Philadelphia, Remain Patient
We have a bright future ahead of us...
Sports fans in the city of Philadelphia are very well-known for their patience, err...a lack of patience. Fans in Philadelphia expect instant gratification. For years, our teams were constantly in playoff, if not championship contention. In fact, 1980 was a banner year for all of our sports teams. All four of our major sports teams were in their respective championship game, as the Phillies battled the Royals for the World Series, the Eagles faced off against the Raiders in the Super Bowl, the Sixers went up against the Lakers in the NBA Finals, and the Flyers did battle against the Islanders in the controversial 1980 Stanley Cup Finals. Of the four teams though, the Phillies were the only franchise to walk away that year with a championship. If you ask some fans, the Flyers should've won the Cup that year, had it not been for a controversial no-call on an offside that led to a momentum-shifting goal. Nonetheless, 1980 was arguably the best year in Philadelphia sports history.
In the years following, Philadelphia underwent a period of success that saw the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1983, '85, '87, and '97. The Sixers got to the NBA Finals in 1982 & 1983, winning the title in '83. The Phillies would also appear in multiple World Series, losing in both 1983 & 1993.
Unfortunately, the Eagles were the only team to not reach another championship game in that time frame. Following their loss in the 1980 Super Bowl, the Eagles went on a skid, missing six of the next seven postseasons, and failing to advance past the divisional round before the 2001 season. Over that span, the Eagles picked in the top-12 of the draft, ten times. One of those picks would change the Eagles franchise as we knew it, and his name was Donovan McNabb. Little did we know though, that the Eagles were going to be the beginning of a pattern.
The Phillies were next up on the list. After losing to the Baltimore Orioles in the 1983 World Series, the Phillies would go on to miss 22 of the next 23 postseasons (1993 WS was the only exception). In that span, the Phillies tallied 15 losing seasons, including eight top-10 draft picks.
The Sixers were the next team up on the train. Unlike the Phillies & Eagles, their success lasted well into the late '80s and early '90s. The Sixers made the playoffs in every season from 1975 to 1990, with the exception of the 1987-88 season. In that span, they appeared in seven conference finals, and four NBA Finals (losing three). The 1991 season was the beginning of their downslide, as the Sixers would miss the next seven postseasons. On the bright side though, they picked in the top-10 for five-straight seasons, which eventually culminated in the selection of Allen Iverson with the #1 pick in 1996.
The Flyers were the final team to join the party, as their success carried over into the 1990's. Incredibly, the Flyers made the playoffs in 18 of their first 20 seasons. It wasn't until the 1989-90 season that their success came to a screeching halt; as they would go on to miss the next five postseasons. Over that span, the Flyers picked in the top-10 three times, one of which saw them trade their #6 selection (Peter Forsberg) in the 1991 draft in a major package for Eric Lindros.
Philadelphia sports were able to overcome the struggles, and turn things around.
Let's begin with the Eagles. Things began to change when they hired Andy Reid in 1999, to be the new head coach. Shortly after, they drafted Donovan McNabb...the man that would become the savior of this franchise. Behind the arm of D-Mac, and the coaching of Reid, the Eagles went on a run of success, which saw them reach the playoffs nine times in 13 seasons. Of those nine playoff appearances, six of them came as NFC East champion, and five of those playoff appearances resulted in (at least...) an NFC championship appearance. Towards the tail-end of Reid's tenure in Philly, he came in contact with the cancerous "Dream Team." Over his final two years, Big Red went 12-20, including a 4-12 campaign in his last season. The Eagles turned a new chapter in 2013, by hiring Chip Kelly. Unfortunately for us, Chip Kelly didn't really help much. Following his takeover in 2013, Kelly proceeded to pick apart the team, one-by-one, until it was sufficient with "his image". Chip Kelly's Eagles, well, they didn't fare so well. After making the playoffs in his first year with most of Reid's carry overs, Kelly missed the postseason in his next two seasons before his firing.
The Phillies turned things around as well, although it took a lot longer than the rest of the teams. After missing 22 out of 23 postseasons, the Phillies finally brought October baseball back to the city of Philadelphia in 2007. Following an early exit in '07, the team returned to the postseason in 2008, where they would win their first championship since 1980. This was the beginning of a dominant stretch for the Phillies, which resulted in 5 NL East title, 2 NL Pennants, and a World Series. Unfortunately, every season following the World Series win would see the team progressively take a step back. They went from World Series winners, to runners-up, to an NLCS elimination, to an NLDS elimination. The run came to an end in 2012, when the team started a four-season streak of .500 or below baseball. Currently still in that slump, the Phillies are hoping that this down period won't last as long as the previous.
The Sixers fortunes turned around, as well. Following the arrival of Allen Iverson, the team reached the postseason in six of their next seven seasons from 1999-2004, including an appearance in the NBA Finals in 2001. However, things quickly turned south once again, as the Sixers would miss the postseason in seven of their last eleven seasons. Since 2012, the Sixers have actually ranked among the worst teams in the NBA. For the past four years, Sam Hinkie has preached that we need to "Trust the Process." Sadly for Sam, he won't be around to see if his process can pay off. Hinkie resigned from his position as General Manager earlier this spring, and in his place, Bryan Colangelo took over. The Sixers are hoping that next season will be the year to snap their postseason drought.
The Flyers, well, they haven't really been in an extended period of sub-par play. Following their five year postseason absence, the Flyers quickly rebounded, making 18 of the next 21 postseasons. Of those 18 postseason appearances, five of them resulted in trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, while two trips resulted in a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Unfortunately, neither of those appearances netted the city a Stanley Cup. The Flyers took a step in right direction back in the summer of 2014, by removing Paul Holmgren from the GM position, to hire former net minder Ron Hextall. They have made the playoffs in three of the last five seasons, but have failed to advance past the conference semi-finals each time. Hextall hopes that next season could be the beginning of the next step.
