2010: A Banner Year in Philadelphia Sports
In many ways, 2010 was the best year in Philadelphia sports since 1980. Thirty years ago, all four Philadelphia teams were in their sport's finals (Phillies were the only ones to win.)
Through the years, Philadelphia has had some amazing times despite having a 25-year championship drought. The drought that lasted from 1983-2008 still saw some entertaining times, yet so many heartbreaks as well.
Though no championships were won in 2010, there were many moments and players that will never be forgotten. A new wave of Philadelphia sports looks to be underway. Names like Mike Richards, Roy Halladay, Michael Vick and Evan Turner are now synonymous with this era.
Philadelphia is a blue-collar town that's often misunderstood. These are tough people that just want an honest, 100 percent effort every single night. If they get anything less...well, you know, they do that one thing that they know best. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The futures of the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and 76ers are very bright right now. Could one of these teams deliver a championship in 2011? Could several do so? Only time will tell. But for now a look back at 2010 is necessary.
Remembering The Spectrum
1 of 10Here's an article that I wrote on The Spectrum last month:
The Spectrum was not just a building on South Broad St., it was many other things for 43 years. It wasn't limited to just bricks and the steel on the inside, but served the city of Philadelphia for a few generations. The Spectrum took on the city's blue-collar style and added another dimension to it.
The Spectrum was a place where great ghosts of Flyers and Sixers past spoke to us as we entered. It was the place where a majority of my childhood unfolded. As a Philadelphia fan, I experienced many good and bad times at the old Spectrum, but one thing was for sure, it was always sacred ground to me.
On countless Friday evenings, I would enter into The Spectrum to see the Philadelphia Phantoms take on their hated rivals, the Hershey Bears. In many of these games, brawls would ensue and who else but Frank "The Animal" Bialowas was right in the middle.
The Wells Fargo Center is a fantastic sports venue, but it can never be The Spectrum. The Spectrum was a Philadelphia icon and always will be. With the Kate Smith statue standing proudly outside, we were reminded of the Flyers' rich history. When the Rocky statue used to stand there, we recalled our greatest fictional tales of a boxer who became our patron saint. All of this was courtesy of this fantastic building we called The Spectrum.
Julius "Dr. J" Erving cradled the basketball on the baseline and slammed one down over Michael Cooper; this was one of the greatest moments in Spectrum history. Then, Christian Laettner became a piece of Philadelphia history despite his being from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. This speaks volumes of The Spectrum and why it was referenced as "America's Showplace."
We watched in awe as Bernie Parent, Bobby Clarke and co. literally "bullied" their way to back-to-back titles. One decade later, another sensational foreign goalie, this one a Swede named Pelle Lindbergh, would steal our hearts. His sudden death remains in the minds of many Philadelphians to this day, 25 years later.
The Spectrum hosted just about any event you could possibly imagine. From the circus to The Rolling Stones and everything in between, the Spectrum delivered. Even Vince McMahon's WWF was a frequent occurrence on South Broad St. as Hulk Hogan was on top of the world. The Spectrum saw it all and then some and now goes into its final resting place.
It hurt to see that wrecking ball get driven into the great stadium, knowing that this was the final call. It hurt more than any disappointing loss I'd ever witnessed there. But now, I suppose, its time has come. The final chapter of The Spectrum has now been written and the book is about to be closed.
The last event that I ever attended there was, believe it or not, a Green Day concert with my beautiful girlfriend Christina. We had an absolute blast there as it was a fitting way to say goodbye to an old friend.
For me, The Spectrum was far more than just smells of stale popcorn and beer. Just because your feet stuck to the ground, you never felt confined to one place. I recall sneaking up into the top seats with friends and being the only ones watching from up there. The 400 level was always blocked off for Phantoms games, unless they played Hershey; it was fun running up and down those steps.
The Spectrum will soon be gone but never forgotten. It was a special place that served a great purpose and for many was a staple in their lives as Philadelphia sports fanatics. Every time I go to an event, I will think of The Spectrum and smile.
Though a lot of my memories there were from when I was very young still, these will stick with me forever. Their impact on me will be everlasting. This was such an awesome place to watch a game and will always hold a special place in my heart. For now, so long my old Spectrum friend, I will truly miss you. Thank you.
