The Bats Wake Up, the Sixers Go Nuclear, and the Flyers Get Busy

Philly sports didn’t just give us headlines this week, it gave us whiplash. I’m solo on the mic, breaking down a week where the Phillies finally start hitting like they remember who they are, the Sixers pull off a trade that instantly resets expectations, and the Flyers keep making moves that look a lot like a rebuild clock hitting zero.

On the Phillies side, I dig into what it means when Trea Turner starts driving the ball again and Bryce Harper keeps setting the tone. With the offense trending up, the real conversation shifts to roster needs: do the Phillies go get another bat, or is starting pitching depth now the priority? I also get blunt about Aaron Nola, why his outings are putting extra stress on a bullpen that hasn’t been sharp lately, and why a postseason plan might require a tough role change.

Then it’s on to the biggest shocker: reports of the Sixers landing Jalen Brown in a massive swing that ships out Paul George and burns serious draft capital. I unpack why the trade is thrilling, why it’s dangerous, and why it puts immediate heat on the new decision-makers if it doesn’t end in a deep playoff run or a title-level ceiling.

Finally, the Flyers. I react to key extensions, smart depth signings, and the rumor that has fans split down the middle: Claude Giroux possibly coming home. Is it a savvy veteran fit for a young team, or is it Flyers nostalgia trying to drive the plan again? Listen, then subscribe, share the show with a fellow Philly fan, and leave a review with your hottest take on the week.

Transcript

Welcome And Philly Sports Pulse

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Welcome back to another episode of Brotherly Love Sports. I'm your host, Adam Curran, and we have quite the episode today because a lot is going on in the world of Philadelphia Sports. And they're giving us all the content this week. The Phillies offense is finally looking like it remembered how to score runs. The Sixers just did something I didn't expect them to do. And then there's the Flyers making moves like a team that believes the rebuild clock is over. So yeah, this episode might be a fun one. Today it's just me. Unfortunately, couldn't get any guest on. That's okay. I'll try to hold down the fort.

Phillies Offense Finally Breaks Through

SPEAKER_00 1:10

So let's get it rolling with the Phillies. Just coming off a game where Sanchez pitched great. They beat Pittsburgh 8-0. The offense had some real contributions. And from Turner, Crawford, Harper, and Marsh, Turner looks like he is definitely starting to get things going. And you love to see it. I hope it continues. It needs to continue. Because if he's not going to get the back going and stay hot, this offense is still going to look bad. And the Phillies have won the last eight of their 11 games. So, you know, I wouldn't say this is some fluke. They're starting to look like the team we know they can be. You know, at first, teams seem to be more surviving with pitching, or I shouldn't say surviving, dominating with pitching, surviving with offense. And now you're seeing the bats come to life and, you know, carry their weight, doing what they're supposed to

Nola Concerns And Trade Deadline Needs

SPEAKER_00 2:10

do. Unfortunately, for the first game of this Pittsburgh series, bats weren't enough to to carry Nola. So they they really gotta figure out what the hell's going on with him and what to do about him. But when Turner's driving the ball and Harper is doing Harper things, Schwarber's always a threat when he comes up to the plate. The the whole lineup kind of feels solidified. Almost like it juices everybody else and just makes everybody that much better. But the real question for them still remains at this point, do you now need another bat? Or do you need another arm? And the the bullpen has not been great as of late. Starting pitching has largely been very good. I would still argue you need a starting pitcher at this point. Uh I know a few weeks ago I was I was definitely high on yet another bat. If the offense is going to do what they're what they're capable of doing and continue to do what I know they can do, then I think a starting pitcher is what you need. Said it before, I'll say it again. Nola's best days are behind him. What he got into the fifth inning before he had an absolute meltdown. So what did I say at the beginning of the season? He's got maybe five innings left in him, and you need to monitor him very closely. And the bullpen not being as as good as they should be. Well, here we are. You you get a bad game from Nola. Your offense is keeping pace, but you don't also want to just diminish your bullpen for that game being down a run. I think Madden Lee came out and said something similar. You're you're not gonna, I think he said something along the lines like you're not gonna go chase a win, especially when your bullpen isn't performing at its highest level right now. And and I get that. Like you shouldn't go chasing wins. That's almost sounded like you're throwing in the towel on a game, which nobody likes to hear, but as far as a long-term game is concerned, I do understand it. All that being said, I think at this point you gotta move Nola into the pen and just make him one of your, I don't know, pot like mid to long-term reliever. The guy's not a starter anymore, but he can probably come out of the bullpen and give you two, three, maybe four innings if needed. And I say that with a little hesitation. But as it stands right now, the guy's not gonna be on the starting pitching staff for the postseason. Because you you in the postseason, you can't afford for him to have a game like he just had. Got through three innings, looked was looking pretty good, and you're like, okay, yeah. Things just didn't work out for him. And it seems like they never do anymore. His stuff is diminished. He looks tired. He is not the same pitcher that he used to be, and I think the Phillies organization needs to come to terms with that and either go get somebody that's uh halfway decent that you can stick in that fourth or fifth spot, stick Nola in the pen, and move on. Let the offense cook, let Wheeler and Sanchez continue the deal. Lazardo holds his spot as the third guy. Yeah, I I think you you really need that that fourth and possibly fifth starter. But you need at least one guy.

