Phantastic Philly Phor the Phuture

By Curtis Burdine

It's rare that a city has a team in each of the four major team sports. Its even rarer when, between the four, there is only one championship to mention in 35 years. Philadelphia has suffered such a drought, with it's only championship coming nearly ten years ago, when the Phillies beat the upstart Tampa Bay Rays and their all-world skipper Joe Maddon in the Fall Classic. The other metropolises with four (or more) franchises? Well here is how the other 12 cities have done the past 35 years...

Los Angeles (13)- Dodgers (1), Angels (1), Lakers (8), Kings (2), Ducks (1), Clippers (0), Chargers (0), Rams (0 in L.A.)

New York (12) - Yankees (5), Mets (1), Islanders (1), Rangers (1), Giants (4), Jets (0), Nets (0), Knicks (0)

Chicago (12) - Bears (1), Cubs (1), White Sox (1), Bulls (6), Blackhawks (3)

Boston (12) - Patriots (5), Red Sox (3), Celtics (3), Bruins (1)

San Francisco Bay Area (10) - 49ers (4), Giants (3), A's (1), Warriors (2), Sharks (0)

Detroit (8) - Tigers (1), Pistons (3), Red Wings(4), Lions (0)

Dallas (5) - Cowboys (3), Mavericks (1), Stars (1), Rangers (0)

Denver (5) - Broncos (3), Avalanche (2), Rockies (0), Nuggets (0)

Miami (5) - Heat (3), Marlins (2), Dolphins (0), Panthers (0)

Washington, D.C (2). - Redskins (2), Capitals (0), Wizards (0), Senators (0)

Minneapolis (2) - Twins (2), Vikings (0), Timberwolves (0), Wild(0)

Phoenix - Diamondbacks (1), Suns (0), Coyotes (0), Cardinals (0)

Philadelphia ties Phoenix with the least amount of titles in the last 35 years with one. But in perspective, only the Suns even played in Phoenix in 1983. So Philly is way behind the curve when weighed against the other big cities in the United States.

But times are changing.

Last week two of the major franchises in Philly took the two biggest prospects in their perspective sports. The 76ers traded for the first pick in the NBA draft to select Washington guard Markelle Fultz. The Flyers took center Nolan Patrick with the second pick in the NHL draft, though many believed he was the best available player. While this doesn't make either team instant contenders, it does give them a huge building block for the future.

Let's start with the 76er's. Sam Hinkie's process came to it's fruition with the drafting of Fultz - even though Hinkie wasn't there to be apart of it. The stockpile of young talent the 76er's have is almost unbelievable. Joel Embiid, once seen as a total bust due to injury, emerged last season (albeit in limited doses) to become a rookie of the year contender. Even more surprising was the arrival of Dario Saric, who played fantastic ball down the stretch of the season and became a dark horse candidate for R.O.Y. himself. The evolution of 26 year-old Robert Covington (who finished fourth for defensive player of the year) certainly helped the team gain momentum as well. Ben Simmons, the previous number one draft pick of the Sixers, looks healthy and ready to contribute. Adding Fultz, and keeping everyone healthy, would mean this is a team that can compete for the playoffs now - and for championships in the years to come.

The Flyers, on the other hand, still have work to do. Though they have a true Philly fighter and All-Star MVP in Wayne Simmonds, the rest of the roster is middling. Claude Giroux is still chugging along, but not as effectively. Steve Mason is closer to average than good at this point in his career. The teams highest point scorer, Jakub Voracek, only ranked 35th the league. The team missed the playoffs even though they had a ten game win streak at one point early in the season. However, the Flyers got lucky and received the second pick in the draft with only a 2.4% of obtaining it. Then arguably the best player available, Nolan Patrick, fell to them after the Devils finally replaced Martin Brodeur two years late by selecting Swiss goalie Nico Hischier. With some development of the younger players on their roster and finding a way to piece together solid goalie play, the Flyers can rebuild around a young star without having to fall out of the playoffs.

The Eagles made waves in the offseason too but I'm not to bullish on their prospects quite yet. Carson Wentz didn't show enough to prove he was a star of the future, and adding vets like Alshon Jeffrey and LeGarrette Blount to "win now" doesn't seem like a great strategy against solidified playoff contenders like the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins.

The Phillies, well, are bad. But they delivered their championship this generation.

But the future is bright for at least two of the city of Brotherly Love's teams. Sixers tickets are the hottest in the league outside of Oakland, the Flyers have devoted fans and should be relevant for years to come with the addition of Patrick. This is what is great about sports - sometimes the biggest wins don't even happen during the season.

Phantastic Philly Phor the Phuture

Curtis Burdine

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