Until this decade Boston fans were renowned for their suffering. What's more, they let you know about it. It certainly must have been difficult to watch Roger Clemens strike out 20 Seattle Mariners. It couldn't have been easy watching Larry Bird win three NBA titles. I can imagine the heartbreak of watching Doug Flutie throw a hail mary on his way to winning the Heisman. The agony of watching the Patriots go to two Super Bowls was a profile in courage. OK ok, the Pats sucked horribly most of the time before the Tuck Game.
Here's my point, if you want to talk about a sports town that has suffered quietly while enduring it's fair share of heartbreakers then you need to head over to Seattle. The Sonics won an NBA title when I was in diapers and the Huskies won an NCAA title 16 years ago. Half a title at that. Two championships. That's it. Other than that, we've been able to witness many 90 loss Mariners seasons. Seahawks fans once regarded Rick Mirer as the franchise savior. We even managed to find humor in the substance abuse problems of Shawn Kemp and Vin Baker. To top it off, at one time or another the Mariners, Seahawks and Sonics all threatened to leave town. Somehow in between all this mediocrity, our favorite teams have managed to occasionally raise our hopes. Of course this is Seattle so they screw it up often in heartbreaking fashion. I give to you an unlucky 13 Seattle sports dissappointments. Get ready for a horrifying trip down memory lane.
2006 Sweet 16
Washington vs. UConn
Where do you begin with this one? There was dubious refereeing that led to Brandon Roy sitting for most of the second half and most of the starting lineup fouling out. There was Mike Jensen making a stupid foul late in regulation. There was a last second shot by Rashad Anderson to send the game to overtime. There was Joel smith making a bad pass to seal the game. One of the most frustrating parts was that Washington would have played an unimpressive George Mason team for a shot at the Final Four.
1992 Apple cup
Washington vs. Washington St.
The Huskies had their 20+ game winning streak snapped a couple of weeks earlier against Arizona but still came into this game ranked in the top 5. Beating the Cougars would have given the Dawgs their third straight 10 win season heading into a Rose Bowl rematch with Michigan. The enduring image of this game is Drew Bledsoe hitting a diving Phillip Bobo who slid into a snow pack at the back of the endzone. This game hurt not only becuase it completely removed any remaining mystique the Huskies had, but also becuase it came at the hands of a rival. The coming months saw the Huskies lose in the Rose Bowl followed by the Billy Joe Hobert scandal and finally Don James stepping down before the 1993 season.
1999 NCAA First Round
Washington vs. Miami(OH)
In retrospect I'm glad I decided to go to class for the first half. Bob Bender and the Huskies returned to the NCAA tournament where they had lost in the Sweet 16 a year earlier (more on that later). Wally Szczerbiak, and yes I had to look up how to spell that name, went apeshit as Bender steadfastly refused to play any kind of box and one zone. Szczerbiak scored 43 of his team's 59 points. That's right 73%!!! Despite this, the Huskies still had one last shot to win the game. It was blocked by Szczerbiak and the Huskies went home early. This loss hurt and Bender never was able to get the Huskies back into the postseason. The program quickly spiraled into the kind of mediocrity that comes with players like Thalo Green and Michael Johnson.
1995 Western Conference Playoffs, First Round
Seattle Supersonics vs. Los Angeles Lakers
There's not a single Sonics fan that needs help hating the Lakers. Well this series helped. I don't even remember much about it other than Nick Van Exel throwing uppercuts after hitting a bunch of 3 pointers. That really pissed me off!
1994
Washington vs. Oregon
The Kenny Wheaton game. This loss actually stings more now because it was a springboard game for the Oregon program. Before this game, Oregon was a perennial doormat. They were the kind of team you didn't even give much thought to becuase the Huskies always beat them. In '94, the Huskies ended Miami's home win streak and were a top 10 team coming into the game. Late in the 4th quarter, the Ducks were up by four but the Huskies were driving. Then...
2003 NFC Wildcard
Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers
Let me set the scene. January. Lambeau Field. Overtime coin toss.
"We want the ball and we're gonna score!"
I loved the confidence Matt. I hated what actually happened.
1997 Apple Cup
Washington vs. Washington St.
Brock Huard throwing a ton of interceptions off his back foot. Ryan Leaf with his fucking cocky smirk throwing for a ton of yards and touchdowns. Cougar fans rushing the Husky Stadium field at the end of the game. Washington State clinching their first Rose Bowl trip in 67 years. Ugh.
