LMU Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I shall submit for your consideration the 1998 UCLA Football Bruins.Now, before I'm accused of being a homer, I hate the school. Bastards sent me my only rejection letter.But, they were undefeated before having to play a rescheduled game at the U due to Hurricane Georges, losing 49-45, then lethargically losing to Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DustDevil61 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Non-homer pick: 2002 Sacramento Kings. I'm far from a Kings fan, but that team was so clearly robbed of a Finals berth by the refs.I don't know how the hell I missed that one.In fact, I think it was right around this time that the conspiracy theories of NBA officiating started circulating in my brain...which eventually turned me off to the NBA completely up until about two or three years ago. (I still have certain thoughts here and there, but, still...)Yeah--that one there was highway robbery all the way, if you ask me.^^^^As my non-homer pick, that takes the cake. Agreed wholehartedly.As for my homer pick, the 1997-98 Utah Jazz. I believe that they were the best team in the league--Malone, Stockton, Hornacek, Carr, Russel--but the Bulls had Michael Jordan. Not to mention Scottie Pippen. And many around the Beehive State feel conspired against with "The Push-Off" Jordan gave to Bryon Russell. Regardless of the fact that Karl Malone coughed up the ball, star treatment sucks.Other mentions:--2006-07 Suns--2001 Yankees--2003 Cubs--2007-08 Patriots (18-1)--2001-02 Rams AKA @LanRovr0 on Twitter LED Sig Credits to packerfan21396 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopard88 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I've always thought it's interesting how sometimes the best teams or teams with the best story come up short. Or on that same line, how the most memorable amazing games are often the ones that led to the championship game and not the actual championship.I could not agree more. How about the ultimate game along those lines? The 1980 US Hockey Team. How many people are aware that the US beating the Russians was not the game for the gold medal?*RAISES HAND* Most Liked Content of the Day -- February 15, 2017, August 21, 2017, August 22, 2017 ///// Proud Winner of the CCSLC Post of the Day Award -- April 8, 2008 Originator of the Upside Down Sarcasm Smilie -- November 1, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infrared41 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I've always thought it's interesting how sometimes the best teams or teams with the best story come up short. Or on that same line, how the most memorable amazing games are often the ones that led to the championship game and not the actual championship.I could not agree more. How about the ultimate game along those lines? The 1980 US Hockey Team. How many people are aware that the US beating the Russians was not the game for the gold medal?*RAISES HAND*Well I kind of figured everyone here knows that. It was more of a rhetorical question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintsfan Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Has anyone mentioned the (was it) 06 San Diego Chargers? Kind of get forgotten after the Patriots near perfect year, but didn't they lose only 1 game or something in regular season play? A few people have brought up World Cup soccer, so my picks there would be the 1982 Brazil team (Junior, Socrates, Eder, and Zico!) and the 1986 France team (Platini, Giresse, Tigana etc). Two stunning teams who maybe get forgotten because they didn't reach the final. 2011/12 WFL Champions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJMorris3 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I've always thought it's interesting how sometimes the best teams or teams with the best story come up short. Or on that same line, how the most memorable amazing games are often the ones that led to the championship game and not the actual championship.I could not agree more. How about the ultimate game along those lines? The 1980 US Hockey Team. How many people are aware that the US beating the Russians was not the game for the gold medal?*RAISES HAND*Well I kind of figured everyone here knows that. It was more of a rhetorical question. But how many know that if the USA lost that last game, that the Soviets would win the gold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintsfan Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I've always thought it's interesting how sometimes the best teams or teams with the best story come up short. Or on that same line, how the most memorable amazing games are often the ones that led to the championship game and not the actual championship.I could not agree more. How about the ultimate game along those lines? The 1980 US Hockey Team. How many people are aware that the US beating the Russians was not the game for the gold medal?*RAISES HAND*Well I kind of figured everyone here knows that. It was more of a rhetorical question. But how many know that if the USA lost that last game, that the Soviets would win the gold?It should be noted that whilst not being a 'gold medal game' in the sense of being a final match (a la the Superbowl) it was effectively a 'gold medal game' as the US would only have to beat Finland, the weakest team in the final pool, for the gold, whilst the Soviets also would only have had to win there final game for gold. So whilst you are technically correct, it was the game which, ultimately, was the gold medal decider. 2011/12 WFL Champions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJMorris3 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I've always thought it's interesting how sometimes the best teams or teams with the best story come up short. Or on that same line, how the most memorable amazing games are often the ones that led to the championship game and not the actual championship.I could not agree more. How about the ultimate game along those lines? The 1980 US Hockey Team. How many people are aware that the US beating the Russians was not the game for the gold medal?