🏒 Raised by Philly | Sports Daily Newsletter

We made it to the weekend, Philly, and I’m back on this Friday with another piece sure to get your day off to a positive start.

I want to introduce you to South Philly native Vinny Borgesi, who signed an entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in March. However, his path to signing on that dotted line is littered with the support that rallied around his dream and made it their own.

It’s why Borgesi, or “Big Vinny” as he’s known in the neighborhood, spent six hours returning congratulatory calls and texts from a network of folks who saw his win as their own.

I felt like it’s the type of story we need right now, and one we’re getting your weekend started with.

Speaking of South Philly, the stadium complex is going to be jumping once again this weekend with the Phillies hosting the Rockies for a weekend series at Citizens Bank Park and a trio of pivotal playoff matches.

If you’re going to any of those games, enjoy. And as Joel Embiid suggested, don’t sell your tickets to Knicks fans. Please.

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

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

One more chance (or potentially four) remains for the Flyers to keep their playoff hopes alive following last night’s 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

What went wrong last night?

⛳ Sharing: Former Comcast SportsNet analyst and longtime Sixers sideline reporter Dei Lynam just became the newest head coach for the women’s golf team at La Salle.

🏀 Wondering: At what point will the NCAA put a cap on the number of teams that can qualify for March Madness after yesterday’s announcement of an increase to 76?

⛹🏽‍♂️ Reminding: That we are tracking the movements of local college athletes and programs making moves in and out of the NCAA’s transfer portal.

👏 Applauding: The return of Lauren Hart to the pregame rendition of “God Bless America.”

📖 Reading: The Savannah Bananas are reviving a Negro League baseball team in the kickstart of its world tour.

Ahead of a return to Philly for a pivotal Game 3 against the New York Knicks, a prevailing question remains: will Joel Embiid play?

Embiid, who sat out in the Sixers’ 108-102 Game 2 loss to the Knicks on Wednesday due to a right ankle sprain, right hip soreness, and is undoubtedly feeling the effects of last month’s appendectomy surgery, is listed as questionable tonight.

“He’s worked extremely hard to get back,” said head coach Nick Nurse. “And he continues to want to play badly. I feel bad for him, because he really wants to be out there.”

Inquirer writer Gina Mizell has more on Embiid and an injury update on other players in the series who are also banged up.

If you were wondering what was up with Alec Bohm being out of last night’s lineup against the Athletics, know that it was by design. Off to the worst start to a season in his career, with a .159 batting average and .433 OPS through 35 games, interim manager Don Mattingly chose to hold Bohm out of Thursday’s lineup, giving Edmundo Sosa a start at third base instead.

Mattingly said ahead of Thursday’s game that he didn’t want Bohm working on his hitting all, but to instead use the day to mentally reset his approach.

“Because he’s been working so hard, hitting extra all the time,” Mattingly said. “ … [We] encourage him to take a reset day, from the standpoint of grinding, grinding, grinding. Take a step back, and then we get back after it.”

Inquirer writer Lochlahn March has more on Mattingly’s decision and what this recharge means for Bohm in the long term.

Andrew Painter’s start on Thursday against the A’s was one to forget as he struggled with his command through 3⅔ innings in the Phillies’ 12-1 loss in the series finale.

Next: The Phillies open a home series against Colorado at 6:40 tonight (NBCSP). Jesús Luzardo (3-3, 5.09 ERA) will start against Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander (3-2, 3.38).

With the FIFA World Cup steadfastly approaching, yesterday was a busy day in the soccer world. Locally, FIFA and Conshohocken-based apparel supplier Fanatics announced that its cards and collectibles division, Topps, will become the official supplier of both physical and digital cards and collectibles beginning in 2031.

In Union news, head coach Bradley Carnell held his weekly news conference and dove deeper into his decision to pull wunderkind Cavan Sullivan off in the 63rd minute.

The Union announced on Thursday its plan to host a series of World Cup watch parties at its outdoor beer garden, Union Yards, across from Subaru Park. Soccer Celebration, as it’s being called, will kick off (pun intended) with a soft launch on May 30 sponsored by Michelob ULTRA and then launch fully for the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 (3 p.m.). Here’s all the info as you begin planning your World Cup experience.

The WNBA will tip off its 30th season tonight and in four years will welcome Philadelphia to the party as its 18th team. Get up to speed ahead of tonight’s season-opening games with the following:

May 8, 1967: Famed boxer Muhammad Ali is indicted on federal charges for his refusal to be inducted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

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 a look at the annual Broad Street, Sixers and Flyers playoff moments and much more.

PONUR MADDLT

You might be surprised at who just came out against sky-high ticket prices for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Think you know? Take a guess and then open this to see if you’re correct.

47.1%: The Sixers percentage from three-point land across the first two quarters in Wednesday’s Game 2 performance. Though that fell off in the latter quarters, it was a key factor in a game that went down to the wire.

We asked: What did you think of the Sixers’ Game 2 performance?

They played great. Should have scratched Embiid from the first game or at least [taken] him out after the game was out of hand in the second quarter? And now the effing third game is on Prime?? Don’t the owners have enough money? At least it should be available locally in Philly and NYC. Give me a break. — Bill M.

The schedule has taken its toll on the Sixers. They were fine for the first three quarters, but when their shots started hitting the front of the rim, as they so often did late in Game 2, you know they’re tired. They just ran out of gas. Another game on short rest awaits; let’s hope that they can sustain a 48-minute effort. — Michael W.

A gritty battle in Game 2. The Sixers style of play drastically changes with Embiid out; more ball movement and a faster pace. [Andre] Drummond and [Adem] Bona were dominated by [Karl-Anthony Towns], who got them both into early foul trouble. [Tyrese] Maxey and VJ [Edgecombe] looked tired at the end of each half as their three-point attempts were often short. Embiid was sorely missed down the stretch. — Bob C.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jonathan Tannenwald, Kerith Gabriel, Lochlahn March, Mia Messina, Owen Hewitt, Gina Mizell, DeAntae Prince, Jackie Spiegel, Mike Sielski, Isabella DiAmore, Jeff Neiburg, and The Inquirer’s 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.

Enjoy your weekend, Philly. We’ll be back Monday, hopefully still talking playoffs. — Kerith