Your Top 5 Most Painful Sport Losses

[MIJB#19]

What a depressing topic, by the way.

[Dr. Sak]

1. 2004 Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 (Flyers vs Lightning) - Before last year's team, this was my favorite Flyer team. I firmly believe that if they won Game 7, they would have taken Calgary in the Cup finals. Add that to the fact that I had to be at a wedding during the game and I caught the my dumb bitch date cheating on me two weeks later that ended our 4 year relationship.

2. 2005 Penn State at Michigan - Mario Manningham ruins my first ever away Penn State game by catching a game winning pass with no time left.

3. 2010 Stanley Cup Finals Game 6 (Flyers vs Blackhawks) - I don't normally believe in destiny but I thought that this team was destine to win the Cup. Hartnell scores to tie the game late, but Kane puts it away in OT.

4. 1987 Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 (Oilers vs Flyers) - My first recollection of heartbreak watching the Flyers come miraculously back in Game 6, only to lose in Game 7.

5. 2010 Olympic Hockey Finals (USA vs Canada) - Fuck you Sidney Crosby.

-Since I wasn't a huge baseball fan in the 90s, Joe Carter's homer didn't upset me that much. But if this was a top 10, it would've made it.

[ColtCrazy]

Honorable Mention - 2010 Wildcard Colts lose to Jets - stupid Caldwell.

5. 2008 Wildcard Colts lose to Chargers - all we had to do was convert a 3rd and 2. Should have beaten that team. Loved the 08 Colts because of how they fought back too.

4. 2007 Regular Season Colts lose to Pats - up in the 4th quarter, we had a chance to end their perfection. Alas, I guess it made the Giants victory even better. Still....

3. 2009 Regular Season Colts lose to Jets Denied perfection by Polian's ego.


2. 1992 NCAA Semifinals - IU loses to Duke My favorite IU team with my favorite player (Cheaney) had to lose to the Dukies.

1. 1995 AFC Championship Colts lose to Steelers Kordell scores a TD even though he runs out of bounds before hand. Colts drop an easy interception to seal the game....and then to watch the ball roll of Bailey. We would have beaten the Cowboys that year (we did early the following season in Dallas) Instead, I got to see O'Donnell hand them the game, which irritated me even more.

Believe it or not, last year's Super Bowl didn't hurt so much...maybe because I was there and you just had this preordained feeling the Saints would win.

[Drake]

Can I just use the whole post-Bobby Knight era of IU basketball instead of individual games?

[BYU 14]

1-December 28th 1975 - Dallas 17 Minnesota 14 on Roger Staubachs hail mary pass to Drew Pearson, I was 12 years old then, but nothing has topped this.

2-5 - See 1

[ColtCrazy]

Originally Posted by Drake

Can I just use the whole post-Bobby Knight era of IU basketball instead of individual games?

I considered that. I still have hope for Crean though, he's been on a good run of recruiting.....maybe next year will be a good year. Finally.

[Solecismic]

I only have one sports allegiance of any real strength.

1. Michigan vs. Stanford, Rose Bowl, end of 1971 season
2. Michigan ties Ohio State, 1973, athletic directors vote to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl
3. Michigan vs. Ohio State, 1974 - another perfect season lost
4. Michigan vs. Ohio State, 2006 - lost opportunity to play in NCG
5. Michigan vs. Iowa, 1985 - spoiled a perfect start, the only loss in a surprisingly great season my senior year

[cuervo72]

Hmm.

1. 1993 WS, Phillies losing to Toronto.
2. 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, Flyers losing to Edmonton.
3. 1983 WS, Phillies losing to Baltimore
4. 1988 NFC Divisional Playoffs, Eagles losing to Chicago (aka the "Fog Bowl")
5. 1981 AFC Divisional Playoffs, Dolphins losing to San Diego

I guess, anyway. Super Bowl XXXIX probably should be on the list, but I think by that time I was old enough to be dulled to losing. The games/series on the list just seemed to have more impact at their times, when I was younger.

[Buccaneer]

1. Greg Norman at 1996 Masters.
2. SDSU loss to Iowa in 1986 Holiday Bowl.
3. SDSU loss to f'n BYU in 1979.
4. 1986 Game 6 World Series.
5. Patriots loss to Giants and Cardinals loss to f'n Steelers (tie).

If I were to add one from my childhood, it would be Redskins loss to Cowboys in that Thanksgiving game (forgot what year)

[Marmel]

1) Syracuse loses to Vermont in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They were final 4 good that year and the rest of the region totally fell apart. Nothing went right that night.

2) Syracuse loses to Butler in Sweet 16. If Onuaku is not injured in the Big East Tournament there is no doubt in my mind that Syracuse wins the title. I knew they couldn't do it without him, but I was hoping they would at least get to the Elite 8.

HUGE GAP

3) Giants lose to Eagles this year.

HUGE GAP

4) Giants lose Superbowl to Ravens.

5) Yankees lose 2004 ALCS (though this is a very distant 5th - there just wasn't a good 5th option).

