Congratulations to Luis F. Carrasco for writing the most sensible column on immigration I have ever read. Both the left and the right promote those facts that favor their point of view. This is true not just on immigration, but on virtually all issues that divide our country.
How can we agree on anything if we do not share the same facts?
However, I do take exception to one point. Carrasco says he does not begrudge the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for regularly trumpeting that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained “the worst of the worst.” But who are these people?
If ICE were succeeding, the names of these arrested “worst of the worst” would be front-page news every single day. Their mug shots, alleged crimes, names, and photos would be as familiar to us as news of LeBron James’ move to Philadelphia.
Instead, we hear ICE describe grandmothers like me, who attend peaceful No Kings rallies, as “domestic terrorists.” So how can we begin to take ICE’s claims seriously?
Both sides lose when we cherry-pick our facts. Thank you, Mr. Carrasco, for reminding us that balance matters.
Rosemary McDonough, Narberth
Women disenfranchised
As we read about the SAVE America Act being attached to budget legislation, and members of the administration constantly demanding its passage, I am beyond perplexed that I don’t see, read, or hear more women discussing the difficulties ahead if this. Like eight out of 10 women, I took my husband’s last name, and my birth certificate obviously does not reflect that name change. But if the SAVE Act is passed by the Senate, I will not be able to vote until I can show proof of my citizenship and name change by paying for and presenting new documents. It is simply outrageous that half the country’s voters can be disenfranchised in order to “remedy” a vanishingly rare event, an event that is caught through our current state review systems. Why are we meekly standing by while our rights — which we’ve only enjoyed since 1920 — are being threatened? Women, do you want to be turned away from voting because you didn’t get reregistered with new paperwork, but men get to breeze right through?
Liese Sadler,Philadelphia
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). Venus asks: Which project deserves more of your love? Let your heart answer. Where discipline fails, affection will succeed. Assume there’s a reason certain things capture your attention. That’s where to invest your patience and work.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Venus asks: What do you most want to invite into your life in the weeks to come? Make room for it now. The universe has an easier time delivering the package when you already know where it fits in your world.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Venus asks: What would you do if there were no limits? Because some of these obstacles will evaporate over the next three weeks. Pretend you’re already free. What would your next courageous step be then? It’s very close to the step you can take now.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Venus asks: How could you apply beauty as a strategy? For instance, a welcoming room encourages conversation. A thoughtful gesture builds trust. An elegant solution succeeds where force or urgency would be a major turnoff. Beauty moves the plot now.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). What do you love enough to share? There will still be plenty left for you. Joy multiplies that way. Your enthusiasm, hospitality, encouragement and creativity will be ever-abundant throughout this cycle.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Venus asks: What deserves another chance? Time changes everything, and all will change in time. People, circumstances and even your own perspective are evolving quickly these days, so stay open to an entirely different experience with entirely different possibilities.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Venus asks: What’s keeping you from a more beautiful day today? It’s probably the cost — financial, emotional, energetic or more likely a mix of all three. But with a little creativity, this can be done on a simple scale.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Venus asks: Which relationship buzzes with special energy? That’s where to invest. It doesn’t have to make sense. Connection is more chemistry than logic — a puzzle of the body and subconscious mind. Trust.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Venus asks: What’s already working? In the weeks to come you’ll benefit from doing, seeking and making more of that. And no, you won’t get bored. Because you’re about to hit another level, and it will be like starting anew.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Venus asks: What have you been saving for a special occasion? Wear it. Use it. Serve the good dishes. Write in the beautiful notebook. The weeks ahead reward the choice to enjoy your favorite things in your everyday life.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Venus asks: What do you most want to feel? Then follows up with: What are ways to get to that feeling that you haven’t tried yet? It’s easy to think one person is the only supplier for a feeling, but it’s just not true.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Venus asks: What have you been trying to earn that could simply be received? The next breakthrough starts the moment you stop proving your worth and start accepting it.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 6). It’s your Year of the Magical Crossing in which you start out in familiar territory and walk the bridge into an altogether foreign realm akin to Narnia or Oz, then continue on a changed person. More highlights: Decisiveness echoes through your finances and relationships. You will be in the rare position of creating opportunities not only for yourself, but for those close to you. A triumph at work. Gemini and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 22, 39, 16, 6 and 18.
