Biggest Sports Disappointment?

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All those scoops on the Armstrong investigation promised by thehog that didn’t pan out.

1) As mentioned: that 2001 MLB 9/11 post-season. After some of the most dramatic late-inning comebacks, that I've ever seen, from the NY Yankees against the Arizona Diamond Backs; for New York to go back to Arizona and lose the series, in the 9th inning of game 7, was just heartbreaking.

Those games in New York were so uplifting, and a World Series title that year, of ALL years, would've been through the roof.

Considering that the Yankees that postseason a) barely avoided being swept by the A’s, when that idiot Jeremy Giambi didn’t slide into home in game 3; b) beat a Seattle team that had a better regular season record than even the 1998 Yankees that everyone said “deserved” to win it all; and c) should have lost in 5 games to the Dbacks in 5 games, but for two meltdowns by Arizona’s reliever, each of which was far more improbable and crushing than Ramirez’ in game 7… the Yankees were outscored in that WS 37-14, one of the most lopsided totals in history …I think they were incredibly lucky to get as far as they did. I was very happy to see them get blown out by the Angels in the playoffs the following year.

And btw, 9/11 was not a New York tragedy or even an American tragedy, but a global tragedy. Don't see that the fortunes of the local BB team had any relevance to it at all. If I had loved ones who had died in one of the towers, winning a WS would not have uplifted my spirits one iota. I doubt that the double wins of Thor and EBH are making anyone in Norway happier right now.

2) A rarely spoken of game, for some reason, between the Yankees and Red Sox on September 2, 2001 when David Cone was actually pitching for Boston and Mike Mussina was on the mound for New York.

At the time, David Cone was the last pitcher to have thrown a perfect game. The game was in Boston and both pitchers were on fire! Cone pitched 8 1⁄3 innings giving up only one unearned run.

The score was 1-0..bottom of the 9th inning...2 outs, 2 strikes..when Mussina gave up a single to Carl Everett. Mussina then retired the next batter for a 1-0 shutout. BUT HE CAME AS CLOSE AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO PITCHING A PERFECT GAME! That one still hurts.

Armando Galarraga came even closer.
 
Jul 23, 2009
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1. Canada v USSR, 1981 Canada Cup; England v Argentina, 1986 World Cup. The ones you watch as a kid hurt the most.

2. Getting ready to watch the 2006 Tour de France and learning that Ulle and Ivan et al wouldn't be riding. The race just wasn't the same, and my sense of fair play was still unsatisfied.

3. I went about as far as my (lack of) talent could get me in the only sport I really cared about as a kid. Really wish that the towns where I grew up had a cycling and especially a speedskating culture though.

* good idea for a thread, Alpe.
** good story, 180mm.
 
May 18, 2009
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I alluded to this when I posted the Lorenzo Charles is dead thread.

By far, U of H Phi Slamma Jamma losing to NC State in the 83 finals is my worst disappointment.
 
Jul 28, 2010
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• First, as a fan, the time your team or favorite athlete lost that left you the most empty.
I gotta say, finding out on my cousin's cell phone that Andy lost the time trial this year, not knowing by how much, or if he even stayed on the podium - that was pretty bad, and the U.S. Women's Soccer Team was also pretty gutting.

BUT, the 2001 SEC Championship Game where Matt Mauck :eek: beat my BCS Championship-bound Tennessee Volunteers was by far the most devastating for me, because me and my entire family were SCREAMING at the TV the whole game, and the Rams-Titans Super Bowl ranks right up there too, no fun there either!
• Second, as a fan as well, the biggest let down, even if you weren't a fan of that particular team/athlete.

Finding out about Tiger Woods' whole scenario was pretty disappointing.
• Third, a personal story, from your own sports experience.

I was playing Little League Baseball, and my dad was coaching my All-Star team. We weren't that good, but we went to a State Tournament, and some flame-throwing kid pitcher hits me with a fastball about an inch above my ribs. I had a baseball imprinted on my chest for about a month! :D
 
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Watching Man utd winning the leaque is always hard for me as a fan of liverpool fc. :p
 
I'm not derailing any thread Martin! :)

1 - Favorite Athlete: Greg LeMond cracking at Val Loran in 1991, when it looked for certain just a few days earlier he would win the Tour going away. Of course we now know there are other reasons why he lost. But at the time it just seemed unreal, and was hugely disappointing.

1a. Ruffian's death had a very emotional impact on my as a boy. Though that is more along the lines of tragedy, of which I could mention many. Fabio Casartelli, Derrick Thomas, Salvador Sanchez, Pat Tillman.

Edit: Now that I've thought about it some more. The 1981 Oregon State University baskeball team was 30-1 in the regular season, and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament on a last second shot.

