When the Eagles signed Michael Vick before the 2009 season, it raised a lot of eyebrows. Kevin Kolb was already the quarterback in waiting, and Donovan McNabb had gotten the Eagles back to the NFC Championship Game the prior season. Vick had just been released from prison after his dogfighting conviction, so to bring him in was seen by some fans as a wasted move. Instead, Vick took advantage of his situation and worked his way through the 2009 season before becoming the starting quarterback early in 2010. A midseason showdown with the Washington Redskins wasn't just another game for Vick and the Eagles because of who was under center for Washington.
In April of 2010, the Eagles traded Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins. The first matchup of the season between the two teams became a must-watch event, as the potential McNabb/Kevin Kolb showdown turned into a game between McNabb and Michael Vick. Vick didn't finish the game, as he was hurt early on, and Washington won 17-12. The second game that season had even bigger implications. Vick was back and healthy, the Eagles were coming off of a huge win against the Indianapolis Colts and were a game ahead of the Redskins, who had announced earlier that day that they had signed Donovan McNabb to a huge contract extension.
When the game began, it was nothing short of amazing if you were an Eagles fan. On the first play of the game, Vick found DeSean Jackson behind the Washington secondary for an 88 yard touchdown pass. After a Washington punt, it took just five plays for Vick to get into the end zone himself on a seven yard touchdown run. The next Washington possession ended with a Kurt Coleman interception deep in Redskins territory, and Vick hit LeSean McCoy with an 11 yard touchdown pass. Just ten minutes into the game, the Eagles were up 21-0, and they weren't done yet. Jerome Harrison got involved on the next drive, breaking through the middle of the Washington defense for a 50 yard touchdown run. It was 28-0 after the first quarter, and the game was already decided.
The next three quarters were just icing on the cake. Vick passed to Jeremy Maclin for a 48 yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter and the half ended with the Eagles up 45-14. Vick threw for one more touchdown in the third quarter, and Dimitri Patterson finished up the scoring outburst with a 40 yard interception return for a touchdown. When the dust settled, the final score was 59-28 Philadelphia. Michael Vick had passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 80 yards and another two touchdowns. It was the first time in NFL history that a quarterback had thrown for 300 yards, rushed for 50 yards and scored six touchdowns in a single game. The Eagles also set franchise records for total yards with 592, points with 59 and points in a half with 45. The team also had the biggest lead after the first quarter by any road team since 1950. To have this happen against any team would have been amazing, but to see it on Monday Night Football against Washington and Donovan McNabb? That's what makes it such a great moment.
39. The Sixers win the Eastern Conference Finals-June 3, 2001
I've already covered a lot from the 2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers season, but there's still more to go. After surviving Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors, the Sixers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals against a very tough Milwaukee Bucks team. While the Sixers had Allen Iverson doing most of the legwork, the Bucks had a balanced attack that featured Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson and a much younger Ray Allen.
The Sixers took Game 1 at home, but then dropped the next two, which gave Milwaukee home-court advantage. In a must win Game 4, a 29 point third quarter and 28 points from Allen Iverson were enough to push the Sixers to an 89-83 win. Game 5 was the same type of story, with the Sixers riding a big third quarter to a very tight 89-88 victory. This time, it was Dikembe Mutombo who led the way, scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. With the Sixers just a win away from the NBA Finals, Iverson and Ray Allen went shot for shot in Game 6. Iverson finished with 46 points, Allen with 41, but the Bucks dominated the first half and held on for a 110-100 victory that forced a Game 7 back in Philadelphia.
Of course, Philadelphia fans were nervous before Game 7. The Sixers had been taken to the limit the series before by the Raptors, and the last thing the fans wanted to see was another team push the Sixers back there. Throw in the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers had already swept their way through the Western Conference and were waiting for the winner of Game 7, and Philadelphia was a little bit on edge before the game. When Milwaukee led after the first quarter by a point, that did little to help matters, but the Sixers turned things around after that. Milwaukee's lead got to as large as nine points, but the Sixers, led once again by Allen Iverson, began to chip away. A 12 point run gave the Sixers the lead, and by the end of the first half, Philadelphia was up 56-50. After taking the lead in the second quarter, the Sixers never looked back. Iverson drilled a three pointer at the buzzer in the third quarter to put Philadelphia up by 11, and the lead grew to almost 20 points in the fourth quarter. Iverson scored 44 and Mutombo put in 23 and had 19 rebounds as the Sixers romped past the Bucks and into the NBA Finals by a final of 108-91.
