Most Painful Sports Memory

[I Am A Flaming Douche Bag]

Within the last few years, Sergi Brylins awful shoot out attempt against the NYI which ended the Leafs playoff hopes.

[wdm1219inpenna]

Let me preface this by saying that there are so many painful memories for me as a sports fan of specific teams, and that this will be a rather long post.

From a financial standpoint, there are 3 painful moments, all NFL related. It's funny that I came across this post tonight.

I bet $10 with someone at school, back in January 1981, that the Eagles would beat the Raiders in Super Bowl XV. Final score, Raiders 27, Eagles 10. Ever since that loss, I have detested the Eagles, their fans, and the local yokel media who have such a mancrush on them because the Eagles choked.

Super Bowl XXIII, with less than a minute to go. Bengals 16, 49ers 13. I was in one of those "block pools" at work, and I had the Bengals with a "6" and San Fran with a "3". Had the score ended 16-13, I would have won $300. 34 seconds remaining, Montana to Taylor, touchdown.

Today, I was one of 27 people out of 64 remaining in a survivor pool (they call it a suicide pool but for personal reasons I prefer to call it survivor pool). I, like a bonehead, took the San Diego Chargers to win at home vs the supposely lowly KC Chiefs. $1,280 could have been won, but I, and 8 other misguided people were knocked out today.

Other non-financial painful sports moments for me:

NFC Wildcard game, Giants 38, 49ers 14. Giants blow a 24 point lead, and lose 39-38. Soon after, they would wh*re away their team to San Diego to get Eli Manning, and you see how he has panned out. The day Eli was drafted and went to the Giants via that boneheaded trade, and the way he acted and the things he said, I divorced myself from the Giants at that moment. Now I revel at their miserable failures, and pray they have them for decades to come.

2001 World Series. When Mariano threw the ball into centerfield in Game 7 in the bottom of the 9th inning, I knew it was over. When Gonzalez got the base hit to end it all, it didn't upset me more. The moment he threw that ball into the outfield, I said to my wife "it's over".

2004 ALCS. Enough said.

But the most painful, or should I say bittersweet sports moment for me, will be now and forever, Bucky Dent's fateful home run in the 7th inning at Fenway Park, during that 1978 AL Eastern Division 1 game playoff vs the Red Sox. The Yankees were 14 games out in mid July. My father, who was a Yankee fan, got me into the Yankees. He did so by having me watch a movie called "Pride of the Yankees", the Lou Gehrig story with him during the summer of 1974. After we watched it I asked if he was a Yankees fan, and he said yes, and I said "well then so am I dad."

Fast forward, Saturday, July 15, 1978, 10:15am EST. My father, discharged 2 days prior from the hospital after a series of heart attacks, collapses right before my very eyes. I was 11 at the time. Dad always reminded me when we would watch the Yankees on WPIX, channel 11, if they were losing, by saying to me "The 7th inning is the Yankees innings Bill". The fact that the Yankees overcame a 14 game deficit to tie was a miracle in and of itself. That they beat Boston, then went on to beat KC and LA to win it all was even moreso. But most of all, Bucky Dent, the last person on Earth you'd suspect would hit the HR to put the Yankees up did so, and did so in the 7th inning. It was at that very moment that I KNEW my father was with the Lord. I was home alone, mom was still at work, and I just remember sobbing at that moment. I was both excited and hurt at the same time, hurt that my father wasn't able to be there with me, in our living room, in person, to share that experience with me. So for me, Bucky Dent's home run represents both a very happy, and very sad moment at the same time. I didn't think it coincidence that the Yankees would go on an 18 year World Series winning drought.

In June 2001, my mother passed away, also on a Saturday. She never much cared for the Yankees. So in that same regard, when Mariano made that errant throw in the bottom of the 9th of game 7, I knew then, as much as I knew back in 1978, that mom, like dad, was with the Lord.

1994, very painful, due to the work stoppage (which is a misnomer, it was a PLAY stoppage), and an interrupted baseball season, the first of which implementing the 3 division + wildcard format.

1989, the Pete Rose banishment, drug problems in MLB, the sudden and unexpected death of Commissioner Bart Giamatti, and of course, the San Francisco earthquake, during the 1989 Fall Classic. Also very painful.

On a more personal note, my wife played softball for one season for a group of gals. I was the statistician for the team. The team went 0-21. They did not win a single game. That too was painful to watch, especially during the summer months in the seering heat.

