Not a lot was known about Richaun Holmes coming into the draft. He spent a year in junior college after not receiving any offers from D1 colleges out of high school, then played his final three at Bowling Green in the Mid American league where under the radar to most, he showed significant improvement every year in his game. But it wasn't until his impressive showing at the combine and 5 on 5s that his draft stock shot up. And now Richaun Holmes can officially say he's an NBA player as the Sixers have signed him.

The Cole Hamels era in Philadelphia has come to a close. On Wednesday night, MLB.com's TR Sullivan reported that Hamels would be dealt to the Rangers along with Jake Diekman for a slew of prospects and pitcher Matt Harrison.

The deal has yet to be confirmed by either club, but based on multiple reports, appears to be imminent.

In return for their ace, the Phillies will receive pitcher Matt Harrison and prospects Jorge Alfaro (catcher), Nick Williams (outfielder), Jake Thompson (RHP), Alec Asher (RHP) and Jerad Eickhoff (RHP).

Fan favorite Sean Couturier was signed today to a multi-year contract extension worth $26 million over 6 years. Add this one to the laundry list of great deals Hexy has pulled off so far this offseason. I think most will agree that we haven't even seen the best days from Coots yet and locking him up longterm this young (22) was an excellent decision.

If you're like 90 percent of our Twitter feed, you undoubtedly spent a significant portion of your Monday evening watching a police chase that started in New Jersey, crossed into Philadelphia, went back to New Jersey and finally ended in Philadelphia.

The chase began at approximately 8 p.m. Monday, and the vehicle is believed to have been part of an armed robbery in New Jersey.

The driver evaded police for nearly two hours, and even made a brief pit stop at the Deptford Mall before returning to Pennsylvania and working their way out of a few situations where they seemed to be caught. The chase finally ended when a police officer clipped the van and it flipped (video after the break).

Just one day after Phillies ace Cole Hamels tossed the 13th no-hitter in the club’s history, the Phillies’ hopeful ace of the future, Aaron Nola, took the hill looking for his first big league win.

With Hamels likely in his final days in a Phillies uniform, Nola appears even closer to being the top arm in the Phillies’ rotation, despite making just his second start in the Major Leagues on Sunday. 

Nola would seize the opportunity on Sunday, picking up his first career victory in the Phillies’ 11-5 win, as the club swept the Cubs to improve to 8-1 after the All-Star break.

Atta boy Cole!  After two horrendous starts in his most recent outings, the 2008 World Series MVP focused and went back to doing what he does best: mowing down hitters.  Hamels went out in the first inning just to get his rhythm back, but 27 outs and 129 pitches later, Odubel Herrera caught a ball on the warning track, wrapping up the 13th no-hitter in franchise history.  

It was the first no-hitter since the joint no-hitter last Labor Day weekend, and the first no-hitter through all 9 innings since Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game against the Reds in the 2010 playoffs. Hamels also managed to out hit the Cubs by himself, with a double in the game.