👋 Good morning! A spaceship will be landing on Pattison Avenue in the year 2030.

Just kidding! As we know, they are dropping this thing on top of the parking lots that sit at the old Spectrum site. Essentially right on Pattison Ave, as you can see in the rendering above. I have zero eye for architecture, but the first thing I thought when seeing this was, “Oh, that looks like a futuristic version of the Spectrum.” And yes, that is in fact what the Sixers and Flyers are going for.

The arena has its own website, which features a cool overhead shot comparing the future Sports Complex to back when it was The Vet, The Spectrum and JFK Stadium.

The last 30 years of Ye Olde Sports Complex has basically been about dropping new arenas and buildings where the other ones used to be. With that in mind, maybe the Eagles can drop their new stadium on the site of Xfinity Mobile Arena when that gets knocked down. Or maybe they can put it where The Vet used to be, across Pattison from The Spectrum. Just like old times, except with Stateside Live.

In honor of the start of football season, I sent out one extra edition to free subscribers this week. But tomorrow, Friday and after Sunday’s opener, we are back to our regularly-scheduled programming behind the paywall. Please consider upgrading your subscription!

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⚾ Houston 6, Phillies 5: I am of two minds on this game.

On one hand, I really loved the fight and that the Phillies made Houston use their best relievers.

The Phils were due for a complete stinker, and after Andrew Painter got shelled early on, it looked like we were very much gonna get that stinker. Houston starter Hayden Wesneski was cruising through five innings, too. The Phils could have packed it in at 5-0 Astros and 6-3 Astros. And they did not. Kudos to them.

On the other hand, the Phillies likely win the game if they run the bases like a professional baseball team should run the bases. We are not talking about “Chase Utley scoring from first on a single” type of stuff here. Just basic competency running the bases, and the Phils get rewarded for their excellent comeback with a win. Well, we did not get competency.

Baserunning Blunder No. 1: When Brandon Marsh hit this ball off Monty’s Angle and Daulton Varsho whiffed on it, I thought at minimum the score would be 6-5 with Marsh standing on third base. Part of me even thought Marsh had a chance to score.

Unfortunately, Alec Bohm thought Varsho was gonna catch the ball and his momentum was headed in the wrong direction as Varsho whiffed. The result was that he was two feet ahead of Stott, who had to slow up and eventually stop at third base.

After the game, Don Mattingly said that base running mistake did not bother him as much because Bohm was respecting Varsho’s defensive prowess in center. So, a definite misread but a more understandable play. But it really would have been nice for Marsh to be on third, because…

Baserunning Blunder No. 2: The next batter up, J.T. Realmuto smoked a ball 103 mph off the bat. And he got pretty unlucky that Jeremy Peña could make a diving stab. A cruel outcome for the Phils.

(*record scratch freeze frame*)

"Yep, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got here…”

There is no excuse for that mistake. Look at Stott, he froze on the play. Marsh also needs to freeze on the play, and if anything, break back to second. You might not score on a single, so what? Then you are standing at third base with nobody out, somebody else should be getting you home. The only thing that you cannot do there is get doubled up.

To his credit, Marsh did not mince words with reporters: “With no outs, it’s unacceptable for me to take a step towards third. Huge mistake by me. Really no excuse, just a really bad play on my part. Gotta clean it up and come back tomorrow ready for work.”

Marsh faced the music. You know who else needs to face the music? Edmundo Sosa.

Baserunning Blunder No. 3: Josh Hader is having a preposterously good year for Houston. 24 for 24 on saves with a 0.89 ERA. It probably would have been 23 for 24 if Edmundo Sosa decided to run hard out of the box.

But with a two-run lead and a runner on base, Hader strangely threw two straight pitches in the zone to Sosa. I do not know why even the nastiest pitcher would elect to do that. And Hader paid the price, as Edmundo doubled off the top of the wall.

Just like on the Marsh double, the ball took a wild carom that evaded the Houston outfield. This ball is running away from Varsho. He has to run forever to chase that thing down. Edmundo runs well, there is no reason for him not to be on third base.

