Share your painful sports memories

[Slayer 0]

Inspired by last week's two baseball series, I want to hear your painful sports memories... those times when your sports loyalty just left you feeling lower than shit

 

Here's mine

 

NFL

-Minnesota steamrolls through '98 season only to lose NFC title game to surprising Falcons team because Anderson finally shanked a kick and Dennis Green mismanaged the clock horribly

 

MLB

-Last week. Too obvious

-Game 6 '86. Though I was young and barely remember, the replays and lore burn it into my brain

-Reds pull off amazing comeback in mid-late '99, only to get blown out by NY in the 1-game playoff

 

College Football

-Nebraska's kick-up TD against Missouri in '97. Whether it was legit is another issue, but it made their season, and prevented the Wolverines from getting an undisputed championship.

-Kansas State finally beats Nebraska in '98, and looks to be heading to the first BCS championship game, only to lose to A&M in the Big 12 title game (on a still questionable TD) and gets shafted by BCS all the way down to the Holiday Bowl

 

College Basketball

-Chris Webber's no-time-outs-left time-out call

 

...so come on, share your pain

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Being in Buffalo we have our share.

 

The Super Bowls not withstanding...

 

My most painful memory is triple overtime of game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals...with a call so bad they CHANGED THE RULE AFTER THE SEASON.

[Guest Flyboy]

The Saints' losing the last three games of the season last year.

[razazteca 0]

Spurs in the playoffs the year they had Derek Anderson as the "solution" to guarding Kobe Bryant gets injuried, the Spurs lose the series in the process.

 

Orlando Magic with Shaq, Anfernee Hardaway, Dennis Scott, Nick Anderson getting their ass handed to them in the playoffs in a sweep.

[the pinjockey 0]

Brad Johnson passes to Joe Jurevicious for 50+ yards in the NFC championship last year.

 

After that you knew the Eagles were going to lose, but there were still about 58 minutes to sit through.

[ISportsFan 0]

I've only been alive for 18 years, and can only remember certain amounts of those 18, so we'll see how much I can get here.

 

MLB:

1994 season. The White Sox were so good, and I have little doubt they would have won the World Series. But, we'll never know. And what burns me most is our owner lead the charge for the owners in the fight.

 

NFL:

Two years ago when the Bears played really bad against McNabb (and the Eagles too, I guess) in the playoffs.

 

NHL:

Can it just be the time period of Wirtz' ownership? No home TV games, trading away and letting big-name free agents go, terrible GMs. Our playoff streak was unbelieveable (I think it was 26 straight years or something) until the last 6 or 7 years we've only made the playoffs once (Blackhawks, obviously).

 

Jason

[Slayer 0]

NHL:

Can it just be the time period of Wirtz' ownership? No home TV games, trading away and letting big-name free agents go, terrible GMs. Our playoff streak was unbelieveable (I think it was 26 straight years or something) until the last 6 or 7 years we've only made the playoffs once (Blackhawks, obviously).

I first got into the Blackhawks in the early 90's, first just because I liked the uniforms (hey, I was young), but because they were a damn good team with good players also (Hasek, Belfour, Roenick, Goulet)

 

But yes, the way they have gone downhill since Wirtz' takeover is horrible

 

Losing the old Chicago Stadium didn't help either

[bob_barron 0]

Baseball-

 

1996- Jim Leyritz

 

NBA-

 

1993- Knicks blow a 2-0 lead and lose to Chicago.

1994- Knicks blow a 3-2 lead and lose to Houston

1995- Patrick Ewing misses a last second shot

2002- The Nets losing to the Spurs really really sucked.

 

NFL-

2001 and 2002- The Saints collapse

 

NHL-

1994- The Canucks come one game away from winning the Cup.

 

I am still haunted by the word 'Matteau'

 

The Leafs various playoff failures over the years.

 

2002- The Leafs somehow lose to Carolina. The Canucks blow a 2-0 lead and lose 4 straight.

 

2003- Game 7- Leafs v. Flyers. Game 7- Wild v. Canucks.

[Bored 0]

MLB:

 

-Last three years A's in the ALDS especially Game 3 of '01 and games 3 thru 5 of this year. I say three because in 2000 I was just happy they were there.

 

-'88 World Series Game 1, duh.

 

-'92 ALCS Game 4, was at the game where Eckersley gave up his 2nd big postseason homerun this time to Roberto Alomar which pretty much wrapped up the series for the Blue Jays. A's blew a 5-0 lead late and a chance to tie the series.

 

NFL:

 

-'90 NFC Championship Game, Roger Craig fumbles late in the game and Giants drive down the field to kick a last second field and the 49ers lose a chance to win a 3rd straight Super Bowl.

 

-'91 regular season game 49ers at Falcons. 49ers lose on a hail marry which all but eliminates from making the playoffs marking the first time I'd ever had a memory of them not making the playoffs. My postgame tirade was not pretty to say the least.