[Chief Rum]

Good stuff... (well, kinda, good thread, bad stuff)

Not listed in "pain" order:

1. 1986 ALCS Game 5, Angels vs Red Sox (Hendu Goes Deep Off Donnie Moore)

2. 1989 NFC Championship Game, Rams vs 49ers (Not even a fan of the Rams anymore, and I still hate the Niners)

3. 2006 Western Conference Semi-finals Game 6, Clippers vs Suns (You #$#%# moron, Dunleavy, you do not put an in-from-the-cold rookie 6'3" rookie Daniel Ewing on a 6'6" hot shooting Raja Bell at the key moment of the most important game in franchise history)

4. 1998 Miami-UCLA football (Edgerrin James beats Cade McNown last day of season and keeps UCLA out of first ever BCS title game)

5. 2008 Divisional Series Game 4, Angels vs Red Sox (Aybar can't get the bunt down, and the Angels' best team since 2002 inexplicable loses a fourth straight playoff series to the bleepin' Red Sox)


Honorable Mention: 2003 USC-UCLA football (Carroll runs up the score), 2009 USC-UCLA football (Carroll calls for deep pass with game over), 1995 AL West division playoff (finishes off Angels' infamous 1995 collapse)

[EagleFan]

- Joe FUCKING Carter...

- The Eagles nauseating two minute offense in the Super Bowl.

- Bill Buckner between the legs.

- The Seahawks losing against the Steelers and the refs in the Super Bowl.

- The Fog Bowl; if Buddy Ryan knew how to be a head coach that team could have given the Eagles their first Super Bowl and maybe a couple during that time frame.

[Buccaneer]

Marmel, of all of the SU's losses, I think the one that sticks out for me is the Indiana one. The Richmond, Vermont and Butler losses were marginally deserving by sucking so bad. But I think beating KU made up for everything.

[Danny]

Just off the top of my head without too much though.

Raiders Super Bowl Vs. Bucs
Raiders tuck game
Raiders Baltimore playoff game
Kings stanley cup vs. Montreal
Indy loses to Pittsburgh in AFC championship game when Harbaugh was QB.

[cartman]

Super Bowl XIII: Steelers 35, Cowboys 31
This is truly one of my first bad memories in life. Yes, the Cowboys also lost Super Bowl X to the Steelers, but I was only 3 1/2 then, so I don't really remember it too well. I do remember the Cowboys beating the Broncos in Super Bowl XII, and that is one of my first best memories. What I remember most is getting really mad and screaming at my dad when he said there was no way the Cowboys could get a seconds onside kick and win.

NBA Western Conference Semifinals, Game 4: Lakers 122, Dallas 115 (OT)
The Mavericks were the new, upstart team, while the Lakers were in their "Showtime" heyday. The Lakers had one the first two games of the best of 7 series, but the Mavs battled back to win game three. The score was tied approaching the end of regulation, but Derek Harper mistakenly thought the Mavs had the lead, and dribbled the clock out. He threw the ball up in celebration, then looked around. I thought Coach Dick Motta was going to have a coronary right then and there.

TAPPS State Championship Game for soccer, 1990
Our team was awesome, and we were going for our 3rd title in four seasons. I was hurt most of the season, but got back into form for the playoffs. We progressed through, and made it to the finals. Due to bad weather, the schedule was compressed, so the semi-finals were in the morning, and the final was late afternoon. We won the first game, and had to wait for the second game. In the championship game, we played Waco Reicher. It was a tough, defensive battle. They led 1-0 late in the game, when our fullback made an incredible goal off a direct free kick from nearly midfield. It flew on a straight line to the right uppermost corner of the goal. We went to overtime, and no one scored. So on to penalty kicks. They made their first kick, and I made the first one for our team. Both of the second guys missed, and both of the 3rd and 4th guys made theirs. On the fifth kick, they made theirs. Our guy, when he went to take his kick, the other goalie moved off of his line. Back then, this wasn't allowed. The refs didn't spot it, and the goalie made the save, and we lost.

1991 Cotton Bowl: Miami 46, Texas 3
This was my freshman year at UT. Texas hadn't been as strong as they historically had been, but this season was different. They lost an early game to eventual co-national champions Colorado, but then proceeded to run the table, beating a #4 OU team as well as the supposedly unstoppable Houston team which was #3 at the time. Texas was #3 going into the game, with a shot at a national championship. However, they came out completely flat and just got run the hell over by Miami. A sign of how things would go during the game came on the opening drive for the Canes, when they converted a 3rd and 27.

NBA Finals, Game 3: Miami 98, Dallas 96
I had followed the Mavericks since their inception. They finally were going to erase the ghosts of the past, and win Game 3 and go on to take a 3-0 series lead. They were up late in the 4th quarter, but couldn't final a way to close the game out, and then went on to lose the next 3 games.

[VPI97]

1) 1991 Virginia State Football Semi-Finals - We had won State the year before (Soph. year), and followed it up in my Junior year with the first undefeated reg. season in school history. We kept winning until the State Semi-Finals when we faced off against Rustburg High. We were up 14-12 and just needing a few first downs to run out the clock when one of our tailbacks fumbled around our own 20 yard line. Our defense held, but on fourth down they decided to forgo their non kicking policy and tried a ~30 yard FG with less than a minute to go...their first kick attempt (XP or FG) of the year. Out trots a 300+ lb kicker...who makes it. Our offense wasn't equipped for any sort of two minute drill (wishbone), so that was that.