Sixers Swing Big For Jalen Brown

SPEAKER_00 5:47

All right, let's move into the big news of the Sixers. And since I record these Wednesday nights, the fact that this broke earlier today is wow. So multiple people, I I got the notification from ESPN, but multiple people are reporting that the Celtics have agreed to trade Jalen Brown to the Sixers for Paul George, two first round picks and two second round picks. So to break that down a little bit, Boston is getting a 28 first, a 31 first, a 28 second, and a 32nd. 20, 20, 30 second round. They finally did something super aggressive that I didn't think that they were gonna do. And they just gave up like first round picks, like that, those are big capital. And especially for a team you hope is going to continue to take steps forward, but there's I mean, there's no guarantee. Like that this is one of those trades where new GM has barely been in the in the organization for a month, and after a trade like this, dude, you are now in the hot seat. You you don't give up four picks like that. Oh, and by the way, it's a Boston of all teams just to bring back a guy. Now, Jalen Brown, great player. Happy to see they got him. But if you don't go out and either make a deep run in the playoffs or really win the whole damn thing, then this was a wasted trade. And I mean the other part of that is if you don't lock down Brown for a multiple multiple year extension, because I'll be honest, I didn't look at his contract. I don't know what's still left there. I I assume he's got to be coming due in the near future. And if you don't resign him, then this was also a wasted trade. You just gave up four picks for a rental. And if you don't win anything, then it was a really, really bad trade. So yeah, I I say new GM. Yeah. Seat may not be scorching hot yet, but it's probably getting a little warm. We'll continue to monitor and see how things play out. And I'm not the biggest Sixers guy. And I've been very, very upfront about that, but I will I keep enough in my head to have an intelligent conversation. I like Brown. I don't like everything we gave up for him. Getting rid of George is whatever. I never thought he was a long-term solution. He's he's towards the end of his career, anyways. The the fact when they got him, it was just kind of it was one of those, like, okay, you know, that there was nothing excitable there. Like, yeah, cool, it's Paul George. But hopefully it's not the Sixers just pretending to be competitors, and like this actually pushes their their ceiling up a little bit, and they are going to be able to compete. Now then.

