Chase Utley's Hall of Fame campaign builds momentum

Is it 3:00 p.m. Sunday yet?

Sadly, no. But we’re getting there. By tomorrow, we should have some critical Eagles and Commanders injury updates and we’ll look at predictions.

Today, we have Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers news.

In the email today:

• 🏛 Chase Utley's Hall of Fame campaign builds momentum

• ⏳️ Flyers play league-high 15th OT period, beat Red Wings

• 🧟 Zombie Sixers start second half of schedule like the first, with another loss

  • 📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

  • 📊 Poll

  • 🔗 Links

  • 📺 Coming Up

Dick Allen was posthumously elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Hall’s “Golden Era Committee” in December. On Wednesday, we learned that another ex-Phillies player is on his way to Cooperstown.

Just probably not the ex-Phil you were rooting for.

It’s safe to say that Wagner’s image in the Hall won’t sport a Phillies cap. He’s certainly a deserving candidate: 422 career saves, more than all but seven players in MLB history; the second-lowest ERA (2.31) since 1900 among pitchers with 900+ innings; the best batting average against (.187); and the highest strikeouts per nine innings rate (11.92). But the lefty pitched just two of his 16 big league seasons in Phladelphia.

The most beloved Phillies on this year’s ballot, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, fell well short of the 75% vote needed for induction. Bobby Abreu fell short as well.

Utley’s number represents a significant leap forward for his Hall of Fame campaign. In this, his second year of eligibility, he jumped to 40% after registering votes on 29% of ballots in 2024.

Though the numbers inched up for Rollins and Abreu as well, hopes for their election via the BBWAA vote are starting to dim. J-Roll will be in his fifth year of eligibility in 2026 and Abreu will be in his seventh. And both remain behind the upstart Utley.

Then again, Wagner’s yearly vote totals can provide hope for just about anyone:

All of the Phillies on the ballot seem to gain support when their cases are examined closely. Rollins and Abreu just haven’t fully wedged their way into the national discussion.

The best thing Phils fans can do for their ex-stars for is to stay loud and engaged in Hall debates for 2026.

Luckily, we’re pretty good at that.

The overacheiving Flyers hang around in far more games than their talent suggests that they should. That partially explains their record (22-20-6). It also partially explains why the Flyers now lead the league in overtime games, with 15.

In fairness to the Flyers last night, if Travis Konecny had scored on the shot he rang off the crossbar, overtime might not have been necessary. But it was, and to just slightly tweak the old Rasheed Wallace quote, puck don’t lie.

The Flyers are no stranger to two things: Tedious games and facing their old goaltenders.

Last night’s contest checked both boxes, as the teams were tied 1-1 through 60 minutes with Sam Ersson and former Flyer Alex Lyon stopping nearly everything that came their way.

The Flyers dealt with some adversity in this one. Ryan Poehilng is on injured reserve and Scott Laughton missed the game for personal reasons. Their absences gave one Flyer his NHL debut.

It’s always exciting to have a 6’4” rookie center make the big club, though the excitement is a little tempered when that rookie is 29 years old.

Ersson saved the game in the final minute as the Red Wings had the Flyers’ defense scrambling. The Flyers’ netminder made two saves in six seconds to send the game to overtime.

In the extra period, it was a broken play that led to the Flyers’ game-winner.

Rasmus Ristolainen was eventually credited with the game-winner, his second goal of the season.

Winners of five of their last six, the Flyers have a road back-to-back with the Rangers and the Islanders beginning Thursday night.

Last night, the Sixers took the court for the 42nd time this season. In their first 41 games (half the regular season), they were 15-26.

They’re 15-27 now after giving up 77 — that’s right, 77 — first half points to the Nuggets on their way to their seventh straight loss.

Nick Nurse’s starting lineup was alarming in one significant respect.

Any time you can start 36-year-old Eric Gordon and the heavy-footed Andre Drummond against Nikola Jokic and the 26-16 Nuggets at altitude, apparently you have to do it.

In a related story, the Nuggets ran wild and shot 64% from the field in the first half. Partially because the Sixers didn’t have the legs to keep up. Partially because, on more than one occasion, they didn’t seem to have the desire to keep up.

We’d love to tell you that the Sixers “locked all windows and doors” (miss you Zu) in the second half.

But we’ve never lied to you, and we’re not going to start now. Jokic had a triple double (in 27 minutes) with three minutes left…in the third quarter.

It was garbage time from then on, unless we’re willing to call it what it really was: Garbage time from the tip.

The Sixers are off until Friday night when they host another pushover in the (checks notes) 36-6 Cleveland Cavaliers.

As a wise man once said, “well good luck with all that.”

📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

January 22, 1992 was a big day for the Round Mound of Rebound.

📊 Poll

Results from yesterday:

🔗 Links

• 🏈 Khalil Mack would look pretty good in green.

• 🏀 Dan Hurley is a great college baskeball coach — just ask him.

• 🏴‍☠️ Probably best that an 11-year-old pulled the Paul Skenes Patch card, as now Livvy Dunne won’t have to entertain some skeevy memorabilia geek.

• 👱‍♀️ That was in fact Sydney Sweeney courtside in Brooklyn last night.

📺 Coming Up

No games for the locals tonight.

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

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