Tyrese Maxey, Vic Fangio head the annual Philly Sports Thanksgiving thankfulness list

I tell folks all the time: Philadelphia is the best place in the country to be a sportswriter, and maybe the best place in the world. It has everything, including soccer.

And it’s not New York. (Relax. I’m from New York.)

There is no patience here for complacency, at least not since the foot-dragging Phillies got their new ballpark and the Sixers stopped losing on purpose. Now that I think of it, there wasn’t much patience for that garbage then, either.

I’ve been here for more than three decades, and I’ve trudged through the Clarence Weatherspoon and Nerlens Noel editions of the Sixers; the Desi Relaford and Maikel Franco editions of the Phillies; and the Koy Detmer and Nnamdi Asomugha editions of the Eagles. There have been lots of Thanksgivings when there wasn’t much on the Philadelphia sports scene to be thankful for.

This Thanksgiving, there’s plenty.

Forthwith, then, my completely subjective and possibly incomplete top seven, an entirely arbitrary number fallen upon because seven filled the space I was allotted for this column.

It’s remarkable that, in a city that boasts the reigning Super Bowl champion and a former NBA MVP, Maxey is its most universally adored athlete. He’s a tireless worker. He’s constantly improving. He’s a spectacular teammate. He’s a fearless player.

Perhaps Maxey is so beloved because of the contrast in personality with other stars in town and the connection to the city that other stars lack. Joel Embiid won the league MVP award in 2023, but he’s always hurt, he’s seldom in shape, and he has a history of feuds with fans. For a third consecutive season, Eagles receiver A.J. Brown is providing a self-centered distraction. And Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, despite his best efforts, remains aloof and chilly — at least compared to Maxey.

The only player close to Maxey in demeanor, accomplishment, and connection is running back Saquon Barkley, and he’s having a down year.

The Eagles’ owner gives the GM cash, and the GM spends it wisely. They’ve taken the Eagles to the Super Bowl three times in the last eight seasons, they’ve won it twice, and, in an era of NFL parity, they’ve delivered a golden era to a historically downtrodden franchise.

» READ MORE: A championship team doesn’t give away wins. That’s exactly what the Eagles did at Dallas.

Lurie sets the example for other owners in the city to follow on the field and in the community.

Roseman’s genius grows by the year, lying mainly in his ability to draft NFL-ready players — Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Nolan Smith, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Drew Mukuba — and his ability to pivot when things go badly, such as with the deadline trade for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.

You can choose to dwell on Hurts’ shortcomings: the slow release, the average arm, the inability to diagnose and process defenses. But those are shortcomings by comparison.

Hurts’ release was quick enough, his arm was strong enough, and his processing good enough to compile a 60-26 record, six of those wins in the playoffs, one of them Super Bowl LIX, of which he was the MVP. He’s won all of those games, despite having a coach who creates distractions and a wide receiver who frequently is critical of him. He also has served under six play-callers: former head coach Doug Pederson, current head coach Nick Sirianni, former offensive coordinators Shane Steichen, Brian Johnson, and Kellen Moore, and, now, Kevin Patullo. What’s more, Sirianni, Steichen, Johnson, and Patullo had never called plays before.

Hurts isn’t perfect, but he has made the most of what he’s had, he’s avoided controversy, and he wins, wins, wins.

Harper fought a wrist injury for at least the first half of the season and didn’t produce the way he has produced in the past, but his .912 OPS since joining the Phillies in 2019 is still fifth-best in baseball among players who played at least 800 games. His intangible value has increased the past three seasons.

Since Rhys Hoskins left after sitting out injured in 2023, Harper, along with Kyle Schwarber, has become more of a clubhouse leader and more of the face of the team. That has real value in a city that scrutinizes its baseball team so fiercely.

Harper’s presence also was a major reason that ace Zack Wheeler, catcher J.T. Realmuto, and Schwarber signed or re-signed their deals. And if Schwarber decides to re-sign, Harper’s presence will weigh into that decision, too.

When the Flyers in May 2023 hired two alumni with scant experience as their GM and president, respectively, it smacked of the same sort of corporate nepotism that dragged the franchise into rebuild mode in the first place.

But Brière and Jones have deftly navigated a roster rebuild that, currently, presents a very watchable hockey club on a nightly basis. Consider the obstacles they faced.

They inherited irascible coach John Tortorella, whom they fired last spring. They hired former Flyers winger Rick Tocchet to replace him. So far, so good. Stay tuned.

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey ghosted, then roasted James Harden in a battle of brothers

They lost franchise goalie Carter Hart when Hart took leave to face sexual assault charges in Canada. He ultimately was acquitted, but the legal process cost the Flyers at least 1½ seasons of his services.

Cutter Gauthier, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, forced a trade in 2024 before he played a game for the Flyers. He went to Anaheim, where he was an All-Rookie selection last season and this season had 26 points in 22 games entering Wednesday night.

All things considered, the future looks bright.

In a year when Barkley signed as a free agent, the defensive coordinator was an even bigger addition for the Eagles. He led the No. 1 defense in the league last year. When healthy, it’s one of the better defenses in the league this year.

Fangio understands his players’ capacities, asks them to do the things they can do, and tells the truth to them and to us.

Refreshing.

It ain’t what it was when I got here 30 years ago, but Philly still has a vibrant and healthy college basketball scene, led by Villanova women’s coach Denise Dillon. Can’t wait to see what former Iowa coach and Philly high school legend Fran McCaffery does at Penn.