Rhule, Temple provided city with a winner
INSIDE SPORTS ... SPORTS FIGURE OF THE YEAR
PHILADELPHIA >> Gone for 365 days, buried and believed forgotten, insulted and disrespected and warned not to return, the 2014 Philadelphia sports year finally has gained one reason to be appreciated. At least it wasn’t 2015. Not that the just-completed year bordered on intolerable for the city’s sports fans, but in it, head coaches or managers Craig Berube, Ryne Sandberg and Chip Kelly were removed, and Brett Brown had associate head coach Mike D’Antoni plopped beside him on the 76ers’ bench. The Phillies lost 99 times. The Sixers ran a losing streak to 28 games. The Eagles had a losing record. And the only thing that made Flyers fans smile was that Kimmo Timonen was able to enjoy a Stanley Cup … someplace else.
Not that there wasn’t much to appreciate, but the most compelling moment of the sports year came when ESPN chose to run a pregame show near the Liberty Bell. It was either that or transgendered Kayla Vas winning that celebrity fight by disqualification after being kicked low by the cornerman for Nikolai Volkoff. One or the other. Yet while it was Sam Bradford passes being dropped around Pattison Ave. and not confetti, it didn’t mean that every Philadelphia sports figure spent the year letting a puck zip through the five-hole. So in concert with Havertown native Joe Crawford being named by the Daily Times sports department as the Sports Figure of the Year for Delaware County, here they are, the top 10 sports figures of 2015 who provided Philadelphia sports fans with delight, as chosen by a selection committee of one:
10. Claude Giroux: Even if the start to his 2015-2016 season has been statistically less fruitful, the Flyers’ captain produced 25 goals and 48 assists in the 2014-2015 affair, tied for eighth most in the NHL.
9. Maikel Franco: A wrist injury helped limit him to 335 plate appearances. Plenty of those, though, were impressive, with the 22-year-old third baseman showing linedrive power … that, and a self-confidence that had been lacking in the Phillies’ clubhouse.
8. Jahlil Okafor: With an ability to score, as Brown said, “in his sleep,” the rookie has provided the Sixers with a rare exhibit of evidence that their loseto-win process has some value. 7. Jeffrey Lurie: He may never deliver on his plan to treat fans to multiple Lombardi Trophies but the Eagles’ owner had the courage to fire the failing Chip Kelly, showing the one thing Philadelphia fans long have demanded … effort.
6: Jake Voracek: Like Giroux, his 2015-2016 start has been lukewarm. But his 81 points in 2014-2015 were tied for fourth in the NHL, earning him the honor of Philadelphia’s Outstanding Professional Athlete from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.
5. Fletcher Cox: Through an otherwise demoralizing Eagles season, the 25-yearold defensive end surfaced as a down-to-down star, producing 9.5 sacks and winning a spot in the Pro Bowl.
4. Andy MacPhail: Taking over the Phillies’ rebuilding process, the new president has changed general managers, players and attitudes. Just a guess, but he could be even higher on this list next year.
3. Jay Wright: He coached Villanova to a 32-2 record, good for the No. 2 national ranking at the end of the 2014-2015 regular season. And No. 2 was about as good as it was going to get around Philadelphia.
2. Tyler Matakevich: The senior linebacker was the on-field embodiment of the perseverance of Temple’s ever-challenged football program. His mobility and preparation helped him make 126 tackles in the Owls’ memorable bowl season, good for the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player.
1.Matt Rhule: He coached Temple to a football victory over Penn State for the first time since 1941, then saw the Owls lead Notre Dame late in the fourth quarter in front of a sold-out crowd at the Linc. It once was believed impossible, but Rhule’s skills, personality and appreciation of the city and its fans made Philadelphia a college football town … at least for an otherwise forgettable sports year.
So with a nod to Aaron Nola, Shayne Gostisbehere, Darren Sproles, Odubel Herrera, Ken Giles, Nerlens Noel and, yes, both Matt Klentak and Ruben Amaro Jr. … hey, 2015, get lost ...Philadelphia fans should pardon the expression.