Flyers Extensions Depth Moves And Direction

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Well, move on to the Flyers. Because the Flyers are doing a lot of things, and Danny feels like he's taking a page out of Howie's book. And uh most of the GMs in the city need to need to take notes. Especially if the moves Danny's choosing to make here end up paying off big dividends. So we're gonna start with some of the big extensions that they give out. They extended Forster, they gave him eight years, total 56.8 million. That's you know, 7.1 AV. He's a he's definitely a big long-term piece. He seemed a little off this season. I'm chalking it up to injury. Uh, you're you can only hope that in the off-season he training goes well for him, gets a little stronger, and then comes back and returns to goal forester, as we've seen so far. But if he really starts to to consistently put pucks in the back of the net, then hey, this is probably one of the smarter moves that they've they've made. The other extension that I liked was Vladar. I and granted, it's probably a little riskier. Vladar put up great numbers, uh career numbers for him. He set career highs last season in wins, games played, starts, goals against, and save percentage. And it's pretty clear that the the Flyers offering him his five-year, you know, 5.5 million extension means that they don't believe last year was just a fluke. That's great. I love to see the faith in him. I am not completely sold on him being the guy, but I could be wrong. He he did play very well last season. Very well. And I like that they finally didn't do something stupid and just throw dumb money at a goalie who you're not like 100% sure of. And I mean that with all due respect, Mr. Vladar. You had an amazing season. I hope the momentum carries over. But I like that the Flyers essentially said, here's a good show of faith. We like you, we want you to stay. And he chose to accept. So hopefully that that will pay dividends for us. The Flyers also had some recent, what I would call more depth signings. They nobody on this list is of major note. They got uh Jack Stadnica, he's on a two-year, two-way deal. Danila Klamovic, one-year, two-way deal. Zach Aston Reese is on a two-year deal. And Cam Denin is on a two-year, two-way deal. All those guys sound like they're gonna be starting out the season in Lehigh Valley. That that's probably to replace maybe some pieces they're they're losing from the Phantoms. Uh, I don't think anybody crest uh deal in the millions. I'll have to double check that. I mean, regardless, all of them are very team-friendly contracts, the kind that sound like, yeah, you know what, go go play in the AHL. We'll call you if we need you. Intentional signings. And I don't hate them, I don't love them. They're just what it is. They're they're signings that organizations make. At times they need to make them. Now, the Flyers did offer qualifying offers to the following guys: Jamie Drysdale, Hunter McDonald, Nikita Gribenkin, and Trevor Zegris. And really, out of out of those four guys, Drysdale and Ziegris are the two big names here, and both guys I think you need to keep. Drysdale played a hell of a season, and Ziegris, I think by all accounts, was probably the best player on the team last year. His on play, his play on the ice certainly showed it. And I I think those are key pieces that help shape what this organization becomes. Now, there's been some rumors floating around that the Flyers have interest in Giro. And anybody that is old enough to remember the you know 2010 through like 2012 seasons when like Drew was was really hitting his stride. I love him coming back. He's a veteran presence. He's potentially another solid center that this team desperately needs. And I think he comes back with less pressure, a a better, better mentor to this very young team. And with him not wearing the C, I would love to just, you know, he now his job is just to go out there and play hockey. He doesn't have to be the captain. I would love to see what that version of Drew looks like because I already loved the version that I saw before he got the C and while he wore the C while he was here. I mean, come on. It's G. Having him come back, I I I love the idea.