2) 1992 Virginia State Football Region Championship - Senior year wasn't as good as So. or Jr. years (7-4 reg. season), but we had ended the regular season with a win over the #1 team in the state by shutting down "Touchdown" Tommy Edwards and a game changing 'hitch and go' reception down to the 1 by yours truly. Two weeks later in the Regional Finals, we squared off against them again, but their offense fared much better than the first meeting. We typically played a 4-4 defense (I was at ROLB), but against their standard formation, we ran what amounted to a 5-2 with a third DT positioned to the strong side and me in more of a SS/Rover type role on the weak side to take away their bread and butter slants & crossing routes. Worked well the first go around, but in the Regional Finals, they started using multiple pre-snap shifts to confuse us and more often than not, we ended up in the opposite alignment that what we should have been in. As a result, they blew us out by 20. They were better than us, but it was the final game I played in....that's always painful.

3) 2000 Sugar Bowl: FSU 46 - VT 29 for the National Championship.

4) 2005: #5 Miami 27 - #3 VT 7 -- Thanks to six turnovers by Marcus Vick. It was a cold, cold night in the stands.

5) 1998: Syracuse 28 - VT 26 -- F*cking McNabb.

[Suburban Rhythm]

No particular order...

1994 Steelers lose to Chargers AFCCG. Only consolation is Alfred Pupunu is funny to say.

1995 Steelers lose SB to Cowboys. Thanks Neil O'Donnell

1993 penguins lose to isles. David Volek in OT

2001 ECF Pens lose to devils. Johan Hedberg year

2008 SCF game 6 lose to wings. Doubly worse being in the building

[sterlingice]

Honestly, I can only think of one:

Oilers-Bills in 1993

I mean, the Rockets had 2 good titles. KU- well, those losses to Syracuse and Maryland hurt as I thought we were good enough to win each of those years and a couple of those other years like last year. But, frankly, that got all wiped away by 2008. I wasn't real keen on the Border War football game in 2007 but the Orange Bowl and win against Va Tech made up for it. And, frankly, the Royals are never in it long enough to have a heartbreaking loss.

SI

[Pumpy Tudors]

No particular order here except the worst will be last.

Broncos losing to the Jaguars in the 1996 playoffs. The Broncos were supposed to punish the Jags, but Jacksonville walked out of Denver with a victory.

Cardinals losing to the Twins in the 1987 World Series.

Devils losing to the Rangers in the 1994 Eastern Conference finals. Any Devils fan would put this near the top (bottom?) of their list.

Michael Jordan's game winner over Bryon Russell. Since John Stockton retired, I'm no longer a Jazz fan, but that was very painful.

The absolute worst for me, however, is from the minor leagues. The ECHL's New Orleans Brass was a pretty good hockey team. In their five years of existence, they never missed the playoffs. They had a passionate bunch of fans, myself included. They had a huge rivalry with the Louisiana IceGators. In the final year of the Brass, the IceGators kicked our behinds. I can't remember exactly how many games they played against each other that year, but it was right around a dozen. I was a regular at Brass home games, and I was there the final time the teams played each other. Up to that point, whether the game was in New Orleans or in Lafayette, the IceGators had won every game they'd played. One IceGator in particular - his name is Jay Murphy - was a thorn in the Brass's side. He was an agitator, but he was a good player. He knew how to score goals, and he could get his opponents off their game. The IceGators' fans travelled well, too. They brought cowbells and could damn near take over another team's arena with the noise. We Brass fans were loud enough to drown them out most of the time, though.

My wife was at the game with me, along with her mother and her aunt. The mother and aunt were visiting from out of town, and we wanted them to join us at the hockey game. I was so excited, as I was hoping the Brass would finally beat the IceGators that year. The Brass fell behind with maybe 3 or 4 minutes to go, and I started sulking. Here we go again. My absolute least favorite Brass player, A.J. Begg, took the ice on a line change. He was a pretty bad defenseman, but he was a favorite of the coach for some reason. I cringed whenever Begg was on the ice. Somehow, some way, A.J. Begg scored the tying goal. The New Orleans Arena erupted. It looked like we were heading to overtime. At least we had a shot at getting 1 point from the IceGators. Then it happened.

With about a minute to go, there was a scramble in front of the New Orleans net. One of the IceGators took a shot that Brass goalie Ron Vogel couldn't corral. The rebound popped all the way out to the faceoff circle to Vogel's left. I could already tell what was coming. With the puck still several feet from the net and nobody near it, I screamed "NOOOOOOO!" and dropped my head into my hands. I didn't even lift my head. Five seconds later - a full five seconds later - I heard the worst sound I could imagine that night. The cowbells. Jay Murphy scored. The Brass lost to the IceGators. Again. I took my Brass jersey off and threw it onto the floor in disgust. That was the closest the Brass had come to beating the IceGators all season. Even overtime would've been nice, but no. Jay Murphy.

