⚾ Spring has sprung. Sort of. | Sports Daily Newsletter

Yesterday was a pretty fun day in sports.

Let’s see, where should we start ... Kyle Lowry spent his first full day as a Sixers guard (welcome home, Kyle), watching from the sidelines with the Sixers in action last night. More on that later. Oh, and there were new jersey reveals for both the Union and the Phillies, that players and fans alike either love or despise.

The biggest news? Baseball is back. And for you Phillies fans, we know it’s not some groundhog that tips you off of warmer days ahead but the first time the bats crack down in Clearwater. Well, that was Wednesday and we were down there to catch all the action.

Did you know the first Spring Training game for the Phillies is just nine days away? Nine.

Sure makes the 42 degrees we’re only supposed to get up to around the region today feel a heck lot warmer than it is.

Glad to be waking up with you, Philly. Enjoy today. ✌🏽

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

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

When it comes to a new deal, Phillies ace pitcher Zack Wheeler isn’t causing a stink. There’s no drama. He just wants to be paid commensurate to the display he put forth — and is prepared to put on display — in the final season of his five-year, $23.6 million contract with the Phillies.

Wheeler couldn’t even readily call up the term “market value” when asked during the first day of training in Clearwater. Wheeler, who noted that he took less money to join the Phillies in 2020, says that in new negotiations, which Phillies writer Scott Lauber said could become a drawn-out process, the ace “wants what I feel like I’ve earned.”

Sticking with pitching, right-handed hurler Taijuan Walker wanted to let everyone know there’s no beef between him and Phillies manager Rob Thomson, stemming from his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, at the end of last year’s postseason. Walker was the only pitcher not used during the Phillies run to the National League Championship Series, but says this year he’s out to ensure that “there’s no reason to not put me in.”

Parkinson’s Disease has begun its course throughout the body of Speedy Morris, but it hasn’t affected an incredible basketball mind, one that amassed over 1,000 wins as a head coach on both the high school and Division I college levels.

At 81, you can most likely still catch Morris on the floor at a La Salle game or front and center at St. Joe’s Prep, both places in which as a coach he left an indelible mark on the schools, their programs, and past players. Proof arrives through the people who make a point to say hello he’s in a gymnasium, but more importantly through a binder Morris keeps with over 170 personalized letters from those whose lives he impacted during a coaching career that spanned over 50 years.

If you have a few minutes to spare this morning, our writer Alex Coffey tells an amazing story of perseverance courtesy of the Philly legend whose life continues to define it.

With so many changes to a depleted roster coming off the NBA trade deadline, the Sixers will now get a five-day respite before their next game. Unfortunately, the break arrives on the heels of a four-point loss at the hands of the Miami Heat last night.

The good news: Tyrese Maxey can lead a team. His 30-point effort was a catalyst in keeping the Sixers in this one until the end. Also, Buddy Hield playing in his fourth game as a Sixer has certainly settled in, adding 22 points and 10 assists.

The not-so-good news: The Sixers are still down five players to injury, most notably Joel Embiid recovering from left knee meniscus surgery and Tobias Harris dealing with an ailing hip. Kyle Lowry now wears a 76ers uniform but not last night as he’s working on his fitness (🎶 she’s my witness 🎶).

Next: The Sixers break thanks to NBA All-Star Weekend before hosting the New York Knicks on Feb. 22.

The Flyers finally have a captain and it is Sean Couturier. The team named the 31-year-old Couturier the 20th captain in franchise history. The decision ends an almost two-year stretch where the Flyers didn’t have an official captain under John Tortorella.

Speaking of key players, netminder Sam Ersson’s play this season has been nothing short of a revelation for the Flyers.

But while the rookie has been stellar in tandem with Carter Hart, he will now be asked to shoulder a bigger load with Hart facing a sexual assault charge and unlikely to play for the Flyers ever again. It is a lot to ask of a 24-year-old who entered the season with 10 NHL starts. But as Lochlahn March writes, Ersson is not your average 24-year-old netminder.

The Flyers will be down two regulars for tonight’s contest with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jackie Spiegel has more on the team’s mounting list of injuries.

Next: The Flyers look to make it five wins in a row as they visit the Leafs (7 p.m., NBCSP).

The Union unveiled their new home jerseys on Wednesday and let’s just say they are pretty clean.

The navy blue shirt features a vertical stripe down the middle that will remind fans of the team’s jerseys during their inaugural season in 2010. That said, the diamonds in the middle and light blue accents add a new twist to the kit.

What do you think of the Union’s new jersey?

Next: The Union opens its 2024 campaign on Tuesday in Costa Rica against Saprissa in the Concacaf Champions Cup (10 p.m., FS2, TUDN).

“It’s a weird year. It seems weirder than most years. There’s a lot of flux, there’s a lot of stuff going on.”

a. Villanova men’s basketball head coach Kyle Neptune

b. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse

c. Phillies manager Rob Thomson

d. Flyers head coach John Tortorella

Take a guess and then give this a read to see if you’re right.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Max Dinenberg, Gabriella Carroll, Jackie Spiegel and Olivia Reiner.

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.