🏀 The ties that hoop | Sports Daily Newsletter

Yesterday was a notable day in Philly sports. The Eagles kicked off a new week of training camp, the Phillies stared down the final minutes of the MLB trade deadline, and Major League Soccer’s newest commissioner is a Cherry Hill native.

But today, we’re leading off with a Philly staple that tips off this week: The Danny Rumph Classic. Now in its 21st iteration, the Rumph returns to Drexel for five days of basketball across men’s, women’s and youth tournaments beginning on Thursday.

But before the event tips off, the Rumph went back to its roots inside the Germantown-based recreation center with his namesake for an event that bridged young and old across neighborhoods for a common cause. It’s how we’re starting your Tuesday.

Finally, if you had to guess, what would you say “Pongadelphia” is?

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

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❓What’s your favorite city-centric event like the Rumph Classic? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

This is not Bryson Stott’s first rodeo. At third base, that is. But it’s where Stott will find himself for the first time since his Major League debut after the Phillies traded for Luis Arraez on Monday.

The move will now see Arraez take over second base with Stott shuffling to third and Alec Bohm moving over to first, putting Bryce Harper back in the outfield. But Stott, who found out via text from manager Don Mattingly on Monday morning, doesn’t seem too fazed by any of it.

“I told him the same thing I’ve said for years,” Stott recalled in his conversation with Mattingly. “I don’t care. I just want to play.”

Also...

Next: The second of a four-game series against the Nationals continues tonight at Citizens Bank Park as part of a seven-game homestand (6:40 p.m., NBCSP).

🤔 Wondering: What Brooks Raley will bring to the table as the Phillies newest reliever, who was acquired yesterday in a trade with the New York Mets.

👀 Watching: Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense have a day during Day 4 of training camp.

⚽ Hoping: That keeping Mauricio Pochettino on as the head coach for U.S. Soccer was the right call heading into the 2030 cycle.

🏈 Reading: NFL players from the 2022 class have the option to return to college and play a fifth season, courtesy of this new NCAA rule.

Labaron Philon Jr., looked like a steal when the Sixers selected him with the No. 22 pick in the June draft. Little did he know his selection would be the first of several dominoes that would lead to a transformational offseason that included signing LeBron James and trading for Jaylen Brown.

Philon acknowledged that his role will change from what was originally envisioned after he ripped up Las Vegas Summer League. He knows that this season now has “a lot at stake.”

“Who wouldn’t want to be around that?” Philon said Monday from an appearance at Sunrise Day Camp-Greater Philadelphia’s basketball clinic at Kaiserman JCC in Wynnewood. “I feel like we’ve got a lot of great guys, and [we are] just going to continue to do the right things and just make it happen.”

Moro Ojomo is in the final year of his current contract. It happened to be the same year he saw two of his teammates on the defensive line get paid. When both Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, Ojomo’s teammates on the interior defensive line, inked hefty contract extensions this offseason, it ignited a fire.

Four years, $152 million tends to do that, specifically looking at Carter’s contract. But for the seventh-round selection out of Texas, getting on the field isn’t enough; he wants to have his fourth season with the Birds be so dominant that Eagles brass has no point but to dust off the checkbook

“That just motivates me more,” Ojomo said on Monday. “I’ve always kind of been a hungry guy. Always kind of had the chip on my shoulder. So to see both of those guys succeed at a high level, I just want to succeed more.”

Inquirer writer Olivia Reiner has more on Ojomo’s frame of mind heading into this season.

Aug. 4, 1961: This is more of an On This Date, and more of a Did You Know, but today, 65 years ago, fresh off the 1960 NFL Championship, the Eagles played a group of college all-stars from that season and beat them 28-14? It was a regular event called the Chicago Charities All-Star Game.

Which Sixers player was once ranked the 153rd best player in the country coming out of high school by 247Sports?

A) Jaylen Brown

B) VJ Edgecombe

C) Tyrese Maxey

D) Joel Embiid

We asked: What moves did you hope the Phillies would make on Monday?

It’s not my money, and I don’t profess to be smarter than [Phillies general manager Dave] Dombrowski and the front office. But I have a few ideas that I’m sure the baseball minds have considered. A fleet and strong right-handed outfielder. Trade [Alec] Bohm, since he is in the last year of his contract to Baltimore in exchange for Gunnar Henderson and move either him or Trea Turner to third. We need a stronger bullpen. I’ve never been a fan of [Jose] Alvarado, and [Orion] Kerkering has been a big disappointment. At this point of the season, picking up an excellent arm is more than difficult. Now that the Dodgers picked up Szubal, everyone else is playing for runner-up. The team has given us many enjoyable moments and applaud the brain trust for what they have done. With the looming work stoppage for next season, enjoy the remainder of 2026. — Nick S.

None! No moves at all. Fact is my thinking is most teams will stand pat. No one is going to beat the Dodgers so why throw your assets away? On the other hand, any major trades that might take place will be 6-7 week rentals for free agents at the end of the season. I read yesterday that the Yankees might be willing to pay $400 million for the Detroit pitcher that the Dodgers just traded for. Did somebody say “CAP?” — Ronald R.

Yes time is running out and Dombrowski, unlike the Dodgers, probably does not have the players to work with unless he used up front players such as [Aaron] Nola, [Bryson] Stott, Bohm, etc. The Phillies’ biggest needs are a right-handed slugger, although De La Cruz is proving to be interesting, and of course an excellent middle reliever. I am pessimistic, unfortunately. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Conor Smith, Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, Lochlahn March, Scott Lauber, Jonathan Tannenwald, Vaughn Johnson, and the Inquirer social media team.

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.

That’s your quick sports hit. You have me two more times this week; I’ll be back in your inbox on Thursday and Friday. Catch you then, and enjoy today. — Kerith