Philadelphia title drought over

Oct 30, 2008 - 2:46 PM By Andy Jasner PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Twenty-five years of frustration vanished when Brad Lidge unleashed yet another nasty slider, leaving Tampa Bay's Eric Hinske baffled and befuddled.

The drought was officially over and the celebration was on for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Phillies 4, Rays 3.

World Champions!

Not since 1983 has a professional sports franchise in the City of Brotherly Love been able to revel in winning the final game of the postseason. Not since the days of Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Maurice Cheeks had a team been able to hold the title of world champions.

In '83, the Sixers swept the Los Angeles Lakers.

Surely, another championship would follow, right? Wrong.

Year after year, Philadelphia fans rooted for their four major professional sports teams - the Flyers, Sixers, Eagles and Phillies - with arguably more passion than any other city in the country.

Year after year, the fans were left heartbroken. Sometimes, the teams weren't very good. Occasionally, they were extraordinarily bad.

And there's the curse of William Penn. And bad luck.

Who can forget the Fog Bowl in 1988 when Randall Cunningham couldn't see three yards in front of him in a playoff game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field? Who can forget the heavily favored Flyers being swept badly by the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals in '97? Who can forget the Sixers coming oh-so-close in '01 with Allen Iverson's heroics before bowing to the Lakers in five games?

So many chances, so much heartbreak. It was a total of 100 seasons spread over four pro sports in 25 years. Seven times, a Philadelphia team advanced to the final round or game only to come up short.

Until now.

"It's honestly very hard to control the emotions right now," said Lidge, who converted all 41 saves during the regular season and all seven chances in the playoffs. "I mean, this is so incredible. I'm so happy to be here."

So were the fans, who had to wait an extra 46 hours after the first game in World Series history was suspended by rain on Monday with the game tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning.

What was a little extra time, anyway, after 25 long years? The fans poured into the streets throughout the city and appeared as gleeful as children on Christmas morning.

The present was a world championship. This is better than any Christmas gift.

"This is for Philadelphia," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "This is for our fans."

Now it's up to the Sixers, Eagles and Flyers to continue the tradition. For now, they're thrilled for the Phillies, who waited 28 years to celebrate a second championship.

"I've been a Phillies fan my whole life," said Sixers forward Donyell Marshall, who grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania, about an hour from Philadelphia. "It's exciting to watch them win like this. I've been waiting for this day. In 1980, I was a kid, but I remember it clearly."

The Eagles nearly won a Super Bowl in '04, falling just short in a 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots. These players understand what a euphoric feeling it is to have an entire city behind you.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "It's something that's hard to describe. Maybe it will give us some extra momentum."

This World Series will certainly keep the fans happy for quite a while. After 25 years, it has to.

It also eliminates any more talk of being jinxed or cursed.

"The drought's over," Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins said.

All that's left is a parade filled with millions of adoring fans. What a perfect ending for a championship-starved city.