But Edmundo, like he almost always does, stood at home plate and admired his blast. The video of going from home to first comes with a trigger warning, it is infuriating. The act is charming when the ball goes over the fence, but it likely cost the Phillies a shot at extra innings last night. Voluntarily not taking an extra base against one of the best relievers in the league because you are pimping a double is seriously not cool!

The last three guys did not get the job done and bring Sosa home. After all, it is hard to get the job done against Hader. With one out, Derek Hill hit a medium-distance fly ball that might have scored a tagging Sosa from third. I think it would have. And the Phillies definitely would have tried to score him. But Sosa was not on third, because he pimped a double. Inexcusable!

The losing run, by the way? Brooks Raley gave up a solo shot to a left-handed hitter (Varsho) that has one other home run against left-handed pitching all season. Another thing that really just cannot happen.

Did I mention that I liked the fight, though? 😆😆😆 I really did! Some nice swings from Trea Turner in the late innings. And how about Chase Shugart getting Yordan Alvarez to roll over harmlessly? What a moment.

Let’s keep it rolling with four predictions about the ultra-talented defense, which probably has people around here more excited than they were for any group on that side of the ball since Gang Green…

Prediction #5: Jonathan Greenard does not get going until the second half of the season.

Spoiler alert: There is not much negative that I am gonna be able to come up with about this defense. This is not the other side of the ball, where you can size up the skill position players, account for the enormity of the scheme change and easily find some real concerns. There is none of that here. This is a really good group with an elite coordinator calling the shots! Not only that, it is a really good group that has been good-to-excellent for two straight seasons.

Let’s start with Jeremiah Washburn’s edge-rusher room. It is at least in play that Jalyx Hunt establishes himself as the single-most unique defensive player in the league this side of Kyle Hamilton. Like, it’s at least on the table. Last year, Hunt pulled off the impressive double in leading the team in sacks and interceptions. This year, Hunt was wrecking every other training camp practice… and you know the former college safety is gonna get a few picks when Uncle Vic drops him back on the simmy-simmies. I do not know if Hunt finishes the season with 6 sacks and 1 interception or something like 10 and 3, but regardless, he should be quite effective in Year 3.

Hopefully Nolan Smith is healthy, and ready to show everyone what he can do again. He was the playing like the platonic ideal of a Fangio defensive end down the stretch in 2024. I have no problem with A.J. Epenesa and Arnold Ebikete as depth pieces. There is enough here to keep BG retired (which he officially did for the second time yesterday), shoutout to BG. 🫡🫡🫡

That brings us to Greenard.

The Eagles did not put Greenard on the PUP list on cutdown day, which suggests that he has a good chance of returning to the field before Week 5. That is good. But there was not a whole lot else positive to take from Greenard’s post-pec injury offseason. The guy did not play any football! I understand that he is a veteran, but missing a whole bunch of the offseason after missing the end of last season is not great.

My guess is that Greenard comes back in that four-week span, but that Fangio limits his snaps in the early going. That will “get him calloused to playing football,” in Uncle Vic’s words. Plus, Fangio should be fine rolling with the rest of this edge group. And then when Greenard starts to ramp up, the sacks do not come all that easily in the first six weeks or so. There are some Bryce Huff comps being made in the group chats, with Eagles fans wondering if Howie Roseman once again struck out shopping in the good-but-not-great aisle of the edge-rusher market.

Of course, Greenard is a much more well-rounded football player than Huff. And after a trade deadline press conference where one of Roseman’s talking points is that getting a healthy Greenard down the stretch will be “essentially like a new addition,” Greenard proves Howie right. He takes off after the bye week, capping off a monster run with a game-wrecking performance in a Christmas Eve win against Houston.

Prediction #6: The Eagles mostly fix the run defense.

Just like a training camp setting might underrate the Eagles offense because the run game does not operate within game-like conditions (tackling, in particular), it might overrate the defense a bit. Last year’s defense, at least.

The Eagles’ pass defense in 2025 was similarly stingy to 2024. I think of Q against Tampa Bay or Coop against the Chargers, and it was still pretty much the no-fly zone back there. It was the run defense that fell off.

This was not all season — they did a great job against Detroit and Buffalo, in particular — but the Eagles’ run defense had some long nights. I am thinking of Black Friday against the Bears and the early-season game against the Rams. Those types of games, where the opponent is more or less running at will against you, feel representative of the Eagles’ fall-off from a truly great defense in 2024 to a very good one in 2025.

