Inquirer.com – Zurich DR

Blog

  • José Urquidy navigates life as a ‘hired gun’, the wild-card race gets wilder and the Phillies lose to the Mets

    José Urquidy navigates life as a ‘hired gun’, the wild-card race gets wilder and the Phillies lose to the Mets

    NEW YORK — José Urquidy lost one job Tuesday, found another Thursday, and barely sat down in the Phillies’ bullpen here Friday night when he was told to warm up.

    “Hired gun,” interim manager Don Mattingly said.

    Swell. How many more can the Phillies find?

    Because with eight games left in the season, 11 days before the start of the wild-card miniseries, they are down one ace starter (Jesús Luzardo) and one setup reliever (Jonathan Bowlan). A pitching staff that was never deep in the first place is leaking oil.

    And even though Urquidy introduced himself with 4⅔ scoreless innings, the Phillies lost, 6-3, to the Mets on three first-inning runs against opener Tim Mayza and Juan Soto’s three-run homer in the sixth against embattled Orion Kerkering.

    Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan has a right groin strain. Here’s why he won’t go on the injured list.

    “Just a rough last couple of months,” Kerkering said, and he might have been understating the depths of an 8.84 ERA since July 22, including runs in seven of his last eight appearances. “I think tonight was a lot better executing besides one pitch to Soto. But it’s just the turnaround, hopefully here soon.”

    Soon, or never.

    Zoom out, and the Phillies stayed tied for the top National League wild card because the Cubs blew a one-run lead in Cincinnati. But the Padres forced a three-way tie with a win at home over the Marlins.

    How’s that for putting the “wild” in wild-card race?

    Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly, second from left, pulls pitcher Tim Mayza, left, out of the game during the first inning.Seth Wenig

    It wouldn’t be quite as wild as Urquidy’s week. He got designated for assignment by the White Sox and was back in Chicago with his family when his agent called Thursday with an offer from the Phillies.

    But there was one catch: Urquidy won’t be eligible for the postseason, assuming the Phillies get in, because he wasn’t in the organization on Sept. 1.

    “I threw a little bit, and they told me to plan to come here [Friday] and throw,” said Urquidy, a 31-year-old righty who faced the Phillies in the 2022 World Series. “They asked me if I was ready for the day, and I said yes and everything was good.”

    Wait, he threw Thursday? With whom?

    “I found an academy in Chicago,” Urquidy said. “The academy was behind the airport, and I threw there. I was watching the time to see when my flight. It was a very crazy afternoon, actually.”

    Andrew Painter and Christian Scott were high school teammates. Saturday, they will face off in a ‘special’ matchup.

    The only thing crazier would’ve been if Urquidy started the game. Instead, the Phillies went with Mayza, who delivered three scoreless innings last Saturday night in Atlanta after Luzardo was scratched with an inflamed left shoulder.

    This time, Mayza faced five batters and got one out.

    Soto and Bo Bichette put up back-to-back 10-pitch at-bats against Mayza before Carson Benge smashed an RBI single. And by the time Urquidy could get ready, the bases were loaded with one out.

    Nice to meet you, too.

    A.J. Ewing greeted Urquidy with a two-run single. But Urquidy set down 10 of the next 11 batters, and the Phillies chipped away at a 3-0 deficit against lefty Zac Thornton.

    “José was really good today,” Mattingly said. “It was fun to watch, actually. It just seemed calm all day and no real panic in any situation. Yeah, it was fun to watch.”

    The Mets’ Juan Soto celebrates his three-run home run in the sixth inning.Seth Wenig

    Mattingly could choose to start Urquidy next Thursday when Luzardo’s turn in the rotation comes up again.

    By then, the Phillies hope to have secured a wild card.

    Unless the bullpen keeps melting down. It would help, of course, if the Phillies scored more than three runs, which has happened twice in the last eight games. But Mattingly is also running out of relievers that he can trust, especially with Bowlan sidelined now by a strained right groin.

    Kerkering was making his first appearance in six days because of a case of turf toe. He gave up a leadoff infield single and a one-out single before hanging a sweeper to Soto with two outs.

    Brandon Marsh has struggled to make adjustments, and it’s broken his breakout season

    Three Septembers ago, Kerkering made a meteoric rise to the majors because of his sweeper. It will always be his best pitch, but even he wonders if he has become too predictable.

    “It’s maybe a factor of guys sitting on it more,” he said, noting that he throws his sweeper nearly 50% of the time. “It’s just been my bread and butter. I think most guys, if they shouldn’t know, they probably already know that’s my pitch now. I’m just trying to figure out how to attack guys a little bit better and go from there.”

