Crossing Broad

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #1 Paul Holmgren Shoots Mike Richards and Jeff Carter in a Blaze of Glory

Read the full top ten list here.

On June 22, just a day before the Flyers traded Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, I received an email from a valued CB reader. He forwarded me a conversation he had with [a hockey person] who told him that the Flyers could trade their captain and leading scorer.

I absorbed it, but then did what I do with most speculatory emails: filed it away.

That night, CB contributor Ryan Gillon, who moonlights in various sports-related positions, sent me a text saying that he heard from a very connected person that the Flyers may trade Mike Richards.

I laughed. I trusted him and his source, but I laughed.

Ryan and I exchanged a few texts, mostly talking about how it was too crazy to put on site. A part of me wanted to do it, but it was too vague, too improbable. Neither source was reliable enough.

18 hours later, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were in tears.

I should have posted those tips.

Whether you agreed or disagreed with the Flyers' offseason moves, one thing is clear: trading Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, and signing Ilya Bryzgalov, Max Talbot, Jaromir Jagr and others, signaled the most significant organizational shift for the Flyers since they acquired Eric Lindros.

Discarding their captain - for whichever reason you choose to believe - and then signing a Russian goaltender was just about the most surprising thing the Flyers could have done. 

Richards was labeled the next Bobby Clarke. Ed Snider loves Bobby Clarke. Snider used to hate goaltenders... and Russians-- now he has two of them.

The Flyers went from inking Richards, the captain, and Carter, one of the best goal scorers in the league, to decade-long contracts to throwing both under the bus for real or perceived off-ice reasons. 

In 2010, the team came closer to winning a Stanley Cup than they had in the previous 23 years. A season later, the captain, leading goal scorer and both playoff goaltenders were off the roster.

Six months later-- today, the Flyers are near the top of the conference, two points behind the Rangers, whom they’ll play in the Winter Classic... with the Russian goaltender drinking tea on the bench and Jagr as the team’s third leading scorer. 

Yeah, things changed a bit. 

And no move or moment in 2011 was more significant or impactful than the Flyers blowing up and reassembling their franchise over the course of a week.

Ladies and gentlemen, your number one Philly sports moment of 2011: Paul Holmgren shooting Mike Richards and Jeff Carter.

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #2 Wilson Valdez Pitching

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 through New Year's Day.

19 innings. Wilson Valdez shaking off Brian Schneider Dane Sardinha. Carlos Ruiz playing third. 

Does this really need any more description?

I will refer you to our It Got Weird and post-game video posts to re-live the most memorable Phillies moment of the year.

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #3 Lindros to LeClair

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 through New Year's Day.

Number three was originally supposed to be the uber cop out Phillies pitching. And while they absolutely deserve praise, it’s hard to pinpoint one facet other than Cliff Lee’s ridiculous June and August months, which came in at number five on our countdown. 

We have a last-minute, last-day entrant: Lindros to LeClair.

Ms. CB and I were seated high above the net, in section 431. Watching Lindros streak down the side boards as LeClair entered the top of the slot, it was clear what was about to happen. We had seen it so many times before.

Nearly an entire generation - mostly people who fall between 20-35 - experienced their first taste of successful Flyers hockey with Eighty Eight wearing the C. Whatever your opinion of Lindros was, or is, it was clear from the day he was awarded to the Flyers that the direction of organization would be forever changed.

At times he was a crybaby. At times he appeared lazy. And he was always hurt. But when Lindros was at his best, few were better. That best often always came with John LeClair on his wing. 

Yesterday, we got to experience the perfect pairing one final time. It was as if time stood still for the last 15 years-- nothing changed... except the 45,000 watching them connect in a ballpark that wasn't even around when they wore the orange and black.

Yesterday, Lou Nolan assured us that all was right with the world: Flyers goal scored by #10 John LeClair. Assisted by #88 Eric Lindros... and #8 Mark Recchi.

The video is after the jump.

