Donald Trump wants to penalize private colleges that continue to consider diversity, equity, and inclusion in their admissions decisions. He says that approach discriminates against white students, and that he wants admission for those with the most merit. But merit is always defined by those in power. Unions give the first choice of plum jobs to those with the most seniority, not necessarily those who are the hardest workers. Civil service exams give extra points to veterans depending on their service records. Universities give some preference to low-income students who may also bring different perspectives into the classroom because it is good for the educational process. We all discriminate, consciously or unconsciously. Affirmative action and DEI are simply measures of accountability. If a bank robber is caught and says he will return the money, “Just trust me,” we would want to count the money returned, would we not?
John Kovach, Wallingford
Flock misguided
The controversy over Flock cameras is misguided. For example, if you live in Philadelphia, the chance you are picked up by a camera is already exceedingly high. The city has deployed hundreds of cameras. Added to that are hundreds more operated by the University of Pennsylvania, Temple, and Drexel — and hundreds more owned by businesses or private citizens. The issue isn’t about whether you are an innocent person whose picture suddenly appears in some database, because, in most cases, it’s already there. If you are in a public place, you have no expectation of privacy.
The real issue is policy around how the information is accessed and used, as well as the security of the data collected. Whenever a serious crime occurs, access to the camera data is often critical to arresting the perpetrator. Politicians should look to tighten the rules governing access to camera data rather than eliminating one of the most useful tools law enforcement has because, even if Flock cameras are banned, cameras are here to stay.
Charles Brennan,retired deputy commissioner, Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia
Philly’s loss
As a longtime volunteer at the Academy of Natural Sciences museum, I have been shocked and grieved at the neglect and inattention that went on there for years. The idea that Drexel University, with its financial woes, could adequately support this gem of a museum once it took over its administration was never realistic. There were minimal efforts to deal with the shabbiness, to make the place more comfortable for visitors, to give the public access to — and knowledge about — the many treasures hidden inside, including Thomas Jefferson’s fossils, a staggeringly beautiful collection of rocks and minerals, a chair sent by Albert Einstein’s daughter, and so on. Nevertheless, the museum was popular with tourists and a haven for parents who brought their young children. But there was no infusion of money to make the place as bright and inviting as it used to be.
During the Semiquincentennial celebrations, there has been much attention given to Philadelphia’s many firsts — but what about the oldest science museum in the United States? People are lamenting the closure of the museum — but the state, the city, the many foundations and philanthropists in the area, all seem to be turning a blind eye. And it’s a black eye for Philadelphia.
Carole W. Soskis, Bala Cynwyd
Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Maybe identity is a group of ideas you pull together about yourself. And maybe changing just a few in the constellation is enough to flip the whole image. You’ll challenge what you think of yourself and suddenly see someone new in the mirror.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You keep returning to something you suspect is a waste of time. But there must be something there or you wouldn’t participate. Once you name it, you’ll feel more in control of what this pastime actually does for you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Striving for efficiency sometimes means spending leisurely hours with the people who have ways to help you. Since relationships are often a shortcut to the goal, building them can be one of the most “efficient” things you do.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). When everything feels good at home, the rest of your life seems to move without friction. You save time by cutting to the chase. You have the confidence to say no to things that won’t make much of a difference.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It doesn’t seem like it should be true, but looking the part will have an outsized effect on what you can accomplish. People will do their best for you because you seem powerful — like someone they don’t want to let down.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). This is your moment to be new in whatever way you wish. You can start the things you think will make a difference. You can end the things that were dragging you down. You’re in complete control.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’re no conformist, not in the world and not even in your own mind. You saw yourself one way, and you won’t stick with that. Fresh examples drop into your world for a kind of success you hadn’t considered.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Everything is expensive whether it’s recession times or not, because life takes energy. You’ll look at that energy cost even more than dollar cost, especially when emotions are involved. Emotions can be the most expensive energy expenditure of all.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Memories are a way of marking time, and travel is a way of creating memories. In that way, the money you spend on travel seems to give you more life because it gives you more memories. In the end, the dollar cost hardly registers.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). If a situation isn’t going to work, it’s better to know quickly so you can get on with the business of finding an arrangement that all parties can sustain instead of wasting time in the limbo of “maybe.”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). For Band-Aid rips and intergalactic travel, faster is better. For many other things, speed is a thief of experience. Don’t go so fast you miss the scenery, the joke or the dull moment that’s a chance to connect with a stranger.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Today’s problem brings out the scientist in you. You’ll come up with a hypothesis, test it and collect the data. The last part is key to making your effort count and figuring this one out.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 10). Your heart will often be made giddy in this, your Year of Cupid’s Arrow. It’s not all about romance. It’s finding exactly the thing that captivates you, aiming well and enjoying the unbridled joy that comes with actually having your heart’s desire. More highlights: You’ll belong to a small, skilled and powerful group making a difference. Your generosity changes a life. New vitality and athleticism. Scorpio and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 2, 32, 48 and 6.
