Bigger Disappointment - 2011 Phillies or 2011 Eagles?

If I Am Dreaming, Please Wake Me

First and foremost, I am an Eagles fan but not a Phillies fan. So if you are concerned that I cannot be impartial, you are absolutely correct and probably on the wrong website. Second, I am going to change the question to a better one:

What is the biggest disappointment in Philadelphia sports history?
A.) 2011 Philadelphia Phillies
B.) Rocky V
C.) Shawn Bradley
D.) 2011 Philadelphia Eagles

Life's filled with disappointments. The worst ones are the ones you never see coming, like being tasered  in the back of the neck.

If you guessed A, you are way off. Yes, the Phillies were picked by Vegas to win the World Series before the season began. Yes, the Phillies assembled the greatest pitching staff of this generation to go along with a very solid lineup. And yes, the Phillies had the best record in baseball and should have cruised into the World Series. There is, however, a reason why the 2011 Phillies are not the biggest disappointment in town: the best team in baseball rarely wins. Since the invention of the Wild Card in 1995, the team with the best overall record has won the World Series 5 out of 17 times. To make matters worse, at least 1 Wild Card team has made it to the Series 8 out of 16 times with the chance for one more this year. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a shock that the Phillies lost.

If you guessed B, you are getting warmer but you are still wrong. In Rocky IV, Rocky Balboa not only avenged his friends death by beating Ivan Drago, but he also won over the hearts of the Russian people. He almost single-handedly brought down the Iron Curtain himself! Then, Rocky V happened. It was beyond terrible. You couldn't understand half of Rocky's lines. Even still, although it was a disappointment, no one really expected much from it.

In the movie Space Jam, Shawn Bradley was one of five NBA 'stars' whose talents were stolen by space aliens. I'm sure the alien that received Shawn's talents was sorely disappointed.

If you guessed C, you will be awarded half a point for being so close. Shawn Bradley was drafted by the Philadelphia 76'ers with the second overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft. Fresh off his 2 year Mormon mission, the Salt Lake Tribune declared "The 76'ers have just received the greatest thing that Mormons have ever produced. He will assuredly bring Philadelphia to basketball's equivalent of exaltation." Unfortunately, Shawn was a bust of monumental proportions. Although 7'6", Shawn was softer than a marshmallow. He eventually was traded for a guy (Derrick Coleman) that retired 11 games later. The only reason why Shawn 'the Mormon Tabernacle Crier' Bradley does not make it as the biggest disappointment ever in Philadelphia sports history is because those drafted around him never lived up to their potential either. Shawn Bradley could have been the next Sam Bowie had Chris Webber and Penny Hardaway won championships.

'Mikey, remember our promise? I will give you this banner in exchange for a plate of nachos grande with some of that extra con queso cheese" 

If you guessed D, you are correct! The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles are the greatest disappointment in Philadelphia sports history. In 2010, the Eagles almost beat the Packers. The Packers then won the Super Bowl. Andy Reid was left with two thoughts: A) We are almost as good as the Super Bowl champs, and B) I could go for a Super Bowl filled with chili and cheese. The Eagles, motivated by that loss, proceeded to sign everyone in the shortened off-season. It seemed like they were signing Pro Bowlers every day. They even signed stars to be backups. Guys started taking less money to come to Philadelphia and in no time the Eagles became Super Bowl favorites and a 'Dream Team'. Sure the Eagles didn't fill every hole, but they were all in.  It was an embarrassment of riches.

What we all failed to realize at the time is that the Eagles made some critical mistakes.  First, they promoted their offensive line coach to run the entire defense. Now does that sound like a good idea? That's like promoting a Governor of Alaska to become the Vice President of the United States. Second, they signed the second best cornerback in the NFL (Nnamdi Asomuogha), a man known for shutting down the games best receivers, only to have him play zone defense. The equivalent of that is having Tom Brady as your Quarterback but not allowing him to ever throw the ball. And third, the Eagles gave a $100 million dollar contract to Michael Vick to be the team leader. This is a man who blew his first $100 million dollar contract on a dog fighting company named Bad Newz Kennels and then spent a year and a half in federal prison.

Stephon Marbury after the loss to Puerto Rico "I don't know why we played them in the first place. Ain't them a state?"

Michael Vick's backup, Vince Young, bought into the hype and dubbed the Eagles the 'Dream Team'. We all assumed he was referring to the '92 team with Jordan, Bird, and Magic. Unbeknownst to us at the time, he was actually referring to the '04 team with Marbury, Iverson, and Carmelo. The '04 Dream Team lost 3 games en route to receiving the Bronze Medal. Well Vince, I guess you were right after all. This apt comparison involves two teams with incredible talent, no heart, and no leadership. Thanks for the disappointment.