*RAISES HAND*Well I kind of figured everyone here knows that. It was more of a rhetorical question. But how many know that if the USA lost that last game, that the Soviets would win the gold?It should be noted that whilst not being a 'gold medal game' in the sense of being a final match (a la the Superbowl) it was effectively a 'gold medal game' as the US would only have to beat Finland, the weakest team in the final pool, for the gold, whilst the Soviets also would only have had to win there final game for gold. So whilst you are technically correct, it was the game which, ultimately, was the gold medal decider.A Finland team that held a lead on the United States in that game. If the USA loses that game, and the USSR wins (like they did), then the USSR takes the gold, and I think the USA may have fallen to bronze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Clemente Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 And my homer pick2004 Calgary Flames maybe not the best team in the NHL but they put in the best team effort and fell a Kerry Fraser short of winning the Cup.What did Kerry Fraser do?I picked the 1981 Cincinnati Reds because they finished first overall that year and missed the playoffs! Follow me on Twitter if you care: @Animal_Clans.My opinion may or may not be the same as yours. The choice is up to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philly97flyer Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I've always thought it's interesting how sometimes the best teams or teams with the best story come up short. Or on that same line, how the most memorable amazing games are often the ones that led to the championship game and not the actual championship.I could not agree more. How about the ultimate game along those lines? The 1980 US Hockey Team. How many people are aware that the US beating the Russians was not the game for the gold medal?*RAISES HAND*Well I kind of figured everyone here knows that. It was more of a rhetorical question. But how many know that if the USA lost that last game, that the Soviets would win the gold?It should be noted that whilst not being a 'gold medal game' in the sense of being a final match (a la the Superbowl) it was effectively a 'gold medal game' as the US would only have to beat Finland, the weakest team in the final pool, for the gold, whilst the Soviets also would only have had to win there final game for gold. So whilst you are technically correct, it was the game which, ultimately, was the gold medal decider.A Finland team that held a lead on the United States in that game. If the USA loses that game, and the USSR wins (like they did), then the USSR takes the gold, and I think the USA may have fallen to bronze.I was always curious as to how exactly that format worked. What if several teams finished 1-1 or 2-0? Who got what medal?Anyway, the 2000 Flyers were definately the best team they had in the last decade and a half. Held a 3-1 lead to the Devils in the ECF only to choke it away, losing Game 7 at home. Had they won that series, no doubt they would have handled Dallas in the finals and taken the cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasatch Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I picked the 1981 Cincinnati Reds because they finished first overall that year and missed the playoffs!How did they manage to miss the playoffs that year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmackman Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 1994-95 Miami Dolphins - blew a lead to the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs. Miami was the better team, should've played in the Super Bowl that year, and probably could have beaten San Francisco.1993 Phoenix Suns - let's face it...nobody's going to beat Michael Jordan in the Finals, so that leaves you with a really good 2nd place team1993 Pittsburgh Penguins - still don't know how this one didn't happen1997 Green Bay Packers - nearly had a repeat, but destiny and John Elway stopped that one1995 Florida Gators - Great team...won a title the next year, but couldn't stop Frazier, Phillips, Green, etc. "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be eaten. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you'd better be running." - Unknown | Check out my articles on jerseys at Bacon Sports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmackman Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 2001 Florida Gators - 9/11 caused the Tennessee game to be moved to the end of the season. Florida had injury problems by then, and it cost them a shot at an SEC and probable National Championship birth vs. the Miami HurricanesWhat might have been....1997 Miami Heat - got to the Eastern Conference Finals...lost to none other than Michael Jordan...like everyone else1994 Montreal Expos - questionable...but since there was a strike, who really knows?1992 Milwaukee Brewers - wouldn't have beaten the Braves in the World Series, but they were a damn good team "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be eaten. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you'd better be running." - Unknown | Check out my articles on jerseys at Bacon Sports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korbyn Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 2001 and 2007 Winnipeg Blue Bombers.2001: The Bombers tied a CFL record with 12 straight wins in the regular season improving to 14-2 on the season. They sat out there top players for the rest of the year finishing an impressive 14-4. After beating the Tiger-Cats 28-13 in the Division Finals they were heavily favoured against a 8-10 Calgary Stampeders squad. Stamps become just the second team with a losing record to win the Grey Cup.2007: After finishing a mediocore 10-7-1 in the regular season, things started to get going in the playoffs. They beat Montreal in the semi-finals, then beat up on the Argo\'s in the Divison finals. However the Argo\'s got the last laugh when QB Kevin Glenn\'s arm broke early in the 4th quarter. Ryan Dinwiddie was put in for the Grey Cup game in his first ever CFL start, the Blue and Gold lost 23-19. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC97 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I picked the 1981 Cincinnati Reds because they finished first overall that year and missed the playoffs!How did they manage to miss the playoffs that year?MLB played a split season in 1981, the division winners from each half of the season met in a best 3 of 5 division series before moving on to the LCS.The Reds finished first in the NL West when you combined the two halves but failed to finish first in either the first or second half.The same thing happened to the St Louis Cardinals in NL East. --- Chris Creamer Founder/Editor, SportsLogos.Net "The Mothership" • News • Facebook • X/Twitter • Instagram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I picked the 1981 Cincinnati Reds because they finished first overall that year and missed the playoffs!How did they manage to miss the playoffs that year?MLB played a split season in 1981, the division winners from each half of the season met in a best 2 of 3 division series before moving on to the LCS.The Reds finished first in the NL West when you combined the two halves but failed to finish first in either the first or second half.The same thing happened to the St Louis Cardinals in NL East.This always had me curious...What happened if you won both halves?Also, after you won the first half, what was your incentive to try hard in the second half (unless the answer to question 1 is that you get a first-round bye)? "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC97 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I picked the 1981 Cincinnati Reds because they finished first overall that year and missed the playoffs!How did they manage to miss the playoffs that year?MLB played a split season in 1981, the division winners from each half of the season met in a best 2 of 3 division series before moving on to the LCS.The Reds finished first in the NL West when you combined the two halves but failed to finish first in either the first or second half.The same thing happened to the St Louis Cardinals in NL East.This always had me curious...What happened if you won both halves?Also, after you won the first half, what was your incentive to try hard in the second half (unless the answer to question 1 is that you get a first-round bye)?I assume they would get a bye, otherwise, as you said, there'd be no reason to even play 2nd half games - just call up the AAA team, why not? --- Chris Creamer Founder/Editor, SportsLogos.Net "The Mothership" • News • Facebook • X/Twitter • Instagram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJMorris3 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I picked the 1981 Cincinnati Reds because they finished first overall that year and missed the playoffs!How did they manage to miss the playoffs that year?MLB played a split season in 1981, the division winners from each half of the season met in a best 2 of 3 division series before moving on to the LCS.The Reds finished first in the NL West when you combined the two halves but failed to finish first in either the first or second half.The same thing happened to the St Louis Cardinals in NL East.This always had me curious...What happened if you won both halves?Also, after you won the first half, what was your incentive to try hard in the second half (unless the answer to question 1 is that you get a first-round bye)?I know that you didn't get a bye and that if there was a double winner, the spot went to the 2nd place team in the 2nd half. Maybe home advantage in that series was determined by overall record? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rams80 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I picked the 1981 Cincinnati Reds because they finished first overall that year and missed the playoffs!How did they manage to miss the playoffs that year?MLB played a split season in 1981, the division winners from each half of the season met in a best 2 of 3 division series before moving on to the LCS.The Reds finished first in the NL West when you combined the two halves but failed to finish first in either the first or second half.The same thing happened to the St Louis Cardinals in NL East.This always had me curious...What happened if you won both halves?Also, after you won the first half, what was your incentive to try hard in the second half (unless the answer to question 1 is that you get a first-round bye)?In the minors, where IIRC "half season" playoff setups are common, if you win both halves, it means there is a(nother) wild card team, based on position in the second half standings. On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said: You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now. On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said: Today, we are all otaku. "The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010 The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJMorris3 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I picked the 1981 Cincinnati Reds because they finished first overall that year and missed the playoffs!How did they manage to miss the playoffs that year?MLB played a split season in 1981, the division winners from each half of the season met in a best 2 of 3 division series before moving on to the LCS.The Reds finished first in the NL West when you combined the two halves but failed to finish first in either the first or second half.The same thing happened to the St Louis Cardinals in NL East.This always had me curious...What happened if you won both halves?Also, after you won the first half, what was your incentive to try hard in the second half (unless the answer to question 1 is that you get a first-round bye)?In the minors, where IIRC "half season" playoff setups are common, if you win both halves, it means there is a(nother) wild card team, based on position in the second half standings.Depends on the league. In the local minor league, if a team wins both halves of a division, the team with the best overall record of all non-playoff qualifiers gets in.Example: Southern Maryland won the first half of the Liberty Division. Somerset won the first half of the Freedom Division. They both lead the second half of their respective divisions. Should both go and win the second half, there will be two wild cards, which may or may not come from the same division.Let's say Newark (Freedom) and Long Island (Liberty) get those wild card spots, as they are currently leading. By rule, regardless of record, Newark plays Somerset, Long Island plays Southern Maryland. Now, if, say, Long Island and Bridgeport (both Liberty) get the wild cards, then they will seed the playoffs, from 1 to 4 by regular season record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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