Joel the troll | Sports Daily Newsletter
An interview with Embiid stirs things up.
Joel Embiid has stirred the pot. Again.
In an interview last week at a Los Angeles film festival, the Sixers center was asked what we can expect from him moving forward.
“I just want to win a championship, whatever it takes,” Embiid said. “I don’t know where that’s going to be. Whether it’s Philly or anywhere else, I just want to have a chance to accomplish that.”
Philly or anywhere else?
“ ... It’s not easy, but it takes more than one or two, three guys. You’ve got to have good people around you.”
Stirring that pot and taking a shot at the shortcomings of his teammates?
It sure sounds to Marcus Hayes (and many who can read between the lines) that Embiid is anticipating greener pastures and wishing for a better supporting cast.
This is a damning implication, Hayes writes, in that it implies that Embiid does not believe he has a chance to win a championship with the Sixers as they are being run by president Daryl Morey. Further, it implies that Embiid has never had a good chance to win a title in Philly.
Embiid has stirred the pot before, of course, never showing the inclination to be a team-first guy in either word or deed.
He tried to walk back his “anywhere else” comment Monday on Twitter, implying that he was “trolling” folks.
And of course, Twitter came alive with rather strong reactions. “To sit there and say that you’re trolling, when you know you weren’t, that’s kind of irritating,” former Eagles defensive end Hugh Douglas said on WIP-FM. “To me, that’s not what a grown man does. And if that’s how you really feel, then be a man and stand on it.”
At the very least, in these days of the Threads invasion, the people at Twitter are grateful for the bump in traffic.
— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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In 2015, Mitch Harris became the first Naval Academy graduate in 94 years to reach the major leagues, debuting as a pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals. So he understands exactly what Noah Song is going through.
A Rule 5 draft pick, Song is at double-A Reading on a 30-day assignment that runs through July 28 and will lead to a spot on the Phillies’ major-league roster or an opportunity with another organization.
Harris did not make it to the majors until age 29, serving nearly five years of his military commitment before heading for the minor leagues. Song is 26 and was transferred to selective reserves last winter.
Harris has reached out to Song, offering advice on his major league quest. “I’m going to be as open and vulnerable with him as I can be to help him out,” Harris says. “I didn’t have anyone to talk to. No one understood, ‘Hey, what’s it feel like when you’re coming back from not playing for five years?’”
The MLB trade deadline is Aug. 1, signaling that it’s time for Dealin’ Dave Dombrowski to make the moves to vault the Phillies back into the World Series. One of the trades last season, of course, sent Mickey Moniak to the Angels for rent-a-pitcher Noah Syndergaard. This time around, will the Phillies ship Griff McGarry or Justin Crawford to parts unknown for the likes of Cody Bellinger or Lance Lynn? Perish the thought, Marcus Hayes writes.
Next: The Phillies open a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. (NBCSP). Aaron Nola (8-6, 4.39 ERA) will oppose Milwaukee’s Julio Teheran (2-3, 3.64).
A little over year since this whole saga began, Ivan Fedotov spoke to the media in Russia on Monday. Speaking at a press conference with his KHL team, CSKA Moscow, Fedotov talked about his year of mandated military service, how he stayed in shape, and even his future.
While Fedotov won’t be joining the Flyers again this year, he did say he still dreams of one day coming over to the NHL. Here are the biggest takeaways from the Flyers prospect’s press conference.
The United States women’s national team will be gunning to make history this summer by winning a third straight World Cup, a feat no men’s or women’s team has ever accomplished.
But while a few familiar faces are back led by Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, the USWNT has a much different and younger look this time around. Jon Tannenwald breaks down all 23 players on the roster, headlined by talented youngsters like Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman.
The U.S. won’t be the only team with stars in Australia and New Zealand. Here are 10 other headliners to keep an eye on at the tournament.
Next: The USWNT opens up group play Friday against World Cup debutant Vietnam (9 p.m. Philadelphia time, Fox29).
The Eagles have signed cornerback Kelee Ringo, a fourth-round pick out of Georgia who became the final member of the team’s 2023 draft class to sign his rookie deal.
Next: The Eagles report to the NovaCare Center for the start of training camp on July 25.
Worth a look
Top Cat: Former Villanova star Cam Whitmore was named MVP of the NBA Summer League.
In the fold: The Sixers have signed Filip Petrušev, a 2021 draft pick who has been playing overseas.
Back on the air: 94.1 WIP host Jon Johnson had a surgery to remove skin cancer from his scalp.
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
Who was the longtime Milwaukee Brewer who won a World Series with the Phillies in his final season? First with the correct answer here will be featured in the newsletter.
A) Matt Stairs
B) George Vukovich
C) Geoff Jenkins
D) So Taguchi
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Keith Pompey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Scott Lauber, Rob Tornoe, Josh Tolentino, Giana Han, and Sapna Bansil.