DEAR ABBY: I have a younger brother who has moved back to the area where the rest of our siblings live. He went for 30 years without keeping in close contact with anyone during that time. He’s the youngest of 10 children, and our mother spoiled him rotten. He’s in his 60s now and still acts like an immature spoiled child. Our father had to bail him out of financial situations more times than I can count. Despite that, he hated our father and announced it when he came home for Dad’s funeral.
The problem we’re having now is that he constantly tries to stir up problems between the rest of us. Until he returned, we were a close-knit family. None of my other family members want anything to do with him, and they refuse invitations to get together if he will be there.
Abby, I love my brother, but I’m tired of his behavior. He had a drug problem when he lived out of state. He claims he’s clean now, but he has now replaced the drugs with alcohol. How can I get my family back without him if he isn’t willing to admit he is the problem?
— SIBLING SITUATION IN WISCONSIN
DEAR SIBLING: Stop inviting your brother to these gatherings. The sooner you do, the sooner he will learn the consequences of trying to stir up trouble among the siblings. Unless there are consequences for his behavior, it won’t stop. His behavior isn’t unusual for an addict. By that, I mean it is common for an addict to replace his drug addiction with another one and even more common to deny having a problem.
There’s a program that was created decades ago called Al-Anon. Al-Anon (al-anon.org) is an offshoot of Alcoholics Anonymous, created for anyone who is affected by a loved one’s drinking. It holds meetings everywhere, and you should have no trouble locating one near you. Attend some of those meetings, which are free of charge. When you do, you will meet others with problems similar to the one you are having.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: I have been planning a dream trip to Europe with some family members. The people I’m traveling with are young and like to take selfies everywhere, which takes a lot of time. I don’t care about doing that type of thing. They are “girly girls,” and I am plain. I never know what to do while they are doing these things. They love hair and makeup and take up valuable time with these activities. I don’t begrudge them this, but do you have any advice on what to say or do while I wait around?
— FRETTING THIS TRIP
DEAR FRETTING: When people take selfies as they travel, part of the fun is capturing themselves against picturesque landscapes, famous landmarks or works of art. If you don’t want to be in the photos, keeping a visual record of your journey can still be fulfilling. Develop your photo or video skills by focusing on the scenery the girls are using as backdrops. If you are artistically inclined, a sketchbook may be more your speed. If images aren’t your thing, bring a travel journal in which you can jot down your impressions and favorite aspects of the places you visit.
Barry Melrose, a hockey player-turned-coach who led the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before going on to a long career in broadcasting the sport, has died. He was 70.
ESPN announced Melrose’s death Wednesday after his wife informed the network.
“From the flowing locks of his distinctive mullet to the flared lapels of his trademark long suit coats, Barry Melrose cut an unmistakable figure whenever you were fortunate enough to run into him at a rink or catch him on your television screen,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “You were even more fortunate if you engaged him in conversation or listened to his analysis because he never failed to boost your love of the game of hockey.”
Melrose stepped away from his analyst role in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Wayne Gretzky at the time said Melrose was “bigger than any team.”
Melrose had a relatable everyman’s broadcasting style, bringing a sense of humor to his insights, and was easily recognized by his goatee and slicked-backed hair.
“For decades, Barry Melrose was one of the most distinctive and trusted voices in hockey,” ESPN said in a statement. “His knowledge of the game was deep, his candor was refreshing and his passion was unmistakable.”
From rural Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Melrose broke into pro hockey with the Cincinnati Stingers of the now-defunct World Hockey Association in 1976. He played three seasons in Cincinnati — the last teaming with a young Mark Messier — and, following the WHA’s demise, made the transition to the NHL with Winnipeg in 1979.
Melrose went on to play for Toronto and Detroit, where he closed his career following the 1985-86 season.
He finished with 10 goals and 33 points and 728 penalty minutes in 300 career NHL regular-season games, and he skated in seven more in the playoffs. His WHA totals were five goals and 32 points and 343 penalty minutes in 178 games with Cincinnati.