The Brass folded after the season, so they never got to play the IceGators again. It's been nine years since that night, but I still hear the damn cowbells. My mother-in-law thinks I'm insane.

Those damn cowbells.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

The absolute worst for me, however, is from the minor leagues. The ECHL's New Orleans Brass was a pretty good hockey team. In their five years of existence, they never missed the playoffs. They had a passionate bunch of fans, myself included. They had a huge rivalry with the Louisiana IceGators. In the final year of the Brass, the IceGators kicked our behinds. I can't remember exactly how many games they played against each other that year, but it was right around a dozen. I was a regular at Brass home games, and I was there the final time the teams played each other. Up to that point, whether the game was in New Orleans or in Lafayette, the IceGators had won every game they'd played. One IceGator in particular - his name is Jay Murphy - was a thorn in the Brass's side. He was an agitator, but he was a good player. He knew how to score goals, and he could get his opponents off their game. The IceGators' fans travelled well, too. They brought cowbells and could damn near take over another team's arena with the noise. We Brass fans were loud enough to drown them out most of the time, though.

My wife was at the game with me, along with her mother and her aunt. The mother and aunt were visiting from out of town, and we wanted them to join us at the hockey game. I was so excited, as I was hoping the Brass would finally beat the IceGators that year. The Brass fell behind with maybe 3 or 4 minutes to go, and I started sulking. Here we go again. My absolute least favorite Brass player, A.J. Begg, took the ice on a line change. He was a pretty bad defenseman, but he was a favorite of the coach for some reason. I cringed whenever Begg was on the ice. Somehow, some way, A.J. Begg scored the tying goal. The New Orleans Arena erupted. It looked like we were heading to overtime. At least we had a shot at getting 1 point from the IceGators. Then it happened.

With about a minute to go, there was a scramble in front of the New Orleans net. One of the IceGators took a shot that Brass goalie Ron Vogel couldn't corral. The rebound popped all the way out to the faceoff circle to Vogel's left. I could already tell what was coming. With the puck still several feet from the net and nobody near it, I screamed "NOOOOOOO!" and dropped my head into my hands. I didn't even lift my head. Five seconds later - a full five seconds later - I heard the worst sound I could imagine that night. The cowbells. Jay Murphy scored. The Brass lost to the IceGators. Again. I took my Brass jersey off and threw it onto the floor in disgust. That was the closest the Brass had come to beating the IceGators all season. Even overtime would've been nice, but no. Jay Murphy.

The Brass folded after the season, so they never got to play the IceGators again. It's been nine years since that night, but I still hear the damn cowbells. My mother-in-law thinks I'm insane.

Those damn cowbells.

[hoopsguy]

1. Bartman game - not just Bartman, although having something like that on top of a hideous error and Pryor blowing up make it add up quickly.

2. Illini losing in '89 Final Four to Michigan - beat them twice by double digits in regular season, and I road-tripped to Seattle to watch this one in person. I didn't stick around to watch the championship game ... the bitterness was too great.

3. Garvey game - '84 Cubs blowing a 2-0 series lead in best of 5 to get to World Series. Durham error in this one as well

4. '05 Illini lose championship game to UNC - not nearly as traumatic as first three due to quality of foe, flow of game. But still hard to swallow, as I was up to 33 years old without a title for my two favorite sports teams.

5. "Migraine Game" - Bulls get whupped in Game 7 against Pistons in '90, year before they started winning titles.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

No particular order here except the worst will be last.

Broncos losing to the Jaguars in the 1996 playoffs. The Broncos were supposed to punish the Jags, but Jacksonville walked out of Denver with a victory.

Cardinals losing to the Twins in the 1987 World Series.

Devils losing to the Rangers in the 1994 Eastern Conference finals. Any Devils fan would put this near the top (bottom?) of their list.

Michael Jordan's game winner over Bryon Russell. Since John Stockton retired, I'm no longer a Jazz fan, but that was very painful.

The absolute worst for me, however, is from the minor leagues. The ECHL's New Orleans Brass was a pretty good hockey team. In their five years of existence, they never missed the playoffs. They had a passionate bunch of fans, myself included. They had a huge rivalry with the Louisiana IceGators. In the final year of the Brass, the IceGators kicked our behinds. I can't remember exactly how many games they played against each other that year, but it was right around a dozen. I was a regular at Brass home games, and I was there the final time the teams played each other. Up to that point, whether the game was in New Orleans or in Lafayette, the IceGators had won every game they'd played. One IceGator in particular - his name is Jay Murphy - was a thorn in the Brass's side. He was an agitator, but he was a good player. He knew how to score goals, and he could get his opponents off their game. The IceGators' fans travelled well, too. They brought cowbells and could damn near take over another team's arena with the noise. We Brass fans were loud enough to drown them out most of the time, though.

