Ranking my biggest sports traumas
My latest YouTube series about the 1988 World Series inspires a list of my biggest sports traumas
This week’s episode in my “Crafting the Call” YouTube series about baseball play-by-play announcing looks at the four different descriptions of Kirk Gibson’s home run off Dennis Eckersley to end Game One of the 1988 World Series.
When I sent the link to a friend who grew up attending nearly every A’s game at the Coliseum, his response was, “Let me get a bottle of tequila and settle in to relive one of the worst moments of my life.”
It got me thinking. What are the worst sports moments of my life? And why am I subjecting myself to repeated torture by continuing to work on projects that involve the 1988 World Series?
If you’re a new subscriber and don’t know me, I grew up an enormous A’s fan, yet wrote a book about the 1988 Dodgers that broke my heart as a teenager.
I think the answer starts with this. Writing about pain, at least for me, is a form of therapy. Besides, this isn’t real trauma. This is sports trauma. The journalist in me understands the 1988 World Series is one of the greatest moments in the history of baseball. It came at a time that my fandom and budding interest in Journalism were coalescing together. My strong connections help me tell the story accurately and passionately, even if it sucks reliving over and over.
I love lists, so here we go, my list of biggest sports traumas.
1. Gibson’s homer off Eck
October 15, 1988 — Game One of the World Series
For me, your sports trauma reflects how much you were personally invested in the moment. In 1988, I went to 53 A’s games. Yes, fifty three. I saved every ticket stub and counted them constantly. I usually arrived five hours before games with my friends to get autographs and shag balls in batting practice. I felt like I knew these A’s players. I talked a lot of trash at high school about the A’s. In my mind, there was no way the Dodgers could beat the A’s. Maybe the Dodgers would win the games that Orel Hershiser started, but it was impossible they’d win a best-of-7. I was at home watching that game with my Dad. In the ninth inning, Dad was in the kitchen making dinner. I was standing up, a few feet from the TV, channeling my inner John Kreese by yelling “FINISH HIM!” Maybe I should have yelled something else. An injured Kirk Gibson channeled Daniel Son with the most dramatic home run in World Series history. When I saw the ball go over the fence, I collapsed to my knees, stunned, unable to speak words. I stayed there for what seemed like forever. I remember walking upstairs and not eating dinner.
2. The Snow Job/Tuck Rule fiasco
January 19, 2002 — AFC Divisional Round Playoff Game
I’m a believer that shared trauma is more impactful trauma. I watched this game at The Condor in San Francisco with my friends Ben and Ferris. Back then, we didn’t have smart phones to give us weather reports. I had no idea it was snowing until the first visual was shown of Foxboro. Admittedly, I don’t remember a lot of details from this game. I do remember that we had excellent seats in front of an enormous TV. I remember some black tar from the ceiling was dripping on my head. When I told the manager, he mostly shrugged and said sorry. Really? I can’t even get my dinner comped or a free drink for this crap from your ceiling that’s in my hair? I remember the Charles Woodson blitz vividly, the fumble, the recovery by Greg Biekert, our celebration, and then the replay. What were they reviewing? It was the most obvious fumble. Ever. I never heard of the Tuck Rule before in my life. I never really bought into Raiders fans believing the NFL was against them and actively did things to make them lose. This sure made me think the fix was in. I’m still upset.
3. Alomar’s homer off Eck
October 11, 1992 — Game Four of the ALCS
I waffled on where to rank the two heartbreaking homers that Eck allowed in the playoffs. Eck always said this homer was more devastating to him. I agree this was more devastating to the A’s. Eck was the MVP and Cy Young that year. He was invincible. The A’s had a two-run lead in the ninth. If Eck saves it, the series is tied 2-2, Dave Stewart is starting Game 5 (which means a guaranteed win), and the A’s just have to win one of the last two games back in Toronto. But no. Roberto Alomar’s two-run homer tied it, then the Blue Jays won in extra innings, for a commanding 3-1 lead. By 1992, I was in college in San Diego. I watched this game alone. I was devastated, but it wasn’t shared trauma with family and friends. I only went to a couple games during the summer break from college, so I was more removed from this team. It still hurts. This was also the end of the A’s mini-Dynasty.
4. Fresno State torture, friend betrayal
March 12, 2016 — Mountain West Conference Tournament Final
I was in attendance with my closest San Diego State friends for all games of this tournament. We had a blast all weekend in Las Vegas. The Aztecs were the top seeds. Hated rival Fresno State was the #2 seed and pulled off the upset to gain the NCAA Tournament automatic bid. What makes this loss so traumatic is the Aztecs were denied an at-large bid and stuck in the NIT. This was the peak of being upset at other MWC teams for not winning more games and bringing down the rankings. The Aztecs were 25-9 overall, 16-2 in the MWC, but didn’t reach the NCAA Tournament. My so-called friend, also an SDSU alum who spent part of his childhood in Fresno and shall remain nameless, stormed the court in celebration of Fresno State’s win. He did sheepishly ask my permission. I told him to do whatever he wanted. I still can’t believe a SDSU alum, regardless of where he grew up, would celebrate his university losing on the court. I still can’t believe the committee didn’t put the Aztecs in the NCAAs either.
