# Most embarassing sports play you've seen **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 2, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595 "2011-11-02T05:59:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/21 "2011-11-02T13:57:53Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I was there the day that Gus Frerotte [concussed himself](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmqG0k3hGPM) after slamming his head into the wall. He made a good play and scored a touchdown, but damn was that a boneheaded (ha!) way to celebrate. > > BTW that’s a tie with pretty much every other Redskins play since then. 😉 When Frerotte was with the Bengals he also had a pretty craptastic left handed throw that was intercepted in 2002…[http://bleacherreport.com/articles/785572-the-20-biggest-meatheads-in-nfl-history/page/2](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/785572-the-20-biggest-meatheads-in-nfl-history/page/2) ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/22 "2011-11-02T14:06:54Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > The single most embarrassing play I ever saw live (albeit on TV) was when Plaxico Burress was new to the Steelers (2001). He dove across the middle to make a catch and then, untouched, proceeded to take the ball and spike it. He actually didn’t know that unlike college the ball was live until the player was downed. The result of the play was a humiliating turnover and the reputation (confirmed by his later self-shooting) as a headcase. I remember Plaxico doing that, but as I recall the refs called him down. Can’t figure out why they would do that, but I think that they were surprised by what he did too. I could be misremembering though. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/23 "2011-11-02T14:15:48Z")
[Bill Buckner](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8sNBxf1NC8) ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/24 "2011-11-02T14:16:30Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > That the ball was so far outside the strike zone that there was no way he was going to get wood on it, so why make an out and get called for a strike? On a suicide squeeze, it’s the batter’s responsibility to make contact - no matter what. Throw the bat if you have to. I’m guessing on this play he just had a brain fart. [This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMdX_A2iLuM)Dennis Wideman shootout attempt is pretty embarrasing. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/25 "2011-11-02T14:20:21Z")
Brian Bosworth running his mouth prior to a Seahawks/Raiders game and then having Bo Jackson literally run right over him. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/26 "2011-11-02T14:22:08Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > The single most embarrassing play I ever saw live (albeit on TV) was when Plaxico Burress was new to the Steelers (2001). He dove across the middle to make a catch and then, untouched, proceeded to take the ball and spike it. He actually didn’t know that unlike college the ball was live until the player was downed. The result of the play was a humiliating turnover and the reputation (confirmed by his later self-shooting) as a headcase. > > Ironically, while there are 8 billion videos on the internet of everything under the sun, there is not a single video to be found of Plaxico’s original defining moment. Figure that one out. Are you sure it was Burress? I thought I remembered TJ Houshmandzadeh doing pretty much exactly that in his first season with the Bengals. Except I remember him getting up and spinning the ball on the ground, which was then recovered by the other team. Maybe they both did something similar or maybe I’m attributing what Burress did to Houshmandzadeh, but I can’t find any online evidence either. One that I saw first hand, albeit not at the pro level, was a teammate of mine hit an over-the-fence home run and in his trot around the bases, stumbled and fell near 2nd base, without touching it. He then proceeded to 3rd and home. The other team appealed and he was called out. On a home run. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/27 "2011-11-02T14:25:02Z")
I was at this game, so bonus points. About 10 years ago or so, Indiana played Michigan in football. Indiana was getting murdered, so they attempted a rather odd play. They setup for 3rd down, but instead of doing a standard play, they hiked it and attempted a 3rd down punt. However, the punter fumbled the ball, dove on it, and they ended up losing a ton of yards. This put them at 4th and about 25 or 30. They setup for the standard 4th down punt, then fumbled that. Michigan either recovered the fumbled and started there or ran for the touchdown. I forget which. It was pretty bad for Indiana. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/28 "2011-11-02T14:39:44Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Brian Bosworth running his mouth prior to a Seahawks/Raiders game and then having Bo Jackson literally run right over him. I saw that one on TV. Bosworth certainly looked foolish, but to be fair, Bo Jackson was like a force of nature at that point (pre-injury). ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/29 "2011-11-02T14:48:41Z")
Cumbrian, you know fine well that a Carlisle fan can’t really complain about keeper errors. You _know_ what I’m referring to! Anyhow, one of my favourites was[this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iThQ1po1JLU). As she pulled the move I thought “how funny it would be if she falls flat on her arse” And she did…hilarious. And football is full of wonderful open goals, [take your pick](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNMngzt_LRo). (warning - contains moderate AC-DC from the beginning 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/30 "2011-11-02T14:48:41Z")
I was wrong apparently, as Plaxico did lose the spiked ball [according to this site.](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/643439-doah-the-20-most-boneheaded-plans-in-sports-history/page/8) ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/31 "2011-11-02T14:58:55Z")
