One day more | Sports Daily Newsletter

When Bryce Harper misjudged that fly ball in right field, it was natural to wonder what he might be thinking.

Turns out, he was thinking of his oldest son, Krew.

He thought of how he could learn from a given situation and respond to it.

And respond he did. Harper followed a Kyle Schwarber home run with a game-tying blast, but the heroics didn’t stop there.

Alec Bohm delivered the game-winning shot. He’ll be a free agent this winter, but is this season-saving blast enough to keep this former Philly hater in town?

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

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❓After the Flyers’ opening night, share your prediction for this year’s squad. How far do you think they’ll go? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

A few months ago, the Flyers knocked Noel Acciari and his team out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em?

Acciari signed a two-year deal with the Flyers over the summer and has acclimated seamlessly on and off the ice.

The Flyers, who entered the season with increased expectations, were quickly humbled in front of the Xfinity Mobile Arena crowd Wednesday. They laid an egg in a 7-0 loss to the Penguins that equaled their largest ever defeat in a season opener.

Before the disappointing loss, the Flyers rolled out the orange carpet for player walk-ins, a fan fest was held at Stateside Live!, and Charles Barkley made an appearance.

Next: The Flyers hit the road to face the New Jersey Devils for their first road trip of the season tonight (7 p.m., ESPN+, Hulu).

Vic Fangio didn’t want to point a finger at any one player for the third-quarter Chicago Bears touchdown Monday night that put the Eagles in a two-score hole during their eventual 27-7 defeat, but he did take the blame for the overall effort.

And the veteran defensive coordinator confirmed that the team’s safety rotation will continue for Sunday’s game against the Rams.

After Monday’s costly interception, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni affirmed that he “has faith” in his backup quarterbacks.

And on the most recent episode of unCovering the Birds, The Inquirer’s Eagles podcast, Jeff McLane and Jeff Neiburg break down Monday’s loss.

Next: The Birds are back at the Linc on Sunday to face the Rams (1 p.m., Fox29).

After spending his first 10 seasons with Boston, Jaylen Brown was traded to a Sixers team he was “trained to hate, probably.” So Tyrese Maxey has plenty of experience facing Brown. Now, though, they’re teammates. So what’s that like?

Maxey also was in the news because of his inclusion on a list of influential people by Time.

Brown isn’t the only newcomer for the Sixers, though. Maxey also shared some insight on another new teammate in Dean Wade.

Next: The Blue x White scrimmage is Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

On Wednesday, Mark McKenzie’s professional career came full circle when the Union announced that he will join the team on Jan. 1.

So what brought him back to Chester?

It was a combination of factors, but now he brings a wealth of experience from playing in various European clubs and leagues back home — a home on and off the pitch.

Next: The Union are off for the FIFA break but return on Oct. 10 to face Real Salt Lake (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

We asked: What’s your most painful sports memory and why? Among your responses:

For Philadelphia sports fans, painful memories sometimes seem like a rite of passage. An untimely penalty at the end of Super Bowl LVII for the Eagles, a Joe Carter home run to seal the 1993 World Series for the Phillies, or a narrow miss at a blocked punt attempt from ND Kalu in the 2002 NFC Championship Game against the Rams.

But for me — nothing will ever quite erase the sting of the 2003 NFC Championship Game loss 27–10 to the Buccaneers a year later. It wasn’t just the final Eagles Game ever at Veterans Stadium — it was yet another chance at the Super Bowl for only the second time in franchise history. A seventy-yard kickoff return to open the game by Brian Mitchell, an early Duce Staley touchdown run, and then an Eagles interception seemed to make the win all but complete. But the next three quarters were dominated by Tampa Bay who would go on to win the Super Bowl. — Michael L.

My most painful memory is the year the Tampa Bay Bucs came to Philly on a cold day for the NFC Championship Game and they upset the Eagles. I was in the stands with my 20 year old son. After Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff into Bucs territory and Duce Staley scored a touchdown only a few plays later we were ecstatic and I was screaming “We’re going to the Super Bowl Son!” as I had been chosen in the Eagles season ticket holders drawing and had purchased 2 Super Bowl tickets through the Eagles organization. Our flight to San Diego was booked and our hotel room was reserved. We were ready to go and thought for sure we would soon be on our way. Unfortunately it didn’t quite work out that way. — Bob A.

Losing the NFC championship to the Bucs in the last game played at the Vet. Finally, “our time” had arrived, or so it seemed. A hot start to the game gave way to misery that wouldn’t be salved until Super Bowl 52. — Dave K.

I’m old enough to remember a double disappointment in the 1964 pennant races. Growing up in Baltimore, I was twelve years old then, and primed for an Orioles-Phillies World Series. The Orioles led the American League through the first half of September, and then stumbled while the White Sox and Yankees got hot, so there went that hope. And I need not recount the last handful of games for the Phillies. So that hurt big time to have to watch the Cardinals and Yankees in the Series that year.

Every bit as painful — and far more acute since it was a single eventthat occurred over a matter of a few seconds — was Leon Stickel’s completely wrong missed offsides call against the Islanders in 1980. How he could miss Butch Goring as much as eight to ten feet offsides is beyond me. That blown call could be argued as the point of departure that cost the Flyers the 1980 Stanley Cup.

Then there was game 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals: the Flyers held a tenuous lead on the road in Edmonton after two periods, and unlike other painful memories, nothing untoward happened. They simply gave until there was nothing left, and Edmonton had a tiny bit in reserve: just enough to put the Oilers over the top.

There are other grim memories also in the hunt: Mitch Williams’ pitch in the 1993 Series that wound up in the seats; Donovan McNabb’s problems in the Super Bowl; the Flyers’ offense drying up in the spring of 1997; Patrick Kane’s overtime goal in Game 6 of the 2010 Cup finals ... you get the idea. — John B.

Naturally your first memory of painful Philly losses has to be the 1964 Phillies collapse, but as all Philly sports fans know we have more than our share of such. For me one of the most painful losses was the 1980 Dick Vermeil’s 12-4 NFC Champion Eagles losing to the Oakland Raiders 10-27 in a game we all thought for sure they would win. — Everett S.

The most painful sports memory in my lifetime will always be the 1964 Phillies losing 10 straight to blow a 6 and a half game lead with 12 to play. There were so many happy memories that year and they had the pennant won — but then they didn’t. That was a long time ago, but it is something that unfortunately I will never forget. — Tom E.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Lochlahn March, Scott Lauber, Marcus Hayes, Jackie Spiegel, Ryan Novozinsky, Jeff McLane, Jeff Neiburg, Ariel Simpson, Gina Mizell, Mike Livingston, Chris Hine, Kerith Gabriel, Conor Smith, and Mia Messina.

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! Kerith will be back in your inboxes tomorrow — as will the Phillies. — Maria