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Thousands of Philadelphians rejoyced in the streets of the city and suburbs last night as the Phillies managed to accomplish something for only the second time in their long history and more importantly, for the first time in 25 years. Philadelphia has a winner in on of the four major sports.
It may not be possible for people that live outside the Philadelphia metro area to understand just how plugged in the area is in sports. This IS a sports town and when one of the big four makes it deep in the playoffs there is more than the usual amount of water cooler talk going on. Outsiders may also not understand the Curse of Billy Penn and how far locals would go to overcome it. No matter the reason for such a long drought, I’m glad it’s over and I’m happy my oldest son could see it happen. Nothing left to do but savor the moment and feel the win!
Being a Philadelphia sports fan is a tough row to hoe. Watching the NFL playoffs without the Eagles in them is a hollow and ultimately unfulfilling experience. Yes, the Patriots are undefeated. Yes, this is not the year for the NFC to even bother thinking they have a shot at the title. That doesn’t stop any fan from dreaming as long as their team is still in the hunt. With the Eagles eliminated several weeks before the end of the season I watched each playoff game for itself and rooted for the team I hated less each week. For example, when the Giants and the Cowboys played I rooted for the Giants. No self respecting Eagles fan could ever bring themselves to root for the Cowboys, no matter who they play. On the other side of the league I found myself switching back and forth on rooting for then against the Patriots. Part of me wants to see the perfect season completed so the Dolphins from a billion years ago can but away their champagne and fade from prominence. Part of me wishes to see them lose if only to put a chink in their armor for histories sake.
Yesterday I rooted again for the Giants, the thought of having to hear about St. Favre for two weeks straight made me sick to my stomach. There never will be another player that is regarded so highly yet throws away so many games with stupid decisions. He has played a remarkable number of games in a row. He holds all sorts of records because of his longevity. He makes many mistakes just like the one he made last night that cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl. If Donovan McNabb had thrown the same pick (he has thrown very similar game killing picks), he would be hung, drawn, and quartered today. I’m sure Favre will get a pass.
So here we are, two weeks from the whoop-de-freaking-do Super Bowl. Who will I root for? Easy. The Patriots, only because I can’t stand the Giants (less so than the Cowboys but the hatred is still there) and having them win a Super Bowl would be horrible.
Such is the life and mentality of the everyday Philadelphia sports fan.
Last night myself, the three oldest boys and a few friends drove into Philadelphia to watch the Flyers play the Montreal Canadians. The Flyers were horrible, losing 4-1 despite having a near two minute five on three advantage in the 2nd period. The boys didn’t seem to mind the score and had a good time in what turned out to be very good seats despite being nearly in the rafters.
We spent a small fortune on food, talked a lot about being on sides and enjoyed each others company.
Unlike our last trip into the city for the Dinosaur show, where we arrived with five minutes left in the performance we arrived just a few minutes after the puck was dropped and left with ten minutes or so to go in the 3rd period. We were home and in bed before 11:00pm. I wonder how hard it was for the boys to get out of bed this morning.
Celebrate10000.com is a website dedicated to an astounding event that is quickly approaching for Philadelphia sports fans. The local baseball team is about to become the first organized sports team to lose over 10,0000 games cementing it’s hold on the worst sports franchise ever. As of May 30th they had just seventeen more loses to their own personal magic number.
It may be hard for people outside the Philadelphia region to understand the level of suffering that goes with this many loses. To get a taste for it, take a look at the fan submitted stories posted there.
Only Philly could take something so horrible and turn it into a celebration.
Over the past ten years I’ve managed to score tickets to see the Eagles play once a year. When the new stadium opened my streak of consecutive invites ended. The ticket was so hot; most of the people I knew were either selling them outright or using them to entertain big wig clients. Last year I managed to get into the Linc for the first time and witnessed the horrible Monday night loss to the Seahawks. In a startling turn of events, my luck this year has made a full 180.
This year I have already managed to attend three home games. First the pre-season game against the Browns which made a silly pre-season game special by getting to see Jason and sitting in Club Box seats. Next up was the season opener against the Giants. This ended up being a pretty bad loss but the sting was taken out of that because I managed to bring along my oldest son who had a great time in his first NFL game. Sitting three rows from the field right on the 40 yard right next to the Giants bench was a treat for both of us. On Thursday of last week I found out that an equipment supplier had two seats to see the Eagles play the Packers on Monday night. Despite the long weekend camping I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see Favre play in what could be his last appearance in Philadelphia.
The game started out slow but turned into a blow out by the second half. You can just barely make out the edge of where Son #1 and I sat for the Giants game if you look at the edge of the photo in the lower right. Even better than the great seats we sat in on Monday night, we were just 3 rows from the field.
I doubt I will get another chance to see the Eagles this year, but if the opportunity comes up I will certainly go.
After the total implosion of the Eagles last year the majority of football fans in the Delaware Valley are choosing to sit back and wait before jumping on the bandwagon. The Superbowl run of the 2004 season is a distant memory. The pain of watching Donovan McNabb fall to the turf during a vain attempt at tackling a defender returning an interception not to mention the entire Owens debacle remains a fresh and angry sore. After just two games, this is looking like another roller coaster season.