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #4 Flyers Win Game 6 in Overtime

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 through New Year's Day.

Easter was one hell of a day in Philly sports: Lou Williams beat the Heat (#10 on our Top Ten list), Roy Halladay struck out 14 and Shane Victorino hit an inside-the-park home run in San Diego, and the Flyers won a thrilling Game 6 against Buffalo to force a seventh game in the first round of the playoffs.

Ville Leino, now a Sabre, won it for the Flyers in overtime. The first three players into the post-game pile-on - Leino, Kris Versteeg and Mike Richards - are all gone.

Sadly, this would probably be the biggest Philly sports win of the year... a first round victory to stave off postseason embarrassment. How fitting.

The above video is our highlight video of all three events set to Kanye’s Jesus Walks.

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #5 Cliff Lee

 

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.

Excellence. Pissed.

All summer long.

This one is a tortured selection because if there’s one person who can be blamed for the Phillies losing to the Cardinals, it’s Cliff Lee. He handed over a 4-0 lead in Game 2. Had he been able to secure the win, the way he had for most of the season, the Phillies beat the Cardinals in three games, we’re not talking about their offensive woes, and Ryan Howard still has his Achilles intact. 

With all of that being said, however, it’s hard to deny Lee’s excellence in 2011. He won five games in June, giving up one run. During a stretch beginning in August and continuing on into September, Lee won six straight games and gave up only two runs. Other times during the season he looked average, but it’s hard to deny his dominance on the mound (and at the plate). He brought a different kind of excitement to summer nights, one that was comprised of equal parts performance and personality.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, this was perhaps my favorite homoerotic lede, from our Morning Wood on Aug. 5:

Somewhere in the land of pretty ponies, where awkward men like Ichabod Crane dodge pumpkin heads thrown at them with gravity-defying movement, Cliff Lee and Hunter Pence were just sitting back, watching, waiting to bridge the Madison Bumgarner Gap. Last night was their time to strike.

If you don’t like that lede, you're probably not going to like this, either: In the seventh inning, when Lee had Cody Ross down in the count, 0-2, after throwing two straight speed balls, I mumbled to myself, “He’s going to drop a deuce on him like a magical steed throwing pixie dust off a rainbow.” 

I wasn’t far off.

Cody Ross finished the night 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. Sit down, clown.

 

As you might imagine, had Lee been able to win Game 2, he would probably be even higher on the list...

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #6 Nnamdi and Hunter on a Friday Night

Philly 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. 

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

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #7 Phillies Fans Celebrate Osama bin Laden's Death

 

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.

Scene: The first day of May, a Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN. Cliff Lee sprinkled the mound with excellence for seven innings. Still, though, it wasn’t enough. The Phillies and Mets appeared headed to extra innings, tied 1-1.

Then this happened:

I was at the game, and had no idea what was going on. Here’s what I wrote on May 2:

I was seated in section 422 at Citizens Bank Park last night. When the chants of USA, USA rung out, I honestly had no idea why (thanks to AT&T barely working at the ballpark), and spent about 10 minutes trying to figure out whether Ike Davis or Daniel Murphy were Canadian. Neither of them are.

A few minutes later, a guy behind me filled me in, and then it all made sense.

What's interesting is that this campaign to capture bin Laden was communicated by President Bush on September 20th, 2001, and one of the first places where instant reaction was seen was the then- First Union Center during a game between the Flyers and Rangers. Now, almost 10 years later, when the news of his death spread, it was a Phillies game on national television which captured the instant reaction.

 

The Phillies wound up losing the game, but that wasn’t important. Bin Laden’s death was arguably the biggest news story of the year, and the country’s reaction was dictated, in part, by Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park.

Full reaction after the jump.

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #8 Ben Fran Goes Deep

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 until New Year’s Eve. 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the most important moment - for lack of a better term - of the Phillies’ 2011 season was... Ben Francisco hitting a home run. 

