23 years and counting without a title
May 31, 2006
| By Dennis Bakay
| 
Discuss
It’s odd, I expected it to be brought up once while listening to WIP today, but nobody mentioned it.
And, no I’m not talking about rising gas prices or Bush’s approval
rating, in which both seem to be heading in opposite directions.
I’m talking about the 23rd anniversary of the last championship for
a major Philadelphia sports team. Yes, it was May 31, 1983 when the Sixers
defeated the L.A. Lakers in a 4 game sweep. I even have the boxscore
from that game for you to see.
23 years is enough proof to realize that Philadelphia is the city that never wins. And, every loss in a big game paradoxically hurts, but doesn't hurt.
We’re numb to it.
And, it's expected.
It’s hard to believe (well maybe not that hard considering the litany
of collapses) our teams have gone an aggregate 90 seasons without a title.
It almost defies the laws of mathematics. Here is the tally of our 4 teams
in championship action since 1983.
Flyers 0-3
Phillies 0-2
Sixers 0-1
Eagles 0-1
It’s even more remarkable that the four teams have combined for just 7 appearances; that’s good for an appearance every 3 years on average. If only we were so lucky. In the past 13 years, we’ve seen all four teams make just one appearance each.
To what do we pinpoint this futility on? Is it poor decisions by ownership,
mismanagement of talent, bad luck, choking when it counts, a curse? Well,
it’s a little bit of the first 4…sorry to disappoint those of
you who believe in the curse.
Another reason why the drought has lasted this long is because the franchise
players on the four teams don’t have a second superstar playing alongside
them, with the exception of McNabb and T.O. From Cunningham to Barkley to
Lindros to Iverson, they never had that second superstar to play with. Sure,
they’ve had solid compliments, but nothing to add up to a McNabb-Terrell
Owens or Mike Schmidt-Pete Rose type combination.
Take note that the Eagles finally got to the Super Bowl when McNabb was complimented with a superstar player. And, yes they beat the Vikings and Falcons in the playoffs to get there. However, they would’ve never been in that position to rest their starters the final 2 weeks after coasting through that magical season.
Iverson is a different case. He is a player who by many accounts is unable to coexist with another superstar. Just ask Chris Webber. Webber has even privately told people free agents won’t come to the 76ers because Iverson wants the ball too much.
Aside from the lack of superstar combinations there have been periods where the owners were just plain cheap; from the Norman Brayman era, to the Harold Katz era, to the Phillies ownership group of mystery people (sans Giles and Montgomery) who are more underground than a secret society. And, still to this point the Phillies aren’t spending everything they can to put a championship contender on the field.
There are a few certainties in life, death, taxes, and the championship futility of Philadelphia teams.
One day the paydirt will come, and to quote WIP’s Glen Macnow, “it will be like the champagne bottle has been shaken for all those years and then the cork is finally popped, and it will be so good.”
Let’s hope that cork gets popped before 25 or 30 years, the city that never wins deserves it.
Contact Dennis Bakay at phillysports@earthlink.net