In the years following Iverson's arrival in Philadelphia, the fans had seen him rise to the occasion in many different games. The big question was whether or not he could do it when the chips were down in the playoffs. In the 2001 NBA Playoffs, people had their answer, and man, was it fun to watch.
38. Cliff Lee introduces himself to the Bronx-October 28, 2009
The Phillies had made it back to the World Series in 2009 and were looking to repeat, but they were there with a different cast of pitchers on the mound. Cole Hamels had struggled after his breakout season in 2008, finishing 10-11 with an ERA of 4.32. With Hamels struggling, the Phillies brought in Pedro Martinez and traded for Cliff Lee at the midway point of the season. The additions were enough to win a second straight National League pennant and set the Phils up against the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series. Lee had been dominant in the NLCS against the Dodgers, and was set to start Game 1 of the World Series against his former teammate C.C. Sabathia.
The game was a pitcher's duel early, but Lee had set his tone in the first two innings, striking out four of the first six batters he faced. Chase Utley homered off of Sabathia in the third and again in the sixth, and that was all the offense that Cliff Lee would need. In a complete game victory, Lee struck out ten, walked none and didn't give up a run until the ninth inning. You could tell what kind of night Lee was having when, in the bottom of the sixth inning, he casually stuck his glove out to catch a Johnny Damon pop-up. The Phillies added four more insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but they were just for show. Game 1 of the 2009 World Series was all about Cliff Lee, and he made it hard for it to be about anyone else.
Lee's dominating performance in Game 1 gave Phillies fans hope of a second World Series title in as many years and stunned Yankee fans, who expected the Yanks to make quick work of the Phillies. While the Yankees won the series in six games, Lee won both games for the Phillies, and his Game 1 effort was the stuff of legend.
37. Joe Blanton hits a World Series home run-October 26, 2008
When Joe Blanton was acquired by the Phillies at the trade deadline in 2008, few people batted an eye. The Phillies were expected to make a move for another pitcher, but Blanton wasn't the guy people wanted. He was 5-12 in 2008 with Oakland, but went 4-0 with the Phillies and showed that he could be a solid fourth starter behind Cole Hamels, Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer. Once the Phillies made the playoffs, Blanton was the winning pitcher in Game 4 of the NLDS and was tabbed to be the starting pitcher in Game 4 of the World Series. If Blanton could win the game, the Phillies would lead the series 3-1 and have the Tampa Bay Rays on the ropes.
The Phils started early, scoring a run in the first inning off of Andy Sonnanstine and they added a second run in the third. After a Carl Crawford home run in the fourth inning, Ryan Howard broke the game open with a three run home run in the bottom of the frame to put the Phils up 5-1. Eric Hinske, who will also be in a moment, much, much higher up this list homered in the top of the fifthinning, but in the bottom of the fifth, our moment takes place.
Edwin Jackson had come into the game for Sonnastine and quickly retired Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz to start the inning. Up next was Joe Blanton, who wasn't much of a hitter during the 2008 season. In fact, Blanton was just 1-24 at the plate during the season, but it didn't matter in this at bat. Jackson gave Blanton a belt high pitch, and Blanton turned on it, launching it into the left field seats for a solo home run. There were a few moments when I knew that the Phillies were going to win the World Series, but few were bigger than this one. The Phils tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to finish off a 10-2 Game 4 win.
With the home run, Blanton became the first pitcher since Ken Holtzman back in 1974 to hit a home run in a World Series game. While this was an amazing moment, I didn't rank it any higher for a few reasons. First, the game was already 5-2 Phillies when the home run happened, and the Phils added four more runs after the hit. Second, while home runs by pitchers are rare, and a home run by a pitcher in the World Series is almost unheard of, it has happened before. There are much more memorable home runs later on down this list. I like Joe Blanton, and some of you might have this ranked higher on your own list, but this is where it stands for me.
36. The Eagles show Lomas Brown what they think of his guarantee-December 30, 1995
The 1995 Eagles have already been covered on this list before with the Groundhog Day moment against the Cowboys, but this moment happened in the first round of the playoffs. Three weeks after their win against Dallas, the Eagles were hosting a wild card game against the Detroit Lions. Detroit, while short on postseason success, was not a pushover in the 1995 season, scoring the second most points in the NFL with Scott Mitchell under center and a running back named Barry Sanders rushing for 1,500 yards backing him up. In fact, offensive lineman Lomas Brown was so sure that the Lions were going to beat the Eagles that he guaranteed it in the week leading up to the game.
