Rolen into the Hall | Sports Daily Newsletter

For nearly 20 years, Scott Rolen snagged nearly every ball that came his way at the hot corner. Now, he’s snagged a place in the Hall of Fame — though it’s unclear which team will appear on his hat.

The third baseman, who played his first seven seasons with the Phillies in a career that also included stops with the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cincinnati Reds, made the cut with 76.3% of the vote. He joins Fred McGriff, elected last month in a vote of a 16-member era committee, in the class of 2023, which will be enshrined July 23 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Colorado Rockies icon Todd Helton just missed the cut at 72.2% while former Phillies closer Billy Wagner (68.1%) was close, too. Phillies legends Jimmy Rollins (12.9%) nor Bobby Abreu (15.4%) again will appear on next year’s ballot.

Rolen, who was drafted by the Phillies in 1993, had a career 2,077 hits and 316 homers but may be best known for his defense, having won eight Gold Gloves. He also was the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year and won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006.

— Maria McIlwain, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓Which other former Phillies deserve Hall of Fame enshrinement and why? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Lane Johnson has built a reputation for being tough mentally and physically, the latest example being his decision to put off surgery until after the season to try and help the Eagles win another Super Bowl.

But beyond the “warrior” mentality, it is important to remember the price Johnson is paying long-term. That reality is not lost on the right tackle himself as he enters the NFC championship game playing a key role.

On defense, Jonathan Gannon knows the 49ers are dangerous on offense, but, as he also indicates, the crowd noise brought upon by Eagles fans in a championship game scenario can have an effect. Gannon would know. He was a Vikings assistant during the last Eagles appearance in the championship game.

While the Eagles haven’t won anything yet, could they just be scratching the surface of what’s possible? David Murphy looks at why the Eagles are not only poised to bring home a Lombardi Trophy this season but could be poised to contend for several years to come.

If they don’t, well, there’s the draft to look forward to. And with Senior Bowl practices taking place next week, here’s a look at some of the offensive and defensive players appearing in Mobile, Ala. who could be considered as Eagles draft pick possibilities.

Next: The Eagles host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game at 3 p.m. Sunday (Fox29).

Ben Simmons comes back to Philly today to face off against the 76ers once again, this time with a chance that he could play against Joel Embiid for the first time. While there certainly will be drama surrounding that potential matchup, the Sixers contend that this is just another game, with coach Doc Rivers responding to questions with this: “Honestly, for us, that’s over.”

Next: The Sixers host the Nets at 7:30 p.m. today (ESPN).

Nine months after committing three throwing errors in as many innings, drawing a mock cheer from the home crowd for making a routine play, and getting caught on camera saying, “I [bleeping] hate this place,” Alec Bohm represented the Phillies on Monday night in accepting Team of the Year honors from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association. How’s that for a reversal of fortune? But Bohm’s revived reputation is only part of why manager Rob Thomson maintains he hasn’t seen a player improve so much in one season.

The Phillies invited 21 nonroster players to spring training, including their top three pitching prospects.

Kevin Hayes is having a career season as he is averaging .92 points per game following Tuesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings and is headed to his first NHL All-Star Game.

But despite Hayes’ numbers, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the veteran forward. Moved from center to left wing by coach John Tortorella, benched for a game on Dec. 17, and now playing further down in the lineup, Hayes called his season “a little bit weird.”

But has less defensive responsibility freed up his offensive game? Hayes has 15 goals and 43 points, both good enough for second on the Flyers, and is on pace for career highs in goals (26) and points (74).

Next: Minnesota native Noah Cates and the Flyers hit the road to take on the Wild on at 8 p.m. Thursday (NBCSP).

The Union have continued to sign new deals ahead of the start of the MLS season. The latest is a Jamaican defender from Inter Miami.

Soccer scribe Jonathan Tannenwald has the latest on that and a few other team moves.

Some days, Villanova’s Cam Whitmore looks like a lock to be an NBA lottery pick. Other days? He looks like an 18-year-old working his way through his freshman season. Which, well, he is.

We took a look at Whitmore’s freshman season and talked to some NBA scouts about his prospects in the draft. So will he be the first true one-and-done at Villanova since Tim Thomas?

La Salle went ice-cold from deep and lost its fourth straight game.

Who was MVP of Super Bowl LII, when the Eagles beat the New England Patriots, 41-33?

Answer: B: Nick Foles (of course!) Larry B. was first with the correct answer.

We asked you: Does A.J. Brown’s “minor” injury concern you? Among your responses:

The injury does concern me. Watching the game you could see he was hurting. Mentioning “minor” could be a decoy. — Howard W.

It depends what the injury is. Try as I did, I could not find out what it was. These guys are all warriors and play through injuries every week. I am hopeful it is minor and he will receive treatment this week. I hope it’s minor because we need him against the 49ers. — Kathy T.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Mike Sielski, Josh Tolentino, David Murphy, Devin Jackson, Keith Pompey, Olivia Reiner, Giana Han, Jonathan Tannenwald, Jeff Neiburg, Lochlahn March, and Isabella DiAmore.