DEAR ABBY: Four years ago, my cousin “Roy” introduced me to his friends, who, once a month, have a party at the home of one of the couples. We would eat and then play a form of dominoes. It was raucous and fun. The second time I went, a couple in the group told me that now I was “part of the family.” I always had fun and laughed a lot, which I hadn’t experienced much after my husband died years ago. Roy even invited me to go on a couple of cruises with six people from the group. At the end of the last cruise, everyone shunned me, except for Roy, who instead was cruel and insulting to me. Abby, no one will tell me what horrible thing I could’ve said or done to make everyone so furious. I told Roy that he knew I’d never do anything to deliberately hurt or offend someone I loved. He never explained anything to me, and although I reached out to five members of the group, they won’t answer me either. How can I apologize if I don’t know what I said or did wrong? Roy has since died, so I can’t pursue the matter with him, and I’m wondering if I should try again with any of them to find out why they ghosted me?
— LONELY WITHOUT THEM IN MISSOURI
DEAR LONELY: If the reason you want to keep pursuing this after four years is to reestablish social relationships with these people, I think the ship has sailed on that score. If, for your own peace of mind, you would like an answer, consider approaching your cousin Roy’s friends one last time and asking about it. Whatever the answer may be, however, it is important that you enlarge your social circle and move forward. Continuing to dwell on this hurt will not be helpful at this point.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: Six months ago, my wife and I hired a cleaning company to help around the house once a month. It has been a big help because my wife has arthritis. Even though her arthritis is debilitating at times, she insists on still working at least part time.
When “Helen,” the woman who cleans our home, arrives, we offer her tea or something before she starts to clean. Recently, she asked my wife if she worked, and my wife responded that she works part time as a librarian. Helen’s response was, “Oh, I wish I could work part time.”
My wife is 64 and worked full time until two years ago. Helen is probably in her 30s. I didn’t appreciate Helen’s demeanor. Her response had a hint of jealousy. My wife and I are quiet people. We dislike strife. How can we politely tell Helen she talks too much? We don’t mind for a little while, but she talks almost the entire time she’s at our home.
— UNRECEPTIVE AUDIENCE IN NEW YORK
DEAR U.A.: A way to accomplish that would be to stop offering Helen “tea or something” when she arrives, which should give her less time to socialize. Another would be to make it a habit not to be in the same room with her while she’s working. I’m sure you and your wife can find something else to do while the place is being cleaned. You could even go out for coffee or lunch unless your intuition is telling you she can’t be trusted. If that’s the case, you need another cleaning person.
Derek Hill has made several spectacular catches in the two months he’s roamed the outfield for the Phillies.
He robbed Juan Soto of a homer in June, made a highlight-reel dive in Detroit in July, and earlier this series snagged a ball while tumbling to the ground. When Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams hit a laser to center field in the 11th inning on Wednesday, Hill made another all-out effort. But this time, he couldn’t come up with it and crashed into the fence.
Hill remained on the ground at first, but was eventually helped to his feet and walked off under his own power.
Interim manager Don Mattingly called it a bruised shoulder, but added the Phillies were evaluating “everything” for the center fielder, including a potential head injury. Hill was not made available to media postgame.
“You hit a wall like that, it’s not too forgiving,” Mattingly said. “I think, give it a chance to evaluate overnight, see what happens, how it comes in tomorrow.”
What unraveled into a six-run 11th inning sealed the Phillies’ 10-4 loss to Washington, but most pressing for the club is the status of Hill and starter Andrew Painter, who exited the game after four innings with tightness in his left hamstring. Both will be reevaluated Thursday.
Painter grimaced after falling off the mound during his delivery of a 3-2 pitch to Daylen Lile in the first. He initially remained in the game, with the Phillies checking on him after each inning. When he reported that his hamstring began to tighten up after the fourth inning, the staff decided to pull him.
Andrew Painter lasted just 63 pitches through four innings before being pulled with a left hamstring tightness.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Painter said he has never had a hamstring injury before, but he was not concerned that it will turn into something serious.
“I’m not too worried about it,” Painter said. “I felt like I could have gone out there and still competed. They felt like they didn’t want to risk that, so that’s why we made that decision.”
With their lack of starting pitching depth, the Phillies cannot afford an injury to Painter. They did not add rotation help at Monday’s trade deadline, with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski citing Painter’s encouraging outing against the Orioles as one reason why.
