Late summer, 1986. A 10 year old boy watched his beloved Astros lose against the Mets in 14 innings at game 6 of the NL Championship. I was crushed, I wept for three days afterwards.
And that was the best team the Astros ever fielded. Bar none.
Losses don’t usually bother me. Except once.
The Great Match Race. Foolish Pleasure vs. Ruffian. I have a bet on Ruffian.
It was one of the appalling sights I’ve ever seen – the poor horse hobbling on the backstretch, her leg snapped like a twig.
Grrrrr… Pet peeve, it’s St. Louis. Only tourists and out-of-towners refer to it as St. Louie. I understand San Fransicans feel the same way about calling their city “Frisco.”
I worst I felt with the Cardinals was after the 1985 World Series. A blown call at first base in Game 6 ultimately cost us that game, forcing a Game 7. The Royals then pounced on the Cards in that game to become the World Champions. It seemed all the fight went out of the Cards when that call in Game 6 went against them.
I worst I felt with the Rams was just last year, after getting beat up by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs for most of the game, the Rams then staged a come-back only to fail at the last second with a dropped punt return, blowing their chances to win.
I’d say the lowest had to be the Yankees loss in the 95 playoffs to the Mariners.
Celtic v. Rangers, May 1999.
It was near the end of the season, and Rangers were probably - oh hell, undoubtedly - going to win the league anyway. It was said that we had nothing but pride to play for - but that’s never true in a Celtic-Rangers game. Ours is one of the fiercest rivalries in world soccer; if we played them in Tiddlywinks we’d still want to humiliate them, and they us. And most importantly, this game was at our ground. Beating them on the day wouldn’t keep them from winning the title, but it would at least keep them from winning the title at Celtic Park. We simply had to win this game.
We lost 3-0.
It was an ugly, ugly match. The referee (f’ing wanker) sent off two of our players and one of theirs, and awarded them a completely unjustified penalty. At one point he was hit by a coin to the head (thrown by a Celtic fan) and, while I don’t condone such actions, let’s just say I wouldn’t have been mourning if it had been a brick instead. It wasn’t even a football game so much as a complete and utter fiasco. I was gutted afterwards, and the memory still hurts.
At least we got them back this season, but good 
I sat in awe, open-mouthed, not answering the door or the telephone for over a half hour after that happened. 
Last game of the regular season: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Detroit Tigers, 1987.
The Blue Jays led by 3 and a half games with 7 games to go and lost six consecutive games to put the Tigers up by one. they then lost that last game 1-0 and blew the whole year.
The '87 Jays were the best team the franchise ever had until that seven game stretch; even losing them I’d say that was a better team than either World Champion. And then they choked. Colossally. And lost 1-0. I cried like a baby.
Until a few years ago, it was the California Angels blowing game 5 of the 1986 ALCS to the Red Sox (Donnie Moore pitching to Dave Henderson), and then losing games 6 and 7.
But this was before I became fanatical about my UCLA Bruins:
Two years ago, they had a great season, winning their first nine (or was it ten) games. While they weren’t blowing too many teams out, the games were high scoring and exciting. Moreover, I planned my Saturdays around UCLA games. Even to the point of scheduling my OT at work around when the Bruins were playing.
When they lost the last (makeup) game to Miami of Florida, I was crushed. (A win would have put them in the championship game.)
Didn’t want to speak to anyone. Didn’t want to do anything but sulk.
- Game 5 of NLCS between the Cardinals and my Dodgers. Where that bastard Jack Clark(who now wears Dodger blue, oh, the cruel irony) drilled a high fastball off Tom Neidenfuer for a home run, winning the game, the series, and effectively ending Tom’s career.
I’m still a little bitter about it…
Well, not before he spent a couple sorry seasons wearing the orange and black in Baltimore. Every time we were watching a game and he’d give up the traditional tape-measure 9th inning home run, we’d yell “Jack Clark!”.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Crunchy Frog *
**
Uh, okay. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m from Milwaukee, which, to those of you in Missura, makes me an out of towner. When I visit St. Louis, I’m a tourist. Can I call in St. Louie now? Hey, don’t get too upset, at least you don’t have to put up with the Lavern & Shirley jokes like we do.:rolleyes:
Reality Chuck I almost forgot about that. Real sad. I remember watching the race with my dad. He didn’t have any bets down, but I remember him moaning “Aw, that horse, that beautiful horse.”. How tragic.
How much did you lose?
49ers –
1991 NFC Championship Game. It looked like the niners were going to win it, then Roger Craig fumbled at the worst place and time. And as mentioned by Fedge, Montana broke his hand in that game too. So close, and then over in seconds.
The current state of the franchise.
A’s –
1988, game one, World Series; Kirk Gibson’s homer off Dennis Eckersley. To their credit, they came back to win the '89 series. Eckersley “got over” it though, and will be going to the HOF, first ballot.
1990, Red’s sweep the World Series.
2001, the season is turning into a major disappionment.
You really think he’s in? I really don’t know his stats but he only had a few good years. I do know he is the only pitcher to have a 20 win and 20 save season. I’ll have to check his stats but I wouldn’t think he’s an automatic. I mean if one of my favorite players, Don Mattingly didn’t get in, anything can happen.
Eckersley will not get first ballot. He may get in, but definitely not his first year.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by pkbites *
**
The point of that wasn’t to say it’s ok for tourists and out-of-towners to call it St Louie. My point was that only people who don’t know any better call it St Louie. I didn’t mean to sound mad about it, it’s just that hearing it pronounce or seeing it spelled that way grates my nerves. That idiot Dennis Miller did it all the time during Monday Night Football games last year. I wanted to strangle him. And while we’re on the subject, the state is pronounced MissourEE. 
**
If it makes you feel better, I’ve never done a Laverne & Shirley joke.
And since I’m talking with someone from Milwaukee, I’d like to add the recent series between the Cards and the Brewers as a huge disappointment. What the hell was that? How did a sweep happen? The Cards did show up to the games, didn’t they?
I don’t know about that. When they selected the 100 greatest players of all time and announced them at the All-Star game at Fenway Park in '99(?), Eckersley was one of them. I’d say he has a good chance.
NFL playoffs, 1992 (IIRC).
The Houston Oilers, whom I’d followed through years of coming agonizingly close, went into halftime 38-3 over the Buffalo Bills. I don’t know what they did during halftime, but they forgot who they were and managed to lose that game. I haven’t followed pro sports since.
My TV just happened to quit functioning right at the end of that game; I’ve given up TV as well.
And robgruver, I attended that 'Stros game - I was exhausted bt the time it ended.
Christian Laettner’s last second shot to keep the University of Kentucky out of the Final Four in 1992.
As a Buffalo fan, that Bills-Oilers game was one of my best sports moments. Sorry, beatle.
Of course, that also means I have plenty to pick from for my worst defeat moment. The absolute worst was the wide right loss to the Giants in the Superbowl. The horror, the horror. The other three Superbowl losses didn’t hurt as much. As it has been said, no one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills, except when it really counts.
Switching to hockey, the no goal Stanley Cup fiasco comes in as my personal #2.
The Ruffian match race goes far beyond the whole “agony of defeat” thing though. What a sad, sad story.
This is the same list that had Mark McGwire as the best all-time 1st baseman. That pretty much erases all creditability for the above comment. They shouldn’t have let 12 year old boys cast ballots for that.