The Eagles had one NFL championship year, immediately followed by the retirements of the quarterback and coach. (A terrific game, one of the last sporting events that I can recall going to with my father, although it seems to be best remembered as Vince Lombardi's sole championship loss, which happened to be to Philadelphia.)

As for the Warriors, they won one NBA championship (over Fort Wayne in 1956). They did make the Eastern Conference finals just about every year (always losing to the Celtics), which sounds impressive until one recalls that there were only four teams in the Eastern Conference. They ultimately left for the Bay Area (where they would soon be reunited with the A's) and were replaced by the 76ers (winners in 1967).

The Flyers didn't exist, of course, and I can't remember much about the Ramblers, which is probably indicative of something.

Indeed, Philadelphia, sportswise, probably had more in common with Chapel Hill than, say, Baltimore. College basketball was clearly the town's leading major sport, with five Final Four appearances (two by La Salle and Temple and one by St Joseph's from 1954 through 1961, including La Salle's 1954 championship). College football? Well, maybe not. Penn's last top-10 ranking was in 1947.

Somewhere in midreminiscence, my column topic came to me. Why not write about how much Philadelphia sports had improved since I left town? Noncausally, of course.

Good idea, but one that would require some research, since I had clearly forgotten many Quaker City successes.

I of course recalled the Phillies' World Series win in 1980, breaking a 30-year appearance drought, a 65-year gap in Series game victories, and a 97-year (since the inception of the team in 1883) record of no world championships. (Go, Cubs!) I remember attending the first two games of the 1980 Series and thinking that I, along with the rest of the fans there, might have seen more Phillies victories than any other living people. And the 76ers won again, in 1983. And there were the Broad Street Bullies' back-to-back Stanley Cups in the '70s. And Villanova's unforgettable upset of Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA final. (And anyone contending that finals like North Carolina State-Houston were better games is just plain wrong.)

And some close-but-no-cigar moments. The Eagles' Super Bowl losses after the 1980 and 2004 seasons. The Phillies' World Series losses in 1983 and 1993. The 76ers' four NBA runner-up efforts. Final Four appearances by Villanova in 1971 (though the NCAA, as a result of Howard Porter's peccadilloes, lists the runner-up that year as "vacated." Same thing, come to think of it, for St. Joe's sole appearance in 1961 because of Hawkish point-shaving problems) and by Penn (yes, Penn) with a fourth-place finish in 1979. Penn that year was a quixotic participant in what was regarded as one of the sport's greatest Final Fours, with the other participants being Magic Johnson's Michigan State, Larry Bird's Indiana State, and Mark Aguirre's DePaul.

Hmm, with due respect, that's not a very impressive resume for a body of work stretching over 40-odd years. Which may be a major contributor to the fact that I can't remember much about Philadelphia sports since I left town. Oddly, it's not that the major franchises have been particularly bad (very few last-place finishes, for instance). It's just that they have rarely been that good.

But, wait. I do seem to remember that the Phillies won the Series last year. And are leading the National League East thus far this season. (It would be churlish to mention their 42-37 record entering last night.) And Villanova returned the Big Five to the Final Four this spring.

They can no longer "wait till next year" in Brooklyn. At least you can in Philadelphia. Good luck. Really.