Melrose turned to coaching and led the Adirondack Red Wings to win the American Hockey League Calder Cup championship in 1992.
The following year, Melrose was hired by the Kings, where he brought a sense of colorful flare and instant success to Los Angeles. In his rookie season, he coached a Kings team that featured Gretzky to make a memorable playoff run. They reached the final before losing to Montreal in five games.
Melrose finished with a record of 79-101 and 29 ties over two-plus seasons in L.A. before being fired midway through the 1994-95 season.
He was hired by ESPN in 1996 and left broadcasting for what became a brief stint coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning in Steven Stamkos’ rookie season in 2008-09. Melrose was fired 16 games into the season following a 5-7-4 start and returned to broadcasting.
Melrose also was known for his long-ball hitting prowess in fast-pitch softball, joining fellow Kelvington-area NHL players Wendel Clark, Joey Kocur, Kelly Chase and Kevin Kaminski and others in the offseason in Saskatchewan to form what some call the “the toughest team there ever was.”
DALLAS — In an arena littered with President Donald Trump’s image — from the photos that lined the concourse to the gift shops selling merch depicting the president as a cowboy — one of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable Republican lawmakers this fall went all-in.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, running for reelection in a Scranton-based district that is one of the most competitive in the nation, addressed the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention during its opening night on Wednesday.
His decision to attend “Trump-a-palooza” (as the RNC has described it) at all was notable. Some Republicans in tight races decided to stay away out of concerns of associating themselves with a president with low approval ratings. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Bucks), for example, is not attending and has distanced himself from parts of Trump’s agenda.
Bresnahan promoted Trump’s signature tax policy in a brief speech focused on supporting workers and their families.
“Tax relief matters,” Bresnahan told hundreds of party loyalists at the American Airlines Arena in a speech that followed Ken Paxton, the controversial Trump-backed U.S. Senate candidate in Texas. “In Northeastern Pennsylvania, we work until the job is done. And those extra hours should mean more money in your pocket.”
Democrats have used Bresnahan’s vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, as a wedge against Bresnahan and other vulnerable Republicans. But Bresnahan contended the income tax cuts and other policies in the legislation, like no tax on tips, are paying dividends for families.
Two other Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers in similar situations, U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie (R., Lehigh) and Scott Perry (R., York), are also attending the two-day convention, with Mackenzie slated to speak Thursday.
Bresnahan spoke to a somewhat sparse crowd compared with Republican National Conventions during presidential election years, which served as a model for the novel midterm convention this year as the party looks to energize its base of voters while seeking to defend narrow majorities in the House and Senate.
Delegates, clustered by state on the convention floor, cheered and waved signs reading “Keep the majority” and “Republicans are fixing Democrats’ mess.” The stands in the roughly 19,000-person arena remained largely empty, at least for the first few hours before Trump’s speech.
Merchandise shops were packed with Trump’s typical MAGA merchandise, copies of his son Eric Trump’s book, Under Siege, and new mugs and shirts showing Trump on a horse in cowboy gear. Red, white, blue, and — in an unmistakable nod toward the president — gold balloons waited in the rafters for the grand finale on Thursday.
“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot, just one more time,” Trump told the cheering crowd in prime time, noting there were about 35 “swing” races the party was prioritizing.
President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Alex Brandon
About 1,500 miles away, in another town called Dallas, one of Bresnahan’s constituents hatched a plan to tune in.
On the opening night of the annual Luzerne County Fair — in a booth yards from deep-fried Oreos, flying elephant kiddie rides, and life-size cardboard cutouts of Abraham Lincoln, Donald Trump, and Jesus — Dwayne McDavitt fiddled with his tablet to see if he could stream the convention.
The symmetry of Dallas, Texas, and Dallas, Pa., was “too good to pass up,” said McDavitt, the head of a conservative group called Thunder and Liberty PAC and also the Pennsylvania chapter of Bikers For Trump.
He said he supports Bresnahan, who lives in Luzerne County, over Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, the Democratic nominee.
“He shares our values of faith, family, and freedom — meaning free and fair elections,” McDavitt said.
Interviews with other voters in the district on Wednesday underscored the potentially risky nature of Bresnahan’s leaning into the Trump administration.
Malcolm Mabry, 28, of Wilkes-Barre, said he had been victimized by a “Trump bait and switch” as a Republican who voted for the president two years ago. He picked Trump, believing that better policing of the Southern border was paramount.
