The Top 25 Philadelphia Sports Moments of the Decade: Number 1

Well, here we are. We've seen 24 other moments go past, with only one to go. There were a lot of great moments in Philadelphia sports over the last ten years, if you think about. Every one of the four major sports teams made it to at least their Conference/League Championship, and the Phillies, Sixers and Eagles all made it to their respective championship games/series. There were amazing catches, 14 second scrambles, no hitters, five overtime games, tremendous clutch shots, great individual efforts and great showings by teams. However, nothing, and I mean nothing, can top what was, quite possibly, the greatest moment in Philadelphia sports ever. Twenty five years of waiting had finally come to an end with one pitch.

Moment #1: The Phillies win the 2008 World Series-October 27 & 29, 2008

For 25 years, the city of Philadelphia had been waiting for a championship. All four teams had come close, but none had been able to duplicate what the 1983 Sixers had done. Each and every time, something had gotten in the way and stopped them from reaching their ultimate goal, leaving Philadelphia fans high and dry, and even more bitter than before. Throughout the 25 year drought, each team had a chance to pick up their banner and run to the front of the fanbase. The Eagles under Buddy Ryan were always just a player or two away, and Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid actually got to the Super Bowl. The Sixers had Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley in the primes of their careers. The Flyers had Eric Lindros in the 90s, Peter Forsberg and Keith Primeau this decade and a cast of characters in the 80s. Meanwhile, the Phillies had the 1993 team, which, if history and the Mitchell Report is any indication, was even more dirty than a lot of people thought they were.

Realistically, if you were to ask anyone which team they expected to win a championship before 2007, you would have more than likely heard the Eagles, then the Flyers, then the Sixers and then the Phillies. The Phillies had gone 14 years without making it to the playoffs, and each time they got close, they found a way to miss out on the postseason. Then, something happened. In 2007, the Phillies put everything together and made the playoffs. Even though they were swept by Colorado, the seed had been planted. Brad Lidge, who had worn out his welcome and his mental state of mind in Houston, was brought in to be the closer. No one expected him to have a perfect season in saves, but he did. The Phillies made a living in 2008 out of picking up scraps. J.C. Romero was let go by the Red Sox, Scott Eyre was brought in from Chicago and Chad Durbin was a free agent pickup from Detroit. All of these players helped form a bullpen that was the missing piece to the puzzle in 2008.

After getting a taste in 2007, things were different in the playoffs in 2008. The Phillies took out the Brewers, with C.C. Sabathia getting to know Shane Victorino. Then, the Dodgers came in with Manny Ramirez. Matt Stairs quieted those fans with a single moonshot, and Cole Hamels shut the door with a dominating Game 5 showing. After that, the Phillies were set to take on the Tampa Bay Rays, who had become baseball's Cinderella in 2008. The Rays had never had a winning season, and now, all of their young talent had come together at once. Most people in the national media picked the Rays to win the World Series, but the Phillies would have none of it.

Game 1 belonged to Cole Hamels, and after losing Game 2, Jamie Moyer and Carlos Ruiz had their moments in Game 3. Joe Blanton and Ryan Howard showed their muscle at the plate in Game 4, and suddenly, you could feel something in the air. The Phillies were just a single win away from the World Series, and Cole Hamels was going to be on the mound. Finally, the 25 years of misery were going to end. Then, Game 5 started, and the rain came with it. For five innings, Hamels battled the rain and the Rays as the Phillies somehow managed to take a 2-1 lead in the sloppiest coniditions anyone had ever seen for a baseball game. In the sixth inning, the Rays managed to tie the game when B.J. Upton found enough footing to steal second base after reaching on an infield single. Suddenly, Bud Selig decided to suspend the game indefinitely. All the work that the Phillies had put in, all the effort, the come from behind wins, the great pitching, all of it was about to go down the drain, all because of some rain.

Two days later, Game 5 finally started again, with the Phillies at bat. Geoff Jenkins did the one good thing he ever did in a Phillies uniform by rocking a double into right field that missed being a home run by about 15 feet. He scored on a bloop hit by Jayson Werth, and just like that, the Phillies were back in business. Ryan Madson would pitch two innings, and Brad Lidge would shut the door, it would be that simple.

Again, when has it ever been that simple in Philadelphia? The second batter that Madson faced hit a home run into left field, tying the game once again. After Jason Bartlett singled, Madson was done, and J.C. Romero came in. Akinori Iwamura hit a groundball to Chase Utley, who made the play of the series by faking a throw to first, and then turning and gunning down Bartlett at home plate. Somehow, the Phillies still had life. Then, the back of the order got things done. Pat Burrell's last at bat as a Phillie was his first hit of the World Series; a double into left-center. Eric Bruntlett pinch hit, and Pedro Feliz drove him home. Romero retired the side in order in the eighth, and again, you could feel it. Unless you've been three outs, or two minutes away from a championship, you don't know what I mean, but for those that have experienced the feeling, it's like nothing else. Brad Lidge, who was 47 for 47 in saves on the season, was coming in. There was no way this could go wrong.

It started out just fine, as Evan Longoria, who had been hounded by Phillies fans during all three games, popped out. Then, Dioner Navarro singled and was pinch run for. The Rays had life again, and their pulse got even stronger when Fernando Perez, the pinch runner that came in for Navarro, stole second. Everyone's heart stopped for a second when Ben Zobrist made solid contact with a pitch and drove it into right field. In any other season, the ball finds a gap, Lidge blows his first save of the year, and the game is tied. Not in 2008. Jayson Werth played it perfectly, the ball stayed up just long enough, and there were two men out. Up to the plate stepped Eric Hinske. He swung at the first pitch and dribbled a ball down the first base line. That was too easy for Philadelphia, so it went foul. A check swing on the next pitch was called a strike, and there was just one strike left. Brad Lidge got the sign, rocked back and threw, which led to this:




And this:



And then this:



Twenty five years of frustration, twenty five years of being losers and choke artists and everything under the sun...and it was all gone. Wiped away with one swing and miss from Eric Hinske. To quote the late, great Harry Kalas, "the Philadelphia Phillies are World Champions of baseball!"

I wouldn't trade that moment for anything. I was at the parade, sitting in Lincoln Financial Field on Halloween, and I will never forget seeing all the smiling people that day. Two million people, all wearing smiles and red crowded into Philadelphia to see a champion. It had been far, far too long for most of us. In my case, I had never even seen a championship in my lifetime. I was born in 1984, the year after the Sixers won their last title. I had gone through the highs and lows. I cried when I heard Joe Carter had beaten the Phillies, I still hold a grudge against the Detroit Red Wings for sweeping the Flyers in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, and you already know how I feel about Los Angeles and Boston. Needless to say, this was the greatest moment not only of the decade for me, but of my entire life as a Philadelphia fan. Now that I've seen a winner, I know what it feels like to be on top. The last decade was the golden age of Philadelphia sports, if you look at it. It was only fitting that the Phillies, the least likely team to do so, would be the ones to finally end 25 years of misery. Hopefully, it doesn't take that long for it to happen again.

Well, that's it. Twenty five moments over a ten year span. I had a lot of fun actually going back and researching all of these, and finding the videos may have been the best part. When I do this again in another ten years, I'm hoping that there will be more championships at the top of the list, and maybe, just maybe, I can be collecting a paycheck for what I'm writing. I'm not going away any time soon, but the list is. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane.