Top 5 In 2014: Breakout Performers in Philadelphia Sports (Slideshow)

Aug 22, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Ken Giles (53) in the dugout after pitching a scoreless eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Cardinals, 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

No rings, no parades, no champions. Living in Philadelphia is easy in that, basically every year, we can recycle the same motto when it comes to looking back at our four major sports teams in review. 2014 was particularly strenuous in terms of each one falling woefully short of the expectations set out for playing in a top market. Realistically, three out of the four teams (Flyers, Phillies, Sixers) had no chance at bringing home a title and anyone with a set of eyes (Hell, even one eye) could see that. Still, that didn’t stop each one of them from making sure they could still twist the knife and make it hurt like we just watched a title contender get knocked to the proverbial canvas that is mediocrity or worse. As for the Eagles, they will be playing the first game of the Chip Kelly era that does not have some sort of implication attached to it. A December swoon following arguably the most enjoyable win of Kelly’s two seasons in Philadelphia, a Thanksgiving day thrashing of the Dallas Cowboys, turned 2014 into a nightmare of a year for the Eagles book-ended by a playoff loss in January and a late-season meltdown.

So while from a big picture standpoint, none of the four primary professional sports teams delivered much to make 2014 an enjoyable year, that does not mean there were not a handful of individuals who brought some excitement to an otherwise sad sports scene. There is talent in Philadelphia, both established and up-and-coming. The key is for any/all of the four teams to compile enough to construct a champion. As of now, unfortunately, those figures are too few and spread too thin to have been part of a championship contender in 2014. That does not mean each of the following five players didn’t make us raise a few eyebrows and realize things may not be as futile as we tend to make them.