Scene: After the Phillies roared back to victory in Game 1, Cliff Lee pissed his pants in Game 2, blowing a 4-0 lead against the Cardinals. A loss in Game 3 would have forced the Phillies to win both Games 4 and 5 of the series (... which they wound up going 0-for-2 in...). At the time, Game 3 was of the rare must-win variety.

Cole Hamels battled Cy Young Jaime Garcia through six scoreless innings. In the seventh, however, the Phillies would finally get to the (apparently untouchable) Garcia. Shane Victorino singled, Carlos Ruiz was intentionally walked, and then Francisco stepped to the plate.

Boom: Benny Fresh hits a three-run blast to give the Phillies the lead. They would go on to win, 3-1, and then be held scoreless for 16 of the next 18 innings and have their season blown apart in horrific fashion, capped off by Ryan Howard shredding his Achilles on the final play. Fun times.

Video and Scott Franzke's call, after the jump.

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #9 Juan Fernandez Wins It For Temple

 

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 until New Year’s Eve. 

That sound you hear is the students on North Broad losing their shit over a Nova guy including Temple in his top ten list.

Welcome to the party, TU.

Actually, we’re instituting a rule here on CB-- anytime a local hooper hits a game-winning shot in an NCAA Tournament game, it’s automatically included in our year-end celebration (hear that, Nova? the NIT doesn’t count).

There is an underlying rivalry between Temple and Penn State. Temple folks incorrectly think it’s in football. It’s not... though it may be soon. 

Penn State folks like to think it’s in basketball. It’s not... but for one Thursday in March, it was.

With less than a second to go in a tie game between the seventh seeded Owls and the tenth seeded Nittany Lions, Juan Fernandez hit a leaner to win the game for Temple, 66-64. It is number nine on our Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011.

*It was difficult to find any evidence on YouTube of this actually happening. That’s rare for any sort of big NCAA moment. As such, the only video available is of someone’s TV screen, and one of Fernandez "singing" Justin Bieber with our friend Rudy Mezzy. Both are after the jump.

Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of 2011: #10 Lou Williams Beats The Heat

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 until New Year’s Eve. 

This was not a particularly good year. In 2009 and 2010, respectively, we had many moments to celebrate: a World Series trip, two no-hitters, a Stanley Cup Finals run, a Final Four run and postseason heroics in multiple sports. 

2011 didn’t see similar success.

All four teams made the playoffs. Three of them lost in the first round, and the Flyers were swept in the second before the organization was blown up and put back together with a decidedly different design.

The Phillies had their best regular season ever... followed by their most disappointing postseason. They lost to the eventual champion Cardinals.

The Eagles had their best, um, summer ever... followed by their most disappointing season. And back in January, they lost to the eventual champion Packers.

The Flyers had one of their most successful calendar years ever in 2010-- they won 59 total games, including the 2010 playoffs. That reality set expectations high for the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, the Flyers failed in epic and hilarious fashion. They needed seven games, overtime heroics and 88 goalie changes to beat the Sabres in Round 1. They were then swept by the eventual champion Bruins in Round 2.

The Sixers were the only overachieving pro team in Philadelphia in 2011. Doug Collins turned what looked like another horrific season into a respectable - fun - campaign. The Sixers drew a first round matchup with the Heat, and while no one thought they could win the series (except Spike Eskin), we were somewhat enthused to see our team have the chance to give the Dream Team a run for its money. Which they didn’t. 

The Sixers lost the first three games, though they did keep Games 1 and 3 close. By Game 4, most of us had tuned out. Whatever small chance of shocking the nation there was had vanished. The Sixers had no shot to win the series. That said, like they did all season, the Sixers fought until the very end... and that’s where we’ll start our countdown. Number 10 on your Top Ten Philly Sports Moments of the Year list is Lou Williams’ game-winning three-pointer in Game 4 against the Heat on an Easter Sunday which saw other memorable moments...

Several videos after the jump.