City needs winner from one of the big four

RON D'ORAZIO

The year that comes to mind when thinking about Philadelphia sports is 1983.

That year marked the last time that one of the four major league teams had won a championship.

It was 15 years ago, in June of 1983, that the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Lakers for the National Basketball Association title.

The 1970s through the late 1980s were a prosperous time for Philadelphia sports. The Sixers, the Flyers and the Phillies all captured championships in that time frame. The Eagles came close as they were defeated by the Oakland Raiders in 1980.

The key during this period was that all four teams were consistently in contention for playoff spots. The Phillies won four or five division titles between 1976 and 1984. From 1972 to 1989, the Flyers made the playoffs every year, including five trips to the Stanley Cup finals. The Sixers and Eagles were both playoff contenders for many years in that time frame.

Fast forward to now, 1998, a year that has seen three out of the four teams fail to qualify for playoff spots during their previous seasons. The one team that did, the Flyers, flopped in their firstround series with Buffalo.

So far, the 1998-99 seasons have not started off very promising. The Eagles have a disturbing 2-10 record. The Flyers have not showed much consistency in the early part of their season. Due to the lockout, the Sixers are not even playing. A trade for Ron Gant may have improved the Phillies' chances, but they still need starting pitching.

The city of Brotherly Love is starving for a title of some kind.

The Flyers and Phillies went to their respective finals in the '90s but fell short in their quest.

The Flyers still remain Philly's best hope for a contender, but still have problems with their team that include scoring from skaters other than Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Rod Brind' Amour and Keith Jones.

The Flyers need to step up defensively as well in order to make a serious run.

The fans, in my opinion, are so deserving of a championship that I will not be ultra-angry if the Phillies actually win, even though I am a die-hard New York Mets fan.

The owners of the Eagles and Phillies must spend money if they expect to win. I cannot understand how they can complain about being broke when they have a team in the fourth largest television market in the nation.

Correct me if I am wrong, but both of the teams receive substantial amounts of television revenue from their respective leagues. I do not hear about the baseball and football teams of New York, Los

Angeles, Chicago or Atlanta being out of money or ready to fold.

We are the only ones out of the big five cities that has not captured a championship in the last 10 years. New York has had the Yankees, the Giants and the Rangers win titles. Los Angeles has seen the Dodgers and Lakers taste victory. The Chicago Bulls have won six times. The Atlanta Braves have won as well.

Where is Philly in comparison to other teams? Nowhere with no titles in 15 years. Just imagine that they want the fans to help finance new stadiums for non-winners.

The city has turned to minor league hockey and lacrosse for its saving grace. Last season the hard-working Phantoms, in just their second season, pounded their way to a championship in front of sell-out crowds of championship-hungry fans.

The Phantoms are geared towards families, with low ticket and food prices at the Spectrum.

The Phantoms made an additional impression last season since they were perceived to have played with more heart than their parent club, the Flyers.

The Wmgs, Philly's professional lacrosse squad, continue to rack up fans and championships during the '90s.

Still, it is not the same as watching one of the big four win.

When the Flyers went to the finals, the town was in hysteria. Same goes for the fans of the Phillies.

All I am asking is for one of the owners of the four teams do something positive and bring the town out of its current funk.

Ed Snider and the Flyers are on the brink of success. They need to make the deal to put them over the top.

The rest of the teams need to get their act together and start to make reasonable showings. More postseason play would be nice.

RonD'Oraziois a seniormajoringin English/communication. Heis oneof Loquttur'ssportseditors.If helikes theMetssomuch,maybeheshould moveto NewYork.