Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
The Eagles traded up and selected Makai Lemon last night in the first round. April 23 has proven to be “super” for the Birds. The Sixers were also kings of the world, the Flyers stayed alive and a potential Hall of Famer made a grand debut.
We are the Champions
On this day in 1967 the Sixers beat the Warriors 125-122 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals thanks in part to a huge 4th quarter. The win brought the franchise their second NBA Championship. League MVP Wilt Chamberlain scored 24 points and grabbed 23 rebounds. Luke Jackson pulled down 21 boards and Rick Barry once again went over 40 points in the series. Hal Greer was quoted as saying “We knew we were going to win most of our games…it was just a matter of by how much.” The 66-67 Sixers went 68-13 and in honor of the NBA’s 35th anniversary they were named the greatest team ever. There have been quite a few great teams since then, but they are still considered one of the best teams in NBA history. The Sixers franchise won their first while in Syracuse as the Nationals in 1955.
Chase Utley’s Grand Debut
The Phillies beat the Rockies on this day in 2003. Making his first Major League start at second base was Chase Utley. He made it memorable and gave us fans a glimpse of what was to come. In the bottom of the 5th Utley hit a grand slam to break the game wide open. In true Chase Utley fashion, he sprinted around the bases. He also added a double and much like his homerun trot, his career was off to the races.
The Flyers Stay Alive
Facing elimination in the 2011Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Sabres, the Flyers responded with great resilience on the road. They fell behind 3-1 after the 1st period but battled back to send the game to overtime thanks to Scott Hartnell’s goal midway through the 3rd period. Ville Leino won it less than 5 minutes into the extra period to send the series back to Philly all tied at 3 games. Future Flyers GM Danny Briere had 2 goals, and the Flyers would send the Sabres packing with a 5-2 win two nights later setting up a series against their old rivals the Boston Bruins.
Howie Makes a “Super” Pick
One night after passing on Justin Jefferson in favor of Jalen Reagor in the first round of the NFL – held on Zoom due to the Covid Pandemic – Howie made another surprising pick. In the 2nd round he shocked everyone and selected another Jalen #53 overall, this time Jalen Hurts out of Oklahoma. The Eagles already had a franchise quarterback with a large contract. Fortunately, much like when fans wanted Ricky Williams over Donovan McNabb, this pick off paid off for Howie and the Eagles. Since being drafted and eventually being named the starter in 2021, all Jalen has done is led to the Eagles to the playoffs every year, 2 NFC East Division titles, 2 Super Bowls, and a World Championship – winning the MVP. Jalen has faced a ton of criticism this offseason but if I had to bet, I’d put my money on Jalen.
Trivia – Which four quarterbacks were selected ahead of Jalen Hurts in the 2020 draft? (Answer Below)
Thank You
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Trivia Answer – Joe Burrow #1, Tua Tagovailoa #5, Justin Herbert #6 and Jordan Love #26
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