image from mobilwi.typepad.comPhilly overloaded ESPN on this night

This is our third annual “Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of the Year.” You can find lists from 2009 and 2010 here and here. We will be rolling out the moments over the next few days through New Year's Day.

There were rumblings all week. The Eagles were aggressive as the – hectic – NFL free agent signing period began. Their biggest (and most expected move) until this point was trading Kevin Kolb for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

The Phillies had been rumored to be interested in Hunter Pence all week leading up to the trade deadline, but no deal had been reached by late afternoon on Friday.

At around 6 p.m., things picked up a bit. Our post:

Howie Roseman and Joe Banner just went all Amaro on the NFL. In a shocking twist, the Eagles signed All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha… in addition to acquiring Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (glad we're going with the easy names) yesterday.

The Eagles offseason has progressed like a far-fetched Madden franchise: First they trade the underachieving backup QB, acquire an All-Pro CB and second round pick, then sign Vince Young and Nnamdi Asomugha. 

The deal is for 5-years, $60 million. Just hours ago, Asomugha appeared headed to the Houston Texans or New York Jets. This is all too familiar.

Feliz Navidad, Juan Castillo. Your move, Amaro.

 

Things didn’t turn out quite the way we expected, and it was hardly a Merry Christmas for Castillo, but, at the time, there was certainly cause for celebration.

Just a few hours later, Hunter Pence was removed from the Astros-Brewers game in Milwaukee. He was on his way to Philadelphia. 

image from mobilwi.typepad.com

The Hunter hath arrived. A catchphrase was born. And we all got to eat… until Game 5 of the NLDS.