    Whatever the case, the Phillies need Kerkering to figure it out. Because Mattingly has little choice other than to keep using him.

    “The one thing I can’t do is look backwards, right? And he can’t either,” Mattingly said. “And obviously, with Bow going down, we’re going to need good innings out of Kerky.

    “Anybody that gives up runs, when things aren’t going good, your confidence is not sky high like when you’re getting all your outs and everything’s going smoothly. But we’ve got to get past that at this point.”

    After all, there are only so many hired guns available.

  • CHOP’s measles exposure shows the growing danger of Pa.’s outbreak, experts say

    CHOP’s measles exposure shows the growing danger of Pa.’s outbreak, experts say

    The visitor arrived at a neonatal intensive care unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in University City last Friday morning.

    Then they visited a family lounge. An atrium. A cafeteria.

    At each stop, the person, now known to be infected with measles, potentially exposed others to the highly contagious disease that is particularly risky for young children, city health officials announced this week.

    Hospitals have spent years preparing for such incidents, no longer a theoretical concern as Pennsylvania now deals with the nation’s largest measles outbreak this year, which has already sickened more than 760, experts in infectious disease prevention say.

    Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington reported an exposure in its emergency room in February, although the state has seen only 23 cases of measles all year.

    And across the state in Allegheny County, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital has reported several possible measles exposures this summer.

    Health officials did not specify how many babies and others were potentially exposed at CHOP in announcing the exposure late Thursday. Philadelphia health officials have issued only general details on the infected person’s visit, along with guidelines for anyone potentially exposed to the virus over the course of several hours on Sept. 11 at the hospital at 3401 Civic Center Blvd.

    The hospital is working with NICU families to ensure its patients are protected, Julia Sammons, vice president and associate chief medical officer of CHOP’s Office of Preparedness, Prevention and Response, wrote in an email.

    The hospital took “immediate action” after being notified of the exposure to identify babies who might have been exposed and offer preventive treatments to protect them from the virus, Sammons said. Exposed patients have also been placed in isolation and doctors are monitoring them for symptoms.

    The hospital is also working with staff and patients outside the NICU to ensure they understand the situation, Sammons said, and partnering with the state and city health departments “on contact tracing, timely testing, and safe quarantining practices for all the areas served by the CHOP enterprise.”

    Infectious disease experts say hospitals around the country have been monitoring an explosion of measles cases in the last several years.

    Pennsylvania as of Friday had seen 767 cases of measles in 2026, with 93 reported in the last week. One in five people with reported cases has been hospitalized.

    State officials have confirmed four measles-associated deaths in the last several weeks, the most seen in the nation in more than three decades, sparking a clash with federal officials over how to characterize the deaths.

    “Measles has been up and coming. It’s definitely on the radar of hospitals,” said Ericka Kalp, who directs Drexel University’s infection prevention and control academic programs. “Your risk has increased when you have multiple measles cases within your vicinity.”

    Every year, hospitals work on an infection control risk assessment, monitoring rising diseases around the country and internationally, and developing plans on how to treat sickened patients.

    That could include triaging patients with respiratory illnesses and isolating those with suspected cases in special rooms, said Kalp, who was not involved in the response at CHOP.

    Screening visitors to a hospital is tricky, she said.

    “We can ask visitors and the public not to visit if you’re sick, and visitors need to take it upon themselves to not go to the facility if they’ve been around a particular exposure,” she said.

    But some may not know they are ill: A person can be contagious for four days before measles’ telltale rash appears.

    Sammons said that CHOP screens visitors daily for signs or symptoms of illness at the hospital’s welcome desks, and signs remind visitors that no one with symptoms should be admitted to the NICU. She did not say whether the NICU visitor who exposed others on Friday was symptomatic.

    “We have been in constant communication with families in our NICU to discuss guidance to keep them safe,” she said. “As the measles outbreak continues to evolve, we continue to review and update our screening processes to reduce the risk of exposure to our patients and families.”

    The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours and infect nine in 10 unvaccinated people exposed to it.

    Pregnant women, babies under six months, and some immunocompromised people are among the groups who cannot be vaccinated. Their protection depends on nearly everyone else in a community being vaccinated to prevent the disease from spreading.

    But more parents have opted against vaccinating children for religious or philosophical reasons in recent years, The Inquirer has found, leaving hundreds of area schools and communities vulnerable to the spread of the virus.

    “When you see fewer people are becoming vaccinated and they have less immunity, it opens up a portal of spread,” Kalp said. “We’ve always trained for this type of thing.”

