It was 1982, and the Philadelphia sports teams were in a state of flux to varying degrees. Unknown to most, both the Phillies and Sixers were a year away from returning to the “Big Dance” with the Sixers finally capturing the title. The Flyers and Eagles also had interesting seasons.

In this week’s version of Yesterday - reminiscing about sports and pop culture items from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes beyond – I’ll take a look at the Philadelphia sports seasons from 40 years ago. I’ll also recall some more nicknames, take readers back to “Mixville” and tell you about what ex-Yankees Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich did.

Flyers’ Fallout ... Do you remember the 1981-82 Flyers? At this point of their season, the Flyers had a few regular season games remaining in a campaign that would finish with a 38-31-11 record. They were led by Bob McCammon (sound familiar?), who made his mark with the Maine Mariners - the top farm team for Philadelphia before the existence of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

McCammon was rumored to be the next coach, and he took over when Pat Quinn opened the season with a 6-23 record.

It was a team in transition as Bobby Clarke became a player/assistant coach and Reggie Leach was in his twilight years. Bill Barber took over as team captain, and Mel Bridgeman, Kenny Linseman, Illka Sinisalo, Brian Propp, Tim Kerr, Ron Flockhart, Tom Gorrence, and Behn Wilson were the rising stars. Darryl Sittler came over in a trade with Toronto.

Pete Peeters, Rick St. Croix, and Pelle Lindbergh were in the nets. Future coach Paul Holmgren and Glen Cochrane (remember him?) were the enforcers.

Seemingly loaded with talent, this group of Flyers couldn’t get out of the first round of the playoffs as they lost to the Rangers in a best-of-five, opening round format three straight seasons.

That Sixers Team ... Everyone remembers the Sixers’ championship season in 1982-83 when they beat the Lakers to bring Philly its first title since 1966-67.

But how about the 1981-82 team? It basically was the same cast with a few exceptions. The Sixers posted a 58-24 record and had a grueling seven-game Eastern Final series with Boston in which they won in the deciding game at Boston Garden.

With the game decided, Boston fans began a chant of “Beat LA” in the closing minutes. Unfortunately, the Sixers fell to the Lakers in six games.

Do you remember the Sixers’ top pick that season? It was guard Franklin Edwards, who played at Cleveland State. Edwards never really panned out with the Sixers, but played in 296 games over seven years, having his most productive years with the LA Clippers.

Phillies Follies ... The Phillies’ 1982 season was a strange one. They decided to clear the deck and shed themselves from some leftovers from the 1980 championship team with the departures of Bob Boone, Bake McBride, Dickie Noles, Larry Bowa, Ryne Sandberg, and Keith Moreland.

The team did post an overall 89-73 record and finished in second place - three games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals.

Their lineup still had the likes of Mike Schmidt, Manny Trillo, Pete Rose, Garry Maddox, Bo Diaz, Ivan DeJesus, and George Vukovich. Off the bench were Dick Davis, Dave Roberts, Len Matuszek, Bob Dernier, and even Willie Montanez (yes, the same one!), who tried to make a comeback. But Montanez played in only 18 games, hit .063, and subsequently retired at the end of the season.

Flying-low Birds ... The year 1982 was a unique one for the Eagles. They struggled early and finished with a 3-6 mark during a season that was interrupted by a player’s strike. The strike occurred after the Sept. 19 game and the season didn’t resume until Nov. 21. The Eagles missed the playoffs for the first time since 1977.

It would be Dick Vermeil’s last season, as he retired citing “burnout.” Marion Campbell ‘The Swamp Fox” took over the following season.

On a positive note, the Eagles’ top draft pick that season was wide receiver Mike Quick, who went on to a memorable playing and broadcasting career with the team.

More Nicknames ... Fellow scribe Rod Heckman - who is a fine writer and one of the most meticulous journalists around for several decades - pointed out some Phillies’ nicknames that I missed in last week’s column.

Everyone can remember Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams and Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose, but here are a few that slipped my mind and maybe yours: Tony ‘Doggie” Perez, Kent “Teke” Tekulve, Greg “GG” Gross, Mike “Hit Man” Easler, Juan “Sammy” Samuel, Curt “Schill” Schilling, and the always controversial Lenny ‘The Dude” Dykstra, who was also known as “Nails.”

Who was that 76er? ... After I researched the Phillies’ nicknames, I began to think of some nicknames of Sixers from the 1970s through the 2000s. Of course, one of the first ones was Julius “Dr. J” Erving.

Erving played with a cast of characters in the late 1970s and 80s that included Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins, Lloyd “World B” Free, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Andrew ‘The Boston Strangler” Toney and George “Big Mac’ McGinnis.

They were coached by Billy “The Kangaroo Kid” Cunningham, and the P.A. announcer was Dave “Zink” Zinkoff.

There also was Charles “Round Mound of Rebound” Barkley, and Allen “The Answer” Iverson. How about Lionel “Train” Hollins and Steve Mix, “The Mayor of Mixville?”

Going back a few decades, don’t forget Wilt Chamberlain, or “The Big Dipper” as he was known. One of my favorites from the 70s was Freddie “Mad Dog” Carter - who was one of the most underrated players in franchise history. Carter carried a few teams with very little talent around him.

Another Classic Game ... In 1968, Tudor released the “All-Star Basketball” game. Players use figures with a manual lever to shoot or pass a Styrofoam ball with two colored magnets. A Metallic board had 1960s vintage all star - each with a controlled area where they get the ball.

Players depicted on the court were Jerry West, Lenny Wilkins, Bill Bridges, Elgin Baylor and Nate Thurmond for the West and Dave Bing, Oscar Robertson, Willis Reed, John Havlicek and Wilt Chamberlain for the East. I do recall having the game.

A Yankee Dandy ... On March 5, 1973, Yankees’ pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich made off-the-field headlines when they swapped wives and children. In the long run, it didn’t work out for either pitcher.

If you’re a Yankees’ fan, you remember Peterson, who was a struggling, seasoned left-hander in the starting rotation. At the time, Kekich was a promising left-hander. Mel Stottlemyre and George “Doc” Medich (remember him?) led the staff.

That Yanks’ team finished 80-82 and also featured a rising star in catcher Thurman Munson, and legendary second baseman Horace Clarke, who was renowned for wearing his batting helmet and his horned-rim glasses.

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll recall a former player, coach, manager, or announcer from our yesterday.

Do you remember Jimmy Watson? The popular Flyers’ defenseman played 10 seasons with the team from 1972-73 through 1981-82. In 631 games, Watson scored 38 goals and 148 assists for 186 points. He was a five-time All-Star, and was noted for teaming with his older brother, Joe Watson.