As a Cleveland Browns’ fan I always remember Clay Matthews’ lateral as the dumbest play I’ve ever seen. The Browns were battling the Houston Oilers in a tight, pressure packed game back in the Astrodome. Late in the 4th quarter Matthews recovered a fumble that looked to seal the win for the Browns. While being tackled though, Matthews overhanded a lateral pass to a Browns lineman 10 yards behind him. The lateral sailed over the teammate’s head and was recovered by the Oilers, putting the game’s outcome back in question. I couldn’t find any video, but here’s a couple articles about it: [Link 1](http://articles.latimes.com/1990-01-12/sports/sp-287_1_afc-championship) [Link 2](http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19891223BROWNS.html) ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/32 "2011-11-02T15:01:48Z")
The Agony of Defeat, perhaps? Mainly because we kept seeing it every week for years. Lindsey Jacobellis at the 2006 Olympic Snowboard Cross final–leading the field by a huge margin, guaranteed gold medal, so she showboats a little on the final jump, screws it up and falls, and gets passed for the gold before she can get up. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/33 "2011-11-02T15:02:49Z")
There’s the [Larry Czonka fumble](http://goo.gl/jQ8LE), recovered by Herman Edwards. Eagle fans call that the Miracle of the Meadowlands, but as a Giant fan, it was anything but a miracle. I saw that on TV. Live, I remember how embarrassed Derek Jeter was by [hit 2000](http://goo.gl/U4WtO). I was a lot closer to the field (6 rows behind third base), and the slumping Jeter knew that he would have to live with that being replayed for years to come. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/34 "2011-11-02T15:07:18Z")
Chris Webber’s timeout. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/35 "2011-11-02T15:46:10Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > On a suicide squeeze, it’s the batter’s responsibility to make contact - no matter what. Throw the bat if you have to. I’m guessing on this play he just had a brain fart. No, not making contact is one of the inherent dangers of a suicide squeeze. There are certain pitches that the batter is simply not going to have any chance of making contact with, leaving the runner hung out to dry. Getting called for a strike on these pitches is doubly bad. When I clicked the link I expected to see a belt high fast ball that the batter pulled back from thinking it was a ball, having forgotten that a squeeze was on. Though this was an unfortunate play and not something for the highlight reel, it is quite a bit far from embarrassing or bad. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/36 "2011-11-02T15:52:52Z")
Garo Ypremian trying to throw a pass after his field goal attempt was blocked in Super Bowl VII. The ball went straight up in the air and was returned for a touchdown by a Washington defender. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/37 "2011-11-02T15:54:26Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > No, not making contact is one of the inherent dangers of a suicide squeeze. There are certain pitches that the batter is simply not going to have any chance of making contact with, leaving the runner hung out to dry. Getting called for a strike on these pitches is doubly bad. > > When I clicked the link I expected to see a belt high fast ball that the batter pulled back from thinking it was a ball, having forgotten that a squeeze was on. Though this was an unfortunate play and not something for the highlight reel, it is quite a bit far from embarrassing or bad. Not making contact, as in missing the ball, is a risk. Not making contact because you decide not to try to make contact… I have never heard of that. You’re saying there are times when the batter _purposefully_ will avoid contact? When I watch the video, I see pretty much the scenario you describe. The pitch is a ball, and he pulls back having forgotten the squeeze was called. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/38 "2011-11-02T16:00:49Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Indiana was getting murdered, so they attempted a rather odd play. They setup for 3rd down, but instead of doing a standard play, they hiked it and attempted a 3rd down punt. However, the punter fumbled the ball, dove on it, and they ended up losing a ton of yards. This put them at 4th and about 25 or 30. [October 16, 2000](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=20001016&id=nAJgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ax4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3172,3769183): Randle El was the Indiana quarterback. On third-and-45 (they had snapped the ball over his head in shotgun, losing a shit-ton of yards) he quick-kicked, but into the back of one of his own linemen. Indiana recovered for a four-yard loss. On fourth-and-49 (!) the regular punter punted, but it was blocked and returned for a touchdown. Not a good sequence. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/39 "2011-11-02T16:22:07Z")
Getting thrown out trying to steal 2nd base with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning… In Game 7 of the World Series… With your team down by only one run (you represent the tying run) and your team’s _cleanup batter at bat_. And when you’re a career 50% base stealer, too (it’s not like this was Ricky Henderson). It is the only time a World Series has ended with a runner caught stealing. It’s a good thing for [the perpetrator](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1926_World_Series#Game_7) that he made up for it on other occasions. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595/40 "2011-11-02T16:23:41Z")
Bill Gramatica, an NFL place kicker for the Cardinals, makes a 1st quarter field goal and celebrates like it was the Superbowl winning kick, and proceeds to tear his ACL! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JK81Ej5hm8s/hqdefault.jpg "Bill Gramatica Celebration Fail") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK81Ej5hm8s) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarassing-sports-play-youve-seen/601595.md?page=3)