We're nearing the halfway point on the Top 100, and there's no shortage of great moments left to go. We're going to be exploring another ten right here, right now, so let's get things started with moment number 60, shall we?
60. James Willis starts things, Troy Vincent ends them against Dallas-November 3, 1996
The Eagles and Cowboys of the mid 1990s may not have been the same teams that they were at the start of the decade, but the rivalry still remained. In 1996, the Cowboys were coming off of another Super Bowl season, while the Eagles were hoping to improve following a 10-6 record the year before. Coming into their second matchup of the season, Philadelphia had the better record at 6-2, but Dallas was only a game behind, and with a win against the Eagles in Philadelphia already on the schedule that year. A win in Dallas would put the Cowboys in the driver's seat for the NFC East crown once again.
The first half was a typical Eagles/Dallas matchup in that it was close scoring and very physical. Ty Detmer provided the four point difference at the half with a six yard touchdown run, and the Eagles extended that lead to 21-13 in the third quarter when Detmer found Irving Fryar for a 14 yard touchdown. Dallas refused to go quietly, and Emmitt Smith, who made a career out of killing the Eagles, scored from seven yards out, and the Cowboys converted the two point attempt to tie the game. Detmer drove the Eagles downfield again and Gary Anderson untied the game with his 30 yard field goal. The Cowboys weren't done yet, and drove inside the Philadelphia ten yard line with just seconds left to play. Dallas had time to kick the tying field goal, but took one last shot at the end zone. On what turned out to be the last play of the game, Troy Aikman dropped back, stepped through the pressure, and threw a pass into the end zone that was intercepted by linebacker James Willis. Willis took the ball out of the end zone and sent a lateral to Troy Vincent at the ten yard line. Vincent ran down the clock and scored as time expired to give the Eagles a 31-21 victory. The win would end up being the high point of the season for the Eagles, as they went 3-4 the rest of the way and lost the division to the Cowboys before getting shut out against the 49ers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
Still, this was one of my favorite moments between the Eagles and Cowboys in the 1990s. I can still listen to Merrill Reese call the interception and shout, "The Eagles win! The Eagles win! The Eagles win!" every day for the rest of my life, and it will make me smile.
59. The Flyers finish off the Rangers and go to the Stanley Cup Finals-May 25, 1997
The 1996-97 Flyers team was one that makes me smile, but makes me also think about what could have or should have been that season. The team finished the year with 103 points, good for fourth in the NHL and second in the Eastern Conference. They boasted a line with Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mikael Renberg which Flyers fans remember as the "Legion of Doom." That line alone put up 235 points during the regular season and averaged almost 45 goals per man. Ron Hextall and Garth Snow provided a solid balance in net and the defense had Eric Desjardins, Chris Therien and Janne Niinnimaa. After coasting through the first two rounds of the NHL Playoffs with an 8-2 record, they met the surprising New York Rangers, who had dispatched the conference champion New Jersey Devils in five games in the Semi-Finals.
The Rangers had struggled at times during the regular season, but had brought Wayne Gretzky in during the offseason and paired him back up with Mark Messier. The two old Edmonton Oiler teammates had enough playoff experience to take any team to the limit, and they had done that in the first two rounds. The younger, hungrier Flyers knew that they had a test in front of them and came out swinging. Philadelphia took Game 1 before the Rangers, led by a Gretzky hat trick, tied the series up and sent it to Madison Square Garden. During the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Rangers only lost two games at Madison Square Garden. Both were to the Flyers, who took Games 3 and 4 behind a hat trick from Eric Lindros in Game 3 and a goal with just seven seconds to play by Lindros in Game 4. With a commanding 3-1 series lead, the Flyers came back to the CoreStates Center for Game 5. The game was a game of momentum swings. The Rangers scored two goals within 26 seconds of each other in the first period, but the Flyers came back with three unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead. Ron Hextall was solid the rest of the way, and for the first time since 1987, the Flyers were headed to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The 4-2 win over the Rangers would be the last that the Flyers would get during their playoff run that year. Against the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals, Philadelphia lost four straight games to give the Red Wings their first Cup since 1955. It was still sweet to finish off the Rangers, though. After the game, my dad, brother and I all went out onto the front yard and hung up a huge Let's Go Flyers banner that we spraypainted. My dad also sprayed Let's Go Flyers in the center of the intersection right by my house. It took five years for that paint to completely disappear. This series was also the last time Gretzky and Messier would ever play in a playoff game, so the Flyers had that going for them.
