It is one of those events that is seared into the psyche of Philly sports fans.
Today it has company.
To those of us of a certain age, the '64 Phillies pretty much encapsulate a lifetime of frustration that comes with rooting for teams in this era.
Well, move over Chico Ruiz. Say hello to the 2014 Eagles, who will be watching the NFL playoffs along with the rest of us after a colossal collapse that would make Gene Mauch proud.
This dawned on me Sunday afternoon as I tried to figure out exactly why I was spending the day watching a game that meant absolutely nothing.
Sure, we've done a lot of that over the years.
This one felt different.
It was just a month ago, on Thanksgiving night, that the Eagles looked like a potential Super Bowl contender as they routed the Cowboys in Dallas in front of a national TV audience. The Birds were 9-3 and held the NFC East firmly in their talons.
Not for long.
That high was followed by three consecutive defeats - a domination by the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks got this ball rolling downhill, seemingly shaking these Birds, making them wonder just how good they were. They found out the next two weeks, when they dropped the rematch to the Cowboys at the Linc, then inexplicably failed to show up for a crucial game in Washington.
They ended the season yesterday with a less-than-convincing 34-26 win vs. the Giants in the Meadowlands.
Bob Grotz has all the details here.
The win gives the Eagles a 10-6 mark for the 2014 campaign, but leaves them out of the playoffs. Yes, it's especially galling considering that the Carolina Panthers won the NFC South and will stride into the playoffs sporting a 7-8-1 record.
That's the way the system works. The Eagles simply were not that good, much more resembling the team that finished 10-6 than the team that looked so high and mighty at 9-3.
They still have a huge question mark at quarterback. Mark Sanchez proved he is not the answer. He seem unable to avoid making a terrible decision and heaving the ball into coverage at the most inopportune time, creating a killer turnover. The jury is still out on Nick Foles, who barring a major draft day deal will likely enter next season as the Eagles starting QB.
The secondary is in dire need of a makeover. Even with some new faces playing yesterday, the Eagles showed the same propensity to giving up huge plays, and being unable to get off the field on third down.
After the game, owner Jeff Lurie gushed about the team's nucleus and how he sees the Eagles on an 'upward path.'
That's a bit of an odd statement since the team made the playoffs last year and will be home watching on TV this time around.
Columnist Jack McCaffery offers a sobering look at the golden opportunity that was squandered by this team.
I think fans of the '64 Phillies would understand.
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