Philly’s special | Sports Daily Newsletter

The week of the summer solstice is a time of reflection for sports columnist Marcus Hayes, who is taking a look back at the five Philly teams over the past year.

The main conclusion is a generally hopeful one for Philly sports fans.

The Phillies seem to be picking up steam and the Union squad is also playing well. The Eagles got key contributors to return and signed Jalen Hurts to a contract. The Flyers appear committed to a rebuild. The Sixers are on a reset with their new coach, Nick Nurse.

As eventful as the past year was, Philly fans have a lot to look forward to this year as well.

— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The Phillies returned home on Tuesday with a 38-34 record, a six-game winning streak, and a slightly different 40-man roster. The rehab assignment for first baseman Darick Hall (right thumb sprain) is over and he was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’ll be joined there by catcher Rafael Marchan (right hamate fracture), who also completed his rehab stint. To make room on the roster, reliever Michael Plassmeyer was released, but that wasn’t as surprising as the move to designate for assignment outfielder Dalton Guthrie.

Recently, the Phillies have been on a roll, but the Braves stopped all that.

Next: The Phillies continue their series against Atlanta at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday (NBCSP). Aaron Nola (6-5, 4.66) will start against Braves right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver (1-0, 2.03).

The 76ers got their first win of free agency — two weeks before the period officially opens. Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal is set to be shipped to the Phoenix Suns, meaning there’s zero chance he lands in Philly. It also means there’s zero chance James Harden lands in Phoenix with Kevin Durant, who he played with as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets. The Inquirer’s David Murphy explains why this was the best thing for the Sixers.

Next: The Sixers enter draft week with no picks or salary-cap space.

The son of former Eagles punter Max Runager called Mike Sielski recently to share his father’s 2018 neuropathology report showing a conclusion that Runager had died with mild Stage II CTE. Even a punter through years of playing football had seen the effects of repetitive trauma to the head. Kolby Runager is outraged how the NFL markets itself to children and believe it’s wrong to show football on Nickelodeon as an innocent game when the game is a violent one. Sielski notes that Max Runager has been listed on the Concussion Legacy Foundation’s website as an athlete who died with CTE and writes, “No one bothered to notice at all until Kolby Runager picked up the phone. Forget what that truth says about him. What does it say about us?”

For former Eagles kick returner Derrick Witherspoon, he was back in Philadelphia to watch his talented daughter, Kalani, compete in hurdles at New Balance Nationals after she became a state champion in Georgia. Witherspoon led the NFL in kick returns for touchdowns with two in 1996 and got to cheer for Kalani at Franklin Field.

The Flyers’ “new era of orange” got itself a new look Tuesday as the team released its new jerseys.

The biggest change was the Flyers reverting back to “burnt orange” as the primary color and don’t worry fans, the logo wasn’t touched! Giana Han talked to designer about the how the new jersey came together and the rationale behind some of the changes which also serve as an ode to the past.

There’s only a week until the NHL draft, and we’re sure you have plenty of questions. Olivia Reiner and Giana Han answered some of them Tuesday on a Reddit “Ask Me Anything.” Here are the highlights.

The Union have been rolling of late, having lost once in their past nine league games. But if they are to keep it up, they will need to do it without a couple of key players. The Union begin life without goalkeeper Andre Blake and defender Damion Lowe tomorrow in Orlando, and that period could extend as long as six games depending on how far Jamaica advance in the Concacaf Gold Cup.

In Blake’s stead steps 34-year-old Joe Bendik, an experienced MLS veteran who has played four games this season. Here’s what you should know about the Union’s key absences.

Next: The Union visit Orlando City Wednesday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, paywalled).

Sitting in history: Seats from Connie Mack Stadium are still used in a ballpark today, yet not where one might expect.

Tale as old as time: Here’s the story of two recreation centers, and the main reason behind the differences between them.

Cathedral date: The Palestra is going to be busy over Thanksgiving holiday hosting its namesake tournament.

Recently, two Sports Daily readers exchanged emails and met up in person to share their sports memories growing up in Philadelphia, talking for hours. What made the meeting between Everett and Michael a bit unusual, though, was their location in Prescott, Arizona, far from Philly. Whether it’s a muttered, “Go Birds,” or “Play the song,” or “Ring the bell,” shared between strangers who recognize team gear in passing, cheering along during a game or subscribing to keep up on favorite teams once you’ve moved out of town, a love for sports unites people in unique ways, no matter how far they’ve scattered. We’re glad to play a part in that.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jonathan Tanenenwald, Andrea Canales, Meg Doyle, Cayden Steele, Matt Breen, Giana Han, Olivia Reiner, Sapna Bansil, Mike Sielski, Scott Lauber, David Murphy, Alex Coffey, and Marcus Hayes.