We're on to the second round of this 100 moment list with ten more entries. These ten feature a little bit of everything from all four major sports teams in Philadelphia.
#90. Randall Cunningham lands on all fours and throws a touchdown-October 10, 1988
When he was drafted by the Eagles in 1985, Randall Cunningham was expected to become the heir apparent to Ron Jaworski, the most popular quarterback in Eagles history. Cunningham, whose ability to scramble was unique at the time, became a starter in the 1987 season and had started to emerge in 1988. On October 10th of that year, the Eagles took on the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The Eagles had a 2-3 record, while the Giants were a game better at 3-2. A loss by the Eagles to the Giants, coupled with a divisional loss to Washington earlier in the season, could have put hopes of a divisional title in serious jeopardy.
Randall wasn't about to let that happen, despite people that said his style of play wouldn't work against a punishing New York defense. The Giants struck first with a field goal in the first quarter, but then Cunningham went to work shredding New York's pass defense. The number 90 moment happened in the second quarter, with the Eagles sitting on New York's four yard line and attempting to take the lead. Keith Byers and Anthony Toney had been stopped on back to back running plays, leaving the Eagles with a third down and goal to go. Cunningham took the third down snap, rolled right and stumbled on the never popular Veteran Stadium turf. Carl Banks, a Pro Bowler the season before, then launched himself into Cunningham. For just about any other quarterback, the play would have been over, but Randall caught himself before he hit the ground, held onto the football and threw a touchdown pass to Jimmie Giles. The moment, which happened on national television, opened the eyes of a lot of people to what Cunningham could do on a football field. Randall finished the game going 31-41 through the air for 369 yards and three touchdowns and punted the ball once for 55 yards. Randall had arrived on the national stage, and the Eagles took the Monday Night win and turned it into a 10-6 record and their first NFC East crown since the 1980 season.
89. Dan Carcillo beats the Devils in overtime-April 18, 2010
I'm going to be 100% honest with you all right now: I didn't like Dan Carcillo when he played for the Flyers. I felt like he was a goon that didn't fit in with what the team was trying to do, and he took stupid penalties that cost the Flyers a couple of games. However, this moment is probably going to always be my fondest memory of Dan Carcillo.
When the Flyers got made their way into the 2010 NHL Playoffs, they didn't have much going for them. They had to win in a shootout on the last day of the regular season to even make the playoffs and they did so as the number 7 seed, giving them a tough draw in the first round against the New Jersey Devils. Luckily for the Flyers, they had played the Devils tough during the regular season, and it carried over into the playoffs as they took Game 1. The Devils bounced back with a 5-3 win in Game 2 and had forced overtime in Game 3, with momentum for the rest of the series on the line. Three and a half minutes into the overtime, the Flyers were at the tail end of a rare power play and had gotten the puck deep in the New Jersey end. Mike Richards dug the puck towards Martin Brodeur and pushed it through the crease, where Carcillo happened to be waiting. Carcillo buried the puck past Brodeur, and the Flyers took Game 3 by a 3-2 mark. It was Carcillo's second playoff goal of his career, but it was the most important goal that he ever scored. The Flyers never looked back in their first round series from that point, taking the next two games to finish New Jersey off in five. The momentum carried on for the Flyers as they reached the Stanley Cup Finals that season, but that's another moment for another part of this list.
88. Terry Mulholland pitches a no-hitter-August 15, 1990
At his best, Terry Mulholland was a serviceable middle of the rotation starter. He wasn't the kind of guy that you were going to build your pitching staff around, but he was the kind of player you wanted to have more of. During Mulholland's almost two decade long, 11 team career, he was part of a lot of different moments, but this was one of his best.
On August 15, 1990, Mulholland faced his first team, the San Francisco Giants at Veterans Stadium and threw the game of his life. Through the first six innings, Mulholland was perfect, retiring the Giants in order. An error by Charlie Hayes in the seventh ended the perfect game, but Rick Parker was erased by a double play by the very next batter, and the no-hitter continued. He retied the Giants in order in the eighth and got two easy outs to start the ninth when Gary Carter came to the plate. The future Hall of Fame catcher was nearing the end of his career, but he was still a dangerous hitter. With a crowd of just over 32,000 chanting his name, Mulholland threw his last pitch of the evening, and Carter hit a line drive right down the third base line. Charlie Hayes made up for his earlier error with a terrific catch on the line, and the no-hitter was completed. It was one of only two no-hitters thrown in Veterans Stadium history, and while the Phillies and Mulholland each finished the year with records under .500, they at least had the no-hitter to remember and to build on, and they both would.
87. The 2011-12 Sixers defy expectations at the start of their season
Despite their rough end to the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers had one of the best starts in team history this past year. Following a season in which they had finished 41-41, progress was expected from a young team that now had playoff experience under their belt.
