Good, bad & ugly on Philly sports scene

In sports today we have the good, the bad and the ugly.

Nick Pivetta was rumored to be the odd man out during trade talks as the Phillies flirted with reuniting with their old pal Cole Hamels.

The team did not pull the trigger on the deal. It's paying off. Pivetta has been very good of late. Last night he tossed six scoreless innings, scattering five hits and striking out six as the Phils beat the Diamondbacks to keep their mitts tightly on the top spot in the NL East.

The ugly? You know how they often say that it's possible when you watch a baseball game that you might see something you've never seen before? Happened again last night.

It's something called a "Little League Home Run," which I can admit I had never heard of before. This all started with a bunt by Cesar Hernandez. The ball was fielded but then thrown away, down the right field line. In the meantime, Hernandez was motoring around the bases. The throw to third sailed into the stands. There you have, Hernandez circled the bases on a bunt.

Now, the ugly. Stop me if you've heard this before.

The Sixers' No. 1 draft pick has suffered an ankle injury. Zhaire Smith suffered the setback in a practice summer camp workout. There are reports that he will need surgery and - just like Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel before him - could miss all or part of his rookie season.

Hard to believe, Harry.

Comments