Biggest Choke Job in Sports

[HuskyHawk]

I think we can soon add either the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning or 2019 Blue Jackets. Tampa Bay was the most dominant team in the league by a wide margin and is down 3-0, playing in Columbus tomorrow. So either they are going to choke away a great regular season, or Columbus is going to blow a 3-0 series lead.

 

[superjohn]

2003 Cubs.

 

[David 76]

As a Yankee fan, if I could choose between changing the result in 2001 or 2004, I would change 2001.
After 9/11 baseball stopped. It resumed in New York with President Bush throwing out the first pitch. New York was hurting but baseball took on a new meaning, offering hope to a grieving town. The Yanks seemed like a team of destiny. It was just wrong that the D'backs won.

 

[storrsroars]

As a Yankee fan, if I could choose between changing the result in 2001 or 2004, I would change 2001.
After 9/11 baseball stopped. It resumed in New York with President Bush throwing out the first pitch. New York was hurting but baseball took on a new meaning, offering hope to a grieving town. The Yanks seemed like a team of destiny. It was just wrong that the D'backs won.

You could also say that it was fitting, given the Diamondbacks' nicknames are "D-bags" and "Snakes". Imo, their winning the 2001 season officially ushered in the past 18 years of US d-baggery and snake-iness. Going from balanced budgets and relatively decent wealth distribution to the Patriot Act, record deficits and concentration of wealth among a precious few.

Yes, the Yankees lost in 2001. And so did 99% of the rest of us.

 

[superjohn]

You could also say that it was fitting, given the Diamondbacks' nicknames are "D-bags" and "Snakes". Imo, their winning the 2001 season officially ushered in the past 18 years of US d-baggery and snake-iness. Going from balanced budgets and relatively decent wealth distribution to the Patriot Act, record deficits and concentration of wealth among a precious few.

Yes, the Yankees lost in 2001. And so did 99% of the rest of us.

Think you can call that the worst day in our history. As if the tragedy wasn't enough, it completely changed America and the world and all the change was horrible. It reshaped everything in a bad way.

 

[Scoe]

As a Yankee fan, if I could choose between changing the result in 2001 or 2004, I would change 2001.
After 9/11 baseball stopped. It resumed in New York with President Bush throwing out the first pitch. New York was hurting but baseball took on a new meaning, offering hope to a grieving town. The Yanks seemed like a team of destiny. It was just wrong that the D'backs won.

I agree and its not even close 2004 was more embarrassing, 2001 way more heart breaking. The 2004 team was an unlikeable Yankee team with guys in the clubhouse like Sheffield(even though he was putting up MVP numbers), Lofton, Arod, Kevin Brown. The 2004 team was playing with fire all year the pen was shot by October Mariano blew a save against the Twins in game 3 of the ALDS too, of course who knows if they beat the Cardinals in the World Series that year.

 

[Travelman6]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Gstate warriors. Last night they blew a 31 point lead in the second half....five minutes into the third quarter in fact, at home.

Let's see if they recover for the series, but still an epic collapse.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Gstate warriors. Last night they blew a 31 point lead in the second half....five minutes into the third quarter in fact, at home.

Let's see if they recover for the series, but still an epic collapse.

Even if they do win this series, if they fall short of the Finals, it won't be difficult to point to that moment as the beginning of the end of their dynasty.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Well the Tampa Bay Lightning just got swept 4-0.

 

[Waquoit]

78 Red sox. Cubs in 69 and the Phillies in 1964.

The 1978 Sox won 12 out of their last 14 to tie for the division lead. What choke?

 

[UConnLen]

The 1978 Sox won 12 out of their last 14 to tie for the division lead. What choke?

They blew a 12 game lead in late August! If that’s not choking, I don’t know what is? My Sox friends were so upset they celebrated when Munson died in plane crash in 79, real classy...

 

[Madmannsucks]

I think the Sox were up 13 1/2 games in Augu

The 1978 Sox won 12 out of their last 14 to tie for the division lead. What choke?

I think the Sox were up 13 1/2 games in August....running away with the division.

They blew a 12 game lead in late August! If that’s not choking, I don’t know what is? My Sox friends were so upset they celebrated when Munson died in plane crash in 79, real classy...

Yup...remember it well. Bucky Dent.