The only problem with that statement was that the Eagles and Lions still had to play each other in the playoffs. After the two teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter, the floodgates opened for the Eagles. Philadelphia scored four touchdowns in the second quarter; two touchdown passes by Rodney Peete, a Ricky Watters touchdown run and an interception return for a touchdown. Gary Anderson added a field goal as well, and the Eagles had the Veterans Stadium crowd on their feet as they took a 38-7 lead into the half.
The game was well in hand, but the Eagles weren't done yet. They started the third quarter off by scoring the first 13 points, giving them a stretch of 44 points scored in a row. By the time Detroit started swinging back, the game was all but over. Philadelphia added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, and while the Lions scored 29 points in the second half, it was all for nothing. Rodney Peete threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles set a franchise record for playoff points in a 58-37 win. The defense did their part as well, forcing seven turnovers and holding Barry Sanders to just 40 yards on ten carries.
The season would end in the Divisional Round for the Eagles at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, but the win against the Lions would end up being the high water mark for the franchise until Donovan McNabb arrived in 1999. The 31 points scored in the second quarter is still the NFL record for points scored by one team in the second quarter of a playoff game, and the 58 points is still an Eagles team record for points scored in a playoff game. Not too bad for a team that was "guaranteed" to lose, was it?
35. Simon Gagne forces a Game 7 against Tampa Bay-May 20, 2004
No matter what team he plays for, Simon Gagne is one of my favorite Flyers of all time. I enjoyed watching him win the Stanley Cup this season with the Los Angeles Kings, but I would have loved to have seen him win a Cup with the Flyers. Out of all the Flyers teams since the start of the 1999-2000 season, two of them stand out to me as teams that should have won the Stanley Cup. The first one is that team from 1999-2000. When you're up 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals, you don't blow that lead, but that team did. The other one was the 2003-04 Flyers. I thought that team was something special.
The Flyers that season had finished with 101 points, good for the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They rolled through the New Jersey Devils in five games, and then knocked out the Toronto Maple Leafs in six with a moment that will be coming up soon. Up next was the top seed in the conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa boasted a solid offense and a goalie by the name of Nikolai Khabibulin who was one of the best in the NHL during the 2003-04 season. The series was a back and forth affair, with the teams trading victories leading up to Game 6 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. With the Flyers down 3-2 in the series, a loss would end their season and send Tampa to their first Stanley Cup Finals.
Philadelphia came out early, scoring twice in the first period, but Tampa struck back with three goals in the second. A goal by the Flyers in the second period put the Tampa lead at 4-3 heading into the third. Tampa controlled the puck for most of the third period, but the Flyers got a chance with under two minutes to play, when a rebound went past Khabibulin and onto the stick of Keith Primeau. Primeau buried the rebound and tied the game, forcing an overtime period with the season on the line. The two teams went back and forth in the overtime, with each side having chances to end the game, but in the end, the Flyers found a way to win. Jeremy Roenick took a pass from Primeau and put it on the Tampa Bay net. Khabibulin made the save, but the puck bounced free and found Simon Gagne's stick. Just like Primeau, Gagne buried the puck into the open net to finish a 5-4 Flyers win and force a Game 7 down in Tampa.
Gagne has another goal that comes up later on, but this moment was one that I'll never really forget. So many people counted the Flyers out, but this team never gave up. That's what made the Game 7 loss so hard to take for me. I really believe that this team was supposed to win the Stanley Cup that season. They would have beaten Calgary, I know it. Instead, what we have is the memory of Gagne's goal in Game 6.
34. Andre Iguodala sinks the Bulls-May 10, 2012
The 2011-12 Sixers have already been featured on this list at least once, but now comes their shining moment. Andre Iguodala has been one of the most criticized athletes in Philadelphia sports history, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that he isn't Allen Iverson. Iguodala was drafted to be the heir apparent to Iverson, and since he hasn't lived up to Iverson's almost once in a lifetime skills, he's not good enough, according to a lot of people. What they don't see is a player that is a great number two guy on most teams and someone that can play lockdown defense on just about anyone in the NBA. What he did in Game 6 of this year's series against the Bulls, though, was something else in itself.
The majority of people will point out, and rightfully so, that the series between the Sixers and the Chicago Bulls changed completely when Derrick Rose blew out his ACL at the end of Game 1, a 103-91 Chicago win. Without Rose opposing them, the Sixers took the next three games in the series, but came out flat in Game 5, a 77-69 win for the Bulls that was ugly from the start for both teams. With the series coming back to Philadelphia for Game 6, the pressure was on for the Sixers. There wasn't a soul that thought the Sixers would take Game 7 in Chicago if the Bulls won Game 6, and odds were they were right. Chicago had started to find a groove without Rose, and the Sixers had looked very sloppy in Game 5.
