The Phillies have entered the All-Star Break with an 8 1/2-game lead over the Braves in the National League East (which Atlanta has won six times in a row), a 6 1/2-game lead over the Dodgers for the NL's best record, and a 3 1/2-game lead over The Team Formerly Known As The Cleveland Indians for the best record in all of Major League Baseball.
Meanwhile, not only did the Eagles vastly outperform "America's Team" in both the draft and free agency, but no team in the NFC East has won the division in back-to-back seasons since the Eagles did it four consecutive times from 2001 through 2004 (Dallas won the NFC East last season).
And finally, a healthy Joel Embiid, who missed 43 games in 2023-24 due to various injuries, could catapult the Sixers to a potential NBA championship — or at least to their first appearance in the Eastern Conference championship series since 2001.
(Of course, the Flyers also play in the City of Brotherly Love — but let's not dwell on the ridiculous.)
In addition to the leads the Phillies hold across the board, catcher J.T. Realmuto (who is Italian-American — not Hispanic as many, if not most, people think) could be back as soon as this coming Monday, recovering from meniscus surgery (and in case anyone who reads this ever gets on Jeopardy, the initials "J.T." stand for "Jacob Tyler").
With Realmuto back in the proverbial saddle, it would appear that the road to the Commissioner's Trophy (be honest — did you know what its name was?) runs through our nation's original capital, and the city that will host the Quadrimillenial Exposition — that's the World's Fair, for those of you in Rio Linda, West Palm Beach and Staten Island — in 2026 (also in 2026, the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament).
Now to the Eagles. After poaching running back Saquon Barkley from the division rival Giants, signing the speedy Parris Campbell to replace Quez Watkins at wide receiver, bringing C.J. Gardner-Johnson back from his one-year sojourn in Detroit, and trading for quarterback Kenny Pickett, who will very quickly become a fan favorite if Jalen Hurts picks up where he left off at the end of last season, the Eagles will also have four of their last five games at Lincoln Financial Field, including a late-time-slot game against Dallas on December 29.
Charles Barkley (no relation to Saquon) has gone so far as to guarantee that the Eagles will win Super Bowl XLIX.
(Who do you think you are, Charles — Joe Namath?)
Last, but not least, the Sixers. In the 2023-24 regular season, they were 31-8 in games in which Embiid played — and 16-27 when he didn't (like Realmuto this year, Embiid sustained a meniscus injury last year). In the draft, they landed guard Jared McCain of Duke in the first round and power forward Adem Bona of UCLA in the second. In free agency, Daryl Morey, the team's president of basketball operations, brought home the summer's prize catch by signing forward Paul George, late of the Clippers (the team did, however, lose forward Tobias Harris in free agency to the Pistons, for whom he had previously played).
This kind of proactiveness is very rare among the city's sports teams — and bodes very well for the months to come.
Hope they're ready for a parade — or maybe even multiple parades. It would be an ideal dress rehearsal for the festivities in 2026.
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