58. Lenny Dykstra's home run beats the Braves-October 11, 1993
I've already said a little bit about the 1993 Phillies, but I'm going to say some more right now. Out of all the teams that I remember watching growing up, this one was my favorite. Maybe it was because my nine year old self enjoyed having something to watch during the summer, or maybe it was because this team had never really competed while I had been on Earth up to that point, but something about them seemed to click with me. I loved how they played and I loved watching them play, but when you look at the years before and after the 1993 season, you can see how lucky this team really was. No one expected the Phillies to win the NL East that season, and somehow even fewer people thought that they could beat the Atlanta Braves, winners of 104 games during the regular season and the opponent for the Phillies in the 1993 NLCS.
In a moment that we'll get to later, the Phillies took Game 1 in dramatic fashion, only to lose Games 2 and 3 by a combined score of 23-7. With Games 4 and 5 in Atlanta, it looked like the season might be coming to a close for the Phillies, but this team never gave up. Danny Jackson pitched like he was back in Cincinnati in Game 4, outpitching John Smoltz, and in Game 5, Curt Schilling got run support from John Kruk, Wes Chamberlain and Darren Daulton and pitched into the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead. The Braves quickly chipped away, and Schilling was lifted for closer Mitch Williams, who did anything but close the game. By the time the bottom of the ninth inning was over, three Atlanta runs had crossed the plate and the Braves had left the winning run on third base. Philadelphia fans had seen this show before, and knew how it usually ended. Here's a hint, it wasn't looking good for the Phillies.
In the top of the tenth inning, the Braves sent closer Mark Wohlers out to the mound to give themselves a chance to walk off in the bottom of the inning. Mickey Morandini flew out to start the inning, but then Lenny Dykstra came to the plate. Dykstra stared Wohlers down and sent a shot off of his bat high into the Atlanta sky that didn't land until it was over the fence in dead center field. Dykstra's home run gave the Phillies the lead again, and 40 year old Larry Andersen came in to finish the game in the bottom of the tenth inning. When Andersen stuck out Ron Gant looking, the Phils had stolen another game from the Braves and were just one win away from their first trip to the World Series in ten years. The feeling I had in my body at that moment was the same one I would have years later after Game 4 of the 2008 World Series. You just knew the Phillies were going to win the next game, and nothing would stop them.
57. The Sixers select Allen Iverson first overall-June 26, 1996
To say that the Sixers were bad after they traded Charles Barkley was like saying a hurricane gives you just a little wind and rain when it hits. Four straight seasons under 30 wins had bottomed out with an 18 win 1995-96 season, and the Sixers won the NBA Draft Lottery, earning the right to pick first in the upcoming draft.
The 1996 draft class was probably the best of the entire decade, with names like Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen and Stephon Marbury among the players selected in the first 15 picks. However, none of those players went to the Sixers. Instead, the Sixers selected a six foot guard out of Georgetown by the name of Allen Iverson. Iverson came into the NBA with controversy, but his skills on the court were unquestionable. While Kobe and Ray Allen might have more rings and Nash won back to back MVPs, Allen Iverson was the perfect pick for the Sixers at their time of need. Iverson was the type of player that could put a team on his back and his hard style of play made him popular with Philadelphia fans almost right away. In his rookie season, Iverson averaged 23.5 points per game on his way to the Rookie of the Year award. The Sixers would toil through two more seasons of sub .500 basketball before Iverson became the key piece that turned the Sixers around and got them to the NBA Finals in 2001.
Allen Iverson wasn't without his share of controversy and head shaking moments during his time with the Sixers, but he was the right player, in the right place at the right time. We've seen what can happen when you don't draft the right player first overall, and the Sixers drafted the right player first overall, and it helped turn their franchise around.
56. The Eagles celebrate Groundhog Day against the Cowboys-December 10, 1995
Just like the number 60 moment on this list, the number 56 moment was a key part of the Eagles/Cowboys rivalry in the mid 1990s. Coming into this late season matchup, the Cowboys were sitting in first place in the NFC East with a 10-3 record, while the Eagles were trying to gain a foothold in the playoff race with a record of 8-5. While the game itself was largely unmemorable, a moment with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter made this game a legend in Philadelphia sports lore.
The first half was something that Eagles fans would rather forget. Dallas took a 7-3 lead into the second quarter, and expanded that to 17-6 at the half, thanks in large part to a 65 yard interception return by future Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown. Ricky Watters scored in the third quarter and the Eagles converted the two point attempt to pull to within three points, and a Gary Anderson field goal early in the fourth quarter, giving the momentum to the Eagles and their Veterans Stadium crowd. With just over two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were facing a fourth down and inches at their own 29 yard line, and rather than punt the ball and have faith in their defense, Barry Switzer decided to go for it. The Eagles stuffed Emmitt Smith on the attempt, but the officials blew the play dead just before the snap for the two minute warning.