With the NBA lockout over, the Sixers broke their abbreviated preseason and started the regular season the day after Christmas against Portland. Even though they lost their first game, they had played well, and continued to do so throughout the trip. A 101-93 win over the New Orleans Hornets put them at 3-2, and the Sixers were never under .500 at any point for the rest of the season. The 3-2 record quickly turned into 7-2 following a perfect homestand, and 7-2 became 12-5 with evolved into 20-9, which was the high water mark for the Sixers on the season. The depth that the team had showed, as they were led by a different player almost every night and had six players averaging in double figures. The peak was probably a 95-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers when Lou Williams took over the 4th quarter and gave Sixer fans a show they hadn't seen since the first time Allen Iverson was in town. In the end, 20-9 turned into a 35-31 record, but the start of the season, especially with the higher expectations that were on this team this past season, was remarkable and easily one of the better Sixer moments of the past decade.
86. The Eagles demolish the Cowboys on Monday Night Football-October 5, 1992
In the early 90s, there was nothing better to me than watching the Eagles take on the Dallas Cowboys. Even at a young age, I couldn't stand Dallas (my father taught me well in that regard) and loved when the Eagles were able to beat them. Unfortunately for me, those moments were somewhat less frequent than I would have liked. On one early October night, however, I got my wish, and I got it in a big way.
Five weeks into the 1992 regular season, the Eagles and Cowboys were tied at the top of the NFC East with identical 3-0 records and were headed for a Monday Night Football showdown at the Vet. The Eagles had missed the playoffs the year before, despite having a 10-6 record, while Dallas was taking steps towards becoming the "team of the 90s." In fact, the Cowboys would go on to win their first of three Super Bowls in four seasons in the 1992 season, but this night, the Eagles had control and weren't letting go. The score was a slow 10-7 at the half, but the Eagles brought their running game in the second, scoring three times on the ground while the defense dominated Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, holding Smith to just 67 yards rushing and intercepting Aikman three times. Reggie White had two of the four sacks for the Eagles, including one where he ran out of his shoe and still sacked Aikman. Randall Cunningham didn't have the best game, but scored on a rushing touchdown and Herschel Walker and Keith Byers added the other three touchdowns for the Eagles in a 31-7 rout. The 4-0 record and dominating win would be the best moment for the Eagles that season, as they struggled to a 7-5 record before winning four games in a row to close out the season. The Cowboys would end their run in the NFC Divisional Round, blowing out the Eagles 34-10, but I can still look back at the tape I have of this game and smile when I watch it.
85. Allen Iverson returns to the Sixers-December 7, 2009
Allen Iverson's departure from the Sixers back in 2006 left most Philadelphia fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. Iverson had been one of the most popular Philadelphia athletes in his time with the Sixers, and when he was traded, there was little hope of ever seeing him again in a uniform for the team that drafted him first overall back in 1996. By the time the 2009 season rolled around though, Iverson was looking for a way back to Philadelphia.
Iverson had bounced around since his trade to Denver, playing a season with the Pistons in Detroit and a few months with the Memphis Grizzlies before being released. It looked like the end of the line for Iverson, but he found one last chance with the Sixers, who had just lost Lou Williams for 30 games with a broken jaw. Iverson signed with the team on December 2 and made his return five days later against the Denver Nuggets. The game was a sellout, the first of the season at the Wells Fargo Center, and while Iverson didn't lead the Sixers to a win, he was able to bring an excitement back to Philadelphia for the Sixers that hadn't been there since before he left. The signing didn't work out, and three months later, Iverson was released from his contract, but that first moment that he came back onto the court, wearing a Sixers uniform and getting a standing ovation from the fans, that was worth it. Iverson isn't a humble man, but he seemed humbled by the appreciation that was shown that night.
84. Wilson Valdez pitches, and wins-May 25, 2011
I can hear some of you reading this now: "What do you mean this is so low? It's Wilson Valdez pitching and winning a game!" I understand that. Keep in mind though, this game happened in late May, and if it were any other team that had this situation, you wouldn't even remember it. It's a cool moment, and one that I'll remember forever, but it's not as memorable as you think. Honestly, it is still pretty amazing.
In the third of a four game series against the Cincinnati Reds, the Phillies had gotten a solid, but nothing special outing from Roy Halladay, who allowed three runs on 11 hits in seven innings. In the seventh inning, the Reds scored twice to tie the game at three, and after neither team could score in the eighth and ninth, the game headed to extra innings. Jay Bruce led off the tenth inning with a home run, but Ryan Howard responded with one of his own in the bottom of the inning, and from there, no runs were scored for another nine innings. Each team had exhausted their bullpen, with the Phillies running out of pitchers before the Reds did. In the 19th inning, Wilson Valdez moved from second base to the pitchers mound and proceeded to pitch an inning of a game that wasn't a blowout loss. Not only did Valdez pitch a shutout inning, but he did so against the heart of the Cincinnati order, getting Joey Votto and Jay Bruce to fly out and popping up Carlos Fisher, now the opposing pitcher. Luckily for Valdez, he only had to pitch one inning, because the Phils managed to finally score a run in the bottom of the 19th. Valdez became the first position player to be the winning pitcher of a baseball game after starting the game in the field since Babe Ruth back in 1921. A special mention has to be given to Danys Baez, who pitched five shutout innings that night and made it possible for Valdez to get his moment in the sun.
