🍷 The sip heard ‘round town| Sports Daily Newsletter

OK, it was a joke, but for a second there we had our concerns.

If you don’t know by now, during Monday’s Sixers game, LeBron James crashed into a fan seated behind the basket, spilling some of the fan’s wine on his arm in the process.

The fan, Troy Clemens, then watched as James, midgame, mind you, took a quick sip of his wine, giving it a little taste before heading back out onto the floor. For Clemens, a Philly native, the moment was “a nice experience,” as he told The Inquirer’s Chris Hine. But that’s only part of the story.

On Tuesday, Philly rapper Meek Mill, who saw the story, made a claim on X that he’s been looking for Clemens, who he claimed owed him $3 million, leading the comment section under the post to go buckwild — as these things usually do.

However, minutes later Meek returned to X, writing that his previous post was a joke and that Clemens is “my oldhead,” and a “good dude from Philly.”

Phew.

We thought that wine was going to turn into some real tea there for a hot second. But it made the perfect cap on another great night in the arena.

Expect an absolutely gorgeous day across the region with full sun and highs approaching the 70s. Enjoy.

— Kerith Gabriel, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever witnessed at a sporting event? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Major League Baseball proposed an intriguing idea.

“Phase in” the implementation of a salary cap (and the accompanying salary floor) until the 2028 season “to allow a smoother transition” to the system, the league announced on social media.

However, the proposal does raise eyebrows as it would have implications on high-payroll teams, including the Phillies. Scott Lauber has the latest details, including the players’ union rejecting the offer.

🏀 Reading: College hoops season is officially upon us. Here’s a look at how teams within the Big 5 started out in their season openers.

👀 Watching: LeBron’s reaction to taking a sip of red wine in the middle of Monday’s win against the Bulls.

🫤 Posting: Where the Eagles rank across several NFL power rankings. Spoiler alert: It’s not great.

⚽ Sharing: The jersey of Union teen phenom Cavan Sullivan ranks among the Top 10 jerseys sold in Major League Soccer this season.

What’s ailing the Flyers? Honestly, it seems to vary from night to night, and last night it was a slow start, a slower attack, and a 10-minute infraction for mouthing off to officials.

All of which resulted in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild inside Xfinity Mobile Arena and even more head-scratching from a team with just four wins in 17 games. Inquirer writer Gabriela Carroll breaks it all down.

Caitlin Clark is open to being claimed by Philly fans. We know because she told Kylie Kelce on the latest installment of her Not Gonna Lie podcast.

“I love how passionate fans are,” Clark said. “They’re crazy, but I think it’s awesome. Phillies fans and Eagles fans, Sixers fans, they all seem kind of nuts, but I love it. … They want to win just as much as the players do, possibly more, honestly.”

Inquirer writer Becca O’Reilly has more insight on what else was discussed.

Nov. 4, 1980: It was a shoutout day for Phillies pitching great Steve Carlton for winning his third National League Cy Young Award after helping to lead the Phillies to a World Series title.

“Are the Eagles committed to Jalen Hurts as their quarterback next season, and for the foreseeable future? They are a very strong bet to be drafting in the top five of the 2027 NFL draft. Their odds at No. 1 overall are better than you might think.” — Murphy’s latest explores how a crash-and-burn season could actually benefit the Eagles in the draft, and what that could mean for Jalen Hurts.

7-1: The last time the Sixers started the season with seven wins and just one loss was the 2020-21 campaign. At that time, we were in the midst of a pandemic, Doc Rivers was standing on the sidelines as head coach, and people weren’t allowed in the arenas due to COVID-19, forcing players to compete in a bubble.

We asked: Should the Eagles part ways with Nick Sirianni after this season?

At first, I was certain of the opinion that not bringing back the first Eagles Coach in franchise history to go to two Super Bowls — winning one and almost winning another — would be an extreme organizational move. After all — the roster has been decimated by injury. But with the season spiraling out of control — effort being questioned and the team being so overmatched week after week — it seems like changing the head coach position is increasingly a must. Even at the risk of being in a rebuild for the next few years. — Michael L.

Let’s see now. In the playoffs every year. Two Super Bowl appearances. One Super Bowl win. Would have been two except for one phantom holding call with a couple minutes to play. Highest winning percentage of any other coach in the last 5 years. One rotten half of a season so far. All this in just 5 1/2 years. Ya sure get rid of him and take us back to the “JOE MUST GO” days with the airplane banner planes flying over the stadium. Guaranteed a few owners are licking their chops just waiting to hire him. Why not dump on the super genius Howie for the garbage back-ups? No! Nick should stay. Clean house with ALL the assistants, the medical staff, and the trainers. Big Dom stays! — Ronald and Mary R.

There is no doubt in my mind Sirianni will never get another job in the NFL or major college program once he’s gone. He is not a bright man. High IQ, not EQ, makes a great coach. Perhaps Nicky should visit Home Depot and buy potting soil and a plant and do a demonstration for his underachieving, overpaid players. — Jack D.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Chris Hine, Scott Lauber, Ariel Simpson, David Murphy, Becca O’Reilly, Mia Messina, Gabriela Carroll, Jonathan Tannenwald, and David Murphy.

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.

That’s all for your Wednesday. I’ll catch you tomorrow, Philly. Enjoy today. — Kerith