Sorting things out | Sports Daily Newsletter
The Phillies talk about keeping Thomson, supporting Kerkering and more.
One week after the Phillies got tossed from the postseason following an unfortunate toss by a reliever, Rob Thomson and Dave Dombrowski addressed the media on Thursday.
There was a lot to unpack.
For starters, Thomson will receive a one-year contract extension as manager, his coaching staff will remain intact, and the Phillies will add a bench coach for next season.
Nick Castellanos, who openly criticized Thomson, had the least productive season of his career. Is the outfielder in the team’s plans for 2026? Says Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations: “We’ll see what happens.”
Thomson and Dombrowski talked about Orion Kerkering, whose throwing error ended an 11th-inning series clincher for the Dodgers. The team will give the 24-year-old reliever “the best support system that we can” to help him move on from the gaffe next season.
The smart money is on José Alvarado, Justin Crawford, and Kyle Schwarber to be part of the Phillies roster next season, David Murphy writes. Max Kepler, Ranger Suárez, and Castellanos are a different story.
— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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By now we all know that because of injuries and Za’Darius Smith’s sudden retirement, the Eagles are shorthanded in their corps of edge rushers. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio says “it’s possible” that rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell could see some snaps on the edge Sunday against the Vikings.
Of course, there is the possibility of a trade as well. But social media has buzzed about the possibility of bringing back Brandon Graham, who retired after last season. Jeff Neiburg considers why Graham’s return would make sense — and why it wouldn’t.
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles offense has turned things around at midseason before. Olivia Reiner examines what it will take to do it again.
Away from the field, Neiburg tells the story of Tanner McKee, the backup quarterback for the Eagles who is a member of the American Cancer Society’s Player Ambassador program. McKee was 16 when he had a cancerous mole removed from his scalp.
Quarterback Carson Wentz will be on the opposing sideline Sunday, and he says his time with the Eagles “feels like multiple lifetimes ago.”
Who’ll win the matchup with the Vikings in Minnesota? Our writers make their picks.
Join us before kickoff
Eagles beat writers Olivia Reiner and Jeff McLane will provide a preview of the game before the Eagles face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. You can tune in here.
The Vegas Golden Knights say that former Flyers goalie Carter Hart will report to their AHL team in Henderson, Nev., on a tryout. In July, Hart and four 2018 Canadian World Junior teammates were acquitted on sexual assault charges in Canada. Hart, 27, has not played an NHL game since Jan. 20, 2024.
The Flyers couldn’t keep pace with the Winnipeg Jets, but Matvei Michkov finally scored his first goal of the season in a 5-2 loss.
The game marked the return of defenseman Cam York, who had been on injured reserve since Oct. 6 with a lower-body injury.
Guerschon Yabusele is a worldwide journeyman, starting his NBA career with the Boston Celtics before spending five years overseas, reviving his career with the 76ers, and moving on to the New York Knicks this summer.
Philly felt like home for Yabusele, and he admitted that the preseason games against the Sixers in Abu Dhabi “felt weird.” Gina Mizell talked with the French forward about playing for the Sixers and his new role with the Knicks.
Penn State is starting to move on from the fired James Franklin, but he left a legacy with the Nittany Lions, which we examine in this week’s college football notebook. We also look ahead to Temple-Charlotte and Villanova-Hampton this Saturday.
Penn heads to New York to take on Columbia, which won a share of the Ivy League title last season.
Sports snapshot
Doylestown duo: Drew and Kevin Wilkins will face each other for the first time as NFL assistant coaches when the Rams play the Jaguars in London.
World Cup bound? Wayne’s Matt Freese remains atop the depth chart at goalkeeper for the U.S. national team.
Field hockey success: Michelle Vittese has turned Temple into a contender.
What you’re saying about Carson Wentz
We asked: What are your thoughts on Wentz’s time in Philly? Among your responses:
I don’t think I have ever seen a turnaround quite like Carson Wentz. He went from one of the best quarterbacks I had ever seen play for the Eagles to a selfish, poor performer that you wouldn’t want on your team. Some of his downfall was the result of injuries, but much of it was from arrogance and a poor attitude. Because of the way he left town it is hard as an Eagles fan to wish him well. — Tom E.
Wentz was an integral part of the Eagles road to the Super Bowl before he got injured. I’m sure the road back from that is tough but he just never was the same after that. He left Philly in a huff because he didn’t want to be a backup QB but that is exactly what he is now. Sadly he drifts from team to team, only playing when the starter is injured. Sad. — Kathy T.
Wentz was poison in every locker room he’s been in. He would have fit perfect on this year’s Eagles team. He was on the way to being the league MVP the year he tore up his knee. He went ballistic the year the Eagles drafted Hurts. If ever there was a grudge game, this week’s Vikings game is it! It won’t surprise me to see him throw for 500 yards, four touchdowns and maybe run a few in. It all depends on which Eagles team shows up — Ronald R.
Wentz was a great pick for the Eagles and was getting put into the MVP discussion until he got hurt. When he returned to the starting role he was again doing well until he was hit in the head and slammed from behind into the turf by Jadaveon Clowney. He never seemed to recover from that. So I think he was a great pick who unfortunately fizzled out due to injury. — Bob A.
He lived up to the hype and had the Eagles at 11-2 and heading to the SB before he was knocked out in L.A. Of course all the glory then went to Miracle Man Nick Foles as the Eagles won their first SB and for whatever reasons whether mental or physical Wentz was never able to perform at that level again. He has proven to be very injury prone over the rest of his career and has never returned to the player he was in 2017. — Everett S.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, David Murphy, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Matt Breen, Jackie Spiegel, Gina Mizell, Ariel Simpson, Jonathan Tannenwald, Devin Jackson, Kerith Gabriel, Colin Schofield, and Sean McKeown.
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Have a great weekend. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in Monday’s newsletter. — Jim