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  • SEC, Big Ten add long-missing support to college sports bill and revive its chances in the Senate

    SEC, Big Ten add long-missing support to college sports bill and revive its chances in the Senate

    The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference agreed Friday night to support the Protect College Sports Act, a Senate bill that seeks to regulate college sports, ending a breakneck week of negotiations and pulling the bipartisan measure out of what looked like a certain death spiral.

    School presidents from both conferences voted to back the bill after receiving last-minute concessions over language regarding third-party name, image, and likeness deals and the so-called “associated entities” that often make those arrangements.

    More details need to be worked out, but the bill still has a chance to earn the 60 votes it needs to halt debate and head to an up-or-down vote before the Senate heads for summer break next Friday.

    What to know about the proposed Protect College Sports Act and its impact on NCAA athletics

    The summer recess was increasingly looking like a hard deadline for the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan effort headed by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

    After the conferences, which had balked at large sections of the bill, put out a short release announcing they supported the act “as currently drafted,” Cantwell went on social media and said: “Good. Now progress can be made in protecting women and Olympic athletes and moving the legislation closer to the President’s desk.”

    President Donald Trump, who also has been seeking fixes for an industry that now pays its players millions, got involved late Thursday, which helped push the parties back to the negotiating table.

    Cody Campbell, the Texas Tech regent who has played a big role in shaping this policy, called the SEC and Big Ten support “a major breakthrough that moves us closer to a Senate vote — and a better future” for college sports.

    Increased salary cap, new language entice holdouts

    The most groundbreaking part of the reworked deal is the $27.5 million that schools would be allotted to retain players, in addition to the existing $21.3 million cap.

    It could represent a major reworking of the House v. NCAA settlement, which governs paying players. The idea is that the extra money will take the place of payments from “associated entities” that were allowed beyond the $21.3 million cap. It was those payments that, many schools complained, obliterated any idea of a cap or controlled cost.

    Should Division I men’s soccer become a two-semester season? Here’s where Philly coaches stand.

    The SEC and Big Ten sought stronger language in the bill to guarantee that any third-party deals are truly outside deals and not coming from the schools’ multimedia-rights partners, which currently broker the majority of those deals.

    Among the questions still unanswered are whether the new cap will comport with the House settlement, which had specific instructions about the hard cap (22% of a certain part of revenues, which equals $21.3 million this season), and what would happen to the College Sports Commission, the main NIL enforcement arm that spends the bulk of its time analyzing third-party NIL deals.

    Long road remains

    Even with Friday night’s victory, the bill has a long road ahead. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has been a staunch opponent of the bill since the beginning. Before the latest compromise, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said that “as written today,” the act “creates chaos and eliminates opportunity for student-athletes.”

    Whether the SEC’s approval is enough to get those senators and others from SEC states on board is one issue. If the bill clears the Senate, it would still then need to pass the narrowly divided House, which flailed on another college bill called the SCORE Act, for more than a year.

    There’s also the matter of whether smaller conferences, long in favor of the bill, will remain so now that their bigger competition is being allowed to directly pay players up to $48.8 million.

    Big 5 transfer portal tracker

    Other court rulings

    Almost everyone in college sports agrees that the status quo isn’t working.

    The news about the bill broke only hours after the NCAA lost a pair of key court cases involving its new rule that would give most Division I athletes five years to complete five seasons of eligibility.

    Using those losses as another chance to urge for passage of the bill, NCAA President Charlie Baker said “It is long past time leaders across college sports call for the immediate passage of the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act.”

    Two-time national champion hoops coach Dan Hurley of Connecticut used social media to outline the stakes in more colorful terms: “Somebody please come and fix College Sports. It’s a complete [expletive] show,” he said, using an emoji where the expletive would go.

  • Orion Kerkering’s seventh-inning meltdown spoils Andrew Painter’s solid return as Phillies lose fourth straight

    Orion Kerkering’s seventh-inning meltdown spoils Andrew Painter’s solid return as Phillies lose fourth straight

    BALTIMORE — When the Phillies arrived here this week, they were met by more than a dozen club executives, analysts, and scouts.

    It was time for a summit.

    In case you hadn’t heard, the trade deadline is Monday — 6 p.m., to be exact. As the hours tick down, Dave Dombrowski is huddling with his lieutenants — owner John Middleton made the short trip, too — to come up with a plan to address multiple holes, with considerable focus on a right-handed bat and a starting pitcher.

    And then, Orion Kerkering reminded everyone Friday night that the Phillies need bullpen help, too — maybe more than anything else.

    The Orioles’ Taylor Ward fits the Phillies’ needs. But will he be on the market at the MLB trade deadline?

    Kerkering, the team’s most trustworthy setup reliever, melted like soft serve in the seventh inning. He gave up four runs and spoiled the return of Andrew Painter (remember him?) in a fall-from-ahead 6-4 loss to the Orioles, the Phillies’ fourth consecutive defeat and 10th in 13 games since the All-Star break.

