Biggest Boston choke job?

[TheHorde]

14-0 is the same as 16-0. You have to go by percentages because number of games change over time. Otherwise one would argue that 15-1 is a better record than 14-0.

If a baseball team was 16-0 to start the season and another in the same division was 14-0, which would be in first place? And how many games behind would the 14-0 team be in the standings?

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

That 1978 collapse was so traumatic and painful that I quit following baseball.

I was there, and have a photo from my right field bleacher seat a couple innings earlier. We had a perfect view of the ball's arc and instant certainty that it was a home run.

I didn't quit following baseball until 1986, plus + Calvin Schirraldi's melt down series, and then finally a blown series during the Pedro Martinez years. I was so traumatized that I refused to watch the 2004 wins until late or extra innings, if at all. The World Series win was a foregone conclusion, but I avoided the joy & excitement of the American championship rather than risk the pain. Years later,a friend gave me a DVD about the season, and I was even anxious watching that, somehow worried there was some way that the outcome could change.

Everything I know about loss aversion I learned from being a Red Sox fan for as long as I've been a UConn MBB fan, going back to WTIC broadcasts on my first clock radio, back before the Beatles came to America.

 

[CCSUblue]

14-0 is the same as 16-0. You have to go by percentages because number of games change over time. Otherwise one would argue that 15-1 is a better record than 14-0.

This just in...14=16.

You don't have to go by percentages. Because when you do 1-0 is the same as 16-0.

In the end, the Dolphins won 17 total games. But the Patriots won 18. Again, those are different numbers.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

LOL Bruins.


LGR!

Absolutely want the Rangers to win tonight (and three more series' afterwards) but it may be a bit early to LOL another team. If we hadn't treated game three like a throwaway game we would have swept the Devils.

 

[August_West]

Absolutely want the Rangers to win tonight (and three more series' afterwards) but it may be a bit early to LOL another team. If we hadn't treated game three like a throwaway game we would have swept the Devils.

LOL Bruins.

 

[Kolumbo]

This just in...14=16.

You don't have to go by percentages. Because when you do 1-0 is the same as 16-0.

In the end, the Dolphins won 17 total games. But the Patriots won 18. Again, those are different numbers.

In terms of record, yes, you have to go by winning percentage. And undefeated is undefeated. You can't get better than that.

 

[boba]

That wasn't a choke job --Eli owned Brady.

Manning beat Belichick's defense; Coughlin's defense beat Brady.

 

[TheHorde]

Manning beat Belichick's defense; Coughlin's defense beat Brady.

Giants’ pass rush overwhelmed the Patriots’ offensive line. Imo Tuck got robbed of the MVP. If Assante Samuel could catch Eli would have been the goat.

 

[HooperScooper]

I think we can all agree that the old Red Sox forever will be the gold standard when it comes to flops that demoralize the entire region. In this spirit, the Red Sox’ 1986 World Series fold forever will be the capo di tutti capi of Boston sports collapses. After 68 years of near-misses (hello Bucky Dent and Denny Galehouse), the Sox were one strike away from winning the World Series at Shea Stadium, but they dissolved in a 10th inning that famously featured the Steamer’s wild pitch and Mookie Wilson’s Little League grounder between Billy Buck’s wickets.

In my world of woes, the silver medal for local sports sorrow is the Patriots loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII in February of 2008. That was the 18-0 team that couldn’t finish the job in Glendale, Ariz. We’ll never forget David Tyree’s Velcro-helmet catch and Mercury Morris and friends popping champagne in Miami as they remained the NFL’s only undefeated team. Preprinted copies of the Globe’s “Perfection” commemorative book were believed to be stored in closets at our old Morrissey Boulevard property.

As awful as the Bruins loss was, was it the worst Boston sports collapse?​

 

[BGesus4]

Trying to make pizza

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I think we can all agree that the old Red Sox forever will be the gold standard when it comes to flops that demoralize the entire region. In this spirit, the Red Sox’ 1986 World Series fold forever will be the capo di tutti capi of Boston sports collapses. After 68 years of near-misses (hello Bucky Dent and Denny Galehouse), the Sox were one strike away from winning the World Series at Shea Stadium, but they dissolved in a 10th inning that famously featured the Steamer’s wild pitch and Mookie Wilson’s Little League grounder between Billy Buck’s wickets.