“Really, the choice came: Do you end up getting a guy that’s a fifth starter that you don’t think is as good as your guy that you have now, and option the guy that you think is a better chance to win to help your depth, or do what we’re doing?” Dombrowski said Monday. “And we figured we do what we are doing.”
While Painter worked on his fastball in Lehigh Valley, the Phillies relied on Alan Rangel and a patchwork of bullpen games to cover the No. 5 spot in the order. It did not work. They have lost 13 consecutive games started by that rotation spot, a streak that includes Painter’s struggles before he was optioned on June 17.
Before Painter left the game, he threw just 63 pitches. He appeared to improve as the game went on. After giving up a run in the first on a hit batter and two singles, Painter held the Nationals off the scoreboard for the next three innings. He sidestepped a walk and another single, while striking out four. He tossed a 1-2-3 fourth inning, using just nine pitches.
“The changeup was really good. Something we’ve been building on,” Painter said. “Got some good swing and miss there. I feel like the command of it is getting better and better each time I go out there.”
With Painter’s outing cut short, the bullpen had to cover the next 21 outs as the back-and-forth game marched into extras. Tim Mayza, Orion Kerkering, and Jonathan Bowlan each delivered a scoreless inning.
Newly-acquired reliever Brooks Raley coughed up a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning. He surrendered a 404-foot homer to Brady House, followed by a double and a single to left field that scored another.
Luis Arraez (left) celebrates a second inning home run with Alec Bohm.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
The Phillies punched back. Cleanup hitter Luis Arraez had launched his fifth homer of the year in the second inning, but outside of that the Phillies generated most of their offense from the bottom half of the order. In the seventh, Alec Bohm worked a leadoff walk, advanced on a single from Brandon Marsh, and tied the game at 3-3 on Bryson Stott’s RBI single.
They had the chance to add more, loading the bases against Nationals reliever Tom Cosgrove, but Trea Turner flew out to right field to end the rally.
Closer Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth inning to give his team the chance to walk it off. When they came up short, José Alvarado entered for the 10th. After getting the first two outs, he completely lost the strike zone. He threw seven consecutive balls as he walked Andrés Chaparro and then Nasim Nuñez, forcing in a run as the Nationals took a 4-3 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Turner hit a sacrifice fly to right field that Dylan Crews made a diving catch on, scoring Hill from third to tie the game once more. The Phillies put the winning run aboard when Bryce Harper drew a four-pitch walk.
With Arraez at the plate, the Phillies called for Harper to steal second, and he was thrown out to end the inning.
Mattingly said the reasoning behind the decision was to get Harper into scoring position for Arraez. Even with the possibility of the Nationals countering by intentionally walking Arraez, Mattingly said he felt comfortable with Bohm coming up to the plate in that situation.
“It’s still going to be a situation where we’re at Bohm and he’s going to need to get a hit,” Mattingly said. “We take a shot there, knowing that Luis is going to be there the next inning and he’ll lead off.”
By the time Arraez was back in the batter’s box, though, the game was already out of hand. Caleb Kilian had entered for the 11th and walked nine-hole hitter Jacob Young. That brought up Abrams, who drove in two runs with his triple to center.
Derek Hill is escorted by the Phillies’ training staff after crashing into the wall in the 11th.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Nationals manager Blake Butera had emptied his bench, and without further options, he called on pitcher Miles Mikolas to pinch-hit next. He laid down a bunt that scored Abrams.
“I think the biggest the thing that hurt us the most there is really the guy walking, and then it puts Abrams in a spot where he gets to hit, we knew the pitcher was behind him,” Mattingly said. “They were out of players, so if we can get him out there, Abrams basically doesn’t swing the bat. But when you once you walk him, that’s the biggest problem there.”
By the time the Phillies secured the third out, Chase Shugart had replaced Kilian and the Nationals had scored six total runs in the frame. The Phillies’ offense went down in order to end it.
Phillies starter Andrew Painter was removed from his start against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night with left hamstring tightness.
The Phillies said Painter will be evaluated further. He was amid an encouraging outing against the Nationals, which was cut short after just four innings and 63 pitches. After surrendering one run in the first inning on a hit batter and two singles, he seemed to settle in, preventing Washington from tacking on. Painter struck out four batters, two on his changeup and two with his fastball, and needed just nine pitches in the fourth inning. The Phillies went on to lose 10-4 in 11 innings.