83. Simon Gagne gives the Flyers life vs. Boston-May 7, 2010
Just a few weeks removed from the number 89 moment on this list, the 2010 Flyers find themselves back on here with another overtime goal. This goal not only saved the season, but started one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history.
After getting through the Devils in five games, the Flyers had another tough draw against the Boston Bruins in the second round of the NHL playoffs. Boston proved to be a much tougher challenge than the Devils were, taking the first three games of the series and winning Game 3 in convincing 4-1 style. Most people were under the assumption that the series was already over and when Mark Recchi scored with just 32 seconds left to play in the third period to force a sudden death overtime, there was little hope left for the Flyers. Their season was on life support, and the plug was about to be pulled. Boston had some chances in the overtime period, but Brian Boucher was up to the task. Meanwhile, the Flyers were attacking as well, but with their season on the line, they couldn't get another goal past Tuukka Rask. Finally, with about five and a half minutes to go in the first overtime, Mike Richards brought the puck into the Boston end. He sent a beautiful pass over to Matt Carle, who put it in on net. The puck went right to a waiting Simon Gagne, who tipped it in and gave the Flyers the 5-4 win. The most amazing part about Gagne's goal is that he shouldn't have even been playing; just two weeks before the game, he had two screws placed into his foot to help heal a break that was there and was just cleared to play. His guts and skill helped the Flyers stave off elimination and set the stage for a moment that is much, much higher on this list.
82. The Eagles become the 1 in the 10-1 Giants record-November 25, 1990
The 1990 New York Giants are more than likely going to be remembered as one of the best teams in NFL history. As an Eagles fan, it pains me to say that, but it's true. However, there are few things in a football season sweeter than being the first team to beat an undefeated team. Giants fans can agree with me on that, but for one game way back in 1990, the Eagles got to be that team with the Giants.
At the end of November, the New York Giants were sitting in first place in the NFC East with a perfect 10-0 record. The Eagles were fighting for a playoff spot and came into the showdown with the Giants with a 6-4 record. A loss against New York, who had dominated just about every opponent that they had faced, seemed likely and would have all but sealed the lid on any playoff hopes that the Eagles had. In the first half, the two teams traded blows, with a missed extra point by the Giants being the difference in a 14-13 Eagles lead at the half. In the second half, it was another story. The Eagles came out and dominated the Giants, scoring three touchdowns and holding New York scoreless. Phil Simms finished the game completing just 17 of 40 passes and was intercepted twice, including one by Byron Evans that was returned for the final touchdown of the game. The Eagles won by a 31-13 score and knocked New York from the ranks of the unbeaten. The 31 points scored by Philadelphia were the most points allowed by the Giants all season and it was the only time New York allowed a team to score more than 30 points on them that season as well. The Eagles carried the momentum of their win into a Wild Card playoff spot, but lost an uninspiring game to the Redskins, 20-6. Once again though, they at least had a dominating show against one of the best teams in football.
81. Charles Barkley is named to the Dream Team-September 21, 1991
For USA Basketball, winning the 1992 gold medal was never a question. After being humbled in the 1988 Olympics, the US was able to field a team of NBA players in 1992 that was named the Dream Team. The only question was which players would be able to represent their country in the Olympics and bring the gold back to the United States.
On September 21, 1991, the first ten players were selected for the Dream Team, and Philadelphia's own Charles Barkley was named as one of them. For Barkley to be able to represent Philadelphia as part of the US team in 1992 was a huge moment for Sixer fans, who now had validation that Barkley was one of the best players in the world. Barkley took advantage of the international stage, leading the Dream Team in field goal percentage, three point percentage and points per game as the US rolled to the gold medal. Some of you might be too young to remember the original Dream Team, but I'm not. This was the best team ever assembled for any sport, and to have a member of the Philadelphia 76ers as part of it was something that I was proud of then, and am proud of still today.
Now that everyone is feeling Olympic and enjoying looking back at some dominating Eagles performances and overtime playoff goals, it's time to put an end to this section of the list. In the next section, we've got another no-hitter, some more clutch playoff moments, a hit that was one of the best ever and some draft picks that helped set the stage for two franchises to move into new directions.
No comments:
Post a Comment