The first half was a back and forth battle, with each team taking the lead for a period of time. At the end of the half, Philadelphia led 48-40, and things were looking good for the Sixers. Then, the second half started, and the Sixers couldn't make a basket if their lives depended on it. What was an eight point lead at the half turned into a tie game at 63 all heading into the fourth quarter. The pressure was turned up to an entirely different level in the last 12 minutes, and it was up to the Sixers to respond.
Andre Iguodala would lead that response. With the Sixers down by three with just under six minutes to go, Iguodala nailed a three point shot to tie the game. Following a Rip Hamilton basket on the other end, Lou Williams responded with another three to give the Sixers the lead once again. Chicago took the lead right back, and with 20 seconds to play, the Bulls had a three point lead. Thaddeus Young put the Sixers within a point, and Spencer Hawes fouled Omar Asik at the other end of the floor, putting him on the line. Asik shot under 50% from the free throw line during the regular season, and it showed here as he missed both free throws. With the clock ticking down and just seconds to play, Iguodala grabbed the rebound and drove down the court. Rather than attempt a pull-up jumper, he drove to the basket, which is something that fans had been screaming at him to do for years. With just two seconds to go, Iguodala was fouled by Asik, putting him at the line for two shots.
While Asik was horrible at the free throw line, Iguodala was almost as bad, shooting 62% during the regular season. There were just two seconds left to play. Iguodala had to make at least one shot. He did, nailing the first shot to tie the game. The second shot was even better, hitting nothing but cotton and giving the Sixers the lead at 79-78. With the Wells Fargo Center on their feet, the Bulls brought the ball in, but were unable to make a last second shot. For just the fifth time in NBA history, a number eight seed had knocked out the top seed in the first round of the playoffs, and this time, it was thanks to Andre Iguodala and his free throws. People outside of Philadelphia will say that this moment only happened because of the Derrick Rose injury, but the Sixers played the team across the court from them and won. Andre Iguodala hasn't always been the most clutch player in the world, but on May 10, 2012, his two foul shots became part of Philadelphia history.
33. Claude Giroux sends a message to Pittsburgh early-April 22, 2012
While the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs didn't end the way any Philadelphia fan wanted them to, the first round matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins was nothing short of amazing. Faced with the prospect of being eliminated by their in-state rivals, the Flyers came out and took the first three games of the series, winning in come from behind fashion in Game 1 and scoring 16 goals combined in the next two games. However, the Penguins refused to go away, and seemed motivated after the WWE style ending to Game 3. Pittsburgh scored ten goals in Game 4, and won a much closer 3-2 matchup in Game 5. The Flyers didn't want the series to go back to Pittsburgh, not with a chance of them becoming the third ever team to lose a series with a 3-0 lead, so they needed a great effort in Game 6.
Claude Giroux, who had emerged onto the national stage during the series, asked coach Peter Laviolette for the first shift of the game in the locker room. Laviolette agreed, and Giroux made it count. In the first ten seconds of the game, Giroux leveled Sidney Crosby with a great, clean hit. Crosby had acted like a punk for most of the series, so the hit alone got the crowd in Philadelphia on its feet. Just 20 seconds later, Giroux gave them another reason to, as he picked up a loose puck and fired it past Marc-Andre Fleury for the first goal of the game. In just 32 seconds, Claude Giroux had dropped the star of the Pittsburgh Penguins and then given any bit of momentum that was leaning towards Pittsburgh over to the Flyers.
Philadelphia took that momentum and never looked back, finishing the Penguins by a 5-1 score and ending the series. For Giroux, the check and following goal were the final step in becoming one of the top players in all of the NHL and for the Philadelphia fans, they were given the added bonus of seeing the Penguins not only knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, but having it done by their team. I was working when this game took place, and when Giroux scored, I let out a loud scream. Someone in the hall asked what was going on, and a friend of mine, who is also a Flyers fan responded with, "Flyers just scored." This entire series was fun to watch, but the Giroux hit and goal on the first shift of Game 6 was the best part.