The Phillies’ starting depth is paper-thin. While Painter had worked on his fastball in triple-A Lehigh Valley before being recalled last week, the club relied on Alan Rangel and a patchwork of bullpen games to fill the fifth spot in the rotation.
Trea Turner (left) visits Andrew Painter in the first inning. Painter left the game after the fourth inning.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
They opted not to trade for rotation help before Monday’s trade deadline. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the team was unwilling and unable to meet prices on the market for starting pitching.
“Really, the choice came: Do you end up getting a guy that’s a fifth starter that you don’t think is as good as your guy that you have now, and option the guy that you think is a better chance to win to help your depth, or do what we’re doing?” Dombrowski said Monday. “And we figured we do what we are doing.”
Stefon Diggs is signing with the Washington Commanders, a big addition at wide receiver to give quarterback Jayden Daniels and the offense a proven commodity who showed last season he can still be productive more than a decade into his NFL career.
The Commanders agreed with Diggs on a contract for this season, according to a person familiar with the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal had not been announced.
Diggs, a native of nearby Gaithersburg, Md., joins Washington for a 12th year in the league and reportedly can make up to $12 million. He spent last season with New England, making 99 catches for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns in 21 games, including the Patriots’ playoff run to the Super Bowl.
Stefon Diggs had 99 catches for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns in 21 games last season, including the Patriots’ playoff run to the Super Bowl.Robert F. Bukaty
New England released him in March, and the 32-year-old went unsigned in free agency while facing strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with a dispute with his former private chef. Diggs was found not guilty in May, and the NFL said in June that he wouldn’t face any discipline after a review determined there was not enough evidence to punish him under its personal conduct policy.
The Commanders had a hole at the position, and they are banking on Diggs filling it. The in-house options of Treylon Burks and Luke McCaffrey would have put Daniels in a tough spot and likely made No. 1 receiver McLaurin deal with plenty of double teams this coming season.
Signing Diggs could rule out going after Brandon Aiyuk, a friend of Daniels’ who is still under contract with San Francisco. Aiyuk said on social media in June that he would join Washington immediately if the 49ers released him.
Aiyuk remains on the reserve/left squad list out West, while Diggs is now in an NFC East that features receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens with Dallas, DeVonta Smith with Philadelphia and Malik Nabers with the New York Giants.
Diggs previously played for Minnesota, Buffalo and Houston during a career that included him being an All-Pro selection in 2020, when he led all players with 127 catches and 1,535 yards. Since making his debut in 2015 after the Vikings took him in the fifth round of the draft that year, Diggs has 1,025 catches for 12,523 yards and 79 TDs in the regular season and playoffs combined.
That included the “Minneapolis Miracle” catch for Minnesota in the divisional round in January 2018. With 10 seconds left, Diggs leapt and evaded a tackle to score a 61-yard touchdown and beat New Orleans 29-24.
Stefon Diggs (left) will join his fifth team in the NFL.Greg M. Cooper
Off the field, it has been a more tumultuous ride, including getting fined more than $200,000 by the Vikings during his final season with them in 2019 for unexcused practice absences. Diggs was traded to Buffalo in March 2020.
Diggs led the Bills in receiving four seasons in a row, but sideline outbursts and cryptic social media messages were also part of his tenure before being traded to Houston in April 2024. A torn ACL ended his time with the Texans, and skipping a voluntary offseason workout got him off to a bumpy start with the Patriots before he turned out to be a reliable option for QB Drake Maye.
Cut in part because he was owed $20.6 million, Diggs now is teaming up with Daniels, who was taken one spot ahead of Maye when they were the No. 2 and 3 picks in the 2024 draft.
In an era of baseball where high velocity is prized — especially when it comes to relievers — Brooks Raley is a throwback.
The 38-year-old reliever, whom the Phillies acquired from divisional rival New York Mets at the trade deadline on Monday, has an average fastball velocity of 90.1 mph. It’s the lowest velocity of any reliever in the Phillies bullpen, a group that has Jhoan Duran at 100.3 mph at the high end.
But it works for him. Raley has sustained a 1.96 ERA in 41⅓ innings this year because he mixes and commands his pitches well. He throws his sweeper 37.8% of the time, with a cutter, sinker, and changeup rounding out his arsenal.
“Definitely the trend in the sport,” Raley said. “I think hitters will always tell you soft contact, limit damage, throwing strikes, I do a lot of those things well, and sometimes you just got to attack the weaknesses of the player, and I think I’m pretty good at that.”