2003, when the Cubs lost the NLCS to the Marlins. I was upset for my cousin Frank (not his real name), because he has been a Cubs fan all his life, and I really wanted for HIM for the Cubs to at least MAKE IT to the World Series. Now it's 2007, and the Cubs won another division title...here we go again!!!

Regards,

Bill McD.

[nwtrailtrekker]

1. Super Bowl XL

2. 2001 ALCS Mariners vs. Yanks

3. NFC Playoffs a few years ago, Hawks vs. Packers.

[zer0dotcom]

The 1996 World Cup was pretty hard to swallow, like the 1998 Olympics.

[GeorgesL]

The 5th most painful sports memory was the Als losing to Hamilton in the 1999 East Division Final in Montreal. The Als should have made it all the way to the Grey Cup title that year. It proved to be a blessing in disguise, because afterward, the Als would make the Grey Cup 5 years out of 7. As for Hamilton, they haven't made it to the Grey Cup since. (Can you say "cursed"?)

The 4th most painful sports memory was the 2000 Grey Cup. The Als lost by 2 f*ing points to a 8-10 team. 8-10!!!! WTF?!!!

The 3rd most painful sports memory was the 1981 NLCS. The Expos were just one win away from World Series. I was 10 years old. Then the friggin' Dodgers spoiled the party. Hated the Dodgers ever since. Still do.

The 2nd most painful sports memory was the 2004 CFL East Division final. The most evil team in the league, the Argos, finally found a way to beat my Als. Take out Anthony Calvillo. As far as I know, the guy who knocked him out isn't playing football anymore. Serves him right. The Als had the best record in franchise history that year. But the next two years, things returned to normal, as the Als continued their dominance over the bARfGOs.

The most painful sports memory: three words: 2005 Grey Cup. Damn, we were so close. The Als were less than a minute away from winning the whole thing. Then the Damn Eskies won it in OT. Joke's on them, they haven't made it back to the playoffs since. (Can you say "cursed"?)

[winters in buffalo]

I'm amazed none of these Buffalo fans brought up Wide Right...that IMO would be much more painful if I was a fan from that city.

Um, I did. It was #2 on my list.

[slapshot]

1. Aaron ":censored:ing" Boone. Game 7, 2003 ALCS. I was on the phone with my (now ex-) girlfriend at the time, and had to hang up, lest I pummel her ears with a never ending stream of obscenities.

2. 10th inning, Game 6, 1986 World Series. The only fortunate thing about this is that I heard it on radio, and didn't have to witness it live with my own eyes.

3. Super Bowl XX. Years of futility of the Patriots had finally been rewarded with a trip to the Super Bowl. and there the dream ended abruptly, on the inept shoulders of Tony Eason.

[NJTank]

2. 10th inning, Game 6, 1986 World Series. The only fortunate thing about this is that I heard it on radio, and didn't have to witness it live with my own eyes.

I wish I was old enough to fully appreciate that moment now, I thought my team would win every year, but at last when it happens its so rare and special you oughta cherish it.

Unless of course you are a fan of the Yankees and its like rooting for IBM, oh if I had only been a Yankee fan so much less pain.

[VitaminD]

#1. Mitchie-Poo's 83 mph "heater" meets Joe Carter's bat.

#2. see #1. It's that bad.

#3. SB XXXIX. The Birds lost by 3; it never seemed that close at the end.

#4, 5 and 6. Enduring 3 Final Four Saturday losses for UNC in '95, '97 and '98 while in school.

#7. Jose Mesa costs the Tribe the World Series v. Florida in '97. He's been with the Phillies twice since then, and that's still the first thing that comes to mind when he enters a game.

#8. Three words: Ricky Manning Junior.

#9. Ronde Barber picks off Chris Keldorf in the end zone and takes it back the other way for UVA. UNC was up 2 TDs and on the UVA 7 with a trip to the Bowl Coalition (1996, kids) on the line. It was also the night of my 21st birthday; I got out of the car to go to dinner with my girlfriend one play before. I didn't see the rest of the game, and don't remember the rest of the night. I found out the next morning that our dreams were crushed. (And my girlfriend dumped me 4 days later.)

And sorry Mets fans: we are going to gloat about this one. For the first time in recorded history, Philadelphia was not on the business end of a monumental collapse. We actually pulled the rabbit out of the hat this time, we got the girl, we got to ride off into the sunset. Feels good.

[tp49]

1985 Stanley Cup finals Isles losing to Gretzky and the Oilers ending their Drive For Five.

1994 Stanley Cup Finals Pavel "F-ing" Bure hitting the crossbar at least three times in game 7which lead to the the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup.