 

-'89 regular season game 49ers vs. Bills. I was at the game and the 49ers won easily but before the game I slammed the car door on my thumb. FUCK that was painful.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Can it just be the time period of Wirtz' ownership? No home TV games, trading away and letting big-name free agents go, terrible GMs. Our playoff streak was unbelieveable (I think it was 26 straight years or something) until the last 6 or 7 years we've only made the playoffs once (Blackhawks, obviously).

 

I thought the Wirtz family has owned the Blackhawks and the Chicago Stadium since like the 40s.

 

Other painful Chicago Sports Moments:

The Bears blowing the game against the Eagles two years ago, another example of what I call the TCR Double-Choke Theory. When posed with an awesome combination of two teams in a final game, the two teams will lose to their respective semi-final opponents. In this case, we got a St. Louis-Philadelphia Championship game when we could've had Chicago and Green Bay. Also: Ottawa and Minnesota-->NJ and Anaheim, and oh of course...

 

The Cubs blowa 3-1 lead against the Marlins. Nuff said.

 

The Chicago Bulls firesale after the 1998 win.

 

The bottom dropping out of the Chicago Blackhawks last season thanks to the actions of Theoren Fleury. We could've taken 2nd, but instead almost got 4th, behind Nashville. NASHVILLE!

 

I hate the White Sox, but I'd say the loss of Old Comiskey Park and the renaming of New Comiskey Park were both pretty low blows to the team.

Edited October 19, 2003 by The Czech Republic

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

The Reds signing Griffey.

 

The Reds coming so close and then blowing the 1 game playoff to the Mets.

 

Michigan having to share the National Title with Nebraska and all the shady things that had to happen for that.

[tpww7 0]

Um, Thursday Night, that killed me.

[Slayer 0]

I thought the Wirtz family has owned the Blackhawks and the Chicago Stadium since like the 40s.

 

Well, even so, it seemed like the bad shit really didn't start happening until shortly after the awesome early 90's run...

 

...the TCR Double-Choke Theory. When posed with an awesome combination of two teams in a final game, the two teams will lose to their respective semi-final opponents. In this case, we got a St. Louis-Philadelphia Championship game when we could've had Chicago and Green Bay. Also: Ottawa and Minnesota-->NJ and Anaheim, and oh of course...

 

You forgot the very obvious from last week, unless you were omitting it for the same reason

 

As for last years Cup playoffs, Anaheim was a story no matter what, so them winning in their final was not an issue. Plus Minnesota hardly choked, they just got dominated by a better team.

 

Although Ottawa going to the finals might've been better from the "pulling in Canada" POV

 

But, the Devils won, so regardless, I was satisfied

[the max 0]

MLB- Aaron fucking Boone

 

NHL- Friesen beating his checker with 2 minutes left of a 2-2 game.

 

Personal- Winning a grand total of 7 games in my 4 years of playing high school hockey.

[Slayer 0]

The Reds signing Griffey.

 

Oh yes... they were doing fine without him

 

Michigan having to share the National Title with Nebraska and all the shady things that had to happen for that.

 

Like the Osborne farewell present theory, you mean?

 

But at least Michigan did get the national title that year... Michigan's unfortunate moment as I said was the Webber TO call, which became the defining moment for UM basketball, even though they had just won the title 4 years previous

 

It's the same thing with Kansas (who, while I live here, I despise greatly)... they won the national title in '88 (with Larry Brown and a team NO ONE expected to win), but Roy Williams transcendant art of choking with powerhouse teams has disheartened fans here... it's almost like '88 never happened.

[Slayer 0]

Personal- Winning a grand total of 7 games in my 4 years of playing high school hockey.

Ouch

 

Out of how many total games played?

[Big McLargeHuge 0]

Game 6 of the World Series last year for obvious reasons. Even moreso because the Angels did absolutely nothing this year.

 

The entire play-offs leading up the World Series this year.

[lomasmoney 0]

holy shit , the most depressing moments for me have to michigan not winning the national title outright in 1997, ohio state winning last year, my high school football team losing in the state finals senior year, and me costing my cross country team a chance at states by running my worst time all year at the regional meet

[HarleyQuinn 0]

NHL: The Bruins Collapse last year...they started out so red hot(42-19 or something insane like that) and just...disappeared off the face of the earth.

 

NBA: The Nets just killing the Celtics in the playoffs last year, Kidd pulling triple-doubles out like fairy dust.

 

MLB: Aaron Fucking Boone...

 

NFL: Getting slaughtered by the Packers in the 96' Super Bowl with Bledsoe at the helm and a solid running game in Curtis Martin

[the max 0]

Personal- Winning a grand total of 7 games in my 4 years of playing high school hockey.

Ouch

 

Out of how many total games played?

We were 7-108-5 in 4 years, we played 30 games in a season, and we went winless my freshman and sophomore year.

[Slayer 0]

Personal- Winning a grand total of 7 games in my 4 years of playing high school hockey.

Ouch

 

Out of how many total games played?

We were 7-108-5 in 4 years, we played 30 games in a season, and we went winless my freshman and sophomore year.

...

 

Let me amend my "ouch" into a "holy fucking shit"

[the max 0]

Looking back, I can laugh now. But it wasn't very funny then.