And while Trump has been using ICE to “grab up people,” as he said, Mabry said much of what else the president promised, like lowering prices and avoiding war, has not occurred.
“Trump just said what he had to, to get into office,” said Mabry, who was unaware of the convention happening at the same time.
A campaign about workers and affordability
Bresnahan won his seat by less than 2 percentage points in 2024 to take down a six-term Democrat in the northeast corner of the state. Trump won the district by more than 8 percentage points.
His Democratic challenger, Cognetti, has garnered high-profile supporters like Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is also up for election, and she has repeatedly targeted Bresnahan for trading stocks while in office despite his previous statements that he would not do so.
Bresnahan, the former head of a family-run electrical contracting business, has made jobs and the workforce a top focus in his campaign and in his brief congressional career.
On a few occasions, he has broken with House Republican leaders to support bills that would strengthen union protections for federal workers. He has said that he hopes his party changes tactics to support those kinds of bills.
“We need the unions that have trained generations of some of the most skilled workers in American history,” Bresnahan said onstage Wednesday. “We have those workers in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and communities across this country are ready for the same opportunity.”
Texas state Rep. Keresa Richardson (R), right, attends the GOP midterm convention. (Joel Angel Juárez/For The Washington Post)Joel Angel Juárez
Bresnahan has racked up a series of union endorsements that are otherwise rare for Republicans. While major unions like the AFL-CIO and the Pennsylvania State Education Association have backed Cognetti, he has won support from organizations like the American Federation of Government Employees and the Teamsters — groups that, in a region with a long history of union issues, could make a difference in a close race.
In his speech, Bresnahan talked generally about supporting workers and manufacturing in the U.S. He spoke about tax policies that put “more money in your pocket” and help “build communities where people can stay, raise a family, and build a life.”
They and other speakers did not address other affordability issues that Democrats have seized on and that polls show voters have top-of-mind heading into early voting.
Trump has mocked the Democratic attacks on the issue as a hoax, including in a speech in Bresnahan’s district last year. But it is a message, and a reality, that has resonated with voters in Pennsylvania, according to polls and interviews.
“I’m on a fixed income,” Bill Dudeck, 83, of Nanticoke in Luzerne County, said Wednesday. “But under Trump, gas, groceries, and utilities are skyrocketing.”
Trump promised a lower cost of living, “but now all our money is out the window,” said Dudeck, a Democrat and former construction worker in Bresnahan’s district.
Bresnahan, whose campaign said earlier this week that he was looking forward to bringing “NEPA to the national stage,” appeared onstage instead with a sheet metal worker and mother of seven from Baltimore.
Cognetti’s campaign noted the pairing in a comment Wednesday that criticized Bresnahan, in part, for trading stocks in office.
“That’s probably why he didn’t have a Pennsylvanian on stage with him tonight,” a Cognetti campaign spokesperson said in a statement. “His speech is just more empty words to try and distract from his broken promises.”
Nora Pruitt, who joined Bresnahan, had previously been recognized by the White House as a beneficiary of Trump’s second term. Listed on the agenda as an “everyday American, factory worker, working mother and manufacturing success story,” Pruitt said “things have really improved for our family since President Trump returned to office.”
“We are so grateful President Trump and Republicans in Congress like Congressman Bresnahan vote for families like ours,” she said.
The Union finally earned a statement win over one of the Eastern Conference’s big teams, seizing the moment after an early red card to deliver a 5-0 blowout of FC Cincinnati.
Quinn Sullivan opened the scoring and Bruno Damiani had a hat trick as the Union enjoyed an 18-1 shot advantage.
The result extended the club’s unbeaten run in league games to nine, and lifted them to eighth place in the Eastern Conference (8-10-6, 30 points). They’re one point above ninth-place New York City FC, and one point behind Cincinnati (8-8-7, 31 points) and Orlando City.
Bruno Damiani (center) celebrates with teammates after scoring in the second half.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
The Sullivan brothers started in a league game together for the first time, after doing so only in the U.S. Open Cup and Leagues Cup matches. Bruno Damiani and Ezekiel Alladoh started together up top to spare Milan Iloski, who was a yellow card away from a suspension for accumulation.
The Union struggled early against Cincinnati’s three-centerback setup, just as they did in Bradley Carnell and Jim Curtin’s tenures. But they got a break in the 15th minute when referee Joe Dickerson ejected Cincinnati’s Obinna Nwobodo after a video review of the midfielder stepping on Frankie Westfield’s right foot.