The season home opener, against the New York Giants unfolded like the perfect day for Son #1 and I. This was his first pro-sporting event ever and what great seats we had. Thanks to my father, we were sitting just 3 rows from the field, 20 yard line, right next to the Giants bench. We made it inside the stadium before the opening ceremony and I watched my son’s eyes getting bigger and bigger as the gigantic flag was unfurled, the national anthem sung (with the last stanza almost overcome by what could only be described as truly thunderous applause) along with the 4 F-16 fighter jets flying low over the top of the stadium as red and white fireworks burst from the light stanchions. We settled in and watched the Eagles do no wrong for three quarters. By the middle of the third, the heat was next to unbearable so we walked up to the concourse to grab some ice cream. Soon after we settled in my father and a long time family friend also came up, chased away by the heat. We then decided it was time to head back to the car.
Of course, the game took a 180 after this with Jevon out for the year and a stinging collapse. This is going to be one of those games that people point to at the end of the year, the game that ‘got away’. The Eagles now play what should be an easy stretch of games before the final 5 games of the season which are murderous. Despite the up and down nature of the team, the quarterback has been more than steady – he has been quite good.
Whether or not he is good enough to carry the team through games they shouldn’t win is another story all together. I hate to say it, but this season feels like one that will end with the team in flux. I sure hope I’m wrong.
Two weeks ago I was invited to the Eagles Seahawks Monday Night Football game. I jumped at the chance since I had yet to go to the new stadium since it has opened. Myself and 3 other guys headed down to the game just as the forecasted snow of 3-6 inches began to fall.
Neither the snow nor the Eagles showed up for the game. With the score 21-0 before you could blink we watched tons of people walk out of the game. We sat in the snow showers and watched the worst football game I’ve ever seen. After the score hit 42-0 we watched a few more series then walked out ourselves.
Not the way to see the Eagles new home. Between the cold and snow, along with the horrendous play of the home team I had no desire to walk around the stadium and see what it had to offer. It appeared that the majority of the crowd stayed to half time if only to see the retirement of Reggie White’s Number 92. It was strange to see so many players from those great 80s teams many of them looking much older than I would have imagined them being. Hopefully the next time I go there the Eagles can score some points.
Exactly when the window closed is open for debate, whether or not it is still open is not at this point. With many games left in this season the Eagles have only one thing to look forward to between now and the end of the year.
How the team responds and works over the remainder of the season will show if the coach has lost them or not. A team that continues to try, to stick with the game plan is a team that is still run by the coach. Increasing penalties, blow out losses, dropped balls will all be signs that they just aren’t listening to Andy Reid anymore. Obviously he deserves at least one more season (if not two) to try to get this train back on track. He really has his work cut out for him.
Some of the things that the Eagles did very well in the past backfired on them this season. In prior years they let players walk away and replaced them in stride. Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent for example were let go while still considered to be near the top of their game. Both left and the team didn’t skip a beat. This year the loss of players on virtually every part of the team is surely being felt. In their last loss the Eagles had 19 players on the roster that were not in their Superbowl appearance. Continuity? Hardly.
The biggest question will remain unanswered till next year. Donovan had a horrible season – marred by early injuries and some vicious hits. Most of the chatter out of the locker room reported that the injuries were not the issue. The real problem was with Owens, the star receiver now sitting at home. Despite all of the negative press that McNabb has received there has been no audible support from his team mates. Not a single one has stood up and defended him. This is a sure sign that he has lost the clubhouse leadership. More than anything this could be the greatest sign that the Eagles Window of Opportunity has closed.
Can McNabb regain control of his team? One way for certain is to start winning again. Now we have to wait till next year to see if he can pry the window open.
Driving home from work last night I listened to some sad news. The Phillies have become the first professional sports team to lose 10,000 games in their history. They are far and away the worst team in all of professional sports.
Take a look at their all time standings. There are periods where the team manages one season over .500 in 15 years. There is an obvious conclusion to be made here; they want to be bad.
No one can fail this many times without working at it. No wonder baseball is dead in Philadelphia.
As usual Terrell Owens has managed to suck up all of the oxygen in the Philadelphia sports scene. Firing his old agent and hiring a new one with the reputation of being a major pain to deal with was the first step to igniting the current firestorm. Next was Owens request to renegotiate his contract from just last year. That’s right, what was good for him just one year ago is now no longer acceptable.
What he didn’t plan on I’m sure is the Eagles ownership and their response. Like clockwork, owner Jeffrie responded with a curt – ‘no way’. No way the Eagles would sit down and redo Owens deal. This is shaping up to be a monumental mistake on Owens part.
I’ve been wrong many times in my life but I feel almost certain that Owens could sit out for the rest of his life and the Eagles will not rework his deal. I hope Terrell knows how to swallow his pride.
Either way no good can come from this for either party.
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