RFK Jr. to Launch Independent Presidential Bid in Philadelphia Today

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — RFK Jr. is announcing his presidential bid today. / Photograph by Mario Tama/Getty Images

RFK Jr. to Launch Independent Presidential Bid in Philadelphia Today

Robert Kennedy Jr., who has spent decades dragging down his family’s name and getting handsy with conspiracy theorists, has most recently spent his one precious life attempting to wrest the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination away from Joe Biden. Surprise! That hasn’t worked.

So in an attempt to convince three percent of voters to climb aboard the Kennedy train next November, he’s spending today launching an independent bid from the National Constitution Center, the AP reports. The good news for RFK Jr.: a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll has him at 14 percent in a hypothetical Biden-Trump-Kennedy race. The bad news: No one actually believes he’ll pull even 14 percent, never mind enough voters to actually win the election.

Despite his family’s political history — and, you know, the fact that he’s been running for the Democratic presidential nomination — a September Quinnipiac survey found that 48 percent of Republicans have favorable opinions of Kennedy, while only 14 of Democrats feel the same way.

The rally kicks off at noon.

The PPA Would Really Like It If You Didn’t Hate It Anymore

In our October issue, I profiled Rich Lazer, the new head of the PPA. His focus on quality-of-life issues — towing abandoned vehicles, bike lane enforcement, responding to constituent complaints in a timely fashion — has drawn praise from a wide swath of the city. (Though if you look at the Instagram comments on the story, you’d be hard-pressed to find any of that praise.) Let me know what you think.

By The Numbers

$1.55B: Tonight’s Powerball jackpot, the third-largest in history.

47 degrees: This morning’s temperature, the lowest we’ve seen in Philly since May. Fall!

+200: the Phils’ odds to win the National League pennant, surpassing both the Braves and Dodgers after their respective Game 1 losses.

And from the All-Good Sports Desk …

In Atlanta on Saturday evening, Spencer Strider was on the mound for the Braves in the first game of the Phils’ Eastern Division playoff series, and he started it in style, with a leadoff double to Kyle Schwarber, a Trea Turner fielder’s choice, a wild pitch, and a Bryce Harper single. Alas, Alec Bohm then hit into a double play. Still! Lots of bats on the ball. Ranger Suárez was our starter, and he got a ground-out, a strikeout and a fly-out. Take that!

In the fourth, Harper walked and reached second on a throwing error on a pickoff try, and with two outs and two strikes on him, Stott brought him home with a single. Stott then stole second, but Realmuto struck out. With two out in the bottom half, Matt Olson got a single — the first Braves hit of the game. He was out at second on an Albies grounder, but the Braves challenged and got the call overturned. That was all for Suárez despite his fine performance, and Jeff Hoffman came in to walk Marcell Ozuna and load them up, then strike Michael Harris out.

Seranthony came in for the sixth, and Orlando Arcia singled; social media was grumbling about a bullpen game against these guys. After Murphy struck out, Eddie Rosario got a pinch-hit single, but Seranthony struck out Ron Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley. And Bryce whacked a one-out homer in the top of the sixth: 2-0.

https://twitter.com/GoPhils__/status/1710806288077316458

It was amateur jeweler José Alvarado for the bottom half, and Albies got a one-out single, but that was it. Strider notched a one-two-three seventh and then, in the dugout, could be seen arguing vehemently with manager Brian Snitker to stay in. Meantime, rookie Orion Kerkering (best b-ball name ever!) came in for the Phils. Is it just me, or does he look exactly like Tim Robbins in Bull Durham? And the kid got three outs on nine pitches. Dad was crying somewhere!

Strider lost the argument, and A.J. Minter came in to get Schwarbs on a strikeout. Turner then singled, bringing Harper up. Turner stole second before Harper could even swing, then stole third just to rub their noses in it. Harper walked, and Pierce Johnson came in for Minter to face Bohm, who’d struck out thrice. Make it four times. Stott at bat! He walked to load them, and with Realmuto up, Murphy got a catcher’s-interference call that put J.T. on first and brought in a run. This call, too, was challenged, but the umps let it stand. The crowd was, ahem, not pleased and hurled bottles and cans on the field. And they say Philly fans have no class.