Dickerson initially pulled out a yellow card, and promptly, after the foul. Westfield took the hit and stayed down for a while, giving the review officials time to watch the play and ask Dickerson to take a look at the monitor. He didn’t stay there long before taking out the red.
Obinna Nwobodo is SENT OFF 🟥
The card is upgraded to red after VAR review, leaving FC Cincinnati with 10 men. pic.twitter.com/MLOu4ZhySj
The Union stepped things up in the 38th minute, when Ezekiel Alladoh hit a shot off the front of U.S. national team centerback Miles Robinson’s left arm and won a corner kick with it. (Dickerson didn’t call a handball because the arm wasn’t extended.)
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The ensuing sequence saw Cincinnati’s Ayoub Jabbari inadvertently kick Neil Pierre in the face on the end line, then Evander land an elbow in Sullivan’s neck at the top of the box after he had a shot blocked. Dickerson saw at least the second, pointed to the spot, and Sullivan converted.
Damiani delivered the second at the start of nine minutes of first-half stoppage time, off a terrific team play. Neil Pierre started it with a good interception and passed to Damiani, then he fed Jean Jacques, who drove forward.
Jean Jacques swung the ball left to Quinn Sullivan, who set up his brother for an overlapping run on the flank. Cavan obliged, then thumped a pass across the six-yard box for Damiani to slide into an open net.
Cincinnati manager Pat Noonan, a former Union assistant under Curtin, seemingly raised the white flag at halftime when he made a triple-substitution, including removing his two big stars: playmaker Evander and striker Kévin Denkey.
Damiani then kicked the flag the rest of the way up the pole in the 49th with a terrific finish, set up by combination play from the Sullivans yet again. Quinn had the assist this time, cutting to his right and laying a nifty little pass into space for Damiani to hit first time.
The hat trick came in the 61st. Quinn Sullivan started the play with an interception, combined with his brother again, then Cavan laid the ball off for Damiani. He took a touch to settle the ball at the top of the 18-yard box, then smashed home his shot.
Iloski entered in the 65th, and capped off the scoring with another penalty kick in the 89th. Another substitute, Malik Jakupović, won it when Cincinnati’s Brian Anunga bundled him over.
Some Union players appeared to want Jakupović to get a chance from the spot as a young striker. But Iloski took it, scored his 12th goal of the year, and Jakupović was one of the first players to congratulate him.
Alec Bohm leaned over the dugout railing and dropped his hat on the warning track.
The Phillies relievers have a game they often play in the bullpen: If they think the player at the plate is about to hit a homer, they’ll toss their hat on the ground in front of them. Once in a while, the dugout joins in on the fun, too.
Bohm, whose scheduled night off on Wednesday gave him a front-row seat to the Phillies’ roller coaster game against the Astros, decided to call his shot in the sixth inning just as Kyle Schwarber walked up with the bases loaded.
“We’re usually feeling pretty good when he’s up there in a big spot,” Bohm said.
There his hat was as Schwarber took Houston reliever AJ Blubaugh to a 2-0 count, then 2-2, then 3-2. And it was there when Schwarber swung at a sweeper, half with one hand, and drove it 406 feet to right field.
And as Schwarber watched it fly, his bat held straight up in the air, behind him was Bohm’s hat triumphantly lying in the dirt. It’s not the first time that Bohm has won the Phillies’ hat game. But most of his wins, he said, have come with Schwarber at the plate.
After the Phillies’ eventual 11-7 win over the Astros, Schwarber’s teammates were running out of adjectives to describe what he’s been able to accomplish. The grand slam was his 44th homer of the season, adding to his major league lead.
“It’s incredible. It’s amazing. He’s one of the best power hitters in the game,” Cristopher Sánchez said through a team interpreter.
Schwarber’s slam gave the Phillies a commanding lead in a game they had once trailed 4-0. It helped them overcome an atypical start from Sánchez, who allowed a lot of hard contact and only struck out three. The Astros saw his pitches well all night, including his vaunted changeup.
“I was missing a little too much of my pitches today, and I don’t think that’s the kind of pitcher that I am,” Sánchez said.
Of the 10 hits he allowed, half were for extra bases. That included a pair of homers from Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith, both coming on mislocated sinkers.
But the Phillies offense picked him up, responding to a four-run top of the third by Houston with a four-run bottom of the inning. They timed up Astros starter Hunter Brown well, and consistently put runners in motion against him. In turn, that pulled Houston’s infielders out of position, and opened holes for four ground ball singles to sneak through.
