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Turns out, we’ll have to wait another day to watch the Phillies begin their quest for October. Again.

Opening day for the Phillies and Braves was postponed because of rain in the forecast — a 91% chance, according to AccuWeather. The game will be made up on Friday, which originally was an off day. First pitch will be at 3:05 p.m., and tickets and parking for Thursday’s contest will be honored.

If you recall, last season’s home opener also was pushed back — only for there to be beautiful weather. After that, the team hardly missed a beat and reached the NL Championship Series. We will see how much history repeats itself.

— Maria McIlwain, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ Share your favorite opening day memory with us. What makes it so special? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Rob Thomson, baseball’s most improbable managerial success story, offered the Phillies the reset they needed and became their steadying hand, writes David Murphy.

Alex Coffey and Scott Lauber run down the entire roster with a prediction and stat projection for each player. Meet the 2024 Phillies.

Will the Phillies win the World Series? Who will be MVP? Here are our predictions for this season.

Next: The Phillies now open the season at 3:05 p.m. Friday against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park (NBC10).

You might not know the name Jake Rosenberg, but you know his work. The Eagles’ longtime salary-cap guru has helped shape player contracts, and his friend, Howie Roseman, cites Rosenberg as a big part of the franchise’s success.

Rosenberg told The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane that he’s leaving the organization when his contract expires after the draft.

Speaking of the draft, our EJ Smith assesses this year’s linebacker class — an area of need for the Birds.

Paul George to the 76ers? Not so fast. While the idea is enticing, The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, who has seen a thing or two on the Sixers beat, believes George’s recent connection to Philly could be a leverage play, a repeat of the approach employed by George and LeBron James when the Sixers went “star hunting” and came up empty.

If this was the real thing, George would form a formidable trio with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. But even in that case, we’ve seen this story before. James Harden, who made his first trip back to Philly on Wednesday, serves as the perfect reminder that not all best-laid plans work out as expected.

In Harden’s return, the Sixers fell to the Clippers, 108-107, but not without controversy. After the game, NBA crew chief Kevin Scott says Kelly Oubre Jr. was fouled by George on the game’s final play that went uncalled on the court.

Next: The Sixers head right back out on the road to play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. (7:30 p.m.; NBCSP).

The Union boast one of the biggest teenage soccer talents in the world in 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan. Even though Sullivan is from Northeast Philly and the Union played an integral role in his development, the club risked losing him for free.

That won’t be the case, as sources confirmed to The Inquirer on Wednesday that the Union have agreed to a deal with Manchester City that will see Sullivan turn pro with the Union and the English club pay a fee to land him. The plan will be for Sullivan to stay with the Union for the next four years before going abroad to the English giants.

Next: The Union host Minnesota United on Saturday at Subaru Park (2 p.m., Apple TV).

The Flyers have punched above their weight all season despite the absence of star players or a collection of high-end skill. How have they done it? Grit has been a big part of the story. Under John Tortorella, the Flyers have gotten back to their roots of playing a tough and gritty game.

In that vein, we came up with a metric to try and measure just how gritty the Flyers have been compared to the rest of the NHL. Which Flyer do you think is the grittiest?

Next: The Flyers visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in another game with massive playoff implications for the Orange and Black (7 p.m., NBCSP).

We asked you: Who is the ultimate Sixers villain and why? Among your responses:

Morey has proven to spend a lot of money and have a team with limited depth. Even his choices for help for the team seem to be very questionable. How he keeps his job is surprising! — Alan V.

It is easy to name James Harden and Ben Simmons as Sixer villains, but maybe the ultimate villains or maybe more appropriately those who are just not doing their jobs well might just be owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer and Daryl Morey. They are the ones who make the decisions on player, manager, and coach selection, not Harden nor Simmons etc. You certainly cannot blame their failures on Nick Nurse who has only been there for a few months, nor superstar Joel Emblid whose only contribution to their troubles is a fragile body he was born with. I think Nurse and players are doing the best they can. If you need to have a villain or two look to those who make the decisions. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Scott Lauber, David Murphy, Matt Breen, Marcus Hayes, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Keith Pompey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Jackie Spiegel, Stephen Stirling, Ellen Dunkel, Jeff Neiburg, Sam Morris, Vaughn Johnson, and Kerith Gabriel.

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.

Thanks for reading along! Stay dry, and Jim will be in your inboxes tomorrow! — Maria