Sports Tonight: Philly didn't need another 100-loss season

In the overall scheme, the Phillies' avoiding a 100-loss season isn't that great of an accomplishment.

Given the number of 100-loss seasons in the history of Philadelphia baseball, however, not having another has to be counted as something of a positive.

Every sport has a number of losses that represents a special level of putridness for a season. In Major League Baseball, that number is 100.

Between the Phillies, who have 14, and the Athletics, who had 11 before leaving for Kansas City in 1955, Philadelphia has experienced 25 seasons of 100 losses.

That is the most of any city in MLB.

At 7:05 tonight at Citizens Bank Park (TV: CSN; radio 94WIP), the possibility of a 100-loss season will be off the table when the Phillies play the Washington Nationals.

That keeps this losing season from becoming a dubious one.

The September collapse is a classic part of baseball lore, and what is considered the greatest ever can depend on which team you cheer for.

Have no doubt, however, that if the 2017 Chicago Cubs do not win the NL Central, it will be the biggest swoon in baseball history.

Starting with tonight's game at 7 in St. Louis on ESPN, the Cubs need just one win in their final five games to clinch the division. The Cubs will also win if the Milwaukee Brewers lose one of their final five games.

The odds are astronomical, but the scenario for the simultaneous greatest collapse and greatest comeback is still alive.

If Chicago, which has two games in St. Louis before finishing with three against Cincinnati, closes 0-5 while Milwaukee, which has two with the Reds before going to the Cardinals, win five straight, it will set up a one-game playoff for the Central.

Should this nightmare/miracle occur, the goat, the black cat and Bartman will slip in Chicago lore.

The biggest scandal possibly in college basketball just took down Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino of Louisville. Staff writer Mike Jensen says that as the federal investigation continues, more big-name head coaches could fall.

The Eagles are heading west for the first of two trips to the new teams in Los Angeles. Staff writer Paul Domowitch gives a scouting report for the matchup with the LA Chargers.

For guys who have played few if any NBA games, the Sixers' young core isn't afraid to speak about what it is going to do. Now, it's No.1 overall pick Markelle Fultz telling staff writer Keith Pompey that the league better watch out for him and Ben Simmons.

The saying is that a player can't help the team from the hot tub. The Eagles are down a number of injured starters on defense. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz tells staff writer Zach Berman that other guys simply have to step up.

Staff writer Sam Donnellon gives the second part of his look at life in the ECHL and the big dreams that spring out of it.

NBA legend Bill Russell was protesting against racial injustice in America when it could cost you your life for doing so. At 83, the Boston Celtics icon talks to Jackie McMullen at ESPN.com about the current protests involving athletes.

The NHL didn't just hurt the Olympics when it refused to send players to the 2018 Games. NBC, the NHL's national broadcast partner, pays big bucks to televise the Olympics and Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that the television empire has struck back.

For his first three seasons, I argued it was not fair to judge Sixers coach Brett Brown until management gave him a legitimate NBA roster with which to work.

Until Joel Embiid went down for good last season, that happened and Brown showed he could indeed produce more than just extra ping-pong balls for the draft lottery.

So while it might be strange for a coach with a 75-253 career record and coming off a career-high 28-win season to talk playoffs, Brown should set that as this team's goal.

With a healthy Embiid, a healthy Ben Simmons, No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, Rookie of the Year runner-up Dario Saric and free-agent veteran J.J. Redick, the Sixers are viewed as a breakthrough team for 2017-18.

These are the type of situations when a good coach is expected to bring expectations home. Brown has embraced that, which is good.

Baseball
Marlins at Rockies, 3 p.m. (MLB Network)
Nationals at Phillies, 7 p.m. (CSN; WIP-FM 94.1, WNPV-AM 1440)
Cubs at Cardinals, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Padres at Dodgers, 10 p.m. (ESPN)

Preseason Hockey
Sabres at Penguins, 7 p.m. (NHL Network)

Golf on Golf Channel
LPGA: New Zealand Open, 3 a.m. Thursday
European PGA: British Masters, 4:30 a.m. Thursday

Soccer
MLS: Union at Atlanta United, 7 p.m. (TCN)

Baseball
Phillies vs. Nationals, 7:05 p.m., Citizens Bank Park