“The way we scored tonight, I thought was pretty cool,” said Trea Turner, who accounted for one of those singles and later homered in the fifth. “Working at-bats, working counts, even if a guy got out here or there, felt like the guy behind him picked him right up. So we just need to keep doing that and keep playing good baseball.”
The Astros put up two more runs on Sánchez in the fourth inning on Smith’s homer, but the Phillies completely broke the game open in the sixth.
Edmundo Sosa tied things back up and got some redemption, all at once. A day after he failed to hustle out of the box, costing the Phillies an extra base in the ninth inning on Tuesday, Sosa said the mistake would not happen again.
NL wild-card standings
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He entered Wednesday’s game as a pinch-hitter against Astros lefty Bryan King with two runners on. As soon as his bat connected on a fastball from King, clocking just a 58.2 mph exit velocity, Sosa dashed to first. It found some grass in right field, allowing Luis Arraez to tie the game at 6-6.
A single from Justin Crawford and bases-loaded walk from Bryan De La Cruz kept the line moving for Schwarber. Every starter reached base at least once in the game.
“It’s nice to have everybody involved, right?” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “When your lineup’s going up and down, it’s always better. Keep the line moving. Momentum builds.”
Kyle Schwarber is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
As he usually does after a big swing, Schwarber said Wednesday he hadn’t been looking to hit a homer in the sixth inning — even though that’s what Bohm and backup catcher Garrett Stubbs both yelled at him to do from the dugout. On the 3-2 pitch from Blubaugh, Schwarber had been focused on finding any way to get on base.
“It’s not like you’re going up there and think that you’re going to be a hero,” he said.
According to Mattingly, who hit six grand slams in one season for the Yankees in 1987, that’s exactly the key.
“I think that the trait is nothing changes,” Mattingly said. “If it’s an early season at-bat, if it’s an at-bat in the fifth, it’s an at-bat in the ninth. Really, if you look at it truly simply. It doesn’t change. You still walk up with a game plan. You’re trying to get what you want to hit. You understand what the guy’s trying to do, and something either good happens, or it doesn’t.
“But I think the guys that don’t change and don’t put pressure on the moment and just stay with what they do, they end up being the guys that seem to be able to slow it down, and not to put too much in the moment.”
After Schwarber’s one-handed swing gave them a sizable cushion, Jonathan Bowlan, Alex McFarlane, and Jhoan Duran split the job in relief. Bowlan allowed a run in the seventh inning on a double and a single.
It was not a save situation for Duran, but the Phillies called on their closer for the ninth anyway, since he had not pitched since Sunday.
The roller coaster game was capped by a roller coaster final play, as Bryson Stott initially overshot a foul pop-up, recovered, and made the catch while falling down.
“There’s going to be times, like we’ve seen throughout the rest of this year, where we’ve come back and we’ve battled through different things,” Schwarber said. “And that’s what it’s going to take, to get through the stretch, and hopefully find our way into October.”
DALLAS — In a remarkable move for a Democratic lawmaker, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman on Wednesday appeared in a video at the Republican midterm convention — an event specifically designed to boost GOP candidates this fall — in a way that praised President Donald Trump for his support of Pennsylvania steelworkers.
The video was a clear escalation of a monthslong shift in which Fetterman has drifted from the Democratic Party. Though he has repeatedly rejected speculation that he would switch parties — and did so again after the video Wednesday — he has consistently criticized Democrats and praised Trump since the president took office.
In the video — which introduced U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) as he took the stage — Fetterman said he and McCormick “will work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life right here in the Steel Valley.”
“I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism, and the anti-American way of life,” he said, repeating a common refrain in which he criticizes the leftist wing of the Democratic Party that has secured several high-profile wins this year.
Fetterman, who was not physically in attendance at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, was cheered and applauded after McCormick took the stage and said, “How great is John Fetterman, right?”
In addition to McCormick, several vulnerable House GOP incumbents from Pennsylvania were at the convention. Fetterman’s video appearance came shortly after a speech from U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R., Luzerne), who represents one of the districts Pennsylvania Democrats are hoping to flip this year.
U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D., Montgomery), who traveled to Texas to protest the GOP convention, said she was “gravely disappointed” that Fetterman chose to participate in the GOP event rather putting his energy to electing Democrats in key Pennsylvania races — the latest in a growing list of transgressions.
