🏀 Hoops on tape | Sports Daily Newsletter

We have news about the Phillies fortifying their bullpen and the Flyers losing a key player for the season, but let’s start today’s Sports Daily with something completely different.

Billy Gordon was a basketball fanatic who connected with John Chaney when the Hall of Fame coach was at Cheyney State. Gordon had a deep love for the sport, and from 1986 to 2024 he recorded thousands of college basketball, NBA, and WNBA games on VHS tapes in his home.

After Gordon died in May, his uncle, Ron Hall, marveled at the collection in Gordon’s Cobbs Creek bedroom. “The magnitude of what was here really hit me,” Hall said. “I was in disbelief that he had accumulated so much. That he had taken the time to collect so many things.”

The question is what to do with the VHS collection now. Hall wants to find a buyer who will share the passion his nephew had for decades. Someone who will honor his hobby and preserve it. Alex Coffey has the story.

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

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❓Now that the Phillies are adding Brad Keller, how do you feel about their bullpen? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

As recently as Tuesday, Phillies president Dave Dombrowski sounded like a man who didn’t feel much of a sense of urgency with regard to his bullpen.

It was encouraging, then, when news leaked Wednesday that the Phillies were closing in on a two-year, $22 million contract for former Cubs setup man Brad Keller. Set aside the question of who Keller is and whether Rob Thomson can count on a repeat of the veteran righty’s breakout 2025 campaign. The mere fact that the Phillies saw a pressing enough need to spend this sort of money on another reliever is commendable.

Wednesday brought a sobering blow to the Flyers, as the team announced that winger Tyson Foerster will miss the next five months after arm surgery, which will likely rule him out for the rest of the season.

The 23-year-old, who was leading the team with 10 goals at the time of his injury on Dec. 1, was initially expected to avoid surgery and miss two to three months of action.

In a positive for the Flyers, Rasmus Ristolainen came out of his first game action since March unscathed. The hulking defenseman said he felt good Tuesday night in his 19-plus minutes of action, while his physicality caught the eye of coach Rick Tocchet.

Jordan Davis, who turns 26 next month, is having his best season with the Eagles. The defensive tackle’s weight loss and body change — Davis fell in love with Peloton workouts and lost 26 pounds in the offseason — has been well documented, but Davis also has found his voice as a positive force in the locker room.

“I’ve always been happy-go-lucky, always been jovial,” he says. “It’s just now everyone is seeing it because I’m so confident in the person I am.”

Also on the Eagles beat as they prepare to face the 4-10 Commanders:

In the midst of an All-Star-caliber season, Tyrese Maxey missed two games this weekend because of an illness. He watched the Sixers’ win over the Pacers and loss against the Hawks from home, posting enthusiastically on social media from his couch. Maxey returned to practice Wednesday and said he was pleased with the team’s performance during his absence.

“When I said [before the season that] I wanted stuff to look the same,” Maxey said, “I just wanted us to go out there and compete every single night. I don’t want it to look like, ‘Oh, this guy’s out. That guy’s out. So we’re just going to lay down, and the other team’s going to beat us.’

“I think we’ve kind of created that standard and done a good job of it. It’s kind of coming to light, and now we’ve got to keep doing it.”

Contrary to much of the commentary and punditry, the Eagles are nearing the end of a very good season. Saquon Barkley isn’t going to break rushing records this season, and the passing game hasn’t equaled its pedigree, and the defense won’t finish ranked No. 1, but none of that matters. What matters is who they beat, who they lost to, and where they stand.

They’ve beaten the Rams, Packers, and Buccaneers, all playoff teams. The Eagles’ results through 15 weeks present a team that can become just the eighth franchise to win consecutive Lombardi Trophies, Marcus Hayes writes.

Live from Northwest Stadium: Beat writers Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner will preview the Eagles game against the Washington Commanders at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Tune in to Gameday Central.

We asked: What are your thoughts on the Phillies’ new outfielder? Among your responses:

Meh. We need Bader. This guy ain’t Bader. — Tony R.

I’ll give him a chance, but it looks like replacing a guy on the downside of his career with a guy on the downside of his career, albeit a better fielder. — Joel G.

Another right fielder that doesn’t hit consistently. Go for the gusto and not bandaids. — Tom G.

I was hoping for a more powerful right-handed hitter, but they are probably in great demand and maybe beyond Mr. Middleton’s present budget. Adolis Garcia has had some really good years in the past so let’s hope for the best. I am really disappointed thus far to see that we have not re-signed Bader. — Everett S.

Don’t quite understand why the Phillies don’t think that power hitting outfielders are a priority, since they really only have 2 power hitters in their lineup. — Bill M.

Yawn. — Doug R.

At $10 million, he may be a better bet than the late blooming Max Kepler or the moping Nick Castellanos. With Justin Crawford slated to start in center, looks like the Phillies are no longer interested in Harrison Bader, who is looking for a rich multi-year deal. I like the move, if Adolis return to form, the Phillies may be the “bash brothers” of 2026! — Bob C.

... Meanwhile, back at the farm, Harrison Bader remains unsigned. The best center fielder we’ve had since the flyin’ Hawaiian. The good news is Jordan Romano is now a member of the Angels. Robbed the bank of $2 million. What great agents these players have. — Ronald R.

In spite of all of the modern metrics I’m still a strong believer in batting average being a huge indicator of a player’s offensive success and .227 is very concerning. So... if Crawford isn’t expected to hit as well as he did in the minors and Marsh not yet proven to be a .300 hitter I would say that the outfield offensive production is going to be weak. — Bob A.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Alex Coffey, Devin Jackson, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Scott Lauber, David Murphy, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Gustav Elvin, Dylan Johnson, and Sean McKeown.

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. Bella will bring you the newsletter on Friday. — Jim