🦅 Gonna Fly Now | Sports Daily Newsletter

Call them road warriors.

Five of the Eagles’ first seven games are away from Lincoln Financial Field this season, including the season opener in São Paulo, Brazil, for which they’re officially the “home” team. After that historic game vs. the Packers, the Birds will have 10 days to recover ahead of a Monday Night Football matchup with Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons, which will feature the recently retired Jason Kelce as a pregame analyst.

The Eagles have six 1 p.m. kickoffs this season, twice the number of early games from last year. The tough opponents, meanwhile, are sprinkled throughout the calendar following a Week 5 bye. All in all, the Birds have five prime-time games.

Four of the last five games are at home, and the final three games are against divisional foes. Start making your holiday plans now.

— Maria McIlwain, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ Which Eagles game are you most looking forward to and why? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The 76ers are set to embark on an NBA offseason that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey recognized as a “big one.” He also acknowledged that not every player will return to the Sixers, who currently only have three players under contract.

But while Morey will be charged with making the actual basketball decisions, The Inquirer is here to provide an opportunity for our readers to decide who will stay or go. Swipe and decide for yourself.

It started with a Sesame Street joke. The tradition was immortalized with magic marker on white poster paper. And for decades, Dave Leonardi and his signs have been in the second row at Flyers home games, first at the Spectrum, now at the Wells Fargo Center.

He’s drunk from the Stanley Cup and sat with Ed Snider at a game. The story of “Sign Man” is intertwined with those championship Flyers teams of the ‘70s.

How many of the Broad Street Bullies can you name? Take our quiz to find out.

In 2021, Bryce Harper said the Phillies could not continue to just buy free agents to improve their roster. “We need homegrown talent,” he said on the final day of that season. Harper recalled that message the other night after marveling at the young depth his Phillies have displayed during their red-hot start to the season. They are no longer top-heavy thanks to a young core that has helped form the deepest roster in the sport.

There’s been plenty of disappointment over the years, but it’s time to believe in these Phillies, Marcus Hayes writes.

The Union’s Cavan Sullivan is a teen phenom. Harper can relate.

Harper, who was back in the lineup on Wednesday night, resumed being a headache for opposing pitchers, knocking in three runs to power the Phillies’ 10-5 victory and a third consecutive win over the Mets.

Next: The Phillies wrap their home series with the Mets at 6:40 tonight (NBCSP). Taijuan Walker (3-0, 4.82 ERA) will start opposite Mets lefthander Jose Quintana (1-4, 5.44).

Jim Curtin made some lineup changes designed to fortify the Union’s defense before Wednesday night’s game. However, the Union fell behind New York City FC in just the second minute of play at Subaru Park, and never climbed all the way back in a 2-1 defeat, marking a fourth straight home loss.

Next: The Union hit the road to take on the New England Revolution on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV+, free).

We asked you: What are your fondest memories of the 1973-74 Flyers? Among your responses:

Ah 1974. The year they won the Stanley Cup. I was a Senior in high school and Mom wouldn’t let me and my younger brother skip school to go to the victory parade. As the oldest and a senior, I didn’t care. We both skipped school and found our way there by public transportation. There was maybe 50 people there. We walked alongside the Flyers. They shook our hands and gave us autographs which I seem to have stupidly lost. Boy did we get in trouble with Mom. But the memories from that day will live on in my mind forever. And I would do it again! — Kathy T.

Of course, like most rabid Flyers fans from that era I’m tempted to say that the Dave Schultz pummeling of Dale Rolfe fight in the bloodbath 7 game series against the Rangers was a great great memory! But your question asked what is the “fondest” memory of that season 50 years ago and since as a lawyer “every word has meaning” the fondest memory to me was 50 years ago on May 9, 1974 when Bobby Clarke scored in overtime in Game 2 to break the 0-16-4 lifetime dominance the big bad Bruins held over the Flyers. That goal and win flipped home ice to our Flyers where they were NOT going to lose and was the single moment that changed the series and produced my fondest memory which replays in mind with Gene Hart’s scream over and over “Bobby Clarke scores.” Fun fact for you — that same exact night, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band opened for Bonnie Raitt at the Harvard Square theater in Boston that same night and Rolling Stone rock critic, Jon Landau, uttered the immortal words that night in his article that “he had seen the future of rock ‘n’ roll and its name was Bruce Springsteen.“ Prophetic words for Bruce and the Flyers as it turns out. That’s my fondest memory of one of the greatest nights in my life. — Thomas M.

“Win today and we’ll walk together forever” … Fred Shero’s quote before Game 6 vs the Bruins. — Richard V.

Those were the days when we used to have to go to South Philly west of Broad Street to watch the Flyers on Prizm if we weren’t there. First parade I wound up swimming in the pools near Independence Mall after the parade. No beer for blocks. Second parade started on Market Street and went South on Broad. My kid was born a week later, but miss a parade?? No way … she went too. — Bill M.

What a team the Stanley Cup Champion Flyers were that year. Bobby Clarke, [Rick] MacLeish, [Bill] Barber, and [Ross] Lonsberry leading the scoring and Bernie [Parent] blocking just about any puck anywhere near him. Before the Flyers came I knew nothing about hockey, but thanks to a Philadelphia company that took me many times to the Spectrum I learned to appreciate it. The night they won the Cup beating the Boston Bruins we lived in Havertown. Even in our neighborhood there were fireworks being set off and there was lots of noise. We got in the car with our 11 and 9 year old daughters and drove over to Brookline Blvd to see what was happening. We did not last long as it was already crazy. When a couple young guys jumped on the hood of our car I thought it was time to get my kids back home to safety. A crazy time never to be forgotten. — Everett S.

My fondest memory of that Flyers victory was the heart and determination everyone on that team played with. What a great group of guys!! I can still see MacLeish skating in front of Gilles Gilbert and tipping in that shot from the point by Moose Dupont for the 1-0 victory in Game 6! — Bill R.

In this week’s gripping episode of unCovering the Birds, The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane delves into the chilling moment when Stewart Bradley collapsed on the field, a pivotal incident highlighting the NFL’s concussion crisis.

Through detailed recounts and interviews with Bradley and his former teammates, the episode explores the immediate decision to let Bradley return to play, the long-term effects of concussions, and their profound impact on players’ lives beyond football, marking a significant moment in Eagles history and the broader conversation on head trauma in sports. Listen now.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Lochlahn March, Matt Mullin, Sam Morris, Scott Lauber, Marcus Hayes, Jonathan Tannenwald, Christian Red, and Isabella DiAmore.

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.

Thanks for reading! Jim will be back tomorrow morning. — Maria