    Sammons said CHOP has stepped up public health education for families and is offering early MMR vaccines for eligible children amid the outbreak, as state health officials have recommended. The hospital is also improving its measles screening capabilities and “developing contingency plans for more widespread community transmission in our area,” she said.

    “The best way to control measles outbreaks remains vaccination with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which is safe and highly effective in preventing measles,” she said, noting the hospital’s long-running Vaccine Education Center, aimed at debunking misinformation about the safety of vaccines.

    (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})();

    Treating those exposed

    CHOP is offering post-exposure treatments “in the form of antibodies” to infants who may have been exposed to the virus, Sammons said.

    Doctors can administer immunoglobulin, a treatment made from the plasma of adult donors, that helps boost a baby’s antibodies to infectious diseases like measles, said Sarah Long, a Drexel pediatrics professor and a physician specializing in infectious disease at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.

    In an outbreak, she said, hospitals can consider limiting visitors to prevent exposures, especially for a virus like measles, which is particularly dangerous for young children and kills about 1 to 3 for every 1,000 infected.

    But responding to measles cases or exposures can require hospitals to expend extensive resources.

    “It’s an enormous number of meetings, manpower, education about IDing cases early, and sequestering as soon as a patient comes in with a fever,” she said. “It’s an enormous amount of money, gowning, gloving, and masks.”

    The latest rise in cases — and rising anti-vaccine sentiment — frustrates Long, who treated children during Pennsylvania’s last major measles outbreak in the early 1990s, which sickened 1,400 people and killed nine children.

    Now she’s worried again about vulnerable children. Nearly one-third of Pennsylvania’s cases this year have been reported in children under the age of 18, and two of the measles-associated deaths involved infants.

    “It makes me just angry, angry, angry. There are so many catastrophes in children’s healthcare that are not preventable,” she said. “To have catastrophes that are preventable is just unconscionable.”

  • Temple University cop under internal investigation for allegedly making racist statements

    Temple University cop under internal investigation for allegedly making racist statements

    A police officer at Temple University is under internal investigation for allegedly making a “series of reprehensible comments to several young members of the Philadelphia community on our campus,” university officials said in a statement Friday night.

    John Fry, the university’s president, and Richard Sobieray, a senior vice president and chief operating officer at Temple, offered no further explanation of what the officer allegedly said except to describe the allegations as “deeply troubling.”

    Fry and Sobieray said that Temple and the university’s public safety department have launched an investigation and that the officer, who was not identified, has been reassigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of the probe.

    Temple was responding to a video posted on TikTok this week that is more than 11 minutes long and claims that a Temple officer made racist comments to young Black males riding dirt bikes on campus. The audio is not clear, but the person recording the video claims the officer said the males “don’t know their fathers” and “couldn’t afford a car” and “aren’t real men.”

    Fry and Sobieray said the comments attributed to the officer “run counter to this university’s values as well as the high standards that we hold for our Temple Police Officers.”

    The university leaders said that Temple’s public safety department “takes pride in serving not just the Temple community but also the North Philadelphia community. Let us be clear, the alleged behavior is unacceptable, not just for a Temple Police Officer but for any Temple employee. Please know that we take this incident extremely seriously.”

    The internal investigation will review all available evidence, including witness statements and incident reports, Fry and Sobieray said.

    “We know trust between our university, our police officers and our North Philadelphia community must be earned continuously, and we intend to hold ourselves accountable to that end,” Fry and Sobieray said.

  • Andrew Painter and Christian Scott were high school teammates. Now they will face off in a ‘special’ matchup.

    Andrew Painter and Christian Scott were high school teammates. Now they will face off in a ‘special’ matchup.

    NEW YORK — The message landed on Andrew Painter’s phone before the Phillies landed at LaGuardia Airport.

    When are you pitching?

    Christian Scott had to know. More importantly, a few former coaches from Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., needed to book plane tickets. Because if the Phillies’ starting rotation stayed in order — not a guarantee after Jesús Luzardo went on the injured list — Painter would face the Mets’ Scott, his former high school teammate, here on Saturday.

    From pitching to grilling, ‘Andy’ Painter is (finally) ready to cook for the Phillies

    “They were all pretty eager to figure out what was going on,” Painter said Friday. “I didn’t know if I was going to be throwing [Friday] or [Saturday]. So everyone was just kind of waiting for that answer.

    “It worked out.”

    So former Calvary Christian coach Alan Kunkel was en route to New York — “Can’t wait!” he said Friday in a text message — along with then-pitching coach Alex Norris.

