person at the Rose Bowl, and then twice at the Fiesta Bowl, beating USC 26-10 in [1983] and then upsetting Jerome Brown and the Miami Hurricanes in the 1987 national championship game. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Kerith Gabriel, Scott Lauber, Devin Jackson, Dylan Johnson, Joe Santoliquito, Ellen Dunkel, Greg Finberg, and Inquirer Staff Photographers.

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.

Thank you for reading Sports Daily. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you in Monday’s newsletter. — Jim