2001 Yankees blowing the World Series.

2002 Vlade "F-ing" Divac had he just held onto the ball instead of getting rid of it the Sacramento Kings would have beaten the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and gone on the the NBA finals (and a probable win as the Nets just weren't that good).

2003 Yankees choking in the World Series

2004 Yankees blowing the ALCS

[JH42XCC]

My top 3 most painful sports memories:

3. 10-19-06: NY Mets lose game 7 of NLCS 3-1 to St. Louis Cardinals, who go on to win the World Series in 5 games against the Detroit Tigers.

DARN YOU YADIER MOLINA!!!

2. 01-05-03: NY Giants blow 24-point lead to San Francisco 49ers and lose 39-38 in the NFC Wild Card game, which ended on a blown call on the game's final play (which was a botched snap on a potential game-winning field goal attempt by Matt Bryant, which led to Matt Allen throwing a desperation pass that fell incomplete) that should've given the Giants another chance to pull of the victory.

DARN YOU REFS!!!

1. 09-30-07 (Yesterday): The NY Mets, tied for 1st place in the NL East with the Philadelphia Phillies coming in to the final day of the 2007 MLB Regular Season, complete the biggest late season collapse in Major League Baseball history by losing 8-1 against the Florida Marlins in the 2007 season finale. 7-games ahead of the Phillies on September 12th, and the Mets still fail to advance to the playoffs.

DARN YOU PHILLIES!!!

[JH42XCC]

The 1996 World Cup was pretty hard to swallow, like the 1998 Olympics.

There was no World Cup in '96.

(Pardon the double post)

[Shroinke]

1. Summer 1998 - Jordan retires, everyone leaves except Krause.

3. Everything after Hester's return TD in Super Bowl XLI.

2. 2003 NLCS....5 outs....

[rams80]

The 1996 World Cup was pretty hard to swallow, like the 1998 Olympics.

There was no World Cup in '96.

(Pardon the double post)

I'm pretty sure he means this.

[IronChefShark]

The 1996 World Cup was pretty hard to swallow, like the 1998 Olympics.

There was no World Cup in '96.

(Pardon the double post)

he's talking about hockey.

you're slow.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

1. Summer 1998 - Jordan retires, everyone leaves except Krause.

Really? I think had the same pain the last time this thread came along, and I had the same reaction. Six championships in eight years is pretty good. Expecting that to last any longer than it did -- especially considering the greatest player of all time won all those titles and then retired -- seems like asking for quite a bit. And it also seems like you're far less appreciative of those six championships if Jordan's well deserved retirement is a painful memory for you. As a fan of your team, you got more than any fan has received since Boston Celtics of the 60's and UCLA of the 70's.

I don't want to tell someone else what they should feel, but considering what they accomplished, I don't think the Bulls' inevitable breakup belongs on anyone's list.

[fiasco!]

1. Being a Detroit Lions fan, 1973 - Present.

2. Being a Detroit Tigers fan, 1973 - 1983, 1993 - 2005

[SmoothieX]

My top 3 most painful sports memories:

3. 10-19-06: NY Mets lose game 7 of NLCS 3-1 to St. Louis Cardinals, who go on to win the World Series in 5 games against the Detroit Tigers.

DARN YOU YADIER MOLINA!!!

Yeah that one's high on my list too. I was at Game 2 for the pinch hit tie-breaking homer by the legendary slugger So Taguchi.

[agentrygraphics]

Super Bowl XXX: Neil O'Donnell completed a pass to a Cowboys CB in the 4th quarter to end the Steelers comeback drive.

2003 AFC Playoffs: Steelers vs. Titans...Steelers' defensive player Washington grazes Joe Nedney's shoelace on the "final" kick of the game. The ball goes wide...Steelers win, but wait...nedney, sensing a bad kick...sees Washington closeby and acts like Washington shot him with a cannon...flags thrown..."roughing the kicker"...move the ball closer....replay the final kick...it's good. Titans move on to play the Raiders in the AFC title game.

[illwauk]

And sorry Mets fans: we are going to gloat about this one. For the first time in recorded history, Philadelphia was not on the business end of a monumental collapse. We actually pulled the rabbit out of the hat this time, we got the girl, we got to ride off into the sunset. Feels good.

If I was you, I'd be afraid of another one of those legendary collapses happening in the playoffs.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be pulling for the Phils this month (especially if the undeserving Cubs make it past the D'Bags). But unfortunately, Phily teams have been letting down their fans for longer than I've been alive.

Maybe the city's downtown building owners should agree not to turn on any lights higher than William Penn at night while the Phillies are still in the playoffs.