The Phillies’ lefties have seen it firsthand. Kyle Schwarber is 0-for-10 in his career against Raley with four strikeouts. Bryce Harper is 2-for-9 with five strikeouts. Brandon Marsh is 0-for-7 with six strikeouts.
“Playing against these guys a lot, pretty familiar with the lineup, and excited to join them for a little while at least,” Raley said. “Really good staff, really good pitching staff, and just [looking for] any way to contribute.”
Brooks Raley has a 1.96 ERA in 45 appearances this season.Chris Szagola
It cost the Phillies two prospects — outfielder John Spikerman and right-hander Luke Gabrysh — to acquire Raley, a pending free agent. But he brings consistency to the left-handed side of the bullpen that has struggled this season.
“He’s a back-end guy,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “It gives us another quality arm, gives us options. I’ve talked a little bit about that sixth inning, where we have trouble getting back to the back-end guys. So this just gives us more options.”
Raley was already familiar with Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham. They coincided with the Reds in 2020, where Cotham was director of pitching at the time.
“I enjoyed having him as a coach. And I thought he was kind of on the front end of what baseball is kind of evolving to, so I’m excited to work with that,” Raley said.
He’s not the only new relief addition. Caleb Kilian, a 29-year-old righty, was acquired from the Giants along with second baseman Luis Arraez on Monday in exchange for a pair of prospects. Kilian is under team control through 2031.
“I feel like I’m surrounded by a bunch of veterans,” Kilian said. “It’s really cool to be on a team that’s gunning for it right now.”
Caleb Kilian’s 4.17 ERA is somewhat inflated by two blowups earlier this season. Jed Jacobsohn
Kilian debuted in the majors in 2022, but this year marks the first time he has seized a regular role in the big leagues after transitioning to the bullpen. He woke up on Monday to his wife telling him he had been traded, and spent the rest of the day on the phone, navigating the sudden life change.
“I’ve learned a bunch this year. So I’ve just been growing and kind of taking it one game at a time,” Kilian said.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski compared the acquisition of Kilian to their trade for Jonathan Bowlan over the offseason. In December, the Phillies sent left-handed reliever Matt Strahm to the Royals in exchange for the right-handed Bowlan, who had bounced between the minors and majors for much of 2025.
The deal aged well for the Phillies. Bowlan became one of the most trusted arms in the bullpen, with a 3.03 ERA, while Strahm was designated for assignment by the Royals on Tuesday.
“Somebody that we really like his arm, and think we can do some things with him,” Dombrowski said of Kilian.
Kilian has higher velocity, and in addition to his 96 mph four-seam fastball, he also throws a knuckle curve, slider, and sinker.
His 4.17 ERA is somewhat inflated by two blowups earlier this year. He allowed five runs in ⅔ of an inning in Colorado, and four runs in ⅔ of an inning against the Athletics, which padded his numbers. But Kilian has not allowed an earned run in his last six appearances, including a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday in his Phillies debut.
He punctuated his outing with consecutive called strikeouts to end the Phillies’ 5-0 win.
Extra bases
Arraez was back at the cleanup spot on Wednesday. … Cristopher Sánchez (14-4, 2.61 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series finale against Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas (3-8, 5.67).
Temple’s football season is just around the corner — even if the pads haven’t come on yet.
On Wednesday, Temple hosted its first open practice for media, allowing second-year coach K.C. Keeler to give some insight into the team’s offseason. Last year, the Owls finished 5-7, one win short of making a bowl appearance.
Temple opens its season against Rhode Island on Sept. 5 at Lincoln Financial Field (2 p.m., ESPN+).
Here are three takeaways from Temple’s first fall camp practice.
Waiting for a QB to ‘step up’
There’s a quarterback battle on North Broad — one that does not have a timetable, said Keeler.
Jaxon Smolik, who transferred from Penn State, and Ajani Sheppard, who made stops at Rutgers and Washington State, are competing for the Owls’ starting role. Neither have started a game in college. Notably, though, Smolik outplayed Sheppard in the Cherry and White spring game.
“I thought it was a pretty good back and forth all spring,” Keeler said. “And then just the spring game that Jaxon had, obviously that’s what you’re hoping our quarterback can play like this season. … If we get that Jaxon, you know, let’s go. But again, I think we all feel Ajani has a special skill set, too.”