2001 ALCS
Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees
A classic "We're the Yankees and you're not" series. The Mariners had won a record 116 games in the regular season behind great pitching and a balanced offense. It seemed like everybody on the team had a career year. After struggling to beat the Indians in the divisional series, the Mariners were set for a rematch with the Yankees. It was over before it started. New York went to Safeco and swept the first two games. The Mariners showed up in game 3 and clobbered the Yanks. In game four, Alfonso Soriano hit a walk off homerun and the M's rolled over and played dead in game 5. What was so frustrating was how the Yankees didn't even have to break a sweat to win this series.
1993 Western Conference Finals, Game 7
Seattle Supersonics vs. Phoenix Suns
When Bill Simmons can stop talking about David Ortiz and Larry Bird long enough to mention that the Supes got hosed, then you know it was bad. I don't have the numbers but let's just say that the Suns shot A LOT of free throws. David Stern demanded a Michael Jordan vs. Charles Barkely final and he got it. I'm sure he chuckled to himself when he thought about all the stupid Soincs fans who thought their team had a chance. Barkely was a whining bitch. Dan Majerle had a stupid tan and a stupider nickname. Kevin Johnson couldn't close his mouth all the way. God, I hated that Suns team.
1998 Sweet 16
Washington vs. UConn
The Huskies were playing the role of Cinderella as an 11 seed. With time running out UConn was down one.
2006 Super Bowl XL
Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
I don't need to go into detail and it's probably a good thing that the NFL doesn't allow highlights to be posted on youtube.
1990
Washington vs. UCLA
This one may not be as well remembered as some others on the list but it's my personal most bitter Seattle sports memory. The Huskies were 8-1 and ranked #2 in the country when the day started. UCLA was bad and was a heavy underdog coming into Montlake. On a windy, rainy day Mark Brunell played like Casey Paus and UCLA led late. Washington scored a late touchdown to tie it at 22. UCLA then was forced to punt with less than two minutes left giving the Huskies a chance to drive for a potential winning field goal. It was not to be as Brunell overthrew his receiver and the pass was picked off. UCLA moved the ball close enough to attempt a field goal. With seconds left on the clock, their kicker hit an absolute dying quail that won the game and killed Washington's national title hopes. To add insult to injury, the following week saw a loss by #1 Notre Dame that would have assured the top spot for Washington. This loss cost the Huskies at least a split of the 1990 title. I'd even go so far as to argue that a title in '90 would have led to the Huskies being ranked higher to start 1991. That higher ranking may have been the difference between splitting the title with Miami and winning it outright. I think my innocence died that day. To this day if you want to get my dad fired up, bring up this game.
1994 Western Conference Playoffs, First Round Game 5
Seattle Supersonics vs. Denver Nuggets
Any Sonics fan should be able to tell you where they were during this game. The Sonics drilled the Nuggets in the first two games. Before game three, John Elway was doing the player intros, the Denver crowd was fired up and they blew out the Supes. The Sonics had a chance to win game four but Shawn Kemp missed crucial free throws and assholes everywhere got tight. Game five went to overtime and we were treated to this indelible image.
I still can't believe they lost to the Nuggets. Robert Pack had the only good games of his career during this series. Robert Pack!!?! I thought this team was going to win the title with Jordan retired. What a wasted opportunity. It felt like a family member died that day.
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7 comments:
I watched that Sonics-Nuggets game with my friend Sloan Jackson. He wasn't a Nuggets fan, but he WAS a hater, and he cheered for the Nuggets just to piss me off. I've never hated anyone in my life more than I hated him at the end of that game.
To this day when I see that clip of Mutombo, first I want to vomit, then I want to search out Sloan Jackson, wherever he is, and punch him in the face.
I became a man that day, but not before crying like a woman. A lot.
Sloan Jackson sounds like the name of someone who needs to be punched anyway. Hater.
My memory from the Nuggets series- I was supposed to go on a date to a movie right after the 5th game. I was in 9th grade and I think it was the first date, so there was no calling it off. Then the game went in to overtime. Maybe I could call it off. I finally drug myself away from the TV, taking my walkman with me. I was late to the date, listened to the radio through the first part of the movie, and nearly cried in the middle of the theater. Needless to say, I didn't get invited back to her place that night.
And thus began a long procession of poor choices regarding women & sports that continues to this day.
Goddamit, I just reread that post. I think I wanted to comment on at least 10 of those different events. Most of them would have gone something like this- @#$#ing @#$@!!!
I can still get pretty pissed off at the thought of Major Appledouche throwing for 600 yards against us in the Holiday Bowl and giving up a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter.
i think i was angrier that we didn't finish that half gallon of Beam before we went into the Holiday Bowl. well, at least that's where my memory quits
wrong holiday bowl go strider.
the applewhite game was on my honorable mention list. since we didn't lose anything bigger than the game it didn't quite make the cut. that and the fact that i proceeded to get shitfaced as soon as the game finished makes it a little easier to take.
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