Back in the box | Sports Daily Newsletter

Nick Podkul wasn’t sure he would play again.

Lying in the dirt surrounding home plate at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, the triple-A infielder had blurred vision after a 92 mph fastball struck the right side of his face in a late-July game. After arriving at the hospital, he got a good look at himself — he looked like “a poorly drawn cartoon character,” he said.

Podkul, a 26-year-old career minor leaguer, had been having his best season, his first in the Phillies’ system, before he got hit. Six months later, after facial reconstruction surgery, he’s in big-league camp for the first time. He’s trying to keep it simple — an approach that has worked for him before.

“I am just trying to get over that fear because I don’t want to play scared,” he said. “And I probably will be a little scared when I see a live pitch again. But I’m going to try not to overthink it.”

Alex Coffey shares Podkul’s story, one of a journey that’s never been easy.

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

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

❓ What’s the most inspirational comeback you can think of and why? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The Phillies’ reported big-time offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto suggests a level of untapped reserves. David Murphy writes that whatever their threshold, Zack Wheeler should get his with a contract extension.

Signed through 2030, Aaron Nola can be the pitching bridge that eventually links the end of the Cole Hamels era with the start of the Andrew Painter era.

The speedy Johan Rojas had just three bunt hits in 149 at-bats last season. The Phillies are hoping that daily reps with coaches this spring will change that.

Owen Tippett is on quite a run these days. The Flyers winger has scored nine goals in 16 games since the calendar flipped to 2024 and also recently inked an eight-year, $49.6 million contract extension.

Tippett, who is on pace for his first 30-goal season, is already a really good player at the age of 25. But if he wants to reach another level and become one of the NHL’s elite snipers, the next step for him is shot selection. Lochlahn March looks at Tippett’s recent scoring run and how he can become a more efficient goal scorer.

Next: The Flyers hit the road to face the Chicago Blackhawks tonight at 7:30 (TNT).

After the Eagles entered the 2023 season with a star-studded roster and jumped out to a 10-1 start, it all fell apart quickly and dramatically.

With that, the team is expected to do some major roster retooling this offseason with several key free agents, some glaring positional holes, and nine draft picks. The biggest questions include the futures of Pro Bowlers Jason Kelce and Haason Reddick. Here’s everything you need to know about the Eagles as we get closer to the start of the official NFL calendar year.

There’s sharing, and there’s oversharing. Doc Rivers landed firmly on the latter when discussing the details surrounding his decision to replace Adrian Griffin as Milwaukee Bucks head coach.

All of this activity caught the attention of former Sixer JJ Redick, who formerly played for Rivers as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers and recently replaced him on ESPN’s lead NBA broadcast team. Redick’s verdict? “It’s always an excuse. It’s always throwing your team under the bus. There’s just never accountability with that guy. There’s never accountability.” A firestorm of responses followed, with Rivers’ son Austin and his current player Patrick Beverley weighing in.

Next: The Sixers host the New York Knicks on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

Major League Soccer returns to the airwaves, or should we say Apple TV, tonight, and there are several new items to be aware of.

The biggest is an ongoing referees strike that is set to dominate the headlines of the opening week of the season. Ahead of the Union’s league opener, here are some other changes to be aware of in MLS this season, including a couple of positive developments for fans attending games at Subaru Park.

Next: The Union host the Chicago Fire in their MLS opener on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV+).

And then there were four.

The final quartet of Public League girls’ basketball teams will battle it out for a spot in the final. All four teams have plenty of deep playoff experience, whether it’s Audenried back to defend its title or Imhotep, which has been a championship game fixture for the last decade. They’ll take on tough competition in Mastery North and Friere Charter, respectively, and we have everything you need to know for those showdowns.

On the boys’ side, Math, Civics & Sciences will look to close out its school and program with a city championship after defeating Constitution for a spot in Saturday’s Public League title game. Standing in their way? Three-time champions Imhotep going for its fourth title in a row after an 18-point win in its semifinal against Lincoln, which left Panthers head coach Andre Noble less than enthused.

Next: The girls’ semifinals begin at 4 p.m. today at St. Joseph’s City Campus.

Her own path: Lauren Rosen, the Sixers’ team reporter, firmly believes that everyone has an interesting story. And she wants to tell it.

Kelce sighting: The couple recently participated in a Sea Isle charity event.

We asked you: Who is the Phillies’ career leader in strikeouts?

Answer: C: Steve Carlton. The legendary pitcher finished with 3,031 strikeouts. Tom L was first with the correct answer.

We asked you: Who’s the best owner in Philadelphia sports and why? Among your responses:

Who is the best owner? That is a difficult question, as we are blessed with 3 good owners in the three main sports (sorry hockey). Jeff Lurie has been great for many years, as he has empowered [Howie] Roseman to do what it takes to a bring championships to Philly. being willing to spend when called upon is an important factor. But passionately motivating effective results is very important. Lurie does both. [Josh] Harris has supported the cost and roster moves to get the Sixers over the hump in the playoffs, even as his star Embiid gets hurt again. However, my vote for the best is for John Middleton, who seems to have hit the ownership trifecta: limitless pockets, willingness to make any changes to improve, and an unbounded individual passion to excel. — Jay W.

I like individual owners who are actively involved in the operation of their team over corporations, and I think most fans would feel that way. Sixers are owned by Harris & Blitzer Sports Entertainment, and the Flyers by the Comcast Corp so they don’t get my vote. Both John Middleton the Phillies owner and Jeffrey Lurie the Eagles owner are very actively involved in the operation of their team and I have admiration and respect for both. Obviously I don’t personally know either man, but of the two I pick Middleton as my favorite due to the genuine passion he shows for the game and his team. In my 75 years of being a Philly fan the only owner I ever met was Irv Kosloff of the 76ers. — Everett S.

Middleton by far. As soon as he saw the profit to the team by spending more money, he jumped right in. — Steve R.

Lou Katz wasn’t just another “Camden Kid.” Like no other, he took less from and gave back more than twofold in return to his communities. He is remembered here as possessing an always smiling face coupled with a quizzical look that clearly read “Let’s make a deal.”

The 2015 NJ Hall of Fame Inductee article for Lou, and repeated here, but briefly denotes his love of, and the respect, that he generously returned to his cities of Philadelphia and Camden. Ask Temple. Ask Dickinson. Ask Camden and its nearby communities, to name a few. Fittingly, my slight modification of a well known memorable comment to read “Lou, we hardly knew you ...” suits him well.

Lou’s gone, but his legacy lives on. — John B.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, David Murphy, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Olivia Reiner, Jonathan Tannenwald, Owen McCue, Josh Verlin, Jeff Neiburg, Anders Pryor, and Gabriela Carroll.

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.

It’s great to be back! I’ll see you tomorrow for more of the biggest Philly sports news! — Maria