2. Not personal favorite, but seemed a letdown anyway: That 2001 Mariners team. Or the 1986 Red Sox loss to the Mets. The 1992 SF 49ers losing in the playoffs when they kept Joe Montana on the bench. The 2002 Sacramento Kings being screwed by the referees in the playoffs. The 2007 Patriots may have beaten the Giants 9 out of 10 games, but that Superbowl they didn't, and I'm sure for many it was a huge letdown. I wasn't huge fans of these teams, but these were huge disappointments in sports. Surprised no one mentioned Zidane in the WC.

3. Personal disappointment: Training for a local race near my home, knowing the course, everything. Then on race day going at the wrong time, and finishing something like 7th (out of maybe 30), in a measly cat 4 race. I eventually moved up to cat 3, and never raced that course again, and never got another point actually.

3a. Kind of sporting - A friend of mine and I traversed Mt. Rainier. We were the only ones on our side of the mountain going up, and saw few people going down. We got near the top and were lost in a maze of crevasses and a cloud cap. After several scary moments, we made our way through and around, and safely down. Yet after all this, we didn't touch the summit, coming about 50' from it. I can still close my eyes and see the actual summit poking through the clouds one time, and being tantalizingly close. Crazy.
 
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Michielveedeebee said:
how about chelsea ?

Seeing Chelsea win were easier because their winning managers were Mourinho and carletto, two managers i admire.
 
Aug 3, 2009
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1. US losing to Canada in hockey at the Olympics. ('02, '12) It sucks.

2. Not really a fan of the Giants or Bonds, but the 2002 Giants blowing that series bugged me. Probably just really still ticked at the Angels for beating the Twins.

3. Surprised it hasn't been mentioned, but watching my son's team lose close or controversial contests hurts way more now that any pro/collegiate teams losing now.
 
Jul 25, 2010
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1) Seeing Felipe Massa cross the line and thinking he was world champion only to see Lewis Hamilton take 4th in the last corner... heart wrenching moment, his best (last?) chance to win the F1 championship and he lost it on the last corner, of the last race of the season. Really felt for the guy.

2) David Millar getting caught for doping. The first real sportsman who's career I followed and cheered for. The one who got me interested in cycling in the first place. Really bigged him up and he goes and gets busted. Nearly killed the sport for me.

3) Not concentrating more on sports when I was growing up. I played cricket but never really did anything about it.
 
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Biggest sporting dissapointment

The Hillsborough disaster, followed closely by Heysel. Nothing that ever happens in the sporting world as long as I live will ever come close to the sadness of those two days.

Your team losing a football match, your favourite rider not winning a race, a someone you support not making it to a final, none of it ever seems important after those two events.

I can still remember both events like they were yesterday, and if i close my eyes i can still see all the images in my head.

They put winning and losing in perspective.
 
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zamasailo said:
Watching Man utd winning the leaque is always hard for me as a fan of liverpool fc. :p

Michielveedeebee said:
how about chelsea ?

As the saying goes, theres only one thing better than Liverpool winning, and thats Manchester Utd losing. ;)
 
Those are obviously huge tragedies. I remember when they happened, as it even made the news on this side of the pond. Just looking back for a moment now, clicking on some sites, it's very difficult to revisit.


You are right, just as in my eyes Pat Tillman's senseless death dwarfs any sporting disappointment, these tragedies puts winning and losing in a different perspective.
 
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Alpe d'Huez said:
Those are obviously huge tragedies. I remember when they happened, as it even made the news on this side of the pond. Just looking back for a moment now, clicking on some sites, it's very difficult to revisit.


You are right, just as in my eyes Pat Tillman's senseless death dwarfs any sporting disappointment, these tragedies puts winning and losing in a different perspective.

I think for any liverpool fan, Hillsborough is something that will always be there. Like many fans, I still had family in the city and friends, and I think most liverpool supporters knew someone, who if not killed, was affected directly by the tragedy.

Heysel, was different, but on a sporting level, we were banned from europe which effected our ability to attract players etc, and just as we were recovering, we had the disaster in the fa cup semi final. On the other side, one of the most emotional days was in 2001 when we beat Barcelona to reach the final of the Eufa cup. I was with a lot of liverpool fans that night, and many of us, myself included just collapsed to the floor and cried. It was the first time we had made it to a European final since the Heysel disaster, and it was like there was just this massive outpouring of relief, from a sporting perspective we were back.

But yes, no defeat, no loss, will ever compare with that night in Brussels and that afternoon in Sheffield.
 