Temple quarterback Ajani Sheppard (13), shown during the Cherry and White spring game in April, has a “special skill set,” said coach K.C. Keeler.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
Both quarterbacks took repetitions with the first-team offense. Fifth-year wideout Colin Chase, who finished with 40 receptions, 414 yards, and four touchdowns last season, will be among the top pass catching options for either quarterback.
“Ajani and Jaxon are two great guys,” Chase said. “They’re very mature about their business. … They work very well together. So for myself, it’s whatever they need. If Jaxon needs a couple more throws after practice, if Ajani wants to go watch film after practice, I’m there to assist whoever because as of right now, they’re both the starters in my eyes.”
In 2006, Keeler, who was then Delaware’s coach, presided over a quarterback battle between Joe Flacco and Ryan Carty. Flacco, a future Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens, did not win out until the “last scrimmage.” Keeler likened this year’s battle to the one two decades ago. Carty is now Delaware’s head football coach.
“You didn’t think it was going to be back and forth,” Keeler said. “I mean, I love Ryan. Ryan was a pretty good little football player too. Joe ended up being the 18th overall pick. So obviously, Joe had this unique skill set, but it took us a while because Ryan just kept on fighting and kept on putting himself in a position where you couldn’t legitimately say Joe was the better one.”
In time, Keeler hopes that one quarterback will “step up” like Flacco did, but he does see a world where their unique skill sets allow both quarterbacks to see action this season. Evan Simon and Gevani McCoy also battled for the starting role during Temple’s fall camp last season before Simon was later named the starter.
“I never love to say we’re playing two quarterbacks, but I’ve been in package situations before where I’ve had guys who like [come in for] red zone packages, short yardage packages,” Keeler said. “Whatever it may be, one guy fits better than the other guy does.”
Retaining key players
Beyond the quarterback position, Temple boasts a slew of returners.
Two weeks ago, during the American Conference’s media day, Keeler noted that the Owls had multiple players who were contacted by Power Four schools. Some were even offered “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to transfer.” However, every eligible starter returned.
One key returner, who could have transferred to a bigger program, is senior tight end Peter Clarke. Last season, he logged 483 yards and six touchdowns. Clarke, a product of the NFL Academy in England, was named to preseason watchlist for the John Mackey Award, given annually to the best tight end in college football.
Temple tight end Peter Clarke (right) will anchor the passing game this season.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
On Wednesday, Keeler recounted his pitch to Clarke.
“Peter, you had six catches in two years, now you’re one of the top five tight ends in the country coming back,” Keeler said. “How does that happen? Probably in the right system, you probably got a great strength coach, you know you got a great position coach. Your ‘O’ coordinator is brilliant. You obviously have bought into everything we have to offer.”
“This is home to him, and so he wanted to stay in the worst way,” Keeler added. “And we had to find a way to make it financially reasonable. We can’t match, but we’re going to do our best. And I think he appreciated that.”
Along with Clarke, Keeler added that punter Dante Atton and offensive linemen Giakoby Hills and Eric King also turned down bigger programs to stay at Temple.
“Once we got those guys, it made the locker room so much easier to keep [together],” Keller said. “Because it’s like, ‘you guys are turning down what you think is significant money. We turned down a lot more and here are the reasons why we turned down that money, because we believe in where this place is going.’”
Cornerback room takes a hit
On Wednesday, Keeler revealed that sophomore cornerback Devontae Ward-Grant suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during the spring game and will miss the entire 2026 season.
“Every obstacle is an opportunity,” Keeler said. “And even though [Ward-Grant] would have competed to be a starter for us this year, he really needs a year in the weight room. … We’re looking at it like ‘it’s a great year for you to just get your body bigger, stronger, faster,’ and we’ll get him back next year.”
Denzel Chavis (13) is among the returning cornerbacks vying for a starting role for Temple this season.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
The loss of Ward-Grant hurts an uncertain cornerback room. Notably, the Owls returned juniors Denzel Chavis and Adrian Laing. The duo combined for just 15 solo tackles last season.
“I think that cornerback spot is the one position you go, ‘I like the guys out there. I just need to see more of them,’” Keeler said. “I like their skill set. I just need to see more of them. So I think that’s where we’re at.”
“There’s one or two guys in that cornerback group that you feel really good about,” he added. “They’re getting in the right position, you know. But now, when the ball’s in the air, you got to make that play.”
