FanPost

Let us not forget how far the Sixers have come.......




On Wednesday, March 19, 2014 I rushed to the Philadelphia Airport to catch a flight & I picked up a Daily News to read on the plane. I stashed that paper in a travel bag and never read it............ Flash forward 27 months, to this morning & as I sat at my desk cleaning out drawers & travel bags & briefcases I came across that Daily News from 2 years & 3 months ago.......... We have all done this........ For fun, rather than trash it, I thumbed through the sports section to reminisce............

What I found inside was interesting..... We are all so passionate about Sports but it changes so quickly......I thought the readers of Liberty Ballers may (or may not) get a kick out of what made headlines just two plus years ago and how much has changed in such a short period of time.......

The back page headline read "FROCIOUS!" & featured a picture of St Joe's freshman DeAndre Bembry dunking & Posterizing a helpless opponent in the A-10 Final & inside writer Jake Kaplan wrote a story detailing Bembry's smooth transition as a Freshman into a Junior & Senior heavy St. Joe's team..........

David Murphy wrote a Column titled "Don't Make J-Roll Fall Guy"............. Murphy's title is self explanatory.......

Inside DN Staff Writer Andrew Albert, with the NCAA March Madness" Tournament days away, wrote a piece featuring Villanova Alumni Dwayne Anderson & fondly remembering "The Shot" in the waning moments of the 2009 Final 8 victory over Pittsburgh by Scottie Reynolds that dramatically lifted Villanova to the fourth Final Four appearance in school history.........

Albert lamented that since then the Wildcats had suffered one heartbreaking early exit loss after another..... and in the Final paragraph of the piece he foreshadowed the even More dramatic events of this past March 2016 when he quoted Anderson explaining that Reynolds's Miracle shot was based on a play the Wildcats ran "every day" in practice.........

Ryan Lawrence wrote about a piece about the Phillies titled "taking a stab at the 25-man roster." In the opening paragraph, skipper Ryne Sandburg promised that Cliff Lee would pitch on Opening Day..........

A page later Flyers beat writer Frank Servalli detailed Claude Giroux's game winning overtime goal against the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks & explained that Giroux's goal would bolster his chances for the Hart Trophy as League MVP......... Flyers' coach Craig Berube & Left Wing Scott Hartnell agreed w/ quotes of their own.......

Eagles reporter Les Bowen wrote a very surprising article that Eagles coach Chip Kelly was shopping star wide receiver DeSean Jackson.......... & would listen to any offers........

And finally Columnist Marcus Hayes wrote about the Sixers in an article title "Durant offers counsel to MCW...." Hayes reported on MCW's Rookie of the Year chances & updated prized fellow rookie Nerlens Noel's injury status........ The article also detailed the great number of condolence calls & texts Sixers' coach Brett Brown & Doug Collins holdover Thad Young were receiving from peers around the League........

Hayes was clearly not enthused about the Sixers new GM Sam Hinkie or his "Tanking" strategy......... And in fairness to Hayes, a great many fans & other local & national writers agreed with him ........ but when comparing where the SIxers are today compared with where they stood at the writing of that column, love Hinkie or hate him, it is pretty remarkable to go back in time for a moment and think about how far the Sixers have come..........

I have been in a Die- hard Sixers fan since I was a child growing up in Kennsington in the late 70's & early 80's & I desperately want them to be great again b/c Nothing brings this City together like a Great Sixers team competing for Titles..........It's fun to look back b/c it makes where we are now and hopefully where we are going that much sweeter........

I am So excited about the Future & I am praying for guidance for new GM Bryan Colangelo that he makes careful, well thought out & great decisions that will secure our future as a contender for years to come............ I hope everyone enjoyed that brief visit to the past......... Go Sixers!

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