After the two minute warning, the Cowboys lined up to go for it on fourth down again. Rather than try and draw the Eagles offsides and call a timeout, Dallas ran the exact same play. The only problem was that the Eagles were ready for it, and stopped Smith cold for the second straight snap. With the ball deep in Dallas territory, the Eagles ran the clock down and Gary Anderson finished things with a 42 yard field goal as time expired. The Eagles took the win and turned it into a 2-1 finish to make the playoffs, only to be blown out in the Divisional Round by the eventual Super Bowl champion Cowboys. Once again, Merrill Reese's call of the second stop on Emmitt Smith is something that I, or any other Eagles fan, will never forget.
55. Allen Iverson talks about...practice-May 7, 2002
Remember when I said Allen Iverson had his share of controversy when he was with the Sixers? Well, this was probably the top of those moments. It wasn't a proud moment in Philadelphia sports, but the sheer absurdity of the entire moment makes it a top moment on my list. If you don't like it, too bad. I made the list, so I get to say where things go.
The 2001-02 Sixers season didn't go nearly as well as the 2000-01 season went. Following Allen Iverson's MVP, 56 wins and a trip to the NBA Finals, the Sixers came back down to Earth with a 43-39 season and a first round exit against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics finished Philadelphia with a 120-87 thumping in Boston, and four days later, Allen Iverson addressed the media for his exit interview. Head coach Larry Brown had called out Iverson during interviews, saying that his missing practice had cost the team possibly a chance to win their series against Boston. When reporters questioned Iverson about it, he went on one of the best rants that I've ever heard a Philadelphia athlete go off on.
In the span of a few minutes, Iverson managed to question why him being at practice would make his teammates better, how many MVPs would come off of the bench and if the media really knew what they were talking about, and by that, I mean practice. Iverson said "practice" over twenty times during the interview, which aired live on ESPN and the Comcast Network. Over the last decade, the interview has been aired, parodied and everything else over and over again. Like I said, it wasn't the best moment ever for a Philadelphia sports team, but come on, what are we talking about? Practice?
54. The Flyers beat the Penguins with a backup goalie in Game 7-April 29, 1989
The late 80s Flyers aren't really part of my sports memories, mainly because I was too young to even remember seeing them play. However, everything that I've ever watched involving those teams confirms what I already know about the Flyers. I would have loved watching them and seeing them go at the best teams in the NHL. However, the 1988-89 season was not their best. The Flyers went 36-36-8 and just made the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Patrick Division. After upsetting the Washington Capitols in six games in the first round, the Flyers took on the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the Division Finals.
Look back at this year's first round matchup between the Flyers and Penguins. This one was quite similar, including a 10-7 win by Pittsburgh in Game 5 that featured five goals and three assists by Mario Lemieux. The Flyers bounced back with a 6-2 win in a must win Game 6, but lost Ron Hextall to an injury, forcing them to start backup Ken Wregget in Game 7. Wregget had been traded to the Flyers from Toronto late in the season, and played in only three games with the Flyers and allowed 13 goals, so confidence for a win wasn't exactly that high. You couldn't tell Wregget that, though. The backup stopped 39 of 40 shots in Game 7, and the Flyers got goals from four different players to take Game 7 by a 4-1 final.
The miracle run that the Flyers were on ended in the Eastern Conference Finals against Montreal, but the fact that the Flyers even made it out of the Division Semi-Finals against Washington was nothing short of impressive. When you add into the fact that the Flyers then beat the Penguins, in Pittsburgh, with a backup goalie in Game 7, the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs were pretty good for the Flyers.
53. Aaron Rowand meets the wall-May 11, 2006
After spending 2005 watching Kenny Lofton seemingly afraid of the center field warning track, the Phillies traded Jim Thome to the Chicago White Sox for Daniel Haigwood, a pitching prospect named Gio Gonzalez (whatever happened to him?) and center fielder Aaron Rowand. The move was twofold: not only did the Phillies get an offensive and defensive upgrade in center, but they also cleared room for Ryan Howard to become the full time starter at first base. Early in the 2006 season, the Phillies and their fans found out how much of an upgrade Rowand really was.