My wife was at the game with me, along with her mother and her aunt. The mother and aunt were visiting from out of town, and we wanted them to join us at the hockey game. I was so excited, as I was hoping the Brass would finally beat the IceGators that year. The Brass fell behind with maybe 3 or 4 minutes to go, and I started sulking. Here we go again. My absolute least favorite Brass player, A.J. Begg, took the ice on a line change. He was a pretty bad defenseman, but he was a favorite of the coach for some reason. I cringed whenever Begg was on the ice. Somehow, some way, A.J. Begg scored the tying goal. The New Orleans Arena erupted. It looked like we were heading to overtime. At least we had a shot at getting 1 point from the IceGators. Then it happened.

With about a minute to go, there was a scramble in front of the New Orleans net. One of the IceGators took a shot that Brass goalie Ron Vogel couldn't corral. The rebound popped all the way out to the faceoff circle to Vogel's left. I could already tell what was coming. With the puck still several feet from the net and nobody near it, I screamed "NOOOOOOO!" and dropped my head into my hands. I didn't even lift my head. Five seconds later - a full five seconds later - I heard the worst sound I could imagine that night. The cowbells. Jay Murphy scored. The Brass lost to the IceGators. Again. I took my Brass jersey off and threw it onto the floor in disgust. That was the closest the Brass had come to beating the IceGators all season. Even overtime would've been nice, but no. Jay Murphy.

The Brass folded after the season, so they never got to play the IceGators again. It's been nine years since that night, but I still hear the damn cowbells. My mother-in-law thinks I'm insane.

Those damn cowbells.

My last name is Vogel...I hope I'm related.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

My last name is Vogel...I hope I'm related.

You may remind me of him, particularly if you play goalie in the minors, are so small that you can fit into the net without crouching, have a bad habit of chasing the puck if it's within 30 feet of you, and have my wife openly threaten to connect you to the goalpost with a bungee cord if you don't learn how to stay put.

Yeah, you'd be pretty much just like Ron Vogel, or at least you'd be a close relative.

[Wolfpack]

No particular order:
*1989--State has top-seeded Georgetown on the brink, Chris Corchiani drives the lane and seems to have drawn the fifth foul on Alonzo Mourning, but no, Rick Hartzell comes charging in from half-court to call a mysterious travel call on Corchiani. State loses momentum and eventually the game. There was a general feeling that if State could have won, they might have had a shot at the national title that year. The Wolfpack basketball program has never come close to this level in the 22 years since (the one Sweet 16 several years ago barely counts since that State team was a #10 that had to upset UConn to get there and was never a serious national title contender).
*2002--Canes fans and Sabres fans may have very little in common most of the time, but at least in my case, I can share a pathological dislike of Brett Hull with them. I still can see that damn smirk on his face when he tipped in a shot with a minute to go to force OT in Game 3 of the SCF that year (the one that went triple OT before Detroit won--I still remain convinced that Game 3 settled who won the Cup and that if Carolina won, they would have pulled the shocking upset in the series).
*1997 and 1998 in football against UNC in Charlotte. Both years, State was the better team and especially 1998 when Carolina was basically using a converted running back as quarterback. State still lost both games, pretty much marking the end of Mike O'Cain as coach at State.
*2003--John Kasay kicks it out of bounds. 'Nuff said.
*2004--State chokes away a win against Vanderbilt in the NCAA tournament (had a good scream on my porch after that one)
*1997--A vastly undermanned State squad seems to have UNC on the ropes at the Dean Dome, but totally disintegrates in the closing minutes to hand the game to Carolina (hell's bells, there are so many choke jobs to choose from, actually--UConn in the NCAAs the year before State beat them in the second round, the Maryland game in the ACC tournament a few years back where State slaughtered them for a half and then Gilchrist ruins us in the second half, JJ-f'ing-Reddick in the ACC championship one year...it's no wonder why I generally have a nonchalance about State playing basketball anymore...it keeps me sane to some extent)
*2010--State has a chance at the Atlantic Division title and then lays a total stinkbomb against Maryland in the last game of the season, giving the division title to FSU
*2003--State (basically Philip Rivers by himself) fought Ohio State to a standstill on the road in Columbus before OSU prevails in triple-OT; painful because I saw that one in person and can still see Rivers mysteriously trying to go for the touchdown twice on sneaks from just too far away and then watching TA McLendon get stopped a half-yard short of the goal line on fourth down. I had end zone seats right above where State was playing toward in the third OT and I saw and knew McLendon didn't make it well before the refs made it official on review.
*2002--State uses a 9-0 start to the season to gin up some serious ACC championship and possible dark-horse national title discussions before it all comes crashing to a halt against Georgia Tech at home. State skids into the postseason before blowing out Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

5. "Migraine Game" - Bulls get whupped in Game 7 against Pistons in '90, year before they started winning titles.

I listed this as 5 but it probably could be higher. It was so long ago that the emotions have worn off since they did end up winning 6 titles afterward.

But that was our chance to knock off the Pistons who were just so hated. And I think we'd have beaten Portland in the Finals as well.

