Philadelphia Phever Brings Championship Dreams

Thousands of people are flocking to the Lehigh Valley on a daily basis to catch a glimpse of greatness.

Whether it’s training camp at Lehigh University or the sold out Ironpigs rehab start of Roy Oswalt, Philly fans have an insatiable thirst to catch a glimpse of what will bring their city a championship.

Never before has there been so much potential in a Philadelphia sports team that would warrant a fan to become so excited. Never before has this happened with two Philly teams, both of who have strong ties to the Lehigh Valley. 

Right now, there is a limitless amount of hype surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles. Throughout the history of Philadelphia sports, championships have been few and far between. But right now, after a lengthy NFL lockout when many fans lost hope that there would even be a full season, Philly fans have reason to believe that this can be the season that ends with a parade down Broad Street.

When you look at what the Eagles front office was able to accomplish this past week, they have extremely good reason.

The Eagles came out of nowhere to snatch up the biggest prize of free agency, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. But while that may be the biggest new name for the birds next season, it may not be the most important. The Eagles created an intimidating defensive line with the acquisitions of defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins and defensive end Jason Babin. They also shored up an offensive line that got Michael Vick brutally beaten by signing Danny Watkins, Ryan Harris, and Evan Mathis. Plus, Vince Young and Ronnie Brown, both longtime starters, are willing to come here to play behind Vick and LeSean McCoy; other than an additional linebacker, these signings have filled every foreseeable hole in a team that didn’t have many to begin with.

All of these free agents can start practicing with the Eagles later this afternoon, Aug. 4, and when they do, expect the Eagles training camp to be mobbed. When I was there Sunday, July 31, there were a good couple thousand rowdy Philly fans already cheering on their team. When Asomugha walked out of the locker room and onto the practice field, fans rose to give the guy they think will finally bring a championship a standing ovation of brotherly love. Now, this was just Nnamdi wearing a t-shirt, imagine the sights and sounds when he actually is allowed to take the field in uniform along with all of these other prized acquisitions today.

But the Eagles’ season doesn’t even start for another couple of weeks, and it won’t be a couple of months before fans will know if the self-proclaimed “dream team” is really as good as advertised. Right now, our attention should still be on the team with the best record in all of baseball, the Phillies. And somehow, amidst all of the attention given to the Eagles, the Phillies were able to sneak in and get even better with the acquisition of right fielder Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros, without too much media attention.

While the trade took four prospects, two of which are extremely talented, there was no guarantee they would succeed on the Phillies. With Pence, the Phillies get a sure thing; a right-handed five-tool corner outfielder, the exact piece that has been missing from the lineup since the departure of Jason Werth. The Phillies clearly have the best starting pitching in all of baseball, and they have done a spectacular job keeping the Phillies in close games.

That being said, they still need to score runs, and have often struggled to do so. With Pence in the lineup, run production should be a lot easier. A talented right-handed bat will force pitchers to throw to Ryan Howard. But more than that, Dominic Brown was severely lacking in run production and his right field defense was suspect; this acquisition was exactly what the Phillies needed to have their best chance at another ring.

There is no guaranteed thing in sports, but these two Philly franchises look pretty close to it. On paper, both teams are filled with all stars and pro bowlers. Whether or not they deserve it, both teams have become the team to beat in their respective leagues, and it will be interesting to see how they handle the additional pressure. But for now, it is still baseball season; so until November, it’s the Phillies time to shine.