Cooking in Philly | Sports Daily Newsletter
A boxer, a dream and cheesesteaks.
Plenty of talented young people, whether athletes or actors, have worked at times in food service while waiting for a big break. But Ismail Muhammad’s story is a unique one, because he isn’t merely working in a family business — he’s the owner of Essie’s Steaks. Also, “The Chef” as he is known, is as dedicated to his cheesesteak shop in East Germantown as he is to his thriving boxing career.
It takes discipline beyond what most are capable of to excel in two disparate, yet demanding professions. It’s beyond Bo Jackson levels of multitasking, but with local boxer Jaron “Boots” Ennis as his mentor, Muhammad has found a way.
Matt Breen brings to Inquirer readers the Philliest of tales, including how Muhammad has made his business stand out with an added twist to the signature sandwich style of the city
— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
❓Readers, what’s your favorite Philly-specific food indulgence to enjoy while watching sports? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.
Yes, Bryce Harper got the home run monkey off his back on Saturday.
Yes, the Phillies blew a save, but still pulled out an extra-innings win on Sunday.
Yes, the Phillies have now won three in a row against the San Diego Padres and Harper will play first base later this week.
In the NFC, there isn’t very much legitimate competition the Eagles will face to return to the championship game assuming if they stay healthy, according to David Murphy. There are teams in the conference that don’t pose any threat. And if the 49ers with Brock Purdy are the biggest threat to the Eagles, that’s saying something.
In the other conference though, there’s Patrick Mahomes to contend with.
The Tony DeAngelo tenure in Philly is done.
The move was expected. At this point, Flyers fans have been anticipating the end of the defenseman’s time with the team for so long, the announcement comes mostly with simple relief.
Now the rebuild can commence with more cap room.
Did the Union miss Andre Blake while he was on Gold Cup duty with Jamaica? Most certainly.
No, Blake didn’t score a goal in the Union’s weekend win over New York City F.C., but he was still a key part of the win.
Worth a look
World Cup and Philly: Got all the local ties to the women’s World Cup figured out? Well, you do now.
North Philly’s own: Kahleah Copper made an impact in a memorable WNBA All-Star Game.
Remembering Rolen: The player some Philly fans resented didn’t get a fair shake, argues Mike Sielski.
On this date
In 1918, Milton Robert “Mule” Watson pitched 19 scoreless innings for the Phillies — and lost. That’s because Watson was pitching against the Cubs, who managed to score in the first and 21st inning to eke out a 2-1 victory in an epically long game.
The Phillies scored their one run in the third inning. Watson and his Cubs counterpart, Chicago great George “Lefty” Tyler, pitched all the innings of the game. Watson, who had been traded from the St. Louis Cardinals earlier that spring, pitched his final MLB game the next year.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, David Murphy, Matt Mullin, Lochlahn March, Maria McIlwain, Jonathan Tannenwald, Mike Sielski, Giana Han, Scott Lauber, and Matt Breen.