It was Sept. 17, 2001, and the Phillies were back at Veterans Stadium as one of the first MLB games since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
Dillon Minacci, then in fourth grade, was set to go with his dad, Jim, who grabbed a big American flag on a wooden pole and brought it with him.
“It was embarrassing, right?” said Dillon, who was just old enough to roll his eyes at his parents. “I was like, ‘What are you doing? Why are you bringing a flag to the park? What are we doing?’”
No one questioned it. The elder Minacci began his march around the stadium as fans chanted. He became known as Flag Man. Twenty-five years later, Dillon reflects on his dad’s “unifying visual.”
Hugh Douglas and Doug Glanville played for the Eagles and Phillies in 2001, and Larry Bowa was the Phils manager. They reflect on their memories from 9/11.
— Maria McIlwain, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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Preparing for years
On Sunday, Sean Mannion will make have his close up in a new role. Mannion is just 34 years old and only three years removed from his playing career. He has never called plays in the NFL before and now is tasked with turning around an Eagles offense that was too stagnant in 2025.
In many ways, Mannion, the son and grandson of football coaches, has been preparing for this job for most of his life.
“His thing was, he wanted to play as long as he could,” his father said. “The unsaid part was that when those days were done that he would turn his attention to coaching.”
Inquirer writer Jeff Neiburg catches up the many influences that Mannion may pull from as a first-time play-caller this season.
Speaking of Mannion, he met with reporters on Thursday and feels “confident and excited″ for the Eagles’ Week 1 game vs. the Commanders.
Jonathan Greenard, who practiced in a limited capacity on Thursday, is unsure but hopeful that he’ll be ready for Week 1 after missing all of training camp with a pectoral strain.
“I feel good, though. I will say, I feel I’m in a good spot,” Greenard said. “Just know that. I know that I’m working every day to continue to try to get this thing stronger. We’re close, I know that.”
Next: It’s almost here — the Eagles kick off the 2026 season vs. Washington on Sunday (4:25 p.m., Fox29).
Wasted effort
When Zack Wheeler started to run into trouble Wednesday, it would’ve made sense for interim manager Don Mattingly to go to his bullpen, maybe a leverage arm like Alex McFarlane.
It seemingly would’ve been an easy call in the postseason — assuming the Phillies make it — but Mattingly opted to stick with the veteran starter this time. And Wheeler got out of it, only to watch Jhoan Duran give up a tiebreaking homer in a 2-1 Phillies loss.
The Phillies still hold a one-game lead for the top wild-card spot, but they slid to four games behind the Braves in the NL East. And if they do make the playoffs, Mattingly has a simple strategy for catcher J.T. Realmuto, since he’s so good at challenges.
Next: The Phillies are gearing up for another huge series vs. the Atlanta Braves, this time at Truist Park. Aaron Nola (6-10, 4.76 ERA) is scheduled to face Chris Sale (14-9, 2.10) on Friday (7:15 p.m., NBCSP).
Turning tables
Union teen phenom Cavan Sullivan continues to dominate the spotlight. On Wednesday, he and his older brother, Quinn, shared it as they started a regular-season game together for the first time.
The Sullivans became the Union’s playmaking engine when interim manager decided to start Ezekiel Alladoh at striker with Bruno Damiani amid a three-game week.
And, with his mother and brother in the stands, Damiani delivered a hat trick as part of a 5-0 rout of Eastern Conference foe FC Cincinnati. Jonathan Tannenwald offers his insight into the big midweek win.
Next: It’s a quick turnaround for the Union, who head across the country to face San Diego on Sunday (9 p.m., Apple TV).
Sports snapshot
- Lifetime learners: Kids at a South Philly elementary school got a surprise from the Sixers’ Jabari Walker.
- Looking back: It’s been pretty lopsided, but the Penn State-Temple football series has had its moments.
- Into the future: Here’s our ranking of the Flyers’ top 20 prospects.
- Welcome back: After making history last year at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Unrivaled is running it back and bringing its tour to South Philly in February.
Our best sports 📸 of the week
We’re days from the start of Eagles season, but Philly’s summer sports teams — the Phillies and Union — are still going strong as they head down the stretch. As they do each Friday, Inquirer photo editors picked the best sports images from the last seven days to bring you this week’s Big Picture.
What you’re saying about titles
We asked: If you could win any major sports title, what would you pick and why?
Even though I’m a huge fan of the major sports I would be most proud to win either Wimbledon or the Tour de France. Both of these sports require tremendous personal sacrifice and training and winning at the ultimate challenge against the best in the world would be an accomplishment I would be extremely proud of. — Bob A.
Even though I am in no way a boxer or fighter I would wish to be the the welterweight and middleweight champion of the world like my boyhood boxing idol Sugar Ray Robinson. In truth though today I don’t like boxing at all, but as a kid I was a big fan. —Everett S.
No doubt it is World Series. The organized baseball season begins in February and those fortunate enough concludes with a championship in late October (or even early November). It is a grind for the players and coaching staff. Playing in cold conditions in April, the scorching heat in summer and cold (and sometimes) snowy fall. It is a marathon and only the focused and durable few will survive. — Nick S.
Winning any sports title in Philly is an exhilarating prospect — whether it’s the Phillies World Series, a Flyers Stanley Cup, or a Sixers NBA Championship. But Philly is football. Whether talking about the 1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets or the University of Penn Football dynasty of the late 1800s — we live for the autumn season.
When the Eagles won a Super Bowl in 2018 — it didn’t just feel like their first. It felt like the culmination of excitement that we had waited nearly a century to savior. When it comes to a which title that I’d like most to experience on a sideline as a player — whether in 2018, 2025 (and possibly 2027) — it’s all Eagles. — Michael L.
World Series Champion! The culmination of a long 162 game season and 4 rounds of playoffs. Starting in late March, ending in early November, baseball is the ultimate grind. — Bob C.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, Marcus Hayes, Jeff Neiburg, Ryan Novozinsky, Olivia Reiner, Scott Lauber, Gabriela Carroll, Jonathan Tannenwald, Mia Messina, Mike Livingston, and Jackie Spiegel.
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 reading along! We’ll have a special edition of Sports Daily in your inboxes tomorrow to get you ready for the Eagles’ season opener. Jeff Neiburg will take you through everything you need to know, from odds to the injury report and how to watch. — Maria