5. Roger Craig’s fumble
January 20, 1991 — NFC Championship Game
The 49ers were two-time Super Bowl champions and appeared on their way to a third in a row. That NFC Championship Game was bizarre. The New York Giants were using backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler after Phil Simms was injured the week before, so I figured they had no chance to win. In the fourth quarter, Joe Montana got knocked out and Steve Young replaced him. There was only one touchdown the entire game. The 49ers led the New York Giants, 13-12, late in the fourth. They just needed to run out the clock. Running back Roger Craig was one of my favorites. I loved his high stepping. I liked how genuine he seemed in interviews. He took over for Wendell Tyler, who was known for fumbling so much we called him “Fumble Tyler.” Roger Craig didn’t fumble. Until this game. Until this moment. He fumbled deep inside 49ers territory with 2:36 left, setting up a game-winning field goal by Matt Bahr. The final was 15-13. All the Giants points were Bahr’s five field goals.
Honorable mention
In the 1987 Divisional Playoffs, the top-seeded 49ers (13-2 in the short-shortened regular season) were 13-point favorites over the the Minnesota Vikings. Wide receiver Anthony Carter was unstoppable, running wild through the 49ers secondary, 10 catches for 227 yards. Bill Walsh called it the worst loss of his career. Montana got benched. Young nearly led a comeback. It led to years of Montana-Young debate over who should play.
In 2011, San Diego State’s basketball team won 20 straight games to begin the season, including a “We Are For Real” win at Gonzaga, and were ranked #4 in the nation. I was living in LA, convinced this girl I’d just started dating to watch the game with me at a SDSU Watch Party in Santa Monica. BYU’s Jimmer Fredette went nuts, dropping 43 points on my Aztecs in a 71-58 final. The trauma is mitigated because the Aztecs beat BYU in the MWC Final and reached the first Sweet Sixteen in school history.
In the 2001 American League Division Round, the A’s led the Yankees 2-0, and were back home at the Coliseum with a chance for the sweep. Yanks lead 1-0 in the 7th, Terrence Long doubles into the corner. Right fielder Shane Spencer overthrows two cutoff men. Derek Jeter appears from nowhere to pickup the throw and flips the ball home. Jeremy Giambi doesn’t slide. Giambi is out. Yanks win the game and win the series. My trauma is mitigated because I was in Journalistic mode, covering that game for The Oakland Tribune and actually wrote the sidebar about Jeter’s flip.1
Former Raiders coach Jon Gruden, after an offseason trade to the Bucs, vanquishes his former team in Super Bowl XXVII. My trauma was mitigated because I was also in Journalistic mode, covering that game for The Trib. Plus, spending that week in San Diego was arguably the best week of my life, so I wasn’t going to let a sporting event ruin my mood.
In 1991, I’m a freshman at SDSU. The regular season finale was the Aztecs hosting BYU. The winner is declared the WAC champion and goes to the Holiday Bowl (played in San Diego). This still might be the most exciting game I’ve ever witnessed. The Aztecs had a huge lead, but kept throwing the ball. BYU quarterback Ty Detmer, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, torched the Aztecs secondary. Back then, there was no overtime rules. Back then, we didn’t know what happens if the game ended in a tie. BYU knew they’d win the tiebreaker if the game ended in a tie. They played for the tie. They kicked a field goal late in the game, instead of going for it, and settled for a 52-52 tie that gave them the conference title. I still hate Ty and ties.
In 1998, I was a few years removed from college. I absolutely loved that 1998 Padres team. Those playoffs were thrilling. The Padres beat Randy Johnson and the Astros, then Greg Maddux and the Braves, and I was sure they’d beat the Yankees. They were down 2-0, but back home at The Murph and over 66,000 fans had the joint rocking. The Padres lead 3-2 in the eighth, then Scott Brosius homered off Trevor for the lead. Mariano made it stick and the Yanks completed the sweep the next day.
The 2014 A’s were strange. They were the best team in baseball, then made trades for better pitching in the playoffs, and some think it ruined their mojo. They ended up in the all-or-nothing, one-game Wild Card against the Royals, instead of AL West champs. The A’s led 7-3 after seven innings and had Jon Lester, the ace they acquired in July, on the mound. Then we learned Lester can’t hold on base runners, the Royals baserunners ran wild, and they rallied for a 9-8 win. If I was living in Oakland at the time, this might be most traumatic loss. Instead, I was watching from a random bar in Albuquerque and couldn’t convince them to turn on the volume. Again, shared trauma impacts your sports trauma.
So that’s my list of sports trauma. What’s on yours?
Wow. This friend of yours storming-the-court in Fresno business is shocking, even in the context of those times. I’m shook.
Walt Coleman can still eat a bag of dicks.