    Painter and Scott were teammates in 2018, when the former was a freshman and the latter a senior. Not surprisingly, Calvary Christian was a powerhouse, winning the Class 4A state championship in 2016 with Scott and in 2018 with Scott and Painter.

    Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter had a roadmap of sorts in the form of Christian Scott, who he’ll face on Saturday.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Kunkel remembered Scott as “very emotional at times” on the mound; Painter was more laid-back. If there was a question about Painter in high school, Kunkel said some scouts wondered if he was competitive enough.

    “They were both equally competitive; they just did it different ways,” Kunkel said earlier this year. “I really think that if clubs thought [Painter] was as competitive as he really is, he’d have been the first or second [overall] pick of the draft. Because, man, he wanted the ball when it mattered.”

    If anything, Painter said Scott’s path through amateur baseball almost served as a road map.

    The Zack Wheeler conversation: Why he expected to thrive after surgery, and how much longer he wants to play

    Scott, 27, pitched for Florida before the Mets drafted him in the fifth round in 2021. Painter, 23, verbally committed to Florida, too, but changed course after getting drafted in the first round in 2021 and signing with the Phillies for $3.9 million.

    “We worked out together as well, outside of school,” said Painter, who drove with Scott twice a week to the Cressey Sports Performance training facility in South Florida. “Just kind of being able to lean on him for some of that stuff when I was just getting into it and kind of being able to take a little bit of his work ethic and kind of just pay attention to that stuff.”

    They’ve shared other experiences. Painter missed the 2023 and 2024 seasons after tearing an elbow ligament and having Tommy John surgery; Scott didn’t pitch in the majors last season while recovering from the same procedure.

    Painter made his major league debut this season. And after posting a 7.06 ERA and getting sent back to the minors in June, he returned a month later and has a 3.58 ERA in his last nine starts.

    Scott debuted for the Mets in May 2024 and had a 4.56 ERA in nine starts. He has a 3.76 mark through 22 starts this season.

    “It’s really awesome,” Painter said. “It’s not something you really think about when you’re in high school. … It’s a big day. It’s special. I can only imagine from [their coaches’] point of view how much they’re looking forward to it.”

  • Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan has a right groin strain, but he won’t go on the injured list

    Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan has a right groin strain, but he won’t go on the injured list

    NEW YORK — When reliever Jonathan Bowlan strained his right groin in April, the Phillies placed him on the injured list for 15 days.

    That won’t be the case now.

    Because although Bowlan was diagnosed Friday with a right groin strain and interim manager Don Mattingly conceded that it may result in a stint on the injured list at any other time of the season, the setup man will remain active to be eligible for the wild-card series.

    Jesús Luzardo ‘definitely concerned’ as inflamed left shoulder lands him on the injured list

    “I thought the news was pretty good,” said Mattingly, who added that it’s a “mild strain,” according to the medical report. “It’s something that we’re going to try to work through, obviously keep evaluating daily.”

    Bowlan tweaked his groin on his second-to-last pitch to the Mets’ Nick Morabito in the eighth inning Thursday night. He said postgame that the injury didn’t feel as bad as earlier in the season.

    “It’s not that extreme,” he said.

    Bowlan emerged as the Phillies’ primary setup man in July when Brad Keller was lost for the season to Tommy John surgery. But after a solid first half, he has struggled recently, allowing runs in five consecutive appearances before Thursday night.

    Phillies pitcher Jonathan Bowlan had struggled in recent appearances before Thursday, when he exited with a groin injury.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Mattingly said the Phillies are better prepared to keep Bowlan on the roster, even if he’s unavailable, because they’re carrying an extra reliever in September. They also picked up veteran righty José Urquidy off waivers this week, giving them another multiple-inning option out of the bullpen.

    But Mattingly stressed that the Phillies also believe Bowlan could be ready before the postseason, which opens Sept. 29. If he went on the injured list, he wouldn’t be eligible to return until Oct. 3.

    “I mean, it sounded good,” Mattingly said. “They’re calling it a strain. I think if it was worse than that, there would be no reason to try to work through it, right? It’s something that we feel like he can work through. We’ll just keep watching it and go from there.”

    Can Trea Turner rescue his season despite career-worst stats at the plate? His manager and teammates believe so.

    Without Bowlan, rookie Alex McFarlane will be the top right-handed setup option, if he wasn’t already, in front of closer Jhoan Duran. Orion Kerkering hasn’t pitched since last Saturday night in Atlanta because of turf toe, although Mattingly said he remains available.

    “I think he’s ready to go, even though he hasn’t been used,” Mattingly said. “It’s just because the game wasn’t in his spot. Yeah, I think he’s ready to go.”