Best Performance: Roy Halladay's Perfect Game vs. Florida Marlins, May 29, 2010
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Roy Halladay's perfect game was one for the ages. To boot, he would later follow this performance up with a no-hitter in his playoff debut against Cincinnati. These two games alone show just how dominant Halladay was in 2010. Doc was everything as advertised and more.
On just 115 pitches of work, Halladay struck out 11 Florida Marlins and finished the game in just 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Halladay battled off seven three-ball counts. He remained calm throughout and just continued to fire pitches to Carlos Ruiz and work out of jams. Halladay got more than a "little help from his friends" on this night in Florida.
Unfortunately, many Philadelphians were watching the Flyers' Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals that same night. They missed history, but I'm sure they heard and flip-flopped back and forth.
To say that it was a special night is a major underestimation. I recall watching both games in a sports bar in South Philadelphia and getting whiplash from watching both TV's. I wouldn't trade this night in, though.
Best Series: Conference Semifinals, Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins
3 of 10Much like the Philadelphia Flyers' season, this series could not be scripted. Fitting to the above video, it was a very Rocky-like performance from the Flyers, who were the ultimate underdogs. This series had it all and then some.
The Flyers hastily went down 2-0 in Boston after devastating losses to the Bruins. In Game 1, the Flyers battled back the entire game but it was Marc Savard's game-winner that sealed their fate.
By Game 2, the Flyers just wanted a split heading home. They lost another one-goal game on Milan Lucic's goal from the slot with just 2:57 left.
With all of the crowd's momentum on their side coming home for Game 3, the Flyers faltered again to the Bruins. This time they were absolutely dominated. Not even an emotional standing ovation for fallen Flyer Ian Laperriere could ignite the Flyers.
This was like two series rolled into one. In the first three games, the Bruins' dominance was clear. What was to come, though, was anything but scripted.
In Game 4, Simon Gagne's comeback heroics led the Flyers to a stunning win that kept their season going.
By Game 5 this was a whole new series, at least in terms of momentum. Despite hero Brian Boucher's injury in that game, Michael Leighton's return further sparked the comeback effort. Boucher's injury was quite heartbreaking—fortunately, Leighton had just been activated earlier on that day.
Game 6 was back in Philadelphia, where Leighton was again dominant. He shut the Bruins out for 59 minutes before giving up a quick goal to Lucic. This alone couldn't spark the Bruins, who were stunned that this series was tied.
This entire series could be a movie in itself. Or better yet, Game 7 alone could've been a movie. The Flyers fell behind right out of the gate and looked to have been knocked out. Within a matter of just 14 minutes and 10 seconds, the Flyers had fallen behind 3-0. AGAIN!
This time two Lucic goals were the catalyst. What the world didn't know was how genius and beneficial a Peter Laviolette timeout would come to be.
Laviolette swiftly took a timeout and didn't yell or get aggravated. His message was simple: All we need is one goal. Just one goal by the end of this period would get the Flyers back into this hockey game. From there they'd just have to work harder and just continue to chip away.
The story goes something like this. Of all people, James van Riemsdyk answered Laviolette's call. His fluke goal gave the Flyers just what they needed going into the intermission.
Scott Hartnell's backhander that barely went in made it 3-2 early in the second. There was life.
Danny Briere's incredible move on a wraparound that beat Tuukka Rask tied the game just midway through. There was then silence for over a full period, but the suspense could have killed.
Ironically, a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty gave the Flyers the man advantage, which they would use to put the game away.
Finally, with just 7:08 left, Simon Gagne's power-play goal lifted the Flyers to their first lead of the game. That was the series as Leighton held off a valiant Bruin effort in the closing moments of the game.
What a series. What a comeback.
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Smartest Trade: Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins
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The picture above is worth far more than a thousand words. It might be worth millions.
On Easter, the Philadelphia Eagles parted with their franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb. They didn't just trade him away—they sent him to Washington, keeping him in the division.
The Eagles had to have known that McNabb had little left in his tank when they moved him. The timing of the trade was impeccable. McNabb had lost to divisional rival Dallas twice to end the season and end his Eagles career. At least "5" thought that this was funny.