    “It’s frustrating because can’t give this team a chance to win, almost, it feels like,” Kerkering said. “And it [ticks] me the [heck] off — a lot. I’ve just got to figure it out.”

    After climbing back from a 9-19 start and reaching a high-water mark of 11 games over .500 on July 20, the Phillies are 57-53. In a 13-day span, they went from two games behind the division-leading Braves to eight back.

    Suddenly, even their hold on a playoff spot is tenuous, down to 1½ games over the Padres and Marlins for the final National League wild card. And amid the free fall, Dombrowski put his arm around Bryce Harper after the game in a hallway outside the clubhouse for a chat in full view of players and staff.

    After allowing a first-inning homer to Orioles slugger Pete Alonso, Andrew Painter settled down and had a solid first outing back from triple A.Stephanie Scarbrough

    “It’s definitely not the brand of baseball that we want to be playing,” said J.T. Realmuto, whose solo homer in the sixth inning opened a 4-2 lead behind Painter. “We’ve got the guys in this room to win. We know that we just have to play better.”

    But the roster is springing leaks. Just as Realmuto and Trea Turner begin to give the Phillies more production from the right side of the plate and Painter provides six encouraging innings from the problematic fifth-starter spot, the bullpen is starting to look cooked.

    Take Kerkering, for instance. Pressed into even higher-leverage duty after Brad Keller was lost to Tommy John surgery, he has walked five of 25 batters over his last five appearances, including the Orioles’ Colton Cowser with one out after allowing a leadoff single.

    “The hits will come, but walks you can control,” Kerkering said. “It’s just one of those things that, it’s been a struggle this year, and yeah, it just [ticks] me off to keep walking guys.”

    Bryce Harper is right. The Phillies do ‘need some help’ by trades. But they also need some from within.

    But interim manager Don Mattingly stuck with Kerkering, and pinch-hitting Christian Encarnacion-Strand ripped a game-tying two-run double on a sweeper that wasn’t a bad pitch.

    Truth was, it wasn’t bad enough.

    “It was a ball, but we wanted that pitch pretty far off the plate,” Realmuto said. “He’s a guy that, he’ll chase quite a bit, so we were trying to expand pretty big. I thought it was a decent pitch, just not quite what we wanted.”

    Still, two batters later, Kerkering was one strike from keeping the game tied. Instead, he hit Pete Alonso with a fastball. Mattingly called on lefty reliever Tim Mayza, who gave up a two-run triple to Gunnar Henderson.

    “Kerky, we felt like was the perfect guy for the mixed [lefty-righty] pocket we were going to get there,” Mattingly said. “Even with the pinch-hitter, I thought it was the right guy. It didn’t work out.”

    Andrew Painter allowed two earned runs in six innings in his return to the Phillies rotation on Friday night in Baltimore.Stephanie Scarbrough

    In recent days, the Phillies have sent their scouts to watch starting pitchers, right-handed hitters, and relievers. And while the first two needs might be more essential to getting them into the playoffs, the latter is emerging as perhaps their biggest overall weakness.

    Especially if Painter can stabilize the rotation.

    The Phillies are 5-22 from the fifth-starter spot, including 12 losses in a row. But Painter, who found out roughly 24 hours before pitching that his next start would be back in the majors, overcame a two-run homer from Alonso in the first inning to get a lead to the bullpen.

    With a new grip on his changeup and better command of his fastball, Painter retired 10 batters in a row at one point. When he got Leody Taveras to ground into an inning-ending double play to end the sixth inning, he clapped his glove.

    The Phillies must go through the Dodgers. To do it they’ll need to find a lefty reliever at the trade deadline.

    “Andy was really good tonight,” Mattingly said.

    Good enough to dissuade the Phillies from trading for a starter? Probably not. Maybe they can address multiple needs by finding a starter who can move to the bullpen in the playoffs. (The Mets’ Clay Holmes or the Giants’ Robbie Ray spring to mind.)

    After all, the bullpen torpedoed the Phillies in the last three postseasons, since the 2023 NL Championship Series. In last year’s NL Division Series, the Phillies had 3-2 and 1-0 leads against the Dodgers in the seventh inning of Games 1 and 4, respectively. They lost both games.

    Surely, then, the bullpen must still be a concern.

    Kyle Schwarber reacts after striking out swinging during the third inning.Stephanie Scarbrough

    “For sure, yeah, we’re concerned,” Realmuto said. “But we believe we have the guys in this room to get it done. We’ve got guys that have gotten a lot of big outs for us in the last few years and with really good stuff.”

    Kerkering sounded like he expects that the Phillies will reinforce the bullpen.