 

[ATLDYKA]

Happened last night hands down. Most wins ever in a regular season. Swept in first round to a team that never won a playoff series and to lose would have been one thing, but to get swept is all time choke. 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning take this prize.

 

[Towney007]

The Red Sox 2011 collapse was something else.

The Yankees blowing it in 2004 was something else. The Cubs blowing it in 2003 was something else.

 

[Guapo]

Happened last night hands down. Most wins ever in a regular season. Swept in first round to a team that never won a playoff series and to lose would have been one thing, but to get swept is all time choke. 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning take this prize.

Similar to the 1971 Bruins vs Ken Dryden.

 

[Towney007]

OK here's my for sure choke list:

Jean Van De Velde at the British Open in 1999 is probably the king for me. That was absolutely the most indescribable, how does this happen, insane, heart breaking, maddening total and complete collapse right at the end of a tournament i've ever seen by any athlete, ever.

Greg Norman blowing a 7 stroke lead at the Masters was crazy.

Dan O'Brien in the 92 Olympics - Dan and Dave were the absolute poster boys for those Olympics and Dan totally flopped

John McEnroe in the French Open in 84 was wild. He got mad at some camera guy or somethng and the whole thing just went right off the rails.

Give me anyone of three Phil Mickelson (particularly in 2006) or Dan Jansen (old school speed skater) chokes. They did it multiple times.

The Houston Oilers blowing a 35-3 halftime lead against the Bills is something i'll never forget either.

Honorable metion to Jana Novatna's Wimbledon choke in 94 to Steffi Graf. She lost the first set then won the next set 6-1 and was cruising 4-1 in the third set and then literally hit something like 20 shots in a row into the net and lost. It was awesome.

 

[The X Man]

You mean Dan O’Brien in the US Olympic trials. He never even made The Olympics.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Has someone mentioned the 2011 Texas Rangers? Game 6 of the World Series, they had the Cardinals down to their last strike not once, but twice.

It's really hard to choke on defense, but Nelson Cruz managed it. Up by 2 runs, with 2 outs in the 9th, runners on 1st and 2nd, including the lead-footed Lance Berkman at 1st. David Freese hits a line drive towards the right field wall.
- If Cruz catches the ball, the game is over and they win the World Series
- If Cruz turns around to play it off the wall, he keeps the tying run at 3rd, still with 2 outs and a ~70% chance to win

Instead, he manages to do the one thing that would give up the lead: flails embarrassingly at the ball, lets it bounce off the wall and roll 20 feet past him, allowing Berkman to score from 1st and tie the game.

 

[Guapo]

St. John’s vs Finding a New Coach

 

[Scoe]

Every team vs UVA in this years NCAA tournament

 

[Scoe]

Gotta sa

Has someone mentioned the 2011 Texas Rangers? Game 6 of the World Series, they had the Cardinals down to their last strike not once, but twice.

It's really hard to choke on defense, but Nelson Cruz managed it. Up by 2 runs, with 2 outs in the 9th, runners on 1st and 2nd, including the lead-footed Lance Berkman at 1st. David Freese hits a line drive towards the right field wall.
- If Cruz catches the ball, the game is over and they win the World Series
- If Cruz turns around to play it off the wall, he keeps the tying run at 3rd, still with 2 outs and a ~70% chance to win

Instead, he manages to do the one thing that would give up the lead: flails embarrassingly at the ball, lets it bounce off the wall and roll 20 feet past him, allowing Berkman to score from 1st and tie the game.

Thats why teams have defensive replacements or should at least.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Gotta sa


Thats why teams have defensive replacements or should at least.

The amazing thing was, Cruz didn't even need to make the catch. All he had to do was say "forget this, I'm not catching it", play it cleanly off the wall, and hold the runner at 3rd. Then all they would have to do is retire Yadier Molina -- or even intentionally walk him and face Daniel Descalso -- to win the World Series.

Forget skill, it was a stunningly low-IQ play in a pressure situation. He choked.

 

[David 76]

They blew a 12 game lead in late August! If that’s not choking, I don’t know what is? My Sox friends were so upset they celebrated when Munson died in plane crash in 79, real classy...

they played the Yankees 7 times during the Yankees comeback and got scorched by a combined score of about 118 to 1. Red Sox fans were dying.

 

[David 76]

The pattern is obvious. The Red Sox have a good run once every turn of the century. Then the Yankees take the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s,60s, 70s and 90s.