[CleBrownsfan]

Top 5? Hell, I could go a lot more being a Cleveland sports fan:

Here are my top 5 in order:

1) Indians vs. Marlins 1997 World Series game 7
2) Indians vs Red Sox 2007 ALCS up 3-1 and losing the series
3) The Drive 1987
4) The Fumble 1988
5) The Shot 1989 "The famous Jordan basket over Ehlo"

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

You may remind me of him, particularly if you play goalie in the minors, are so small that you can fit into the net without crouching, have a bad habit of chasing the puck if it's within 30 feet of you, and have my wife openly threaten to connect you to the goalpost with a bungee cord if you don't learn how to stay put.

Yeah, you'd be pretty much just like Ron Vogel, or at least you'd be a close relative.

Not sure how to break the news to you...

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

Not sure how to break the news to you...

AUGH!

[PackerFanatic]

Originally Posted by Mustang

5. 95 NFC Title Game : Dallas v GB
4. 98 Wild Card : GB v SF
3. 03 Divisional Playoffs : Philly v GB (4th and F'n 26...)
2. 07 NFC Title Game - Giants v GB (So close)
1. 97 Super Bowl XXXII - Denver v GB

They lose to the Bears this last weekend it would have vaulted to #1

Funny, Mustang - mine are pretty much exactly the same

Although I would add to #1 - F'n John Elway

[Castlerock]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

2007 Pats / Giants Super Bowl.
2006 Pats / Colts AFC Championship game. Just catch the 3rd-and-4 pass!
1986 Red Sox / Mets Game 6, the Buckner game. Less painful now that I care much less about MLB.

Not sure I can come up with two more.

I have 1 to add to this list:

1999 NCAA Hockey National Championship
New Hampshire was the #1 ranked team pretty much wire-to-wire. Hit the post in overtime before losing to 'that-team-which-must-not-be-named'.

[Sun Tzu]

Ugh...this thread makes me sad...here are mine in no particular order.


Orioles vs Yankees - 1996 ALCS - Jeffery Maier reaches out and every ump in Yankee Stadium checks his back pocket to make sure George's money is still there...yep...home run!

49ers vs. Cowboys - 1992 NFC Championship - UGH

49ers vs. Cowboys - 1993 NFC Championship - DOUBLE UGH

49ers vs. Packers - 1997 NFC Championship - More blown calls in a single game than I've ever seen, even to this day. The most obvious coming on an incomplete pass ruled a fumble early in the second quarter.

Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior - Wrestlemania VI - I grew up a true blue Hulkamaniac. When he lost this match, I balled my eight year old eyes out.

[GoldenEagle]

Only one for me, Memphis vs Kansas in 2008 basketball championship game.

[Landshark44]

dolphins lose 41-38 to the chargers, playoffs 1981

dolphins lose 62-7 to jaguars, playoffs, dans last game

dolphins lose to raiders in 1977 on ken stabler pass to someone

dolphins lose to jets on MNF, after being up by @70 in the fourth

dolphins lose to skins in SB, when Riggins busts one on 4th and 1....

[Rizon]

Originally Posted by Landshark44

dolphins lose 62-7 to jaguars, playoffs, dans last game

This was the first and only Dolphin's game I watched outside of someone's house. I dressed all up in Dolphin's gear, a true turquoise nightmare, and watched the game at my dad's work. I was so upset I left sometime in the 2nd quarter. Driving home I felt like I was in a fish bowl, I was so embarrassed wearing Phin gear. I went home, and didn't turn on the game for awhile, but eventually did and hoped for some type of miracle.

I threw most of my Dolphin's gear in the trash that day.

Several horrible, horrible things came from that game. It was Dan's last game ever, and he was horrible, and that was sad to see. Dave Wandscrap ended up coaching the team into the ground over the next few seasons. And just because Jay Fiedler threw 2 or 3 good passes in relief for the Jaguars that game against a totally defeated defense, he was anointed successor to Marino ... and he ended up being one of the worst QBs in Dolphin's history (truly, truly TRULY hated him and his HORRIBLE HORRIBLE accuracy).

Damn, that still makes me mad.

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by Landshark44

dolphins lose to skins in SB, when Riggins busts one on 4th and 1....

OMG - forgot about that one. Just make a tackle and win the SB....nope.

[Comey]

5) Bucs 27, Eagles 10 - 2003 NFC Championship Game

4) PIAA AA Boys Basketball Eastern Finals, 1997. My HS, Trinity out of Camp Hill, PA, is ranked #1 in the state in AA. We blew through everyone in the regular season and districts; our only loss is to a Harrisburg team that would win the state title the following season. We faced a team from Wilkes-Barre, and proceeded to have the worst shooting game we had as a team. I call this the Hand of God game, because with one second left, our center put up a shot that went in...only to somehow pop back out as it was going through the net. I knew, then and there, that I had baseball practice the next day.

It took two more overtime periods to send that message home, though. Our best chance at a state title, with a team that had ten seniors and two junior three-year starters, just went up in smoke.

3) Panthers 14, Eagles 3, 2004 NFC Championship Game. I was there; everything leading up to gametime was the best I'd ever experienced up to that point. I was admitted to a VIP area, where there was the AFC title game on TV, and a cheesesteak buffet. I met Hall of Fame wideout Tommy McDonald in the pro shop. He signed my ticket, informed me of how great it was that I could make it to the game...and, of course, go Eagles. It was awesome.

