‘Tough as nails’ | Sports Daily Newsletter

Good morning, Philly, and happy Wednesday.

Today, I want to highlight the story of Susan Tose Spencer, the NFL’s only woman general manager with the Eagles, who held high-ranking positions at a time when no other women occupied top positions in the NFL.

At the age of 35, Tose Spencer enrolled at Villanova Law School. She was already a successful businesswoman, having started her own female tennis apparel company in South Florida in the early 1970s.

But she eventually returned to the Philadelphia area, where her father, Leonard Tose, had owned the Eagles for eight years at that point and was the talk of the town since he bought the team in 1969.

It wasn’t long till she became the Eagles’ legal counsel before her father elevated her to a vice president in 1982. She pored through the team financials and addressed complex player contract and arbitration matters: “She knew how to get things done.”

She also hired several women for key roles within the organization. Tose Spencer, who died on March 24 at age 83, will be remembered as a trailblazer, Christian Red writes.

“Look at all the women in executive positions now on these NFL teams. I think it started in those early ’80s with Susan.” Read more here.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, [email protected].

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The newsletter will take a day off for the Juneteenth holiday, so there will be no Sports Daily on Thursday. We’ll return to your inbox on Friday.

Manager Rob Thomson made the decision to hold right fielder Nick Castellanos out of the lineup after an “inappropriate comment” he made upon being removed in the eighth inning Monday for Johan Rojas as a defensive substitution. Thomson said: “One of the many things about Nick that I love is that he’s very emotional.” And with that, Castellanos’ streak of playing in 236 consecutive games came to an end.

Jesús Luzardo struggled with walks in his return to Miami as the Phillies saw their five-game winning streak come to an end against the Marlins.

After the Eagles won the Super Bowl, Dallas Goedert was uncertain about his future with the team. The tight end spent the first couple of months of the offseason in contact negotiations. He did, however, have a vote of confidence from his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, who told Goedert important he was. The Eagles thought that, too, and restructured his deal. Now, the 30-year-old’s confidence has transcended the football field and he’s becoming more comfortable in his own skin.

On Tuesday morning, Spike’s Trophies and Mural Arts Philadelphia held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Super Bowl mural, which is part of the City of Champions mural series by David McShane — and it looks spectacular.

The 76ers were elated to come away from May’s NBA draft lottery with the No. 3 pick. But it turns out that, predictably, they have the most polarizing selection and have been connected to the most polarizing player. Ace Bailey has prodigious talent, but he also has red flags. And while the Sixers’ pick on June 25 remains up in the air, NBA players and scouts remain bullish on Bailey.

They have consistently said he has the highest upside, with some even suggesting he could be a bigger talent than consensus No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. “Bailey is the one if he hits,” one scout said. “If he hits, he’s better than Cooper Flagg. He’s more athletic. If they’re going one-on-one, I got Ace. I might be wrong, but I’m going with Ace.” Those are strong words told to The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.

The stakes are high for the Flyers in the NHL draft, but general manager Danny Brière and assistant general manager Brent Flahr didn’t show their cards to the media on Tuesday. However, they did provide some insight into three major questions, including whether the Flyers will take a center at No. 6, which sure looks that way.

Flamengo and Espérance fans produced an electric atmosphere Monday as 25,797 spectators showed up at Lincoln Financial Field. Before the game, which saw Flamengo prevail, 2-0, fans from both teams spent the day at Philadelphia’s landmarks, from Reading Terminal Market to City Hall to the Art Museum steps. Soccer is not new to Philadelphia anymore, but the city has never truly seen the kind of cultural moment that also defines the sport. This, finally, was it.

And after a rare season without a trophy, Manchester City aims to win the Club World Cup. City will open the tournament against Morocco’s Wydad at the Linc on Wednesday afternoon.

Which former Phillies pitcher holds the major league record for most balks in his career with 90?

B) Steve Carlton. Thomas M. was first with the correct answer.

We asked: Which Phillies rookie had the best season you can remember? Among your responses:

Dick Allen, hands down. It’s not even close. Look up the numbers. (He still holds the Phillies rookie record for hits in a season.) Bill James (and he is NOT an Allen fan) has said, at the time, it was the second-best rookie season ever, after Joe DiMaggio. I turned 12 that year. — John S.

Dick Allen won NL rookie of the year in 1964. In some ways, it was his greatest career stats year. He played in all 162 games, batting 632 times. Allen had 201 hits that year, batted .318 and scored 125 runs, with 29 HR’s and 91 RBI’s. He took 18 of the 20 ROY first place votes, or 90%. The next best rookie year by a Phillie was probably Ryan Howard, in 2005. He won the rookie of that year in 2005, although he played in only 88 games, batting .288 with 22 HRs and 63 RBIs in just a little more than half the games that season. In his first full season, 2006, he played in 159 games, had 182 hits, batted .313, with 58 HRs and 149 RBI’s, but this was not his rookie year. He won NL Most Valuable Player that year. He never again matched his 2006 season production. — John W.

Good Morning! Suffering through so many losing seasons in the late ’50s and early ’60s, Dick (then Richie) Allen was a shining light in 1964. With other high school friends from Reading, I attended at least a dozen games that year, seeing Allen hit several of his 29 home runs. Before that season the only Phils rookies who excited me were Ed Bouchee in 1957 and Art Mahaffey’s short stint in 1960. But Allen’s numbers have to be the best by a Phillies rookie in the modern era, right? — Peter S.

Dick Allen — Gary G.

Having a “slight” advantage of being around for 85 years and attending my first Phillies baseball game in 1949, the only 2 players that come to mind are Scott Rolen (1997), and Ryan Howard (2005). I’m sure there were more but that’s a really tough question. — Ronald R.

Dick Allen — Robert L.

No contest...Dick Allen...1964...201 hits..29 homers...91 RBI — Richard S.

Hello, I think the Phillie that had the best rookie season was Dick Allen. He won the rookie of the year award. — Margie S.

Phillies have had 4 ROY’s Jack Sanford, Dick Allen, Scott Rolen, and Ryan Howard. Richie Ashburn could have won in 1948 hitting .333 and leading the league in stolen bases, but was beaten out by Alvin Dark of the Giants. I think of the four, Jack Sanford’s 1957 season with a 19-8 record that included 188 strike outs was the best. Of the five mentioned here only Ashburn and Howard had long careers with the Phillies. Quite possibly the most publicized and most important ROY ever was Jackie Robinson in 1947 when he broke the long standing color barrier and changed MLB forever. — Everett S.

That has to be Richie Allen! With a .318 batting average and OBP of .382, he had a fantastic rookie year. Richie also accounted for 216 runs (RBIs and runs scored), plus had an amazing 13 triples with 29 homers. The Phillies came within one game of getting to the World Series with his tremendous season! — Rick R.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Keith Pompey, Christian Red, Joseph Santoliquito, Ariel Simpson, Devin Jackson, Lochlahn March, Jackie Spiegel, and Jonathan Tannenwald.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading. Try to stay cool the rest of the week, Philly. We’ll be back on Friday. — Bella