Such a Promising Beginning
When I was born in 1980, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series. Throughout my childhood I had a red baseball bat signed by each member of that championship team resting in the corner of my bedroom. In 1983, the Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA championship. In 1985, Villanova won the NCAA basketball championship in one of the greatest underdog wins in sports history. Little did I know that, at just five years of age, my best Philadelphia sports memories were already behind me. Particularly sad for me is that I have no memory whatsoever of these victories.
What I do know quite well, unfortunately, is pain. Disappointment. Heartbreak. Frustration. Anger. These are the emotions of a Philadelphia sports fan.
I remember attending Game 6 of the Phillies National League Championship Series in 1993, when they clinched the title and advanced to the World Series. I also remember watching Joe Carter gallop excitedly around the bases after blasting the game-winning home run for the Toronto Blue Jays in that World Series.
I remember the Flyers advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997 only to be swept in four games by the Detroit Red Wings.
I remember the 76ers advancing to the NBA Finals in 2001 and being demolished in 5 games by the Los Angeles Lakers, whose star player, Kobe Bryant, is from Philadelphia.
And the Eagles… oh, the Eagles, Philadelphi’a most beloved team of all. Where to start? They advanced to the conference championship game 3 years in a row- in 2001, 2002, and 2003- only to lose each time. Then they broke through in the following year and advanced to the Super Bowl… and lost that game as well. Should I mention Terrell Owens? No- that’s another disaster in itself.
The situation became so bleak that Philadelphia fans adopted local college St. Joseph’s University’s basketball team as its own and became passionate about them as they earned a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament in 2004 following an undefeated regular season. Predictably the team lost, in heartbreaking fashion, to Oklahoma State University in the regional finals.
Similarly, later in 2004 the town pinned its hopes on local race horse Smarty Jones, which won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, putting it on the brink of capturing horseracing’s most coveted prize, the Triple Crown. Of course, the horse faded in the final stretch and was overtaken by a 36-to-1 longshot, Birdstone.
The cumulative suffering these events have caused has led me to conclude that the city is cursed- perhaps Villanova’s unbelievable run in 1985 used up a generation’s worth of luck. Don’t believe me? More to come…