In my world of woes, the silver medal for local sports sorrow is the Patriots loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII in February of 2008. That was the 18-0 team that couldn’t finish the job in Glendale, Ariz. We’ll never forget David Tyree’s Velcro-helmet catch and Mercury Morris and friends popping champagne in Miami as they remained the NFL’s only undefeated team. Preprinted copies of the Globe’s “Perfection” commemorative book were believed to be stored in closets at our old Morrissey Boulevard property.

As awful as the Bruins loss was, was it the worst Boston sports collapse?​

Christmas comes early for the CHB.

 

[husky99]

Last 40 years of BC basketball (minus when troy(?) Bell played there)

 

[SubbaBub]

Presidents Trophy winners have a long history of flaming out early in the playoffs. Max intensity is required, floating through the last half of the season isn't a great prep.

Presidents' Trophy curse: Bruins' collapse extends Stanley Cup drought for regular-season champions

The 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks are the last regular-season champs to win the Cup

www.cbssports.com

 

[HuskyHawk]

1978 Sox - Had a 14 game lead at the end of July, blew it to the Yankees then lost a one game playoff at home (Bucky F Dent).

Made worse by the lack of a Wild Card game. Those two teams were the best teams in baseball, by a significant margin. Deserved to face each other in the AL Championship Series.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

1986 was a fluke. The most wonderful and glorious fluke ever...but the 86 Mets were the better team. Winning game 7 after that game six would have been a minor sports miracle, and they almost did it.

2017 Patriots didn't choke. They simply lost a close game to a good team.

2010...that was a CHOKE!

But 2023...they were a record setting level of "dominant"....and they didn't even make it out of the first round. Unbelievable.

 

[Waquoit]

1978 Sox - Had a 14 game lead at the end of July, blew it to the Yankees then lost a one game playoff at home (Bucky F Dent).

That team did win 12 out of their last 14 to tie.

 

[Chin Diesel]

It's Sox in '78.

 

[donyell34]

Ranger fan and hope to get by the Devils, but listening to the Boston sport stations this one hurts big time mostly because its right now and nobody saw this coming and they didn't adapt to the playoff intensity and panthers did. Florida deserves credit they were tough. Don't know where it ranks in Boston's choke jobs but its up there.

 

[Scoe]

Giants Patriots Super Bowl was 2008

2008 calendar year but 2007 nfl season.

 

[Scoe]

1986 was a fluke. The most wonderful and glorious fluke ever...but the 86 Mets were the better team. Winning game 7 after that game six would have been a minor sports miracle, and they almost did it.

2017 Patriots didn't choke. They simply lost a close game to a good team.

2010...that was a CHOKE!

But 2023...they were a record setting level of "dominant"....and they didn't even make it out of the first round. Unbelievable.

2017 Pats Belichick threw that Super Bowl to the Eagles.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Despite the name of the thread, a Boston team was on the other side of the greatest choke job I ever saw. Sox came back from 7-1 vs the Braves as well.

 

[wheelerdog]

1986 Redsox

2007 undefeated Patriots

2023 Bruins losing first rd after record breaking season

2010 Bruins losing a 3-0 series lead

Other

Anyone under 50 probably does not understand the pain inflicted on Red Sox nation the last 6 weeks of the 1978 baseball season. It was horrendous.

 

[Scoe]

Absolutely want the Rangers to win tonight (and three more series' afterwards) but it may be a bit early to LOL another team. If we hadn't treated game three like a throwaway game we would have swept the Devils.

The boneyard jinx never fails ever.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

2017 Pats Belichick threw that Super Bowl to the Eagles.

His ego definitely choked

 

[Edward Sargent]

Cs choked last night for sure. Not the biggest choke but are trending in that direction