[ISportsFan 0]

I thought the Wirtz family has owned the Blackhawks and the Chicago Stadium since like the 40s.

I'm pretty sure they have. But Bill Wirtz is who I'm talking about. He's the one behind no home TV and a tight pocketbook, he has been ever since ascending to power.

 

And his GMs... Bob Pulford, Mike Smith, just argh.

 

Jason

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

NFL

 

Redskins miss fg to win vs Tampa in 99 playoffs

 

MLB

Jeffrey Maier in 1996

Armando Benitez gives up the homers to Cleveland in the 1997 playoffs.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I thought the Wirtz family has owned the Blackhawks and the Chicago Stadium since like the 40s.

 

Well, even so, it seemed like the bad shit really didn't start happening until shortly after the awesome early 90's run...

Yeah, apparently Bill Wirtz didn't know who Jeremy Roenick and Ed Belfour were so he ok'd their releases as he blindlessly signed their checks, which he even admitted to, saying something like "I don't know who these people are or what they do. I just sign checks." Losing the Chicagoan Chelios also hurt.

 

I also omitted The Mistake On The Lake as a painful moment.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

The refs screwing over the Browns against the Jags in the 01 season. Never have a seen the refs actually break NFL rules in a game before.

[treble 0]

Hockey:

-Leafs/Flyers last year in game 7, talk about a stomach punch. Losing game 4 in triple OT sucked, too, especially since Belfour played awesome (70+ saves) except for the 2 weak goals he let in in regulation.

-Leafs losing 3 OT games to Carolina in the 2002 Conference Finals.

-Sundin leads the Leafs to an awesome 3rd period comeback of game 2 of the Leafs/Devils series in '01, only to lose it in OT. The Leafs had a HORRIBLE 2nd period (I think they gave up 4 or 5 goals) and if that doesn't happen, they probably win the series and could have very well gone all the way to the Finals (at least in my mind).

-Sabres beating the Sens in overtime of game 7 in 1997 (I was cheering for Ottawa here, since it was so unbelievable that they were actually IN the playoffs).

-Canada losing in a shootout in the gold medal game in the '94 Olympics and the semi-finals in '98. 2002 MORE than made up for all that, though.

 

Baseball:

-Thankfully, I wasn't old enough to know what was going on when the Jays blew a 3-1 lead to the Royals in the '85 ALCS or their collapse down the strech in '87, and that I wasn't born when the Expos lost in the '81 NLCS to the Dodgers on Rick Monday's homerun, but if I were a few years older, they'd be up there.

-The Jays having a shot to make the playoffs in 98-00, but folding up in September.

-The ending of both this year's LCS. The only permutation that I did not want to see happen at all, we got.

 

If I cared enough about basketball, I would probably list Vince Carter's shot bouncing out at the end of game 7 vs. the 76ers, but since I'm fickle, I'll put an asterisk beside it.

Edited October 20, 2003 by treble charged

[CanadianChris 0]

-Thankfully, I wasn't old enough to know what was going on when the Jays blew a 3-1 lead to the Royals in the '85 ALCS or their collapse down the strech in '87, and that I wasn't born when the Expos lost in the '81 NLCS to the Dodgers on Rick Monday's homerun, but if I were a few years older, they'd be up there.

Be VERY thankful. The 85 playoffs were bad enough (ironically enough, this was the first year the LCS was best-of-7, meaning the Jays would've won the series had it been the year before), but watching Fernandez and Whitt go down in September and coughing up a 4-game lead in the final week was gut-wrenching.

 

Of course, it was all worth it in the end.

 

Other painful memories:

 

- Atlanta over Minnesota in 1999, mentioned already.

 

- Jacksonville over Denver in 1997. Stunning.

 

- The 49ers humiliating Denver in the Super Bowl in 1990.

 

- Wide right.

 

- Keith Smart hitting the jumper from the corner to beat Syracuse in 1987.

 

- Wayne Gretzky scoring to beat the Leafs in OT in Game 6, when he should've been in the box serving a high-sticking major after busting Doug Gilmour wide open just minutes earlier. This ruined what would have been the last-ever Leafs-Canadiens Stanley Cup final.

 

- Losing the shootout to the Czechs in 1998.

 

- The strike in 1994 costing the Expos their best chance at a World Series.

 

And, of course, Game 7 against the Devils last season. And Game 7 against the Leafs the year before that.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Wayne Gretzky scoring to beat the Leafs in OT in Game 6, when he should've been in the box serving a high-sticking major after busting Doug Gilmour wide open just minutes earlier. This ruined what would have been the last-ever Leafs-Canadiens Stanley Cup final.

Why is that? Toronto was in the West for a few more years after that and both teams were still contending until Roy left, IIRC. So now tell me that I recalled wrong and clarify

[Guest gthureson]

Let us forget, of course, about the Gilmour head-BUTT against McSorley a game or two earlier that is supposed to carry a match penalty and automatic suspension. Cause, you know, Gilmour was a Leaf and a warrior, so he shouldn't have to worry about petty stuff like the rulebook unless it would have worked in his favour.