Not An Anniversary You Want To Celebrate

May 31st, 2008 by James

As the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins gear up for game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight, Flyers fans, and all Philadelphia sports fans for that matter, are left to reflect on a dubious anniversary today. It has been 25 years since one of the 4 major sports teams from the City of Philadelphia last won a championship. That team was the 1983 76ers.

Since then, the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers AHL affiliate brought to town in 1996, have won the Calder Cup in 1998 and 2005. The Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League were founded in 1986. They have 6 championship titles since that time, the last coming in 2001. While those teams may be winning, none of the “4 Major Sports,” the Phillies, Flyers, Eagles and Sixers, have won a championship. 25 years, 100 seasons.

There have been chances though. Since 1983, the Flyers have gotten to the Stanley Cup Finals 3 times, in 1985, 1987, and 1997, but were not able to hoist the Cup. The Flyers 2 Stanley Cup wins came back to back in the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons. The Phillies’ only World Series Championship was won in 1980. They made three more trips to the World Series in 1981, 1983 and 1993, but lost. Since their 1983 Championship, the Sixers have only made one more trip back to the NBA Finals, in 2001, but lost to the LA Lakers. The Eagles have never won a Super Bowl. They won the NFL Championship in 1948, 1950, and 1960. They made Super Bowl appearances in 1980 and 2004.

Many blame this championship drought on The Curse of Billy Penn. It is said that the Curse is a result of a building being taller than the William Penn statue on top of City Hall. One Liberty Place became in the tallest building in the City, rising above William Penn and City Hall in 1987. Last year there was an attempt to remove the curse,

On June 18, 2007, ironworkers from Local Union 401 helped raise the final beam in the construction of the Comcast Center at 17th and JFK in downtown Philadelphia, which will be the tallest building in the city at 57 stories. In an attempt to end the curse, workers John Joyce and Dan Ginion attached a small figurine of Billy Penn to the beam, along with an American flag and a small tree.

The Boston Red Sox with the Curse of the Bambino and the Chicago White Sox with the Curse of the Black Sox are examples that curses can be lifted.

There is a glimmer of hope. This season Philadelphia saw the Flyers make a dramatic turn around from the prior season. The 2006-2007 Flyers were the worst in the league and set franchise records in losses and least amount of points. The 2007-2008 Flyers saw the youth of the team take over as well as key acquisitions play pivotal roles. They went from 30th place in the NHL, dead last, to the Eastern Conference Finals. The NHL hasn’t seen an improvement like that since the Detroit Red Wings of the 1980s. GM Paul Holmgren has made moves to keep key players like Mike Richards, Danny Briere, and Kimmo Timonen, around for a significant period of time and continues to sure up players like Jeff Carter, RJ Umberger, and Randy Jones.

$Ryan Howard\'s Swing$ Last year the Phillies returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1993 and look to improve on that this year. Last night they opened a series with the Florida Marlins and the convincing 12-3 win by the Phillies gave them the lead in the NL East. The Phillies have seen a Rookie of the Year Award for Ryan Howard in 2005, a NL MVP Award for Howard in 2006, and a NL MVP Award for Jimmy Rollins in 2007. Chase Utley is making his case for a third Phillies MVP in a row. He is currently tied for first in the National League in home runs and is the leading vote getter for the National League for the All Star Game. The Sixers are also going through a youth movement, which saw them return to the postseason after a two year absence.