He’ll be back 🏀 | Sports Daily Newsletter
And so far, so quiet when it comes to the “tush push.”
Good morning Philly, so we received a bit of good news yesterday — straight from the source.
Joel Embiid should return to the Sixers before the end of the season. Well, at least “that’s the plan.”
The Sixers star who has been off the court due to a meniscus tear suffered in the very next game after he dropped a franchise-record 70 points, spoke with the media for the first time since Jan. 25. He had no official timeline, but didn’t balk at the reports that have him targeted for a mid-March comeback. It’s been no secret that the Sixers could benefit from his return. Despite picking up a few strong role players before the NBA trade deadline, the Sixers are 7-17 this season without Embiid. With him? 26-8.
Also a bonus? It appears, despite all the disdain from NFL opposition and even some haters in the media, the tush push isn’t going anywhere. There have been no discussions around it at the NFL combine going on this week and one league executive even told our reporter Olivia Reiner that you “don’t punish a team that strategically does it well.”
Two things that certainly have me in good spirits. Also looks like a good day to get active, considering we’re looking at full sun and 50 degrees on this Friday finale — and the first day of March.
Get after it today, Philly. 💪
— Kerith Gabriel, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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While undergoing physical therapy to get back to the game, Joel Embiid is finding ways to stay involved with the 76ers, even though he can’t be on the floor with them as he recovers from the torn meniscus in his right knee.
How do you ask? Well, a recent hour-long conversation with Tobias Harris, who has struggled as of late, is just one example of how he has made his presence felt. And while he can’t offer his prolific scoring or defensive presence, what he can offer are his words, his basketball acumen, and his spirit whenever he breaks away from an individualized recovery program.
Next: The Sixers play the Charlotte Hornets at 7 p.m. tonight at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Diamondbacks faced an aggressive Phillies team in the National League Championship Series and decided to exploit that. They changed their strategy to induce Phillies hitters to chase. It worked. From Games 3-7, the Phillies chased pitches at a rate of 36%.
All of a sudden, a team with a $240 million payroll and World Series aspirations was going home. That weakness has to change. Alex Coffey reports on how the Phillies are trying to address it.
Next: The Phillies will have two split-squad games on Friday. Game 1 will be played in Lakeland, Fla., against the Tigers at 1:05 p.m. Game 2 is at home in Clearwater, Fla., against the Marlins at 1:05 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on MLB.com.
If you were wondering who the Eagles might draft, let’s look at past picks and their measurables for some clues on what Howie Roseman might do. Some trends emerge when you take a look at the data.
Then we get into what the Eagles need, and they could use help in the secondary. The cornerback class in this draft is deep and includes a couple of top Alabama prospects. At safety, is there a center fielder type who could help?
Technically their man is very much still a young adult, but on Thursday the club officially announced the signing of 18-year-old wunderkind David Vazquez, now a member of the second-team squad, Union II, but there are already front-office rumblings that he could feature with the full squad later this season.
Here’s the TL;DR on Vazquez, though you’ll still need to read the piece to see why his signing is a case study for the other 29 teams in Major League Soccer. Discovered by the Union while training with a California-based academy, it was one deep in the territory of fellow MLS franchise, the Los Angeles Galaxy. MLS does have a system in place that allows the rights of a potential player to be somewhat territorial, but Vazquez still managed to slip under the radar of two L.A.-based MLS franchises. It’s a bit of a wild story, one our reporter Jonathan Tannenwald expertly gets you up to speed on.
Next: The Union returns to the pitch on Saturday for a road clash against Sporting Kansas City (8:30 p.m., Apple TV).
Pop quiz...
What year did the Phillies introduce Dollar Dog Night?
a. 2002
b. 1997
c. 1992
d. 2004
The answer is below or you could take a guess and check this out to see if you’re right.
Worth a look
Brière tells all: More with our Q&A series with Flyers general manager Danny Brière, who certainly has a lot to say.
Ball around the world: Meet the National Champion hooper who will be with the Globetrotters inside the Liacouras Center this week instead of playing overseas over opportunities in Europe.
Bryce is nice: It’s Year No. 5 of Phillies slugger Bryce Harper, who by the looks of it is adjusting well to a full spring training with the team — and first base.
Pop quiz answer: The Phillies started the Glizzy fest in 1997, a whole 27 years ago.
UnCovering the Birds host Jeff McLane of The Inquirer joined two other Birds beat reporters, Zach Berman and Jimmy Kempski, for a roundtable discussion about the team’s offseason. From the leadership of Nick Sirianni to Jalen Hurts’ future to Howie Roseman’s roster strategies, they covered it all. Listen here.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Keith Pompey, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, Alex Coffey, Devin Jackson, EJ Smith, Jonathan Tannenwald, Jackie Spiegel, and Gabriela Carroll.
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