    “Everyone knows it at the end of the day,” he said. “But I don’t think anyone thinks about it, like when you’re out there or getting ready for the day.”

    Said Mattingly: “[The bullpen] hasn’t been good lately. It’s really been pretty good up until this point. This too shall pass.”

    Maybe with a trade or two.

  • FIFA president Gianni Infantino abandons plans to sell World Cup profits to private equity

    FIFA president Gianni Infantino abandons plans to sell World Cup profits to private equity

    ZURICH — FIFA president Gianni Infantino is abandoning his divisive plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity after receiving pushback from all corners of the soccer world.

    Infantino’s decision came after his senior adviser who sat on a White House panel resigned and Asia’s soccer body joined Europe and North America in opposing it.

    “Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” Infantino said in a statement on Friday. “Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”

    Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion company to run the World Cup with private investors including the Kushner family, but drew backlash that grew every day since Tuesday’s announcement.

    European soccer body UEFA’s 55-member nations agreed to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions over Infantino’s plan on Thursday. North America’s Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation also said they opposed the plan.

    Former U.S. Soccer president quits role as top adviser to FIFA boss amid World Cup scandal

    “Some things are simply too important to sell,” UEFA said in a statement. “The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”

    Infantino’s senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, resigned on Friday and urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.

    “I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro said in a statement, just hours after FIFA insisted: “Nobody is selling football.”

    Hours later, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour issued a statement to the Associated Press, saying FIFA staff were deceived by Infantino’s lack of openness in planning the sale over recent months and that the project must not continue.

    “It is the project of one person,” Lamour, a longtime colleague of Infantino at FIFA and UEFA, wrote. “Not only must this project not go ahead … but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”

    Infantino proposed spinning off FIFA’s commercial businesses — including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women — into a $20 billion subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors.

    Concacaf turns against FIFA as UEFA threatens boycott over World Cup privatization plan

    The “anchor investor,” described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

    The next FIFA competition is the women’s Under-20 World Cup, which starts Sept. 5 in Poland — which UEFA members said they would boycott.

    The misstep could prove costly for Infantino, particularly after the interventions by Lamour and Cordeiro.

    Reelected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, Infantino is allowed one more four-year term under FIFA statutes. The deadline for the next presidential contest is Nov. 18, exactly four months ahead of the vote in Rabat, Morocco, where FIFA has its African headquarters.

    Infantino’s job seemed secure, despite long-term unease with his style and previous attempts to force through unpopular projects, but could become more tenuous with the failed private equity proposal.

  • The Orioles’ Taylor Ward fits the Phillies’ needs. But will he be on the market at the MLB trade deadline?

    The Orioles’ Taylor Ward fits the Phillies’ needs. But will he be on the market at the MLB trade deadline?

    BALTIMORE — Outfielders who are productive from the right side of the plate and potentially available in this trade market are almost as rare as a Mickey Mantle rookie card.

    The Phillies are getting an up-close look at one of them.

    The Orioles’ Taylor Ward took a .383 on-base percentage into the final weekend before the trade deadline. He would be a fit for the Phillies, who were last in the majors with a .279 on-base mark and .639 OPS from their right-handed hitters.

    One obstacle: The Orioles are on the buyer-seller fence.

    Bryce Harper is right: The Phillies do ‘need some help’ by trades. But they also need some from within.

    “We’re not going to have a strong bias in either direction,” Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said before Baltimore opened a three-game series against the Phillies. “We put ourselves in a position where we’re not declaring ourselves to be in one bucket or another in terms of buying or selling.”

    The Orioles entered the weekend with a 53-56 record and haven’t been over .500 since April 14 (9-8). But they were only 2½ games out of a wild-card spot in a mediocre, to put it kindly, American League.

    Elias said the Orioles are closing in on getting catchers Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, third baseman Blaze Alexander, starter Chris Bassitt, and closer Ryan Helsley back from the injured list.

    And unlike National League bubble teams, who would have to contend in October with the superpower Dodgers and Brewers, the field is wide-open in the AL. Any team that makes the playoffs has a chance to make a deep run.

    The Orioles’ Taylor Ward would fit the Phillies’ trade deadline needs. But are the O’s going to be sellers?Sue Ogrocki

    In that case, the Orioles may hold on to Ward, sixth in the AL in on-base percentage. Then again, he’s a pending free agent. And the righty-hitting outfield market got even thinner last week with injuries to the Reds’ Spencer Steer and Giants’ Casey Schmitt.

    So, if the Orioles try to buy and sell simultaneously, maybe they can cash in Ward for a controllable asset.

    Either way, Elias says he will be “open-minded.”

    Bryce Harper took the wrong approach. But that’s not saying he wasn’t right. | David Murphy

    And he might not decide on anything until the weekend is over. After all, the deadline isn’t until 6 p.m. Monday.

