Brace Yourselves: Bernie Sanders Is Coming to Philly

Bernie Sanders (Getty Images), who’s coming to Philadelphia to rally with Helen Gym (photo via Helen Gym for Mayor campaign)

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Bernie Sanders and AOC Are Coming to Philly to Rally With Helen Gym

If you’re not doing anything in the late afternoon or early evening this Sunday and hanging out with Bernie Sanders and AOC feels like something you want to do with your spare time, you’re in luck!

The not-at-all-polarizing pair are coming to Philly to rally with Helen Gym. The whole thing is happening at Franklin Music Hall (née Electric Factory), with doors opening at 4:30 p.m.

“I’m so excited to have local and national leaders join us in celebrating the incredible work that everyone has been doing in the lead-up to this election, and to talk about what is at stake on Tuesday,” said Gym in a statement announcing the Sanders visit. (The AOC announcement came later.) “This campaign has always been about bringing people together to reshape political systems so that they meet people’s needs — from quality public education and affordable housing to workers’ rights and real community safety. This rally is all about joy, possibility, and people power, and that’s the energy we’re bringing with us into election day.”

There are some potential conflicts that might draw your attention elsewhere on Sunday. Should the 76ers not beat the Celtics in Game 6 on Thursday (perish the thought!), that means Game 7 is on Sunday. A must-watch.

And I know 60,000 or so people who won’t be at the Helen Gym rally: All the people who managed to get tickets for Taylor Swift’s closing performance at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

Also Sunday: Mother’s Day!

Allan Domb and the World’s Largest Cannoli

Allan Domb might not have the support of national leaders like Bernie Sanders and AOC, but he does have an event that, apparently, features the world’s largest cannoli. I’ll just leave this right here:

(Image via RIM Cafe/Facebook)

Take that, Helen Gym.

America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places Include Two Spots in Philadelphia

Each year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation puts out a list of the most endangered historic places in the United States. And this year, Philadelphia landed on it twice. First up is the Tanner House. That’s the North Philadelphia rowhouse that once belonged to Henry Ossawa Tanner, who has been called the “most distinguished African American artist of the 19th century.” And then a particularly timely choice: Chinatown. The report naturally cites the proposed Sixers arena as the main reason to be worried.

By the Numbers

$450,000: Amount a local woman was scammed out of after she thought she met her dream guy on Hinge.

$400,000: Value of the cocaine found in a drawstring bag by officials at the Philadelphia International Airport.

$50: Total amount a local real estate agent has spent on her write-in campaign for City Council, which is probably why you’ve never heard the name Robin Aluko. But hey, you have to start somewhere.

$7.25: Still the minimum wage in Philadelphia, as protesters pointed out on Tuesday. That puts us among the lowest minimum wages in the country. Keep in mind that Philly is the poorest big city in the nation.

And from the Oooh-Look-At-Us! Sports Desk …

My weekly volleyball game last night tipped off at the same time as Game 5 of the Sixers-Celtics playoff series. Sure, I thought about blowing volleyball off, but what kind of teammate would that make me? And I’m a big believer in sports karma: What goes around comes around. So I went to volleyball, and after it was over, I hurried out at 9:45 and turned the game on the car radio as I drove home, holding my breath. Hey, no worries! Joel Embiid was just sinking a free throw to put the Sixers up 16.

You know who was at the game, though, in person? Our own intrepid digital editor, Laura Swartz. Read about everything she saw and heard right here.

I made it home with two minutes left in the game. It turns out Tyrese was huge. Danuel House took a star turn. P.J. Tucker ruled! Joel was a jewel. It figures that the one game I miss in this series is the one that wouldn’t have given me ulcers to watch. My team lost every single volleyball game last night, BTW, and you know what? It was totally worth it for the sports karma. Sixers win, 115-103! Bring on Game 6, on Thursday night in our house!

PLAY THE SONG!!!

LFG!!! THE SIXERS STEAL GAME 5 AND TAKE A 3-2 SERIES LEAD OVER THE CELTICS!!! pic.twitter.com/RvYBO9VDdC

— NBA Slime (@TerryFranconia) May 10, 2023

And the Phils?

They began a brief two-game series with the Blue Jays last night at home, with Alek Manoah pitching for Toronto and Aaron Nola for our side. I was at volleyball for that game, too, but when I got home, I was delighted to see that the Phils won, 8-4. That’s the way to start a series! Nick Castellanos had a single, a homer and a double. Brandon Marsh had a two-run double. Craig Kimbrel finished things off with a one-two-three ninth. Nola made it through six innings, having only given up two runs. Post-game, Castellanos was made to suffer, despite his wariness:

Took the Daycare crime like a champ pic.twitter.com/gPUjsD0InY

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 10, 2023

On the downside, Kyle Schwarber fouled a ball off his own foot and had to leave the game in the seventh. The teams meet again today at 4:05.

For the Futbol Fans…

The Union had a home match last night vs. Minnesota to start the round of 32 in something known as the U.S. Open Cup, which people tend not to pay much attention to. The Union’s first goal, by youngster Chris Donovan, came in the 77th minute, with the team down 2-0. And a sweet goal by Kai Wagner in overage put the game into overtime in a 2-2 tie.

https://twitter.com/PhilaUnion/status/1656124386942877696

Alas, Minnesota scored in the 103rd minute to spoil the Union comeback. But then … holy moly, Kai scored again, on a free kick, with less than a minute to go! “What a goal! What a game!” the announcer cried. On to penalty kicks! It was 1-1 after the first round … 2-2 after two … an Andre Blake block on Minnesota in round three … but Matt Real was blocked as well: still 2-2. Fourth round: 3-3! Fifth round: Minnesota lands it. Julián Carranza for us: and he lands it, too! Sixth: Minnesota’s is good. And ours, by Jeremy Rafenello, is good as well! Seventh round. If you ever thought soccer was boring, you should have been watching. All down to Damion Lowe, who hits his!

Round eight: Minnesota scores. Kai Wagner up for the Union. Could he keep us in the game?

Nope. He’s blocked, and Minnesota goes through to the next round. Eh. From hero to zero. What a cruel world.

All Philly Today Sports Desk coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.