32. Donovan McNabb makes a call and beats the Giants-January 11, 2009
When you look back at the 2008-09 Philadelphia Eagles, the run that they went on right before and into the playoffs was quite surprising. They needed a miracle from two other teams before laying a 44-6 beatdown on the Dallas Cowboys to even make the playoffs, and then took out Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round. That win earned them a trip to the Meadowlands, where the New York Giants were waiting.
Following their improbable win in Super Bowl XLII over the then unbeaten New England Patriots, the Giants had proved they weren't a fluke, going 12-4 and earning home field advantage throughout the playoffs the next season. Eli Manning was leading one of the best offenses in the NFL, and the New York defense was fifth in the league in points allowed and yards given up. The Eagles did have a win in New York's home stadium earlier in the season, but coming into the playoff matchup, there was little talk of another Eagles win.
The first half was typical Eagles and Giants back and forth football. New York struck first with a John Carney field goal, but an Asante Samuel interception on the next New York drive gave way for a one yard touchdown run by Donovan McNabb, and the Eagles led 7-3 after the first quarter. McNabb was called for intentional grounding in the end zone in the second quarter, which gave the Giants a safety. Carney hit another field goal later in the quarter, but David Akers finished the first half with a 25 yard field goal that gave the Eagles the lead going into the third quarter.
An interception by Fred Robbins on the second play of the third quarter led to another Giants field goal, but the Eagles answered back with a David Akers field goal and a touchdown pass by McNabb to Brent Celek that gave the Eagles a 20-11 lead. Back to back failed fourth down attempts by the Giants eventually turned into another Akers field goal, and the crowd at the Meadowlands began to realize what was going to happen in this game. With the Eagles up 23-11 and the New York offense stalled, there was little hope left for the Giants, and Donovan McNabb decided to have a little fun on the last Eagles possession. After he was forced out of bounds on an eight yard scramble, McNabb picked up New York's coaching phone on the sidelines and pretended to make a phone call. McNabb had always liked to have fun when he was playing, and this was just another example of it. Though he was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, Eagles fans had to laugh at McNabb, and in a good way, after this play. The Eagles went on to win the game by that 23-11 score, and even though they lost the NFC Championship Game the next week, knocking out the Giants and seeing McNabb still able to have fun while playing was a terrific moment.
31. Pat Burrell's last at bat with the Phillies wins the World Series-October 29, 2008
Pat Burrell's time with the Phillies wasn't always fondly remembered, but the first overall pick back in the 1998 draft had more good times than bad when he played left field for the Phils. His eight straight seasons of 20 or more home runs is second in team history behind only Mike Schmidt, and while he never did live up to the expectations of a first overall pick, it was his last moment on the field with the Phillies that people will remember for a long, long time.
The 2008 World Series had not been kind to Pat Burrell. Through four and a half games, Burrell had been up 14 times and recorded exactly zero hits. In Game 5, Burrell was hitless yet again when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning. We'll get to Game 5 of the World Series down the road a bit, but suffice to say that it wasn't a typical World Series game. The Rays had tied the game again in the top of the seventh, and momentum had swung back Tampa's way. Burrell led off the inning against pitcher J.P. Howell with a lot on his mind. Pat's contract with the Phillies was set to expire after the World Series, and if the Phillies won Game 5, his at bat in the seventh might be his last with the team that drafted him. Everyone watching the game, whether at home or in the ballpark that night, could feel the tension and knew something big was going to happen.
On a 1-1 count, Howell hung a pitch in the middle of the plate and Burrell nailed it to the deepest part of the park. Had it been anywhere else in the park, it would have been a home run, but instead, Burrell had to settle for his first hit of the World Series being a leadoff double. Eric Bruntlett came in to pinch run for Burrell, ending his on field time with the Phillies, but the moment wasn't done yet. Burrell's hit, and Bruntlett's running for him ended up as the World Series winning run. So, in a roundabout way, Pat Burrell's only hit of the entire World Series won it for the Phillies.
I just remember watching this at bat and thinking that Burrell was going to hit a home run and win the game for the Phils. When the ball left his bat, I thought it was gone, but I was happy with the double that turned into the go ahead run. In my mind, Burrell was always a little under appreciated with the Phillies, and this hit was the perfect way to end his time with Philadelphia. I wouldn't have had it any other way, not for Pat the Bat.
That's all I've got for this edition of the Top 100 Philadelphia Sports Moments of the Past 28 Years. We enter the Top 30 the next time out, and there are some great moments in there. We've got rookies taking legends head on and winning, another Eagles/Dallas beatdown, Flyers playoff moments galore and two walkoff hits for the Phils, with one being a little shorter than the rest. Hope to have you reading then.
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