    From the left side, the Phillies have Tim Mayza, Brooks Raley, and Tanner Banks, in addition to top option José Alvarado. Mayza and Banks are available to pitch more than one inning, and Mayza started as an opener here Friday night.

    Pitcher Jesús Luzardo is dealing with left shoulder issues.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Waiting on Luzardo

    Although Jesús Luzardo hasn’t been cleared to resume throwing, Mattingly said he was encouraged by the progress of the star lefty’s inflamed left shoulder.

    “I feel a lot better about him just from the standpoint that he’s feeling better,” Mattingly said. “What we thought was going to happen is happening.”

    Mattingly said there’s “no schedule” for when Luzardo will try to play catch.

    Brandon Marsh has struggled to make adjustments, and it’s broken his breakout season

    Benching Brandon

    Despite a deep second-half slump that has put Brandon Marsh on the bench against lefty starters, Mattingly said he isn’t ready to take him out of the lineup against right-handed pitchers, too.

    “I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind,” Mattingly said. “I don’t think I have the right [alternative] for that spot.”

    Besides, Marsh did start the All-Star Game for the National League. Through the end of June, he was batting .317 with an .868 OPS. Since then, he’s hitting .181 with a .492 OPS.

    Mattingly knows the Phillies need him to snap out of it more than they need to replace him.

    “I feel like we need him, and we feel like he’s getting closer to what we want him to be,” Mattingly said. “I will say, it’s easier to pull the trigger quicker on the pinch-hitter at times. But other than that, I’m not really thinking about flipping a righty into that spot.”

    Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh is hitting .181 with a .492 OPS since July 1.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Extra bases

    Urquidy joined the Phillies before the game and was set to come into the game behind Mayza and pitch multiple innings. The veteran righty isn’t eligible for the playoffs because he wasn’t in the organization before Sept. 1. “Hired gun,” Mattingly said. “I’ve seen it before, seen it multiple times over the years, where a guy can’t pitch in the playoffs, but he has a chance to help you get there.” To open a roster spot for Urquidy, the Phillies optioned lefty Kyle Backhus to triple A. … Andrew Painter (3-9, 5.54 ERA) is scheduled to start at 4:10 p.m. Saturday against Mets righty Christian Scott (4-5, 3.76). They were high school teammates for one year at Calvary Christian in South Florida.

  • The Flyers know their power play was ‘not good enough’ last season. Their work to change that starts now.

    The Flyers know their power play was ‘not good enough’ last season. Their work to change that starts now.

    Across the first two days of training camp, the Flyers coaching staff has worked on resetting their systems, five-on-five play, and, with a two-on-two small-area game, puck protection and strong play around the net.

    They have not worked on the power play.

    But it’s coming, with the two main groups of NHLers set to scrimmage on Saturday at the Flyers Training Center (10:40 a.m.). Ten forwards and six defensemen per team — two players at each position will have to sit — will skate five-on-five and work on special teams.

    “I think we’re a really good team, especially five-on-five, and fix that and make that just a little bit better, it makes us that much better overall,” defenseman Jamie Drysdale said of the power play.

    “Make it substantially better, now you’re talking about a different team, I think in terms of the win column. A lot of games are won and lost on special teams, so definitely a big bonus, and I think we’ve got the skill.”

    The Gaudreau Family honors Johnny and Matty’s legacies through new learn-to-skate hockey program

    While the Flyers had a spring awakening last season, the power play has been barely breathing the last few years. Last season, it finished dead-last for the fourth time in five seasons at 15.7%.

    On Tuesday, Flyers general manager Danny Brière said he thought it “was definitely better than it was the year before, but the stats didn’t show that, and that’s not good enough.” They need to convert, and he put some of the onus on guys like Drysdale and Trevor Zegras.

    “There’s always things in the summer, I guess, that you work on that kind of go hand in hand with the power play,” Zegras said when asked about on-ice work in addition to videos he watched. “Obviously, you don’t have penalty killers and your guys that you run with in the summer, but it’s wall work or entries or maybe getting to the inside, shooting pucks, hitting one-timers. You kind of just do all that stuff anyway, so you hope it translates once the season starts.”

    Last season, Drysdale spent more than 180 minutes on the ice with the man advantage, tops among Flyers blueliners and No. 3 on the team overall. At his end-of-season availability in May, he said part of his summer focus would be to help get the power play out of the NHL’s basement, specifically with his shot.

    Drysdale worked on his shot — which coach Rick Tocchet can already see a difference in — through his footwork, getting his feet set, and finding spots that he often finds himself open with his skating coach, Dawn Braid.

    Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale spent more than 180 minutes on the ice with the man advantage, third most on the team and No. 1 among blueliners.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    The blueliner, who took a step forward in his game last season, believes he can increase scoring opportunities not just for himself, but his teammates at even strength and the man advantage. He also worked on his reads too, which Tocchet said the group needed to improve.

    “We spent a lot of time last year on knowing those lanes, and there’s only so many options from each kind of quadrant on the ice or area that you’re in, and it’s just picking the right one,” Drysdale said, noting he also used video.

    “It’s making the read sooner before I get the puck, things like that. So, again, it kind of just tacks on to finding the spots that I know I’m going to be in, and just working from those spots, working on my reads from those spots, and just getting ultracomfortable with my outs, my options, and my shooting lanes.”

    One interesting option this season for the power play is newcomer David Jiříček. Lehigh Valley coach John Snowden told The Inquirer in May that Jiříček, who was acquired in the trade that sent Bobby Brink home to Minnesota, “is dangerous on the power play,” and Tocchet said on Friday he has “got the [heck] of a shot.”

    “I think so,” Jiříček said when asked if he improved it over the summer. “Try to work on it every day. I think that’s my biggest asset. Try to bring it to the table every day on the practice and after that in the game.”

    Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale’s summer training has fueled his game. He is ‘excited to show what I can do and keep it going’

    Although he wasn’t sure he would get an opportunity on the power play, Jiříček also hopes to show what he can do overall. The blueliner, who was drafted in 2022, is now on his third NHL team.

    “Not to people,” he said when asked if he needs to prove himself to anyone.

    “I think to myself, ‘[The media] can write anything, right?’ But you know, especially for me, I mean, I just got to prove it to myself and show on the ice that I’m capable to play.”

    Breakaways

    Asked about playing center, Zegras said, “If I want to play center, which I definitely do, I got to get better faceoffs. I think I was OK, not very good at them last year.” Noel Acciari, who was signed as a free agent on July 1, had a 61% winning percentage in the faceoff circle against the Flyers in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I wonder why,” Zegras said with a chuckle when the forward’s prowess was brought up. Would he pick his brain now that they are teammates? “Yeah, for sure,” Zegras said. “Ask him what I was doing wrong, probably.” … Asked about Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster getting some time together in camp, Tocchet mentioned the possibility of adding Travis Konency to the wing: “That’s a [heck] of a, I don’t know what line that is. It’s a good top line, or … I think it’d be the best third line in the league.” … Nikita Grebenkin joined Group C on Friday in a yellow noncontact jersey, skating with players heading back to juniors or Lehigh Valley. The forward, recovering from an upper-body injury, took part in some drills but skipped those with heavy contact. Brière said Tuesday he would “miss the first couple of days of camp” after suffering a flare-up last week.

  • Trump announces ‘forever’ deal to defend Greenland as Denmark says signing ‘expected’ next week

    Trump announces ‘forever’ deal to defend Greenland as Denmark says signing ‘expected’ next week

    The White House has struck a deal that gives “permanent control over security” in Greenland to the United States, President Donald Trump said Friday, declaring victory in his long-running desire to increase U.S. sway over the Arctic territory even though the deal fell far short of actual conquest.

    The president said he had agreed with Danish and Greenlandic leaders that Washington would have wide-ranging powers to secure Greenland, “completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.”

    In a post on Truth Social, he said that “at my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America.”

    He said that there would be no cost to the United States, without explaining how.

    Trump has long sought to take possession of Greenland, declaring concern about Chinese and Russian ambitions there and also saying he wanted to control the territory’s mineral resources.

    His efforts in January to accelerate a U.S. takeover spurred fears in Europe that the United States could attempt to take the island by force — an unprecedented effort by NATO’s most powerful member to invade another NATO member’s territory. Instead, Danish and U.S. leaders entered negotiations that led to Friday’s agreement.

    Danish and Greenlandic leaders issued a statement after Trump posted the announcement that said they “expected” to sign an agreement next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

    “I am pleased that there is the prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the United States,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in the statement.

    “An agreement that strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic region and is therefore also good for NATO and Europe. And an agreement that at the same time recognizes the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.”

  • President Donald Trump praises Stacy Garrity for Pa. governor, says Josh Shapiro ‘does not have what it takes’

    President Donald Trump praises Stacy Garrity for Pa. governor, says Josh Shapiro ‘does not have what it takes’

    In a video shared to his social media platform on Friday, President Donald Trump reinforced his endorsement for Republican Stacy Garrity in her bid for Pennsylvania governor, while panning Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro as an incumbent “who does not have what it takes.”

