The Fightin' Phils Will Make it Rain

Nearly three weeks ago, the Flyers were eliminated from the playoffs, extending the City of Brotherly Love's championship drought to 25 calendar years, or 100 sports seasons. In those 25 years, all of our teams have come close to a title, but none has been able to cash in their winning ticket.

Grab yourself an ice cold Yuengling to ease the pain as we review the litany of close calls:

On the heels of the last champion in this town, the 1983 76ers, the Phillies made it to the World Series but fell to Cal Ripken and the Baltimore Orioles.

The Flyers advanced to the Stanley Cup finals in 1985 and 1987, losing to Wayne Gretzky and the dynastic Edmonton Oilers on both occasions.

The Phils returned to the fall classic in 1993, losing to Joe F. Carter and the Toronto Blue Jays.

(Go grab another cold one)

Favored to win in 1997, Eric Lindros and the Flyers were swept out of the finals by the Detroit Red Wings.

Allen Iverson carried the Sixers to the 2001 NBA finals only to be dismissed by Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and the juggernaut Los Angeles Lakers.

And in perhaps our best opportunity since 1983 to sip from the golden chalice, the Eagles were cheated (allegedly) out of Super Bowl XXXIX by the New England Patriots.

25 years. 100 seasons. 46 combined playoff appearances.

0 Championships.

(Beer not strong enough? Grab a bottle of Jack)

Superstar athletes - Iverson, Lindros, John LeClair, Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens, Chris Webber, Lenny Dykstra, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard - have come and gone, none able to climb the mountain. And while some remain, so does the goose egg.

(Making the "Jack" face now)

Scanning the teams and leagues as they're currently composed, the Phillies are closest to raising the next banner in Philly.

The Eagles finished 8-8 last season, last in the NFC East and out of the playoffs. McNabb is on the downside of his career (some are already calling for Kevin Kolb to take the reigns). Meanwhile, the Giants just won the Super Bowl. 13-3 a season ago, Dallas had two first round picks, used them wisely, re-signed Owens and added strip club aficionado Pac Man Jones. Plus, powerhouse teams from New England, Indianapolis, and San Diego still reside in the AFC.

Exceeding everyone's expectations, the Sixers went from a perennial lottery team to a playoff team in the NBA's watered-down Eastern Conference. But they don't have the size to match up with the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, nor the firepower to hang with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Sixers have cap room to improve their roster, and there are some talented big men (Elton Brand, Rasheed Wallace) available via free agency and trades. Even with one of those guys, I don't know that the Sixers would be championship-caliber.

A year ago, the Flyers looked farther from the top of the mountain than anyone. Then Paul Homlgren worked his magic, restoring the Flyers as a bona fide Cup contender. The roster is replete with young talent (Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Braydon Coburn), plus there are dazzling prospects (Claude Giroux, James vanRiemsdyk) in the system. Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, though, ended the Flyers 2008 season and are also young and appear built for the long haul. The Flyers will have to find a way to beat Pittsburgh if they're going to ascend to the proverbial summit.

The Philles have most of the championship puzzle pieces in place. Their line-up features two league MVP's (Rollins, Howard) and a potential third (Chase Utley). They've got speed. They play well defensively. They have a legitimate ace (Cole Hamels) at the top of the rotation. And, they've got the best closer (Brad Lidge) this town has seen since, I don't know, Steve Bedrosian?

Sure they have holes, namely the bottom half of the rotation and platooning outfielders. But look at the rest of the National League. The Cubs are playing well, as are the Diamondbacks. Aside from that, who's better than the Phillies? Despite their world-class talent and bloated payroll, the Mets are floundering. Chipper Jones is hitting .418 for the Braves, but they're a one-man show. The Marlins are coming back to Earth. Milwaukee? St. Louis? The Dodgers? I'll take the Phils over all of them. The defending World Champion Red Sox come to town in a couple of weeks, so we'll see how the Phillies stack up against the American League's best.

So when the Phillies have that October parade down Broad Street, be it in 2008, 2009, or beyond, don't be surprised if it rains.

A fitting end to a long drought.