    “We are watching game by game,” Elias said. “This has turned out to be kind of a razor-wire situation going into this deadline, 2½ out, three games below .500. I think both of those are really disappointing, not particularly what we hope to be.

    “But we still have a shot — a good shot — in the American League. I mean, we are going to be watching the results of tonight’s game, tomorrow’s game, but it’s pretty important at this point that we have an idea of what we’re doing. We do have a shot.

    “We do care about making the playoffs in 2026.”

    The Phillies are exploring other righty-hitting outfield options, including the Angels’ Jo Adell, the Royals’ Lane Thomas, and the Giants’ Heliot Ramos. Thomas, in particular, would be more of a platoon option.

    Ward undoubtedly would be at the head of the class, if the Orioles decide to move him.

    Rookie outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. returned to the Phillies’ lineup Friday after not starting the last two games in Miami.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Rincones returns

    When the Phillies called up lefty-hitting outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. on June 12, they intended to start him against all right-handed pitchers.

    Until this week.

    Rincones, stuck in a 2-for-25 tailspin and batting .171 with a .500 OPS overall, wasn’t in the lineup Tuesday and Wednesday in Miami, even though the Phillies faced righty starters. He returned against Orioles righty Brandon Young.

    “I just think, if he’s not in there, then he shouldn’t be here,” Mattingly said. “Gave him a couple of days to kind of reset, work on stuff, and hopefully we get a better version.”

    Brandon Marsh learned a lot clawing out of his last slump. He’s relying on those lessons to get right again.

    Maybe it comes in the form of a trade, if the Phillies can upgrade Rincones’ spot in the outfield.

    “It’s that side of the arm [right-handers] that he’s here for,” Mattingly said. “We’ve got to continue to find out. If we find out that it’s not working, then we have to make a change.”

    Extra bases

    Kyle Schwarber returned to the lineup after sitting out back-to-back games with a gastrointestinal issue. “He’s feeling better,” Mattingly said. … The Phillies were pleased with Zack Wheeler‘s between-starts bullpen session. Wheeler, who is scheduled to start Sunday, exhibited diminished fastball velocity in his previous start in Miami. “It was never a health[-related] thing,” Mattingly said. … An error charged to Trea Turner last Friday night was changed to a hit, MLB announced. Turner still leads the majors with 18 errors. … Cristopher Sánchez (13-4, 2.73 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday night against Orioles righty Shane Baz (4-9, 3.98).

  • The Sixers had a blockbuster offseason. How will that change life for their role players?

    The Sixers had a blockbuster offseason. How will that change life for their role players?

    The 76ers’ latest foray into NBA free agency started with a whimper, as was the case for much of the league at large. What was once a sudden rush of signings has become a slow trickle as star players sign mega-extensions rather than hit the open market.

    For the Sixers that meant June 30, when teams were allowed to negotiate with upcoming free agents, ended with Dean Wade as their big offseason addition. Then the floodgates opened, as Jaylen Brown was traded to Philly on July 1 and LeBron James, eventually, chose the Sixers on July 24 as the team to potentially close his storied career.

    Over the course of mere weeks, Wade went from a surefire starter on a team with playoff aspirations to a key reserve for a franchise with a title-or-bust reality. And he isn’t the only one whose role will shift after the Sixers executed one of the NBA’s flashiest offseasons.

    What the new-look Sixers need from each star, including Joel Embiid’s health and LeBron James’ championship habits

    To this point, the focus has been squarely on the Sixers’ star-studded starting lineup of James, Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe. But how has life changed for the Sixers’ new additions and returning role players since James’ signing? Let’s take a closer look.

    Dean Wade: Wade will experience the biggest swing from James’ signing. A former Cavaliers forward with connections to president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, Wade signed a four-year, $39 million deal to serve as the Sixers’ starting power forward and defensive closer.

    While there is talk of James playing point guard, he will slide into that open power forward spot because of his size and experiencing defending all five positions. That will theoretically relegate Wade to the bench to start and end many games. But James is 41 years old, so he will need to pace himself in the quest for his fifth title. Embiid has also played only 96 games over the last three seasons, so there should be room for Wade to make an impact.

    Anfernee Simons: Simons started his career as a score-first complement to Damian Lillard, assuming the role of CJ McCollum in Portland and signing a big four-year, $100 million contract. Trades to Boston and Chicago and an injury entering free agency lowered Simons’ value, making him available on a two-year, $12.3 million deal with a player option, the equivalent of a prove-it deal for a former No. 1 option.

    In past seasons, the Sixers have desperately needed scoring punch off the bench. This year, they’ll be searching for more ways to stagger their stars, which could take some opportunities away from players like Simons.

