🦅 A return to live action | Sports Daily Newsletter

We made it to Friday, but more important, on Thursday, Eagles fans got to witness a pretty sizable chunk of guys looking to be first in line should Nick Sirianni ever need a contingency plan.

With the bulk of the starters resting, the Eagles kicked off the 2025 preseason on a strong note, earning a 34-27 win against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. The upside? Tanner McKee proved to be the bona fide backup that Sirianni and Co. believed he was this offseason and first-round draft pick Jihaad Campbell quickly learned that even in preseason, the ball moves a lot faster than it did in college.

With that said, there were these observations from the game that weren’t as glaring as they were informative regarding what’s left in the bag when the usual starters are the ones watching from the sidelines.

Also, Inquirer writer Jeff McLane offers his position-by-position grades in the fallout from the first live action for the Eagles.

Today, in addition to basking in the first Eagles performance of the season, we’re looking at sunny skies and highs in the low 80s.

Here’s hoping you get to enjoy it, Philly.

— Kerith Gabriel, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Rather than trade for slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez, the Phillies made a more incremental trade for Harrison Bader, a righty-hitting outfielder who plays Gold Glove defense in center and left field. He’s also having his best season at the plate since 2021, which meant batting .258 with 12 homers, and a .778 OPS for the Twins, better numbers than any Phillies outfielder but far from, say, Juan Soto.

Manager Rob Thomson hasn’t installed Bader as an everyday player. Not yet. He says he’s still thinking about how he will manage his outfield. Let’s examine a few of the options.

Next: The Phillies open a series against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, tonight at 8:05 (NBCSP). Cristopher Sánchez (10-3, 2.40 ERA) will start against Rangers right-hander Merrill Kelly (9-6, 3.22).

Eagles football analyst Derrick Gunn met his wife, Trish, when they were teenagers. They’ve been married for over 40 years, but they suffered their most significant challenge in 2023 when Trish had a stroke that left her paralyzed on the left side of her body.

Trish, who was a youth pastor in Delaware, is now finding her voice to return to her calling. Recently, she sat down with Inquirer reporter Alex Coffey for a story of unconditional love, which shows how her community — and her husband — rallied around her in her darkest hour.

The Howard name is synonymous with Philly basketball. Within it is Ayana Howard, who for the past three years has used her name to grow the women’s pro division of the Danny Rumph Classic, which started yesterday and runs through Monday inside Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center.

She caught up with the Inquirer’s Jonathan Tannenwald to talk about the growth of women’s basketball and how the Rumph is helping to get more hoopers into the WNBA and beyond.

Sticking with the theme of impactful women and the Rumph, our Isabella DiAmore checks in with Viola Owens, or Ms. Candy, as she’s affectionately known, who has carried the torch for her son through not just the tournament but the larger Danny Rumph Foundation.

Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors will pick our best shots from the last seven days and share them with you, our readers. This week, photos include some new Phillies additions — and one player, Kyle Schwarber, who Phillies fans are hoping sticks around — as well as a look at the Eagles’ preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals and, of course, animal photos.

Aug. 8, 1988: The Phillies are the opponent in the first-ever night game at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs, but the game gets halted in the fourth inning due to rain.

We asked: If Zack Wheeler is not the biggest key to a deep postseason run for the Phillies, who is?

In my opinion, it is a toss-up between the training staff and Topper. Injuries are going to happen. To quote Lou Brown, over the course of 162 games, all players will develop aches, pains, and strains. We have to depend on the incredible training staff to correctly diagnose and report an issue with any player. Then we have to depend on Topper and the rest of the coaching staff to handle the report in a manner that helps the Phillies in the long haul.— Dwayne B.

Cristopher Sanchez. He has become the ace, or co-ace if you will. Ranger [Suarez] has been a little shaky. [Jesús] Luzardo has been iffy. And [Taijuan] Walker seems to be getting it back together. If [Aaron] Nola can bounce back that will be a big plus. And we now have a bona fide closer. But I am optimistic. We should be OK. — Jack H.

I think that Harper needs to step up and be the “man” for the team. He needs to bat at least 300+ during the run and be productive. He has been only OK in that arena this year. He seems to be more consistent now, but has to “lead” the team. We can’t count on Nick [Castellanos], JT [Realmuto], [Bryson] Stott or [Alec] Bohm. I honestly do not think they will make it to the World Series with this team as they are too inconsistent. — Vince O.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Jeff Neiburg, Scott Lauber, Isabella DiAmore, Jonathan Tannenwald, Kerith Gabriel, Gabriela Carroll, DeAntae Prince, and the Inquirer photography staff.

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 allowing me to get your day started. Enjoy your weekend, we’ll catch you on Monday. — Kerith