“I will tell you, from the ground, from suburban Philadelphia, my constituents are livid. Those who went out and knocked doors for him, they are absolutely livid,” she said the following day.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has a frosty relationship with Fetterman, said Thursday at an event in Chester that he did not see the video before adding that he was “not going to get distracted” from his duties as governor and his reelection campaign.
Democrats nationally are aiming to flip both the House and the Senate, which could put Fetterman in a powerful position as a swing vote if Democrats narrowly win control of his chamber.
And while leaders in both parties have reportedly made appeals to him, Fetterman said in a statement after his video went out that he would not switch parties if the Senate changes hands.
“I’m a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party — and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on,” he said, referencing his campaign promise in 2022 to be the Democratic vote that clinched the majority.
On Thursday, a web page soliciting donations to Fetterman’s campaign committee included a link to the video and said Fetterman would “keep standing his ground, speaking his mind, and putting Pennsylvania first.”
Fetterman has long been a supporter of the state’s steel industry as the former mayor of Braddock, the Pittsburgh suburb home to the Edgar Thomson Steel Works mill — which served as a backdrop to the video he shot for the convention.
U.S. Steel has pledged to invest up to $2.5 billion into that mill and other Mon Valley Works plants around Pittsburgh since its sale to Japan-based Nippon Steel last year.
The $15 billion sale had been held up for a year, opposed by both Republicans and Democrats concerned about a foreign takeover of the iconic company. Former President Joe Biden blocked the deal, and both Fetterman and McCormick criticized it before Trump took office.
Trump went on to secure a pledge that Nippon would have an American CEO, not lay off workers, and give the U.S. a so-called golden share in the company. Trump returned to Pennsylvania for his first rally in the state to celebrate the deal with steelworkers outside Pittsburgh.
“Under Joe Biden, Democrats blocked critical investment in U.S. Steel, risking thousands of jobs,” McCormick said on stage Wednesday. “I promised Pittsburgh steelworkers I would fight for the steel way of life, and President Trump did, too. And with the president’s leadership, we delivered a deal protecting and creating over 100,000 American jobs.”
Fetterman’s participation in the GOP conference — in the type of promotional video that is common at party conventions — is extremely rare.
The Pennsylvania Democratic senator’s decision to record a video praising Trump ahead of the election may draw comparisons to Georgia Democratic Sen. Zell Miller’s fiery speech praising President George W. Bush — and denigrating Democratic nominee John Kerry — at the 2004 Republican National Convention.
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia Democrat who ran against Fetterman in the 2022 Senate primary, drew a different historical comparison.
“John is Benedict Arnold, but lazy. Could barely get off the couch in his million-dollar mansion to kiss Trump’s ring, he phoned it in like everything he does,” Kenyatta, a Democratic National Committee vice chair, said on X.
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Philadelphia Democrat, similarly blasted the senator’s video appearance at the rival party’s convention.
“A year ago, I labeled John Fetterman ‘Trump’s favorite Democrat.’ Tonight, he yet again proves why,” Boyle said on X.
And U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio — a Western Pennsylvania Democrat who, like Boyle and Kenyatta, could be a candidate when Fetterman’s seat is up for election in 2028 — declared in a statement that Fetterman is “not going to be a Senator after 2028 — mark my words.”
“If the failing Republican politicians want him, they can have him,” Deluzio said. “Like them, John Fetterman has failed the Pennsylvanians who elected him, who expected him to fight against White House corruption, health care cuts, and reckless war, not cheerlead it.”
Fetterman has not yet said he will run for reelection and his dismal approval ratings among Democrats could make it difficult to win a primary — unless he switches parties. Among Republican voters, he was even more popular than McCormick in a poll last month from The Inquirer, the New York Times, and Siena University.
Fetterman has developed a close association and friendship with McCormick since the Republican’s election in 2024. While Fetterman rarely makes public appearances in the state he represents, he has appeared at a few with McCormick.
In a striking move, the bipartisan pair also set up a joint fundraising campaign committee this summer as Fetterman’s own fundraising lagged. This past week, McCormick came to Fetterman’s defense after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Democrat frequently avoided meeting with, and privately criticized, constituents and interest groups.
“These stories are the latest example of outrageously disloyal staff and forces on the Left using anonymous leaks to cancel my friend John Fetterman,” McCormick wrote on social media. “They hate that he is an independent thinker who refuses to fall into line so they want to silence him.”
In the convention video, Fetterman called McCormick a “great American, a great senator.”
“Yes, he is in a different party, but I’m proud to count him as my great friend,” Fetterman said.