    Labaron Philon Jr.: The Sixers’ lone draft pick this season, Philon Jr., was selected at No. 21 when the Sixers fan base was still worried about replacing the production of Jared McCain, who was sent to Oklahoma City in one of the most unpopular moves of Daryl Morey’s six-year tenure in Philly. Philon made good on that expectation to some extent, with the offensive spark plug flashing scoring and ballhandling ability at NBA Summer League that appears set to translate to real production in the 2026-27 season.

    Philon will now transition to a more developmental role on a team with title-or-bust expectations. Maxey and Edgecombe will start in the guard spots and Simons will be the first guard off the bench. But while Philon may have to wait to show what he can do, he will have the opportunity to learn from some of the best players in the league.

    Dominick Barlow: Fresh off a lost 2024-25 season, the Sixers were searching for ways to get better on the margins while paying max money to Maxey, Embiid, and Paul George. Enter Barlow, whose two-way deal was converted to a standard contract after he emerged as a key contributor at the power forward position. Barlow played in 71 games, including 59 starts, and averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 2025-26.

    He will move to a more traditional backup power forward position this season, with James, Wade, and Brown likely playing forward and crowding a position that was once a weakness. Barlow’s rebounding and ability to run the floor will still be an asset, but in much smaller doses.

    Justin Edwards (right) played clutch defensive minutes in the Sixers’ playoff defeat of the Boston Celtics. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Justin Edwards: Edwards is another find for Philly, joining the team after going undrafted out of Kentucky in 2024. Edwards, a former star at Imhotep Charter and a Philly native, averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds as a rookie. While his numbers dropped, Edwards proved himself in his second season, taking on tough defensive assignments and key minutes in the Sixers’ first-round playoff win against the Boston Celtics.

    Ariel Hukporti: After playing a small role on the New York Knicks’ title team, Hukporti picked the Sixers this summer in search of more opportunity. Embiid’s health issues were well-documented, and so were the struggles of Adem Bona and former Sixer Andre Drummond. Hukporti, 24, will still get a shot to fill the position of backup center, though the Sixers might use fewer traditional lineups than they have in the past. Embiid has vowed that his health has improved and he hopes to play more than 38 games this year.

    Adem Bona: The Sixers’ returning backup center is in a similar position to Hukporti. He shared minutes with Drummond last season and showed flashes on defense. But Bona struggled on offense in his second NBA season, often struggling with decision-making and finishing at the rim. Bona, who can be retained on a club option next summer, enters a critical year in his young career.

  • Romo on leave from CBS Sports after arrest on suspicion of operating vehicle under the influence

    Romo on leave from CBS Sports after arrest on suspicion of operating vehicle under the influence

    Tony Romo has been placed on leave from his role as the lead analyst on CBS’s NFL coverage following his arrest last week on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence.

    CBS Sports announced Friday that the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was on leave “until further notice.” JJ Watt will join Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson as CBS Sports’ lead NFL team during Romo’s absence.

    Romo, 46, was arrested July 23 after he was stopped while driving south on Interstate 43 in Wisconsin. According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office report, Romo performed poorly on field sobriety tests before getting taken into custody, booked, and released.

    He has a court date set for Sept. 21.

    CBS Sports’ announcement comes after citations released by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office indicated an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage was found in the passenger’s side of Romo’s black Jeep during an inventory before it was towed.

    According to the citations, police stopped Romo after he was seen passing cars in a gore area, which separates interstate traffic from cars entering from an on-ramp. Police said Romo questioned what a gore area was during the stop.

    Body camera footage released earlier this week showed Romo telling deputies he had been coming from a golf course and was on his way “to visit grandma and grandpa” when he was stopped. A deputy told Romo he suspected him of being impaired because he had “red glassy eyes” and an “odor of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage.”

    Romo went to high school about 35 miles from Milwaukee in Burlington, Wis.

    He has been the lead game analyst for CBS’s NFL coverage since 2017 after making four Pro Bowl appearances during an NFL career that ran from 2004-16 and was spent entirely with Dallas.

    Romo remains the Cowboys’ franchise leader in career touchdown passes with 248. He held the franchise record for career passing yards (34,183) until Dak Prescott overtook him last season.

    Watt joined CBS in 2023. He was an analyst on The NFL Today for two seasons before teaming with Ian Eagle on the network’s No. 2 crew beginning last season.

    Romo wasn’t expected to have his first game until the opening Sunday of the regular season on Sept. 13. CBS will air a preseason game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 28.

    CBS likely will reveal its game assignments and announcer pairings for the first three weeks of the regular season in the next couple of weeks.

  • Phillies recall Andrew Painter before Friday’s game vs. Orioles

    Phillies recall Andrew Painter before Friday’s game vs. Orioles

    BALTIMORE — Andrew Painter was going to pitch Friday night, one way or another.

    The Phillies decided it was best if he pitched for them.

    And so, six weeks after Painter got demoted to triple A with a 7.06 ERA, the Phillies recalled him to start the series opener against the Orioles and sent righty Brian Keller to Lehigh Valley.