Matt Strahm came on for Kerkering after the latter walked Acuna to start the bottom half, and Riley singled off him. Olson flew out, and a magnificent snag by Turner at short got the double play to end it. Raisel Iglesias got Marsh, Rojas and Schwarber in the ninth, and it was up to Craig Kimbrel, who got Ozuna on a pop-up, Harris on a grounder, and Arcia on a fly-out. Woo! One down! Great win!

Braves led the majors with 947 runs scored in the regular season – 41 more than any other team.

They had been shutout twice all season – never at home and not since May 12th.

Ranger Suarez and 6(!) relievers combine to hold them scoreless in Game 1. What a performance.

— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) October 8, 2023

Game 2 is tonight in Atlanta, 6:07 start.

Did the Eagles Fly?

It was Jalen Hurts to Dallas Goedert almost all the way on the Eagles’ opening drive in their Cali face-off with the L.A. Rams on Sunday, for the fast 7-0 lead.

https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1711113397860016275

But the Rams’ Matt Stafford matched that with a long drive that relied on Cooper Kupp: 7-7. The Eagles’ opening second-quarter drive didn’t go as well, and the Birds had to punt; so did the Rams, though. The L.A. D got a sack on Hurts on the following drive, but he recouped, and we got a field goal: 10-7. Cooper Kupp came through again for Stafford under the two-minute mark, with a 39-yard catch putting them at the 22-yard line. That’s when our D finally got to Matt for a sack. Alas, Stafford then connected with Puka Nacua for a TD: 14-10, with 32 seconds to go in the half. A Hurts run, an A.J. Brown catch, and a horse-collar call on Derion Kendrick put us at the 15 with seven seconds to go, and a pass-interference call, again on Kendrick, took the Eagles to the one for the Brotherly Shove TD: 17-14 at the half!

The Rams messed around for a while and then punted on their second-half opening drive, but Covey let it go and it bounced in at the six. A terrific toss by Hurts to Goedert — who else? — saved our tushes, but Jalen then got picked off at the goal line. Damn. At least they had to punt. A long Eagles drive with some fancy Hurts running and a long pass to A.J., and we were at the 21. A missed opportunity on a wide-open Quez Watkins meant another field goal: 20-14 early in the fourth.

On our next run, another long pass to A.J. put us at the 40, and a fine Swift run off a Goedert block made it to the 19. Jake Elliott put another one through: 23-14. A trio of sacks, including two by Haason Reddick, on the Rams’ next drive, and the crowd went wild.

WHAT AN OFFICIAL WELCOME BACK PARTY FOR HAASON REDDICK

Back-to-back sacks to close it out. LFG.pic.twitter.com/9TUfNZKEbL

— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) October 8, 2023

Wait, this game was in L.A.! Why were so many fans dressed in green?!?! I guess they knew something, ’cause the Iggles were the victors, 23-14. Five straight wins!

In Doop News …

On Saturday, the Union entertained Nashville at Subaru Park. I regret to report that after Wednesday’s startling 3-2 victory over Atlanta, in which actual goals were scored, the team returned to its prior draw-happy ways and played to a 0-0 tie in their final regular-season home game of the season. They’ve got one more before the MLS Cup Playoffs, two Saturdays from now, vs. New England.

Some Sixers Played Pre-Season

If you wanted to see Joel Embiid in Sunday’s Sixers’ pre-season opener, tough noogies: They went up against the newly Jrue Holiday-enhanced Celtics in Boston with newbie coach Nick Nurse having already announced that Joel, James Harden, De’Anthony Melton and Furkan Korkmaz wouldn’t play. There went all the drama. Our guys were up 29-20 after the first quarter, down 59-57 at the half, losing by one, 81-80, at the close of the third, and … down 114-106 in the end. It was closer than it looked.

The Flyers also played.

And on the College Gridiron?

In college football, despite leading 14-7 at the end of the first quarter on Saturday, Temple went down hard to the UTSA Roadrunners, 49-34. Ursinus lost to Franklin and Marshall, 20-16; the Georgetown Hoyas just nipped the Penn Quakers in overtime, 39-36; and the Villanova Wildcats handily defeated the North Carolina AT&T Aggies, 30-14. Penn State had a bye.