A pilot was injured when his plane flipped upside down Wednesday night at a small airport in Montgomery County, authorities said.
The plane accident happened around 7:20 p.m. at Heritage Field Airport just outside Pottstown, authorities said.
The pilot, who did not appear to have life-threatening injuries, was briefly trapped upside down inside the plane but was extricated by emergency responders, authorities said.
He will have another wall to break through this season, starting with the Week 1 home opener against the Washington Commanders on Sunday. Nick Sirianni revealed Wednesday that first-time offensive coordinator Sean Mannion will “probably” call plays from the booth, with a glass window and several stories separating him from the sixth-year starting quarterback.
Hurts said he hasn’t had a play caller in the booth since he was in college. Still, he said he will be supportive of Mannion’s decision, regardless of how it impacts their line of communication, particularly between drives.
“If he feels that’s what gives us the best chance to win, the best chance for him to see the game and find his flow and what he’s doing, that’s the direction we need to go in,” Hurts said Wednesday. “And so I’m going to support whatever makes him feel comfortable in that degree.
“And for me, I come into the year thinking about breaking down walls of communication and talking and communicating the things that I’m seeing and and whatnot. And there is a wall, being in the box, but still, having open dialog, using the red phone, calling if I see something, hearing him out, and I think in all, it’s a part of the process.”
Jalen Hurts (right) talked about the importance of communication with Sean Mannion (left) and the new offensive coaching staff. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Building chemistry with Mannion has been one of the focuses of training camp for Hurts. He reiterated on Wednesday his goal of getting “hip-to-hip” with his new offensive coordinator as a means of building chemistry, a task that continues into the regular season.
Hurts wants to know what Mannion is thinking in any given situation, an environment the team has tried to replicate during the call-it periods of training camp. It all becomes real in Week 1. Hurts will soon have an opportunity to build in-game chemistry with Mannion, even if he isn’t on the sideline.
“The in-game experiences we have coming soon will be very valuable for us in what we ultimately want to accomplish,” Hurts said.
With Week 1 preparations underway, the 28-year-old Hurts is still getting used to all of the new. It isn’t just the big aspects, such as the new offensive coordinator, the new offensive scheme, and the horde of new receivers headlined by Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, and Hollywood Brown.
It’s the smaller things, too, within Hurts’ weekly preparation. He said he realized on Tuesday that in years past, he would typically meet with Jeff Stoutland on that day to discuss that week’s game plan. Stoutland, who served concurrently as the Eagles offensive line coach for 13 seasons and the run game coordinator for eight, announced his departure from the team in February.
The process may change with new coaches, but the goal remains the same.
“A lot of it is new, and there’s a transition,” Hurts said. “It’s a bit of an evolution, but we’ve got great guys here that I can lean on that can that can fill those voids, so we can do what we’re trying to do moving forward.”
Jalen Hurts has worked hard to learn the nuances of the Sean Mannion offense since the coordinator’s hiring. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Moving forward this week, the Eagles will try to win their first game of the season against an NFC East foe. Hurts and Sirianni have gone 5-0 in Week 1 since the Eagles head coach arrived in Philadelphia and the quarterback stepped into the full-time role as the starter.
Hurts shared his theory for their Week 1 success — “keeping the main thing the main thing.” Their early results are a reflection of their preparation and their confidence in it.
A win would start the Eagles off on the right foot, Hurts said. The real challenge is maintaining that “clarity” regarding their intentions as an offense as the season progresses.
Hurts acknowledged that he doesn’t know exactly what the offense will look like in Week 1, let alone Week 18. It’s Mannion’s job to whittle down the broader offense that he installed in training camp to a more limited menu for game day based on the opponent.
But Hurts said he is excited to have a “north star,” or a clear vision from his offensive coordinator about what his intentions are in designing the offense and how he wants his players to attack it. Whether that vision includes designed runs for the quarterback, an aspect of the offense that was seldom highlighted last year, remains to be seen.
Hurts acknowledged it could be a “unique opportunity” to incorporate his rushing ability into the offense, even though mobile quarterbacks haven’t typically been featured in the West Coast offense.
Ultimately, it’s up to Mannion to make that call. It’s on both Hurts and Mannion to get a sense of which plays the other likes, too, regardless of where the play-caller is located.
“We’ve got to build that chemistry,” Hurts said. “I’m always willing and open to doing anything and everything to win. And it’s not like you say I’m going to drop back and run it on this play. You’ve got to play the game. So we’ll find that feel and see where it goes.”
