⚾ No. 1 with an asterisk | Sports Daily Newsletter

The Phillies owned the best record in the National League at 32-18 after they finished off a four-game sweep of the dreadful Colorado Rockies on Thursday.

It is worth noting, though, that they have run off seven straight wins by kicking sand in the faces of the 98-pound weaklings of baseball. At 8-42, the Rockies are the worst team in the sport by far. Before that, the Phillies feasted on the last-place Pirates.

True, the Phils can only play whatever teams are on their schedule, no matter how bad they may be. They are 19-3 against losing teams, David Murphy points out, but they are 13-15 against teams whose records are .500 or better.

They have 20 games left against the Mets and the Braves, with Atlanta opening a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park starting Tuesday. At some point, they’ll be playing legitimate baseball teams. So we should find out soon enough what these Phillies are really made of.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, [email protected].

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The newsletter will take some time off for Memorial Day weekend, so there will be no Sports Daily on Monday or Tuesday. We’ll return to your inbox on Wednesday.

Jean Segura played a key role for the Phillies during their run to the World Series in 2022, and the second baseman says the team’s fans hold a special place in his heart.

“ … They’re the best fans I’ve ever had in my career,” Segura said after he announced his retirement from the game at age 35. “Because they care about the game, they care about the players, they love you, but at the same point they let you know, we need you to get better.”

Segura batted .281 in 12 seasons with six teams.

The Phillies offense was strangely quiet in the series finale against the Rockies, but Ranger Suárez pitched 6⅔ scoreless innings in a 2-0 victory. The Phillies completed their first seven-game sweep of a season series.

Trea Turner went hitless Thursday, but he feels like he is starting to drive the ball again. He had two stolen bases in the Colorado series.

Next: The Phillies open a three-game series against the Athletics in Sacramento, Calif., tonight 10:05 (NBCSP). Zack Wheeler (5-1, 2.67 ERA) will start for the Phillies against an A’s pitcher to be determined.

The Philadelphia Athletics packed up and moved to Kansas City in the winter of 1954, but you might be surprised to learn that diehard A’s fans live on in our city. These fans aren’t all octogenarians, either. Von McWilliams, 42, of Chester County is among them.

A petition on Change.org to “bring the Athletics back to Philadelphia” had 755 votes as of Thursday night. The Facebook group “Bring Back the A‘s” has been around since 2010. Alex Coffey examines the phenomenon of Philly-area folks who still follow the A’s.

The 76ers finished this season with a 24-58 record and too many unanswered questions to count. Bruised and battered, they were unsure whether they would keep their draft pick and unclear on Joel Embiid’s health. Only one of those questions has been answered so far, as the Sixers were awarded the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft. That means Inquirer readers have a litany of things they want to ask Sixers reporter Keith Pompey. He takes a crack in our latest mailbag.

Among the many Eagles fans who were overjoyed that the Tush Push survived a vote by NFL owners were Nick Keck and Iris Moore. They paid $130 to personalize a license plate with “TSHPUSH” on it, and they drive a popular car on the city’s roadways.

We asked you: What’s a thing in sports you would love to see banned? Among your responses:

I’d love to see the Tomahawk Chop and accompanying chant gone. KC (NFL) and FSU (NCAA) are the obvious “offenders.” Just seems to me to be not needed in this day and age. — Alan H.

I am not usually old school even at my advanced age (76) but baseball putting a runner on 2nd in extra innings sticks out like a sore thumb. It is bush league crap. If you need the game over sooner, you either play better or admit the game today is not a good enough product anymore. It is a strikeout or home run with an occasional rally tossed in. What a shame ... — George M.

This has to be the dumbest rule of any of the sports. Instead of worrying about the tush push, they should’ve addressed the kickoff rule. The players hate it as well as the fans. “ Professional football players are not allowed to move before the ball is touched on the kickoff roll because of the illegal motion rule. This rule was instituted to prevent players from generating the speed expected from a 15-yard run-up before the kick, thus potentially reducing the speed and impact of collisions down the field.” — Ronald R.

Among things that should be banned or changed ... Got this from my former Philadelphia friend Mike Pantalione, our retired and highly successful Yavapai College (Ariz.) soccer coach who will be inducted into the Jr. College Hall of Fame in North Carolina next month:

Eliminate the “extra time” officials can use at their discretion. Go with the college rules. Example: In college, 10 seconds remaining in the match means 10 seconds — not 10 seconds plus three minutes of extra time. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, Lochlahn March, Alex Coffey, Matt Breen, Keith Pompey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Isabella DiAmore, and Owen Hewitt.

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.

Thank you for reading. Just a reminder that Sports Daily is taking some time off for the holiday weekend. We’ll see you on Wednesday. — Jim