💪 Still sharp after 50 years | Sports Daily Newsletter

Merrill Reese will begin his 50th season on Sunday as the voice of the Eagles.

The longtime broadcaster has voiced two Super Bowl wins, told you the Eagles stopped ‘em again, and made the word “good” sound great.

After turning 84 earlier this month, Reese has no plans of retiring. So don’t call 2026 a farewell tour because he says he isn’t going anywhere.

Through it all, his wife of 47 years, Cindy, has been by his side, making sure her husband stays sharp for game days, and she may be the secret to Reese’s longevity.

One legend, however, is hanging up the cleats — for a second time. Brandon Graham announced on Tuesday he was “officially done”playing football.

From his strip sack against Tom Brady in the Eagles’ first-ever Super Bowl victory to becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in games played, Graham’s had quite the NFL career. He — and his trash talk — will be missed.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Aidan Miller took another step forward. His rehab assignment was transferred from single-A Clearwater to double-A Reading, where he was scheduled to play seven innings on Tuesday night. Reading has a week remaining before its postseason begins on Sept. 15, allowing for more regular game action after Miller’s return from injury.

Andrew Painter’s struggles through five innings and baserunning miscues contributed to the Phillies’ series opening loss to the Astros. The setback prevented the Phillies from gaining ground in both the division and wild-card races.

And stay up to date with the National League East and wild-card standings through our MLB playoff tracker.

🏈 Reminiscing: Brandon Graham says he’s done with football. Let’s relive some of his most memorable moments.

🤔 Wondering: With Week 1 of the NFL season kicking off today, we found an Eagles or Philly connection on the 31 other teams.

🏀 Learning: Brynn McCurry will miss Villanova’s 2026-27 season after having surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus.

🙌 Praising: This Penn State defensive tackle is using his name, image, and likeness earnings to help his family.

For the first time since his rookie season, DeVonta Smith is a No. 1 wide receiver. He excelled in that role in college and had a record-breaking first season, but he’s lived in the shadow of A.J. Brown for the last four years.

Now, it’s time for Smith’s close-up, and he has the backing of his current teammates and coaches, too.

And the man seeking to help Saquon Barkley elevate his game is a quarterback by trade. But Sean Mannion’s expertise isn’t limited to the passing game. Olivia Reiner gives us an inside look on how Mannion intends to revive the run game.

Want to play a game? We took six preseason photos and made one change: the ball is missing. Guess where you think it is.

The 76ers have a lot of talent on their roster, but it raises a question about roles since there’s only one ball to go around. However, most teams would be lucky to have this as one of its main issues heading into training camp.

And “to win, you got to be able to sacrifice,” says Jaylen Brown. So let’s look at this from the lens of statistics. Chris Hine evaluates how often a player consumes his team’s possessions, usage rate, and more.

When the Flyers get together this week for the commencement of rookie camp, there will be a lot of introductions and first-day-of-school vibes.

But that won’t be the case for defensemen Brek Liske and Luke Vlooswyk. Why? Liske and Vlooswyk are teammates with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League, and will be partnered up this season once they return to juniors.

After a stretch together last season, the tandem will take on a larger role in 2026-27 and let’s just say they have high expectations.

Which Phillies player hit the longest recorded home run in franchise history at Citizens Bank Park?

A) Kyle Schwarber

B) Ryan Howard

C) Bryce Harper

D) Jim Thome

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Chris Hine, Ryan Novozinsky, Jackie Spiegel, Lochlahn March, Scott Lauber, Charmaine Runes, Garland Fordice, Mia Messina, Conor Smith, Finn Courtney, and Lexie Linderman.

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.

Hope you had a restful holiday weekend. Thanks for reading, and Maria will be back in your inbox tomorrow. — Bella