McNabb was criticized for everything that he did in Philadelphia and was held under a constant microscope. Despite much success, McNabb often "threw up" the big games.
I'm not just talking about the ball, either.
Most Shocking Emergence: Michael Vick
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The Philadelphia Eagles really didn't know what they had in Michael Vick last year. Now in 2010, they have an MVP candidate that is hoping to lead them to a Super Bowl. Vick is now a more traditional dropback passer but still carries that same dual-threat nature.
Vick is a double-edged sword for the Eagles as he continues to lead the league's most explosive offense. Surrounded with weapons like LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, Vick has been stellar this year.
Vick emerged in place of the injured Kevin Kolb and hasn't looked back. The Eagles will now likely sign Vick to a long-term deal and opt to move Kolb somewhere where he may start.
Best Free-Agent Signing: Cliff Lee
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The Lees are back in town. Don't break their hearts this time, RAJ. Cliff Lee stunned the world by shunning the New York Yankees and their money to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Lee was unjustly moved from the Phillies last year to "make room." Who would've ever thought that he'd end up with the Phillies again?
In his return, the Phillies may boast one of the best rotations in MLB history. With Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels in a rotation, the Phillies will be very difficult to beat in 2011.
This signing came after Ruben Amaro Jr. wisely let Jayson Werth walk to the Washington Nationals. The Phillies freed up enough money and made Lee a Phillie again. His wife Kristen is the MVP in all of this.
Don't break their hearts this time, RAJ.
Biggest Turncoat: Jayson Werth
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Jayson Werth fooled the baseball world last month when he signed with the Washington Nationals. Werth took money over success in another bizzare baseball story and left the Philadelphia Phillies.
He was hoping that former teammate Cliff Lee would follow him to the nation's capital. That didn't go according to plan.
Werth turned his back on the team that made him notable, for a team that posts annual basement finishes. While Werth will be able to help the Nats, the Phillies will remain the class of the NL East for a while.
Werth is now locked in with the Nationals for seven years. It may not be seven years of cellar-dwelling with the youngsters that the Nats have in place, but this move makes no sense at all.
Best Game: Flyers-Bruins Game 7
8 of 10Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals was a storybook ending to an incredible series. This couldn't have been scripted. The fact that the Flyers came back from a 3-0 series deficit was impressive enough. Add that they were also down 3-0 in this game and WOW!
Peter Laviolette's timeout still plays out as the turning point for me and many others. Not the fact that he took a timeout—that much had to be obvious. It was rather his message to just get one goal and take it from there was important.
With Laviolette remaining calm in his demeanor, his team responded by scoring four unanswered and toppling the Boston Bruins.
Michael Leighton remained strong after allowing three goals right off the bat. The Flyers' Briere-Hartnell-Leino line went to work and put them back into the game.
Simon Gagne would top it off with a rebound goal that beat Tuukka Rask over the shoulder. All that thanks in large part to a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty.
Best Team: Philadelphia Flyers
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This was a tough choice, but the Bullies are back and better than ever. The Flyers returned to the Stanley Cup Finals last year and ended 2010 near the top of the NHL.
They're stacked better than any team in the city for the future and have the proper personnel in place. The Flyers are sold on the product that they have on the ice currently and only look to improve upon it with new, young talent.
Many fans didn't even know that Sergei Bobrovsky was waiting in the wings as the next Flyer goalie. Now they know that he is both their present and future. Bob has wowed fans all season and can lead the Flyers to that ever-elusive Stanley Cup.
Mike Richards is the perfect captain for this team. He constantly does whatever it takes to win hockey games for the Flyers. Richards is surrounded by a plethora of talent that is hungry after last year's Finals appearance. They had a small taste, but now they want more.
Best Athlete: Roy Halladay
10 of 10Roy Halladay is the consensus Athlete of the Year in Philadelphia. He was the game's most dominant pitcher that many times closed out his own games. Halladay's a workhorse and now heads the best rotation in baseball.
Halladay was just so overpowering all year and seldom ever had a poor start. That force led him to a second Cy Young Award, this one in just his first NL season.
Halladay received little run support throughout the season but was so good that he didn't even need any. His season was highlighted by perfect game in the regular season and a no-hitter in the playoffs.
Doc was the perfect remedy for the Phillies as he went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA.
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