    “Stacy has been really special [and] has my complete and total endorsement,” Trump said in the video, posted Friday afternoon to Truth Social, praising her tenure as the state’s treasurer and applauding her military service and career in business. “She’s somebody that is going to do a fantastic job.”

    The video was posted in a string of more than a dozen similar endorsements on Friday afternoon for Republican congressional candidates in Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas.

    Garrity, who did not attend the president’s midterm convention in Dallas last week, appeared to be the only gubernatorial candidate, as well as the only candidate from Pennsylvania, to receive a video acknowledgment from Trump.

    Will Donald Trump and national Republicans help Stacy Garrity’s campaign from falling flat against Josh Shapiro?
    President Donald Trump visits Mack Trucks in Macungie in the Lehigh Valley Tuesday, June 23, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    Trump followed the endorsement videos on Truth Social with a post about his approval ratings, and another post featuring a video touting his own accomplishments in office. The endorsement blitz came less than seven weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, in which Democrats are vying to retake control of Congress.

    In Pennsylvania, Shapiro — who has maintained a double-digit lead over Garrity in multiple public polls and has a commanding fundraising advantage — is seeking to use his advantage to secure Democratic wins in four nationally watched congressional seats, and to flip the state Senate to Democratic control for the first time in more than 30 years.

    Trump’s boost for Garrity comes as she has struggled to compete with Shapiro. She has not attracted outside ad-spending support from top GOP groups, such as the Republican Governors Association or the Commonwealth Leaders Fund, backed by Pennsylvania billionaire Jeffrey Yass. This week, Shapiro spent $2.4 million on advertising buys, while Garrity spent just $672, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact.

    Garrity and Shapiro have agreed to a live, televised debate on Oct. 7 in Harrisburg.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro spent more than $2.4 million on ads this week. His GOP opponent, Stacy Garrity, spent $672.

    In the video Friday, Trump swiped at Shapiro, who is viewed as a likely contender for the 2028 presidency and who has been critical of the president’s administration.

    “Your current governor does not have what it takes,” Trump said. “His reputation is far better than he is — that I can tell you and everyone knows it.”

    Shapiro’s campaign responded on X to Trump’s video by calling Garrity “100% MAGA.”

    Gov. Josh Shapiro addresses the audience during a rally for congressional candidate Bob Brooks at the United Steelworkers Union Hall in Bethlehem, Pa. on Sunday, July 26, 2026.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    It remains to be seen whether Garrity will receive additional national support or financial backing in the weeks before the election.

    Trump first endorsed Garrity, who ran unopposed in the Republican gubernatorial primary, in January. In March, he said “she should win” during a fundraising dinner at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida.

    In June, he seemed to forget her altogether during a speech in Macungie, Pa., where he celebrated Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser and even name-checked Shapiro but did not mention Garrity.

    Last month, in a video posted to his Truth Social account, Trump called Garrity a “spectacular person” who he believes will win the race.

    On Friday, Trump said Garrity “will work tirelessly to grow Pennsylvania’s economy, cut your taxes, slash regulation and bring jobs, opportunity, and wealth to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

    A spokesperson for Garrity did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump’s video, but she reposted his endorsement video on her X account.

  • Shay’s Steaks plans to move after settling eviction dispute with landlord

    Shay’s Steaks plans to move after settling eviction dispute with landlord

    Shay’s Steaks, the Logan Square eatery connected to embattled city judge Scott DiClaudio, will close next week as part of a settlement of an eviction battle with its landlord.

    DiClaudio said Friday that Shay’s last day at the Franklin Tower Residences at 16th and Race Streets would be Wednesday.

    He said Shay’s was close to signing a lease for a new location several blocks away at the former Federal Donuts & Chicken at 18th Street and the Parkway. A representative of that building, at 1776 Ben Franklin Parkway, did not return a message Friday seeking confirmation.

    DiClaudio has long said publicly that Shay’s, which opened in February 2024, is owned by his wife, Jackee, and that he plays only a “supporting role.”

    Scott DiClaudio is listed in Nevada state records as the manager of Shay’s Steaks Las Vegas LLC, in connection with a location that opened last spring on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. He also has spoken extensively on behalf of the business in news interviews, and restaurant vendors in Philadelphia have said they communicate directly with him.

    The settlement caps a monthslong dispute with his landlord over possession of the restaurant and roughly $49,000 that court documents say Shay’s owed.