Then kickoff happened. All downhill from there.

The one cool thing that happened at this game is that a picture of me, or footage, I don't know, was taken by NFL Films. It was sold to Sega, who used it as a fan cut scene in NFL2k5. That was really cool (though really, really eerie to be staring at myself at 1am through a preview screenshot of the game).

3) My final American Legion game. We were in the semifinals of the league tournament, in the final elimination game before the finals. I was brought on in relief in the bottom of the seventh, tie game, runners 1st and 2nd, one out. I'm facing their #3 and #4 hitters; the first pitch I make to the first batter comes back at me, hits me on the hip, and flips up. I fail to catch it; bases loaded, and the league MVP, who hit somewhere around .600, is now up. I worked the count full, and then threw a 3-2 curveball that obviously caught him off-guard. Struck him out. Two down.

Our coach pulled me to bring in a lefty to face a lefty (I was not good against lefties). First pitch hits the batter. Game over. Season over. Legion over. An era of baseball I'll never get back....over.

I never cried after a loss. I cried after that one.

2) Losing to St. Joe's of Hanover, my senior year. In the greatest wins thread, I talked about one of my greatest wins in a postseason CYO tournament. I helped start a parish team my senior season, due to baseball keeping me from playing HS basketball. After an injury to my knee midseason cost us a chance at a league title (I was our leading scorer and rebounder, putting up a 20-20 a game), we decided we'd get our revenge by winning the tournament. We knocked off division champ and my chief rival St. Catherine, the team who injured me and, without that, we would have crushed in the regular season, in the second round. In the final, we got the overall league champ, St. Joe of Hanover. We lost to them the week after my injury, by 3 points. I was supposed to sit out; I played the whole game, scoring 19 points...but my knee ran out of gas down the stretch, and we lost late.

We were up by eleven going into the fourth quarter, and we were looking great. We ended up not scoring in the fourth quarter. Lid on the basket, nerves, I don't know. I had a costly turnover in the final minute that killed us. We ended up losing by eight.

I would get my revenge on them as coach...but that one hurt. On a personal note, it hurt moreso that, had we won that game, I'd have been named MVP of the tournament. That would have been cool, but whatever.

1) Joe Carter. Cried for a week.

[stevew]

Comey-

The GJR teams that won in 96/98 were pretty much an abomination in interschool athletics. Somehow it seemed that any troubled hood kid in my half of the state wound up at that school. You were dealing with some kids from like Jersey and Philly and shit too. Whatever right they had to a AA title was bullshit because they didn't live in the community and for the most part weren't good people. They should have been forced to play AAAA ball.

Anyways, sucks to hear your story, but at least you didn't lose to GJR(go steal a car).

Did you get to play against Kobe(lower Merion?)

[TroyF]

#1 is Pumpy's #1. Jags beat the Broncos. It was crushing because at the time I didn't know if I'd ever see Elway win the Super Bowl. I avoided Spots Center for weeks and watched about 5 minutes of the rest of the playoffs. I've never had one of "my" teams lose and felt so bad.

#2 - Twins/A's - Eric Fox comes up in the dome and blasts a 3 run homer to win the game. It was a regular season game (I want to say '92) The A's went on a tear after it and the Twins went into the tank losing the division.

#3 - Lakers/Nuggets - This is a game I was at. Regular season game in the Shaq/Kobe years. Nuggets are leading the game by 2 with about 20 seconds left and the shot clock running down. Nuggets fire up a shot and the ball hits the rim, the Nuggets get the rebound. . . BUT the ref says the ball never hit the rim and the shot clock expired. Another ref gets the call right, but says because of the blown call it's now a jump ball. The toss on the jump ball is one of the worst tosses in history and goes about a foot to Shaq's side. He wins it, kicks to Kobe, 3 pointer, ball game. The ref who made the call is suspended for a couple of games for screwing up the call. A lot of help that did for the W/L record.

4) Oklahoma State losing to UCLA in the final four. (I thnk '95)

5) Oklahoma State losing to OU at home this year with the Big 12 south title on the line.

[Mac Howard]

Not a game I watched but one I played in. The first game (soccer) I played for my new school at age 12. We scored the first goal early and were cock-a-hoop. I can recall one of the opposition's fan calling out when we went one up "They're showing you how to play, Chadderton". That obviously did much for motivation as they went on to score 13 unanswered goals in response and we lost 13 - 1

[Comey]

Originally Posted by stevew

Comey-

The GJR teams that won in 96/98 were pretty much an abomination in interschool athletics. Somehow it seemed that any troubled hood kid in my half of the state wound up at that school. You were dealing with some kids from like Jersey and Philly and shit too. Whatever right they had to a AA title was bullshit because they didn't live in the community and for the most part weren't good people. They should have been forced to play AAAA ball.

Anyways, sucks to hear your story, but at least you didn't lose to GJR(go steal a car).

Did you get to play against Kobe(lower Merion?)

I was at a camp he was at once...but no, we didn't face Lower Merion; Cedar Cliff got to play them.