Gavin Floyd started the May 11 game against the New York Mets, and after retiring the first two batters he faced he ran into some trouble. Three straight walks loaded the bases, and Xavier Nady came to the plate. Nady launched a pitch to deep right center field, and it looked like a sure bases clearing double or triple. The only problem with that thought was that Aaron Rowand was charging right to where the ball was headed. Rowand took one more look over his shoulder, caught the ball with a jump, and crashed into the fence right in front of the bullpen. You know how the fence there has padding now? Well, in 2006, it didn't. In fact, Rowand had requested that padding be put in, and the Phillies were scheduled to do so, just as soon as their next road trip began. Instead of hitting padding, Rowand's face met exposed metal, and Rowand broke his nose and suffered some pretty deep cuts to his face. However, he held on to the ball and ended the inning. As he laid on the ground in pain, he made sure to hold the ball up to let everyone know that he did in fact catch it.
Rowand's act of self sacrifice in a regular season game made him a fan favorite overnight. In Philadelphia, putting the needs of the team over the needs of yourself will put you in good graces faster than anything, and that's what Rowand's act did. The Phillies didn't make the playoffs in 2006, but they did win the May 11 game 2-0, and would win the NL East one year later, thanks to a late season collapse by those same New York Mets. This game happened the night before my college graduation, and I remember watching it happen in a dive bar in Southern New Jersey. The first words I said after seeing the catch were, "Oh my God, he's dead." I only was partially joking.
52. Brian Westbrook has one more miracle for the old Meadowlands-October 19, 2003
A year after their second straight trip to the NFC Championship, the Eagles were not having a good start to their season. A home opening shutout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was followed up by a 2-2 record midway through October, and the Eagles went to the Meadowlands in desperate need of a win to help save their season. Standing in their way was the New York Giants, a team that was also sitting at 2-3 and looking for a win to jump start the rest of their regular season.
For 58 minutes, the Giants dominated the Eagles on defense. Donovan McNabb passed for only 64 yards and an interception for the game, and save for an early Brian Westbrook rushing touchdown, the Eagles had no offensive game to speak of. With just two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Giants were forced to punt from midfield. Jeff Feagles took the snap, and instead of punting the ball out of bounds and pinning the Eagles deep in their own territory, he kicked it towards the sideline, where it bounced into the waiting arms of Westbrook. Westbrook had already established himself as a dangerous punt returner, and after he got a few blocks from the rest of the special teams unit, he was off to the races. By the time he got to the 50 yard line, everyone knew he was going to score, and when there were no flags on the field, you could feel the energy get sucked out of Giants Stadium. Somehow, the Eagles had stolen a game that they had no business winning.
That punt return saved the Eagles season that year, and it's not an understatement to say that. After the win against the Giants, the Eagles wouldn't lose a game until two months later, when they were 11-3 and had clinched another NFC East title. The Giants never really recovered and limped to a 4-12 record. Watching this moment live, I couldn't believe what I had seen, especially since I was watching the game with two Eagles fans and a Giant fan who hadn't stopped talking smack the entire game. Having him shut up was worth every last second of the Giants beating the Eagles, because the Eagles ended up on top.
51. The Flyers sweep the Rangers out of the playoffs-May 26, 1995
The 1994-95 NHL season was one of the strangest ever. The NHL managed to save their season by reaching an agreement to end their lockout near the end of 1994, and the teams played a shortened season that the Flyers used to reach the top of the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia finished the year with 60 points, good for first place in the Atlantic Division and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Eric Lindros took home the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player, and after a five game series win over the Buffalo Sabres, the stage was set for the Flyers to take on the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers.
The Rangers weren't as good as the team that took home the Stanley Cup the year before, but they were still a dangerous team that had knocked off the top seed in the conference in the first round. However, the Flyers had played New York tough through the regular season and were ready for everything that the Rangers could throw at them. Philadelphia took the first two games in overtime. Game 1 ended on an Eric Desjardins goal, and Game 2 came to a close thanks to Kevin Haller just 25 seconds into the overtime period. With their backs against the wall at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers needed a win, but the Flyers wanted nothing to do with that. Philadelphia jumped out to a 4-0 lead midway through the second period and coasted to a 5-2 win for a 3-0 series lead. Game 4 was the same story for the young Flyers. Philadelphia got two goals in the first period from Karl Dykhuis and added two more goals in the second to put the game out of reach. New York's last goal was meaningless, and the defending Stanley Cup champions were knocked out in a sweep by the Flyers.
There was so much to like about these Flyers teams from the mid to late 1990s that I don't even know where to start. The team was full of such young talent that it's criminal that they never won a Cup, but it is what it is now. To see them get back to the playoffs and reach the Eastern Conference Finals was impressive, and to do it at the expense of the Rangers made it even better. The run would end in the Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils, but this series was a lot of fun.
That does it for this part of the countdown. We hit the halfway point in full in the next ten moments. We've got playoff moments from all four teams, backups making their marks and a player making a statement that would come to pass in a big way.
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