WATCH: Sinkhole nearly swallows a white Mazda 3, owner’s mother refused to share the news with her son because he was in Clearwater for Phillies Spring Training

There’s a time and place for bad news, and when you’re in Clearwater crushing ice cold beers and watching Cristopher Sánchez pump 98 mph fastballs down the gut of the plate for the Phillies, that type of update is obviously NOT that time.

That’s why the mother of the guy who owns a white Mazda 3 (not a ‘man’ car) deserves a medal of honor for deciding that her son didn’t need to know his car was sinking into the streets of Philadelphia while he was enjoying Phillies Spring Training baseball in Clearwater.

Barbara Golden didn’t tell her son Tim that his Mazda 3 was falling into a sinkhole:

Barbara Golden’s Tim just got off the plane to see the @Phillies in Clearwater, Florida for Spring Training when he got the call that his perfectly clean Mazda 3 parked in front of his Port Richmond home was falling into the gaping sinkhole that crashed down at 1:30. pic.twitter.com/7iumCYIEJF

— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) February 25, 2025

Tim is only worried about his dog and rightfully so. Ideally, insurance will replace that Mazda 3 in a new color once the streets swallow it hole but me dragging Tim for his color choice is hardly the point of this post.

Having your car fall into a sinkhole is obviously a Monday problem. Tim can deal with it when he comes back sunburnt, hungover, and clutching a hoagie from Wawa for dear life.

The moment part of Birch Street in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood caved in underneath two parked vehicles, 12:52pm today. No one was in the vehicles or walking near them. Repairs are still underway & the Chevy Traverse is still deep down in the sinkhole. pic.twitter.com/gJEmjVYAOJ

— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) February 26, 2025

Phillies Spring Training: Keep The Main Thing, The Main Thing

Right now, we need Tim locked in on Phillies’ Spring Training. Need Tim in the trenches and not the ones caused by a sinkhole in Philly. Who else is going to help figure out what to do with an already depleted outfield?

Topper and company think Edmundo Sosa is going to be the fourth outfielder since Weston Wilson is out for the next few months. Clearly, there’s some issues that need to be resolved in Clearwater and it’s an “all hands on deck” approach that includes Tim.

Phillies’ outfield depth is so bad that somehow Edmundo Sosa is now a “necessary” solution

Side Note: If you think it’s a good idea to turn a 29-year old bench utility man into an outfielder during Spring Training while you’re supposed to be contending for a World Series, then I have a brand new Mazda 3 in sinkhole somewhere in Port Richmond to sell you.

At 12:52pm today little East Birch Street in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood suddenly had a big problem. And a @PhillyPolice officer’s wife saw her Chevy Traverse live up to its name….traversing down into Philly’s latest sinkhole. pic.twitter.com/p6TsVZCyul

— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) February 26, 2025

Sinkholes are undefeated, unfortunately

It’s only a matter of time. These sinkholes happen out of nowhere, and Philly’s infrastructure is held together by duct tape and pure spite. One broken water pipe and boom—your ride is going full Titanic. I guess we can all be happy that it was just a few vehicles and not an actual house, right? That’s definitely not going to make anyone sleep better tonight though.

The Mazda 3 Survived, Spring Training Witnessed, All is Right…Besides The Phillies Roster

In the end, the white Mazda was saved, the tow truck did its job, and our guy didn’t have to let the sinkhole ruin his trip.

That’s a win.

Do the Phillies still have to answer a ton of questions about this roster ahead of Opening Day? Absolutely. At the very least, we have fans down in Clearwater focusing on what really matters. Shoutout to Barbara Golden for keeping order to the realm.

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