🦅 Wasting no time | Sports Daily Newsletter
The Seahawks are the champs. Let’s look ahead to the draft already.
OK, Eagles fans, Super Bowl LX is over. Let’s move on, shall we?
It’s never too soon to start thinking about the NFL draft (April 23-25), and rest assured that the Eagles are way past knee-deep in their preparations.
The Birds will need plenty as they restock their roster, and in Devin Jackson’s first mock NFL draft, he sees them going for a tight end in the first round.
Our Jeff McLane was at the Super Bowl and these were among his takeaways from the week in Santa Clara, Calif.:
Drew Lock, the Seahawks’ backup quarterback, recalls a game when Sean Mannion helped Lock and Seattle beat the Eagles. Mannion, of course, is now the Eagles’ offensive coordinator.
Patriots defensive lineman Milton Williams says he was crushed after the Super Bowl last season when he realized the Eagles weren’t bringing him back.
Wide receiver Mack Hollins spent two seasons with the Birds before eventually landing with New England. He’s fine if you call him a journeyman.
More from McLane on the Super Bowl can be found here.
— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
❓Do you think the Eagles will return to the Super Bowl next year? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.
Tyrese Maxey will start for the first time in the NBA All-Star Game this Sunday and he’ll be busy on Saturday night as well. Maxey will compete in the three-point contest during All-Star Weekend, the league announced. In the midst of a breakout season as the Sixers’ top scorer, the point guard is connecting on 38.2% of his three-pointers this season.
Maxey could use some help handling the ball these days with the departures of Jared McCain and Eric Gordon and the suspension of Paul George. It turns out that forward Trendon Watford is starting to fill that role.
Daryl Morey might not be done fine-tuning the team’s roster this season. The president of basketball operations’ next step is the buyout market, where a former “glue guy” for Nick Nurse could fit the bill.
Rasmus Ristolainen is grateful to be playing again for the Flyers after injury setbacks cost him large parts of the last two seasons and some of this one. The defenseman is especially grateful now to be playing for Finland at the Winter Olympics.
“Means a lot. I haven’t had the chance to play the last couple of Olympics, so [it] means even more,” he says. “And then, obviously, think about all the players who wore the jersey and when you watched them play when you were a kid. So that means a lot.”
Several Phillies will have more on their plate than just spring training when Clearwater, Fla., welcomes them back this week. The World Baseball Classic is returning, with pool play scheduled to begin on March 5-10, the quarterfinals on March 13, and the semifinals and finals on March 15-17. Here are the Phillies who’ll be playing in the WBC, including some of their prospects.
Keeping with the Super Bowl LX theme, Scott Lauber brings us 60 notes on the Phillies.
American skier Lindsey Vonn was in stable condition following surgery on a broken leg Sunday after she crashed during the Alpine skiing downhill at the Winter Olympics. Vonn, skiing with a torn ACL she ruptured last month, lost control near the start of the race and crashed after clipping a flag on the course.
The Olympic schedule includes speedskating, featuring American Brittany Bowe, a 37-year-old who was a college basketball player. Here’s today’s Olympic TV schedule.
Sports snapshot
Take a bow: Villanova honored longtime women’s basketball coach, Harry Perretta, during its victory over Georgetown.
Slump is over: TJ Power scored 18 points as Penn beat Princeton for the first time since Feb. 6, 2018.
Hawks come up short: St. Joseph’s can’t rally on the road against George Mason.
On this date
Feb. 9, 2018: Dario Šarić and Joel Embiid scored 24 points apiece as the Sixers beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 100-82.
The Matvei Michkov issue has been fascinating and revealing. Everyone acknowledges that, after his often-impressive rookie season, he came into training camp out of shape. That reality has precipitated a months-long discussion about how he has played, when he has played, how much he has played, and whether coach Rick Tocchet might be mishandling him and sabotaging Michkov’s career before the kid has a chance to become the star the Flyers and their fans hope he will be.
It’s safe to say that within at least a portion of the Flyers’ fan base, a measure of paranoia has arisen when it comes to Michkov and the organization’s handling of him. More from Mike Sielski
From Marcus Hayes:
Last week, with the trade deadline looming, Joel Embiid made a public plea to the 76ers’ front office. He begged them to ignore the luxury tax for once, and to get him the help he needs for what has turned into an unlikely impending playoff run.
Embiid’s wishes made sense. Embiid’s wishes were not granted. Daryl Morey’s message to Embiid: Trust the process. More from Marcus Hayes.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff McLane, Devin Jackson, Lochlahn March, Scott Lauber, Mike Sielski, Marcus Hayes, Gina Mizell, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Rob Tornoe, Katie Lewis, Sean McKeown, and Ryan Mack.
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.
The warmest thought we can have during one of the most chilling winters of our lives: Phillies pitchers and catchers report on Wednesday. I’ll see you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Jim