All of Philadelphia's team seem to be going through a period of struggles recently, but fear not, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.
The Eagles took a step in the right direction back in December, by relieving Chip Kelly of his duties. After a few week search, they hired former quarterback Doug Pederson to be their next head coach. What followed the hiring was quite uncharacteristic for the Eagles, as they managed to secure long-term extensions with key players such as Fletcher Cox, Zach Ertz, and Lane Johnson. In the past, the team has struggled with retaining their own talent, so this is definitely refreshing to see. In free agency, the Birds were able to fill a few holes with complimentary pieces, at a reasonable price. They didn't go overboard, like when they brought in the "Dream Team", which is another positive sign. Perhaps their boldest move of the spring came in the week leading up to the draft, where they made a blockbuster deal with the Cleveland Browns to acquire the second-overall pick in the 2016 Draft, a pick that they used to select Carson Wentz. The last time they selected a Quarterback in the top-two of the NFL Draft, was Donovan McNabb, and we all saw how that worked out. Not making any comparisons, but the future definitely looks bright at the NovaCare Complex.
The Flyers, as I previously stated, aren't really in a rut. They've made the playoffs in seven of the last 10 seasons, and have been playing consistently good hockey. Unfortunately, they've become a middle-of-the-pack team. They have become a team that gets to the playoffs, but is always a first or second round exit, which means a middle-of-the road draft pick. They haven't been good enough to win a Stanley Cup, but they also haven't been bad enough to get a top-5 selection. Thankfully, we've been blessed in many ways. When we traded Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, we netted a return of Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Wayne Simmonds, and Jake Voracek, four guys that have become major contributors for the team since their arrivals. Additionally, the Flyers have been finding some good prospects in the draft. Shayne Gostisbehere was a third-round selection, Travis Konecky was a late first-round pick, and Travis Sanheim was a mid-first-rounder. Only Sam Morin and Ivan Provorov were higher than top-15 picks. Finally, the Flyers have been the benefits of some "Hextall Luck." They were able to unload the albatross of a contract known as Vincent Lecavalier, only to have him retire, freeing up any salary the team retained when trading him. If they can just get out from under the contracts of Mark Streit and Andrew MacDonald, they'll be in great shape.
The Sixers are a whole other story. For the past three seasons, they've won fewer than 20 games. But, they've also accumulated multiple draft picks for future years, and have stashed away decent international prospects. Sam Hinkie was able to build a solid core of players, consisting of Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Dario Saric, and Joel Embiid. Well, on paper he was. The only problem was that Embiid and Saric have yet to take the court. Nonetheless, the Sixers took the opportunity to add to that core with this year's draft class of Ben Simmons, Timothe Luwawu, and Furkan Korkmaz. With a core of players including Simmons, Embiid, Okafor, and Noel, the Sixers are in good shape going forward. Bryan Colangelo has approximately $60 million to work with in this year's free agency, so that should be able to land us a couple of quality players to help round out the roster. As long as the Sixers play their cards right, the future is VERY bright, and could hold multiple championships.
Finally, I come to the team with the brightest future in Philadelphia: the Philles. We have watch over the past eight years, as our Phightin' Phils have slowly gone downhill. From World Series champs, to #1 overall pick, we've been there for it all. It appears though, that the worst may be coming to an end. 2013 was the start of it all, as the Phillies snagged shortstop J.P. Crawford with the 16th overall pick. 2014 saw Aaron Nola get drafted with the seventh selection, and 2015 saw Cornelius Randolph go 10th overall. This year though, the Phillies took a potential game-changer with the first-overall selection, and his name is Mickey Moniak. Factor in the trades of Cole Hamels and Ken Giles, trades that netted us players like Vincent Velasquez, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, and Mark Appel, and you've quite an impressive farm system. In fact, six of those players are ranked in MLB's top-100 prospects, while Velasquez and Nola are making an impact at the major league level. The Phillies already have the beginning of a core established on the main roster, with Velasquez, Nola, Maikel Franco, and Odubel Herrera. Factoring in these prospects only makes that core even more impressive. Perhaps the scariest part of all though, is that the Phillies can still put together a brighter future for themselves. With a virtually empty payroll, the Phillies could soon become a hot-bed for pending free agents. The class of 2018-19 is the one to keep a close eye. While it's likely to change between now and then, the possibility exists for that free agent class to be headlined by the likes of Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, and Andrew McCutchen. To make matters even scarier, the possibility exists that Mike Trout, a well-documented Phillies fans, and New Jersey native, hits the open market the following year. Much like the Sixers, the Phillies hold an open checkbook in their hands. They control their own destiny. If they play it right, we could be in for something special.
We, as Philadelphia fans are known to be among the most passionate in the world. Players are showered with cheers when they succeed, but are met with boos following mediocre outings. For the past five years or so, we've gone through a pretty dark period. None of our teams have been in serious contention for a championship, and they were never bad enough to bring in a potential game-changer. 2016 has been the beginning of the resurrection of Philadelphia sports, though. With the arrivals of Carson Wentz, Ben Simmons, Mickey Moniak, and others, our future is brighter than it's ever been. It's been a long ride through the dark tunnel, but fear not, I see light at the end of this tunnel. It may take a few more years, but the "Dark Ages" are coming to an end. I plead with you Philadelphia, remain patient, and we will all be rewarded.
