The Phillies’ game of musical chairs: B-
The Phillies spent the trade deadline doing the baseball equivalent of rearranging an entire office while everyone was still working.
Luis Arraez arrived to play second base. Bryson Stott moved to third, where he had all of two major league games of experience. Alec Bohm slid over to first. Bryce Harper returned to right field for the first time since 2022. Trea Turner, despite having the roughest defensive numbers of the bunch, stayed exactly where he was.
Stott’s response was basically: Tell me where to stand. Harper volunteered to move before the trade was even finished. When the two-time MVP agrees to return to the position where he tore his UCL four years ago because it’s what gives the team the best chance to win, everyone else loses the right to be precious about their assigned seat.
For one night, the whole thing looked inspired. Arraez drove in two runs in his debut, Harper caught everything hit his way, and the Phillies won, 5-0. Then Wednesday arrived with an 11-inning loss, two injury scares, six runs allowed in the final frame, and a reminder that moving the furniture around does not repair the entire house.
Still, the Phillies needed something different, and different is certainly what they got. Arraez has already brought the bat and the energy… the rest of the lineup just has to remember where it’s playing.
Katherine Ross, left, and John Pacewicz, right, get married in Love Park surrounded by friends and family and their dog Hoagie, in Philadelphia, October 8, 2025.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
LOVE Park’s 1,000th wedding: A+
The average wedding comes with a carefully curated guest list.
A LOVE Park wedding comes with whoever happens to be walking through Center City that afternoon.
Nearly 1,000 couples have decided that’s exactly how they want to begin married life, Philly Voice calculated, exchanging vows beneath one of Philadelphia’s most recognizable landmarks while the city keeps doing what it does around them.
Maybe there’s a SEPTA train rumbling underneath. Maybe someone wanders into the background of your photos. Maybe a guy with a microphone decides this is also the perfect place for his performance. Whatever happens, it’s part of the ceremony, which really is part of the allure.
Gov. Shapiro’s music video debut: B+
There are plenty of places you’d expect to see Gov. Josh Shapiro.
The Capitol, a Phillies game, maybe the Pennsylvania Farm Show judging the butter sculptures.
A Meek Mill music video isn’t one of them.
Shapiro’s cameo in the sequel to Dreams and Nightmares only lasts a few seconds, but it’s enough to make you rewind and ask, “Wait… was that Josh Shapiro?” Turns out it was. The footage came from a backstage meeting at the One Philly: Unity Concert.
It actually makes perfect sense given Shapiro and Meek’s long relationship through criminal justice reform. But context disappears pretty quickly when you’re watching one of Philadelphia’s most iconic rap songs and the governor suddenly walks onscreen.
The Great Cheesesteak Ketchup Debate: B
There are certain questions guaranteed to start an argument in Philadelphia. Pat’s or Geno’s? Wiz or Cooper Sharp? Is Dallas Goedert underrated?
This week, Reddit tackled another one: Does ketchup belong on a cheesesteak? The answer, according to multiple Philadelphians, is… maybe.
The comments were surprisingly reasonable. Plenty of people argued that a great cheesesteak shouldn’t need ketchup, but a dry one absolutely benefits from it. Others pointed out that “salt, pepper, ketchup” has been a standard order for decades, while one former South Philly steak shop worker declared, “The ketchup pump is there for a reason.”
The real plot twist wasn’t ketchup, though. It was the original poster casually revealing that his wife puts mayo and pickles on her cheesesteaks… and dips plain cheese pizza in ketchup. Suddenly, everyone stopped arguing about him.
For once, Philadelphia found common ground.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal reacts after a play at home plate during the sixth inning of game against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)Melissa Tamez
The Dodgers do it again: D
The Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal, because apparently the two-time defending World Series champions with Shohei Ohtani still needed the two-time reigning Cy Young winner.
It’s the baseball equivalent of the kid who already got the biggest slice of birthday cake asking if anyone’s going to finish theirs.
The Dodgers have built one of the best organizations in sports. They draft well, develop prospects, spend money, and somehow all at once. GOOD FOR THEM.
It’s also exhausting (and boring). Part of what makes sports fun is believing more than one team has a legitimate shot. When the same handful of franchises keep adding MVPs and Cy Young winners, it starts to feel less like a pennant race and more like everyone else is competing for second place.
Still, nobody in the clubhouse seemed interested in panicking. Stott said the Phillies aren’t scared of anyone, and Schwarber’s message was simpler: First, make the postseason. October has humbled plenty of superteams before.
Still… it would be nice if the Dodgers took a trade deadline off every once in a while.
David Elder cools off with a cold towel draped over his head as he walks through South Philadelphia on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. Forecasters are predicting a heat wave across the region over the next several days.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Summer’s greatest hits: F
The forecast has basically been on repeat for weeks now.
High around 90. Humidity that makes your shirt stick to your back before you finish your morning coffee. Then, somewhere between lunch and dinner, a downpour pops up just long enough to flood one neighborhood while the next one barely gets a sprinkle.
The weather has reached the point where nobody asks, “Is it supposed to rain today?” We just assume the answer is yes and hope it doesn’t happen during the 15 minutes we’re outside.
The worst part is the false hope. Every time the forecast teases a “slight relief,” it lasts about 12 hours and then we’re right back to sweating through our shirts and wondering whether the afternoon commute will include flash flooding.
I’m the planning and coverage editor for features, helping shape coverage, plan big projects, and strengthen collaboration across the newsroom. I help steer our weekend franchises, special section issues, and long-term feature plans — the big, ambitious stuff that keeps readers coming back.