    “Just listening to the pitching people, they felt good about where he was at, confident,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “And from there, we thought it really gives us the best chance to win a game tonight.”

    The Phillies do ‘need some help’ by trades. But they also need some from Bryce Harper and his teammates.

    With the trade deadline looming at 6 p.m. Monday, the Phillies are still looking to fill multiple needs, according to league sources. Among them: a back-end starter. The Phillies are 5-21 from the fifth-starter spot that originally was occupied by Painter, including 11 losses in a row.

    The Phillies have fanned out their scouts in recent weeks to get looks at various pitchers, including the pending free agents Clay Holmes (Mets), Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays), and Robbie Ray (Giants). One rival evaluator theorized that the Phillies could reduce the prospect return by paying down the remainder of a contract. Gausman and Ray, for instance, are owed roughly $8 million through the end of the season.

    It’s notable, too, that the Tigers and Mets scratched righties Casey Mize and Freddy Peralta, respectively, from scheduled starts Friday night. Both are pending free agents with a profile that would interest the Phillies.

    Painter, untouchable in previous trade talks, began the season in the majors but got demoted in mid-June with a 7.06 ERA in 14 games (12 starts). His bread-and-butter fastball was particularly ineffective, with opponents hitting .404 and slugging .660 against it.

    Andrew Painter got demoted in mid-June with a 7.06 ERA in 14 games (12 starts).Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    “Most of it is delivery-oriented,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said at the time. “That’s what it comes down to. Because when he’s done some things with his delivery, which is going more directly to the plate rather than spinning off, he’s had more life. And you see it at times.”

    Painter has a 4.56 ERA in five triple-A starts, though he has allowed two or fewer runs in four starts and completed the sixth inning twice. Last week, he allowed a total of three runs on 12 hits in 11 innings over two starts, including one run in six innings Sunday. The Phillies were particularly encouraged that he walked only one batter, none Sunday.

    “The biggest thing for us has been his command’s been good, confidence has been good,” Mattingly said. “The guys down there felt like that’s the best they’ve seen throw the ball, so it felt like it was time.”

    Painter’s status beyond Friday will presumably hinge on the Phillies’ ability to trade for a veteran starter who could slot in behind Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo and alongside Aaron Nola.

    But Mattingly said the Phillies weren’t viewing Painter’s return as temporary.

    “There’s no talk of like, he pitches today and he’s out tomorrow and we bring a bullpen guy in and we have an extra arm,” Mattingly said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of talk about the future. It was like, ‘This is the best guy for us to win a game today.’”

  • Dick Allen documentary tour makes a stop in Philly, telling ‘a great story that nobody’s told’

    Dick Allen documentary tour makes a stop in Philly, telling ‘a great story that nobody’s told’

    When production started for My Father, Dick Allen, it was supposed to be a one-hour documentary on the former Phillies star. Four years later, it’s a five-part series, featuring interviews with sportswriters, Allen’s loved ones, and former coaches and players.

    The cast is loaded with Hall of Famers, including Mike Schmidt, Goose Gossage, and Andre Dawson. For co-executive producer Sharon Pannozzo, the biggest surprise was seeing just how enthusiastic everyone they asked was to participate.

    “Not one person batted an eye and said, ‘Well, I can’t do that. You know, I don’t have time’. Everybody made time,” she said.

    Dick Allen’s Hall of Fame induction allows the Phillies, and Philly, to turn the page on the past

    Over the past few months, the documentary’s production team has put on screening events across the U.S., as they look to find a partner to license the series. On Thursday night, they stopped in Philadelphia, where Allen played nine of his 15 seasons. Fans were given the chance to see the third episode of the series, which focuses on Allen’s first stint with the Phillies from 1963-69. Following the screening was a panel moderated by The Inquirer’s Matt Breen. The participants included director Andy Billman, graphic designer Todd Radom, Allen superfan and co-producer Andy Wooley, and Allen’s son, Richard Jr.

    “Being here is like being at home,” said Allen Jr., known affectionately by his dad as Doobie. “I’ve grown up seeing that Phillies P and the Phillies logo my entire life.”

    Allen Jr. also serves as a producer for the series. Well before filming even started, one of his greatest passions in life was preserving his father’s legacy. For decades, Allen Jr. advocated for his father’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Allen died in 2020 at 78.

    Dick Allen finally got into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July of 2025, almost 50 years after he stopped playing. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Allen, who hit 351 career home runs, fell off the ballot in 1997 but was brought up for consideration by the Veterans Committee in 2014. He fell short by just one vote. Allen was brought up again in 2021 but also came up short. Last summer, he finally got into Cooperstown after 20 attempts, receiving 13 of 16 votes from the Classic Era Committee.