The run defense is always gonna be a pressure point with this group, because Fangio prefers to play light boxes with Cooper DeJean offering run support from the slot. The Eagles had the best of both worlds in 2024, but not as much last year. Seattle, last season’s Super Bowl champion, were the ones who nailed that Fangio formula (nickel personnel, while still stout against the run). That formula still seems to be sound, if you can execute it.

The improvement in run defense will not be due to any one person or thing: Jalen Carter with two healthier shoulders, Jihaad Campbell with another year under his belt, Fangio with another year to adjust, etc. When Ben Johnson and the Bears play against this defense on Monday Night Football in Week 3, they are gonna need much more from Caleb Williams this time around. And if I would put a number on it, let’s go better than eighth in EPA per rush.

Come on, Jordan Davis. Make that contract extension look good, my guy.

Prediction #7: Quinyon Mitchell has five interceptions.

One of the craziest stats in Philly sports right now:

With Woolen on the other side and a potentially improved pass-rush, Q gets way more opportunities than he has been accustomed to. And he actually catches them this year! The work on the JUGS machine pays off.

Prediction #8: The Eagles have a top-two defense, which causes Vic Fangio to stick around for one more season.

Most pundits seem to believe there is a clear top-four in the NFL defense hierarchy headed into the season: Seattle, Houston, LA Rams and the Eagles. Anecdotally, I feel like a lot of those pundits have the Eagles pegged fourth among that group… which I love as an Eagles fan. Respect, but not too much respect.

I think the Eagles will finish either first or second by the end of the season, along with Houston.

Seattle is getting a lot of post-Super Bowl love, but they lost a few key contributors to last year’s defense without replacing them. I am sure you are aware that one of them, Riq Woolen, plays for the Eagles now. And the Rams are gonna be terrifying when healthy, but something about all of those free agents makes me wonder if the whole will be less than the sum of its parts. Maybe that is wishcasting, though. The Rams have a crazy amount of talent.

Regardless, it says here that the Eagles get back to that top tier of defense with the tried-and-true formula from 2024. The one injury that would put a dent in the team’s ceiling? Either of Quinyon Mitchell or Cooper DeJean, and maybe even Woolen too. I do not love the Eagles’ corner depth, but they are in pretty good shape elsewhere on defense.

Carter, Mitchell and DeJean are All-Pros, the latter two for the second consecutive year. And despite mulling over retirement again, Uncle Vic gets convinced to stick around for another year. What is he gonna do, watch baseball? There is gonna be a lockout!

The news and notes of the day…

Aidan Miller: Kid’s a fast riser, he is already up in Reading after one game in Single-A! Miller went 0-3 last night. Probably just got off the plane.

But Bryan Rincon homered, and it will be interesting to see what the Phillies decide to do with him moving forward. He was considered to be more of a low-level, glove-first prospect heading into the season. But the 22-year-old has hit 24 homers with a .911 OPS in Reading. Considering his track record, you would imagine that Rincon has to show that improved bat again for another season in Triple-A. Reading is very much a hitter’s ballpark. But he has at least established himself as a Person of Interest.

Couple of quick-hitters for you on the way out…

🏈 Baker Mayfield signed a contract extension for three years and $165 million. The NFL is so funny. Anybody who is an above-average starting quarterback essentially gets to say, “I want as much as the top guy!” It does not matter that Baker is not nearly as good at football as Josh Allen, he is getting that same $55 million AAV when his contract is up. The price of the brick, always going up.

(Dak still is technically No. 1 at $60 million per year. But Baker is tied for second!)

⚾ The Brewers beat the Cubs in extras, thank you Brew Crew. Jackson Chourio tied it up with two outs in the ninth, thank you Jackson.

🏀 The Sixers signed Dillon Jones to an Exhibit-10 deal. Mr. Jones should get a front-row seat for The Tacko Show in Delaware.

🎾 And how about that Big Foe comeback at the US Open?

Nice sports night ahead of us…

And as a reminder, I am lighting up the social media platform of your choosing:

Let’s make it a good one.