Oct 1, 2010
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180mmCrank said:
3. For me there are a bunch... but one of the biggest was a year when I rode the Etape Du Tour ... it was 2006 (I think?) - anyway it finished up Alpe DHuez - except it was riduculously hot and I had to stop from heat exaustion. I was throwing up in a ditch / feinted and all but ended up in an ambulance. I was not happy. Anyway I flew back 10 days later and rode the whole damn thing on my own (the avitar I use is me on the Alpe closing out the last few km) :)

I did that Etape. Someone told me afterwards that it was 41 degrees on the Alpe. My most vivd memory from the climb to Alpe d'Huez was that every piece of shade on the climb was occupied by standing, sitting or lying cyclists. A lot of DNFs that day.
 
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TeamSkyFans said:
I think for any liverpool fan, Hillsborough is something that will always be there. Like many fans, I still had family in the city and friends, and I think most liverpool supporters knew someone, who if not killed, was affected directly by the tragedy.

Heysel, was different, but on a sporting level, we were banned from europe which effected our ability to attract players etc, and just as we were recovering, we had the disaster in the fa cup semi final. On the other side, one of the most emotional days was in 2001 when we beat Barcelona to reach the final of the Eufa cup. I was with a lot of liverpool fans that night, and many of us, myself included just collapsed to the floor and cried. It was the first time we had made it to a European final since the Heysel disaster, and it was like there was just this massive outpouring of relief, from a sporting perspective we were back.

But yes, no defeat, no loss, will ever compare with that night in Brussels and that afternoon in Sheffield.

This x 777777.
 
Favourite athlete
Mariusz Pudzianowski losing World Strongest man to Phil Phister on the last stone in 2006. It was the last event and they had both crushed everyone else so it was a straight shootout. They both put the first 4 up in the same time and it was down to who would put the last one on first. They put it on about the same time but Phil was just that split second faster and was able to thence roll it to the middle. When Pudzian realised he was so broken he let go off his stone and it rolled off hence didnt even count. He didnt bother to put it back on again.

They felt his 365 days of pain the next year as he owned every event.

In retrospect, Phil deserved that one, and Pudzian would go on to win an even closer Atlas stones straight shootout 2 years later against Derrick Poundstone, who has yet to recover from the emotional trauma.
 
1. Op Puerto: I was almost dizzy with anticipation of the Ullrich/Basso showdown that never was. Like many others here I was a big Ulle fan.

2. Rugby World Cup: All I ask for every time is for a France vs. South Africa sudden death match (but not the final). I just want to see a good, clean, honest game of Rugby Union played the way it should be!!! ;) (Any diehard rugby fans here will gets this)

3. Dropping my chain at U19 road nationals: I went away thinking I was good enough to compete next year and be in with a chance. I was wrong, VERY wrong...
 
Apr 20, 2009
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The Hitch said:
lol i havent actually seen that one but sounds like it was good. Then again if Dinesh was there all anyone else has to do to win is shut up.

what are you talking about? you were there:D
 
Mar 18, 2009
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Very nice thread...and I have enjoyed reading everyone's responses. Mine hits close to home. My 13 year old son giving up cycling because his favorite rider (Tom Boonen) had his second issue with drugs. We talked and talked about it...he even cried a little. He wants nothing to do with cycling any more...but I hold out hope that as he gets older he will want a ride or two with the "old man".
 
Jul 8, 2009
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• First, as a fan, the time your team or favorite athlete lost that left you the most empty.

Shane Kelly, 1996 Atlanta Olympics... 1000 m time trial... world record holder... favourite... Pulled his foot at the start.... :(

• Second, as a fan as well, the biggest let down, even if you weren't a fan of that particular team/athlete.

Anytime that Australia loses the Ashes... But 2005 :(

Close 2nd (Mentioned it in the why I hate Soccer thread) - WC 2006: game is tied at ... 0-0. Australia playing Italy. The ref let them play 95 (!!) minutes until he saw a chance to call a penalty kick for the best dive by a gay Italian man since Greg Louganis won the '84 Olympics! Italy scores, and seconds after, the ref called the game. :(

• Third, a personal story, from your own sports experience.

As an 18 y/o, progressed through the ranks as a cricketer to junior state level with no troubles, came up against last years senior State opening bowler in a pre-season match... first ball played and missed an outswinger, second ball an inswinger slapped into my thigh (no thigh pad!)... third ball nicked an outswinger to gully. Put the cocky young kid right back in his place :(
 
Jun 22, 2009
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world cup 2010 final. NED VS ESP
obvious one. Not that we played great in this tournament, it still hurt.

euro 2000 semi final. NED VS ITA
how we didn't win this game... uhhhf

PSV vs Milan CL semis 2005.
when the underdog plays so well and fails in the dying moments it hurts a lot.
 
Jun 22, 2009
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other dissapointments:
various dutch fails in cycling.
WC 98' semis NED vs BRA
Eagles V sydney afl grand final
fail to qualify in 2002 wc. we were up against portigal 2-0 in the 86th minute... they drew with us and as a result ireland took our spot. so very devestating.

I know there are more which I just cannot think of...