    “You can work on a film in the film business for years sometimes, and then all of a sudden it comes together,” said Pannozzo. “We would’ve told the story whether Dick got into the Hall of Fame last year or not … but we had a good ending.”

    When Allen was inducted last summer, Pannozzo and Allen Jr. were given a tour of the Hall of Fame storage vault. The artifact that stuck with Allen the most was a questionnaire his father had filled out at 18 years old, right after he started playing for the Class D Elmira Pioneers. Allen was deeply moved by that piece of paper.

    Playing in Arkansas scarred Dick Allen. Decades later, his son returned to honor his long journey to the Hall of Fame.

    “My whole life, [baseball was] all he talked about, and I thought, OK, OK, OK, and then I get there, and it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, he really wasn’t lying,’” Allen Jr. said.

    Another meaningful experience for Doobie was visiting Little Rock, Ark., where his father had played for the triple-A Travelers in 1963. It was that year that the Phillies moved their affiliate from Buffalo to the South. Allen had previously never been to the South and begged the organization to assign him elsewhere, but he didn’t have a choice.

    Inquirer sports reporter Matt Breen (left) moderates a discussion on the life and legacy of Phillies legend and Hall of Fame baseball player Dick Allen in the Montgomery Auditorium at the Parkway Central Library on Thursday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Allen became the first professional Black baseball player in the city of Little Rock, and it was a brutal year for him. Fans shouted slurs his way at the ballpark, in the parking lot, and throughout the city. Little Rock was also segregated, meaning that Allen was isolated from his teammates except when at the ballpark. He refused to return to the city with any of his kids.

    But the documentary dedicated a whole episode to the horrors Allen faced during his time in Arkansas. When Allen Jr. explored the city for the first time, however, he wasn’t doing it alone. Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, who also played for the Travelers, volunteered to go through the city with Doobie. Jenkins was very close friends with Allen and overlapped in Little Rock with him briefly in 1963.

    For the Phillies, Dick Allen’s Hall of Fame journey became personal

    “[He] pretty much substituted for my father, going to the high school, you know, and Little Rock … that would be my favorite part,” Allen Jr. said.

    At this point, the team does not have a deal lined up with a distributor for the film. But they know how important it is to be able to tell the story of Dick Allen to a younger generation of fans who did not see him play.

    “This is a great story that nobody’s told,” said Pannozzo. “Now we have to sell our project.”

  • Former U.S. Soccer president quits role as top adviser to FIFA boss amid World Cup scandal

    Former U.S. Soccer president quits role as top adviser to FIFA boss amid World Cup scandal

    GENEVA — Two senior FIFA officials criticized Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan Friday with one resigning as a presidential adviser and a second saying staff were deceived by a project that must not go ahead.

    Carlos Cordeiro, who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, resigned in protest at the private equity plan.

    “I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro, a former U.S. Soccer Federation president and Goldman Sachs banker, said in a statement resigning as adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino that urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.

    Cordeiro was president from 2018-20, and vice president for two years before then. After resigning from U.S. Soccer amid a controversy in the women’s team’s battle for equal pay, FIFA hired him as a senior adviser to the organization and eventually Infantino.

    Pressure rises on Infantino and FIFA’s World Cup investor plan as adviser resigns and Asia opposes

    FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said in a statement to the Associated Press staff were “deceived” by Infantino’s lack of openness planning the private investor scheme and “deserve better than contempt and intimidation.”

    “It is the project of one person,” Lamour, a longtime colleague of Infantino at both FIFA and UEFA, wrote. “Not only must this project not go ahead … but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”

    Lamour did not resign the post he held since 2024 but said he had a duty to his colleagues.

    “And if that means I lose my job, then so be it” the French official said. “I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”

    Ties to Trump’s family

    Cordeiro often joined Infantino on working visits to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in recent years.

    “Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” Cordeiro said, calling the $20 billion commercial subsidiary “a bad deal for football.”

    “Football has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away” he said. “That is why this proposal should be rejected.”

    Infantino has proposed spinning off FIFA’s commercial businesses — including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women — into a $20 billion subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors.

    The “anchor investor,” described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

    “FIFA already has access to extraordinary financial resources. The organization sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt,” Cordeiro said, noting FIFA’s revenue of $15 billion over the last four years tied to the men’s World Cup just ended.

    “Against that backdrop, selling a permanent stake in football’s most valuable asset to raise $4.2 billion makes little sense. It is mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification,” he said.

    Concacaf turns against FIFA as UEFA threatens boycott over World Cup privatization plan

    Cordeiro said he shared five years working for FIFA alongside Infantino with “dedicated, principled people who care deeply about the game.”

    “I hope they, too, will speak up,” he wrote, “because decisions of this magnitude should be made in the interests of football, not those who stand to profit from it.”

    Infantino has been president of FIFA for more than 10 years and had seemed sure to be reelected unopposed next March. FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for challengers to come forward.

