‘A bowling ball of knives’ | Sports Daily Newsletter

It’s not just the pumpkin spice everything beginning to pop up on store shelves and coffee menus that’s signaling autumn’s impending arrival. It’s also the football. The Eagles are now two-thirds of the way through their preseason schedule, and by this time next week, the team’s initial 53-man roster will be set.

One of the players vying for a spot on that roster — and doing his best so far to earn one — is interior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin. Originally signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent, the Eagles picked up Lampkin, who missed all of last season with injuries, after he was waived by Los Angeles.

But so far this summer, their low-risk bet on Lampkin appears like it could pay dividends, as he’s stood out in each of the Birds’ first two preseason games, including Saturday’s 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots. Even in practice, Lampkin has been causing problems for the starters he’s going up against.

“I call him a bowling ball of knives, ’cause he’s so short, he’s so small, he’s so stubby, but he is so quick and powerful and precise with his hands that for a taller guy like me, it gives me a lot of trouble,” defensive tackle Jordan Davis said. “It gives me a lot of fits. That’s one of the things that keeps me up at night with Willie. He has a certain tenacity about him when he goes and plays a game.”

According to Lampkin, that tenacity comes from his background as a high school wrestler. Olivia Reiner caught up with some of his former coaches, who reveal why the former state champ in football and wrestling is more than meets the eye.

— Matt Mullin, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

❓Which sport’s skill set is the most universal? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Referring to the Phillies’ win Sunday as merely “a comeback” would be selling it way short. The Phillies trailed by four runs and were down to their final out — but they weren’t done yet. The team strung together a walk and a trio of hits to tie the game and put the winning run on base. Enter Kyle Schwarber.

The major-league leader in home runs fell behind 0-2, putting the Phillies down to their final strike. And even that wasn’t enough for Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien to get the job done.

Schwarber launched a two-run walk-off home run over the batters’ eye in center field, flipped his bat — and his helmet — and gave the Phillies their ninth straight win. Schwarber’s home run was his 39th of the season, and the team’s first walk-off homer since June 2023 (also Schwarber).

Don’t look now, but the Phillies haven’t lost since before their trip to Iowa for the Field of Dreams Game and are closing in on the Braves for the NL East lead.

Next: Zack Wheeler and the Phillies face Logan Gilbert and the Mariners (9:40 p.m., NBCSP) as they kick off a nine-game West Coast trip.

If any player is hoping to make a lasting impression on the Eagles’ decision-makers, he better hurry. The Birds are entering their final week of training camp and have just one preseason game remaining before the team’s initial 53-man roster is due Sunday by 6 p.m.

The latest audition for roster-bubble hopefuls came Saturday night in the Eagles’ 24-21 preseason loss to the New England Patriots, which saw Tanner McKee outplay veteran Andy Dalton in the battle for the Birds’ backup quarterback job. Was it enough for McKee to jump ahead of the 38-year-old QB on our latest roster projection?

With less than a week remaining before final cuts are due, here’s a look at who Jeff Neiburg thinks is in, and who he thinks is out.

Next: The Eagles host the Bengals in their final preseason game Friday night at Lincoln Financial Field (8 p.m., CBS).

A wild Sixers offseason has finally settled, after they stunningly signed LeBron James and traded for Jaylen Brown to vault into championship contender status.

To help Sixers fans get acquainted with the newcomers on this revamped roster, we reached out to reporters who covered those players on their previous teams.

First up, Gina Mizell spoke with The Athletic’s James Edwards III about Ariel Hukporti and what the former Knicks reserve center brings to Philly.

Though off to a disappointing start after losing their opening game Friday, nothing could dampen the fun for West Chester’s East Side Little League team Sunday as they hung out with the pros alongside their teammates during the Little League World Series MLB Classic.

Players from the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves came to Williamsport before their specialty game Sunday evening to sign balls, give high-fives and even play ping pong with the 12-and-under players from around the world.

Get more details on the team’s experience.

Next: East Side faces elimination against the team from the Southeast — Alabama’s Phenix City Little League — tonight (7 p.m., ESPN).

A little past 6 o’clock on Saturday evening, Andrew Painter delivered a couple of pitches that could have some serious implications for the Phillies. Both of them were four-seam fastballs that registered 97 mph on the gun and crossed home plate at the sternum of Cardinals leadoff hitter J.J. Weatherholt. The important thing is where those pitches ended up: inside the mitt of Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, rather than in play, or in the seats. Weatherholt swung at both. He did not make contact with either.

That two-pitch sequence may sound like a small thing. It mostly was, at least within the context of the game. But it was a very big thing with regard to the futures of both the Phillies and their prized pitching prospect. It was a reason to believe.

On Aug. 24, 1919, the Phillies were in Cleveland for what was shaping up to be a mostly ordinary game. They were facing pitcher Ray Caldwell, making his first start for the club after being waived by Boston and signing a contract in Cleveland that included one of the strangest clauses in sports history — it required him to get drunk after his starts.

Making that clause even stranger was that Caldwell’s career had been derailed largely by drinking problems. However, on that day, Caldwell appeared to be turning back the clock, and had the Phillies on their heels through the first eight innings, allowing just eight hits.

Like a certain character from Caddyshack, Caldwell’s impressive outing was abruptly cut short by Mother Nature — when he was directly struck by a bolt of lightning so powerful it caused his Cleveland teammates to dive to the ground and left Caldwell unconscious and electrified to the touch. Everyone thought he was dead.

But then Caldwell rose to his feet and demanded the ball back — “I have one more out to get,” he reportedly said.

He did just that, and picked up the win despite nearly losing his life. If there’s ever a game worth having a drink after, that’s it.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Alex Coffey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Gabriela Carroll, Matt Breen, Gina Mizell, Becca O’Reilly, and David Murphy.

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.