As far as George Jr. Republic goes...they barely beat our top rival, Reading Central, in 96 and 98. They didn't get there in 1997 (they lost to Aliquippa, who won the title).

Trinity's first PIAA boys championship, interestingly enough, came against Aliquippa in 2001. The leading player on the Quips that year was Darielle Revis. Coach Kostelac called Revis the most athletic player he's ever seen on the court. I'm thinking that's still the case, despite all the great players Trinity has played against (this was the beginning of a reign of dominance for Trinity, save for Gerry MacNamara and his 55 points in 2002).

[BBT]

1) 1991 NFL Divisional Round: Denver 26, Houston 24. The year before the Buffalo collapse. Houston led 21-6, but Elway drove the team at the end for the winning field goal. Big play, 4th and long, Elway scrambles, Jerry Gray chooses wrong and starts towards Elway before he crosses the line of scrimmage. Elway then lobs the ball to the receiver who goes about 40 yards to put them in field goal range. Just speechless after that one.

2) 1986 NLCS Game 6: NY Mets 7, Houston 6 in 16 innings. Epic game, epic ending (Kevin Bass strikeouts with the bases loaded with Mike Scott waiting to pitch Game 7). Heartbreaking series overall. Great postseason that year.

3) 2004 NLCS Game 7: St. Louis 5, Houston 2. Freaking Jim Edmonds. Astros started strong and could have blown it open, but Edmonds makes an incredible catch to kill a rally and keep it at 1-0. Cards get to Clemens in the 6th and Astros couldn't mount the rally to bring them back.

4) 1992 Wild Card Round: Buffalo 41, Houston 38 (Overtime). Yes, 35-3 soon after halftime and then the total collapse (helped by the refs missing Don Beebe running out of bounds and then coming back in to catch a TD). Oilers almost salvaged it by kicking a Field Goal at the end of regulation and then won the toss. Warren Moon then proceeded to throw a pick and the Bills kicked a field goal to win. Memorable for me telling my mom at halftime, "Mom, this is the NFL, no one loses when up 28-3 at halftime." The next year's blown lead against Joe Montana and the Chiefs at home, which I was at, ended up being predictable and didn't make this list.

5) 1983 NCAA Final: NC State 54, Houston 52. Phi Slamma Jamma goes down in by not playing the style that got them there. Guy Lewis tries to slow it down in the second half with a big lead and they lose causing Jim Valvano to run around the court on TV for the next 28 years and counting.

(Hon Mention) 2005 NLCS Game 5: St. Louis 5, Houston 4. The Pujols moon shot off Brad Lidge. 2 strikes, 2 outs, 9th inning, Houston fans about to explode with the first World Series in reach. Eckstein singles, Edmonds walks, Pujols blasts one over the tracks in left. Collective stomach punch to the crowd who one second are screaming as loud as they can to just no sound at all except the Cardinals celebrating. Astros go onto win the next game and get swept in the Series. Basically, the chink in the armor game where something that seems so inevitable suddenly comes into question and foretold the eventual let down in the World Series.

[sterlingice]

Man, the Denver game. That was the prelude to the Buffalo game.

And the next season was just the filling in the crap sandwich. That was the oddest season ever. The Oilers started 1-4 but reeled off 11 straight wins. There was the Jeff Alm suicide, the Buddy Ryan sucker punch, and all sorts of other craziness above and beyond any NFL season I could ever remember for anyone one team. And then Joe Montana and the Chiefs came into the Astrodome and just, well, pretty much signed the Oilers ticket out of town

SI

[Young Drachma]

1. 1994 Eastern Conference Finals (Devils v. Rangers): Probably my first moment as a sports fan where I recall being genuinely pissed off at my team for blowing it. At least we won it the following year. For me, this was the one I remember without thinking about it.

2. 2001 Stanley Cup Finals (Devils. v Avalanche): I guess Colorado got their revenge for New Jersey taking their team by using our Conn Smythe winner against us. Waiting for the day the future Nordiques get to beat the Avs, I guess...

3. 1991 American League Championship Series: (Toronto Blue Jays v. Minnesota Twins) We weren't quite ready for prime time that year, but it was the beginning of many good things and the beginning of the end in the same sense, I guess.

4. 1998 AFC Championship Game: (New York Jets v. Denver Broncos) I was sure that Parcells was going to take us to the promised land, so I was sad when he never got the chance to.

5. 2003 NBA Finals: (New Jersey Nets v. San Antonio Spurs) I never consider(ed) myself a Nets fan. But the amazing transition from that team that was an afterthought to Jason Kidd jerseys from thousands of miles away -- no matter where I lived, I'd see people wearing Nets stuff and not Dr. J gear either -- tripped me out. It was fun that year with the Devils beating the Ducks that year and I thought the Nets managing to catch a break by not having to face the Lakers but instead the Spurs meant we had a legitimate shot at the title.

But they just broke down during the stretch and Game 6 was an embarrassment. Things haven't been the same since, but I look forward to when the franchise retires Jason Kidd's number, because that guy seriously changed that entire team's fate and made them fun to watch for a while.