    FIFA blames the media

    UEFA threatened to boycott all FIFA games and events until the plan is dropped. North America’s CONCACAF also rejected Infantino’s offer of one-off $20 million payments to each member federation by a mid-September deadline.

    Asia’s soccer body that has been a key ally in Infantino’s 11-year presidency opposed the investor plan and said FIFA must urgently review its management style.

    The Asian statement came hours after FIFA blamed the media and doubled down on pursuing the project which now seems to have a majority of the 211 in opposition.

    “Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports,” FIFA said in a statement early Friday. “We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each [member] has the ability to express its vote based on facts.”

    The next FIFA event that would be targeted by the threatened European boycott is within weeks — the Women’s Under-20 World Cup hosted by Poland from Sept. 5. The senior women’s World Cup is next summer in Brazil.

    In November, FIFA will hold an online congress to award the 2031 women’s World Cup to a joint bid of the U.S., Mexico, Jamaica, and Costa Rica; and the 2035 women’s World Cup to the British group of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

    Inquirer staff writer Jonathan Tannenwald contributed to this article.

  • Pressure rises on Infantino and FIFA’s World Cup investor plan as adviser resigns and Asia opposes

    Pressure rises on Infantino and FIFA’s World Cup investor plan as adviser resigns and Asia opposes

    GENEVA — Pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his divisive plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity grew Friday as his senior adviser who sat on a White House panel resigned and Asia’s soccer body joined Europe and North America in opposing it.

    An expanding crisis for soccer’s governing body reached into Infantino’s longtime inner circle when his pick to represent FIFA on the White House Task Force for the World Cup walked away calling the Joshua Kushner-backed $20 billion commercial subsidiary plan “a bad deal for football.”

    Carlos Cordeiro is a former Goldman Sachs banker and officially Infantino’s Senior Adviser yet revealed he was not involved in the secretive investment plan that has rocked the sport since media reports revealed it Tuesday.

    “I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro said in a statement formally resigning, just hours after FIFA insisted in a statement: “Nobody is selling football.”

    Cordeiro’s exit — and call for other senior staff to speak out — intensified scrutiny on Infantino one day after European soccer body UEFA threatened to boycott all FIFA games and events until the plan is dropped. North America’s CONCACAF also rejected Infantino’s offer of one-off $20 million payments to each member federation by a mid-September deadline.

    Cordeiro often joined Infantino on working visits to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in recent years, and took part in meetings of the administration’s World Cup task force led by Andrew Guiliani.

    “Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” said Cordeiro, the former U.S. Soccer Federation president.

    Asia joins Europe and North America

    On another seismic day in soccer politics, Asia’s soccer body that has been a key ally in Infantino’s 11-year presidency opposed the investor plan and said FIFA must urgently review its management style

    The Asian Football Confederation said it “stands in solidarity” with UEFA and CONCACAF, the first two continental bodies to oppose Infantino whose combined 90 FIFA member countries near a majority of the 211 global total.

    “Football should never have been placed in such a position,” said the Asian soccer body, which counts 46 of FIFA’s 211 members

    Infantino has proposed spinning off FIFA’s commercial businesses — including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women — into a $20 billion subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors.

    The “anchor investor,” described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

    “(T)he proposed (FIFA Forward Enterprise) cannot realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward” and must be reconsidered, the AFC said.

    The statement did not name Infantino yet criticized FIFA for problems beyond the content of the private equity plan plus failing to consult about the secretive proposal.

    “Rather, it has exposed fundamental weaknesses in FIFA’s consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed,” said the AFC, whose longtime president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa narrowly lost the FIFA presidential election to Infantino in 2016.

    “Accordingly, the AFC calls upon FIFA to undertake an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework,” said the organization based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    Infantino’s job at risk?

    Infantino had seemed — 11 days ago after the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey — to have a clear path to being reelected unopposed for a fourth and final term in office through 2031.

    FIFA had briefed during the tournament that Infantino had letters of support from about 200 members, despite a furor over letting United States forward Folarin Balogun play against Belgium even though he received a red card in his previous game. Trump acknowledged asking Infantino to review Balogun’s mandatory one-game ban.

    FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for potential candidates to declare in a presidential vote of the 211 members scheduled next March in Rabat, Morocco.

    FIFA blames the media

    The Asian statement came hours after FIFA blamed the media and doubled down on pursuing the project which now seems to have a majority of the 211 in opposition.

    “Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports,” FIFA said in a statement early Friday. “We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each (member) has the ability to express its vote based on facts.”

    The next FIFA event that would be targeted by the threatened European boycott is within weeks — the Women’s Under-20 World Cup hosted by Poland from Sept. 5. The four British federations comprise FIFA’s only bidder to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup. That decision is due Nov. 23.