It would appear that Liga MX team Cruz Azul didn’t get the memo about the now-famed Rocky curse.
Or they did, and don’t care.
The Mexican side, in town to face the Union Thursday night in the first round of the Leagues Cup, put out a social post Wednesday morning depicting its flag draped over the shoulder of the Rocky statue, which currently sits atop the famed steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The statue gained worldwide recognition during Philly’s involvement in the FIFA World Cup earlier this summer, when fans were reminded of the lore of visiting teams suffering a loss whenever fans placed the team’s colors on the statue. In June, Ecuador fans learned the hard way, placing the nation’s jersey onto the statue ahead of their Group E match against the Ivory Coast.
Ecuador lost, 1-0, causing some to not only blame the curse but also forcing the fan who put the jersey on the statue into offering a public apology. The viral moment spread quickly, and before the next Philly match, Brazilian fans who marched to the Art Museum steps brought in a security detail and put up a partition around the statue to ensure no one would make the same mistake.
However, later in the tournament, Croatian fans attempted to debunk the myth, with a group called Mi Hrvati (We Croats) claiming to have secretly put Croatian garb on the statue ahead of their Group L game against Ghana. Croatia won the match 2-1, and qualified for the knockout round.
Whether the curse is real or not — and in this case whether the team’s colors were draped on the statue in person or through a really good Photoshop job — remains to be seen. But Cruz Azul’s post set social media ablaze, and even the city of Philadelphia chimed in.
Whether or not Cruz Azul will meet the same fate as Ecuador and others before them will be determined when they take on the Union inside Subaru Park on Thursday night (8 p.m., FS1, Apple TV, UniMas, TUDN). It will be the second time the Union face Cruz Azul in the tournament that features teams from the MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX. In 2024, the Union fell 5-3 in penalty kicks after battling back to deadlock the score at 1-1 in regulation during a match to remember in Chester.
However, the Union head into Thursday’s match behind a three-game win streak since the World Cup break and plenty of momentum to prove that messing with the curse is still not an endeavor worth exploring.
Cruz Azul, on the other hand, sits sixth in Liga MX standings and is coming off a league loss to Atlante last Saturday.
Wholesale supply distributor Essendant plans to lay off 150 workers in the Phoenixville area and close its location there, as it looks for a way to avoid liquidating the whole company.
The distribution center at 125 Green Tree Rd. in Upper Providence Township, which the company referred to as the Oaks facility,is expected to shutter around Oct. 3, said Marcela Sztainberg, who leads human resources at Essendant.
The Illinois-based company has been operating out of the 558,704-square-foot Phoenixville facility for roughly 20 years, said Sztainberg. Its current lease expires in 2031.
Essendant several years ago merged with private-equity owned Staples. The deal was announced in 2018 as an acquisition by Staples, and the Federal Trade Commission scrutinized the combination over concerns that the deal would harm competition in the office supply industry.The companies ultimately agreed to limit Staples’ access to Essendant’s customer information.
Workers at the Phoenixville site earn $46,718 annually on average, Sztainberg said. The company does not plan to offer them positions at other company locations.
Sztainberg did not provide a reason for the closure. But the company has been going through several changes recently.
Industry reports note that Essendant has been shifting away from office supplies to focus the business on other products, including janitorial items and technology. Late last year the company also announced a partnership with transportation and logistics management company Hub Group, as part of its new delivery model.
Late last year, the company issued layoff notices for facilities in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and Ohio, the Houston Business Journal reported.
In a layoff notice filed this week with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Sztainberg wrote that Essendant was looking to sell off some of its assets.
“The company has been exploring various strategic alternatives, including potential sale transactions involving certain of the company’s assets and operations, and securing additional capital to avoid liquidation of the company,” the notice reads. “At this time, the company does not know if these efforts will succeed.”
Essendant’s website indicates that it carries brands such as Clorox, Rubbermaid, and Colgate-Palmolive. It distributes items including batteries, calculators, printing supplies, hand sanitizer, soap, and trash bags.
Originally called Utility Supply Co., the company was incorporated in 1922. It opened its first retail store in 1937 and by 1978 functioned as a wholesale supplier of office products, according to the business’ website. It was renamed Essendant in 2015.
The company went public in 1981 and in 2017 reported $5 billion in net sales. It became a private company following the Staples merger.