Emergency Group Chat On Giroux Rumors

SPEAKER_00 14:16

All right, so now we're gonna get into we're gonna get into a little fun segment. And I'm gonna think I'm gonna name this one Emergency Philly Group Chat. I think that name fits because this week has felt like one of those weeks where your phone starts buzzing and you know something ridiculous is going on. So today I'm sure if people's phones are blown up about the trade for Jalen Brown, like phone probably hasn't stopped buzzing for the last hour if you're huge Six Years fans. Phillies offense finally waking up. Like to today I had one of my one of my buddies text our fantasy group chat and ask if if Skeens is cooked. He does not he did not look good at tonight's Phillies game. The Phillies are currently winning eight to four in that game. So that tells you how Skeens Day went. And then the other part of the group chats is the Flyers being interested in bringing Claude Giroux home. And for our group chat particularly, this is probably the one that got the most attention. So I'm gonna read some text that had to do with the rumor of IG potentially coming home. And and Brett, I want you to come back on the show. We we need to air this out. I think this would make for some great times. But since he is not here to defend himself, I can only read his text. Fry shared this in our group chat. Myself and Matt jumped on it and were like, you know, love it. I think like, you know, it makes sense. It would be great to see G wearing orange and black again. Brett almost immediately jumps in after that and says he is out, turn the page. Fry started quoting some stats. I went with the he's a solid veteran presence, and I see nothing but benefit here. Fry also noted, like, you know, don't go out and spend stupid money on him. And he's right, you shouldn't. But you know, you get him for a two-year, four and a half mil. Like it's a nice, nice way to call it quits after that. Brett seems to think that that is just a culture of losing. And I chimed in and asked, how? How is how is that a culture of losing? Brett's retort was, what did we win when he was here? It's like you you can't you can't blame G for that. G played well. The organization didn't put a whole lot around him. I mean, they had good talent, but they never quite got over that hurdle. Fry did bring up that he's a 63% face-off guy uh in 82 games. I'm pretty sure that was a reference to last season. So that would be a step up from most of mostly what we had. Brett countered with that and said, that mindset right there has been the problem for 50 years. I went and said, no, the inability to assemble a proper roster due to a dysfunctional front office and a shit ownership group is the problem. Bringing back one guy who's been a solid player his whole career to help mentor this young group is a good thing. And again, no, I'm not saying bring him back to inside him to stupid money, like this organization has been so well known for doing in the past. But the quality is there for the right number. Brett says he can scream about him for hours because he is so fucking overrated. And that's where we we kind of switch gears and into other stuff. Uh, he's G has never been an overrated guy. I think the city expected so much from him. Like, truly, back in the day when when when he was more at the height of his career here, we expected more. And one guy can only do so much. He like, you're not always gonna find guys like like Wayne Gretzky, one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Yeah, you also gotta give them a good supporting cast, which I don't think the Flyers ever did. They, for the most part, went for top-tier talent rather than best supporting player. And I think that plays a difference because if you always go for the best talent available, you're not always going to get the best play out of the talent. That the talent needs to complement the guy or guys you're trying to build around. And I don't think the Flyers have ever been overly good at that. At least not in my lifetime. They they always seem to be a couple pieces away. And more so in my lifetime, it seems they've been more of a goalie and solid defense away. They gave up on Bob too soon. They they got Mason and held on to him for years, but never had a great defense in front of him. So here's the question for the emergency group chat. Are we allowed to want Drew back, or is is it just Flyers Nostalgia messing with us again? Because if he comes back and it and it helps the the power play, it helps the locker room, uh, he wins faceoffs, gives the young guys another veteran to lean on, then cool. Like I'm that that's what I want. That's what I'm after with this. But if he's coming back just so people can say, remember that guy? He was pretty good while he was here. Well, then no, don't don't waste your money. I I will 100% back Brett and say, like, that well, this is a dumb move. But I don't think that's what it is. And I don't think this is just me getting caught up in nostalgia of what Drew used to be. I still think his presence means something, especially within the Flyers organization. There are Brett is the first guy I've ever talked to that absolutely hates him. And I can't understand why. So, Brett, when you listen to this, give me a shout. Gotta get you back on the show. Anybody else that would love to talk about why G is a good or bad fit for this organization as they currently stand? I'd love to hear your input.

Trivia Answer And New Question

SPEAKER_00 20:46

And with that, I will shut that segment down and move on to the answer to last week's question. So, question of the week last week was before Harper hit for the cycle, who was the last Phillies player to hit for the cycle? Tommy, you answered correctly on Facebook. It was indeed Weston Wilson. For those that don't remember, Weston hit for the cycle at the bank against the Nats in a 13-3 route that was August 15th, 2024. And shortly thereafter, I he didn't really do anything else. He just he had a good game. Uh, interestingly enough, he is the first player since, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, since David Bell to hit for the cycle in Citizen Spank Park prior to Harper doing it. That that felt weird saying, because I, and I've talked to several other people, that absolutely hated Bell while he was here. Won't dive too deep into that. We'll move we'll move on to the question of this week. So since G is kind of back in the news and specifically tying him to the Flyers, let's go with this. Drew is second all time in Flyers franchise history in points. Who is the only flyer ahead of him? I will post that question to social media, and I will reveal the answer next

Weekly Wrap And How To Reach Me

SPEAKER_00 22:20

week. Philly Sports has really given us some of everything going on this week. Got some hope from the Phillies. We're getting chaos from the Sixers, and the Flyers are starting to pick a direction. I absolutely love seeing it. But that's going to do it for me here on the Brotherly Love Sports Podcast. If you like the show, share me with a fellow fan. Send me a text, send me a voice message, and I will talk to you guys next week.