    In an interview, DiClaudio said the conflict began after a series of window failures at Franklin Tower. He said one falling window damaged his car, while others shattered near or inside the restaurant. He said the relationship with the landlord deteriorated after he pressed the building’s owners to address the problem.

    The landlord later accused Shay’s of lease defaults involving documentation for its food license, HVAC service, and grease-trap maintenance, DiClaudio said. He said those issues were cured, but another dispute developed over a large grease interceptor in the building’s subbasement.

    DiClaudio contends that the landlord improperly attributed a roughly $50,000 cleanup bill to Shay’s and folded that amount into what it characterized as unpaid rent.

    An attorney for the landlord did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Because DiClaudio is a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge, the litigation was assigned to Chester County Court Judge Jeffrey R. Sommer.

    Common Pleas Court Judge Scott DiClaudio (left) and his wife, Jackee, speaking with customers at Shay’s Steaks in February 2024.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    Shay’s, which carries the judge’s mother’s nickname, opened 2½ years ago with an upscale take on the Philly cheesesteak, featuring steakhouse cuts including New York strip, prime rib, filet mignon, and American wagyu, along with the traditional rib eye.

    Buoyed by stellar Yelp ratings and critical praise, the business expanded in June 2025 with Shay’s Steaks & More at 1526 Sansom St., operated under a licensing agreement with No Name Hospitality. That location closed in May. Shay’s also became a temporary vendor at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    The best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia

    The restaurant dispute comes as DiClaudio faces separate proceedings before the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline, including allegations tied to Shay’s.

    In one pending case, the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board accused DiClaudio of using the prestige of his office to promote the restaurant and of conduct that the board said brought the judicial office into disrepute. DiClaudio has denied those allegations.

    The board has also accused DiClaudio of improper conduct involving Common Pleas Court Judge Zachary Shaffer and a criminal defendant awaiting sentencing.

    According to the board’s filing, Shaffer and his clerk went to DiClaudio’s courtroom last June at DiClaudio’s request, expecting to pick up T-shirts they had ordered promoting Shay’s. After a brief conversation, the filing said, DiClaudio asked the clerk to leave the room.

    Courtroom recordings raise questions about judge’s testimony in probe of whether he tried to influence case

    DiClaudio then showed Shaffer a piece of paper bearing Shaffer’s courtroom number, a date, and the name of defendant Dwayne Jones, according to the filing. Shaffer later testified before the Board of Judicial Discipline that DiClaudio said “something along the lines of, ‘You probably would have done the right thing anyway,’” before tearing up the paper.

    Jones, a friend of rapper Meek Mill, was scheduled to be sentenced by Shaffer in an illegal-gun-possession case connected to a fatal shooting, according to the board’s filing. Shaffer said he believed DiClaudio was attempting to influence the outcome of the case.

    DiClaudio has spoken publicly about his relationship with Mill and their work on criminal justice reform. In a July legal filing, DiClaudio acknowledged that speaking with Shaffer about the case was wrong but denied trying to influence the outcome, saying he had intended to compliment Shaffer as a judge.

    That case remains pending before the Court of Judicial Discipline, with a hearing scheduled for Sept. 30.

    DiClaudio also faces a separate disciplinary case tied directly to Shay’s. In April 2025, the Judicial Conduct Board accused him of using his judicial position to promote the restaurant, eroding public confidence in the judiciary, and using the prestige of his office for personal gain. He has denied those allegations.

    Even amid the disciplinary proceedings, DiClaudio has continued to speak publicly about Shay’s and his relationship with Mill. DiClaudio told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in July that Shay’s named one of its cheesesteaks, the “Dreamchaser,” after Mill.

    DiClaudio said Shay’s expects to reopen on the Parkway soon, pending a lease signing and city health department approval.

  • Trump says son has paid back Russian for wedding party

    Trump says son has paid back Russian for wedding party

    President Donald Trump said Friday that his son paid back the well-connected Russian businessperson who funded his wedding celebrations.

    A person close to Donald Trump Jr. confirmed the repayment.

    The contribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars, revealed Monday by the investigative news website ProPublica, came from Umar Kremlev, a boxing executive who does business with the Russian state and has received honors from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    President Trump did not attend the wedding, which included about 50 people and occurred on private Bahamian islands.

    The president defended the contribution, calling it “common” for people to give a wedding party to a friend.

    “It’s totally allowed, but as I understand it, he paid him back,” Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office. “He didn’t want to have that.”

    The bride, Bettina Trump, confirmed the gift, but denied that it came with any sinister or political motive.

    Kremlev met Trump Jr. several years ago and speaks limited English, according to ProPublica.