I’ve been at WIP since – well, way before 2000 – so I’ve seen all of the teams, players, games and moments nominated for these awards. Much as we sometimes bask on our misery, there has been a whole lot more good than bad over the last two decades.
I’ll weigh in on a few categories:
Best Sixers Player of the 2000s – Much as there’s a premature move to throne Joel Embiid as the greatest Sixer of All Time, let alone the past 20 years, the easy answer is “The Answer.” Allen Iverson led the team to the NBA Finals, was an eight-time all-star and won the 2000-01 MVP. This one isn’t even debatable.
Best Philly Sports Franchise of the 2000s – From 2007-11 the Phillies went 473-337, and won the division five straight seasons. Most importantly, they broke the city’s 25-year title drought. As Chase Utley said, “World *&#@ing champions.” It had been a long time since we got to say that.
Draft steal of the 2000s – A full 190 players get chosen ahead of Jason Kelce in the 2011 NFL Draft including, somehow, Fireman Danny Watkins (by the Eagles at 23). Kelce has been the heart and soul of the franchise for a full decade. He’s a potential Hall of Famer. He also gave the greatest championship parade speech of all time, which earns points here.
Best executive of the 2000s – For a season, it’s Howie Roseman in 2017. For the 20-year period, it’s Pat Gillick of the Phillies in a runaway.
Best coach/manager of the 2000s – Points to Charlie Manuel. Points to Doug Pederson. Points to Gabe Kap – ha, just kidding. The winner here, and the only one around to win two titles, is Jay Wright at Villanova.
Best moment of the 2000s – I have “Philly Philly” on my iPhone, and probably still call it up once a week just to remind me how audacious and improbable it was. “Big Balls” Doug at his best. Sadly, Pederson, like every player who handled the ball on the all-time highlight, is now just a part of Eagles history.
Let me give a runner-up award here to Game Seven of the 2010 NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Bruins – the series where the Flyers came back from a three-game deficit overall, and a three-goal deficit that night. Simon Gagne’s goal nearly 13 minutes into overtime thrilled the city. It feels like that may be the last time the Flyers beat Boston.
Best role player of the 2000s – The term “role player” can be defined many ways. My original thought was to give this to Ryan Madson, “The Bridge to Lidge,” who was so critical to those great Phillies teams but also overshadowed by the stars around him. But Madson wasn’t officially nominated in this category so I guess I’ll give my vote to Ike Reese, who was a special teams Pro Bowler for the Eagles – and not only because I sometimes work with Ike and don’t want him mad at me.